A/N Thank you guys so much for understanding about this being a bit late. This past week was crazy, but also good. I hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a happy one. If you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, then I hope you had a good Thursday. :)

This ended up turning out to be one of my favorite chapters so far, so I really hope you guys like it!

Thank you so much to every single one of you who reviewed! I was floored by the reviews I got. Last chapter got more reviews than any chapter so far. I loved them all and felt so happy and honored that you guys liked this story enough to take the time to review. Thank you! :)

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Ophelia Lokisdottir

Aka-Baka Hoshi

ImperfectIsPerfect

RossyGaray

maliha1205

Son-of-hiddle

Larahna Steadyblade

AmeliaRoseOswald

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literaturelife7

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Guest

SiriusDancer

Stirrings of Trouble

Loki straightened the sleeve of his jacket as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was getting ready to go to dinner for the third time since he had been home and this time he didn't feel like he was going to his execution. Even if everything fell apart later, for now, things were okay. Not great, not perfect, not quite even good, but better. For the moment things were okay between him and Thor, and Loki had a tentative truce with Odin ,so he was actually kind of looking forward to the evening meal.

As he looked into the mirror again, the memory of himself standing in front of the mirror the day the tesseract wave had hit him and everything had started coming apart, flashed into his mind.

You will know pain.

Loki winced and reached a hand to his temple as a shot of pain stabbed through his head. But just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. That stupid dream. Even when things were starting to look up, Loki couldn't catch a brake as his dreams and memories haunted him every night, and his ever present bipolar emotions kept trying to switch to anger and hate. He was getting better at ignoring them and recognizing them as not being his true feelings. He was starting to be able to control them instead of them controlling him, but it still tried his patience nearly every waking second.

Shaking himself from his depressing thoughts, Loki resolutely turned from the mirror and put his troubles out of his mind. He wanted to have a good time that night and he couldn't do that if his mind was focused on all the things wrong inside his head. He just wanted to push aside that part of him for one night.

He left his room and headed toward the dining hall. Once again, everyone was already present and sitting just as they had the night before. Loki was actually looking forward to seeing his family's reactions to what he was about to do. He had thought it over as he got dressed and decided the take another step forward with his family. If he wanted things to get better, he had to start trying. Nothing would ever change if he simply sat back and waited for all his problems to magically solve themselves on their own.

Everyone looked up as he entered and approached the table without hesitation. He could see on everyone's faces that they expected him to sit in the empty chair between Clint and Tony, just as he had the previous night, but he surprised them when, instead of sitting down, he stopped next to Clint's chair, rested a hand on the archer's shoulder and leaned over to whisper in his ear. Clint listened for a moment before looking at Loki with a bit of surprise before nodding, a smile spreading across his face. Then Clint slid over into the empty chair to his right.

Loki pulled back the empty seat next to Thor, the seat Loki, as second prince, was supposed to sit in, and slid into it. Loki watched out of the corner of his eye, a small smile curving up his lips at the surprised, but pleased expressions on his parents' faces and Thor's beaming smile, which lit up his whole face. Loki glanced to his right, looking past Clint to Tony. The billionaire met Loki's gaze and gave him a single, approving, and, Loki would swear, proud nod, a small smile on his face. Loki ducked his head slightly at the silent praise but enjoyed it nonetheless.

The rest of the dinner went fairly well. Loki actually talked and interacted with the rest of the people at the table and didn't seem irritated or angry toward his family. It still wasn't perfect. There was some tension and a slight walking on eggshells feeling between the members of the family as if they all only had a fragile truce and none of them wanted to mess it up. On the whole, though, it was a huge improvement from the two previous nights, the main reason being that everyone involved was actually trying now, instead of just sitting there hoping things would get better.

After dinner, was even better. This time Loki didn't immediately leave. He stuck around and interacted with everyone. He had much warmer, if still a little distant interactions with his brother and Loki and Odin seemed to be on good, if not overly familiar terms. Their encounters were stiff and tinged with unease and distrust but at least no fights broke out between them and they remained civil throughout the entire night. Loki seemed a bit warmer toward Frigga, even taking her to the side at one point to apologize for his harsh words to her.

Things weren't fixed with the royal family but they were most definitely on the mend. Loki even interacted more with the Avengers. He was most comfortable around Clint, Steve, and especially Tony as he had found confidants, friends, and common ground with these men. He was still a bit wary and uneasy around Natasha but he was starting to get somewhat used to her quiet, threatening presence. And he was still trying to figure out what to make of Bruce, who seemed shy and awkward, but very kind, all the while possessing inside of him the giant green beast that had succeeded in smashing Loki into the ground.

Part of the trickster was grateful to Bruce for that, as he had freed Loki from the tesseract's hold and he told the scientist as much. But another part of him was wary of the Hulk, knowing what the beast could do to him. Even though Loki was on decent terms with Banner, that did not mean the Hulk wouldn't smash him to dust the next time they met.

At one point, Tony found himself standing off to the side near one of the walls, watching those in the dining hall talk and carry on. Steve and Clint were talking about something that Thor clearly was not understanding. Natasha was quietly talking to Bruce about something, and Loki and Odin were having some kind of conversation that seemed to be going somewhat well if the expressions on the father's and son's faces were anything to go by.

"They seem to have worked through some of their grievances."

Tony turned at the sound of the voice to see Queen Frigga come to stand next to him.

"Your Majesty," Tony said, inclining his head.

So far he had seen nothing in Frigga to make him dislike her. In fact, he had some amount of respect for her. It was obvious she truly loved her sons and wanted to help them in any way she could. She actually reminded Tony a bit of his own mother, a woman who cared for her son and gave him the love and support that his father never had. And besides all that, Tony had to respect her for being able to not only survive, but manage to raise two sons like Thor and Loki. The lady deserved a medal, or a crown.

"Please, call me Frigga," the Queen said, pulling Tony back out of his thoughts. "You are a friend to both of my sons. There is no need to be so formal with me." She gave him a bright smile that looked so much like Thor's that Tony knew where the thunderer got that particular trait from.

"Frigga," Tony said with an answering smile. "Yeah, I'd say it's a start. They're still not too sure about each other but it's a step in the right direction," Tony said, turning back to look at Loki and Odin.

Tony suddenly found himself being hugged by the Queen of Asgard. Not many things could surprise or dumbfound Tony Stark, but having the Queen of another planet reach out and hug him, definitely caught him off guard. She only held onto him for a moment before pulling back and looking at him, gratitude shining in her eyes.

"I know you talked to them. I don't know what you said, but it helped. Thank you," Frigga said, her eyes shining with tears of joy.

It was the best terms Loki and Odin had been on in years and she knew it was due to whatever sense Tony had managed to knock into them.

"I know what it's like to be both of them," Tony admitted with a shrug, trying to brush off her thanks. He hadn't really done anything, just told them what they needed to hear. "I know what it's like to just want your father's love and pride but never feel like you're good enough, and I know what it's like to not know how to let people know you care and to be afraid to. I also know what it feels like to lose a son and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. They have a rare opportunity at a second chance to have a real father-son relationship and I don't want to see that go to waste because of pride, pigheadedness, and stubbornness."

"You are a wise man, Tony Stark. I care not what your friends say about you."

"What do they say?"

He caught sight of her smirk and the glint in her eye and shook his head. He was being teased by the Queen of Asgard. Things couldn't get much weirder.

"I'm beginning to see where Loki gets his penchant for mischief from," he grumbled.

Frigga's only response was to laugh outright.

)()()(

Loki had hoped that such a good, positive evening would ward off his nightmares. Unfortunately it didn't. The dream started out much like it usually did. He was back in Thanos' prison, chained to the floor, his blood spattered around him. He was tortured by Thanos, much as he had been in reality. Then the scene shifted to Earth where he succeed in killing the Avengers, one by one painfully, mercilessly torturing people he had actually started calling friends.

Then he was on Asgard and did the same to his family. What truly sickened and horrified Loki, though, was that he was not under the tesseract's influence. He was doing it all of his own free will and he enjoyed it, laughing maniacally as he tortured and killed people he loved. Then he watched in glee as Asgard burned around him.

He felt the burning agonizing pain in his mind and sensed the tesseract's power as it took hold of him, not even allowing him to writhe in agony at the pain that gripped him. The scene shifted again and he was on that floating asteroid once more, looking at The Other as the creature gripped the side of Loki's face and agony ripped through his mind from the touch.

You will know pain.

Then he was back on Asgard again, still laughing as everything burned. After a moment, he glanced down and his smile froze on his face as he caught sight of his hands. They were not his normal pale white but they were not the blue of his Jotun heritage either. They were purple. He quickly spun around, panic driving the manic glee and insanity away, leaving him horrified at his actions and sickened by them. He looked around frantically until he saw a discarded silver breastplate lying nearby.

He ran over and picked it up. As he did, it changed from a polished breastplate to a mirror. Loki looked in abject terror at his face. It was no longer his normal pale appearance, nor was it his Jotun countenance. No, this was much much worse. His face was still his, still the same bone structure and shape, still topped with his black hair, but his skin was purple and there was an evil glint in his eye. He looked like...

"Thanos," he whispered in horror.

He had turned into Thanos, the same skin, the same malicious and cruel expression.

You will know pain.

"NO!" Loki screamed, sitting bolt upright in bed.

Frantically he looked down at his hands, seeing normal, pale skin. He threw his covers off and lurched out of bed. He all but fell over himself in his haste to get to the mirror. There, in the dim light, he could see his face, still pale and completely normal. He fell to his knees before the mirror, reaching up to touch his face, to assure himself that it was indeed still him and not Thanos.

His hands trembled in the mirror as he lightly touched his face. He was shaking all over and it wasn't until his trembling hands brushed over his cheeks, that he realized silent tears were rolling down his face.

Loki didn't know how long he had been kneeling there, shaking and crying, before the door opened. A shaft of light appeared in the room, and the shadow of a person fell across him.

"Loki?" the concerned voice asked and Loki slowly looked to see Thor standing in the doorway.

At the sight of Loki's tear-stained face, Thor didn't hesitate to step into the room, closing the door behind him. He quickly came to Loki's side and knelt down next to him. It wasn't the first time Loki had woken screaming from a nightmare. He had had many when they were growing up and Thor had comforted him more than once.

The difference now was that Loki had good reason to have nightmares. He had good reason to feel fear, and more than enough material to spawn the dreams. This wasn't some childhood fear or insecurity. This was memories of horrors endured, coming back to haunt Loki. Thor didn't think about whether Loki might rebuff him, as instinct and habit took over. Just as he had done in years past, Thor wrapped his arms around his younger brother and felt Loki cling to him, his slight frame shaking in Thor's arms.

"I'm sorry," Loki choked out. He wasn't sure what for, he just was.

"It's all right, Brother," Thor whispered, holding Loki tightly as he buried his face in Thor's chest and trembled again.

It had been several years since Thor had had to comfort Loki after a bad dream but it was something he hadn't forgotten how to do. However, it was much easier to assure someone that it was just a dream when that was all it was. It was different when the dream originated from very real memories and experiences. Those weren't as easily chased away. Thor knew that first hand.

The dreams he had had of Loki falling into the void had haunted him for months afterward and even still did from time to time. At least now when he woke, he knew that his brother was not dead. He hadn't had that kind of relief during the year after Loki's fall.

Back then, Thor would dream of his brother's death and wake up only to face the reality of those dreams. But now Loki was alive, if broken and hurting. Thor tightened his hold on his brother, for his own sake as much as for Loki's.

For several minutes, the two brothers knelt there on the floor, holding on to each other. Finally, Loki pulled back and wiped his face.

"I'm sorry I woke you," he mumbled, not looking at Thor as shame washed through him.

"I do not mind, Brother. Truly," Thor said. "I would rather be woken and be here to comfort you than for you to have to endure this alone."

Loki looked at him for a moment, gauging his honesty and seemed to accept that Thor really didn't mind having his sleep interrupted and having to comfort Loki from his bad dreams.

"Well, this brings back some memories," Loki said, trying to lighten the mood and change the subject.

"Yes, but this time I cannot tell you they are just dreams. This time they come from your very real memories, do they not?" Thor asked softly.

"Fine time to grow perceptive, Brother," Loki said, wishing Thor was a bit more oblivious so Loki could brush the dream aside, claiming it to be nothing. Loki hadn't meant for the words to come out harshly but the flash of hurt on Thor's face told him they had.

Thor started to pull away, thinking Loki wanted him to go, but Loki reached out and caught Thor's hand, stopping him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that," Loki admitted. " I just..."

"I understand, Brother," Thor said, reaching out to gently grip Loki's neck, the hurt in Thor's eyes disappearing. "Do you wish to speak of it?" Thor asked gently.

Loki hesitated for a long moment before words started tumbling out of his mouth.

"You were all dead. Your friends, you, Mother and Father. I killed all of you with my own hands and I laughed. I enjoyed it. All of you died thinking me the horrible, cruel monster that I am," Loki said, his voice growing softer as he spoke and he turned his head away from Thor.

Thor gently turned his face back, forcing Loki to look at him.

"You are not a monster. You are my amazing, and beloved brother. You did not kill us, you saved us. We are not dead, we are alive and we are here," Thor said before pulling Loki back into his arms.

Loki clung to him, letting the words wash over him and drawing comfort from Thor's strong, steady, and very much alive presence.

"You don't understand," Loki said after a moment, pulling back to look at Thor. "I am a monster. You saw in my memories how I truly look, under this," he held out his white hands then turned to look at himself in the mirror, reaching up to brush his fingers over his pale cheeks.

"Can you change to it at will?" Thor asked, referring to Loki's Jotun appearance.

Loki felt his heart freeze. He knew it was too good to be true. Thor didn't really care about him. He didn't really want to reconcile. He was just curious.

"Yes," Loki replied hesitantly.

"Would you?" Thor asked.

He just wanted to look at Loki like some creature he had never seen before and tell him how monstrous and disgusting he was. Loki felt the hurt rise up in him and quickly covered it with anger.

"Why?" Loki asked, turning back to Thor. "So you can look with fascinated horror upon the creature you once called brother! The ferocious Frost Giant! The monster of all the childhood stories we were told!" Loki snapped.

"Please," Thor said softly.

'Might as well get it over with now,' Loki thought.

If he was going to endure Thor's disdain, he would rather not drag it out. However, that didn't mean he had to watch the disgusted hatred appear on Thor's face. Loki focused his eyes on the floor as he concentrated on the magic surrounding himself. He pulled back the instinctual magic and the blue began to creep up his hands and arms. A moment later, Loki felt the last of the illusion slide away as the blue covered his face.

He waited for the sounds of horror and distaste, waited for the hate filled words, but they never came. Instead Thor reached out and put his fingers under Loki's chin, gently raising his face up. Loki let his chin come up but kept his eyes down, refusing to meet Thor's gaze.

"Loki, look at me," Thor said gently, and it was that gentleness that had Loki looking up to meet Thor's eyes before he could stop himself.

"You know what I see when I look at you?" Thor asked.

'A Monster. A creature not worthy to be in Asgard, much less a prince. Not even worthy of life,' Loki's mind supplied, but his mouth said something else.

"What?" he asked in a small voice.

He braced himself for Thor's response, but apparently not well enough as Thor's words blindsided him and left him speechless.

"I see you," Thor said. " I see the person I grew up with, who I played with, who I have loved all my life and always will. I see my brother."

Loki stared at him in astonishment. His mind and emotions whirling. His eyes dropped to look at his blue hands. Then, slowly and hesitantly, he turned his head to look at his face in the mirror. Red eyes and ridged, blue skin met his gaze. Next to him, Thor also turned to look at him in the mirror so that their faces, blue and white, were side by side in the reflection.

Loki's and Thor's eyes met in the reflective glass and Thor reached out to gently caress Loki's face, resting his hand against Loki's cool blue cheek. Loki studied the emotions in Thor's eyes and saw no disgust, no revulsion, and no distaste at having to touch him. All Loki saw was love and acceptance.

"This visage is a part of who you are. Do not fear it and do not be ashamed of it. I'm not," Thor said.

Loki turned back to Thor and stared at him as tears began to roll down his face. Thor truly didn't care what he looked like or what blood ran through his veins. For all of the hatred and scorn Thor had held for Frost Giants all their lives, now, looking at Loki's blue skin and red eyes, all he saw was the brother he loved.

Thor gripped the back of Loki's neck and gently pulled him forward to press his lips to Loki's blue forehead. Loki felt strong arms wrap around him and he buried his face in Thor's chest and felt some of the pain, fear, and self-loathing lift from his heart.

"I love you, My Brother," Thor whispered. "And I am here for you, always."

The tears that flowed freely down Loki's face had nothing to do with his nightmares and he tightened his hold on Thor. Perhaps Stark had been right. Just letting one person in helped so much.

After a few minutes, despite his aversion to going back to sleep, Loki felt his fatigue pull at him and his eyes closed of their own volition as he leaned against Thor.

Thor felt his brother relax against him and gently slid his arm beneath Loki's legs to lift him up and carry him to his bed. Thor tried to ignore how alarmingly light his brother felt in his arms. Loki's captivity had taken so much from him. Thor laid Loki down and covered him up. He looked down at his brother for a moment before gently running his hand over Loki's, once more, pale cheek.

"Sleep well, Brother," Thor whispered.

He turned to leave but was again stopped as a hand grabbed his. He turned back to see Loki looking up at him sleepily.

"Stay?" Loki asked groggily, a bit of fear of what might come in his dreams lacing his voice.

Thor didn't even hesitate, his heart soaring at Loki letting him in, asking him to stay, and seeking his comfort. It was what Thor had longed for ever since he discovered Loki was still alive. He loved his brother dearly and to have that love returned was everything to him. It had been years since Loki had asked Thor to stay with him after a nightmare and Thor found he had actually missed it. Thor liked being needed and Loki hadn't needed him for a long time, until now.

Loki tiredly scooted over, giving Thor room to lay down beside him. As soon as Thor was settled, he raised his arm and wrapped it around Loki's shoulders as his younger brother curled into his side, promptly falling asleep against his older brother. Thor couldn't help but smile and tighten his hold ever so slightly. Maybe they could be okay again. And maybe, just maybe they could be better than before.

With that hopeful thought in mind, Thor also drifted back to sleep, a small smile still on his face.

A/N I couldn't help it. After all the angst and emotional pain, I just had to write some fluff. I love Loki too much to keep torturing him... for now. *insert evil laugh here* Ahem. Anyway, please review and let me know if you guys like fluff or if I should go back to all the angst and emotional torture. :)

Next chapter, Loki's life is finally looking up, but in Loki's experience, just when things start looking good is usually when everything falls apart. The next chapter will be a lighter, fluffier one than most of the chapters thus far. I'm giving Loki and you guys a break from some of the angst. However, enjoy it while you can. Things won't be rainbows for long. Something is looming on the horizon and it bodes ill for our favorite trickster. :)