Chapter 3

Burdened miracle

"So... alien." Thor stood motionless as Loki shifted his weight, still behind the glass.

"Uh, I suppose I am, to you."

Thor nodded while his mouth gaped open, his eyes still fixed on Loki. He was so focused on him that he failed to notice the dial on the monitor go through the roof. In the blink of an eye, Loki had gone from behind the glass, to just a foot away from Thor. He stumbled back but caught himself on the railings as Loki gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry. Didn't intend to scare you." He began to walk around the cage, seemingly to admire it, pressing his palm against the cold glass.

"Sturdy structure. It almost rivals the architecture of my own culture." He turned and smiled at Thor as he sat down on one of the stools up against a cluttered desk.

"Almost?" He laughed as he rested his chin in his hand.

Loki began to walk over to him and sat down on the adjacent stool. "Well it didn't hold me."

They starred at each other, an awkward silence forming between them until Thor lifted his head and said, "So, your culture. Where abouts are you from?"

Loki pushed aside some of the wires and components on the desk as he spoke before giving up and turning to Thor. "In relation to here? No idea. But of my world I can tell you this. It has a large kingdom spread out across the stars. Infinite fields of green grass separating the woodland from the cities. Tall, gleaming, magnificent cities..." His happy tone faded while his head drooped as he let his eyes fall to the floor. "Once a tall, gleaming, magnificent city. Now, it's as if someone let it burn as red as the sky."

Thor shuffled his feet while he saw the man's pained expression. "What happened?"

Loki looked up suddenly as if he had forgotten he was there. "Bilgesnipe. They savage everything in their path. They can't be stopped, even if you threaten them with annihilation. They are so stupid, so determined, that they will never cease their vile, gruesome and cruel actions, until there is nothing left to kill and maim."

"They are also alien?" Thor hesitated to keeping asking him since Loki was clearly moved by his recalled memories.

"Yes, even to me they are foreign monsters." He looked up, his glassy green eyes producing one single tear falling down his cheek. "But like me, they have ventured here before, to Earth."

Odin sat alone in his office. Light streamed in through the window behind him as he lay hunched over his desk, head in his hands. A clock ticking was the only sound other than the noises and voices screaming at him; his mind in chaos as old forgotten memories began to resurface for the first time since he'd first erased them. Burned them from his mind and buried them for good; he thought. With his eyes closed, his vision was black, but images kept flashing behind his eyes, forcing him to remember them, experience the fear he had once felt. He felt his heart rate increase, his breathing becoming heavier until the semblance of fire flashed in his mind and his eyes opened wide. In his state of panic, it almost felt like his body was steaming, his office ablaze. He contained his outburst as an electronic voice broke the silence.

"Sir. Coulson is here to see you."

After a second the voice spoke again. "Sir? Shall I send him in?"

Odin cleared his throat before he pressed the button and replied. "Uh, Yes. Send him in now."

He reached for his water and downed the glass just as Coulson entered, closing the door behind himself and setting a few papers on Odin's desk. He didn't sit, just stood hands neatly behind his back.

"Our experts have analysed the subject's words during his transit and have concluded that it is either nonsense because of his delirious state or a language no one have ever come into contact with."

Odin nodded as he tried to appear composed as the agent paused and then continued.

"The recent blackout was caused by an unknown power fluctuation that affected that entire level. All computer logic boards were destroyed but have been replaced with their memories restored except for the half an hour leading up to the incident."

Coulson paused, glancing out of the window quickly while Odin began to fan the papers across his desk. Odin looked up, expecting him to continue.

"There is also more bad news sir."

Odin raised his eyes to meet Coulson's but returned his gaze to his papers as he remained silent.

"Cavanah returned home after his examination concluded nothing was physically wrong with him." He hesitated, expecting Odin to look up at him again. He stood up straighter. "Professor Cavanah was found dead in his home early this morning sir."

Coulson looked down at Odin as he froze, one hand resting on his desk while the other gripped tighter on a piece of paper. He looked up at Coulson with a child like innocence.

"Dead?"

Coulson paused then nodded gently. Odin set the paper down and straightened out the creases. He brushed away a tear and spoke while still looking blankly at the page.

"What uh... What was the cause of death?"

"He appears to have been mauled by a large animal. He was found in his back garden with no signs of any damage to the property."

Odin swallowed as he scrunched his eyes shut. He sat back in his chair and tilted his head skywards before looking over Coulson's shoulder at the clock, then addressing him while again, ignoring him.

"Thank you. Please inform me of any... further developments."

He then swiveled his chair so he was basking in the midday sun as Coulson headed towards the door. Odin broke the silence, still facing the window just as Coulson had stepped over the threshold.

"Do send someone to inform Thor. Tell him I need to be alone right now."

Coulson replied quietly as he nodded and let the door close with a click. "Yes, sir."

Loki was now meandering around the room, admiring the equipment while Thor followed him round.

"Creatures? What are they like? Do you have many different species where you're from? Are they like our animals?"

Loki bent down to inspect something while Thor hung over his shoulder. Loki smiled and turned, straightening up as he spoke. "Bilgesnipe? Not very pleasant. But there are also some spectacular beings to be found. Some of which, I believe your kind fantasise about; at least, similarly to. A species native to the woodland of my home, do bare an unusual resemblance to your idea of fairies or elves. I forget which now."

He waved his hands and produced the image of a small, colourful man with wings. The image was slightly transparent and as tall as a pencil. The detail was so clear that as Thor looked closer, he could see more and more fine detail in the illusion. Just before he was about to speak, the image suddenly disappeared and Loki tensed, eyes now trained on the door. Thor frowned but turned his head to the door but only grew more curious when nothing seemed out of place.

"What..?" He spoke before he turned back but stopped when he saw Loki had disappeared. He frantically spun round but soon realised he had appeared silently in his cage. He watched intently as Loki placed one of his long, pale, elegant fingers against his lips just before the door to the lab flung open without warning and a tall man in a suit entered.

Thor stood in the centre of the lab, trying not to look shocked or guilty as the man approached him. The man gave one quick glance towards Loki before he stopped just in front of Thor.

"During this time your father wishes to given some privacy but he requests that you be given an update on proceedings." He handed Thor an electronic pad, turned and left, leaving Thor stunned clutching the device while Loki looked on from behind the glass. As soon as the door slammed shut, Loki reappeared next to Thor, almost making him drop the pad. Loki laughed as Thor stumbled after it. He gave him a stern look but smiled as he sat down at his desk.

Loki looked at his clothes for the first time while Thor tapped away on the pad, his smile turning sour as he read. Loki's clothes shimmered, a dim light appeared, before it faded to reveal new clothes; long and black with dark green buttons with black boots. Thor didn't notice as he turned the pad off and set it aside.

"Thor?" Loki's hand hovered over Thor's shoulder as he sighed in his seat, tilting his head back when Loki touched his shoulder.

"The professor has died." He reeled his head round to look at Loki with a blank stare.

"I suppose death is new for you too."

Loki sat down next to him and twiddled his thumbs, resting his arms on his knees, head down.

"Usually it wouldn't be. Not only because we live longer, but also because... I am lonely." Thor turned to him but Loki kept his head down, focusing instead on his hands.

"I am not a normal prince. My people want... would want a king who spent all his time devoted to protecting his kingdom." He looked up but not at Thor; just over his shoulder.

"They would not have respected someone who frequently left his domain for his own reasons." He paused, breathing heavily until he looked at Thor, a look of puzzlement on his face.

"Even thought the citizens deemed me an unfit candidate for king, our enemies thought me a big enough threat. I fled, here, to Earth. I thought they wouldn't dare follow me. The journey is treacherous, risky and anyone who tries it is stupid to." He smiled jokingly at Thor whose serious expression was worrying.

"I landed here, safely to my surprise, in a small town. Large fields for miles with dirt roads snaking across the landscape. I saw a house." Thor's ears perked up as Loki looked straight into his eyes. He hoped he wouldn't say what he thought he would.

"There lived a happy family. The first I had met but I considered them happy. They had each other; no one else. Little possessions of no worth to others, but to themselves, priceless." Loki smiled as he continued.

"I must correct myself. When I say I landed safely, I mean no one was hurt except me. I'd broken my leg and the battle to get here meant I didn't have enough energy to heal myself. My original plan was to hide in their fields and..." He hesitated, looking guilty as he half whispered, "and steal from them when they left. I was clumsy though, and at first I thought I had misjudged their kind nature."

Loki sat back and rubbed his chest, suddenly feeling tight, his breathing restricted. "I had watched them for days at this point, so I knew how long I'd have. One morning, I decided to move. I watched them leave, then found my way through their house. Even though I had never seen anything like them, I knew they were edible, so I picked up a couple of cans, a bottle of water and bandages for my cuts." Loki gulped as he starred blankly at Thor's chest.

"I was limping out the back door, arms full of cans and bandages, concentrating more on my footsteps than where I was going, so I didn't see him."

Thor tensed and froze, clenching his fingers over his knees. "He shot you." He said and Loki's head immediately jerked up but he dropped his gaze in shame after a second.

"He thought I was a common thief." He laughed gently as he lowered his hand away from his chest and went back to twiddling his fingers.

"I suppose I was. The man had come back alone. Evidently he had forgotten something from the barn and instead found me with my hands full of his supplies. Luckily by that time I had enough power to deflect such an attack. Unfortunately I had never experienced a gun before so small bits of shrapnel were lodged in my chest. He was shocked at first, angry, then sorry. After that I didn't care what he did to me. I was tired, hungry, cold, damaged and alone. I accepted that and I welcomed his anger. Instead, while I was bewildered, he kept me in secret, locked away in the barn. He didn't tell his family while he took the shrapnel out and let me rest. I was so grateful to the man, so impossibly grateful. We spoke. After the initial shock of where I came from, he spoke about what his ambitions were. He never liked working the way he did. His responsibilities meant he couldn't be with his family. After my magic returned properly, I healed myself and in return for his kindness, I replaced his supplies and thanked him again. He was even more grateful and insisted I meet his family before I left." Loki shrugged, tilting his head to one side as he supported his chin in his hand.

"I accepted, not realising that was the biggest mistake I could make." Loki stood up and walked back over towards the cage. He put his palm against the class again. "He forgot. I suppose that makes it better. He forgot the details, but remembers the consequences. And evidently, he remembers me."

Silence fell between them; Thor on the stool while Loki had his back turned to him as he looked into the cage. Thor began to lightly drum his fingers along the desk as Loki turned and leaned against the cage.

"You were talking about my father weren't you? My family home, my past, my life."

Loki just starred at the floor while he nodded, tucking a strand of stray hair behind his ear as he bowed his head.

Thor stood up and began to walk over to the cage. "It's alright, I forgive you."

Loki wept silently as Thor advanced slowly. "I am the sole reason they came, for what they did. And you forgive me?"

"I forgive you because I remember."

Loki's head shot up, tears in his eyes as Thor stopped, half smiling, half crying. "You remember? You were young... too young to remember."

Thor edged forwards. "I remember you trying to eat your meat with a spoon. I remember stupid, little, insignificant details like that. I do not recall everything so clearly but I do know what you did for us that night. You did everything you could. I don't blame you, I forgive you."

Loki began to tremble as Thor stood a few feet away; his gaze now lost, not focused on anything. "You father sees himself as the hero in the story, and me as he villain. Reality marks me as both a hero and a coward."

"A coward does not stand between a stranger and an enemy. A hero does."

Loki seemed to ignore his words as he continued. "I remember a speech my father gave me. 'Love and loss and betrayal and jealousy. All of these you will feel and more.' He looked straight at Thor while he held himself up against the cage, legs almost ready to buckle. "But you are glad to experience the pain because you have happiness, you have love. I have never been loved nor do I think I shall ever love anyone."

Thor put his hands on Loki's shoulders as he said, "Listen. You saved my father and me. As much as my father hates you for the destruction they caused, he loves you for saving me. He has never openly admitted he loves me since, but I know he does; in the same way I know he doesn't hate you for saving me and him."

Thor kept his hands on Loki while he hung his head. "Now I have seen what man can do. When evil lives inside them and the things they do." He gradually raised his head to lock eyes with Thor. "After all that, I still consider the young, kind and innocent worth saving. You are a physically flawed species; inferior to me and my kind. But I consider you equal when I saw you then. Young, innocent and kind."

Thor smirked. "I bet you don't see my father as kind and innocent, nor worth saving now do you?"

"I never saw his beauty; I saw your potential in life and I couldn't stand by idle, not when you lost her."

Thor closed the gap between them and hugged Loki. He too held on to Thor, his small frame almost crushed as Thor wrapped his arms around him. It had been so long since Loki had shown any kind of affection to anyone. His home was gone, his family and friends destroyed by war so he had relished the next time he would hug someone again, because he knew he had so many problems to vent onto them. He didn't know if one person could take it, but he let his emotions build up, fogging his brain as he continued to hold on tight to Thor. Loki's head cleared, allowing him enough time to whisper in Thor's ear.

"Terror... has made me cruel."

Thor felt Loki's grip loosen around his shoulders and he gently released his harsh grip. Loki however, still held onto him and looked straight into his eyes as Thor moved his hands down Loki's back, meeting those green eyes once more.

"I am done with this broken heart. All the lies and treachery of my past are a burden I no longer wish to carry in it. So tonight, I am going to cut it out and restart."

Thor narrowed his eyes as he saw the sadness and want in Loki's clear, vibrant eyes. He became so lost again in them that he failed to notice the distance between them shrinking as they slowly began to hold each other closer, their noses almost touching as their breath ghosted over each other's face. Thor caught his breath as he felt Loki's hands reach up to caress his neck.

"How do you expect to start again?"

Loki blinked, so close to Thor now that he felt his eyelashes flutter over his own. "By loving, like this." He whispered.

He pressed his lips to Thor's as his hand reached his neck, twirling his long blonde hair around his slender fingers. Thor slowly returned the kiss, discovering just how soft those delicate lips really were. Their suppleness and texture that of unmarred, unbroken skin, not matching his mind or the rest of his past external appearance. Thor felt his cheeks flush with heat as Loki laid feathered kisses on his neck, across his jaw and breathed heavily in his ear before pushing back Thor's hair and kissing his lips again. He closed his eyes, his other senses overloaded with Loki's scent and taste; the over whelming urge to press himself up against him too powerful to resist. He pressed his body against Loki's, releasing a pleasant, long moan from him as he stood against the cage, hands now lightly pulling playfully on Thor's hair.

Thor's hands moved down and started to ride up Loki's shirt, letting his cast his eyes over his pale, flat stomach. He felt the soft, tender skin under his fingers and the muscles flinch whenever he ran across them. Loki tilted his head back, catching his breath only to gasp for air when Thor latched his mouth onto his neck and caressed it with his tongue between bites. Thor closed his eyes as he heard the seductive noises elicited from Loki, his trousers feeling tight and his skin tingling with anticipation. Loki suddenly grabbed a handful of his hair and forcefully yanked Thor's head up. He looked into those green eyes, pupils blown just as his were. He didn't notice they weren't in the lab anymore.

Thor, happily dazed and contented to stay in this state of blissful arousal, put up no fight when Loki grabbed him, lifted him up and carried him across the room; Thor draping his arms around Loki's head, too high on his affections to do much else. It wasn't until Loki had thrown him on the bed and was on top of him, that he noticed where he was.

"My room? How did we get here?"

Loki kissed his lips and nibbled at his tongue before straddling his hips and smiling, tapping his temples with his fingers.

"I can read your mind, remember?"

Thor's confusion turned to joy as he starred at Loki's chest, all curves and lines sharp and precise, no extra detail added and all of it glorious. He placed his hands on his hips as he bit his lip.

"You're doing it right now?"

Loki pouted and began to play with Thor's buckle of his belt, his other hand next to his head. He leaned in, placing his other hand next to his head and leaned down, tickling Thor's face with his hair.

"I'd prefer to discover for myself what you like." He kissed his forehead as he grinded his hips hard against Thor's, a sigh escaping from his lips before Loki added, "That's half the fun. We explore, purely on our own. Me on top..." He grinned as he wound his legs under Thor's and positioned himself underneath him. "Or you on top."

Thor breathed heavily as he saw Loki grin, and that tongue resting behind those evil lips.

"May I take that as an invitation?"

Loki rolled his eyes but slapped his hands onto Thor's back and dug his nails in, taking his shirt off as he said, "Questions..."

So that... happened. Tearing my hair out here, please tell me the damage. How bad is it?