Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.

Claimer: I own Winnfrid.

In this chapter, Loki is masculine and uses "he/him/his" pronouns.

Thor was pacing, Winnfrid watching him as he talked.

"I just don't know what to do!" He said. "Loki doesn't even want to talk to me, and believe me, I've tried." Thor shook his head and flopped down onto the sofa. "I have even apologized to him, but he wants me to prove to him that I am sorry."

"How do you plan to do that?" Winnfrid asked.

"Well," Thor said. "I considered going to Alfheim, to learn about the frost giants there. But now Father wishes to go with Loki. Alone." He paused there, then added "Well, Mother who wishes him to go with Loki. But I originally stated that I would like to go myself!"

"What else could you try to do?" She asked. Thor huffed and shook his head.

"I don't know," he said.

"Think simple," she said. "Try showing Loki you love him. Perhaps finding him and showing him more affection, or learning a little more about something he likes. Magic, perhaps," she suggested. "You said that he has an interest in magic yes? How many people do you supposed he has to talk about magic?"

Thor looked down, quiet. "Not many," he said at last. "He used to talk to me, sometimes, when he was excited about a new discovery, or when he learned a new trick. Sometimes I would be bored, so I wouldn't listen, but I was always interested to see his newly-learned tricks."

Winnfrid bounced her foot, something Thor noticed she did a lot. "Thor," she said. "Why do you call them tricks?"

"Because they are," Thor said. "Loki likes tricks. He is, after all, a trickster."

"Hmm." Winnfrid frowned. "You know, most mages would be offended to have their skills be reduced to just 'tricks.' Magic is an art that takes centuries to learn. Even the basic theories take several years to learn. From what I have heard, Loki is a very accomplished mage." She paused and frowned. "Let me put this into comparison," she said. "You've spent centuries learning how to become a warrior, yes? You train in your skill regularly."

"Yes," Thor said, nodding.

"Now what would you do if someone implied, over and over, that your skill was mere childs-play?" She said. "What if you could not convince them, no matter how many times you tried to explain it, that it was not childs-play, but a great art? How would you react to someone saying that your skill does not matter? Years of hard training reduced to simply being called 'play'."

Thor stared at her, eyes wide with horror. "You mean- Oh, Norns," he whispered. Winnfrid nodded, lacing her fingers together in her lap.

"You have shown blatant disregard for something your brother is quite passionate about," she said. "Several times, it seems. Perhaps it is no wonder he rarely shares what he discovers nowadays."

Thor nodded and looked down. He looked up at her and said "How do I set things right again? How- Norns, I do not even know when we went wrong... Everything seemed fine until... until they were not." He shook his head. "Loki always knew what others said about him. He knew everything, understood everything. I can only suppose he also knew the dangers of undoing my banishment."

Winnfrid smiled. "Thor, I think you can still fix things."

"But how?" Thor said, looking up at her. Winnfrid tilted her head.

"Show Loki more affection, perhaps apologize more in-depth for you injustice against him," she said. "Think before you speak or act. Support him in his decisions, listen to him when he speaks... In short, you must take your mistakes and learn from them. What can you do so you do not make that mistake again?"

Thor nodded. "Do you think I should learn magic?" He asked, looking up at her.

"If you like," she said, smiling. She then paused thoughtfully and added "And Thor, though it is important to show Loki you love him, be respectful of his wishes and privacy."

Thor nodded. "I will," he said. "I swear, as long as it takes, I'll fix things."

Thor was in the library.

It was a rare thing for him to be there, unless he was looking for Loki. But today, he had been looking for beginner books on sorcery.

He still didn't have any particular interest in sorcery, but as Winnfrid had told him, it would be nice to know what his brother was talking about. Thor admitted he hadn't often paid much attention to Loki when he spoke of magic; even when Loki was clearly so passionate about it, Thor hadn't even taken the time to stop whatever it was he was doing for long enough to listen.

He regretted that now.

Thor moved along the shelves, his brows furrowed as he took random books off the shelves, opening them and scanning them before closing them and putting them back.

What even is Iselthr's Law? He thought, shoving yet another book back on the shelves. It was like trying to read in another language, which was something he didn't often have to do, given his Allspeak.

Looking around, Thor huffed, clenching his fists. He had no idea where to start, and the thought of asking someone made him flush. Loki had always been better about asking librarians, had always been able to write effortlessly. Thor had read several of Loki's poems before, usually without Loki's permission or knowledge. Thor didn't know much about poetry, and it was certainly hard to decipher the true meanings held inside of it.

With a sigh, Thor continued his search. They must have books for beginners somewhere, he thought. Frigga would probably be able to help him, but even going to her made him feel uncomfortable. He knew she would be glad to help, and would probably encourage him, but the fact still remained that if Loki caught wind of what he was doing, he would probably laugh until he cried.

I was then that Thor noticed Loki curled up in a window chair, flipping through a book. Damn. Thor tried to move past him as quietly as possible. Perhaps his brother wouldn't notice if he just...

He walked directly into a chair, his eyes having been glued to Loki. It made a rather loud noise in the otherwise silent library, making Loki startle and look up. Thor's face flushed and Loki rolled his eyes.

"What do you want, Thor?" He asked, his voice tense.

Thor hesitated. He hadn't been alone with Loki since he'd realized Loki was a frost giant, and that had been nearly two weeks before. "Nothing," he said lamely. Loki quirked an eyebrow.

"'Nothing'?" Loki echoed. "Why are you creeping around the library for 'nothing'?"

"No reason," Thor said defensively.

"Creeping around the library for no reason, looking for nothing." Loki narrowed his eyes and asked "Are you spying on me?"

Thor looked up at that, eyes wide. "What? No, of course not!"

"Then why are you here?" Loki asked, still looking at him suspiciously.

"Maybe because I'm finding a book," Thor said, crossing his arms. "That's what people do in libraries, isn't it?"

"My, my, Thor," Loki said, sitting up and closing his book. "Is it true? Has a miracle happened? Are you actually willing to read?"

Thor flushed and clenched his jaw, looking at the floor. "Aye," he said at last.

"Then pray tell, where is your book?" Loki asked. Thor flushed redder.

"I've... not been able to find one suitable yet," he mumbled.

"Have you asked one of the librarians?" Loki asked, his tone bored. Thor shook his head. "Then go ask one. That's why they are here. To help you find what you are looking for."

"I know why we have librarians," Thor snapped. "I just... don't know what it is I am looking for."

Loki frowned. "What do you mean you 'don't know' what you're looking for?"

Thor huffed. "I don't know exactly what I'm looking for. Only a..." He waved a hand. "...a vague idea."

"Librarians can work with that, Thor," Loki sighed. "What are you even looking for?"

Thor licked his lips and said nothing for a few moments. "I... ah... Books on sorcery," he said at last, much too quickly. "I want to-" He stopped and swallowed, glancing up. "I want to understand you. I thought that perhaps... perhaps this would be a good place to start...?"

Loki's expression was neutrally blank. "You want to learn sorcery," he said. "To get to understand me." Thor nodded. "You want-" Loki stopped and ran his fingers through his hair, frowning as he looked out the window. "Why?" He asked at last, and his voice was so confused, so... incredulous, like Loki truly did not understand why he would do such a thing.

And it occurred to Thor that Loki didn't understand. He looked up at Loki and said "Because you are my brother," he said and struggled to find better words. "Because I-" He huffed, frustrated with himself. Think before you speak, he remembered and closed his eyes, taking a few breaths.

"I thought it would be nice," he started again, "to learn about something you're interested in."

"And you thought sorcery would be the easiest?" Loki said, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Thor said. "I just-" He stopped again and thought. "I am sorry for calling your magic 'tricks'. I know now that it is so much more than that, and I wish to get a better understanding of it."

Loki simply looked at Thor, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. It would have looked quite comical if not for the circumstances. Thor shuffled and continued "I am also sorry for not listening to you. Or taking you seriously."

Loki blinked at him and Thor licked his lips before nodding. "I shall go find a librarian. Thank you, Loki."

He then turned and made his way back into the rows of shelves, continuing his search alone. When he glanced behind his shoulder, Loki had vanished, taking his book with him.

Notes:

My condolences to France, Lebanon, Baghdad, Mexico, and Japan. I've no idea where you are, readers, but I hope you're all okay. My tumblr is in my profile, so if you want to talk, please don't hesitate to do so.

Stay safe, everyone. I'll see you at the next update.