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2. Too Close To Notice

~oOo~

When he saw Thor approaching the car, he smiled and the blond smiled back at him, opening the door.

"Let there be light," Thor boomed and proudly pointed his hand at their house, where the light was behind the windows of several rooms.

"Are you a god now?" Loki teased.

"Maybe I am," Thor replied cheekily.

"Too bad I'm an atheist then," the younger of the two chuckled.

"Let's go home; I'll take care of your leg."

"But what about the party?"

"I've already rung Sif and told her that I'm not coming back."

"Sorry for ruining it for you," Loki said sadly, though it was actually a lie, just for show, and he was rather glad that Thor was staying with him.

"Believe me, it wasn't as fun as you think; with Sif's father looking like he was about to arrest someone, it was a bit... tense," Thor rolled his eyes. Loki chuckled.

When the dark-haired youth returned from the bathroom after washing his feet, limping really badly now, his brother was waiting for him in his bedroom.

"Sit down," he said. Loki complied and sat down onto his bed. The older brother carefully took his left foot in his hands. "It looks sprained," he concluded after examining it.

Thor applied some ice to the hurt ankle and brought the special gel for treating sports injuries, including sprains, and the roll of elastic bandage. Being a sportsman he always kept those things easily accessible.

When Loki's foot and ankle had been treated, wrapped in a bandage and resting on a pillow, Thor caught his little brother looking at him pensively.

"You enjoy it, don't you?" Loki asked curiously.

"Enjoy what?"

"Taking care of me."

"You know I do," the older one admitted, tucking a thin wayward black strand behind Loki's ear, to match the rest of his hair, combed back in the younger man's usual manner when he wasn't just tying it in a short ponytail.

"What am I going to do when you have a family of your own?" Loki pouted.

"You're doing such a great job of scaring away every girl that has a slightest interest in me, I doubt that I will ever settle down with anyone at all," Thor chuckled.

"That's not true," Loki frowned a little.

"Really? Who made Inga beak up with me the very next day after visiting our home and talking to you?"

"She was an irritating bitch with the intelligence of an amoeba."

"What about Sif? I still can't believe you managed to convince her that she and I should stop dating and become friends instead."

"Because it's true. You have a lot in common and... don't you make great friends?"

"And who needs a chastity belt with a brother like you?" Thor rolled his eyes. He sounded reproachful, but he could never be really angry at Loki, even when his little brother really deserved it, and Thor wasn't blind to it.

"Thor," Loki's expression suddenly became really serious. "Thank you... I bet you wish you had a brother that wasn't a coward." And, yes, that was another thing said mostly for show, because Loki knew what was going to follow, and he just wanted to hear it.

"You're not a coward," Thor frowned. The fact that Loki had a phobia didn't make him a coward. Thor remembered how their mother had accidentally cut her hand in the kitchen and there was quite a lot of blood. Odin and Thor had been away, and only the youngest of them all had been home that day. Loki, an eleven years old boy, had been really worried for his Mother, but, instead of panicking, he'd rung an ambulance and had almost stopped the bleeding before their arrival. He hadn't lost his self-control (well, almost hadn't), despite the gruesome picture of blood all over the kitchen table and some on the floor. He also wasn't the one who was easily scared by films or books, or anything like that (in most cases, at least). And even though Thor, being an older brother, often saw him as an object for protection and care, he would never admit that Loki was a coward. "...And I don't need any other brothers. I chose you, remember?" Thor smiled teasingly. Loki looked amused now. Yes, this was what he'd wanted to hear.

"Yes, I remember. I was just thinking about it. You chose me like one of those radio-controlled toy cars when we were younger. And then like your first laptop, or that ridiculously expensive mountain bicycle. Or like that state of art professional boxing equipment of yours."

"Stop it!" Thor was shaking with laughter.

"Well, it's true."

"Ah, well... I'm one of a few people in the world who actually chose their sibling; so even if I regretted it, I would've only had myself to blame. I regret nothing."

"Aaaww, aren't you a sweetheart?" Loki teased and received a light poke in his ribs, which made him gasp and cower.

"I haven't decided yet, but maybe you're even just as good as that bicycle. After all, I know how to choose things," Thor winked at him.

"Jerk."

Loki was always moved when his older brother was taking care of him, sometimes to the detriment of his own affairs, which, if Loki was being honest, flattered him and made him feel especially cherished, no matter how selfish it was of him to think that way. But his selfishness was hardly news. Thor was the only person in the world who really cared for him; Thor and Mum. Mother loved him and she'd never made Loki doubt that she loved him just like she loved her biological son. Unlike Father, who'd been making it clear since the day Loki had been adopted, that Thor was his heir; his pride and joy. Loki was used to it, and even if it had sometimes hurt him a little that he could never really impress the man, he understood that favouritism. Thor was Odin's biological son, whom he'd really wanted, especially given how many years it had taken them to finally have him. And Loki had been adopted, because Frigga, not Odin, had really wanted to have a second child. Father took care of Loki, any progress he made pleased the man; but it wasn't the same as if Loki was a real son. Odin had never been cruel or dismissive towards him though. Loki called him 'Father' and Odin called him 'son'.

~oOo~

The next incident with electricity happened only two weeks later, and, once again, Loki rang Thor, who was having his boxing training session together with Sif and some other people from their club. Thor heard the muffled ringtone of his mobile phone and reluctantly went to the bench where he'd left his sports bag. The number was unfamiliar, but he decided to answer anyway. He was a little out of breath though.

"Yes?"

"Thor, it's me."

"Loki? Is everything all right?"

"No... The light's gone out again."

"Are you all right? You aren't hurt, are you? I'll be there soon," Thor promised quickly.

"No, don't worry, I'm fine," the younger one assured, rolling his eyes. "I just wanted to warn you that I'm at our neighbours right now. I'm using their phone."

"What neighbours?"

"Bjarnadóttir, her fiancé, and... some of their relatives are here, too," Loki replied quietly, making sure no one else but Thor could hear him. "I composed the story about me leaving the house and about the door that accidentally locked behind me, while my keys had been certainly left inside. Almost the truth, though," Loki sighed. Thor could swear he heard some odd mix of embarrassment and amusement in his brother's voice. Of course, he wouldn't have told the truth about something he was so ashamed of to those who were almost strangers.

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"No, Thor, don't. I can wait. I just wanted to inform you where I was so you wouldn't freak out when you got home, since I haven't got my mobile phone with me."

"No, I'm going home. I've already almost finished here, anyway," Thor lied. Actually, they'd only just begun their training session, but he didn't want to make Loki feel guilty or ashamed about it.

"Oh... All right then," Loki replied a little unsurely. Thor ended the call and told his trainer and club-mates that he had to leave. No one was happy about it. They were getting ready for a competition, so their recent training sessions were important. Even though boxing, of course, was nothing like a team sport, he was one of the best fighters in their club, so everyone put a lot of hopes into him.

"What is it? His brother is throwing another tantrum or something?" Hilmar, one of the youngest teens in their club sighed. He was only fourteen, but their trainer praised him a lot.

"I've heard the poor babe is scared of the dark, that's all," Stefán, another youth replied mockingly.

"Enough!" Sif barked after hitting her punching bag with such a force that the noise it had produced, as well as the sound of her voice, was startling enough for many people in the gym to jump, including the trainer. Sif and Loki weren't friends, but they were quite alright with each other's presence in Thor's life. She wasn't going to tolerate anyone's jokes and insults behind her best friend's back.

~oOo~

But, in spite of it, a couple of her younger club-mates just couldn't let it go. When during one of the next training sessions Thor's impressive training fight was once again interrupted by a phone call, they looked annoyed.

This time it was Frigga who was ringing, though. Thor quickly took off his boxing gloves, took out the mouthguard and answered the call.

"Thor, I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something important..."

"It's all right, Mum..." he replied, recovering his breath and wiping his face with a towel.

"I'm only calling to warn you that your Father has rung the electricians to check our system. They're going to visit today in the evening."

"Has it gone off again?"

"Yes. Twice today, actually. Now that it's getting cold and we've started using electrical heaters, it seems to have started to overload our system; and all those recent power failures occurred when the washing machine was on," Frigga explained.

"I don't remember it happening before."

"That's why the system needs to be checked."

"Right... How's Loki?"

"Oh, he's fine now. I believe he's doing his homework."

"I see..."

"Your Father and I are already on the way to Keflavík. Our flight is only in twenty minutes."

"Don't be late," Thor smiled.

"We won't," Frigga said, and by her voice he could tell that she was smiling, too. "We'll ring you once we arrive to Toronto."

"Okay. Have a nice flight."

"Thank you, darling. And you take care of my baby. And behave."

"I will. Bye, Mum," Thor smiled again and ended the call.

"Is everything fine?" Sif asked when he'd come back to the ring, currently occupied by their two other club-mates.

"Yeah, it's fine."

"Was it about Loki? Is he all right?"

"He is now. We've been having some problems with electricity lately," he explained. They didn't notice Stefán, who'd heard their talk, scowling at what he'd heard.

Thor really hoped the problem would be fixed today. With the approach of December they would hardly see any daylight at all, and if the power failures kept occurring like this, Loki would hardly be able to think about anything else; he would be upset and skittish. Thor didn't want his brother to be upset, any moment expecting the darkness to surround and devour him. He decided that he should visit a shop that suggested lighting appliances and ask for something that gave a really bright light (unlike torches), working on batteries. He was so deep in his thoughts that he let a good punch through, a hook that made him reel back and remember that he was on the ring with his training partner.

"Thor, what's wrong with you? Pay attention!" the trainer frowned. Thor once again took the upright stance, this time fully directing his thoughts at beating his current opponent.

~oOo~

Stefán had seen that ridiculous hook and groaned in frustration. Thor had never let his guard down like that before. It was all because of his annoying coward of a brother, who was distracting Thor from their upcoming competition and was going to ruin it for them!

When the very next day the annoying coward came to watch them training, Stefán was seething with anger. Loki's very presence irritated him, and the fact that Thor was often distracted, because he felt necessary to exchange some words with his little appendage of a brother, was absolutely inexcusable. By the end of their training session Stefán was beyond himself with anger. The brothers left the building before everyone else, Thor's arm around Loki's shoulders possessively, both young men smiling, having some easy conversation, during which Thor kissed the top of his brother's head. Staring out of the window, Stefán watched them walking towards Thor's car, and he just knew he couldn't leave things like this when their best fighter had such a ridiculous distraction from what they all were aiming up to.

~oOo~

They got in the car, both in good mood after Thor's today's successful fights. Those had been just training fights, but Thor's performance had been flawless.

"I went shopping today and bought your sports drinks," Loki said casually.

"Thanks. I forgot I didn't have any left," Thor thanked, grinning slightly. "You deserve a reward. What would you like to do today?"

"What I would like to do today and what I actually have to do are two completely different things," Loki groaned. "I wish we could go to the cinema, but I have to write a long, boring essay."

"In that case we go to the cinema right now and then we get home and you write your boring essay."

"Oh, Thor, you're an older brother, so shouldn't you be a good influence?"

"And, as a younger one, shouldn't you enjoy being pampered? Now let's go cast your teenage angst away."

"I don't have a teenage angst," Loki looked almost scandalised.

"Yeah, right. 'I have to study so much I have no life', 'My teachers expect too much from me just because I have top marks'," Thor teased. "Now no arguing, we're driving to the cinema," he said sternly, with a mock frown.

"Okay, okay," Loki lifted his hands in surrender, chuckling. "Just, please, make sure it won't be anything like that last time you took me there."

"I promise," Thor rolled his eyes with a grin, knowing perfectly well what the younger of the two meant. In the end of the last summer, heading to the cinema, they had accidentally met two of Thor's classmates, and both girls had managed to literally impose their company on Thor, going to the cinema with the two brothers and fighting for Thor's attention almost the entire time, not to mention that they had been making remarks during the film, most likely, trying to impress the blond young man. Thor had been mostly ignoring them and hadn't really cared, too focused on the film, but Loki had not been amused, to put it lightly. Thor still remembered that, metaphorically speaking, huge, accusing pout he had been getting from his little brother all the way home and for the rest of the day, no matter what Thor had been trying to do or say to make it better. He remembered brief glares and angrily slammed doors when they'd got home. Loki had been very angry at him for failing to get rid of the unwanted company. It had both made Thor a little nervous and amused.

But this time no one ruined their fun and they were having a good time together. Thor knew Loki needed it after all the recent stress and hard studying, which had made his little brother look a little weary. When Thor was driving them home, he couldn't help but watch Loki out of the corner of his eye from time to time. The younger of the two looked warm and relaxed, pressing his head against the glass of the side window and absentmindedly looking at the passing trees along the road. Thor remembered how clingy Loki had been after being adopted, especially during the first couple of years. The younger child had absolutely refused to share Thor with any other children, and pouted if anyone else joined their games, unless Thor made it very clear that his brother was much more important. The blond boy had used to call him 'little one' and sometimes still did (which at times made the dark-haired youth grumble quietly or sigh in annoyance). He remembered Loki's tiny hand in his own bigger one, and the younger child would follow wherever Thor had led him without question. Sometimes he missed Loki's clinginess, no matter how close they still were. He couldn't imagine his life without his little brother. Even though they'd had some serious arguments when they had been a little younger, and Thor had been quite a boisterous, arrogant and loud youth, experiencing some 'joys' of the transitional age and making others experience those 'joys' as well, they had overcome it. So now that he was almost nineteen, things were much less tense; occasional arguments were nothing in particular, even when Loki was being an unbearable git and Thor half-heartedly wanted (and promised) to kill him. He supposed it was normal for any brothers or sisters.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this sweetness and calmness. It won't last.