A/N: This is my version of Odin trying his bestest at A+++ parenting. He's still Odin, though. :-/

But at least there's no favoritism here. If the boys are treated differently, they've earned it.

The great hall was full – everyone of consequence had come to witness their return. Thor led Loki in, a hand on his elbow, as much comfort as precaution. Loki was helpless given the enchanted chains and muzzle, and surely it must be difficult for him to be dragged before the court thus, defeated and disgraced.

When they reached the foot of the throne, Thor waited, holding his breath, readying himself to intervene if the sentence were too cruel. Father would not order execution. He could not.

But Odin's first words were for Thor. "Are you trying to make mockery?" he hissed. And then he turned to Loki. "How dare you appear before me looking so ridiculous."

Thor's jaw dropped at the injustice; it was not Loki's choice to be bound and silenced! "I have the keys, father," he began, but Odin snapped his fingers and his voice stopped up in his throat.

Odin ignored the keyring, and only glared at his younger son.

Loki stared stone-faced for a moment… and then rolled his eyes. The gag vanished from his face a moment later; the chains melted from his wrists. "I beg pardon, Father," he said smoothly, "But Thor was most insistent. I did tell him that the precaution was useless. As well as silly."

"You-…" Thor cleared his throat to rid it of the remnants of Odin's spell. "You could have…?"

"You always have underestimated my powers, brother."

"Thor: silence." Odin enforced it with a gesture, a sharp slash of magic through the air. "Now, Loki," he said, and Loki stilled at once. "You have done terrible things."

Loki only looked mulish, and Father didn't look to be feeling generous, so Thor coughed hard and managed to interrupt again. "Father. Please hear me," he croaked. "I would ask mercy for Loki. He need not be killed or locked away. Surely you have the power to strip him of his sorcery, do you not? If you did that, he could be allowed to go free, no longer a danger to-"

He stopped abruptly when Loki bent and vomited all over his boots.

"Brother?" Thor was saying. "Brother, are you unwell? Loki?" And he was touching, putting his hand on Loki's back, and the touch made Loki sicker and he threw up again, only this time his stomach was mostly empty and it was just wrenching, wracking spasms that brought him to his knees and then to all fours. He couldn't stop.

His magic. The sense he relied most on in his life, the thing he needed more than eyes or ears or limbs, the current that coursed through him so strongly it would burn his bones without an outlet. His magic. Thor would stand over him now and pretend to be concerned, and at the same time propose to cripple him, to ruin him in the worst way possible, to rip away what made him himself.

Death first, he managed to think through his panic, and the thought helped. Death. If Odin actually ordered this atrocity, he would kill himself before they could enact it. Surely he would have time: he could conjure a dagger and cut his own throat, or dispense with the weaponry entirely and just burst all into flames. Painful, but he would die intact.

"Loki? Hush, Loki, no. Listen. Listen." Odin, he realized at last, kneeling beside him, rubbing his back, draped over him in a way that felt intensely protective. If only he could be sure…

"No," he whispered. He couldn't even bear to speak it as a question.

"No," Odin agreed at once. "Of course not, Loki, how could you think that?"

"Thor…"

"Thor is a fool; he doesn't understand. Magic isn't a part of him. But it is of me, and I swear to you I would never, ever do this thing to you. It would be an abomination. I would never allow it. I would smite anyone who tried."

That sounded quite definitive. Loki knelt up and winced down at the mess he had made. He reached for a spell to clean it up, but Odin was already doing the same and their magicks sparked together when they touched.

Odin's lips twitched and he leaned in to press a kiss to Loki's temple. "Oh, Loki."

Loki was still feeling too shaken to smile, but he did manage to look around and notice that Thor was standing and watching the whole thing in absolute bewilderment. "He doesn't even understand."

"I'll explain and he will. He'll feel the same horror we do, and he'll beg your pardon from the bottom of his heart." Odin looked up. "Go wait for me in my room, Thor. I'll be there in a few moments."

"After you're done punishing me?" Loki guessed. He gave permission with an exhausted wave. "I'm ready. Do what you like. Just… not that."

"You're not ready. You look terrible. Take a bath and eat something. We'll discuss it in the morning."

He let Odin help him to his feet, but then hung on to his arm. "Wait. Father, you know I won't sleep if you leave me to dread it all night. Please, just… just tell me. Whatever it is. I'd rather know."

Odin shook his head. "You are so concerned with your punishment, Loki, but it's the crime that is important. You killed without reason – and I raised you better than that."

Finally, finally Loki felt the beginnings of guilt. He looked into Odin's eyes to make sure Odin took notice; it would surely help him. "I'm sorry, Father."

"No… you aren't sorry enough." He sounded resigned. "I have failed you somehow, failed to teach you. You don't realize the gravity of what you did."

"I do," he protested, knowing immediately that he did not.

"Leave me. I still have your brother to deal with."

Loki gave him a sheepish smile. "Jumping right from curing my stupidity to curing Thor's. What a difficult night you're having."

Odin's eye was suddenly piercing. "Thor's was stupidity; you were willfully barbaric," he snapped. "And Thor's I put a stop to before it was consummated. Get out."

"Well-…" Loki groped but there was nothing to defend himself with. He fell back on: "I am sorry." Perhaps if he said it enough times it would start to sound true. Perhaps it would even be true.

Odin gestured to where he'd knelt puking a few moments ago. "I may have the composure not to empty my stomach on the throne room floor, but what you did makes me just as sick."

That was harsh. "Father…"

"It was sickening. And if you don't understand that for yourself, I don't think punishment will help you." The single eye moved over him briskly. "You… lack something."

Odin was wrong; whatever it was Loki was supposedly lacking was hurting, now, quite a bit. There was a physical pain in his upper chest, and it was starting to choke him. He realized he was going to cry. "I'm sorry-"

"And you should know, Loki: I thought long and hard about casting you from my home. Disowning you." Loki gasped for breath, trembling, skin prickling all over, freezing. At last Odin sighed. "I thought about it, desired it even, but I knew it would be a lie. For good or for ill you are my son. I wish you would stop doing things that make me regret it." He caught Loki behind the neck and kissed him again, on the forehead, wearily.

"Father, please…"

"Now go. I will talk to your brother."

"I'm sorry… I won't do it again," he promised.

"I said go, Loki."

Loki went. He comforted himself with the thought that this scene would never be repeated; he really wouldn't do it again. And hopefully the next time he got into trouble Father would be easier on him. Maybe a blood eagle or something.

The End.

So, this is Odin bringing his A-game in my view. Okay he's a couple of centuries late because Loki has been allowed to grow *way* out of control, but one way to teach tiny sociopaths (ie, kids!) about right and wrong is to heap disappointment on them until they internalize what it is they're not supposed to do. Hopefully this will help Loki get the message. And I don't think it was *too* mean, considering what Loki did. I think Odin mixed his mad-face with enough hugs for it to qualify as tough love. (Or almost enough, anyway. I think Loki would explode of confusion if he ever actually got as much affection as he needed.)

What's up next: Um... as much as I intended to be done with Forfeit, my porny muses have gone ahead and infected my brain with 2 more chapters of it. So, that's probably what is up next. After that, I may post one-shots from the Rehabilitationverse, but the problem with that is I'm afraid to get sucked in again. So I'm not sure. I also have an entire headcanon for Loki In Jail laid out, but I haven't started writing that yet. Bottom line is, porn next, and after that I dunno.