The next day dawned clear, with a few wispy clouds hovering on the horizon. Thor basked in the bar of glorious sunlight that crept across his bedspread, feeling drowsy and warm. A dull hum of excitement coursed through him though; it had been the anticipation that had roused the thunder god from his slumber.
The doors to his room (which had been repaired last night) were flung open and Lady Sif, Hogun, Volstagg and Fandral poured into the room, Sif demanding an explanation as she shoved a small piece of paper at the languid God of Thunder's face.
'Thor's Lady Sif and Warriors Three,
Thor and Loki request your most gregarious company at the sparring grounds this fine day, after of course you have roused your muddied minds from your ale tankards.
Sincerest regards,
Loki.'
Thor had always been a slow reader. By the time he was done, both Volstagg and Fandral were yelling at him.
"This has gone too far-"
"He dismisses us as a bunch of drunkards in your own house, Thor!"
"Friends, friends, please." Thor said peaceably, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "He's just..." Thor's mind flicked back to the words Loki had yelled at him last night, and the Thunderer swallowed hard. "I agreed to this challenge in advance. I feel like there is much good in Loki's own way of fighting! I mean, with us..." Thor gestured at his group with his hands. "There is only one way with us, of charging boldly forth, shattering our foes bones whilst our foes shatter ours-"
"As befitting a warrior!" Sif said proudly, narrowing her eyes at Thor. "Do not even begin to tell me you would use tricks and disappearing snakes in battle, Odinson!"
"Nay, nothing of that sort. All I mean dear friends, is that if a war does indeed come and we no longer battle for sport, we would be loathe to rush in headlong and damage ourselves in the first strike. Think of how the people would suffer if we were crippled from the beginning." Thor smiled at his friends. "Battles are not only won with strength and force, but also cunning and patience. I feel that perhaps...perhaps we could learn something from Loki."
"Did that dragon do damage to your brain?" Fandral asked, incredulous. Thor shook his head, still smiling.
"I do not expect you all to understand my abrupt change of reasoning. Suffice it to say, I am not bewitched. I've just been doing a lot of thinking as of late."
Loki paced, steps quick and nervous as the sun made its journey into the sky. "He should be here by now." he muttered. "Maybe it was all a joke?" Loki's fists clenched and magic started to surge beneath his fingertips. I will not be made a mockery of!
"Ho, Loki!" Fandral's voice rang out, thoroughly startling the trickster. Loki straightened his shoulders, turning to meet the group with an indifferent smile.
"Lady Sif, Warriors Three. I trust you received my letter?" Loki said casually, watching contentedly as Volstagg's whole body tensed and Hogun's face darkened.
"Loki, the antagonism isn't necessary." Thor said quietly, Mjolnir restless in his hand as he squared off with his not-brother.
"Many things I find amusing are not necessary." Loki retorted, his pose languid and unworried. Thor's brow furrowed.
"Will you not ready yourself to face me, brother?"
"I am ready when you are, brother," Loki murmured, the word 'brother' coming out with a bit more malice than he intended, "but do not expect me to stop when you fall."
"Bold talk, Loki." Thor grumbled, his blood starting to sing to the challenge in Loki's lazy words and shifting green eyes. "I shall not relish this victory."
Loki lunged for Thor, his hands aglow and teeth bared. Thor stepped back, watching the first spell break harmlessly against his breastplate.
Loki circled his not-brother as Thor seemed to reel at the fact that Loki had even tried to hurt him. "That was the only warning you shall receive, Thor. You shall fight me as an equal. If you hold back, I will know. And I will shame you in front of your Lady and Warriors."
Thor glared furiously at Loki, and swung Mjolnir in a bone-shattering arc towards his not-brother. But Loki vanished from beneath the hammer, leaving Thor with nothing but empty air and a horrendous feeling of disorientation.
Pain lashed at Thor's exposed side, and the God of Thunder grunted, swinging again and connecting this time. Loki skidded back several feet, expression giddy instead of pained. This was what he craved, his not-brother riled and furious, Thor's precious Warriors helpless as Loki triumphed over Thor with his superior intellect and magic...
Loki grinned, chuckling to himself. Thor was already breathing hard. Best keep the thunder god on his toes. Loki blinked into existence inches from Thor's face, and pressed a hand to Thor's throat.
Thor swallowed hard against Loki's grip, suddenly realizing that this fight had been a terrible idea. Loki's hand started to burn, worse than the dragon scales, and Thor swung Mjolnir at Loki's hip. But Loki was gone again, laughing at Thor from the other side of the ring.
Thor roared in outrage, the sky above him abruptly turning black with clouds. Sif and the Warriors looked on, worried, as Thor fired bolt after bolt of lightning at his nimble not-brother.
"Do you think he's going to kill Loki?" Hogun finally asked.
Sif shook her head, worry tingeing her voice. "I do not think that is his intention, no."
"I didn't ask what his intentions were." Hogun muttered.
Thor slammed Mjolnir into Loki's side, grinning savagely at the crunch of armor and bone shattering. Loki didn't make a sound though, eyes wild as he pressed a hand to Thor's stomach. Thor yelled as his armor grew searing hot in seconds, melting into his skin with the smell of burning flesh. He threw Loki away from him, gritting his teeth against the pain as Loki slid to a halt and slowly got to his feet.
"You have no idea what I'm capable of Thor!" Loki screamed at his not-brother over the raging winds the thunder god had summoned. "You've no idea!"
"Show me then, you boastful little snake!" Thor shouted in reply, knowing he hit a nerve and readying himself for the God of Mischief's retaliation. Snakes appeared on Thor's arms and legs. Thor shook them off, watching them vanish in little puffs of green smoke. "Really Loki, that was just r-"
Loki was behind Thor, hand fisted firmly in his not-brother's blond locks as his hand hovered next to his throat again. "I can go for years Thor..." he whispered in Thor's ear, "until you drop dead from exhaustion, you simpering maiden." That hand pressed into Thor's throat again, and Loki felt Thor's neck muscles convulse under his palm as the thunder god tensed. Faster than lightning, so fast Loki couldn't anticipate it, Mjolnir was swinging towards his skull.
The blow sent Loki reeling across the ring, and Thor dropped, wheezing and blinking back angry tears at the pain that wormed through him whenever he took a breath.
"This is what I wanted, Thor!" Loki called, one side of his face bloodied quite thoroughly. "No more holding back! You know what I can do, now strategize! Plan! Do something!"
"Enough!" Thor bellowed, getting to his feet. The melted handprint in his armored abdomen reminded him that Loki was not playing or teasing this time, and he cast wildly around for an idea. Strategy wasn't his forte, it was Loki's. Forced to think, Thor's brow furrowed.
Why are we fighting? That's easy. We're fighting because Loki wants recognition for his skills. Loki wants it known, at least to my friends, that he is talented and just as good a fighter as any of us. Loki wants to be part of the group-
Thor's eyes widened. Loki wants to be part of the group, and he figures proving himself as a warrior will grant him access to the group. Loki wants to be friends with us, but we would not accept him because of his difference in ways. All this time, I thought he didn't want to be in our group, that he cared not for us. But he wanted to be with us more than anything. He just didn't know how to say it.
Mjolnir fell to the ground with a solid thud as rain began to spatter on the earthen floor of the ring. Thor covered his eyes, inhaling deeply as a thousand images flashed through his mind.
Loki knew something was wrong when Mjolnir slipped from Thor's grasp. The God of Mischief paused, the glow of his magic fading as he heard his not-brother's serious voice speak one word.
"Come."
Every muscle in Loki's body tensed, and he spat at Thor, "You do not order me about, Thor! I am not some spoiled child to be scolded!"
"I said, come." Thor growled, his hand outstretched to his not-brother in a demanding gamble.
"I shall not!" Loki seethed, gritting his teeth and raising his hands once more. He had thought that perhaps Thor might have figured it out; that the realization had been behind his not-brother's abrupt pause and look of confusion seconds ago. But to no avail. He's just as much of a pushy, arrogant bully as he always was. Loki thought bitterly, murmuring an incantation under his breath as he glared at the hand reaching for him.
"I shall not be pulled about by you like some witless Midgardian, Thor! From this day on until it pleases me to cease, you shall neither touch nor speak to me! These are the words of Loki Liesmith; so shall they be spoken, so shall they be held." Loki snarled, his words clipped and precise as the binding took hold of Thor, easily bringing the larger man to his knees in shock.
Everything faded into a calm grayness for Thor, his eyes rolling back as he slumped to the ground. He was dimly aware of his friends yelling his name. He wasn't exactly sure what had just happened, but...
...I think I lost.
"Remove the spell from him trickster!" Fandral shouted, his face beet-red as he pounded a finger into the center of Loki's chest.
Loki shrugged. "I cannot. And even if I could, why would I? The amusement this shall garner will doubtless keep me occupied for months. You should be happy. This means I won't resort to turning you into a toad again."
Fandral huffed angrily. "It has been a week, Loki! A week of him trying to speak to you and having his jaw almost snap off. He tried to touch you once and he was promptly thrown clear across the Great Hall! This is madness, you little cad! You're making him miserable and you don't even care!" Fandral yelled in Loki's face.
Loki's jaw twitched. The movement didn't go unnoticed by Fandral. "What are you trying to prove, you hateful creature? Who broke your toys? Who stole your sweets?" the warrior asked scornfully. "You are full of anger but naught of it is righteous, Liesmith! You sulk and you plot and you wound and all you do is hurt because of how empty you are from all your little tricks." Fandral spat.
I must be losing my touch if even Fandral understands that everything I do is a massive act. Loki thought, splaying a wide, manic grin across his face. "Do not trouble your pretty little head about why I do what I do, Fancy. Simply enjoy the chaos it causes."
Fandral bristled at the nickname, opening his mouth. But Loki was gone again, vanished into thin air. The warrior exhaled a frustrated sigh and made his way to Thor's chambers.
Thor looked up, eyes hopeful as Fandral entered his bedroom. Fandral shook his head. Sif wrapped an arm around Thor's broad shoulders as the tall Asgardian dropped his head into his hands. Volstagg shifted his weight from side to side, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.
Hogun simply stared out the window, deep in thought. Finally, he spoke. "You must play his game."
"But how? There is hardly a game afoot here!" Sif said, irritated. "Just childish tricks."
"I feel otherwise. This game is ingenious really. Thor, you must challenge this spell. It is crafted to cause you some annoyance whenever you mention his name or try to touch him. He wants you to remember him, his name and the closeness that you shared. This is a spell long coming, born of the resentment he feels towards you. As such, I believe we as warriors must respectfully retreat to allow you to work this problem out."
Thor stared. That might have been the most he'd ever heard Hogun say.
"That was...beautiful." Volstagg sniffled. Hogun rolled his eyes at the large man.
"I am saying you must willingly put yourself into danger. You must try to touch him or say his name with enough consistency that the guilt overwhelms him. You must make him feel important by throwing yourself against this enchantment. You must...dare I say it, you must make him feel worthwhile." Hogun murmured.
"He wants to be wanted." Sif realized. Hogun nodded, relieved that someone else could speak now.
Fandral cleared his throat. "He knows he is making you miserable. And I believe it bothers him to some level." he offered.
Thor's eyes were already brightening with hope as he jumped to his feet and ran to his closet. "Thank you so much, friends!" he bubbled, struggling into a shirt.
"I believe we shall leave you to it then?" Volstagg reasoned, bowing deeply and then shepherding the others out. "Good luck Thor!"
Loki warily watched his not-brother over his plate of food, unwilling to show how concerned he was about him. Thor looked up, made eye contact with the other, and then smiled. His face was bruised from yet another ungraceful magic-induced launch across the dining hall.
Loki cringed inwardly. That last leap hadn't been kind. The mischief-maker fretted, shoving his food around on his plate. Is there even any point to this? he wondered, attempting to swallow a bite and finding with an angry twinge that his throat appeared to have closed up. Without a word Loki pushed his chair away from the table and stormed off, leaving a very confused Thor in his wake.
"What is...Loki-!" Thor grabbed the table before the spell could send him careening through another wall, wincing as his knuckles popped from the force of his grip. The impulse passed, and another one took its place.
Find Loki.
Thor bolted to his feet. I will!