Storm and Snow - xWitchAlchemistx (2024)

Chapter 1: Am I My Brother's Keeper

Chapter Text

“You’ll always be the God of Mischief. But you could be more.”

Loki was forced to listen to Thor’s parting words of ‘wisdom’ as his betrayal was reversed and he was left writhing in electrified agony on the ground as Thor prepared to leave. His brother would go to Asgard to fight their ridiculously powerful sister and die, and for what? Thor would have been better served staying on Sakaar, where Loki could make a large sum of money off of his capture and Thor would still be alive. Thor’s words affected him more than he cared to admit, both on the elevator and during his paralyzed state. He had expected Thor to demand Loki come, or give him some impassioned speech about why Loki needed to defend Asgard and fight Hela, or even some brotherly sentimental nonsense. But instead, Thor had agreed he should stay on Sakaar, and Loki could only take it as an insult. Why else would Thor dismiss him so easily and say Sakaar was fit for Loki?

"Loki, I thought the world of you. I thought we were gonna fight side by side forever, but at the end of the day, you're you and I'm me, and...I don't know, maybe there's still good in you, but let's be honest...our paths diverged a long time ago."

Since when had Thor ‘thought the world of him’? Loki never expected his brother would say such a thing, and it pierced right into his heart despite himself. He made a comment about never seeing each other again, and Thor didn’t argue or seem sad, and Loki had been internally stunned. Loki was wounded by his brother’s willingness to discard him.

Thor’s turnaround betrayal came as a surprise, and he’d have to be impressed and perhaps a bit proud if it weren’t so damned annoying and inconvenient. Loki could do nothing as his brother prepared to escape and leave him behind, content apparently to never see him again. And if Thor reached Asgard, that was basically a guaranteed result, because Hela would crush Thor as easily as she crushed Mjolnir.

Loki couldn’t aim with his hands at present, but he tried a different method as he focused and summoned a thin shield around himself and tried to coat it with an energy blast. He felt it crackle around him and he tried to make it explosively expand, and as it moved out from his skin it burst the obedience disc from his skin. Loki breathed a sigh of relief as he rose and was able to stop convulsing, and he quickly rose to scan the area for his brother. He saw Thor nearly at his intended ship, and he snatched the disc and control device as he teleported in front of his brother.

“So close.” Loki tutted with a mocking smile, and Thor looked surprised to see him as he glanced back as if to make sure it wasn’t an illusion with the real Loki still on the ground.

“You don’t want to do this.” Thor advised.

“Oh, I really think I do.” said a voice behind Thor, and as he turned to glance at Loki’s illusion, the real Loki teleported to Thor and clamped the obedience disc on his neck.

Thor shot Loki a furious gaze as he looked to his real brother and made as if to grab him but Loki held the device aloft as a warning. “Ah ah. Unless you’d like me to hit the button, I’d suggest you start walking back towards the compound.”

Thor’s expression turned frustrated. “Our people are dying, Loki. Does that mean nothingto you?”

Ah, there it was, the ‘noble lecture’ Loki expected on the elevator.

“It’s a shame, but what can we do? Hela would kill us both, and while you’ve always been alarmingly lacking in a sense of self-preservation…I am not.” Loki shrugged.

“You don’t know that! Heimdall is there, he has shown me what Hela is doing, I must-”

“-The only thing you ‘must’ do is turn around and start walking, unless you’d like me to activate this and result in you having to be carried.”

“Brother-” Thor started.

“-None of that, walk or I click.” Loki said firmly, not about to hear anything more of the strangely piercing words Thor had said on the elevator, if that had been his intention.

“There is much between us I’ve let slide, but if you do this, if you stop me from helping Asgard…”

“What? You’ll give me the cold shoulder?” Loki mocked. “The quiet would be a welcome change, brother.” he drawled.

Thor’s mouth set in a hard line, and there was a coldness in Thor’s expression he wasn’t accustomed to. “Don’t do this.” he said lowly. And there was something different in Thor’s tone, a warning of sorts, a line being drawn that Thor was making plain would have consequences if crossed.

Loki almost hesitated but in the grand scheme of things, Thor had forgiven him for worse than this, had he not? And with this action, Loki would set himself up to be in a better position to take over Sakaar and live comfortably, and Thor would be kept from running to his death like a damned fool. Thor would get over it, and when Loki was in charge of Sakaar, he would be in charge of Thor…and Loki could take his time persuading Thor to see his way of thinking. Loki clicked the button and watched as Thor collapsed in pain, and there was a moment where their eyes met and Thor looked at him with fury. And then Thor went unconscious. It was interesting to Loki that he was able to better withstand the effects of the electrical punishment than his brother, the thunderer.

Loki looked down at his now helpless brother and felt the faintest flicker of regret, but he soon displaced it with the satisfaction of a reasonably well-executed plan.

------------

Valkyrie and Bruce had escaped, along with a number of others, and Loki supposed that they realized they were putting themselves and the others in danger if they stopped to try to recollect Thor. But he was sure they’d be back given that Valkyrie had apparently decided she wanted to fight Hela, despite how poorly it had gone last time in her memories.

Thor was taken back into the Grandmaster’s custody, and the rag-tag remains of the revolution fell somewhat apart after the departure of the main architects.

Loki wasn’t called on for a couple of days, he didn’t see the Grandmaster at all, and he supposed that was also to do with the fall-out from the somewhat successful revolution. When he finally found himself having an audience with the Grandmaster, he noted the man [or whatever he was], looked a little more tired and slightly disheveled than Loki had ever seen him.

“Greetings, Grandmaster.” Loki said politely, and he’d put on a sharp outfit for the occasion, hoping to make a good impression again. “You received my gift, I hope?” he knew he had, but it was a way to bring it up.

“Yup, Lord of Thunder is back where he belongs. Well, he will be soon, once I finish teaching him a little lesson.”

Loki paused at that and he made his tone casual as he asked. “A little lesson?”

“He caused me a lot of trouble, after all. Gotta have some consequences, right? I figure a week or two of Topaz’s tender…ministrations will be a good start.”

Topaz was currently at the Grandmaster’s side, and she smirked at that. “He hasn’t broken yet, but he will. They always do.”

Loki realized the implication immediately, they were torturing Thor as both punishment and a means to try to ensure his compliance in the future. He hadn’t anticipated that, nor did it please him, but he knew at least that Thor could handle it. Thor would take a bit of punishment, be right as rain, fight in the arenas again for a bit…and then Loki would takeover Sakaar and Thor would come around. He always did.

“An excellent decision.” Loki simpered as he offered the Grandmaster a winning smile and wondered if he’d have to bring up about his reward himself.

“Yeah, I thought so too. But there is one little problem I have. Seems causing me problems runs in the family.”

Loki realized the Grandmaster must mean he and Thor, but he didn’t know why that would be. “Have I caused a problem? I’m terribly sorry, it wasn’t intentional-”

“-Stealing the pass codes for my ships wasn’t intentional?” Grandmaster asked as he tapped his fingers on his chair and Loki’s throat went a bit dry.

“I was attempting to stop your combatants from escaping…”

“By stealing the pass codes that made it easier for them to do so?” Grandmaster tilted his head. “Cause that seems like a really dumb thing for you to do if that was the case.”

Topaz’s grip on the melting stick tightened a bit as she gave Loki a toothy grin, and he felt his nervousness rise sharply.

“I was only trying to help. Why would I stay and bring Thor back if I was trying to betray you?”

“That is the big question, isn’t it? Thing is, you were already kinda shady. Don’t think I didn’t notice you playing around with your illusions, and the secret little conversation you had with your ‘adopted’ brother…”

Loki cursed Thor for hindering him no matter where he went, this was all Thor’s fault, ultimately. “I was taunting him, I enjoyed seeing him get his comeuppance. He’s such a fool, truly, we don’t get along at all. Practically strangers. I was glad to capture him for you.” Loki tried, and adopted what he hoped was a charming tone.

“Yeah…you say it, but I don’t think you meanit, Lolo…that’s the problem. But don’t worry, we’ll get this all sorted out.” Grandmaster snapped his fingers and a figure in a hooded cloak emerged from the next room and walked towards Loki who tensed. “Oh, don’t look so worried, it’s not gonna hurt you. Just a little…loyalty test, let’s say. Hold still, alright?”

“Grandmaster-”

“-Or I could just let Topaz use the melting stick. She’s been itching to use it.”

Loki repressed a shudder at the threat as the hooded figure came up beside him, and he peered at their face but couldn’t make out any details, though he had the impression from the body type that it was a woman.

“Oh, Lolo, look up for a second.” Grandmaster ordered as he pointed to the ceiling, and Loki obliged as he tilted his head upwards which bared his neck.

He felt the cold, hard touch of metal on his throat before a collar was clamped around his neck and locked in place. Loki made a noise of surprise as his hand flew to his throat, and he felt the collar reform and adjust to fit his neck perfectly in a thin, silvery band. “Grandmast-” he stopped as he looked down at his hands in horror, and at the feeling that spread through him.

As the collar locked properly in place, he felt a sudden, violent disconnect from his magic. The comforting, familiar lines of connection between Loki and his power were forcibly sundered as he was blocked from access and the loss was like losing a limb. He felt suffocated a moment, but he could hardly focus on that as he saw what was happening to his body. The blue skin of a Jotun crept over him as raised heritage lines formed in his skin, and he instinctively rubbed at the skin even though he knew it was futile. Even though he knew now that his body would be blue and his eyes red. Loki hadn’t been forced into his Jotun appearance since he’d wielded the Casket of Ancient Winters on the Bifrost to freeze Heimdall. “No.” he whispered to himself.

The Grandmaster’s brows lifted, and even Topaz had a look of surprise. “Hooooly….wow. One of the Jotnar, huh? That’s…that’s a surprise. Wow, you’re really small for a frost giant. I thought you were from Ass-gard this whole time. You weren’t kidding about being adopted.”

While the conversation took placed, the cloaked figure passed a key to the Grandmaster, which Loki took to be one that would unlock the collar. The Grandmaster gave the figure an approving look as he slipped the key into the pocket of his robe and returned his attention to Loki while the figure went back to Loki’s side.

Loki stared at the Grandmaster and struggled to maintain his composure. “I-I am from Asgard, I am only technically of Jotun blood, I-”

“Only ‘technically’.” The Grandmaster laughed. “Someone has issues, huh? Don’t worry, babe. Blue is a nice color for you, and the red compliments your dark hair nicely. Lucky that you have hair, pretty sure most frost giants are bald, right? Sure would be a shame if someone shaved those pretty curls of yours off.”

Loki felt nauseated at the words and at the situation.

“So you looked the other way because of magic…interesting. The collar you’re wearing blocks all magic completely, you’re bone dry, Lolo. Looks like you’re stuck that way as long as the collar’s on. I don’t mind though, I think I prefer you this way actually.”

“Please, Grandmaster, I did not betray you, and if you give me a chance-”

“-Shhh.” The Grandmaster cut him off as he tapped the arm of his chair thoughtfully. “Whatever the reason…you didsteal from me, cutie, and I can’t let that slide can I? Especially not after that little ‘revolution’ thing.”

“Grandmaster-”

“-Yikes, the mouth on you is a bit of a problem though. You always did talk too much.” Grandmaster said thoughtfully before he glanced at the cloaked figure beside Loki. “Think you can help me out, darling?”

The cloaked figure lifted a slender hand with fingernails painted a light green, and she reached for Loki’s collar. Loki backed away and took a slightly defensive posture, but she reached a quick hand out and tapped his collar where a little looping piece of chain formed from the front.

Loki felt a pressure in his throat suddenly, a tightness that made him distinctly uncomfortable. He tried to speak and found to his horror no words would pass his lips. During his failed attempt, a little sort of whimper bubbled up from his throat, but that was the best he could manage. Loki had neither voice nor magic, trapped in his Jotun form, with the lunatic Grandmaster displeased with him. He suddenly deeply regretted not leaving with Thor when he had the chance. Loki grabbed at his throat and looked to the Grandmaster with what he hoped was a pleading expression, but the Grandmaster laughed.

“Beautiful and silent, a perfect combination. Now we just gotta get you dressed up, and you’ll be good to go. It was fun having you around before, but now…it’ll be a different kind of fun. I’ve never had a Jotun before. The Jotnar are lesser beings and all, ugly and beastly, not really my type, you know? But you…you’re a strange little one. My brother would definitely like to have a look at you, probably want you for his collection. Not that I’d let him have you, not for awhile anyway. I think I’ll keep you around for awhile, see what other talents you have besides stealing.” The Grandmaster ‘teased’ and Loki felt a frisson of fear throughout his body. “Yeah, I own you now. I mean, I kind of did anyway, but now I reallydo. So get comfortable, okay? It won’t be so bad, think of yourself as…here for my pleasure. Keep me pleased, and you’ll be fine, okay, doll?”

There was a part of Loki that wanted to respond with vicious rage, that wanted to fight and assert that he was no one’s possession. He was a prince of Asgard, whatever that was worth these days, he was the rightful king of Jotunheim, he was brothers with Thor Odinson, he was any number of things that meant he should never face degradation. But that part of Loki was tamped down beneath the blue skin that ripped through his self-protective defenses, beneath the fact that his magic was gone. His magic was a part of him, he felt ripped apart by the lack of it, he felt his safety gone and it terrified him. And to top it off, he was a silver-tongue without his voice, he’d been rendered mute. Loki had had his powers bound before, he’d had a gag forced on him, but he was trulymute now.

The Grandmaster clapped his hands and a pair of guards entered behind Loki. “Take Lolo here to get cleaned up and changed. He wears too many layers, I’m thinking less, much less. And put some shiny things on him, I want to see him glittering next time I see him. Wouldn’t mind if the attire was a little softer too, you know what I mean? A little less Lolo and little more Lola.” he winked and Loki clenched his hands against a slight, sudden tremble.

Loki’s mind raced for a way out of the situation even as he led off by the guards and followed by the cloaked figure. He had no magic or voice, and even if he could get hold of weapons and fight his way from the compound…he wouldn’t have a way to get the collar off. Loki needed the key that had been given to the Grandmaster…but how was he to get it?

His brother’s image popped into his head and he had a sudden flash of hope. Thor was still on-planet, Thor would help him surely…

Thor, who had seemed to give Loki an ultimatum, who was even now apparently being tortured, who Loki had just betrayed and prevented from going to Asgard to protect Heimdall and their people.

But it was Thor, and Thor had put up with worse from Loki before…he wouldn’t ignore Loki’s plight, Thor didn’t have it in him. His brother was nothing if not foolishly sentimental. Thor would be released, Loki would find a way to get his situation across, and they would help each other escape. Loki clung to that plan as he was led away, to be dressed for the Grandmaster’s ‘pleasure’.

Chapter 2: By Myself

Chapter Text

The whip cracked in the air as Topaz’ assistant, some nameless, burly combatant, lashed at Thor again. They’d bound his wrists above his head and he was confident he could break the chains, but they would simply activate the obedience disc again. There was no point, and he figured he’d be best off to just put up with the pain for the time being.

Thor had spent four years at the unwitting beck-and-call of his brother disguised as Odin, who had stripped their father of his powers and memories and left him on Midgard. Surtur, of all beings, had turned Thor’s attention to the ruse and he’d found his father just in time to lose him. Then Hela, the older sister he’d never known about, was unleashed and took control of Asgard. Thor had been worried for a moment that Loki had died when he’d been ejected from the Bifrost, so he’d been initially glad to see him on Sakaar. But Loki had quickly made it clear he didn’t feel the same, and their mini-reunion mostly involved Loki bringing up old resentments and trying to get Thor to help him take over Sakaar. He mentioned ruling together, but Thor doubted that was an earnest offer, Loki didn’t even want to spend time in his company…and Thor was expected to believe that Loki suddenly wanted to share rule with him?

Loki couldn’t be honest or loyal even in the face of their father’s death, and it had made Thor hurt and angry despite himself. He should have known better than to expect anything of Loki, or to hope rather, but some part of him always circled back to who Loki had once been. Thor knew the Loki of the past was never ‘coming back’ as such, he had come to realize there was more to Loki than he’d ever admitted or seen. But he had liked to think there was still some good in his brother. He had hoped that Loki would grow up a bit, and that he could reforge his bond with his brother despite Loki’s more open tendency to be…well, Loki.

Thor had anticipated Loki’s betrayal and offered him some kind words anyway as he slipped an obedience disc on his back. Loki was predictable at this point, and there was something sad about that fact if Thor let himself think of it that way. If he let himself be disappointed by the fact that all he could count on Loki for was to betray him in the end. He had meant it on the skiff in Svartalfheim when he’d told Loki he wished he could trust him, little that it mattered. Even so, Thor had thought perhaps if he acted against Loki’s expectations and told him he was better off on Sakaar, Loki might be the little brat he was and follow Thor after all.

But Loki had somehow freed himself and blocked Thor’s path, and had no apparent sympathy for the plight of their people. Thor had never really put any kind of ultimatum to Loki before, he had never directly asked him to cease a betrayal, but he was in that moment. There was too much at stake to play their usual games. And Loki had done it anyway, and now Thor was in the custody of Topaz, and by extension the Grandmaster, while Hela remained unimpeded in Asgard to the danger of his people.

Thor loved his brother, he truly did, and he genuinely wished for them to reconcile but…he was tired of trying to make it happen. He was tired of being disappointed, of the little song and dance that had become their standard set of interactions. Thor was disinterested in continuing to let Loki be so important to him when he seemed to mean nothing to Loki. Or rather, Loki convinced himself of that and Thor was jaded on trying to make Loki realize it. His brother had made his choice, and Thor would make his. He would find his way off Sakaar and return to Asgard, and he would defeat Hela or die trying. Thor ran to his problems, not away from them, because that’s what heroes do.

“Holding up against the whip pretty well…Grandmaster doesn’t want me to mess up your face, but there are other places to play with fire and sharp things. What do you think, ‘Lord of Thunder’?” Topaz asked with a chuckle.

“God of Thunder.” Thor corrected with a drawl, and she shook her head.

”Everyone breaks eventually.”

“I’m not everyone.” he shrugged.

“Guess we’ll see, won’t we?”

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The cloaked figure and the two guards accompanied Loki to what appeared to be a large dressing room of sorts connected to an adjoining bathing area. The room with the bath was practically covered in mirrors, so that at any angle one could see themselves doing what Loki assumed was more than bathing given the Grandmaster’s personality and the set-up.

“Clothes off.” came a voice from the cloaked figure, low for a woman but sultry, and somehow familiar.

‘Who are you’? Loki wanted to ask, but he could say nothing and the instinctive attempt died in his throat and put a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had no voice, his words were one of his greatest strengths, defenses, and weapons….and he had none. Loki’s gaze slid around the room as he wondered if he might make an escape somehow, but the woman snapped her fingers in front of his face.

“Clothes off, or the guards here will remove them.”

Loki had never seen his Jotun form, not truly, he had never wanted to. He didn’t want that image in his head, he didn’t consider it his true form, Loki hated the idea of looking Jotun to himself or to anyone else. And now he was being demanded to strip in front of strangers to bathe in a room covered in mirrors, the thought nearly made his knees buckle. But he had no doubt the cloaked woman would give the order if he didn’t comply, and he decided he would clutch at whatever threads of dignity he could manage. Loki walked into the bathing room with his posture straight, as if he were a prince on a walkabout and not a prisoner being forced to bathe in a form he loathed. He stood before the bath water and with his heart increasingly racing he slipped out of his clothes, and tried not to look at himself. Loki was a curious being though, and his gaze slid upwards despite himself and he bit back another whimper at the sight. The blue that covered every inch of him, the raised heritage lines, the blood red eyes that looked sharper in contrast with his dark hair. ‘The monster parents tell their children about’, a frost giant, with his face and his features, who moved in the mirror as he did.

Loki’s mind insisted desperately ‘that isn’t me’. It was just a form, just a set of physical characteristics, he was a shape shifter, this was nothing to him.

But it was his race nonetheless, no matter that he’d wished to be Asgardian, no matter that he wished to be blood brothers with Thor, and the blood son of Odin and Frigga. He had been sired by Laufey and Farbauti in the wastelands of Jotunheim, left to die as a runt, taken in by a calculating and pitying Odin.

Loki hesitated to remove his pants and the cloaked figure crossed her arms.

”Loki.” The voice was chiding, and at that, his memory was struck by as he whirled around to stare at the cloaked figure. ‘Amora’ he mouthed with narrowed eyes, although no sound came out. He hadn’t seen her in centuries, since she’d been banished from Asgard although in Odin’s guise he’d sent Sif to retrieve her sister Lorelai.

The cloaked figure paused and apparently had read his lips because after a second she lowered her hood and revealed familiar blonde hair and green eyes. “Oh, little Loki, you remember me. I’m touched.” she said, in a voice that dripped sarcasm and mockery.

Loki felt an instant revulsion towards the woman, she and her sister were bad news all around, and Amora had made a nuisance of herself. Both women had desired Thor, but Amora had used magic to try to befuddle and trick Thor. That was during a time when Loki still very much cared about and was protective of his big brother, and he hadn’t liked another magic user daring to attempt to enchant his brother. Least of all the scheming sorceress who thought to make herself queen off of his brother.

“Pants off, sweetie. Or they’ll take them off.” she chimed as she motioned to the waiting guards. “Don’t worry, I don’t expect there’s much to look at anyway. You are a runt after all, which is cute in it’s own way, really.” she mused ‘thoughtfully’ with a manicured fingernail tapped against her cheek.

Loki wanted desperately to stab her, and knowing it was Amora made it all worse. But he wasn’t going to be forced so he furiously made himself turn around as he removed his pants and was left bare. He realized it was moot though because she could see everything in the reflections all around them, and he slipped into the bath with a feeling of humiliation and dread. An uncomfortable feeling hit him in his lower extremities, and as he shifted, he realized there was something downstairs that hadn’t been there before. Loki had never had time to consider it or check before, he’d barely been in his Jotun form for any length of time, but now he realized…the rumors were true. The Jotnar…had the parts of both sexes. He felt bile rise in his throat, and his shame rose even further as he desperately wished to be back in his aesir, in his trueform.

“Those blood red eyes suit you. You always were such a little beast. Clinging to Thor like an urchin, always in the way, always distracting him…” she clucked her tongue. “I wasn’t all that surprised to find out you were a frost giant. Being of a monstrous race suits you so well, after all.”

Loki burned at her insults and he clenched his fists into his palms. He noted as well that the water was painfully hot, though he wasn’t about to assume that she’d care. His Jotun form would be more susceptible to heat, and he was probably burning himself at present, but honestly the physical pain was a welcome distraction to his emotional pain and mental turmoil. But the sensitivity downstairs that first alerted him to his physical changes was less welcome, and he tried to put it from his mind.

“I do owe you a thank you though, for keeping Thor around. I’ve already spoken with the Grandmaster about getting exclusive access to Thor when he isn’t in the arena. He seems willing. I have proven myself useful after all, unlike some ‘people’.” she said pointedly.

Loki turned angrily at that, and she laughed at his expression. “You betrayed your own brother to the Grandmaster but you still have that same silly look on your face. You can’t help yourself. Protecting ‘big brother’ is just part of your nature, isn’t it, little Loki?” she crooned.

He was a little startled to realize she wasn’t wrong. The idea of Amora getting her claws into Thor had inspired a knee-jerk reaction in Loki. He could pretend it was that he was offended by her [which he was], and that for spite he didn’t want her to have her way [also true]. But he didn’t want Thor taken advantage of by this harpy, she was right, he did feel protective of Thor despite himself. The fact was annoying, because Thor clearly didn’t even care enough to ask Loki to leave with him…but…still.

“I’ve heard about Hela, but Thor is still the rightful king of Asgard, the rightful All-Father…if Hela were out of the way…Thor could take his place with me by his side. We’d be unstoppable. Technically you’d uncle to our children but…I’m not really interested in them having a monster for an uncle, you understand? It’s best for everyone if you stay here and play with the Grandmaster. Like a good little exotic pet.” she mocked.

Loki’s rage flared in him as he rose and stormed towards her, he might not have his magic but his strength far exceeded hers. But she waved a hand and the collar on his throat began to squeeze and constrict as the metal shrank into his neck. Loki’s air supply was cut off and his eyes widened as he struggled for a breath and clawed at his throat.

Amora let him suffer a bit more before she waved her hand and the collar went back to the previous size. “I wouldn’t try that again, little Loki. I might forget to stop next time.” she said ‘sweetly’.

Loki should have killed her long ago, her and her wretched sister. He rubbed at his neck as best he could and watched as Amora’s eyes trailed down to his lower extremities and he quickly sat back down in the water as he sneered at her.

“Little brother in all ways, it seems.” she noted with a dainty chuckle. “I am so looking forward to seeing Thor again. Do you think he’s missed me? I heard he shacked up with that tasteless little mortal, he should be pleased to share the bed of a proper woman now.”

‘Hag’. Loki mouthed and he saw Amora frown.

“Cute, coming from a little frost giant slave.” she said airily and then motioned him up. “That seems long enough, let’s get you dressed and ready, little Loki. The Grandmaster has all sorts of plans for his little blue pet.”

Loki was almost glad in a way for Amora’s taunts, because it was building up his rage which felt more comfortable than the humiliation and anxiety he was feeling. But the problem was he lacked any outlet, he was helpless, and so in a way the rage burned him up inside futilely. Loki had to find Thor, he had to get his brother’s help as soon as possible.

Loki rose and he met Amora’s gaze defiantly with as mocking an expression as he could muster, but she only seemed amused.

He’d never been addressed the way she and the Grandmaster were addressing him. Loki had never been treated like a frost giant, or addressed as if he were a lesser being. He had gone without it so long after finding out his parentage that the old fears about being treated that way or looked at that way, or rejected for it, had mostly subsided. But now suddenly it was being thrust in his face in an abrupt, aggressive way and it made his stomach turn. A ‘frost giant slave’, a ‘little blue pet’, the titles were nauseating and mortifying, and he suddenly realized that in seeking Thor’s help…Thor would see all that too. He would see Loki in Jotun form, being treated a way that somewhat befit the way Thor and Loki had been raised to see the Jotnar. Except that they’d been taught that death was a fitting fate for them, not ‘simple’ slavery or humiliation.

“ When I am king, I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all ! Just as you did, Father! ”

Loki could still remember a young Thor saying those words, he could remember Thor’s eagerness to start a war with Jotunheim and slay them all with his own hands. He remembered his own fear when he discovered what he was, when he wondered if his ‘brother’ might turn on him at the revelation. But even if Thor didn’t, Loki who already felt looked down on by Thor, was sure that his brother would use it against him. Even if Thor didn’t attack Loki, it would give him more reasons to think Loki inferior, to be self-righteous and pat himself on the back for being kind to a ‘frost giant foundling’. The thought had been unbearable to Loki.

And now he would have to present himself to Thor in his Jotun form. He had no magic, that was bad enough, but he had no voice…whatever Thor’s reaction, he could say nothing. Loki would have to be silent, and while he was reasonably confident in his ability to manipulate Thor if he could speak, like this…wouldn’t he be at Thor’s mercy?

Thor, who he had just betrayed again? He had wondered too what would have happened if Hela hadn’t come after their father passed, as the lightning crackled in Thor’s hands and he’d angrily told Loki ‘this was your doing’.

Loki held his clothes against himself as he walked, to the still present amusem*nt of Amora before they reached the adjacent room and she held out her hands.

“Give them here, little giant.” she cooed, and Loki imagined ramming his blade into her neck. He handed her his clothes and stood with as confident a pose as he could, as if he wasn’t as sickeningly vulnerable and afraid as he was. Amora casually looked him over again, clearly just to rub it in, and then deposited his clothes elsewhere as she made a show of looking through different outfits. “Hmm…what looks good with a blue-skinned, red-eyed little monster?” she mused out loud and Loki gritted his teeth.

Amora ran her fingers over different outfits, and then landed on a silky robe of black with gaudy flowers embroidered on it. She smiled broadly as she pulled it off and tossed it to Loki, who caught it and looked at it with gritted teeth.

Loki sneered and tossed it to the ground, and Amora held up her hand. “Do I need to teach you another lesson?”

Loki crossed his arms and gave her his most bored expression. There was no way she had permission to kill him, and he could bluff as well as anyone.

Amora tilted her head at that and then shrugged. “Well, I gave you a chance to do it the easy way.” she motioned the guards forward and Loki faltered at that.

He wasn’t about to be manhandled by strangers into the damned robe. Loki picked it up and anticipated the guards would back down, but they proceeded anyway and Loki stepped back as he shot Amora a glare. She shrugged as one guard took the robe from Loki, and the other began to move his arms as if to force him into it.

Well, to Hel with that. Loki shoved his elbow into one of the guards with enough force he might well have ruptured an organ, and the guard doubled over before Loki slammed his fist into the other’s throat. He was no weakling, even though he didn’t favor hand-to-hand combat. Loki grabbed the throat of the man he’d punched and prepared to shove him down when something unexpected happened. A layer of frost began to creep up the man’s neck and over his face, and Loki realized he was somehow using the frostbite touch. Loki had never tried to use any frost giant abilities, and apparently the frost touch didn’t count as ‘magic’, and it made him wonder what other abilities might still be available to him.

Amora looked alarmed at the development as she took a step back, and Loki lunged for her, but she quickly threw up a shield and then clenched her hand as the collar on Loki’s neck tightened.

He made to grab her again anyway, but she again shielded the space around her and he couldn’t get near her as his air supply was cut. Loki’s vision began to darken and he was vaguely aware of hitting the floor.

-----------

When Loki awoke, he found he had a pounding headache and he sat up slowly as he rubbed at his sore neck. He was taken aback to feel something almost leathery, and found a pair of thin, black leathery gloves on his hands. Loki attempted to remove them and found they wouldn’t come off. He laughed silently and mirthlessly, this was how Amora wished to neuter the frostbite touch? Loki was going to kill her slowly and painfully at the first opportunity.

He looked down at himself and found he was dressed in the robe he’d declined, and some kind of loose, capri-style harem pants in a ghastly shade of purple. He worried about who had dressed him and what they’d seen, about what would happen if others found out about the extent of his changes…perhaps they knew already. The Grandmaster had known him for a Jotun even though there were other blue-skinned races in the galaxy. What if he knew more?

Loki was in someone’s bed, and he rose and made his way for a mirror, he was greeted by an unpleasant sight. Not just the red and blue frost giant visage, but he’d been made up. Loki’s hair had been styled to it’s curliest form, and little ringlets hung about his face. His lips had been painted in a deep, almost reddish purple and there was a garish rouge tint to his cheeks. Black eyeliner had been used and little flared wing-tips drawn at the edges of his eyes while cosmetic had been applied to his eyelashes to make them look longer and darker. Loki had several golden bangles on his wrists and one thick on his upper arm, and…they’d pierced his damn ears! Gaudy little moon and star earrings hung from ears, and several sparkling necklaces hung low on his neck. There was a purplish hue of eye shadow on his eyelids, and Loki found the effect disgusting. Bad enough to have put Loki in cosmetics, but they’d done such a nightmarish job of it, he looked like a poorly painted doll. Loki began to rub furiously at the make up but found to his dismay that it wouldn’t budge…Amora. She had done this.

Loki felt even more unpleasant about the prospect of appearing before Thor this way, a mockery of himself. He would have to face Thor with hat in hand, in a situation that some might argue he’d brought on himself…

“Oh, you’re awake, how nice. The Grandmaster is solooking forward to seeing you.” Amora cooed from the doorway.

Loki faced her with open derision as he willed her to know how deeply he was going to destroy her when he had the chance.

She seemed unbothered as she motioned him forward. “Come on, little Loki, your master is waiting for you.” she chimed.

Loki was disgusted by the words even as he stared at her for a moment before he angrily mouthed. ‘Why’.

She tilted her head and considered it for a moment. “Why what? Why am I doing this? Well, I’ve never much liked you…the Grandmaster pays rather well…and now Thor is all but being offered up on a silver platter so…really, the question is, why ask why?” she chuckled. “I plan to visit Thor soon, shall I send him your regards? Dear Topaz is having a bit of a rough time getting Thor to crack, but I have different methods at my disposal, as well you know.”

Loki knew too well, and Thor had no defense against magic and Amora’s enchantments as Loki did.

“I’ve been dabbling with memory magic recently. I have been looking for a good use for it…wouldn’t it be just darlingif Thor forgot all about you? Just imagine. And you looking like a frost giant, well, I hear he’s softened a bit. Perhaps he wouldn’t try to smash your head open anyway.”

The words rendered Loki stunned for a few seconds as he wondered if that was truth or a bluff. The idea of a Thor who forgot Loki existed was almost paralyzingly distressing, he was taken aback by his own intense reaction to the thought of it. And the thought that such a Thor might forget as well that he no longer sought the destruction of Jotunheim and the frost giants…that he might see Loki as an enemy, a stranger, a monster…not his brother.

Loki must have let some of the misery of the thought show on his face despite himself because Amora smiled broadly.

“Well, perhaps that would be a tad cruel of me. And where would be the fun in that? It’ll be so cute to see his reaction when he finds the little traitor who sold him out is here in drag.” she said, to borrow a mortal phrase. “Wouldn’t you just adore that?”

Loki already had trouble feeling taken seriously as an equal by Thor, there was nothing to be adored about his current predicament. Thor was surely going to give him all sorts of nonsense about how it served him right, and force a scolding on him that Loki could do nothing but listen to, and then they could sort out how they’d escape.

“Thor’s been going through rather a lot, I’m afraid. He really is something else though, to hold up under what Topaz has been doing to him. Doesn’t make a sound, it’s driving her quite mad. But I know well how to make men scream, and doing so to the thunderer himself…it is such a sweet thought.” She said with a cruel smile.

Loki didn’t consider that they would torture him too badly, and he knew his brother’s pain tolerance was high.

“It’s all directly because of you though, from what I hear. Thor nearly made it off Sakaar until you tricked the poor dear. I wonder if he’s thinking about that every time Topaz is handling him. Every lash, burn, and cut. ‘Loki did this’. What do you think?” she asked, with faux interest.

Loki felt a bit of a sinking feeling at that and as he remembered the way Thor had seemed so cold when he’d gone to speak with him after Thor had been released from the chair. He had seemed to blame Loki for Odin’s death and Hela, and he had been ready to discard Loki in the elevator. ‘I thought the world of you’, ‘I thought we were gonna fight side-by-side forever’. Past tense, which meant he didn’t necessarily feel the same.

Loki had assumed that Thor would naturally help him. He’d committed a number of wrongs that Thor had let ‘slide’ as he put it, what was this little thing compared to those? And with Loki in the condition he was in, Thor would haveto help him, wouldn’t he?

But what if he didn’t?

Doubt slithered into him at the thought, and a new worry filled him as he considered what would happen if Thor rejected him. How would Loki escape then? If the Grandmaster kept the key on his person, perhaps Loki could get him to drop his guard and steal it. And then what? What if the Grandmaster had hidden the key, Loki had no means by which to find it…and what if Thor did escape, but without Loki, and he either never knew that Loki had been put into this state or he didn’t care…there would be no one else who would bother coming to look for or rescue Loki. Thor was his only potential ally, and he’d just stabbed him in the back again. The realization was stunning in it’s irony and the fact that it wasn’t entirely the selfish move that Thor surely thought it was. Loki had prevented his brother from an early death at Hela’s hands, but he was sure Thor wouldn’t see it that way, Loki had given him no reason to think so. And now he had no voice by which to explain, though he doubted Thor would believe him.

“Come along.” Amora said again. “Daydream later, if you have any time alone. I suspect you’ll be rather busy if you re-earn the Grandmaster’s favor. You should hope so, because believe me, little Loki. You do not want to end up one of Tanaleer Tivan’s caged creatures. The Collector isn’t quite as nice as the Grandmaster.”

Loki swallowed hard at the thought as he reluctantly followed and his mind raced with the situation. Thor would help him, he had to, his brother would never leave him like this…no matter what Loki had done, right?

Amora put her hand to Loki’s collar and as she drew it back, a thin pink leash with a circled handle materialized and his eyes widened. “Part and parcel of being a pet, darling, the accessories. And the Grandmaster is partial to the color.”

Loki jerked back and grabbed at the leash as made to yank it from her hands but she held up her own in a warning.

“How many times do I have to constrict your little neck before you realize…you aren’t in any position to resist. You’re powerless, little Loki. You have no voice, no magic, and a form that I know you haven’t had much experience with…in all manner of ways.”

Loki’s mouth went dry as he took the words for what they were. She knew, and she would surely tell the Grandmaster, and then…oh, gods.

“Oh, dear, you looked so confident too, despite everything…is that fear I see in those bloody, red eyes?” she taunted. “Well, I suppose I might keep your secret for a time, if you behave yourself…or, ah, should we go visit Thor together now and tell him? Tell him his ‘little brother’ can also be a little sist-”

Loki’s panic rose and he tried to speak, a pained noise came from his throat and Amora giggled.

“Poor, little Loki. Oh, alright then, I’ll play nice for the moment. Let’s just start with not keeping the Grandmaster waiting, shall we?” Amora cooed as she started to walk and lead Loki by the leash, and he had no choice but to follow as shame and humiliation flooded him.

Loki could have chosen to go with Thor, he could have found a way to escape before reaching Asgard, he could have a made a lot of decisions differently. But instead here he was, in a position he wouldn’t have imagined in his worst nightmares or bouts of negative thoughts. The certainty that Thor would help him now held doubt, and so his confidence waned as his hopes for an assured rescue were dimmed. Loki was about as far from being himself as he could be, and it was terrifying. And the idea of Thor knowing how deeply the changes ran, knowing the extent of Loki’s…changes…it filled him with dread. What would Thor think of him? Especially after what Loki had done? What if he left Loki to his fate and he spent the rest of what would surely be a miserable life this way? Useless sentiment and regret swirled alongside of remorse as he followed Amora, not a prince, but a monstrous pet for the entertainment and pleasure of a lunatic. And Loki couldn’t truly blame anyone but himself for the position he now found himself in.

Chapter 3: Nine In The Afternoon

Chapter Text

The walk to the Grandmaster’s was easily one of the most degrading experiences of Loki’s life, and that was coming from someone who’d spent time in Thanos’ custody. He was led by Amora with leash and collar in a form that made him want to rip his own skin off. Loki was confident when it came to a battle of magic or strength, he could best Amora, but he had no means by which to do either presently. Amora specialized in enchanting men and Thor had a certain measure of resistance but how that would translate into defense against Amora was questionable. The last thing either of the brothers needed was for Thor to fall under her control. Would there be a way to kill Amora under the Grandmaster’s nose?

Loki preferred clothes that covered him, he always had. He wasn’t built like the other Aesir, and he knew why now, but at the time it had been a source of quiet discomfort. Loki’s clothes weren’t armor as such, but they could feel like armor at times. Now he was dressed in ridiculous, showy garb that left too much of him exposed. He had thought himself powerful and well-positioned, he could have technically still called himself Odinson or a Prince of Asgard if ever he had needed to. Loki knew he could seek out Thor if he ever truly needed help, either because he could manipulate Thor into assisting him or because the sentimental oaf would simply do so. Most still didn’t know of Loki’s parentage and those who did were already those who Loki had felt distant from as he grew. The Asgardian court, Thor’s friends, Thor himself, and so on. Loki was the most powerful sorcerer of Asgard, and he felt confident his magic was well above that of most he might encounter. He wasn’t as strong as Thor, but no one was, strength was one of his brother’s affinities. So in as much as Loki had been defeated before, in as much as he had been crushed under Thanos heel in his time as a captive of his, in as much as he’d been imprisoned in Asgard’s dungeons, or been made to feel he lived in Thor’s shadow…Loki had confidence in himself. He was self-assured to a certain degree, and confident that he could lie, trick, manipulate, or fight his way out of most any situation.

This situation therefore rocked him to his core. Any option: being stuck Jotun, mute, without magic, enslaved, would have been bad enough on their own. But he was experiencing them all at once and at a time when the only person he had left, really, was Thor. And even that wasn’t a certainty, not truly, Loki had done much to burn that particular bridge himself. So if Thor refused to help him, Loki would be truly alone. The bit Loki had said about ‘going it alone like he’d always done’ would be painfully accurate, and the thought terrified him more than he wanted to examine or admit.

Loki eyed Amora from behind as they walked as he strained to remember the last time he had seen her. She had been banished from Asgard, mostly by a furious Frigga, over some incident with Thor that Loki had never been fully informed of. Thor, who was always quick to confide and overshare with Loki [and truly, it was mutual at the time], seemed never to want to speak of what Amora had done that had driven the normally calm Frigga into such fury. Odin was the one to initiate banishment and the like, so he had wondered what Amora could have done to earn Frigga’s particular intervention. Loki may have been able to get it out of Amora if he’d been so inclined now, if he had his voice, but he had nothing. He was helpless and alone, with no clear hope of rescue, and was increasingly startled by how instinctively he craved Thor’s presence. As if he were a child again, the same adoring, enamored child who followed his beloved big brother and believed utterly that Thor would protect him and take care of him. Loki hadn’t been that child in too long to recall, he had no such sentiments, he had no ‘faith’, his love ran parallel to far darker feelings. But even so, something in him ached for Thor to be by his side with his silly, sentimental reassurances and oafish confidence. That familiarity and family was the only such one he had left.

“Grandmaster, I have brought you a visitor.” Amora chimed as they reached an open doorway and Loki felt his stomach flutter with anxiety.

“Oh, good, bring him in!” he heard the Grandmaster call out.

Loki was tugged forward and took in the sight of the Grandmaster lounging on a couch while he watched a pair of scantily clad females with green skin and bright red hair engage in something between a dance and a sexual encounter. The sight did nothing to soothe his nerves and he watched as the Grandmaster’s eyes roved over him in a way that made him feel even less clothed.

“Well look at that! Those clothes suit you so much better, Lolo. You were always so uptight. The eye-shadow is a nice touch, purple really brings out the red in your eyes.” The Grandmaster cooed and then smiled at the silence that followed. “Silent but pretty, I like it. C’mere. I wanna see something.”

Dread filled Loki and he balked but Amora tugged him forward and he found himself before the Grandmaster as he brought his hand up to run his fingers over Loki’s raised heritage lines. Loki jerked his hand back, displeased and surprised to find that the lines were more sensitive to touch than his own skin. He was also disgusted in general by the Grandmaster’s touch, by the features of a form he loathed, by the situation, and by the invasion of his liberty.

The Grandmaster tutted as he clamped his fingers around Loki’s wrist and again slid his free hand over Loki’s heritage lines, and Loki clenched his teeth and fought to maintain his composure.

He couldn’t fight back without risking making his position worse, and Amora would surely only tighten the collar anyway. And he didn’t want to give either of them the satisfaction of showing too much beyond a neutral expression. Amora’s warning about the Collector hung in his mind though and a sudden unease slid through him as he considered that possibility. If he was sent to Knowhere, perhaps Thor would never find him, never know, even if he would have been willing to help. And although he wasn’t especially familiar with Tanaleer Tivan, he knew that he wasn’t a being of mercy and that he kept a rather large, eclectic collection. He hoarded so well that Thor had seen fit to send the Reality Stone to his keeping, and thought it would be safe from Thanos there. The idea of simpering to the Grandmaster as he currently was though was vile, and it would be under the amused, mocking eyes of Amora. There may come a time when it was under Thor’s eyes as well.

Thor and Loki had never spoken of his parentage, the closest had been on a mountain on Midgard. Loki made a loose comment about assuming that Odin had told Thor his true parentage, and Thor hadn’t directly confirmed or denied it. Loki had been sure given Thor’s violent greeting and demand for the Tesseract that the pretense of brotherhood must have been at an end, so he was surprised to receive Thor’s sentimental entreaties. Loki had been stunned, and more emotional than he cared to admit, when a wet-eyed Thor pleaded with Loki to come home. The realization that Thor had not abandoned him, despite everything that passed between them and the knowledge of his heritage, floored him.

The Grandmaster’s eyes roved over Loki thoughtfully. “You really are an odd little Jotnar. How did you come to be adopted by ole one-eye anyway? Oh, wait, you can’t answer.” he chuckled and shrugged. He patted the space next to him as with his other hand he beckoned for a drink to be brought over. “Have a seat, Lolo, make yourself comfortable and enjoy the show. Have a drink, you look tense.”

Loki sat and felt as though his skin were crawling, and he took the offered drink with no desire to accept it.

“Grandmaster, may I attend to my other duties now?” Amora asked in a sly, sugary voice.

“Oh, yeah, go show that Lord of Thunder who’s boss for me, will ya, sweet thing?” the Grandmaster said pleasantly.

Loki’s eyes widened slightly at that, and he saw Amora direct a slight, triumphant smirk his direction.

“Of course, Grandmaster.” she gave a sort of playful curtsy and headed out, and Loki’s free hand clenched into the couch.

“Drink up, Lolo.” The Grandmaster urged with a chuckle as he leaned back against the couch and sipped from a drink with one hand while he drew a lazy circle along Loki’s back with his other hand. His gaze returned to the two women engaged in their sensual dance. “We need to find you a partner…I’d like to see you dance like that sometime. What do you think?”

Loki felt a wave of pure nausea claw at his insides at the thought of being made to engage in such an act before an audience.

“Course, we’d have to find you the right partner. Can’t have my little Lolo shacking up with just anyone. Gotta make sure you’re taken care of and all.” Grandmaster said through a casual sip as his eyes never left the dancers. “Hmm, and we’ll need to make sure you’re ready to return the favor. No ice queens allowed here, babe.” he said with a chuckle. “Get it? Cause you’re a frost giant.”

Loki had assumed the feminine clothes and comment about ‘Lola’ had been part of the Grandmaster’s tastes, and he hoped the comment about ice queen was the same. He didn’t want to think about what might happen if the Grandmaster was familiar with Jotun anatomy, although it seemed like sooner or later it would happen if it hadn’t already. Loki was a shifter, he’d been with both genders but it had been on his own terms. He had never been in Jotun form for more than minutes cumulatively, and it had never been in a situation where he was so helpless.

A male sorcerer was mocked in a warrior culture, they were looked on as feminine and suspicious. They would be seen as weaker in spirit and body, never mind that Loki’s magic could undo any one of the warriors who turned their noses up at him. But with this, it was so much worse, it felt like a twisted variation of proving them right and Loki despised the thought, the lack of control over himself.

The Grandmaster’s gaze slid back to Loki as he clamped his fingers on the back of Loki’s neck, and a shiver of revulsion slid over him. “I really do love those eyes of yours. Like little drops of blood. This new look of yours deserves a new name…hmm…I’ll think about it for a bit. Have it ready by the time we do your grand introduction.”

Loki stared at the Grandmaster at that, not sure of what he was implying but sure he wouldn’t like it.

The Grandmaster seemed to recognize the voiceless query because he grinned. “You’re my new personal pet, babe. Gotta show you off, don’t I? And what’s a better way to show off than a nice party? Look forward to it.” his hand slid lower on Loki’s back, and then caught the trail of the leash. The Grandmaster gave it a sharp tug and Loki found himself yanked back. “This is such a good look for you, doll. But it makes sense, your kind was made to be collared.” he chuckled.

The shame of the words and his situation rolled over Loki in waves as he was spoken to and treated like an inferior creature. Everything he was more than a frost giant came from his adoption by Odin. His identity as Loki, the magic taught to him by Frigga, his brotherhood with Thor, the status as an Odinson and Prince of Asgard. All things that a ‘mere’ frost giant should never have been able to even dream of. They were his, and yet, so easily held away from him. With a bit of magic and the Grandmaster’s orders, a magical trinket, Loki had been torn from himself and rendered a stranger. A ‘beast’ to be collared for the whim of another.

Thor would never have such an experience, he never could. It was part of what Loki had been driven mad with rage and jealousy by when he learned of his heritage. No matter what fool, wretched thing Thor did…he would always be the blood son of Odin and Frigga, he would always be an Odinson, a rightful Prince of Asgard and heir to Asgard and the seat of the All-Father. Thor would always be those things, or least ‘entitled’ to those things, no matter what he did or who he was.

But those things could be taken from Loki, those things that had been ‘gifted’ him by the whim of Odin. And if Thor ever chose to stop acknowledging Loki as his brother, as an Odinson, how tangible would his grip on those things arguably be? If he wasn’t Loki Odinson, then he was Loki Laufeyson, and the thought burned through him.

Even if Thor sat in the seat that Loki sat in, collared and leashed and spoken down to, he would still be the Mighty Thor. He could not lose himself the way that Loki could, he could not have his identity taken from him or forcibly altered. The instability was terrifying and sickening, and he craved reassurance and some measure of control.

---------------

Topaz was astonished and annoyed by the level of resistance that Thor had to her tactics. The lash of the whip didn’t break skin, fire took ages to start to burn him, and while she could stab him…that wasn’t the point. That wasn’t the kind of thing that would break someone properly. She had had an Asgardian captive before and they hadn’t been nearly so tough. What was this Lord of Thunder that he was so…above her expectations?

“How goes it, darling?” came a silky voice behind her and she turned to find Amora, the slinky little sorceress who’d gotten her claws into the Grandmaster. Amora was even worse than Scrapper 142, and she didn’t understand why the Grandmaster couldn’t see that.

The blonde woman was undeniably gorgeous, and she moved her body as if every inch was meant to reflect that. She was perfectly done up any time that Topaz saw her, and she had a way of speaking that felt like she was engaging in bedroom pillow talk no matter what she was speaking of. Topaz didn’t trust her as far as she could throw her, but the Grandmaster wanted her around, and Topaz had no choice but to put up with her.

“Amora.” Thor growled from behind them and Topaz was surprised as she looked between them.

“You know this one?” Topaz asked of Amora.

“Oh, Thor and I go way back, practically childhood friends…aren’t we dear heart?” Amora’s voice was as saccharine as Topaz had ever heard it as she stared at Thor with a look that Topaz could only describe as hungry.

Amora was shifty, and a liar Topaz was sure, but the look she was giving Thor was simultaneously predatory and the most honest look Topaz felt she had seen on the sorceress. She wanted this Thor, that much was clear.

“You are nothing to me.” Thor said, in a voice colder than Topaz had heard him use even during their little torture sessions. As much as Amora seemed to want Thor, Topaz quickly gathered it wasn’t mutual.

“Oh, don’t say that, dear heart. It’s our long awaited reunion.” Amora cooed as she stepped closer and dragged a long fingernail across Thor’s throat.

He jerked his head away with an expression of disgust, and anger in his eyes. “I was pleased to think I would never have to see you again, witch.”

“What a silly insult. It is what I am, as was your mother, or had you forgotten? Do you belittle Frigga in your mind-”

“-Never speak my mother’s name with your foul mouth again.” Thor growled and Amora smiled.

Amora’s form shifted as she took on Frigga’s visage, albeit with a patronizing smile and a hand co*cked on her hip in a pose far too lax and seductive for the All-Mother. Fury filled Thor’s gaze as Amora laughed lightly in Frigga’s voice. “Oh, Thor, you really are too easy. Even after all this-”

Thor yanked the chains from the wall as he freed himself, to the surprise of Topaz, though not apparently Amora as she let the image of Frigga fade and revealed herself in her previous form on the other side of Topaz. “You really have such lovely rage, dear heart. It so excites me to see it. Can you not imagine turning it to a better purpose though? You and I would have such a nice time…”

Lightning crackled in Thor’s hands and that surprised Amora a bit. She held still as he approached and he grabbed her by the neck as he seemed to prepare to slam her against the wall. Topaz was prepared to click the obedience disc, but then she saw Amora quickly lean forward and kiss Thor as a pale, yellow-green light passed between them.

Thor paused as the lightning faded from his hands and he stared down at Amora with an almost confused expression for a second, his blue eyes a strange swirling shade of the yellow-green. Then he blinked and pulled back with a scowl. “Your tricks do not work on me.”

“Not all of them.” Amora said with a dramatic sigh. “Pity that, although it will be so much sweeter when you come to me willingly, thunderer. I would even be pleased to taste that new little power of yours.” she said with an intrigued expression. “Tell me, was it little Loki who helped you raise your resistance, or is that all natural? I’ve seen him too by the way.”

Thor frowned at the mention of his brother as Amora continued on in a sweet drawl.

“He came so quickly for his reward after your capture, pleased as anything. I last recall little Loki clinging to your cape, possessive and demanding of ‘his big brother’. And now here he is, living well off the spoils of his betrayal of you. I always told you Loki wasn’t to be trusted, you would be so cross about it. Little did you know.”

“Takes one to know one.” Thor countered. “One liar to another.”

“Perhaps. But a devoted liar, dear heart. I would not betray you as little Loki has. I would make you strong.” Amora said, almost warmly as she took another step closer and Thor’s lip curled.

“I would not seek your company if you were the last being in the universe.” Thor said coldly.

“You need not seek it, for I have come to you.” Amora smiled as she reached a hand for Thor’s bare chest and he clenched his hand painfully around her fingers. If it caused her pain, she gave no indication and instead batted her lashes. “If you wish to hurt me, I will allow it. Trust that I can take much more pain than your little mortal.”

At the mention of Jane, Thor released Amora with a rough throw of her hand and he glared at Topaz. “If you mean to keep up your ‘torture’ then do so, or take me back to the arena. I will not keep speaking to this creature.”

“Creature?” Amora sounded a bit offended at that before she quickly raked a fingernail across Thor’s upper arm and a thin line of blood appeared.

Topaz was incredulous, the whip didn’t break his skin but a fingernail did?

“Shall I be your Circe, dear heart? Would you like to be a beast at my feet? I would treat you so well, not half so cruel as little Loki.”

Thor sneered as the lightning crackled around him again. “Last warning, Amora. Leave me be.”

Amora smiled as she held up her hand and in it was the obedience disc controller. Topaz looked down at her side, stunned to find that it was missing from her waist. Amora clicked the button as Thor was felled and writhed on the ground before he went unconscious again. She watched as his body writhed as she knelt down and dragged a few fingers along his cheek in a caress, before she trailed them over his bare torso with a softer look than before.

“What is with you two?” Topaz asked.

“He’s destined to be mine.” Amora said, her tone almost girlishly soft as she brushed her palm over him. “My strong, wrathful king…” she murmured.

Topaz wondered why the Grandmaster kept insisting on surrounding himself with these lunatics.

Chapter 4: Rocky Raccoon

Chapter Text

“I am not your brother, I never was!”

Thor, rendered unconscious, had his mind turned towards memories instead of dreams under the careful manipulation of Amora. The prince had grown more resistant to magic since she’d last seen him, but there were still ways to influence, particularly while Thor slept. She finally had another chance to claim the man who should have been hers long ago, and she intended not to waste it. Loki had been a thorn in her side in the past, and it was regrettable that he was present on Sakaar, but she would ensure he was kept out of the way. Candles and incense designed to increase suggestibility burned and filled the room.

First she needed to ensure Thor wasn’t feeling particularly brotherly towards the little ‘traitor’.

Thor ‘dreamt’, or rather, remembered. The Loki who incited him to journey to Jotunheim, who had ruined his coronation and watched his banishment without truly attempting to defend him. The Loki who had visited Earth to lie to Thor that their father was dead because of him, and that their mother wanted Thor’s banishment to remain. He remembered the Destroyer wreaking havoc, and getting on his knees in submission while he still showed Loki empathy only to be met with temporary death. The duel on the Bifrost where Loki claimed they were not brothers, threatened Jane, and played little brother just long enough to betray Thor again.

He dreamt of Loki’s dismissal of Thor’s attempts to plead for him to come home on a mountain on Midgard. Of how Loki murdered Coulson with pleasure before cheerfully suggesting they see if Thor was immortal as the mortals believed, before he dropped him from the helicarrier in a glass prison. Thor saw the fight on Avenger’s Tower, where he still offered Loki a hand and was met with a dagger to the gut.

Loki, who stood trial and called him a witless oaf, and showed no remorse or empathy for those he killed. He screamed at Thor on a skiff in Svartalfheim as he blamed Thor for Frigga’s death and Loki’s imprisonment. Who faked his own death and robbed Odin of his powers, and let the Realms fall into chaos while he watched plays mocking a false death that Thor had grieved painfully. He saw Odin’s death, a death surely brought forth by Loki’s meddling, and the release of Hela who would destroy Asgard. The Loki who denied knowing him only to visit later during Thor’s time of grief and prayer for their father to bring up his own bitterness and try to enlist Thor to help him with his selfish goals while Asgard burned. Loki, who was offered kind words by Thor on the elevator, only to betray him. And when Thor faced him, emphasized Asgard’s need, asked Loki to stand down…Loki had betrayed him again.

Thor woke with a start as he squinted into the dimly lit ‘room’ that had been his residence for the past couple of days since Loki’s latest betrayal. His conscious and subconscious minds danced with the many crimes of Loki as he found he’d been chained again. Thor tugged experimentally at the chains, they had a strange feel to them that made his wrists tingle.

“Those cuffs are enchanted, brother, don’t bother.” came an amused drawl.

Thor heard Loki’s voice and frowned as he brought his gaze up to his brother. His mind repeated echoes of what he’d seen, echoes of Loki’s venom and loathing for Thor, for their family.

The echoes were louder than the thoughts Thor might otherwise have used to remind himself that Loki hadn’t been irredeemable.

‘Loki’ was dressed in a dark, caped outfit with lines of green and he held a glass in his hand that he sipped from casually as he eyed Thor with open amusem*nt.

Thor’s eyes narrowed as Loki smirked and drew lazily closer. Loki looked well, no doubt he’d received his reward from the Grandmaster, the spoils of betraying Thor and their home. “Enjoying your blood money?” he asked coldly.

“’Blood money’.” Loki mocked as he deepened his voice in a parody of Thor’s and then shook his head. “Always so dramatic.”

“The people of Asgard suffer while you play your little games here.”

“You do recall that the last time I was in Asgard, not as Odin, I was imprisoned? I don’t recall a single of those people, or you for that matter, lifting a finger to help me.”

Thor’s expression turned disgusted at the words. “Your imprisonment was well earned. You still don’t see that?”

“Midgard needed a king, I was graciously willing to oblige. It would have all gone so smoothly if you and your little mortal friends hadn’t interfered.” Loki said, with a bit of huff as he took another lazy sip of wine.

Thor had thought that Loki had passed that particular bit of greed, that even if he wouldn’t admit it, he recognized that what had happened on Midgard was wrong. Even before Loki had stabbed him on Avengers Tower, there had been a sign of remorse…there had been tears in Loki’s eyes after he’d stabbed Thor. But now, here was Loki, speaking the same old nonsense as he casually disregarded Asgard’s impending ruin. “You haven’t changed at all.”

“What? Don’t tell me you truly expected otherwise, Thor.” Loki laughed. “Was faking my death all it took to make you so soft again? I am who I have always been, and you are the same fool.” he mocked.

Rage flared up inside of Thor alongside of hurt. He thought he harbored no more hopes that Loki might come around, but clearly it wasn’t true, because he felt disappointment at Loki’s callous words. Thor wanted his brother to still be in there somewhere, he wanted some reassurance that he had existed at all, but Loki drove the knife in ever further. Thor yanked at the chains, surprised when they wouldn’t budge and he felt a sharp pain run through him like a jolt.

“Oh, I wouldn’t do that, brother. Those chains are enchanted, the harder you struggle, the more they’ll make you hurt.” Loki said with exaggerated, mock sympathy. “The Grandmaster asked me to come personally to make them, and to speed up your…’training’.”

“Mark me, Loki.” Thor growled. “I will make you regret this.”

Loki stepped closer until his face was inches from Thor’s as he smirked coldly. “You will do nothing, as you’ve always done. Even when I conquer Sakaar, I will leave you in chains. Beneath me, where you belong. ‘Knowing your place’, brother.” he referenced the words Thor had spoken to Loki years ago on Jotunheim when he’d attempted to make Thor leave.

Thor strained against the chains even as it caused him more pain and he glared at Loki. “You would let Asgard burn for spite? You would betray me this way?”

Loki gave Thor an expression of disbelief as he blinked. “Are…have you not been listening?” He adopted an incredulous expression. “Why would I do anything but?”

“Damn you, Loki.” Thor lost whatever shred of faith he’d had left in Loki in that moment, and resigned himself to the fact that he was never getting his brother back.

“I’ve missed you too.” Loki mocked as he tapped a patronizing finger on Thor’s nose who stared at Loki with cold fury. “The Grandmaster wants me to ensure that you’re more obedient going forward…personally, I think we both know that’s not really your style. But I can at least make you so miserable that you don’t want to come back here any time soon. Sound fair?” Thor didn’t reply and Loki shrugged as he waved a hand, and an illusion of Jane appeared.

“Thor?” The Jane illusion looked confused and a little afraid, her wrists were bound by manacles as she looked from Thor to Loki. “Loki.” her eyes narrowed.

Thor’s breath hitched at the illusion and the temptation to shout at Loki rose, but he knew the best way to handle Loki in this case would be to ignore him. He stared at Loki with a cool expression and ignored the Jane illusion.

Loki lifted a brow as he waved a hand and Jane suddenly seemed frozen in place.

“I-I can’t move…Thor, what’s going on? I can’t move.” The panic rose in Jane’s voice and Thor kept his eyes on Loki even though he instinctively tensed, even though he wanted to look at ‘Jane’.

“Just a little game, sweet Jane.” Loki cooed as he came up behind Jane and pressed his chest against her back as he brought his hand to her stomach. He smiled mockingly at Thor as he rubbed his hand from Jane’s stomach to further up her side towards her chest. “Not as comely as Sif, I’d say, but she does have her charms. Her mortal fragility is such a novelty.”

Thor was forced to see the Jane illusion then, and she reacted much as Jane likely would. Her expression flickered with fear, outrage, disgust, and she looked to Thor as if asking for help. “Get your hands off of me!” she snapped at Loki.

Loki’s hand moved over her chest and towards her neck while his free hand materialized a dagger. He playfully waggled it from side to side where only Thor could see.

“Loki.” Thor growled, he didn’t want to see what Loki was going to do.

“Today, tomorrow, years from now. I told you. You’ll lose the only woman whose love you’ve ever prized. Well, I suppose you have already. What did you call it, a ‘mutual dumping’?” Loki chuckled.

Loki waved his hand again and Jane began to simper as she made noises like a woman in the throes of passion, and she gave soft moans at any touch of Loki’s.

“What would hurt you more, I wonder. To see me the object of sweet Jane’s passion…or to see me take her from you permanently?” he asked as he trailed the tip of his dagger along her throat, while Jane moaned and her eyelids fluttered.

“Enough, Loki.” Thor snarled. “Quit this game.”

“Brother.” Loki tutted before he plunged the knife into Jane’s chest and Thor’s expression twisted with pain even though he knew it wasn’t real. The Jane illusion ‘died’ convincingly as she looked to Thor with a betrayed expression and asked why he hadn’t saved her. “The game is only just getting started.”

Amora had pulled what memories she could from Thor, and they had been more than enough to base the little show on. More than enough to play a Loki who knew relevant references. She might not be able to ensure that Thor and Loki were permanently separated on this planet…but she could make efforts to ensure that Thor wouldn’t be offering Loki a hand any time soon…and poor little Loki wouldn’t be able to explain ‘himself’ for Amora’s deeds in his guise. She’d also gotten her hands on a rather interesting piece of information, one that she was sure might well turn Thor away from his interfering little ‘brother’ forever.

Loki watched as Kurse made his way through the dungeons of Asgard, and after a brief thought, offered. “You might want to take the stairs on the left.”

Loki had tried to send Kurse to Thor, but he’d found Frigga instead, a fact that Thor wasn’t aware of. When paired with the fact that Loki had all but killed Odin and unleashed Hela…well, on top of all the other little games ‘Loki’ was going to be playing with Thor…it wasn’t likely he’d be feeling so loving of Loki anymore.

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The Grandmaster hadn’t done much the first night with Loki as ‘his pet’. He had taken liberties with running his hand over Loki’s neck and back, he had toyed with his hair and spoken more humiliating, degrading things. But it had been far less than Loki might have expected. When he was eventually let out of the Grandmaster’s company, he thought he might at least have some semblance of peace or privacy during sleeping hours.

But Loki hadn’t been taken to a bed, he had been taken to a literal cage.

Loki balked as he realized where the two accompanying guards meant to put him. The cage was long enough that he could mostly lay down, but only tall enough that he’d basically have to be on all four inside of it. A cage meant to force him into the position of an animal. There was even a damned water bowl. Rage filled him alongside a sense of dread and since Amora was gone, he felt he could try his luck again at attacking the guards. One he did manage to break the leg of, and he’d nearly snapped his neck before the other guard grabbed a fistful of Loki’s hair and hurled him backwards towards the cage. He started to scramble up but the second guard, clearly much stronger than the other three Loki had dealt with, shoved him roughly while he was mid-rise and he staggered. The guard quickly put a hand on his head and pushed Loki into the cage, and Loki grabbed the man’s arm as he slammed it against the side of the opening and heard a satisfying crackas a bone was broken. The first guard revealed a pocket-sized blaster then and aimed it at Loki’s face, and Loki faltered as he raised his hands with palms splayed.

“The Grandmaster’s going to get bored of you.” The first guard said. “And then I’ll take my turn, you little sh*t.”

The cage door was slammed closed and locked by the second guard, Loki wasn’t eager to take a blast to the face. And he was forced to hunch sideways as the guards rose and looked down on him, the cage was made of reinforced bars of what he suspected was a stronger metal than steel or iron.

“I’ll settle for watching the Grandmaster break you.” the second guard said. “You’ll be begging for scraps when he’s done with you.”

Loki felt a new wave of sickening dread and fear at the words, and at his own helpless position. He watched them leave as the lights were turned off and only the lights from the city below offered a glimmer of illumination. Loki couldn’t sit with his back to the cage wall without being uncomfortably hunched, so he had little choice but to lie down. The garish cosmetic was still stuck on his face with magic, and as much as he didn’t want to wear the clothes, he didn’t want to go without any either. Loki had gone from feeling like he was about to be on top of the world to being almost lower than he’d ever been. He had thought his time with Thanos would be a unique experience of despair, but he worried that time with Grandmaster might even exceed that. Loki could handle physical torture, he could handle that kind of degradation, but the Grandmaster was setting up as if he meant to strip Loki of his identity. The mortals would call it ‘dehumanizing’, and the thought made him shudder.

Loki would escape, he would kill every last damned one of them if he had to. He refused to die this way or live as some creature of the Grandmaster’s. Loki would find Thor and make him help if he had to, somehow, and they would fix Loki and escape. He clung to the plan, he forced himself to feel confident about it, forced himself to imagine all the ways in which he would have revenge because the alternative meant focusing on the negative outcomes and that would surely drive him mad.

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Loki was left in the cage until the next afternoon when Amora came to collect him. “Sleep well, pet?” she’d cooed, and Loki had glared at her with all the hatred and venom he could muster.

She’d made him dress in another wretched outfit, and applied a new style of garish makeup. He looked like a joke, and he could yet do nothing about it as she led him by the leash to where the Grandmaster was having a meal with several guests. As Amora entered with Loki, the Grandmaster waved a hand grandly. “This is my new pet! Isn’t he a cutie? What’d I tell ya? Smallest frost giant you’ve ever seen, right?”

Loki found himself scrutinized by two males and a female who looked him over like one might examine a prized hound. He itched to ram his daggers into their eyes, and The Grandmaster crooked a finger for Loki to approach. Loki wanted to be stubborn, he wanted to resist, but he recognized his best chance of success at escape was to get the Grandmaster to favor him again and let his guard down. Amora dropped his leash and Loki forced himself to walk to the Grandmaster, who grinned at Loki as he pinched his cheek. “Isn’t he just adorable?”

Loki fantasized about ramming stakes into the wrists and ankles of the Grandmaster, and taking his time to introduce new levels of pain to the damned lunatic.

“Does it not speak?” one of the guests asked.

The word ‘it’ hit Loki like a punch in the stomach.

“Nah, this one was a little too mouthy. Lost speaking privileges.” The Grandmaster said, like it couldn’t be helped.

“Is it really a Jotun?” another asked. “I thought the Jotnar were ten feet tall at least.”

“This one is an aberration. One of a kind, far as I know. Exotic.”

“Don’t let your brother hear that.” The woman teased.

“I’ll probably give this one to him eventually, when I’ve had my fun.” The Grandmaster shrugged.

“I want to feed it, would that be alright?” The woman asked.

“Sure! Lolo, babe.” he apparently hadn’t picked a new name yet. “She wants to give you a treat. Go on.”

Loki froze for a second, the shame of the situation paralyzing, the loathing he felt for all of them practically suffocating.

“Lolo?”

Loki knew if he didn’t play along it would only make things worse, which was saying something. With every step like another wrench to his insides, he forced himself to walk to the woman who looked him over with open judgment. “Bit on the small side, I’d want more muscle on my pet.” she noted as he dragged a manicured set of fingernails down the exposed part of Loki’s chest and he resisted the urge to snatch her fork and stab her with it.

The woman pointed to the ground. “On your knees.” she ordered and Loki stared. The woman made an impatient face and then looked to the Grandmaster. “Does it not understand?”

If Amora weren’t there to restrict his collar, Loki would have truly considered risking his life to kill every person present in the room. But he wasn’t going to waste the effort when she would stop him immediately.

“Gosh, Lolo, I thought you were a little smarter than that. If you can’t listen to simple directions…well, let’s just say Topaz isn’t the nicest trainer.”

Loki tried to dissociate as he resigned himself to what he’d have to do as he sank to his knees and tried to at least keep his expression neutral.

The woman grabbed him by the chin and he started to pull away instinctively but forced himself to still as she examined him. “Shame about those funny lines. Looks like a bad tattoo.”

The Jotun heritage lines bothered him enough without hearing that and Loki clenched his teeth.

The woman grabbed a thin piece of meat and dipped it in some kind of red sauce as she brought it to Loki’s lips. “Open.” she ordered. Loki’s heart rate increased as his rage reached astonishing new heights and he dug his fingernails into his calves as he tried to contain himself. The woman shoved the piece of meat against his lips and smeared some of the sauce there. “Not very obedient.” she said disapprovingly, and Loki could stand it no more as his hand snaked out and caught her by the throat. Quicker than Amora could react, he had jerked the woman’s neck sideways with considerable force and the snap of it was like music to Loki’s ears.

Loki rose with a satisfaction that died quickly as his actions caught up with him. He expected the Grandmaster to react harshly, but to his shock, the Grandmaster began to laugh.

“Yeah, she was a drag, wasn’t she? Been wanting to do that myself.” he chuckled. “Tiny but mighty, I like that. I am a generous Grandmaster, so I try to give all my pets a free pass. You just used yours. Next time you go wild without my permission…you’ll lose more privileges, like the privilege to walk on two legs, maybe.” he said, like it was a friendly tease.

Loki didn’t doubt that he was serious and he didn’t want to know how the Grandmaster would accomplish that.

The Grandmaster and his guests proceed to eat like nothing had happened, and Amora seemed disappointed that the Grandmaster hadn’t done worse to Loki for the incident.

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A week passed from Loki’s 'transformation', and he spent his nights in the cage. His days were spent in various humiliations as he was slowly ‘taught his new role’. So far, he’d mostly been expected to keep the Grandmaster company, be ‘groomed’ by Amora, and was treated more like an actual pet animal by third party individuals than anything else. He was referred to as ‘it’ and ‘pet’ often enough that Loki was almost numb to the sound of them. The Grandmaster occasionally hand fed Loki ‘treats’, and Loki didn’t dare pull the stunt he’d pulled with the woman. His meals were otherwise taken on the ground, where by some small grace, he was at least able to use his hands and had not been demanded to eat like an animal. Loki didn’t put it past the Grandmaster to order it at some point, or that Amora might try to make him for spite. He’d heard little of Thor, other than occasional taunts by Amora that she’d been seeing him regularly and that she’d made much more progress than Topaz which concerned him. But he could neither ask for more information, nor do anything about it. Loki’s thin thread of hope was a party to be held the next day, where apparently Thor was to attend. He would be introduced as the Grandmaster’s new ‘official champion’, and Loki would be shown off as his new, exotic pet.

The Grandmaster had decided on a name, and it was as tasteless as Loki might have imagined: Sapphire.

Loki was going to kill him, one way or another, he was going to find a way to end the bastard with his own hands. But first, he needed a way to enlist his brother’s aid.

Chapter 5: If They Knew How Misery Loved Me

Chapter Text

The day of the party arrived after another night spent in a cage, and Loki had slept little as he plotted how he might ‘speak’ with his brother. The Grandmaster hadn’t said he couldn’t speak with Thor, but given that ‘helping Thor’ had been part of what he’d been punished for it seemed like a bad idea to be too obvious about interacting with him. And then there was Amora, who had never seemed to like him and who he was sure would try to interfere. Lastly was Thor himself, who he had convinced himself despite his doubts would surely help him. Loki was worse than dead if he going to end up stuck as he was and then a caged addition to the Collector’s collection, Thor wouldn’t do that to him.

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“Come on, brother!” Thor laughed as the pair raced through the woods and towards the little waterfall and lake they aimed for.

Loki raced after his brother with a grin, still of a young age where little such games with Thor didn’t leave him bitter. His brother passed the trees and approached the lake, and turned to face him with an answering grin.

“About time you got here.” Thor teased as Loki joined him by his side.

“I was enjoying the view.”

“Mmhm. You should tell me…how the view from the water is!” Thor exclaimed as he made to push Loki into the water only to have his hands pass through his brother. He had enough time to be surprised and then whirl around suspiciously as the real Loki pushed Thor into the water with a laugh. Thor came up spluttering as he looked at Loki from the water.

“You will have to tell me first, brother.” Loki teased as he laughed at his now bedraggled brother. “Will you ever not fall for that?”

Thor was still of an age where his temper was less, and he still doted on Loki. “How long were you here?”

“Long enough.” Loki grinned triumphantly and Thor groaned as he lay back in the water.

“Little cheat.” Thor groused playfully and held out a hand for Loki to help him out of the water.

Loki had a feeling he knew where this was going, but decided to play along as he offered Thor a hand. Only to have his big brother yank him into the water with a smirk like he’d pulled one over on Loki. He would let Thor think so this time. Loki came up with a huff as Thor laughed, and he splashed water at Thor who splashed him right back. The pair played that way awhile before they leaned against the side of the lake with matching grins.

“I am of a mind to skip our classes today and stay here, what say you, brother?” Thor asked playfully.

“That Mother would have our hides for that.” Loki answered with a snicker. “It is a pleasant day though.”

“Too nice to be spent learning nonsense.”

“The skills essential to ruling the Realm. ‘Nonsense’, he calls them.”

Thor bumped his shoulder against Loki’s playfully. “Our bodies need training as our minds do.”

“Is this training? I thought it was hiding from our tutors.”

“Can it not be both?” Thor suggested as he splashed water at Loki again, and the water fight started anew.

The fight was paused as a scream rang out around them, and Thor was out of the water first as he ran towards the sound and Loki followed after. His brother had gotten enough ahead to be out of sight for a moment, and that was when a bear crossed his path. Loki drew up short as the thing reared back and snarled, and he started to crouch defensively before he realized…it was an illusion. And not too great of one when he looked it over. Loki passed his hand through the ‘bear’ and felt the magic, it had what he could only describe as a sickly sweet feel that made his hand feel coated and sticky. He didn’t care for it at all and he wiped his hand on the grass as he dispelled it with his own magic. Loki then realized the situation as he took off after his brother.

Thor followed the scream to a clearing where a cloaked woman was on her backside on the ground as a bear advanced towards her. As it saw Thor, it turned and fled, and he paid the odd behavior no mind for the moment as he raced towards her. “Are you well?” he called out before he quickly reached her side and found a young, blonde woman he recognized from stray interactions. Amora, she was called, he had seen her at several parties in the palace and a couple of times in lower Asgard.

“Oh, my prince.” she said, her voice frightened and her eyes wet as she looked up at Thor with a pose that showed off her form. “I was so afraid.”

Thor knelt down as he looked her over with concern, he was prince of the realm, it was his duty to care for all of Asgard’s subjects. “Fear not, you are safe now.” he assured her.

“Thank you so much.” she said as she started to swoon a bit and he caught her with an arm around her shoulders while her hand slipped up between his neck and shoulder. As Thor helped her to straighten, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his as a green-yellow magic started to slip from her into Thor-

“What are you doing?” A voice demanded and Amora pulled back with a start to see a furious looking Loki, the little second prince.

Thor looked dazed and his eyes glowed faintly, he didn’t acknowledge Loki’s presence and Loki grabbed his brother’s arm from Amora’s shoulders as he hauled him up. His brother nearly lost his balance but Loki’s strength, while less than Thor’s, was significant and he kept Thor upright.

“Hmm?” Thor’s brow furrowed but his eyes were unfocused as Amora rose.

“Prince Thor saved me from a wild beast.” Amora explained, her tone light as she tried to charm the little prince. She hadn’t yet learned to despise him and his interference, and she wasn’t aware of how powerful he was as a sorcerer.

“Very well, you may go now.” Loki dismissed her with princely imperiousness and Amora frowned.

“My prince-”

“Must I repeat myself?” Loki demanded, and Amora cast a glance at the dazed Thor who had an unfinished enchantment on him. But there would be no finishing it now and she gave a little curtsy.

“Thank you, my prince.” she said to Thor before she inclined her head at Loki. “A pleasant day to you both.” she headed off through the trees and Loki waited till she was gone to look to his brother.

Loki had come up in time to see the tail end of Amora’s little plot, and he saw the kiss and hint of magic about it so he’d interrupted quickly. Thor’s eyes had a strange look to them. “Thor?”

“She’s so beautiful.” he mumbled, and Loki frowned.

“Brother?”

“Amora.” Thor breathed, like her name was a sweet thing to say.

The wench had done some kind of charm enchantment on Thor, although Loki had interrupted it so it shouldn’t be too strong. As he examined it with magic, he found that the spell was concentrated around the lips, perhaps designed to keep renewing for a time from that place. It was a curious spell, he hadn’t seen the like before, but it was child’s play for him to disrupt. Loki gathered his own magic as he brushed his thumb over his brother’s lips, and after a second, Thor’s eyes lost the hint of yellow-green and returned to pure blue.

Thor’s brow furrowed as he blinked and then looked down at Loki. “Brother? What-” he staggered a bit and Loki buckled for a second as his brother’s weight pressed against him, but he kept them both upright again. “I feel dizzy.” he muttered.

“That wench was trying to enchant you.” Loki said, angry on his brother’s behalf.

“What wench?”

“Amora?”

“Who?”

Loki sighed to himself, the enchantment and reversal magic had probably disoriented Thor a bit. Well, no matter, Thor was cleared of her magic and Loki would confront her later.

Thor seemed a little out of it and he peered down at Loki as he sighed before he pressed a kiss to his brother’s head and ruffled his hair, to the latter’s surprise. “Do not be sad, Loki. We will stay out here as long as you like, you can blame me to Mother.” he offered.

Loki blinked as he realized the disoriented Thor had decided he was sad for some reason, and he laughed at his brother’s hazy sweetness. “Oaf.” he said fondly as he helped his brother to sit.

Thor promptly lay back on the ground and pulled Loki down with him, and Loki made a noise of surprise as he found himself laying somewhat in the crook of Thor’s arm. “Perhaps we should rest awhile.” he murmured.

Loki eyed his brother a moment, and verified that that the actual magic was gone from his system. Thor was a little more out of it than he might have expected, but Thor wasn’t a sorcerer by any means. Perhaps her magic combined with Loki’s had thrown Thor off a bit. “Alright, brother.” he agreed as he let himself relax against his brother’s side as he curved an arm over his waist. Loki would teach that sorceress to keep her tricks to herself, but in the meantime, he would keep an eye on his brother and enjoy their ‘day off’. It was lucky for Thor that he had Loki, his poor big brother would be a defenseless sap against magic without him.

Thor’s other hand came up to slip over Loki’s shoulder, and he glanced at Thor whose eyes had closed. Loki didn’t have much by way of other friends, but he’d never felt the lack of them since he always had his big brother. Thor never mocked his magic, he encouraged Loki, and even consented to let Loki test spells on him from time to time. They confided in each other, and Thor never mocked Loki either for times that Loki sought comfort or reassurance, even though it wasn’t seen as warrior-like behavior. Thor could be brash, and his temper wasn’t his best quality, but still…Thor was his brother and best friend, and Loki was deeply glad of that.

“Better, brother?” Thor mumbled, and he sounded rather sleepy.

Loki was surprised to be addressed again and fought another laugh as he realized the hazy Thor was ‘comforting’ him, the silly oaf. He smiled softly as he lifted his hand to brush his fingers through his brother’s golden hair, and Thor leaned into his hand lightly. “Better.” he humored Thor. “Thank you, brother.” Thor smiled and Loki felt a rush of fondness as he resolved to never let that scheming Amora near his brother again, he would protect Thor as Thor had always protected him.

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Amora came to collect Loki, and she seemed in an eager mood as she stood outside of his cage with a smile. “Rise and shine, little Sapphire. Time to greet the day.”

Loki rose as best he could, hunched sideways as he narrowed his eyes at her. He had thought he might never see her again, so to be in such a situation and have Amora be part of it so actively…it was a full circle irritation. He had commanded her as a prince once, a far superior sorcerer, and now…he was a ‘pet’ in a cage whose life could be ended by a clench of her fist. Loki despised her, and had contented himself with a number of fantasies of how he might get revenge against her as well.

“Such a sweet face you are making.” she crooned, in a tone that one might speak to a puppy with. “You must be so glad to see me.”

Loki sneered and Amora seemed amused as she chuckled and opened the cage, and motioned for him to come out. He was tempted to decline, but it would just give Amora an excuse to act against him further.

”The Grandmaster means to show you off today, we are going to make you sparkle, little Sapphire.” Amora had taken from calling him ‘little Loki’ to ‘little Sapphire’, she seemed pleased at any opportunity to attempt to demean him further.

Loki stretched uncomfortably as he left the cage though he kept his expression as impassive and condescending as he could, even as she took up his leash with a smirk and crooked a finger.

“There’s a good boy…or is it girl?” Amora asked with mock-thoughtfulness as she tapped a nail against her cheek. Loki kept his face neutral even as he longed to lash out, and she smirked again. “All of those years you interfered and thought yourself better than me, and look at you now. Naught but a lowly creature who will watch from a cage as I become Asgard’s queen.”

Loki made a show of silently laughing as he set a hand on his stomach and made an expression of mirth.

“Oh, yes, do pretend you still have some dignity about you. I will so enjoy seeing it crushed under the Grandmaster’s heel.” she crooned again, and Loki gave her a bored expression.

Loki was brought before the Grandmaster for a morning meal, and he again had to take up a seat on the ground next to the Grandmaster’s legs. The Grandmaster sometimes addressed Loki directly, others not, and he absently stroked Loki’s hair and behind his ears like he was an actual pet while he ate his food and chatted with Amora and a couple of others.

Amora sat on the other side of the corner of the table, which put Loki in the middle of her and the Grandmaster. She pulled a piece of bread dunked excessively in a sauce meant for meat, and held it near Loki’s face. “Here, little Sapphire. Here, pet.” she cooed.

Loki still had murder in his soul at such humiliations, but he had gained a little more resistance to them over the week’s period. He reminded himself that in the evening he would see Thor, and he needed to make sure he did nothing to jeopardize that. Loki again kept his expression neutral as he started to take the bite but she held it a little higher and wiggled her hand teasingly.

“Come on, reach for it, little one.”

The Grandmaster watched with amusem*nt and Loki had no choice as he leaned upwards to take the offered bite.

But she held it a little higher again. “Beg, sweetie. Beg for a treat.” she ordered sweetly and Loki felt his stomach drop as acidic rage flooded his system.

“You heard the lady, Sapphy.” The Grandmaster chuckled as he set a bare foot on Loki’s thigh and gave it a playful nudge.

The foot was an insult of a different kind, as though he were so lowly he could be stepped on by the likes of this cretin. But again, he had no choice, and he needed to be on his ‘best behavior’ to ensure he could meet with his brother. How did the wretch expect him to beg though?

“Come on, give me that cute little whimper.” Amora crooned, and he realized what she wanted.

The only sounds that would come from his magically seized throat, the little whimpers and whines. Loki didn’t want to, but as gruffly as he could he forced himself to try to speak and heard the whimper bubble up from his throat.

“Good girl.” Amora praised as she slipped the disgusting bread against his lips and into his mouth as he was forced to take it. Given the way they kept doing his makeup and dressing him, the female titles seem based on that alone and not that the Grandmaster knew yet about Jotnar anatomy. The fact that Amora hadn’t outed Loki wasn’t really a good sign, she was either keeping it as some kind of blackmail or waiting for the worst possible moment to reveal it.

----

When it came time to get ready, Amora had seemed excessively pleased, and Loki recognized that wasn’t a good sign either. She’d made him bathe again, in much the same way as the first time, and she’d worn a patronizing expression and taunted him throughout.

Then she’d made some changes to his appearance that when coupled with the attire, makeup, and accessories…made Loki nearly unrecognizable even to himself and made him worried about whether Thor would even recognize him.

Amora had used magic to change Loki’s dark hair into something between red-orange and gold, it clashed against his blue skin. She styled it in waves and braids bedecked with colored beads and gold hoops. Golden earrings with tacky, red hearts dangled from his newly pierced ears. He again was made to wear wrists full of golden bangles, and a golden armband. She did his makeup ‘properly’, instead of gaudy, colorful nonsense she’d put it on in such a way that it made his blood red eyes standout amidst longer lashes. For clothing, she made Loki wear a slit-leg red gown with a green sash that hung in a half-triangle down the front. The neckline was a sharp V shape that went nearly to his belly button and ‘showed off’ his blue skin and heritage lines. Amora had even made adjustments to the dress that could give one the impression that Loki had more endowments to his chest than he actually did. The nails of his fingers and toes she painted in pink, ‘per the Grandmaster’s wishes’ apparently, and she tied a pink bow with an obnoxious ribbon over the collar on his neck with a hole to allow the leash through. He expected the shoes she picked to be equally distasteful, but she informed him smugly that shoes were for ‘civilized beings’ and not ‘pets’. Loki was meant to attend in bare feet, which was both personally uncomfortable to him and intended as a degradation.

He tried not to give Amora the satisfaction of seeing him staring at himself, but he couldn’t help the morose feelings that welled inside of him at the sight of himself. Loki didn’t look himself at all, and worse still, with how she had done him up he could pass the opposite gender. His brother truly might not recognize him, and even if he did…the shame of Thor seeing him look such a way already turned his stomach. Loki thought of the furious look in Thor’s eyes as he’d betrayed him again. Even if Loki had a way to explain that there was at least a partial motivation to keep Thor alive involved in the betrayal, would Thor care? Loki had kept him from going to Asgard, and now Thor was captured and had been tortured, Amora was present, and Loki was in no position to take over Sakaar to help his brother either.

Amora looked Loki over very openly before she dragged a finger down his bare chest and he smacked her hand away. “That was not very nice.” she said in a tone of mock-hurt before she stepped closer and smirked. “I so enjoy seeing you this way, I would say that I look forward to dear Thor’s reaction…but I doubt he would pay much attention to a mere pet. Has it sunk in yet? That you will spend the rest of your life as ‘Sapphire’? Who you were before will be nothing but a memory. Would you prefer that anyway? I could ask the Grandmaster, perhaps he too would prefer if you lost your senses. A silly little beast to curl up by his side, and beg by his feet.”

She was goading him and Loki refused to give in to it as he stared at her coolly, and she chuckled.

“We will see how long you keep up the pretense of strength. In time, you might beg for me to take your mind to escape knowing what you are now.”

Did she want an excuse for him to act up so she could disrupt his chance to attend the party and see Thor? If so, she was in for a disappointment, and Loki kept himself calm as he continued to stare at her.

Amora seemed to wait a few seconds and then shrugged daintily. “As you like, I did give you a chance, you know.” she slipped her hand into the leash. “The Grandmaster will bring you into the party himself, let us go see how he likes his little ‘Sapphy’, shall we?”

Loki followed and tried not to think too much on her words about Thor not paying attention to him, and her little threat about taking his mind. She had powers to enchant and charm, but he didn’t think she could do as she claimed. He also doubted she would actually want to grant him such a ‘mercy’, little that it would be one to him. But Amora wanted him to suffer, clearly, and he wouldn’t do that if he didn’t know who he was anymore. Loki steeled himself for what was to come, and reassured himself that he would find a way to entreat his brother, and that his brother would surely help him.

----

Amora had stopped coming as Loki for the last two days of Thor’s imprisonment, which was meant to end a week early as the Grandmaster had decided to have his party. She wanted to ensure that if Thor discovered who ‘Sapphire’ was for any reason, there was still a reason to think that the ‘Loki’ tormenting him had been the true Loki and that he’d only recently been enslaved himself.

She had, in Loki’s guise and with aid of the candles to cloud Thor’s mind and make him more susceptible to her deception, been quite cruel. Amora had ‘Loki’ doing terrible things to Thor’s mortal friends, his plain Jane as Amora considered her, and taunting Thor all the while. She set out to undermine Loki’s ‘sacrifice’ on Svartalfheim by playing up that it had all been a ruse to escape and take over for Odin, she even had a little illusion rendition of Loki’s ridiculous play of the affair. Honestly, Loki had made things entirely too easy for her by being such a wretch to his brother.

Amora didn’t believe Loki was as cold to Thor as he made out to be. She knew men, she knew their behaviors and expressions well, and she had studied the Loki in what of Thor’s memories she saw. She saw hints of the same annoying, clingy boy she’d seen all those years ago who interfered with her attempts to claim her prince. She actually believed Loki had been genuine in his rescue of Thor on Svartalfheim. But it suited her well to diminish that, to try in every conceivable way to break Thor’s hope and faith of his little brother. That way, even if he saw Loki’s plight, he wouldn’t be moved to help him. Perhaps he’d even be motivated to turn against him.

Amora didn’t consider herself a cruel or vicious person, but she was ruthless when it came to getting what she wanted and she had waited so long to get her hands on Thor. His so-called brother had thwarted her time and again, and had even interfered with her sister Lorelai and sent that nasty Sif after her. Another one who fancied herself as belonging at Thor’s side, as if Thor needed such a brutish woman to rule with him. Also, whatever Loki’s genuine or otherwise feelings for Thor, that he’d tried time and again to kill and harm Thor couldn’t be denied. Thor, the sweet dear, was unfailingly loyal and clearly couldn’t be trusted to see how truly dangerous Loki was to him. Amora had to save Thor from himself, and she was more than pleased to do so.

----

Topaz headed down to collect Thor, who been even quieter than before the past couple of days she’d been back in charge of him. Whatever Amora had done had put Thor in a strange mood, not that it was any of her business as long as he was ready to be a champion in the arena and treat the Grandmaster with his due respect. “Today is release day, ‘Lord of Thunder’. Got a party waiting.”

Thor didn’t answer or even glance at her, and she had the guard who accompanied her undo his manacles as she held the obedience disc controller at the ready.

“Hello?”

Thor stretched as he stood up and cracked his neck from side to side before he fixed a steely gaze on Topaz, and she found herself uncomfortably intimidated. He was the one with the obedience disc on, so what was she worried about?

“Let’s just get this over with.” Thor said bluntly as he considered what he might do at a party where Loki, Amora, and the Grandmaster would be. His realm was in danger from the goddess of death and he was being made to play prisoner to a lunatic and his two sidekicks. Amora was vile on principle, and he expected that. But Loki… Thor’s mind was a little foggy about what had happened during Loki’s visits, he knew there was a magical reason behind it although he didn’t understand why. But the things Loki had said and done, on top of what he’d done to get Thor there in the first place… Thor was of mind to drag his brother back to Asgard in chains, and let him have a taste of his own damned medicine.

Chapter 6: Come As You Are/These Tables Are Numbered Honey

Chapter Text

The party didn’t have a theme, per se, but given the way the Grandmaster operated it was as eclectic. All races and genders roamed the main party area in a variety of styles, colors, and what could only really be described as ‘costumes’. Some were dressed as if for a masquerade, others seemed ready to moonlight as a dominatrix, there were those who’d dressed for glamour as if attending a gala, and others who looked like they’d crawled out of a friend’s bed. The Grandmaster was in a blue and white number with an off-yellow hem and dangling earrings that sparkled like little disco balls. Amora was dressed to the nines with her blonde hair in waves about her, as her signature green was paired with a golden circlet and a necklace of gems that made her look almost royal.

And there was Loki, ‘dressed to kill as Sapphy’, as the Grandmaster had put it. He had roved his hands over Loki speculatively, pinched his cheeks, and escorted Loki to the party with a possessive arm around his waist while he held Loki’s leash in his other hand. There were a good number of other ‘pets’ at the party, a few of whom also ‘belonged’ to the Grandmaster. But they weren’t at his side as Loki was, since ‘Sapphire’ was his current new ‘plaything’. Nearly an hour had passed of Loki being petted, fawned over, and examined by various individuals who admired the Grandmaster’s newest addition. But he saw no sign of Thor and had a sinking feeling with every moment that passed. Thor was supposed to be there, why was he not? What if he didn’t come, what if he had escaped, what if he had truly been hurt in his time tortured?

The Grandmaster at some point got bored of pulling Loki around, and tied his leash on a pink pole that was shared by another pet of someone else. He was truly being treated as an animal, kept tied in place when it suited his ‘master’, and Loki had only a few feet of length by which to move about. And even without the Grandmaster by his side, others approached to prod and pet at Loki. None treated him remotely like a person and he was aghast both at the situation and the way that they perceived him. Loki was in the skin of a Jotun, sure, but even the Asgardians wouldn’t treat a Jotun this way. They’d kill them if anything, which was arguably feeling a Hel of a lot more merciful than what all was happening at this point. Asgardians also didn’t believe in the notion of slavery. Prisoners of war happened at times, but to enslave another being was contrary to the laws of the All-Father.

The first time Thor would see him, it would be as Sapphire, and while he was tied up to a post. The humiliations were unending, and the only consolation would be at least he couldsee Thor and hope to gain his assistance. Thor had seen him shift forms before, he’d even seen him as a woman. Loki had ruined a couple of Thor’s amorous attempts being a ‘brat’ in a woman’s form, to Thor’s irritation. It was different then, it was a choice of magic, and aimed at mischief, and few knew of it. But this was in a Jotun form, and he was still a man-

-Gods, but would Thor even think so? Could he even call himself that with the anatomy his current form had? What was he supposed to say or think? What would Thor think or say if he knew? Loki had never wanted Thor to see his Jotun form, he didn’t even want to remember it existed. His true form was his Aesir form, much as he complained it was a forced fiction. That Loki, Loki Odinson, was Thor’s brother…but this form…this was Loki Laufeyson, this was a visual reminder of the lack of blood between them, of the fact that Loki was a monster. Thor was a simple man, overall, perhaps he had let himself forget Loki’s parentage easily because Loki neither looked or acted as Thor expected of the Jotnar. But if he saw, then he would always remember. As Loki had feared he would remember if he ever looked at himself. True enough, despite the things he’d been enduring and his other worries…his mind kept circling back to his blue-skinned, red-eyed appearance. The sensitive, raised heritage lines, the traitorous anatomy. Loki was picturing himself as other than himself and it made him ache desperately, it put a sadness in him that he refused to acknowledge even as it crept over his bones.

Topaz entered then, and behind her a familiar and yet somewhat unfamiliar Thor.

Thor had dressed in prince’s finery before, and he’d had his coronation clothes but it had almost been a battle uniform. Asgard was a culture of warriors, after all. Thor preferred things simple, he even seemed to enjoy wearing tacky, Midgardian clothes. Loki had dressed in a suit for their time on Midgard, but Thor had looked like he’d thrown on whatever was handy even though he’d had his choice of things.

Now they’d clearly dressed Thor to impress, and as something between regal and a gladiator. Thor’s shorter hair was as slicked back as they could manage it to be, and there was a hint of black beneath his eyes. His skin faintly glistened, they’d clearly rubbed some kind of oil on him to show off his muscular physique, and he wore a skin-tight black leather vest that showed much of his chest and left his arms uncovered. The vest was threaded with red, and he had on small, silver arm-bracers with what he recognized to be Midgardian Celtic knots. He’d not seen such things in an age. Thor had a red, half-cape on his back, and reddish-brown pants that had the look of leathery armor. The opposite of Loki in almost every conceivable way, which rather described their lives, really. Thor was Aesir perfection, a glowing complement to his darker, secretly Jotun adopted brother who looked nothing like the other Asgardians. Now Loki didn’t even have that appearance, now he looked like a mockery of a Jotun. Feminine in appearance in a way that even a true frost giantess would never look.

Thor looked every bit a god, and Loki every bit a monster. And to think he used to dream of and agonize about being Thor’s equal when they weren’t even on the same playing field. The thought put a crushing feeling in his chest, even after all of this time it still hurt him to think of. Whether or not Loki wished to be by Thor’s side didn’t matter all that much if being by Thor’s side made him feel inferior. He had grappled with that as he had grappled with Thor’s love after he’d learned the truth. Loki struggled to see Thor’s love [if it existed] as anything but tainted and selfish. He couldn’t see how he could be Thor’s brother without being in the role of supplicant to Thor’s benevolent acceptance of his frost giant foundling brother. Loki couldn’t turn his mind from negative thoughts, that Thor secretly looked down on him, secretly reveled in the knowledge that Loki was beneath him as he’d always seemed to want him to be. At least as they’d gotten older and Thor had changed from doting older brother into Thor the Unworthy.

“Loki, I thought the world of you. I thought we were gonna fight side-by-side forever.”

“You will always be the God of Mischief, but you could be more.”

There wasn’t likely another being left in the universe who would say such things to Loki, let alone mean them. He’d been stunned, but he knew Thor whether he liked it or not, and he knew Thor was in earnest. As easily as Odin had crumbled mountains of resentment and bitterness in Loki by simply calling he and Thor ‘my sons’ as though they were equally so, by saying he loved them…Thor’s blunt, brotherly love and big brotherly ‘wisdom’ had done similarly. It wasn’t a redress for all wounds, there were things that needed to be mended, things he weren’t even sure couldbe mended. But Thor and Odin had so easily soothed Loki, and it irritated him even as it softened him.

Not enough that he hadn’t stabbed his brother in the back so to speak anyway, but it meant something. And Thor would surely never believe that now, and never believe that [as much as it was also due to personal benefit] Loki had kept him on Sakaar to try to save him.

Loki wasn’t sure he even had the capacity to love someone without hurting them anymore, and increasingly it bothered him. If only because the only person left he really loved was Thor, and it was Thor he had surely hurt the most of anyone.

“The champion has arrived!” The Grandmaster announced with a drink in hand and clearly a bit of a buzz, and the effects of whatever drugs he’d been taking.

Thor’s electric blue eyes slid to the Grandmaster and Topaz watched him carefully. Loki wasn’t sure what had been done to him or what was expected.

“Give us a sparkle, Sparkles!” The Grandmaster called out.

Thor gave a thin smile that might have passed for amused to a casual eye, but Loki recognized the veiled violence in every coil of Thor’s muscles. His brother was radiating cold fury, a new thing for his brother. The Thor of old had the fury of a violent storm, a raging and unstoppable thing until it spent itself. He could explode in an instant, or be a sullen and snappish thing like a trickling rainstorm. But Thor, in his absence from Loki, had increasingly matured. To say that Thor had calmed would be wrong, but he was more measured in his rage, more careful. Thor could burn with a cold, repressed fury whereas before he could only engulf himself with it and those around him.

Not for the first time, Loki wondered at the extent of the changes, how and why they’d come about, and why it was not Loki who had been able to make his brother so much more…likeable. Admirable? Kingly. Noble.

Thor’s eyes flashed pure white-blue as his body crackled with electricity and the party-goers gasped. It was his second time seeing Thor wield his power in such a way and it fascinated him even as it frightened him somewhat. Thor’s power had been turned on him before, and he didn’t fancy meeting that power for himself. Loki had seen the lightning in his hands right after their father died and hadn’t known what to make of it, but it had made him concerned and nervous as his brother stepped towards him accusingly.

The lightning fell from him as Thor relaxed it and the Grandmaster and others clapped. “Let’s hear it for the Lord of Thunder!”

“God of Thunder.” Thor corrected, his voice a low rumble and there was no warmth or humor in it. Yes, Thor was clearly pissed, and Loki had guesses for why and either way an angry Thor was going to be less amenable unless Loki’s plight seriously tugged his sentimental heartstrings. Loki would have expected that once, but now his confidence was shaken. Both because of what he’d done to Thor and because he was appearing before Thor in no way resembling the brother he’d grown up with. His heritage was carved into his skin, and he’d been made garish in appearance to boot.

“And what a god he is.” cooed Amora as she stepped from the sidelines to slip her arms around one of Thor’s arms.

Again, Loki saw the tell-tell hints of his brother’s displeasure in the tension of his body, in the slight narrow of his eyes, the clench of his jaw. He had spent centuries watching his brother’s every move, action, and hearing his every word. Loki in some ways knew Thor best of anyone, but now there was a Thor before him that Loki had to admit he also didn’t know at all. Thor the Avenger, Thor the roamer of realms, Thor who wielded lightning from his hands, and reversed Loki’s betrayal with good humor and mature words that made Loki feel like a silly child.

“Amora.” Thor said tightly, and Loki supposed there must be some reason he couldn’t simply cast her off. The sight of Amora on his arm brought old, instinctive feelings of revulsion and displeasure, and a protective streak. As many things as Loki had relied on Thor to protect him from, as many things as Thor had ever been able to protect himself from, Amora had been one of the few things upon which Loki could name himself Thor’s protector. Now he couldn’t even do that, and the sight of Amora simpering and touching hisbrother made Loki burn with renewed rage. She had taken his freedom, bound him up, and now was taking liberties with someone who was far above her, Loki’s brother. Love and possessiveness ran parallel for Loki, and it had ever been a problem as Thor drifted from him in favor of Sif and the Warriors Three. He didn’t like to invest time, energy, and feelings into things that belonged to others, he hated to share, and there had been a time when he felt Thor was his alone. His big brother, who loved Loki best in all the Realms and often said as much until he’d changed. Nothing Thor did to him was ever so lethal to their brotherhood as the way he’d made Loki go from feeling beloved to feeling worthless.

The Grandmaster moved closer and ran his hands over Thor’s arms with a sound like a groan of awe. “These muscles, he’s like a marble statue. Criminally seductive. Can’t get enough, babe.” he gushed.

“I bet he could pick you up with one arm.” Amora said slyly, a not so subtle suggestion.

Grandmaster looked thrilled at the thought as he rolled his shoulders a bit. “Let’s see it, do you have it in you?” he challenged in a playful tone.

Thor had been taken from his cell and dressed in uncomfortable clothes and had an oily substance rubbed over him. His hair had been, with copious quantities of gel, somewhat slicked back. None of it suited him and he wanted to get the night over with, glad at least that his little stint in the torture [room?] seemed to be at an end. Thor headed for the party and saw entirely too many people, none of whom he wanted to deal with, and he barely paid attention other than reluctantly focusing on the Grandmaster when called to.

Amora put her hands on him and he found it physically repellent but forced himself to stand still. He thought of Asgard, of the people who needed him, and that getting in trouble wouldn’t get him any closer to an escape. She suggested he pick up the Grandmaster, probably just to mess with him, and he found himself having to oblige.

Thor was furious in general but he restrained himself, he let a feeling of numbness and coldness wash over him as he went through the motions. He would expend his rage in other ways: the arena, Hela, Loki. He would have far more than words with his brother for what he’d done.

Thor started to slip an arm around the Grandmaster’s waist but he wriggled.

“No, no, under the butt. I wanna ride on your shoulder.” The Grandmaster ‘corrected’.

Thor prevented his lips from curling with disdain but only just as he complied and slipped his arm under the Grandmaster’s backside and easily hefted the man up. He kept him in place with an arm around his legs, and the Grandmaster clapped his hands.

“Another drink for me! And something to loosen up ole Sparkles here.”

“I have just the thing.” Amora said as she produced a cup for Thor, while another attendant produced one for the Grandmaster.

Loki, across the room, and stuck mute to a post glared at her and the offered drink. There was no way she hadn’t done something to it. From the way Thor stared at the cup for a few seconds, he was sure his brother realized that as well. But to Loki’s dismay, Thor drank it down in several gulps and he supposed there was a reason for Thor’s sudden obedience.

Thor rationalized that whatever Amora had surely put in the drink, it wouldn’t be poison. He wouldn’t put it past her to have slipped in some kind of aphrodisiac or enchantment potion to muddle his thoughts. Perhaps that would be better than having to be aware through the party anyway.

He set the Grandmaster down as the man cheered him on, before he motioned Thor over. “Sparkles, come meet Sapphire, my newest little cutie.” he crooked a finger and a pleased Amora returned to hanging onto Thor’s shoulder as Thor stiffly followed.

Loki felt a flare of dread and hope as his brother approached. He wanted to hide, he wanted to flee, he wanted for anything to prevent his brother from seeing him. But Loki needed his brother, and he wanted the reassurance of his brother knowing he was here and needed help, of Thor’s agreement to do so.

“Ta-da!” The Grandmaster said as they stood before Loki, who had eyes only for Thor.

Thor’s eyes slid over Loki briefly, his brow furrowed just slightly, and then he looked back at the Grandmaster with a dismissive air. “Congratulations.” he said dryly.

Loki felt his heart sink, he hadn’t seen even a hint of recognition in his brother’s eyes. Thor hadn’t even really looked at him. There was a vague chance Thor didn’t even realize he was Jotun, given his size and the way Amora had made him look. A number of other blue-skinned races existed, and Thor might not have paid attention to his eyes, the blood red was signature to Jotuns generally.

Amora shot Loki a look of smug, patronizing triumph and he wanted to scream. Loki was within range of Thor and could grab his brother, but what then? Amora and the Grandmaster would see, and he needed to be somewhat casual about it all.

“Well, well, is this party for me?” A voice boomed from the doorway, and the Grandmaster’s face lit up as he whirled around. The man at the door was slightly shorter than Thor but a little broader, with his own well-defined muscles and jet-black hair close cropped around his head. He was dressed with black clothes, spiked accessories, and a few dangling bits of chain. “Did you miss me, GM?” the man laughed.

“Ares!” The Grandmaster looked positively childlike in his delight as he abandoned the trio in favor of the new arrival. “I haven’t seen you in solong!”

Thor and Amora turned their backs on Loki as they took in the new arrival.

The Grandmaster moved to embrace Ares, who clapped him on the back with a firm returning embrace and a look of amusem*nt.

“That’s the God of War, from the Greek Pantheon.” Amora noted. “A former champion of the Grandmaster, he comes by every so often. The Grandmaster’s most favored combatant.”

“Did I give you the impression you could speak to me?” Thor asked coldly, the pretense of tolerating her dropped as he yanked his arm away while the Grandmaster’s back was turned. Loki cheered at the sight and sound.

Amora fixed Thor with a casual look, like it didn’t bother her at all. “We have been speaking rather a lot. And we were so close when I took over for dear Topaz.”

“You were close to having your neck snapped.” Thor replied bluntly.

“Goodness! You have become so rough in my absence. It comes of bad company.” Amora said with an air of pity as she trailed a finger down Thor’s neck and he shrugged her off. “You do look especially magnificent dressed in rage though. And with your powers rippling around you…it is a sight to behold. It was a shame I was not present to witness your little attack on Jotunheim. I would have thrilled to see it, how glorious.”

Thor stiffened as he glanced at her slightly with a frown. “There was nothing glorious about it. Keep your poison to yourself.”

Loki wondered about the statement, and about why it had bothered Thor enough to cause him to look at Amora.

Amora noted the slight change too and she had a hint of annoyance about her as she next spoke. “You have pity for the frost giant beasts now, is that it? Did you forget the way they slaughtered? They were headed for Midgard when the All-Father, may he rest in Valhalla, stopped them. How many innocent Asgardians and others were lost at the hands of those vile monsters-”

“-The only vile monster in this room is you, and if you do not leave my side, I will slay you like one.” Thor growled, and Amora lifted a brow.

Loki heard her words and suspected she was trying to rile Thor towards negative sentiments about frost giants, perhaps she had been spending her time trying to find ways to set him against Loki in case they met. But Thor had softened towards the Jotnar before he even knew Loki was one, although they’d never talked about it really, and Loki wasn’t sure of the extent of it.

“You cannot touch me, the Grand-”

“-I could kill you before he could stop me.” Thor informed her.

Amora casually pulled a controller for an obedience disc from a slit in the thigh of her dress and shook it playfully. “Dear heart-”

“Amora, come here! Ares wants to meet you!” The Grandmaster called out, and Amora was distracted.

Amora cast a quick glance to Loki with a frown even as she tried to motion Thor forward but he remained unmoving, and she had no choice but to proceed. Loki recognized he was about to have what could be his only chance, and as Amora went to the Grandmaster and Thor started to move away, he snaked a hand out.

Loki pushed at Thor’s back and Thor turned around quickly with a frown, and again his gaze seemed only to brush over Loki. “What?” he asked, even as his eyes drifted around the room and Loki got the sense Thor was thinking something over. He needed his brother’s attention and focus, he needed a way to make Thor realize…

Thor was technically facing him, and Loki impulsively made a quick move towards Thor but before he could complete it he found both of his wrists caught firmly. Thor frowned down at him and finally looked at him, but there was still no flash of recognition. Amora had worked wonders on making him unlike himself, not to mention the Jotun visage. “What do you want?” Thor did indeed seem in a foul mood, and Loki swallowed hard as he tried to wriggle his wrists away.

Thor had been barely able to contain himself as Amora went on, and kept touching him, and then spoke of Jotunheim. He knew she was goading him subtly about Loki, her strange fixation and jealousy towards Loki seemed ever present even all these centuries later. Amora behaved as though Thor belonged to her, and she and that nature of hers disgusted him. Then she’d been called away and he’d taken the chance to examine the room, to see what might be of use, and perhaps to see if his pain-in-the-ass brother was lurking around.

A ‘pet’ of the Grandmaster’s, he’d forgotten what the Grandmaster had called her, touched him, and then made to grab him and he asked twice what she’d wanted and gotten no answer. She had blue skin that clashed with bright red all over, the clothes were strange and unappealing, and as Thor finally looked at her face he realized she had blood-red eyes. The woman was a Jotun. Thor drew his hands back as if burned before he realized the woman had gloves on, did that stop the frostbite touch? He supposed so, he doubted the Grandmaster would have a frost giant on hand that could do that to him easily.

Loki saw Thor finally look, but not really see, and he’d seen Thor jerk away and look straight at his hands. He could guess why, which he supposed was a better reason than simple knee-jerk disgust for a frost giant.

“What do you want of me?” Thor tried again, a bit unnerved by the intense gaze of…well, actually, was she really a frost giantess? They didn’t look like actual women, and this one was much too small…was it a magical alteration? Perhaps the eyes were colored and she was of another blue-skinned race?

Loki hesitated before he pointed to his mouth and then crossed his fingers over it with an X shape as he shook his head.

Thor’s brow furrowed at that. “You can’t speak?” Loki shook his head and Thor seemed to examine the area of his neck and the leash that bound him to the post.

Loki feared that Amora would return, or the Grandmaster, and he had to act quickly to try to get his point across. He splayed his palms open non-threateningly as he brought his hands towards Thor who tensed. Loki gestured for Thor’s right hand and curved his fingers in a motion of ‘give me’, and Thor seemed slightly confused and wary.

Loki repeated the gesture with as gentle an expression as he could manage, and whatever Thor thought, Norns be praised, he hesitantly moved his hand to Loki. In a swift pair of movements, he slipped his hand to Thor’s neck and cupped it even as he brought Thor’s hand to his own neck and made him cup it. Their old gesture of affection, one he hoped would get the point across. But no sooner had he made them make the gesture than Thor pulled away and stepped back. “I seek no company.” he declined. Loki felt sick as he realized what Thor thought was happening, he thought Loki was trying to proposition him. He still didn’t realize it was Loki, and the thought filled him with shame and sadness as he pleaded with his eyes for his brother to recognize him.

“Thank you anyway.” Thor said, ever polite at times, and he started to turn away. He noticed an uncomfortable, buzzing feeling in his veins and wondered if whatever Amora had surely slipped into his drink was having an effect.

A whimper bubbled up from his throat and desperately he looked for a way to keep Thor around, to make him understand… He took a piece of fruit from the table, reminded of the day he’d visited Thor in the tunnels and Thor had thrown debris at him. Loki threw it at the back of Thor’s head and Thor turned with a frown.

“I have told you-”

“Now, Sapphy, that was just rude! Why are you throwing food at our guests?” The Grandmaster tutted and Loki winced to himself. He had forgotten to pay attention to what eyes were on him in his moment of desperation. “Pick it up.” he ordered.

Loki started to comply, he couldn’t risk a confrontation now, but the Grandmaster made a disapproving noise.

“Not with your hands, Sapphy, with your mouth.”

Loki stared at the Grandmaster and couldn’t help the way his gaze slid to Thor, who stared at him with a vaguely troubled expression. Thor was a bleeding heart, he probably didn’t like to see the way Grandmaster treated him even if he didn’t know it was Loki. He didn’t want to do it, especially not while Thor was watching, and he hesitated long enough that the Grandmaster frowned.

“It seems little Sapphy isn’t being very obedient today.” Amora cooed. “Perhaps it was too early to bring her out…shall I take her back to her cage?”

The Grandmaster clucked his tongue. “Don’t call it that. It’s a bed, just like any other.”

Loki feared he was about to be taken from the party and he quickly started to oblige, but he was beaten to the punch again when Thor picked the piece of fruit up and hurled it out a slightly open window.

“It’s taken care of.” Thor said gruffly, and both Amora and the Grandmaster frowned at him while Loki looked to his brother with a mixture of relief and anxiety. His brother was being kind, but he didn’t recognize Loki, which made it worth little overall.

“Now who is this?” Ares asked as he approached and looked Thor over with interest.

“This is my latest champion to be, the Lord of Thunder!”

“Thor, God of Thunder.” Thor said in a tired tone as he glanced at Ares, who tilted his head.

“Thor…Thor what?” Ares asked.

“Odinson.”

Loki didn’t miss the way Ares’ hand twitched at the name, or the sudden gleam in his eyes.

”Thor Odinson…you don’t say.” Ares chuckled.

“You know of me?”

“Well, amongst other things, you are a pretty big deal on Earth where I hail from. The ‘hottest Avenger’ they call you. Even heard about your little breakup with…yeah, don’t know or care actually, but I did hear something about it.” he noted and Thor’s expression strangely darkened at the mention of Jane.

Oddly, Amora wore a smirk at the mention of her instead of displeasure, and Loki wondered if he was missing something.

“I’m Ares, son of Zeus, God of War.” he emphasized as he held out a hand for Thor to shake. “Pops rules the lightning too, sure would be interesting to see how yours stacks up to his.”

Thor shook Ares’ hand, and the pair clenched each other’s hands in what seemed to be uncomfortably tight grips as they stared at each other. “I rule storms, lightning is only a part of that.” The buzzing in his veins was still present, and he was beginning to feel slightly nauseous, which was rare for him. There was a dull heaviness in his head, not quite a headache or grogginess, but something similar.

“Ooh.” Ares said with a mock shudder. “A storm god? Color me impressed.” he drawled in a way that suggested otherwise as they released each other’s hands. “You and I should have a little fight, what do you say? I’m always looking for good partners.” he said, with a glance that roved over Thor’s body in a way that one might interpret as being tied to a double entendre.

“Champions against champions is bad for business, Ar-babe.” Grandmaster said. “But you could take his spot while you’re in town, give Sparkles here a little R and R.”

“Tempting.” Ares said as his gaze slid over to Loki and he peered at him a moment. “What’s this one?”

“Oh! My latest pet, isn’t Sapphy adorable? Needs to listen better but…we’re working on it.”

“But what is it?” Ares asked again as he stepped closer and examined Loki. He grabbed Loki’s chin and tilted his head from side to side as he examined him and Loki forced himself to still.

“Ah, would ya believe it? A frost giant. One of a kind, far as I know. Runt of the litter.”

“This little guy is a frost giant?” Ares could apparently recognize Loki’s gender. “No damn way. He’s so small. The Jotnar are fierce…they gave me some prime battles to play with back in the day. This one feels…weak.”

“Can’t have a powered up frost giant running around, now can I?” The Grandmaster chuckled. “Sapphy here is locked up tight, if you get what I mean.”

Thor had an uneasy feeling about Ares, and about the way that Ares seemed to know him despite his excuse that it was because of Thor’s status as an Avenger. He and Ares locked hands and Ares had seemed determined to take his measure via their clenched fists. Ares had gone on about fighting, Grandmaster had shut it down, and then he’d seemed interested in the woman who’d seemed to want Thor’s company.

His attention became laser-focused as he heard the Grandmaster confirm what had seemed impossible, that this ‘Sapphy’ was a frost giant, and a ‘one of a kind’ runt. Then Ares called her a ‘little guy’, and a creeping dread coiled up in Thor’s stomach as a wild idea entered his mind. He thought about the fact that he’d not seen Loki in the torture room the past two days. Thor wasn’t sure what Grandmaster meant by ‘locked up tight’, but he recalled suddenly that she, or apparently he, had made a sign that he couldn’t speak.

Before he’d grabbed Thor’s hand and slipped it around his neck as he held Thor’s…in a once familiar gesture…and then thrown fruit at him…

Thor’s eyes slid to the red ones of the ‘frost giant’, and the giant was again looking his ways with now miserable eyes as Ares tilted his head sideways. As Thor paid attention, looked carefully, actually looked…he could see his brother’s face in his mind’s eye, he could see Loki faintly in the features, and in the look he was shooting Thor currently. There was only one runt frost giant he knew of, let alone one that was on Sakaar.

The frost giant in cosmetics and feminine attire before him, the one leashed to a post, who had been trying to get his attention and lacked a voice…it was his brother.

Loki heard the turn of the conversation, at once both humiliating and yet a strand of hope. Surely Thor would catch on, surely he would notice. And then his eyes found Thor’s and he saw that he finally, really had Thor’s attention on him. Loki watched the way Thor stared, watched the way his eyes widened slightly, saw a flash of recognition mixed with something like slight, open-mouthed horror or shock. He flinched at the sight and averted his eyes automatically as discomfort and moroseness fell over him. Thor recognized him, which was good, but also bad, because now Thor saw how he looked and what he’d been reduced to. And he looked horrified…it only made sense…Loki looked like a damned monster…

Thor saw his brother more and more with every look, gesture, and posture. He suddenly couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it sooner, now that he knew, he couldn’t unsee that it was so clearly his brother. His first instinct was to go to his brother immediately. Thor wanted to shield him, to protect him, to get him away from these wretched ‘people’ and free Loki from whatever left him bound. His brother was stuck in Jotun form, he would surely hate it, he was being treated as an animal which enraged Thor. Loki apparently had no voice, that had to be killinghis brother, and he surely didn’t have his magic or this wouldn’t be happening. His brother was helpless, and Thor’s role as big brother and protector was ingrained into his very foundation, it was part of who he was as a person. The instinct was there, but suddenly the will to move was not.

He remembered what Loki had done, not just recently, but before. And Thor had forgiven time and again, pled time and again, grieved over and over. Loki had literally taken Thor’s life, had never apologized, but Thor still offered him a hand so many times. And Loki had proverbially spat in his face. Now Asgard burned under Hela’s ‘rule’, and Loki had betrayed him over mere money, perhaps for spite despite what he’d said. Loki had come to the torture room at the Grandmaster’s behest to torture Thor the best way he knew how: by hurting those he loved even if only as illusions. By being the one Thor had loved most all of his life, while hurting the others Thor loved.

He assured Thor in no uncertain terms that he had only ‘saved’ Thor from Kurse as part of his plan to take over for Odin, that he had been laughing as Thor appeared to grieve him. ‘I’m honored’, he mocked his own words to Thor when Thor had told him on Midgard he’d cried for him. Thor had seen Loki’s remorse before, he had seen it in the tears in his eyes. Loki had ever been able to feign every emotion and manage every deceit but that: he did not make himself cry. There were tears in his eyes when they fought at the Bifrost, on the mountains of Midgard when Thor told him to come home, on Avenger’s Tower before he stabbed Thor, a hint of them on the skiff in Svartalfheim, when their Father passed, and even the faintest hint of them on the elevator when Thor had spoken kindly to him. Thor took those bits of emotion to be signs of the true Loki, of his brother, of a troubled little brother who sought help and didn’t understand how he needed it or how to ask it of Thor.

But if they were that, it hardly mattered anymore, because Loki proved time and again that his own feelings meant nothing to him as much as Thor’s also didn’t. Whatever love he bore Frigga, and perhaps even Odin, it clearly meant nothing to Loki. Neither did Asgard or their people.

Thor spoke of Loki not growing or changing, of a cycle of Thor forgiving and Loki betraying, and he was done. And what an unfortunate time for it, for Loki, he supposed…but he had to focus on Asgard and the many lives at stake. The mess that Loki had gotten them both into, the one that Loki gloated over in the torture room…well, he would have to get himself out. Thor hardened his heart and tried to steel himself with the memories that were, for whatever reason, so fresh in his mind. Loki tricked him time and again, perhaps even this was a trick somehow…a grand plot to usurp the Grandmaster and get Thor’s unwitting help with it. And then Loki would rule Sakaar and no doubt laugh at Thor’s imprisonment.

Thor turned away as his head began to throb and he wondered what Amora had given him to make him so queasy. He’d expected the opposite, to feel some kind of high or amorous passion, not to feel like he’d been made sick.

Loki had been released by Ares, and had time to see as Thor turned his back on him and his heart sank. His mind raced to understand it, to understand how Thor could so casually turn from him. Loki screamed in his mind for Thor to turn around, to help him, but Thor went to a table in search of water that he began to drink as though he had not a care in the world. Loki’s eyes burned but he refused to show his emotions for those present, and he focused on trying to feel rage instead. He tried to make himself angry at Thor, tried to feel bitter and resentful, but it had the opposite effect as he suddenly felt desolate and hopeless. Some deeply buried, childish part of him was expressing a sentiment along the lines of ‘my big brother won’t help me?’ and felt bereft about it. Thor always came for him, always helped him if he needed it, Thor was a sentimental fool and witless oaf and could not truly leave Loki to his fate.

But he seemed to be doing just that and the realization somehow hit him harder than anything that had been done to him thus far. The thought floored him as he stared at Thor’s back and willed him to turn around. Loki had contented himself with the knowledge that if he ‘wanted’ Thor, he could ‘have’ him back at any time. He kept himself aloof and at a distance, they had millennia of life left between them, he had plenty of time to decide if he wanted Thor in his life or not. Time to decide what he wanted of Thor, if he wanted a true mending, if he had ever been wrong in his perceptions of his brother…he might have even reached out if he’d not been ‘stuck’ as Odin. He had reached out after Odin’s death and felt rejected by Thor, but then Thor had been only kind to him later and it had burned him. Loki kept himself cold with the reassurance that he was Thor’s only brother, and that it meant something to Thor despite everything. He didn’t have to expend energy or worry chasing Thor, or trying to win his affections, or any silly nonsense of their childhood. Loki could always charm him back if he wanted, he had told himself. And he told himself he didn’t want to.

But as the saying goes ‘you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone’. He had spoken of going it alone down in the tunnels, as ‘he’d always done’, but the truth was…he knew Thor was always there. Loki relied on that fact secretly, took comfort from Thor’s persistent, foolish loyalty. He took reassurance from the way that Thor fought for their brotherhood no matter how wrathful Loki was, he needed that reassurance to combat his insecurities and doubts. Loki reveled in challenging the people he loved, to prove to himself their feelings one way or the other.

And suddenly Thor seemed lost to him, and he realized that without Thor, without his brother…he had no one. Loki had nothing. And without Thor to acknowledge him, in some small way…he wasnothing…because if Thor didn’t care to name Loki ‘Odinson’, no one else would. No one would look for the missing prince of Asgard. No one would seek to rescue Loki. No one would care. Loki would be truly alone, the way he’d said he was even though he hadn’t truly been so. Regret clawed at his insides and he wished that he could take it back, in that moment he wished he could take so much back. Loki suddenly felt words: apologies, explanations, reasons, feelings that he’d never been able to imagine vocalizing suddenly desperate to burst forth from his lips but he had no voice. And Thor had turned his back.

Had Loki truly lost his big brother, after everything between them, was he…was he abandoning Loki? Would he leave him this way?

Loki didn’t realize he’d cried until he felt the cold wetness of icy tears on his cheek, and the Grandmaster oohed.

“Oh, Sapphy, no tears allowed, you pretty little thing. Are you sad you’re not getting much attention? Here, come here, babe.” he pulled Loki into his arms and Loki wanted to shove him away but was forced to stand as he quickly rubbed at his eyes. The shame and humiliation warred with the looming despair as he considered that Thor might have truly, finally given up on him and he couldn’t honestly blame his brother. Although his mind would surely look for reasons to do so.

Thor heard the words and his hand clenched around his glass as he forced himself to stare at his cup. It meant nothing if Loki was sad now, he was only sad because his plans had blown up in his face. Because he’d surely thought he could bat his eyes and have Thor at his beck and call again, but it wouldn’t work this time. Thor had to think of Asgard and his people, and imagine perhaps that his little brother was dead…because the Loki he’d been fighting for the past roughly decade wasn’t the boy or man he’d thought he knew. Or if he was, he refused to show himself, and it was to much the same result.

“Perhaps she might be ready to spend the night in your bed, Grandmaster.” Amora suggested. “To stave away the loneliness.”

Thor felt rage slip through him at the words and at the realization that Amora had known all along, that she knew even now, and was encouraging the Grandmaster to lay hands on his brother.

Loki was horrified by the suggestion and the way the Grandmaster seemed intrigued as he looked Loki over.

”Mind if join?” Ares asked with a broad smile as clapped his hand on the Grandmaster’s back, to the latter’s obvious pleasure and Loki’s increased horror.

Ares was the God of War, but wars weren’t fought the way they used to be and that was a disappointment to him. He missed the days of personal combat, of watching and encouraging warriors to test their limits and strain their bodies. The gunfire displays and the occasional instances of hand-to-hand combat in modern warfare did not appeal. Ares wanted to see bodies rife with the sweat and gore of battle, he wanted the shouts of warriors, the screams of the fallen, the musical clinging of weapons and slashes. The little groans of a man stabbed, or an ‘Achilles Heel’ cut, or even a good old-fashioned decapitation. He reveled even to watch the training for war. The Spartans had been a treat to behold, brutal and precise, and vicious in a way that made his soul sing. He ruled over the domain and art of war. His sister Athena was one for tactics and strategy. But Ares was in it for the combat itself, the poetry in motion that made up battle, the dance of blades and the heady destruction and thrill of a life on the line. The desperation was sweet on his tongue.

He traveled the realms in search of entertainment, of warriors worth their salt, of momentary distraction from his ennui and his jaded view of the state of things. The arena on Sakaar was a momentary reprieve once in a while, taken quickly and infrequently. Ares had heard of the the latest champion, the green-monster who he was sure was the Hulk from Midgard. But he had arrived too late only to find Thor Odinson in his place.

Thor, the half-brother of his own half-sister, Persephone, not that he knew. The secret of Thor’s parentage was utterly forbidden, so naturally Ares knew of it, because he had killed the right people to get the secret. And the knowledge had made him desperate for a chance to fight Thor, who had already seemed a fun, potential combatant. The fact that he was easy on the eyes was no hardship either, battle paired so well with sensual pleasure, after all. Seph would be jealous as anything that he had met Thor, given that none of his mother’s side were supposed to approach Thor themselves.

What a funny, small universe it was that Thor had practically landed on his lap.

Ares was not the brilliant mind his sister was, he did not read people as she could. The way she made them feel as though she’d read their mind. But neither was he a fool, and he certainly wasn’t blind. Ares hadn’t missed the little looks between Thor and this ‘Sapphire’, the way that the news of Sapphire’s race seemed to throw Thor off a bit. The pathetically hopeful look on Sapphire’s face as Ares held his chin and tilted his face towards Thor. There was something there, and he didn’t understand quite what, but he knew an opportunity when he saw one. Better than simply agreeing to fight would be giving Thor motivation to fight. He wanted to give Thor a reason to face him full out, let alone just to agree to the fight. And he saw a bit of potential in the Jotun before him.

Truth be told, he wasn’t all that pleased by the Jotun’s treatment. The Jotnar made for excellent warriors, and didn’t belong as pets or pleasure slaves. Better that they should die in battle if anything, he had so loved their ruthless, vicious fighting. Even this runt ought to be as strong as his kin. But so be it, he would play a certain role if it gave him what he wanted.

“You’re welcome to join anytime, Ar-baby! You know that.” The Grandmaster practically purred as he ran his hand over Ares’ chest while he held Loki.

“GM…how fond are you of this pet?” Ares asked casually as he trailed a fingertip along ‘Sapphire’s’ collarbone, he was certain that was not the giant’s true name.

“Increasingly so.” The Grandmaster said thoughtfully. “Thinking I might send him to my brother when I’m done with him though.”

“Anything I could do…” Ares said as his hand moved to the Grandmaster and slid over his stomach and towards his thigh where he gripped hard into the thigh flesh with his thumb and fingers clenched, and the Grandmaster gasped with an excited look. “To win this little pet from you?”

Thor turned around at that, and sat Ares and the Grandmaster all over his brother and each other and he clenched the glass so hard it cracked. He set it down with a deep frown as he observed his brother’s face. Loki had a talent for not revealing his fear, but Thor always knew, and Thor read fright in every sinew of his brother’s tense body. He knew more about the Grandmaster, and given the ship orgies Valkyrie had mentioned, he could see many reasons his brother would be feeling that way. But as he currently was…Loki was helpless, had he ever been so helpless? The thought made Thor uncomfortable and angry to his core at the state his brother had been trapped in. No amount of rage at Loki could make him pleased to see Loki suffer so. There had been times Thor had wondered if he would ever have to kill his own brother, but he would never see done to Loki what he was seeing now.

“Wow…you’ve barely ever asked me for anything…gosh, that…yeah. I’d give him to ya…but what are you offering in return?” The Grandmaster cooed. “And what would you do with this little beauty?”

Ares feigned lustiness as he was aware of Thor’s eyes on them, and he brought his mouth to Sapphire’s head as he drug his lips through his hair and made a show of inhaling deeply as he did so. “I would break him beautifully.” he said, taking a page from his sister’s gift with words. He’d listened to her prattle on enough for that. “I would love to make those bloody red eyes cry.” he said as he hooked an arm around Sapphire’s waist and pulled the man’s pelvis against his own. He felt the tension in Sapphire’s body, and he grinned lasciviously, and admired the decidedly stoic expression Sapphire kept. “Once we’d had him together, of course.” he told the Grandmaster. “Preferably at the same time-”

“-I accept your challenge.” came Thor’s voice as he approached, low and angry as a hint of electricity seemed to hum around him without appearing. “If I can take the prize.” he avoided Loki’s gaze although he could feel his brother staring at him. Thor had tried to ignore it, tried to feign indifference, tried to remember why he needed to avoid his brother and why Loki deserved to have his betrayals thrown back in his face.

But their words and actions had Thor feeling every bit the wrathful, impulsive man he’d been when he’d lost his hammer. He wanted to rip through Ares and the Grandmaster, to break the hands they put on his brother, to slam Mjolnir into Ares’ filthy mouth. Ares spoke of making his brother cry, but he would make Ares beg after he beat him so soundly in battle he pleaded for death. Thor’s rage was cold no longer, he was practically burning with it as he stared at Ares who grinned back at him.

“Well, now that’s a story, right GM? Two champions, facing it off in the arena for the hand of the fair…maiden? Whatever, you’ll figure it out.”

The Grandmaster looked between them as he considered it and then at Loki before he eyed Thor. “What do you want with Sapphy?” he had already forgotten that Thor and Loki were brothers, and he was already on the path to forgetting Sapphire had been Loki. When you existed as long as Grandmaster had, and as carelessly and while being…rather a lunatic, the small details tended to disappear quickly.

Amora had been watching the exchange with increasing joy, content that her plan was taking such unexpectedly pleasant fruit, but then Thor had gone and ruined it. She had a way around that though, courtesy of the potion she’d slipped him, practically a liquid dose of her enchantment magic. It was designed to bypass his defenses so that when she kissed him, the internal magic would rise to greet the true magic. She took the opportunity to suddenly and aggressively kiss Thor as she sent her magic into him, and Thor’s eyes swirled with yellow and green.

Loki saw what was happening and tried to pull away from Ares who caught on and watched with a frown. This Amora was a beauty, no Aphrodite, but close…and he recognized a similar kind of charm ability. One that was currently interfering with what he wanted.

Amora pulled away and was delighted to see specks of yellow-green in Thor’s irises, a sign that her magic had taken root.

“Wow, that, uh…was pretty hot.” The Grandmaster said decidedly. “Maybe we should all get together tonight…I got a ship ready for the occasion.”

“Thor would love the chance to visit a pleasure ship, wouldn’t you, dear heart?”

“I would.” Thor said, his tone more placid as he stared down at Amora with a slightly vacant look. “You are so beautiful, Amora.”

“And you are so sweet.” she cooed back, and the Grandmaster looked a little confused but not overly bothered.

Loki wanted to scream, and he could do nothing about any of it. Thor had come to his defense to his immense relief both because it offered him a way out and because it meant that Thor wasn’t lost to him. But then she’d come along and used her magic…how had it even worked? The drink. He realized what must have happened, and cursed mentally. Thor was going to be lost to him, and to himself, if Loki didn’t do something but what could he do? He had no magic, no way to rat Amora out, no way to-

-There might be a way. And oh, it was not one he relished. But…he had to do it quickly, before Amora led Thor away.

Loki pushed at Ares’ arms and Ares glanced down at him with a tilted head. He didn’t know what this fool wanted, aside from clearly to take Loki to bed, but he didn’t know how to get him away. Ares after a few seconds released him though, and watched with an odd little smirk.

Ares knew all about charm enchantments via Aphrodite, and given the sudden struggle and determined look from the little Jotun, he had a feeling he was about to see something interesting.

Loki surged forward before he could be stopped as slipped his hand around the back of Thor’s neck and yanked him closer as he caught his brother’s mouth in a kiss.

A charm enchantment could be broken with magic, but it could also be broken by a kiss between those who shared love. Any kind of true love would do: familial, romantic, friendly…love was the key. And as much as Loki fought it, denied it, lied about it, pretended otherwise…Loki had loved his brother for as long as he could remember and had never truly stopped, not even when he convinced himself he hated Thor and wanted him dead. And clearly Thor loved him still…and hopefully that was enough.

Loki kissed Thor and started to pull away only to find a large, firm hand on his waist as he was pulled closer and Thor’s other hand came up to grip his neck possessively and roughly. Thor took the kiss far deeper than Loki, to Loki’s shock, and he felt a flicker of energy between them…the electric heat of his brother’s lightning just between the surface of his veins. Thor was kissing him.

His brother was kissing him.

Loki shoved away as hard as he could with a silent gasp, and he stared at Thor who seemed confused a moment before the yellow-green flecks in his eyes faded. Thor’s somewhat vacant expression became focused and then hardened as he frowned at Loki and then narrowed his eyes at Amora.

Before Thor could speak, the Grandmaster coughed and fanned himself a bit. “I…oh…that…Phew.” he swallowed hard and took a drink from someone that he chugged. “Did anyone else see that chemistry? Ho-lee-crap.” he whistled. “I see why you wanted my Sapphy. I didn’t know you were that pent up, Sparkles. Yowza.”

Ares shot Amora a smirk, as pleased to see her thwarted as he was also with Aphrodite, and pleased yet to imagine he might still charm her to his bed. He did like a passionate, angry woman.

Amora looked irritated, and he hadn’t missed the anger she’d directed at ‘Sapphire’, clearly this blonde vixen was in some way involved with the pair.

“What do you say, GM? Me and Thor here go head to head in the arena, winner becomes the new master of this sweetness.” he said as he tugged a bit of Sapphire’s hair so that his head tilted back. He didn’t miss the way Thor’s body tensed, or the already risen fury in his eyes. Oh, yes, Thor was protective of this one…dare he say possessive? And that kiss…there was fire and battle in that kiss, even hazy as Thor was.

It excited Ares, it held the flicker of battle promise. Anything to do with wars, battles, fights, wrath, revenge, and so on…it all fell under his purview. And he sensed an old war between the pair, he sensed the pain of conflict, the desire to dominate, the wrath, and the desire for victory. Oh, Ares had found something fun indeed…

Loki stared at Thor who finally looked back at him with a clenched jaw and an angry look, like Loki was responsible for this all somehow. Well, he supposed he kind of was…but…what was Thor so angry about? To hear that he was to be a pet prize for a new master put a shudder down his spine, that Thor was hearing it made him no less displeased. The technicality of the fact that, for even a moment, his brother, Thor, would be his ‘master’, made Loki nauseated and distressed.

But if he lost, it would be Ares taking that title, and he had already proven himself distasteful.

“Sounds like a story the people could really get behind…a ‘god-fight’, and all for my little Sapphy here…yeah, I like that.”

Ares grinned as he pulled the Grandmaster close by the waste and bared his teeth against his cheek before he nipped his earlobe and the Grandmaster shuddered, pleased. He had no interest in the Grandmaster, but he was well able to fake it if it got him what he wanted. The Grandmaster was a convenient tool.

“Then we are agreed?” Ares asked Thor as he grinned at him. “You and I fight for this-” he had started to reach for Loki again, but Thor caught his hand and pushed it away.

“We’re agreed. But I don’t care for you touching what will be mine.” Thor said coolly, and the Grandmaster cackled.

Loki heard the words and frowned, his brother was clearly putting on an act and being protective [thankfully] but he didn’t like being titled like property by Thor.

“You’re that confident?” Ares asked as he stepped away from Loki and closer to Thor as the men stood face-to-face.

“I am the champion.” Thor shrugged with casual arrogance and the hint of a mockery on his lips.

“But I’m the grand champion.” Ares retorted with a chuckle. “Guess we’ll see where the spear falls, thunderer.”

“Looking forward to it.” Thor replied, and he and Ares kept their eyes locked as though battling by gaze alone.

Ares pulled away with a chuckle as he slipped an arm around the Grandmaster. “Now, about that pleasure ship…”

“Amora, take Sapphy to his room, will you? Party’s over everyone. Topaz, give Sparkles the room big green had.” Grandmaster instructed.

“Of course, Grandmaster.” Amora said, with an icy look at Loki and he had a feeling she was going to take some kind of revenge on him for disrupting her charm magic.

Thor had again had his mind clouded by Amora, but he remembered enough to realize she’d tried to ensorcel him again. Loki had kissed him and he knew from their childhood and Loki’s warnings about Amora’s kind of magic why he must have done so. And then Thor had taken it further…damnit. Damnit.

Thor was frustrated, furious, tired, and out of time. But here he was, signing up to fight Ares on Loki’s behalf despite everything.

He didn’t miss Amora’s look, and wasn’t the fool his brother took him for. Thor suddenly recalled what Amora had said about taking him back to his cage…did they truly keep Loki in one? The thought mortified him, and as he watched Amora unhook a leash [they had his brother leashed and collared like a damn animal] from the post he felt he had to do something. But what? Then again…no he didn’t, not after what Loki had done, he should be glad Thor was helping him at all.

Amora started to yank Loki forward and Thor’s eyes narrowed.

“Grandmaster.” the word was out of his mouth before Thor could think about it. “Would it be…” he forced his words to be more gentle. “Alright if Amora accompanied me instead of Topaz? Topaz could return…” he motioned to Loki because he didn’t want to use the degrading name the Grandmaster was calling him. His brother, who they’d locked in Jotun form and dressed in women’s attire and forced into makeup and accessories like some woman of the night. Thor had to force himself to stop thinking about it, to stop taking in details, because he might truly lose his sense and reason and lose the little ground he’d gained in the Grandmaster’s favor.

The hopeful, pleading look that kept finding it’s way to Loki’s eyes made his stomach turn. Thor could believe his brother’s audacity to seek his aid after everything, it was so very Loki, but it was no less grating. And the fact that the look made Thor’s heart ache, made him yearn to pull his brother close and hug him as he’d not even been allowed to do in so long made him hurt and angry despite himself. Thor loved his brother, had always loved his brother, had forgiven him for terrible thing after terrible thing and Loki still treated him like the enemy. He missed his brother, his best friend, his companion, and he hated what had become of them, hated that Loki turned his rage at his circ*mstances onto Thor who had only ever dearly loved his little brother.

Loki with a look could cause Thor’s resolve to come undone and it was maddening.

The surprise and then gratitude in Loki’s eyes as Thor tried to get Amora away from him made him want to snap at his brother. How dare he go from gloating and tormenting Thor gleefully in the torture room, after betraying him and their people, to looking at him like that? He wanted to throttle his brother, even as he wanted to pull him close and shield him. Thor could never look at Loki and fail to see his little brother, no matter what he did, and loving his little brother was too much part of Thor for him to ever stop now.

But he could rage, and he could punish, and he could teach his wayward little brother a lesson. Once he won in the arena and his bratty, betraying, deluded, maddening little brother became the Sakaaran equivalent of ‘his pet’. The words made part of him sick and sad. He was sad that any of this was happening, that their lives had gone so off course. That his brother was bound and helpless and he could do little about it. That Loki seemed determined to hate him. But Thor had his own rage, one he considered an equal or better match to Loki’s own, and he had restrained himself for far too long. If Loki wanted to play with storms, he would damn well give his brother one.

Thor had to save the little brat first though.

The Grandmaster agreed, and Topaz escorted Loki back to his room as Amora followed Thor and in the privacy of the hallway he made it clear.

“If you hurt my brother, if you attempt again to let him be taken or forced...I will kill you. Do not think this disc will protect you. I give you my word, as a son of Odin, I will kill you with my own hands, Amora.” he vowed and she paled a little at that. The vow of an Odinson wasn’t to be taken lightly, he meant it, and there was always a chance he’d find a way to follow through. “Loki stays out of your meddling, do you understand?”

“Well…if it means that much to you.” she said casually, as if he hadn’t actually just made her intensely nervous and shaken her confidence a bit.

Thor left her in the hallway as he started for his room, and she pondered how she might turn things around. She debated telling him in that moment about who had given Kurse a tip that sent him on a path to Frigga…but she decided against it. Amora would see how the arena match played out before she gave up her trump card. If Thor hadn’t turned from Loki after all that she’d done in Loki’s guise…then she needed to save it for just the right moment.

Loki was taken back to the cage with his first glimmer of hope, stunted though it was by Thor’s demeanor. His brother had seemed nearly about to leave Loki to his fate, though he’d eventually interceded only to seem rather angry at Loki. Was this all about the betrayal then? Surely Loki could calm him down from that…it wasn’t his worst betrayal by far…although Asgard and all their people were in danger but…wasn’t Loki being a good prince and subject, so to speak, by protecting ‘the king’? A good ‘little brother’ by keeping his ‘big brother’ safe?

Thor wouldn’t believe him for a minute, true or not, but clearly he wasn’t immune to Loki’s plight and distress and he could work with that. And the fact that his brother still cared gave him far more relief than he cared to admit. Loki still remembered the crushing feeling of thinking that he’d truly lost his brother and realizing how deeply he didn’t want that, how badly he still [and perhaps had never stopped] desperately wanting his brother by his side. How much he secretly wished things were right between them again. When this was all over, what would happen then? Thor would surely try to run off to Hela and get himself killed…what would Loki do about it? What did Loki want?

“It’s probably for the best we never see each other again.”

“It’s what you always wanted.”

Loki wasn’t sure he’d ever wanted anything less, and was equally sure his brother probably wouldn’t believe him. The thought hung heavy on him, and he marveled at his own knack for self-sabotage as he finally found himself with the will to speak to his brother properly and yet could no longer do so. Loki's hand absently found his lips as he remembered the fact that he and Thor had kissed, not chaste and brotherly, but deeply. Thor hadn't been bespelled to desire Loki, and Loki wasn't Amora obviously, and the magic had been being undone...so why? He thought of Thor's warm hand on his neck, the possessive grip, the fact that it was his brother of centuries who was his only lifeline now...the feeling of Thor's power thrumming between them. Loki pushed it from his mind, astonished that he was even letting it gain purchase in his thoughts. They had broken an enchantment on Thor, it had been necessary, and Thor had been confused. Loki knew it was nothing more than that, and focused on the problem at hand, and how he might better regain Thor's favor.

Chapter 7: Let's Get Ready To Rumble

Chapter Text

“And for your viewing pleasure, a show like no other! A battle of the gods for a sweet prize! Introducing in one corner…the newest champion of the arena, the God of Thunder, Thooooor!” The announcer called out to the roaring cheers of the audience. “And in the other corner, the one and only, the grand champion of champions, the God of War, Areeeees!” And that earned greater cheers.

--

The days that followed the party were anxious ones for Loki, although little happened. He spent most of his time in the cage, somewhat to his dismay. Loki had been left in a cage like an animal and it sickened him even as it enraged him, but on the other hand, it kept him from Amora and the Grandmaster. He had the impression that Ares had thoroughly captured the Grandmaster’s attention, and the few times Amora had come she had been…rather muted in her behavior. Which surprised him, since he’d expected revenge for interrupting her little spell. He saw no sign of Thor, and he wasn’t sure if that was because Thor wasn’t able to see him or wasn’t willing. Loki had spent nearly two weeks now silent, and as much as he’d always been a wordsmith anyway, he found the absence of even basic communication maddening. He couldn’t say a word, not a single word, and as much as it felt like a limb to lose his magic and his liberty…the absence of his voice was a denial of his person hood. Not every being had magic, but any civilized creature for the most part had a voice. Loki had been robbed of his.

The day of the arena match, it wasn’t Amora but a young man who came to collect him. Loki had seen him a couple of times at the Grandmaster’s parties before Loki’s ‘fall from grace’, and he had been charismatic from what he recalled.

“Hello, darling, the name’s Andares, I’ll be getting you ready for the big match today. Amora is otherwise occupied, and frankly, between us…I haven’t been impressed with her decorative talents.” the man said with a conspiratorial look.

Loki didn’t believe for a minute the friendliness was anything more than the man’s chipper persona, but it was infinitely preferable to Amora. As Loki stepped out of the cage, Andares offered him a hand and Loki took it only because he didn’t want to do anything to irk the man. No reason to burn a bridge unnecessarily when one had no other bridges at all. He was made to take a bath, and Andares actually gave him privacy for it which was just as well because he’d been worried about Andares paying too much attention. Loki was given a robe to use as Andares took him to the clothing room where Andares eyed Loki and then eyed the clothes speculatively.

“You’re supposed to be a prize…hmm…pure and snowy? Seductive and crimson? I seem to recall you favored green, and darker colors.”

Loki hadn’t realized Andares recalled him, or that he would even know it was Loki beneath the feminized Jotun visage.

“First let’s get all her crap off you.” he muttered and he took a needle from his pocket and stabbed it into the cuticle of his thumb where a drop of blood well. He smeared it on his other thumb, muttered a few words, and then made a splayed palm waving motion with his hand. Loki’s hair returned to it’s natural state, and he suspected the cosmetic was off of his face as well.

The magic looked like something between blood magic and basic alchemy, and Andares seemed to note Loki’s interest before he smirked a little. “It isn’t quite up to snuff with you grand ole sorcerers and the she-demon, but I get by.” he drawled.

Loki wondered what realm the man hailed from, and just how his unusual power worked, but he of course had no way to ask. He did consider it a point in the man’s favor that he referred to Amora as a ‘she-demon’.

“Well, I’ll give you a choice, Loki.” Loki was startled to be addressed by his name. “I liked your taste before, so why don’t you pick out something flattering? Bear in mind, you’re the ‘damsel in distress’ in this story, sad to say. So you have to choose to theme.”

Loki stared at the man, genuinely curious now and in some ways more mistrusting. The casual barbs at Amora were fine, the chipper persona was fine, but he had used Loki’s name and was offering him a choice of clothes and speaking so…friendly. He wanted to understand why, and if this was some kind of trick or trap.

Andares smiled thinly at Loki’s look. “Smart cookie, I’ve put you on edge. I won’t ask or suggest that you trust me, I wouldn’t trust me either, but I have no reason to screw you over presently and I cannot stand the she-demon. So helping you look presentable suits me fine cause she clearlycan’t stand you.Plus, you might say I have sympathy for your situation. You didn’t ask to be born as you were, who are they to collar you for it? Not gonna help you escape though, so don’t get any weird ideas, kid.”

Kid? Loki was over a thousand years old, just how old was this man?

But in the end, Loki picked out his own clothes and Andares did make up to match before they chose a couple of accessories together. It was the least degrading treatment he’d had since his capture, and there was a sliver of relief in it despite what was overall still a terrible situation.

Loki’s hair was left long and lightly curly in it’s natural dark color, albeit it with a few braids tied with single red beads at the ends. A thin circlet of gold with a sharp edge that dipped towards his eyebrows. Andares let him choose a pair of tight, black leggings under a flowing, gossamer tunic of pale green that almost looked like a short dress the way Andares styled it. For makeup, Andares only did a few lines of black liner with and a dab of crimson on the lips. Two, dangling gold strands with rubies were placed on his ears.

“Afraid I have to add one more thing.” Andares tutted as he pulled Loki’s arms behind his back and hand-cuffed them, and Loki jerked in instinctive alarm. “The winner will have the key, it’s symbolic or some sh*t. The Grandmaster was a little distracted at the time.” he rolled his eyes. “Now, you’re gonna be sitting with the Grandmaster, someone will win, come up to claim the key and the prize, and you’ll go off with them. Under Sakaaran law, the winner will be your owner-master-whatever you wanna call it. But technically the Grandmaster could snag you back if he ever wanted, being the Grandmaster and all.”

The news sat ill with him but he kept his expression neutral as he nodded. Loki was to have an ‘owner’ or ‘master’, what a disgusting thought. He might have thought Thor would never let him live it down if their relationship was in a better place, but as it was, he had taken note that Thor seemed rather unhappy with him. More so than Loki had honestly expected despite the betrayals, if only because Thor was generally sympathetic to a Loki playing [or in this case genuinely being] helpless or needy.

Loki had to hope that Thor would win, and he could somehow soothe his brother’s ire without his proper form or voice. He still feared that even subconsciously, Thor would have less compassion or brotherly affection for Loki simply because he was in Jotun form. They had been raised for centuries to think of Jotuns as monsters, and that Thor had decided not to massacre them and accept Loki didn’t mean he would be comfortable seeing Loki as one. Perhaps he would come to see Loki that way only, even when he got his aesir form back…he had not asked to be born as he was…he was still Loki…he was still the brother Thor had grown up with his whole life…Thor wouldn’t truly love him less for this, would he?

--

The Grandmaster, Loki, Amora, Andares, Topaz, and a few other shared the Grandmaster’s viewing box as the announcer called out the combatants. Unlike previously when Loki had been a favored guest, he was now a ‘pet’ and instead of sharing the Grandmaster’s couch he was kept near the viewing window. The audience was meant to be able to see the ‘prize’.

Thor came out in gladiatorial attire and looked much as he had when he’d faced The Hulk. Ares came out in mostly black clothes, again with spikes and chains here and there. The latter looked to the viewing box right away and waved at the Grandmaster, who seemed pleased. It took longer for Thor’s gaze to slide to the viewing box, and Loki couldn’t even tell if Thor had looked at him properly before his gaze was back on Ares as the pair began to have a conversation no one else could hear.

--

“I have been eager for this match, I hope you will not disappoint me, Thor.” Ares started off with a grin.

“Let’s just get it over with.” Thor said, and Ares tilted his head as he looked Thor over.

“Someone’s been messing with your mind, haven’t they? I’m sure I heard you were more fun than this. You feel…wrong.”

Thor’s brow furrowed at that. “Meaning what?”

“Cards on the table, I am the God of War, my friend. Any conflict, and I mean any, is mine to play with. Even the ones inside of you. Even the ones you have with the little blue one.” Ares said as he co*cked a thumb at the viewing box. “You’re a warrior getting ready for a battle but I don’t feelyou being very ready. You’re covered in Blondie’s leftovers.”

“Blondie?”

“Amora.”

Thor wasn’t sure what Ares was getting at or why they were having the conversation, or what he meant by saying Thor was in some way being influenced by Amora. He hadn’t seen her in several days, she had rather avoided him after his threat. Thor had perhaps had a somewhat consistent headache, and maybe he felt a little mentally tired but…wasn’t that to be expected in the circ*mstances?

“I guess what I’m saying is, you don’t have your head in the game. So let me try to offer you a little incentive.” Ares said as he stepped closer and clapped a hand on Thor’s shoulder, and he let a little rush of his ability slide over Thor as he spoke and tried to draw out some of his rage. “I don’t want a pet long-term, not one much for taking care of crap, yanno? Got better things to do, I’m more into the destruction side of things. So let me be blunt. If I get my hands on little blue up there, well…he doesn’t seem like he’d last too long. Especially between the Grandmaster and I-”

Thor’s body crackled with electricity and Ares grinned. It hadn’t banished Blondie’s residual enchantments, but he had succeeded in drawing out rage past the fog she’d let him in. Perhaps it would be enough, but if not…he knew how to bargain for what he really wanted.

“And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for!” The announcer called out. “Let the battle of the gods begin!”

Thor instantly moved to punch Ares who laughed and tilted back as he aimed a back hand at Thor’s elbow while he caught his wrist and puled down with the intention to snap his arm. But Thor jerked his arm away as electricity coated his body and he slammed another punch at Ares who caught it with his hands and was knocked back a good ten feet. They weren’t let to start off with weapons, the Grandmaster wanted it to be hand-to-hand to start.

“Oh, that tickled a little.” Ares taunted. “Mind getting my lower back next time? I’m feeling a little tight.”

“Do you always talk this much?” Thor asked as Ares lunged at him with a grin and made as if to punch only to slam a heavy kick towards Thor’s side that he blocked.

“Only when I’m excited. I’ve heard good things about you. Shame about your fancy hammer. How about a little strength test?” Ares said as he moved forward with greater speed than he’d displayed so far and slipped his hands into Thor’s and forced them into a standing grapple. They each clenched each other’s hands and pushed, and seemed fairly deadlocked. But then Ares’ eyes flashed a bit and ever so slightly he started to push Thor back with a loud chuckle. “Little tip for you, thunderer. Most fighters get weaker as a fight goes on, but being me, I get stronger the longer a fight goes on. So if you’re hoping to actually win, well…best get a move on, bud.” he grinned in a way that bared his teeth before he suddenly slammed a knee into Thor’s stomach and connected.

Thor staggered back, surprised by the force of it but not really harmed overall. “Just waiting for my cue.” he said.

“Ohhh, you’re waiting for a weapon. And here I kinda thought you were the weapon.” Ares charged him and the pair began a rapid, close-range bit of combat mostly involving fists. Both took strikes from the other and neither seemed much affected by it.

A buzzer sounded from the loudspeaker as the announcer spoke again. “And for such a special match…phase two!”

The gates opened and six combatants wielding various weapons came out. Thor realized they were probably supposed to fight the combatants to take their weapons. He spotted one he wanted, but he kept his eyes on Ares as he expected him to continue. Thor was surprised when Ares left their locked combat to take on two other combatants, and Thor took the chance to fight the one who wielded a giant axe.

With a combination of a lightning strike to the ground and snatching the axe to wield it against the combatant, he made short work of him, before he moved onto another. Between he and Ares, the six combatants were down for the count while Thor had an axe and Ares had a sword.

“Feeling better with a little steel in your hand? Got your safety blanket?” Ares taunted.

“If that’s what you want to call a giant axe.” Thor said dryly as he gave it a spin, pleased by the weight of it. Ares had threatened Loki more than once and despite his casual demeanor made plain that he intended to be brutal to his brother if given the chance. So Thor was going to have to make sure he never did.

Ares came at him swiftly and slashed down with the sword, and Thor blocked it with a swipe of his axe. He found himself stepping back quickly as Ares immediately cut in the opposite direction, and Thor slammed the axe towards Ares who darted sideways. And then Ares at one point seemed to feint an attack that Thor tried to block, Ares moved as if to stab him, Thor dodged and slashed and caught the front of Ares’ chest with the axe. A large gash cut across his chest, and Thor jumped back as Ares swung his sword again as if oblivious to the cut.

“At least buy a god dinner first.” Ares crooned with a broad grin as the match continued, and Ares seemed only faster the next time he came at Thor with the sword and managed to cut a slit near Thor’s upper thigh.

Ares’ chest wound had gotten increasingly smaller, and Thor realized it was nearly fully healed. “I heal reaaaally well.” Ares explained as he saw Thor’s gaze on his wound. “Good perk to have.”

Thor didn’t care for that information one bit and resolved to finish more quickly as he summoned the lighting through his body and slammed down with the axe. A huge burst of lightning erupted from the ground and seemed to engulf Ares who was thrown backwards and he hunched over a moment before he laughed. “That sure does pack a punch. That dirt bag Hercules hits harder though.”

The Hulk had seemed much more affected by Thor’s lightning, was Ares stronger than the Hulk, or did this come back to what Ares said about his strength improving in a fight?

--

“Poor Sparkles, he’s dragging this out way too long if he wanted to win.” The Grandmaster shook his head ‘sympathetically’.

“Why so?” Amora asked.

“Ar-baby has a hard-on for battle, the more he fights the more energized he gets. Something about his little war powers. He’s my grand champion for a reason. For a few reasons.” The Grandmaster added with a chuckle.

Loki felt a new flicker of anxiety at that as he watched the match. Thor hadn’t been injured much, but nether had Ares, and if what the Grandmaster said was true the match could only go in Ares’ favor the longer it went on.

--

The fight went on with blows exchanged, and both gods suffering injuries for it. At one point Ares managed to knock Thor onto his back and he crouched over Thor as he put a sword to his neck.

Loki from his place in the viewing box watched with horror, he wasn’t about to watch his brother be killed, was he?

“There’s little time to speak from this position so I’ll be brief. I hope I’ve shown you that you won’t be winning as you are. So I’ll make you a deal. I’ll lose this match if you swear to me a request, any request I ask.”

“What?” Thor asked as the sword bit into his throat.

“Quickly, Thor, time is wasting. You want to save your little bluebird, don’t you? Swear in the name of your father, any request I ask. I won’t ask that you kill anyone, or do harm to another, but swear all the same.”

“Wh-”

“-Five seconds, Thor. Swear, or I take your head because you aren’t worth my time like this.” Ares began to count down.

Thor had fought with the same or better skill that had bested the Hulk, but Ares was still standing and as he’d said, seemed only the stronger for it. He had never fought such an opponent, and even a blast of his lightning hadn’t much phased Ares. Thor ended up on his back with a sword at his neck, and he recognized that Ares would probably have time to cut his throat before he could blast him off given how the match had gone. And then Loki would end up with him, Asgard would have no one left to come to aid, and Thor would be dead.

But a vague swear to the All-Father…any request granted…that was a fool’s vow.

Thor didn’t have a choice though. “I swear by Odin’s name, I will grant you any request but to kill or harm another.”

“Now give me a nice shot of lightning” Ares ordered. “And I’ll handle the rest.”

Thor gritted his teeth and then complied as he blasted outward, larger than the one he’d used to blast away the Hulk, and Ares slammed back as he let his ability loose on Thor who he’d already had so much conflict with.

Thor found himself filled with a burst of energy and battle fury, and he was on Ares before he realized he’d moved as he slammed his axe into Ares’ side. He then smashed his head into the ground with his hands coated in lightning, and saw Ares wink at him before his eyes closed and he lay still. Ares had thrown the match, Thor had given a fool’s vow, and Thor felt dishonorable for the way the fight turned out. And this too was because of his brother. Thor should have been headed for Asgard and instead he was here, helping Loki from a mess he’d gotten them both into. And Thor…he hadn’t been strong enough to defeat Ares honorably, and the secret loss burned him.

--

The Grandmaster was stunned at the conclusion of the match, even as Loki and Amora were relieved. Andares eyed the arena with a slight smirk and lifted brow.

“Ar-baby lost? And that far into a match?”

“Performance issues happen to everyone once in a while.” Andares murmured.

The announcer’s voice crackled over the loud speaker. “And the winner is…the God of Thunder!” The crowd rang out with cheers of ‘thunder, thunder’, and Thor frowned down at Ares as he dropped his axe. What did a Midgardian war god want with a request from Thor?

“I can’t believe he lost.” The Grandmaster muttered.

Loki was confused about the turn of the match, but glad all the same. He had thought he was about to lose both his brother and his best shot at freedom in one go.

“Well, guess it’s time to finish the show.” The Grandmaster shrugged as he headed for the window and motioned for Loki to stand next to him. “Must be a nice day for you, having a pair of delectable gods vying for your leash, Sapphy.”

Ares had ‘woken’ by then, and he clapped Thor on the back as the pair were led from the arena and to the viewing box. “By the way, little dose of belladonna and hemlock will clear that fog from your head. Not so good for mortals, but fine for gods. You’re welcome.”

“What request would you have of me?” Thor asked gruffly.

“I’ll wait a bit to collect, I’m thinking whenever you get off-planet and go for that grudge match with your sister.”

Thor stiffened at that as he stared at Ares.

“Oh, yeah, I know all about Hela. You think a conflict like that escapes my notice? I’d love to take a crack at her, can’t get Hades to fight with me but Hela sounds raring to go. Especially if I show up with you lot.”

“You wish to help me fight Hela?”

“I want to fight Hela, so. If that helps you, then sure.” Ares shrugged.

“What could you possibly ask of me then?”

“Guess you’ll find out.”

“Are you offering to help me escape?”

Ares grinned wryly. “You don’t expect me to do everything for ya, do you, thunderer?” he chuckled as he entered the viewing box room, followed by Thor.

“Ar-baby, what was that?”

“I got distracted by your beauty, GM. Your fault for sitting where I could see you.” Ares drawled, and the Grandmaster looked only slightly mollified.

“I liked you being undefeated.” The Grandmaster sounded sullen.

The axe wound on Ares’ stomach was already mostly healed as he headed to the Grandmaster and grinned. “Guess I’ll have to make it up to you.”

“You can try.” The Grandmaster said, still with a pout before he looked to Thor. “Still, the crowd does love an upstart. Come and get your prize, Sparkles!”

Thor met Loki’s gaze for a brief moment, and Thor’s mouth was set in a grim line as it had been since he arrived. His brother looked grim and angry and Ares was practically joyful, but Ares had lost…was he missing something?

Thor headed for the Grandmaster and Loki, and the Grandmaster waggled Loki’s leash in his hand. “Sapphy here is all ready to go, I’m having his bed moved to your room as we speak.”

Loki knew bed meant ‘cage’, and while part of him was ashamed for Thor to see it, he was also a bit relieved. Surely seeing that Loki had been kept in a cage would raise his brother’s sympathy and soften him up.

“Fine.” Thor said tersely and the Grandmaster lifted a brow.

“You don’t sound too happy, Sparkles…did you change your mind? If you don’t want Sapphy anymore…”

Loki’s eyes widened as he looked to his brother, who wore a nearly blank expression.

Thor’s mind simmered with images of Loki’s betrayals and rang with his taunts, but he pushed it aside as he focused on the moment. “My mind hasn’t changed. I will have my prize.” he said, playing along with the phrasing.

“Well, if you’re sure, but the audience does want their big climax, so you gotta claim him properly.”

Amora watched the exchange with irritation, but Thor hadn’t looked much at Loki and didn’t seem very emotional. She had done her best to keep his mind full of Loki’s misdeeds while she’d had him, as well as give him new such memories while she’d worn Loki’s form. The thin enchantments she’d managed to hook into Thor’s minds still seemed present, such as they were, but Loki was ending up at Thor’s side anyway.

“Properly?”

“He wants you to show the audience how excited you are to get your hands on little blue.” Ares explained with a grin. “Hands, mouth…whatever feels right, yeah, GM?”

“Exactly. Gotta give the audience their finale.” the Grandmaster said as Ares’ hand found it’s way to the Grandmaster’s collar bone and the Grandmaster’s sullen expression dissipated at once.

Thor was tired of playing the Grandmaster’s games, of even hearing his obnoxious voice, but there was no immediate remedy. His gaze slid back to Loki and he saw his brother looked apprehensive, and it nearly made him laugh. Loki could stab him in the stomach with no expression, he could tell Thor he was about to sell him back to Sakaaran slavery with a snotty grin. But hearing that he and Thor would have to make some kind of public display of affection before Thor could ‘rescue’ him from the immediate situation got a reaction out of Loki? Well, he knew at least that Loki had far less amorous experience than Thor himself had, and his brother was a prideful creature.

The thought that it would irk Loki made the whole thing slightly less of a chore as he decided to be petty, he’d learned from the best after all.

“I’d hate to disappoint the crowd.” Thor said as he adopted a mockingly genial tone and knew Loki would know him well enough to know it was pointed. Loki had gotten them into this mess, he could deal with all the little fall outs. Thor stepped closer until he was right in front of Loki, and he got a truly good look at the changes in his brother. The blood red of his eyes, the faintest of ridges on the raised heritage lines, the clash of blue against his dark hair. The features of Jotun, a frost giant, the race Thor had been raised for so much of his life to fear, hate, and seek to destroy. He had imagined his brother with such coloring before, he had wanted to steel himself in case Loki ever showed him his Jotun form in some kind of challenge or test. Or even in some rare moment of sincerity if it ever presented itself. Thor had never expected to be shown it this way.

Loki heard the Grandmaster’s insistence that he had to be claimed properly, and Ares’ lascivious explanation of what that could entail and he felt his stomach drop. They wanted Thor to touch him while he was in Jotun form, they wanted his brotherto ‘claim’ him physically, some show of dominance and passion for the ‘prize’ he’d won. Thor was supposed to treat Loki as other than his brother, other than a person with free will. They wanted his big brother to claim ‘Sapphire’. And Thor would surely be disgusted at being made to do so. Noble, self-righteous, judgmental Thor who bedded only the most beautiful of women and had wanted most of his life to annihilate frost giants. And now he was expected to lay hands on his brother as one. Loki didn’t want to have anything happen to further drive home Loki’s changes, he didn’t want Thor having deeper memories of Loki’s time this way, he didn’t want to see revulsion in Thor’s eyes. He didn’t want whatever Thor thought of Loki as he was currently to carry over when Loki was himselfagain. Loki hadn’t been sure what to make of Thor’s lingering kiss to break the enchantment but chalked it up to Thor’s own passionate nature and confusion over the magical interference. Thor himself would never want such a thing, least of all with a man, or his little brother, or a frost giant, let alone all three.

He heard the change in Thor’s tone, the kind of tone Thor might use when the brothers were annoyed with each other or competing with each other. The sort of arrogant tone Thor might use when he’d been irked at Loki and thought he’d managed to pull one over on him in return. A familiar if old tone, really, but one that he didn’t expect to be hearing at this moment.

Thor stood right in front of him, so close that Loki could feel the heat radiating off of his brother’s skin and he saw the blue eyes staring at him, examininghim. He was seeing Loki’s monstrous, blood-colored eyes, the hideous blue, the ‘bad tattoo’ lines as the wretched woman at the dinner had put it. Thor was seeing the cosmetics, the feminine attire, the collar and leash…he knew Loki had no voice or magic. He was seeing Loki at one of his lowest points, perhaps only rivaled by time spent with Thanos and his ilk. Thor was tainted now, Loki would never be able to look at Thor without knowing he’d seen. His negative mind would always wonder if Thor was treating him this way or that, or saying this or that, because of having seen. Loki had kept the illusion of his aesir skin up, he had pointedly only mentioned his parentage briefly once the first time he’d seen Thor after the fall from the Bifrost. He had done his merry best to make his heritage non-existent, even though it was obviously the crux of much of his turmoil with Thor and Odin.

“Was faking my death all it took to make you so soft again? I am who I have always been, and you are the same fool.”

“You will do nothing, as you’ve always done. Even when I conquer Sakaar, I will leave you in chains. Beneath me, where you belong. ‘Knowing your place’, brother.”

Loki’s words to him in the torture room came back to Thor as he looked at his brother. There was a time when the sight of Loki in such a state would have put Thor into a mad rage, when nothing could have held him back from taking vengeance for his little brother. He had been nothing but loyal to Loki, and his brother repaid him with treachery and spite. Thor loved his brother best of anyone, and it mattered to him not at all, if it ever had.

Some part of Thor started to rise up, to remind him of the Loki of his childhood. The sweet, easily frightened little boy who’d squealed when tickled, who giggled during hugs, who wanted Thor most of all to soothe his nightmares, who sought Thor’s company and longed to make Thor proud of him…the brother of their middling years who’d fought by his side bravely, saved his life, teased and taunted him, kept Thor on his toes…the one of later years, who he was distant from but loved no less. Who had before his coronation assured Thor never to doubt that he loved him, that had told Thor with quiet sincerity that he looked a king. His beloved brother.

But Amora’s thin enchantments still held, those not based on the charm ability that Loki had negated with his kiss. And as Thor’s mind started to defend Loki, other memories rushed in.

“I’m not your brother, I never was!”

“Sentiment, I prefer to let it burn.”

Thor slipped an arm around Loki’s waist as he pulled his brother close until their stomachs touched and he brought his mouth next to Loki’s ear as he whispered, low and angry. “Now who is left in chains where they belong, brother.” he pulled back to press his lips against Loki’s as he shoved Loki’s back against the glass of the viewing room window, to the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd and the pleased gasp of the Grandmaster.

Loki saw anger flare in Thor’s eyes suddenly, and he couldn’t understand the cause before he found himself pulled against Thor roughly. Thor whispered in his ear words that completely caught him off guard. He stared at his brother in confusion and a bit of shock before Thor’s lips were shoved against his, and he tried to push Thor away. Thor caught one of his wrists in a tight grip and slammed it against the window where he kept Loki pinned, and he ignored Loki’s other hand as he again deepened the kiss. His brother’s leg moved between his as Thor’s knee met the glass, and Loki jumped, startled both by the unexpected sensation and his fear of Thor’s proximity to his new anatomy. Loki couldn’t speak even if he had a voice given Thor’s mouth on his, but he felt a whimper bubble up from his throat as the nails of his free hand dug into Thor’s arm.

He felt Thor pull away, and blue eyes met red for a second as Loki stared at his brother and saw only a frown on Thor’s face. “You said I was the same fool I always was, but I will prove you wrong.” he muttered, and then pulled away as he faced the Grandmaster.

Loki’s heart raced from his public humiliation, from the position he’d been trapped in, from the fact that Thor, his brother, had just pinned him to the wall to start kissing him like…well, sure as Hel not like a brother. And then Thor made a comment that he didn’t understand, referencing words Loki knew he hadn’t spoken. In fact, the words he’d whispered could also be construed as a reference to something, and Loki didn’t know what.

Thor had been kind on the elevator, then furious at Loki’s betrayal, then he’d been tortured for a week and come out prepared it seemed to ignore Loki’s plight at first. A week of torture with Topaz and…Amora.

Loki’s gaze slid to the enchantress who watched with a tight frown, and as their eyes met, she shot him a seething look that turned into a mocking smirk. Amora, who despised him and wanted him nowhere near his brother, who must have guessed that sooner or later [at the party or otherwise] Loki would see Thor. Amora could conjure illusions, and she’d already shown a willingness even just recently to use magic on Thor. What better way to spite Loki than to spitefully beLoki to a brother who was already angry with him for a betrayal. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he had no doubt of it, and he had no way to explain to Thor. For all he knew, Thor was still suffering from Amora’s powers. A kiss of love wasn’t a cure-all. sh*t.

“If you wanted to continue claiming your prize right here in front of the crowd…I wouldn’t stop you.” The Grandmaster noted. “Be glad to help, even.”

“I’ll settle for taking him to my rooms now.” Thor suggested, and the Grandmaster looked a little disappointed but slipped the lead of the leash into Thor’s hand.

“Have fun, my friend.” Ares said with a broad grin, amused when Thor gave him a faint sneer. The thunder god’s arrogance was less apparent than he’d heard, but it was there, and he found it enjoyable.

Thor eyed the leash in his hand, looked to Loki who was giving him a strange look, and then gave a jaunty wave to the still-cheering crowd with Loki’s eyes on him. He headed for his room and there was a split second of tugging Loki before Loki quickened his pace to try to walk by Thor’s side. How petty did Thor want to be? Was it even petty given what Loki had done? Thor could have gotten mean about it, could have said something cutting and forced Loki to walk behind him. But he settled for wrapping the length of the leash around his hand so that Loki had to practically walk against his side unless he wanted the collar tugged.

Loki thought Thor might speak to him, but instead, he started to tug him along only to wrap the leash around his hand and force Loki to awkwardly try to keep upright while practically pressed against him. That or have his neck pulled, which he didn’t care for either. Thor’s behavior made a little more sense now, because Amora would have surely filled Thor’s head with nonsense. Even so…could he put all of it on that? Was any part of it truly Thor? He pictured them in his mind’s eye. Thor, every bit an aesir warrior fresh from a battle and Loki, a Jotun on a leash in a half-dress. Loki bit his tongue and preferred the pain of it to the pain that blossomed in his chest at the thought.

He pushed at Thor’s arm as he grabbed the little bit of leash left to him and tried to tug it away from Thor. His brother ignored him, and being ignored by Thor always cut him to the quick. Loki the shadow, who lacked value and worth, who Thor did not deign to speak to, who Thor thought himself better than, who all of Asgard looked down on…no.

Loki gave a hard yank and managed to snatch back some length from his brother’s hand. He clutched it as Thor paused to stop walking and look at him with the same frown as before.

Thor was angry, his head hurt, the situation and the knowledge that Asgard was in danger ate at him. Loki’s cruelty and callousness, his lack of regard, hurthim. But as he looked at Loki, stuck in a form Loki wouldn’t even speak of, without any means of defense or communication and clutching the leash to a damned collar, Thor couldn’t bring himself to do worse. They were still brothers, even if it meant nothing to Loki, and Thor wasn’t an inherently cruel person. He took no pleasure in causing pain to others for the sake of it. “I didn’t want this either, Loki. It should not be this way between us.” he sighed and shook his head as he let go of the leash lead and was confident Loki would follow. Loki now technically ‘belonged’ to him for a start so any of the Grandmaster’s people would have that expectation. But more importantly, Loki had no one else to turn to for help, so Thor was sure his brother would stick around long enough to make use of Thor.

Loki had a flicker of nervousness that his brother would respond with anger, especially if he wasunder Amora’s influence. But then Thor seemed mostly tired as he sighed and said what he did. Loki wanted to reply, he wanted to explain and reassure his brother, but he couldn’t say a thing as Thor turned away and dropped the leash. Thor.

A silver-tongue without words, the Norns were surely laughing it all up.

Chapter 8: The Scientist

Chapter Text

The brothers entered Thor’s room, formerly the Hulk’s room, and no sooner had they entered and shut the door than Thor saw the cage in the corner of the room and froze.

Loki’s eyes fell on it and he frowned, they had wasted no time in having it brought in, clearly. But what effect would it have on Thor to see? He got his answer quickly enough as Thor stormed over to the cage and gripped the door with two hands before he yanked it off and tossed it aside angrily. Rage wasn’t a bad answer, but it wasn’t the answer he most wanted, he had wanted Thor’s concern. Both because it seemed the most useful to him presently, and because he wanted to reassure himself. Thor’s standoffish behavior, his aggressive behavior, the fact that he had seemed liable not to help Loki initially…it all struck him as against his expectations of Thor. He now had a suspicion that part of the blame could be laid at Amora’s door, but he was sure that wasn’t all of it.

Thor didn’t look at Loki once since they’d entered, also unusual for his brother, and it readily put Loki’s stomach into an uneasy knot. The older man went to the freezer where he put a handful of ice in a cup and held it to his head. Thor had head pains? That was rare, and only made Loki more certain Amora had been meddling with his brother. He had no access to his magic to check, no way to request ingredients for a potion that might help Thor, he had no voice to advise Thor with.

For his part, Thor had felt the pounding of his head increase and the sight of the cage did nothing to ease him. He’d been enraged to see it, to know that they had kept his brother-a prince of Asgard-in a cage while collared like a beast. Thor had ripped the door off and left it at that as he sought ice for his pounding head and avoided Loki’s gaze. His brother had lost his words, and the intensity of a mute Loki’s gaze bore into him as he seemed to try to speak with his eyes what his mouth could not. Thor was angry, frustrated, and hurt, and he was sure that if he engaged too much with Loki he would lash out again. He would do something foolish again. Thor had kissed his brother twice in a matter of days and neither in anything resembling a good situation. Loki could hardly stand to be his brother it seemed, so he couldn’t imagine what Loki thought of Thor kissing him.

Ares had said he was under Amora’s influence, did that explain his head pounding and his strangely muddled thoughts? He wasn’t familiar with belladonna but he thought he’d heard Bruce mention hemlock once, a Midgardian plant of some kind, he was sure. Thor had let his eyes close as he held the ice-filled cup to his head, only to tense when he felt a hand on his upper arm. He pulled away as he opened his eyes to blood-red pools, Loki’s eyes now, Jotuneyes.

Eyes he had imagined his brother with before, though seeing them now was quite something else. He had always thought them unpleasant and eerie, as bloody and vicious as befit Jotun monsters. Thor had stopped thinking of such things when he’d softened his stance after his time on Midgard. But when he’d realized his brother was a frost giant, and that he might be faced with Loki in that form, he had endeavored to imagine what Loki would look like. Thor didn’t want to be surprised by Loki’s form and have his brother take it negatively, as he was surely wont to do. But the more he’d imagined it, the less it was a ‘Jotun’ form, and the more it was just another of his shape shifter brother’s forms. The blood-red eyes seemed strangely suitable for his little brother, who could himself be so ferocious. The blue skin and heritage lines he had decided would feel somewhat regal, paired with his brother’s occasionally imperious nature. Loki was many things, and Thor had accepted that frost giant was one, and it mattered not. Because the most important thing that Loki was, aside from being Loki, was that he was Thor’s brother and nothing would ever change that.

Even if he wanted to throttle Loki, and Loki betrayed him again and again. Thor had made peace with Loki’s nature practically for his own sanity, because pining for the little brother he felt he’d lost was agony.

No sooner had the swing of his thoughts begun to shift towards sympathy and affection again than Amora’s little enchantment sparked back up.

Loki smiled as he walked away from the newly stabbed Coulson, and wiggled his scepter like he and Thor were in on a shared joke. “They think us immortal, shall we test that?” his hand hovered over the keypad before he released the hatch and sent Thor plummeting to Earth in a glass prison.

Loki sneered as he snarled at Thor. “Trust? Was that her last expression? Trust? When you let her die!”

“What help were you in your cell?”

“Who put me there? Who. Put. Me. There?”

Thor frowned at Loki as he looked away and very pointedly ignored his brother. He was in no mood for whatever manner of trick Loki thought he might yet maneuver such as he was. Thor had already given in and rescued him from the Grandmaster and Ares, he wasn’t going to coddle him to boot. They were in this mess because of Loki, and Loki had shown no loyalty while he lorded it over Thor in the torture room.

Loki saw Thor stare into his eyes a moment, and he wanted to read something in Thor’s expression, some sign of what he thought or felt. But Thor was uncharacteristically reserved, and simply looked away without a word.

The reaction caused an acidic feeling to flood his veins, it was anxiety mingled with a tinge of desperation. Thor could not ignore him anymore, had he not decided that? They were on Sakaar, so far from Asgard and all that had come with it, but Thor stillcould treat Loki as a non-entity? Loki had captured him, he had tricked Thor, he had bested him in that small way. Thor could not think himself so above Loki, could he? And yet…Thor was here as a would-be king of Asgard, aesir in form and blood, even if he was technically a slave. Loki was Jotun in form and blood, he would likely never be king of anywhere again, and he was less than a slave. By Sakaaran law, he was currently the pet of his brother the ‘slave’. Loki had been a prince beside a prince once, and now…what did Thor see him as? Why did he choose now of all times not to spout foolish nonsense and wear his bleeding-heart on his sleeve?

Why didn’t he care that Loki was in this state?

Perhaps the sight of him truly disgusted Thor, and he responded with anger and indifference rather than let it show. Some small attempt at pity by Thor, perhaps. The thought filled him with simultaneous rage and despair.

Loki wouldn’t stop staring and Thor gritted his teeth as he moved past his brother. He wanted to be alone, but he couldn’t very well leave Loki in the hall, and there was no more privacy he could be afforded in the Grandmaster’s compound.

He thought again of Ares’ suggestion, and true enough, it would do Ares no good to lie about the cure as he needed Thor in health to grant whatever request he meant to ask.

Thor went to the little communication device that was embedded in the wall, he’d seen it used a few times. He poked at it experimentally, not quite sure how it worked, and he finally heard it buzz to life.

“Hello, Champion! How may I be of service?”

“Can you hear me?” he asked the device.

“Yes, sir!”

“Belladonna and Hemlock. Can they be brought to me?” He had the impression champions got a bit spoiled, provided they kept winning and pleased the Grandmaster. Thor wasn’t sure how hard those things would be to get, especially if they were Midgardian plants.

“Oh, uhh…let’s see…hmm…yeah, seems we have some on hand. ‘Use with caution’, it says. Sure you don’t want something a little more cut and dry? We got stuff that’ll make you see sounds, Champ.”

“I am sure. Only those.” Thor said.

“Sure thing, boss, have it there in a jiff.” The chipper being on the other end said and the line closed.

Loki listened to the exchange and strained his memory for why those names sounded familiar. They were not plants of Asgard or Vanaheim, he was certain…but they sounded so…ah. Toxic, they were toxic plants, and could be used for purposes of poison. But why was his brother seeking them?

Even his negative mind might not have conjured the idea under normal circ*mstances, but knowing that Amora had likely meddled somehow, Loki had the thought that maybe they were intended for him. Did Thor mean to…punish Loki with mortal poisons? The true Thor would never resort to such a method, he’d give Loki a beating if cruelty was what he was after, perhaps a pointed bit of mocking like he’d done with the kiss on the glass. But poison was not a weapon Thor would resort to.

Loki tried again to approach Thor, and he found himself meeting indifferent blue eyes as he approached. He pointed to the communication panel, and then turned his palm up towards the ceiling in a silent question.

“I am in no mood for company. Least of all yours, Loki. Leave me be.” Thor growled lightly, and Loki made sure none of the traitorous flickers of hurt he felt made it into his expression.

Loki pointed again at the communication device and shook his head before he made an X symbol with his fingers, he tried as best he could to convey that what he had asked for was bad. Perhaps Thor was confused about what they were.

Thor was in no mood to play charades about whatever Loki was trying to convey. “Leave me be.” he growled again, more of a snap the second time, and Loki stared at him. The staring was going to drive him mad. “I have helped you enough, save your tricks for someone else.”

Loki’s heart sank at that and the despair started to creep back in as it seemed Thor truly intended to leave him as he was.

Thor was relieved when the door was knocked on and he moved away from Loki to the door where he received a small plastic bag with two vials.

“Enjoy!” The man said before he left, and Thor examined the contents.

He had thought he would be receiving plants, but they were already in liquid form. That made it easier then. Ares had vaguely suggested a ‘little dose’, but also that it should be fine for a god. If Thor was suffering from some influence of Amora’s, he would prefer to be well rid of it, and figured he may as well drain both vials dry. The sooner done the better, and the maximum effect would be useful.

Loki hadn’t moved from where he’d left him, which was preferable at least in that Loki wasn’t right next to him, but he could feelLoki’s eyes on him. Thor headed for the drink station where he poured himself a shot of something, and promptly dumped both vials into the glass.

Loki had found himself dismissed by Thor again, and he stared, not sure what his best approach would be. The knock was a mild distraction, and he watched as Thor brought his received goods to the drinking table as he poured a little drink. Suspicion and a flicker of fear crept into him, was Thor going to make him drink that? What had Amora done to him? Loki would have to knock the glass away, he still had his strength at least. Thor poured the full contents of both vials into the cup and his eyes widened. While it wouldn’t kill Loki, it would make him violently sick until he’d expelled it or his healing factor negated it. Did Thor have such a desire to harm him?

Loki had convinced himself that must be what was happening, because the alternative for why Thor would pour liquidized toxic plants into a drink made no sense. Amora would never bespell Thor to hurt himself. He was shocked therefore, when Thor promptly took the entire drink in one go and he tried to shout on instinct, though only a little whine escaped his throat.

Thor looked over at him with a faintly curious expression, as if surprised to find Loki could make any kind of noise, but then he looked away again as he poured himself another drink to wash the taste down.

Loki moved quickly to his brother as he pointed at Thor’s throat and shook his head. He drew his finger from his stomach to his throat, and then pointed to the bathroom urgently. What was this fool thinking? Thor needed to spit it up quickly. He pointed to the empty vials and made an urgent ‘X’ again as he shook his head. Loki wasn’t eager to see his brother incapacitated by poison, especially when he was currently Loki’s only ‘shield’, little eager to be one as he currently seemed.

Thor finally, finallyseemed to regard Loki with something more than indifference as his brow furrowed and he looked to the vials. “You know these plants?”

Loki nodded as he pushed Thor towards the bathroom, but the push was all Thor seemed to notice as he frowned again and shoved Loki’s hands away aggressively.

Loki stopped with a look of surprise, he could not recall Thor ever rejecting physical contact with him so vehemently. But Thor had kissed him twice while he was like this, although the first he’d had no conscious choice, really…but…now he couldn’t bear Loki’s touch when he was trying to help him?

Thor chugged his second drink and moved away towards the couch, and Loki watched as he missed his footing for a step and stumbled slightly. He righted himself and paused before he looked down at his fist which trembled faintly. Thor clenched and unclenched his fist, confused by that, and by a sudden prickling feeling that came over him. Then his stomach lurched, and he tensed before he staggered to the couch with a light gasp as a wave of pain rolled through him. His mouth felt increasingly dry, and his throat scratchy, and he coughed even as he fell somewhat onto the couch.

Loki watched the developments, which were not wholly unexpected given that the fool had just chugged down two vials essentially of poison. What was he thinking? Loki went to Thor’s side and stood over his brother as he curled up somewhat on the couch. Thor squinted up at him and Loki scowled down at him, his insecurities and anxieties replaced by familiar annoyance at yet another of Thor’s long list of antics. His brother would survive, but he was going to get rather ill first. And here Loki couldn’t even scold and mock him for it.

A faint redness crept over Thor’s skin, the hint of a rash as his pupils dilated wildly and the rise and fall of his chest increased in speed as his heart rate rose.

Served him right for ignoring Loki, for being so dismissive, for being…repulsed by him? Was that what it was? A niggle of insecure doubt crept in again. The situation of his Jotun skin being on display was too new and raw, and especially in front of Thor, who he had never intended to show such a thing to.

“Ares said-” Thor’s voice was a pained, scratchy rasp. “-Amora…this was a cure.”

‘Ares said’, now why in all the realms would Thor listen to advice from him? And furthermore, why had Ares given it, and what did he know of Amora? But Loki could ask nothing, he merely looked down at his brother with a frown before he stepped away.

“Loki.” Thor fumbled a bit like he might get up back fell back, and Loki returned quickly with a glass of water he was tempted to pour on Thor’s head. Instead he sat down on the coffee table next to the couch while Thor watched him with squinted eyes. Loki held out the water and Thor reached for it only to scrunch up again as a new wave of pain seemed to wash over him. He sighed as he waited for it to pass before he slipped an arm around Thor’s back and lifted his brother up enough to give him a few sips from the water. Thor didn’t pull away, so either he was not so foolish as to ‘bite the hand that fed him’, or he was a bit disoriented, he did look it.

Thor’s hands clenched and unclenched by his sides as he looked up at the ceiling for a moment before his gaze slid back to Loki. “Supposed…to be…b’nished.” Thor’s words slurred slightly at the end. “Imperson…ating…a pr’nce.” he shook his head with a grimace and rubbed his tongue over his teeth as if to clear something from it and Loki’s brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of what Thor was meaning.

Loki wasn’t sure what to make of the words, but Thor was well and truly out of it now, he could see it in the unfocused gaze and hear it in the slurred words. ‘Supposed to be banished, impersonating a prince’. Was he saying that of Loki? A Jotun, impersonating a prince? His gut twisted at the thought, and he had a sudden urge to take advantage of Thor’s situation. How easily he could end his brother…

He brushed the thought aside, intrusive and unwanted, he had long past the point where he could convince himself that Thor’s death would in any way please him.

Thor’s brow was laden with sweat, and he pulled the corner of a decorative throw from the couch as he wiped it away, only to find his wrist caught by Thor. “Loki.”

So it was ‘Loki’ again, and not ‘brother’, Loki noted a little bitterly. Yes, well, it must be hard to see a monster of one’s childhood and call it ‘brother’. He tugged his wrist away and Thor seemed to try to sit up before he mumbled. “Can’t…move.”

Loki seemed to recall that at least one of those plants had muscular paralysis as a symptom, perhaps Thor was experiencing that. He was a little curious despite himself, given that his mind ever searched for information and answers. Loki had, obviously, never come across another god who would chug down two vials of poison.

Thor’s eyelids fluttered before his gaze found Loki again. “You're…blue.” he muttered, and Loki fought the urge to smother his brother to sleep to spare them both his nonsense.

Thor’s fingers clenched and unclenched, his arm twitched, but as Loki observed he seemed not to be able to do much more. Well, that’s interesting. He thought. That information would have been useful sooner, a plant-based toxin that actually acted on Thor as a moderate paralytic. The situation might have been amusing in other circ*mstances.

“Br’ther.” Thor’s voice was a low mumble as he peered at Loki blearily, and Loki was surprised at the thump of relief in his heart as Thor called him so again. “Why?”

Why what? Loki wondered, but he couldn’t even ask and suddenly the situation felt less like a burden and more like a missed opportunity. What truths might he wring from Thor in such a state?

Thor seemed to squint at his neck suddenly as he muttered. “T’ke it off.”

Did he mean the collar? Loki would eagerly oblige if he could, they needed the key, and he needed Thor for that like as not.

“Too quiet.” Thor complained of Loki, and Loki found a sliver of amusem*nt in that given that Thor would probably prefer Loki were capable of keeping his mouth shut more often.

Experimentally, Loki brought his gloved hand to Thor’s cheek as he brushed his fingertips against Thor’s cheek. Perhaps he would be more honest with his reaction now, one way or the other. Loki saw what seemed to be a grimace, and he supposed that was his answer. But Thor mumbled. “Can’t…feel it.”

Did he want to, or was he just commenting on an apparent lack of feeling in his cheek?

Loki moved his hand from Thor’s cheek to his right hand and he pressed his fingers against Thor’s palm, surprised when Thor’s fingers clenched around his. “Brother.” The word was mumbled, but not slurred, and damn if it didn’t inspire another flicker of relief in him.

Loki tried to pull his hand away but Thor’s fingers clenched more tightly and he frowned.

“Stay.” Thor said, and Loki wasn’t sure what to make of that or what Thor thought the situation was in his current state.

He was alarmed when Thor’s body began to convulse lightly, little tremors and spasms that ran along his body and caused Thor’s teeth to clench and his brow to deeply furrow. Loki knew again that Thor would not die, but to see his brother in such a state…it was unnerving. He set a firm hand on Thor’s chest and pressed down, and Thor’s eyes though unfocused met his again. “Hurts.” Loki thought he meant the hand on his chest and started to move away but Thor said, sounding slightly desperate. “No.”

Hesitantly, Loki placed the hand back on Thor’s chest as the tremors stopped, and Thor seemed to relax ever so slightly. Blue eyes stared into red ones for a few seconds, and Loki waited for more nonsense, but then Thor’s eyes visibly lidded before they closed. Thor’s breathing relaxed and Loki supposed he’d fallen into a state of some kind of sleep. Loki eyed his brother’s sleeping, sweat-mussed face a moment before he took the strange opportunity presented to brush a gloved thumb against Thor’s cheek. Disoriented Thor had said a few odd little things, but he had seemed to want Loki’s proximity, that was a good sign. Somewhere in between announcing the ‘revelation’ that-shocker- Loki was currently blue.

The news about Ares tugged at his mind too, because it seemed awfully trusting of Thor to chug a couple of vials of plants he didn’t seem familiar with on a random other god’s word. A god who had tried to claim Loki, and then fought Thor in the arena to what was apparently his first ever loss. Why would he offer Thor aid, and why would Thor believe him? What had Amora done to his brother?

Loki had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, so he switched positions to sit on the edge of a couch kitchen with his lower back against Thor’s right thigh. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before he saw Thor start to stir, and he mumbled something incoherent before clearer blue eyes opened and then widened.

Thor startled as he awoke to be faced with blue-skin and red-eyes, a Jotun was in his room, a Jotun was next to him-

Loki, the Jotun was Loki, and Thor’s startled reaction had made Loki frown and start to rise. Thor tried to grab his wrist but his arm felt oddly numb and his fingers grazed Loki’s arm instead. “Wait.” he croaked, and Loki stopped. His throat felt bone dry and he coughed to try to clear his throat.

Memories came back to him, hazy at first and then more clearly. Loki had betrayed him, he had been imprisoned…Topaz had come, then Amora…she lit all of those candles that had a cloyingly sweet smell and made it hard to think. Then…Loki had come, and he had killed Jane, and hurt his mortal friends…but that…that couldn’t be right, could it? Loki didn’t have the power to bring people, they were illusions. He had known that at the time, hadn’t he? Or had he? The more Thor tried to think about it, the more jumbled it became but he was clearer-minded all the same.

Loki hadn’t cared for Thor’s reaction as he awoke and looked at Loki stunned, the blue eyes quickly roved over what of Loki was in his visual sphere. But Thor had made a weak pass for his arm and said to wait, and he heard Thor clear his throat. Loki decided to take pity on his brother as he again helped him to sit up enough to give him a few drinks of water, and the blue eyes watched him all the while. If before, Thor had avoided looking at him, now he seemed unable to stop.

What?Loki wanted to snap, still uncertain of where Thor’s mind lay or what exactly the situation was overall.

Thor tried to sit up on his own power but his body felt tingly and stiff. He remembered further, he remembered seeing Loki…he hadn’t known it was Loki, and he’d brushed him off. And then he’d realized, and oh, Loki had been in a dress. And makeup. He had been collared and leashed to a post and there…there was a cage. They’d put his brother in a cage.

Then Loki had kissed him, and Thor had kissed Loki…and he had vowed a favor to the Ares to…win his brother as a pet.

Thor’s mouth fell slightly open as he remembered it, and remembered shoving his brother against the glass to claim his lips. He remembered what Loki had ‘done’ in the torture room, but now he wondered if that had been Loki at all. That didn’t seem Loki’s style, perhaps the Loki who had been under the influence of the Mind Stone, but not his calculating, right-minded brother. Then again, if the Grandmaster had ordered it, Loki was capable of anything if it meant the completion of his goals.

Loki wasn’t sure what was going through Thor’s head, but he was making a dumbfounded expression and Loki shifted uncomfortably.

Thor remembered the belladonna and hemlock, Loki’s attempt to stop him and then to make him expel it, and stumbling to the couch. He was fairly certain he’d ripped the door off the cage too, and hadn’t he threatened Amora?

And he’d led his brother through the hall by a leash, and not too nicely.

“Amora.” he said. “She…did something.” Loki managed to convey obviouslyin a tone of disdain with his expression alone. He tried again to move and his arm shifted somewhat, and then he gripped the couch with his left hand as he tried to pull himself up.

Loki watched his brother’s little struggle for a few seconds before he pulled him upright, and Thor seemed transfixed by his face and eyes again. He sneered a bit, not enjoying being gawked at by his fresh-from-delirium brother.

Thor blinked before his eyes narrowed, and for that look, Loki let his brother fall back into a laying position abruptly. “Hey!’ his brother growled, and Loki took that as a somewhat positive sign. Thor didn’t seem indifferent now, that was a good thing he supposed.

Thor started to pull himself up again and Loki resisted the temptation to thwart his brother, and instead yanked him up into a sitting position again by his shirt.

Thor seemed to try to roll his muscles starting from his core, and he gripped the couch again to help stay upright. He could feel functionality returning to his body, and he didn’t care for the moment of weakness at all. “How long…have you been this way?” he asked.

My whole life, technically.Loki thought with dark humor, and he eyed Thor a moment before he held up eight fingers.

Eight fingers, eight days, that would put his transformation during the time ‘Loki’ was in the torture room with him. Unless Loki was lying, and that was also possible. Thor managed to stretch his legs and move his arms slowly from side to side. And then he focused his gaze on Loki, determined to read any hint of expression at what he said next. “After you betrayed me again, they chained me to a wall to ‘torture’ me.”

Loki stared back at him, and there was no change in his expression to indicate either guilt or pleasure at the fact and Thor scowled. That caused something like amusem*nt to flit across Loki’s expression, the little brat.

“Topaz first, and then Amora. She lit candles with a sweet smell, and my mind grew clouded.”

Loki’s brow furrowed lightly as he considered that information. Sweet-smelling candles that clouded the mind? Did she mean to make him more suggestible?

“And then you came.” Thor saw Loki’s eyes narrow as he frowned deeply, and gave a single, vehement shake of his head. “You claim that was not you?”

Loki shot him a look of pure annoyance and then pointed to the collar on his neck and again showed eight fingers, to emphasize that he had been that way for that long.

Thor wanted to trust him, as he always did, but trusting Loki generally led to disappointment or a pained heart. “And what you did to Jane?”

Loki’s expression registered something like confusion, and then he pointed to his collar again as he shook his head.

That seemed genuine, if it were not Loki then he should be confused by the statement. But Loki would know that, he would know how to fake that.

“I watched ‘Loki’ murder Jane before my eyes and each of the Avengers. He said he saved me on Svartalfheim only to take Odin’s throne. That it was my place to be in chains, and that he would keep me in them even if he ruled Sakaar.”

Loki’s expression flared with open anger as he heard what Amora had been doing in his form. As if he would be so crass as to brutalize illusions of his brother’s little mortals. Loki had very nearly died on Svartalfheim, he had saved Thor in earnest as much as avenged Frigga, although he had taken advantage of the opportunity it afforded him. And he would have released Thor after taking over Sakaar, eventually. He shook his head at Thor’s words.

“You did betray me at the ship dock.” It wasn’t really a question, and Loki eyed Thor a few seconds before he nodded.

Thor collected himself for a moment as he considered what he recalled and what may have happened. Regardless of anything, Loki had betrayed him and prevented him from returning to Asgard for mere money. He was still angry, and Loki deserved payback for yet another reckless betrayal. And yet, although he had brought it on himself, Thor didn’t think there was anything he could have done to Loki that would have hurt him more than what the Grandmaster had done to him.

Thor had kissed him. And surely Loki thought it was all induced by whatever Amora had done, and there was some truth in that. The indifference and the petty anger, it stemmed from that, but it wasn’t as if Thor hadn’t been doing something he’d wanted to do for…far longer than he would ever admit.

Thor had fuzzy recollections of what he’d said and done while poisoned, and he frowned as he recalled mentioning banishment and impersonating a prince. It was lucky he had not said more, and that Loki could not press him for answers.

Loki, who currently lacked even his voice.

Thor returned his attention to his brother as he remembered more of the smaller details. Loki had had tearsin his eyes, Thor had turned from his brother and nearly left him to Ares and the Grandmaster. “sh*t.” he muttered, and Loki watched him carefully.

Loki could see that Thor seemed to be turning something over in his mind, and he heard him mutter the curse. Thor proceeded to attempt to move again, and he managed to pull his legs up and sling them to the floor so that he was in a sitting position on the couch next to Loki. He found Thor’s eyes on him again, and he could see Thor looking over his heritage lines and taking in his appearance. It had been bad enough the first time, but Thor’s returned lucidity and the way he was looking now…it made him feel more vulnerable. Loki wanted to seem defiant and uncaring but he ended up looking away as his brother scrutinized him. Damnit.

He jumped as he found Thor’s hand on his shoulder, impossibly warm against his own cool skin and he tugged away. Then Loki chastised himself mentally, if Thor wanted to offer some kind of menial ‘comfort’, he ought to let him to engender goodwill towards himself. Thor’s sentiment was a weakness, and Loki had better exploit it as best he could given the circ*mstances. But the idea of Thor looking at him as he was, and touching him as he was…it made him shudder.

“I am still angry with you.” Thor said, and Loki internally gave a mirthless chuckle. “You betrayed me, and betrayed Asgard in doing so. Odin’s death and Hela’s release were partially your doing.”

Loki shot his brother an offended look at that, and Thor’s stern, judging gaze made his skin crawl. He hated a self-righteous Thor, his brother could never understand.

“But.” Thor tried again and set his hand on Loki’s forearm, and he saw Loki glance at it before he met his gaze again. “I was not…in my right mind before. I will help you, brother, I would never leave you to this.” he had recalled brushing Loki off and saying he had helped as much as he would and for Loki to save his tricks for another. He saw surprise and relief flash across Loki’s face before he masked it, and Thor hated that Loki had truly thought Thor wouldn’t help him as he was. Well, perhaps he shouldn’t be, he had said as much after all and dismissed him initially.

Loki felt like he could breathe again, like a weight had been constricting his chest and finally he had gained some relief. Thor seemed himself again, and as himself, Thor had agreed to help him and did not seemdisgusted by him.

“Is it the collar that makes you this way?” Thor asked.

Loki nodded and Thor frowned as examined it closer and noted a little lock where a key might go. “Does Amora have the key?” Loki shook his head. “Does the Grandmaster?” he nodded. Thor scowled at that before he asked. “Can it be broken through force or sorcery?”

Loki considered that and shook his head. Not through force, and to mingle sorcery with sorcery might make it worse.

Thor scoffed at that a bit before he muttered. “So we need the damn key.”

Loki was surprised by how…dare he say comfortingit was to hear Thor speaking of helping him, to call them ‘we’. He could lay much of the blame on Amora then for how Thor had been acting, and not that Thor had abandoned him, or was repulsed by him.

Well, he couldn’t guarantee the last one, Thor was the type that he might mask his disgust to spare Loki’s feelings. And how could he not be disgusted by seeing his ‘brother’ in the form of a race he was taught all of his life to revile and consider monstrous?

Thor suddenly fixed Loki with a grim half-smile as he said. “I gave Amora a vow that if she harmed you or tried to have you harmed again, I would kill her. She seemed to take the message.”

Loki realized then why Amora hadn’t taken her ‘revenge’ on him for disrupting her magic and he stared at Thor a moment before a faint smirk curved his lips. Let Amora fear Thor for now, and Loki would make her fear himlater. The gesture wasn’t lost on him though, and inclined his head to Thor and let him think what he would of it.

Thor’s gaze flicked to the cage in the corner before he frowned again. “You slept in that?” he asked quietly.

Loki sighed and nodded, and as Thor’s hand was still on his arm, he felt Thor’s fingers clench around it as anger flared in his brother’s expression again. “I didn’t know.”

Well, of course he hadn’t, the Grandmaster liked his pretense after all and he seemed to have dismissed or forgotten that he had a pair of ‘adopted brothers’ on his hands.

Loki shrugged as he pulled his arm away from Thor, and Thor seemed to take note of his gloves. He had never seen his brother wear gloves, perhaps ever in their lives.

Loki caught the direction of his gaze and gave a rueful half-smile of his own as he tugged at one of the gloves to show Thor he couldn’t take them off.

Thor looked puzzled a moment and Loki considered how to remind him, because Thor definitely knew about the frostbite touch. There was a bit of ice, melted though it was, left in Thor’s cup and he plucked one out as he cupped it in his palm and pressed it to Thor’s arm. His brother scrunched his nose at the sudden cold but seemed to understand. “They feared your touch.”

Who wouldn’t? Loki drawled inside his mind. Being turned to ice was probably not a pleasant way to go, or being half-frozen while alive.

Thor eyed Loki a moment before he asked. “Did you ever come to me in the torture room?”

The seemingly random question caught Loki slightly off guard, but he very deliberately shook his head no and didn’t break eye contact with Thor.

Thor hesitated and then tried to remove one of the gloves, he wondered if only Loki was bespelled against removing them. The glove came off and Loki jerked his hand away immediately with a glare, not pleased as Thor might have expected.

Loki saw then why Thor had asked about the torture room, he was gauging how much trust he wished to afford Loki. Which was all kinds of foolish, and of course Loki could have lied though he hadn’t. Thor apparently meant to extend trust that Loki wouldn’t use the ability against him, which wasn’t a rough bet given that Loki was relying on his brother presently. But he wasn’t sure about how well he could control his touch, or how much access to a Jotun’s powers he had. He wasn’t eager to accidentally freeze his brother and only ally to death. Loki slipped the glove back on but noticed it had a different feel to it, and experimentally discovered that now that it had been removed…he could pull it on and off on his own. Well that was useful. Loki shoved his other hand towards Thor and moved his hand with a silent demand for him to take the other one off.

“You are still glowering at me for taking the first one, and now you’d have me take the second?” Thor sounded amused and Loki arched a brow, his confidence growing with each moment that passed with Thor treating him like Lokiand brother.

Thor rolled his eyes slightly but obliged, and no sooner had he removed the glove than Loki tugged his hand back and restored the glove, satisfied by this new bit control. It was only a sliver, but it was something. He saw Thor’s expression grow a bit hesitant and his brother shifted uncomfortably as he seemed to brace himself for something, and then Thor asked. “Did any of them…” he trailed off as he considered how to phrase it. “Were you…harmed?”

Loki could tell from Thor’s skittish behavior that what he meant by harm ran more deeply than simple, physical pain. He was asking if Loki had been forced, taken advantage of in his vulnerable state. Loki could have lied, and perhaps there would be some use in it, but he wasn’t going to about this. He shook his head and Thor gave an audible sigh of relief as he rubbed his face in his hands.

“Are you in any pain? Are you injured anywhere?”

Not that you can see, brother.Loki thought wryly, his wounds were internal and born of degradation and deprivation. He shrugged and Thor frowned, so he shook his head since ultimately Thor was asking if he had physical wounds that needed care.

Thor considered that before he tugged at the hem of Loki’s sleeve. “Clothes were left for me, they aren’t what you favor but they are men’s at least. If you’d rather.”

He very much would rather, and was pleased that Thor had bothered to think of it. Loki wouldn’t consider attentiveness a major quality in his brother.

“There’s a closet inside the bathroom, all the clothes are there.”

Loki rose abruptly at that, eager for Thor’s awkward attempts and questioning to be done anyway, and eager for some measure of better attire. Still, he offered Thor another incline of his head as a silent thanks of sorts, and then headed to the bathroom.

Andares had put the makeup on by hand, and it wasn’t magically affixed, so while he was at it he took the opportunity to actually shower and wash it all off. He tried not to think about his anatomical differences and reaffirmed to himself that he ‘simply’ needed to make sure no one else found out. With any luck, Thor’s threat to Amora would work against her revealing what she knew of him.

Thor’s clothing selection was indeed lackluster, but better than nothing or the ‘prize’ outfit he’d been in. He chose black pants, but there was nothing with long-sleeves such as he preferred. Loki settled on a white button up with half-sleeves, not sure why it was in there given the rather gladiatorial other selections but so be it. The shirt was a little loose on him, but fit well enough.

When he headed back out he found that Thor had ordered food to the room apparently, and through a mouthful of some kind of noodles gestured at the spread on the table and said. “He’p yo’r’lf.”

Loki smirked at his brother, amused at the sight of the Mighty Thor, his brother, mumbling through his food like a child.

“Sh’t up.” Thor said as he swallowed, having caught the look, and Loki snickered silently. The moment was closest thing to something ‘normal’ Loki had gotten since the whole mess had started, the sliver of brotherly banter [such as it was] gave a slight relief for his tension. Thor looked over his brother and said of his previous outfit. “I won’t let them dress you like that again if I can help it.”

He probably couldn’t, because what the Grandmaster wanted would surely trump whatever Thor ‘decided’, but he supposed he appreciated the thought.

Loki sat and tentatively munched on some kind of vegetable roll.

There was a knock on the door and Thor tensed as he rose to answer, only to find an envelope had been slipped under the door. He scanned the contents quickly and scowled as he headed back to the couch. Thor passed it to Loki, who looked it over as Thor said. “Another ‘party’, we are expected to attend.”

The invitation was addressed to ‘Champion and Pet’, and as Loki finished reading it, Thor snatched it back as he crumpled it into a ball and tossed it aside. Thor seemed angry on Loki’s behalf, which in general was a good thing, but he also couldn’t deny that he found it a bit pleasant. Both because it was Thor and Thor was treating him like he was still…well, him. And because being treated as other than a ‘pet’ in general and having someone acknowledge the poor treatment of Loki was a slight balm.

Would Loki do the same if positions were reversed? But that would require too much backwards glancing, it would have to be different from the start, with Thor the frost giant foundling and Loki the aesir prince.

“When we make our escape, it will be to Asgard, you know that, right?” Thor asked suddenly and Loki frowned. “You won’t be able to stay here, obviously. And I’m going to Asgard.”

Loki had no interest in going to Asgard and facing Hela, and he wasn’t overfond of Thor doing so either. There was always the possibility of letting Thor think he had agreed, then pulling a fast one on him on the ship and taking it where Loki decided with Thor bound in tow. If he kept up with a ‘good behavior’ routine, he could surely get the sentimental oaf to drop his guard and Loki could spare them both a swift death at Hela’s hands. Loki nodded, because he could do no less, and adopted a look of resignation.

Thor eyed him, doubtful that he could trust Loki on this, but he had gotten better at anticipating his brother’s schemes and he’d have to come to the bridge when they got to it. He couldn’t leave his brother on Sakaar, and certainly not in the condition he was in.

As he had on a skiff in Svartalfheim, Thor still held the sentiment that he wished that he could trust his brother.

But he couldn’t, not really, and so he didn’t, not fully.

“Good. Then we are agreed. We’ll get that collar off you, and find a way home. Again.” he added in a tone that made it clear he was still irked about that, for which he blamed Loki.

Loki was unrepentant about that part, he had saved Thor’s life, little that the oaf recognized it. And if he acted too contrite, Thor would mistrust that at a glance. So he offered an amused little smirk that made Thor toss a couch pillow at him, and Loki let himself hope that they might make it through this after all.

And naturally he hurled the pillow back at Thor’s face [after waiting until he’d just taken a bite of food], which earned him a decidedly pleasant growl of irritation from his now noodle-faced brother.

Chapter 9: That Sick Strange Darkness

Chapter Text

When they had finished eating, Thor told Loki he had something to take care of and he would be back shortly. Loki hadn’t seem pleased, and Thor could tell he wanted an explanation if not to come as well. But he’d pretended not to notice, despite his brother’s irked expression, and slipped out.

Thor had questions, for a start, and he also wanted to better understand what freedoms he had as a champion. So far he’d noted he seemed allowed to go relatively anywhere in the compound. He was treated somewhat as he was on Midgard, where he was a famed Avenger. Here he was the ‘criminally seductive’ champion, and one who had just ‘beaten the grand champion’ at that, so more than one individual had not so subtly made plain their desires towards him.

Asgard was burning and he was fielding propositions from cretins because his little brother was a conniving back-stabber. Their relationship, such as it was, still felt up in the air. Loki had moved past trying to kill him [Thor supposed that was a win, despite how odd the statement itself was], but he wasn’t above screwing Thor over. He would have taken that to be a sign of Loki’s hate and anger once, but he had come to realize that it was simply Loki. The same Loki who could sweetly instruct Thor never to doubt that he loved him, while having already planned the ruin if his coronation. He recognized that Loki would never again be the little boy Thor had so adored, but he had contented himself with hoping that boy at least still existedin Loki. Surely their brotherhood meant something to Loki too…didn’t it?

Thor found his way to Amora, she was giggling her way through a conversation with a group when he came up beside her and grabbed her arm. “We need to talk.” he said lowly, and she looked far less pleased to see him than usual.

She made polite goodbyes to the group as she followed Thor and pulled her arm away. “Goodness, how forceful, whatever is the game?” she cooed.

Thor brought her to a hallway where he narrowed his eyes down at her. “What did you do to me?"

Amora’s smile slipped at that before she shrugged daintily. “You shall have to be more specific, dear heart. I have done so many things to you.”

“In the torture room, with the candles.” he growled.

“What candles, darling?” Amora said with faux innocence.

“If you seek death so badly, I will gladly grant it.” Thor said as he gave her a cold look.

“Promises, promises.” she drawled. “I am merely doing as I always have, helping my prince to be his very best self. The very opposite of what are you by the side of that-” she cut off at his look. “By the side of little Loki.”

“What. Did. You. Do?”

“I merely prevented your mind fro making excuses for him, as I am sure you often do.”

“And what else?”

“Nothin-”

Thor pressed his thumb into the flesh of her neck, sudden and hard. “What else-” she activated the obedience disc and Thor fell to the floor, he writhed with a furious expression as she smirked down at him.

“Did you think I would not do it? Surprise, dear heart. But look at you, staying awake this time. You must be getting used to this.”

Thor had to find a way to get the damn obedience disc off, Amora shielded hers with her power so he couldn’t snatch it off of her the way he had with Valkyrie.

“Amora, what’s…uh…going on here?”

Amora was startled at the Grandmaster’s approach and she thought quickly as she shut the device off. Thor wouldn’t want to be caught out on what he was doing either so she said. “The champion was a little too eager, and I am afraid I got a little too excited and…well, my hand slipped.” she said sweetly.

Thor rose with his hands clenched, and the Grandmaster chuckled. “Sparkles, if you’re in need of a little TLC, you coulda just come to me.” he stepped closer as he set a hand on Thor’s chest, and Thor resisted the urge to break that hand. The Grandmaster trailed down Thor’s chest with a coy smile. “Believe you me, I know how to take care of my champions. Just like they know how to take care of me.”

“Very impressive.” Thor made himself say with a tight smile, and his rage at Amora only grew for what he perceived as a situation she caused on several levels.

The Grandmaster slipped a finger into the collar of Thor’s top as he pulled him closer with a little grin. “It is, you’ve really been missing out, Sparkles. And you know what, I wanna give you a little somethin’, don’t move an inch.” he ordered as leaned forward, and to Thor’s complete disgust the Grandmaster put his lips on Thor’s neck. He felt an unpleasant tugging, and when a satisfied Grandmaster pulled away and admired Thor’s neck, he had a feeling the Grandmaster had left a mark.

This damned bastard.Thor seethed mentally, but he kept his composure. He needed to escape to Asgard, and he needed to free Loki with the key the Grandmaster apparently had. And truly, for any number of reasons, he needed it as soon as possible. There was a chance that Valkyrie would come back for him and if Loki was still trapped as he was…he couldn’t leave his brother stuck that way, but he couldn’t forgo leaving when the opportunity came. Thor needed to get the key, that was ‘all’, and the escape would be good to go at any time.

Of course, there was the small problem of whether or not he could trust Loki not to immediately betray him again when he was freed. In actual fact, the key would be quite the piece of insurance to ensure his brother didn’t betray him before they made their escape. Would he hold his brother’s freedom ransom that way? Was it really any crime against their brotherhood compared to all that Loki had done? But all of that was contingent on getting it, it was all moot until then.

“Criminally seductive.” The Grandmaster sighed contentedly, and Thor reached a mental decision.

Thorwastechnically a fertility god, and Thor had bedded partners of a variety of genders and races. And he’d been brothers with Loki long enough to know how to spike a drink covertly. Would it be so hard to get himself an invitation to the Grandmaster’s bedroom [after securing a hefty sleeping drug] and let the Grandmaster think something had gone on while Thor found the key?

Never let it be said Thor wasn’t ruthless when it came to his goals and his duties, and he had both at play in needing to get the key.

Thor leaned forward with a princely smile, somewhere between boyish and arrogant as he leaned near the Grandmaster’s ear. “Is there a punishment for being criminally seductive?” he inquired in a low tone.

The Grandmaster shivered and looked both surprised and delighted by the development. “For you, Sparkles, I, uh…I may just have to make one.”

Thor pulled back with a co*cky chuckle. “I look forward to it.” he said, and he made sure his shoulder brushed against the Grandmaster’s as he walked past. Amora looked dumbfounded, and Thor kept his smile until he’d gotten out of sight at which point he rubbed his shoulder as if to banish the taint on it.

Thor remembered the dreams that he’d had, the ones of Asgard literally burning, the ones that Loki in Odin’s form had dismissed. He had never had a gift of prophecy, and yet now Asgard was in thrall to Hela, and he could see no other truth but that it was one. Asgard would burn unless he stopped her, that had to be what the dream meant. He had stopped Surtur, but Ragnarok seemed determined to come all the same and all he could do was fight against it. Thor didn’t understand how Loki could see it otherwise. Loki had grown up in Asgard all of his life, it was his home as well, they were his people too, and he had ruled as Odin for four years. Did he care nothingfor any of it? For Thor?

Thor hadn’t been able to get to the point of the matter with Amora, he had wanted to confirm for himself if she had been disguised as Loki. He leaned towards it being the case, his gut told him so, but his gut often led him to the foolish decision of giving Loki chance after chance to stab him in the back so honestly his gut wasn’t being terribly reliable of late. Then again, he had counter back-stabbed Loki, until Loki counter-counter back-stabbed him.

“Well, well, Champion, out and about so soon? Here I thought you’d be enjoying the spoils of your victory.” Thor turned to find a man he vaguely recognized as having been in the Grandmaster’s viewing room, but he wasn’t familiar with him.

“Do I know you?”

“Not really. Name’s Andares.” The man said genially. “I helped your brother get ready for the little…ah, show.”

“You put my brother in a dress?” Thor growled.

“He put himself in one, actually. Not that he had a choice. The Grandmaster wanted Loki in drag and that she-demon egged him on.”

“She-demon?”

”Amora.” Andares said, reminded of his conversation with Loki. He watched Thor’s expression darken at that, not that he was surprised, he hadn’t missed the intense discomfort Thor seemed to have around Amora. Nor the animosity that Amora clearly bore Loki.

“How did you know we’re brothers, and that he’s Loki?”

“Uh, cause I pay attention? I was here before you two got here. The Grandmaster’s reaaaallly old. He forgets, I don’t.” Andares shrugged.

“You understand how things work around here then?” Thor asked speculatively.

“That is a fair assessment, sweets.”

“Don’t call me that.” Thor said and Andares grinned. “Tell me this then, now that Loki is…with me.” he didn’t want to say ‘mine’, like his brother was a piece of property. “Will he be able to dress as he pleases?”

“Well, if you allow him to, and if the Grandmaster doesn’t say otherwise. If he was gonna say otherwise he’d have probably put it on the invite so…if there’s no stipulations, free reign.”

If that was the case, perhaps the key wouldn’t even be needed, could he convince the Grandmaster to simply remove it? Although, if he had wanted leverage to keep Loki from betraying him until his escape, he’d lose it that way. “Would he take the collar off if I asked?”

“I mean, that guy changes his mind like it’s going of style but...doubt it. You owning him is kind of a…hmm…it’s like giving your pet a pet? You’re still a slave, thunder-god. Don’t let the champion’s quarters make you forget that. At the end of the day, Grandmaster owns you both. And he can take him back anytime he wants. The illusion of it being otherwise excites him, makes him look ‘good’. But don’t get it twisted, kid.”

“Kid?” Thor scoffed. “I’m fifteen hundred years old.”

“Eighteen-seventy five.”

Thor looked incredulous, this Andares was that much older? “Where do you come from?”

“At least buy me breakfast first.” Andares drawled as he brought a finger to his lips in the ‘shh’ gesture. “A good magician never reveals their tricks. Picked that little phrase up on Midgard. Lovely place. Not sure how mortals have survived though.”

Thor didn’t innately distrust Andares, but neither did he trust him. He liked that he’d insulted Amora and was speaking of his brother as a person…but he didn’t know what Andares’ motivations were either.

“Where can I get my brother clothes?”

“Oh, well, he can use the dressing room. Not really supposed to take clothes out unless you’re using them that instant though.”

“Okay, then where can I get him clothes he can keep?”

“Do you not understand ‘slave’ and ‘pet’, do they mean something different on Asgard?” Thor scowled and Andares chuckled. “You have a credit account, you earn credits for victories. It’s an automatic payment for the champion, regardless of who it is, so you should have something to work with. You’re allowed to go out into the city, but you will have a tracker placed on you for the duration. To ensure you don’t do anything silly like try to escape. The tracker will do worse than an obedience disc, it isn’t pretty.”

“How do I use this…credit account?”

“Should have a card in the room, look in your drawers? I don’t know, I’m not the champion. Or your teacher, incidentally.”

“I appreciate your assistance.” Thor said, albeit tersely, and Andares lifted a brow. “Do I…have to use the leash?”

“Definitely. Grandmaster likes to keep up appearances. You’re big on Midgard right? Let me put it this way, there’s not really laws in Sakaar the way you’d think of them. But on the other hand, there are. The law of ‘whatever the Grandmaster wants’, and not unlike Midgardian leash laws…pets stay on leashes around here.” Andares shrugged. And then he turned thoughtful as he eyed Thor. “You don’t like having him for a pet?”

“My brother? No, I do not.” Thor replied, irritated that Andares even asked.

Andares got a sly smile as he stepped closer and inhaled deeply. “Funny, cause I totally took you for a guy who wanted to bang his brot-” Thor had shoved Andares against the wall roughly before he could finish the sentence, and lightning crackled in his hands as he glared.

“Never speak of my brother that way again.”

”I was speaking of youthough.” Andares said innocently, seemingly unperturbed by the development.

“Why would you even say that?” Thor demanded.

“Oh, do you mean besides the raging hard-on you were sporting when you shoved him against the window and kissed him like you were-”

Thor clamped a hand over Andares’ mouth with a furious glare. “A lie.” he growled.

There was a tap on Thor’s shoulder and he turned as he abruptly released Andares, only to find no one behind him. He was slightly confused and looked back at Andares only to find the other man half-way down the hall. “Enjoy your afternoon on the town, sweets.” he said, before he rounded a corner and walked away.

Thor gritted his teeth a moment and told himself Andares was…exaggerating. He might have pushed Loki against a window and kissed him but it was…casual.

He had casually pinned his little brother against a window and kissed him.

Thor rubbed a hand over his face as he groaned to himself and headed back to the bedroom. Sakaar absolutely sucked.

--

Loki hadn’t expected Thor to leave, and he had wanted to go with him or at the very least receive an explanation of where his lifeline was wandering off to. But Thor had done a marvelous job of acting like he didn’t know what Loki wanted. And by marvelous, he meant being an utter, obnoxious oaf and offering Loki smiles that were clearly mocking.

Thor was still quite irritated about the littlebetrayal on the ship dock, it seemed.

He was less irritated in return than he wanted to be, because he found it too wretchedly relieving that Thor was [more or less] being Thor with him. Loki had been watching Thor extra carefully for any hint of disgust, any sign of revulsion, any tension, a stare that lasted too long. But no, Thor was being the strange Thor he’d been since they’d reached Sakaar. They’d both stopped using proper Asgardian parlance, Thor more so. But Thor was…how to describe it…more laid-back in a way that was different than Loki could ever recall? It wasn’t the easy-going child Thor, with his bright, sunny smiles and over-eager affections. Nor the teenage Thor, who was a mixture of budding confidence and charming oafishness that Loki had complained about even as he found it secretly endearing. And he was a far cry from ‘Thor the Unworthy’, an arrogant braggart who lost his temper at a pin drop and wanted to fight everything that moved.

Nor even quite the Thor that had knelt to ‘Odin’ and spoken highly of Loki while declining the throne with kingly grace. So much so that Loki had, despite himself, been prompted to offer a bit of a sentimental gesture to Thor as Odin.

“And if I were proud of the man my son had become, even that I could not say. But it would speak only from my heart.”

Thor’s grateful little smile had done funny things to his heart. It wasn’t the smile of the Thor he’d hated, it was so…mature. Which was not a descriptor he would have thought he’d ascribe to Thor.

But this Thor…well, there had been temper too, he had seen that after Odin’s death right before Hela came. And Thor had been unusually cold and reserved against him in the tunnels when he’d offered an alliance. Loki wasn’t accustomed to Thor rejecting him [any more]. But that aside, Thor had shown that unbelievable power against the Hulk. He’d been confident and amusing, and he’d said rather clever things Loki could never have guessed his brother would know when speaking of wormhole travel with Bruce Banner. Thor’s confidence wasn’t foolhardy arrogance, it was of a man who was well-comfortable with himself, who knew his power, and probably had no inkling of the self-loathing that plagued Loki. He would never be rejected, there would be no crass whispers about Thor. Thor was a bloody hero, he had toys modeled after him on Midgard. Those foolish mortal girls had wanted to take a picture with him. As if taking a picture with his brother were some kind of treat. They hadn’t even acknowledged Loki.

And really, was all of this any different? Thor had even said Loki would ‘do great’ on Sakaar, but Thor had ended up champion and of all things Loki had ended up a pet. He’d been forced into his Jotun skin and been treated like a beast for it. Even at the bottom of the society, in a world that Loki should have had the edge in, Thor was surpassing him easily.

The thoughts stoked the embers of old bitterness and resentment, unresolved slights that he had tried to avenge himself for only to end up thwarted and defeated. Loki, the villain, while Thor got to be gloriously redeemed for all the time spent as an unworthy, entitled, spoiled little brat.

One who kept taking Loki back and calling him brother regardless.

What a complicated thing to love and despise someone for loving you. Thor held all the cards. He was Odin’s blood son, he had powers that could crush the Hulk, his body was ‘divine’ as the mortals liked to joke of the ‘god’…the Asgardian people loved him and would have him back for a king in a heartbeat. He made friends wherever he went and he didn’t have to try. Thor could sulk in a corner and he’d probably come away with half the room wanting to fall over themselves to be his companion.

Loki had the blood of monsters, of vicious Laufey. He was Jotun, not Asgardian, and his birth form was exotic in the worst way. Loki’s magic was powerful, he was the most powerful sorcerer of Asgard. But he couldn’t have bested Hulk as Thor had. Loki could charm if he put himself to it, but it was a hollow thing. It was the charm of a sweet novelty, a passing fancy. His charm did not inspire a desire to delve further. Perhaps it was something intrinsic to their natures that let Thor be as he was, and Loki as he was. It would certainly make sense on Asgard, that somehow they had all sensed what Loki really was.

Loki stared down at the blue skin on his hand as he removed his glove and flexed his fingers. Even his ‘own people’ hadn’t wanted him. He was freak even on Jotunheim, even amongst monsters, and what else awaited him in the future. Would it always be like this? Would Loki have to scrabble and struggle for every bit of a place to belong, to even pretend that he did? Could nothing be truly his, and kept, and relied upon?

Loki sighed as he slumped back against the couch. Here he was, waiting for his so-called ‘master’s’ return, and he didn’t dare go out and about without him. Loki didn’t know what difference if any his status held while ‘belonging’ to Thor, but he didn’t relish letting there be more opportunities for him to be treated as a beast instead of a man.

The door opened suddenly and Loki startled a bit as he hastily slipped his glove on and composed himself into what he hoped was a properly dismissive expression.

Thor entered as if he’d been about to say something, but he caught the tail end of Loki’s quick fidget into position and he eyed him a moment.

Did Thor think he’d been up to mischief? It figured, he had no idea-

“Brother?” Thor came over to the couch in a few large strides and he stood next to Loki’s legs as he frowned down at him. “What’s wrong?”

Loki blinked at that, taken aback, not sure what had given him away or why Thor was bothering to ask. Was it some joke of the Norns that just as he’d been thinking so lowly of himself, reflecting on how alone he was and always might be, Thorcame in with that insipidly concerned expression?

Loki gave his brother a lifted brow and a sarcastic expression, as if to ask ‘what are you talking about’?

But Thor only frowned further before he sat down on the coffee table as Loki had earlier. Loki hadn’t moved as quickly as he’d seemed to think, Thor had caught him slumped against the couch with an odd expression. Tired, sad, something else? Thor had only caught a flash of it, but it was different enough from his brother’s usual expressions to be notable, and Loki had shoved the glove on. If not for catching the rest, he might have thought his brother was practicing the frostbite touch, but no…that seemed not to be the case. Nothing was frozen anyway.

But Loki didn’t care for sentimental words, Thor couldn’t get a proper answer from him, and if he pressed Loki would only withdraw or lash out. So if there was comfort needed, and he had suspected there was just on the basic principle of the situation, he would have to be more sly about providing it.

“I spoke with an ‘Andares’, he said-” Thor cut off as Loki’s brow furrowed and he shot a displeased look at Thor’s neck. He wasn’t sure what Loki was on about. “What?”

Loki frowned at him and then leaned forward to press down at a point on his neck.

Thor still wasn’t cluing in, he had moved past the moment and not seen it, so he rose to head for a mirror to see what Loki was frowning for. And oh yes, the Grandmaster had given him a damned hickey. Thor made an irritated noise as he shook his head to himself. “The Grandmaster’s doing.” he grumbled as he turned around, and Loki’s expression became a bit wide-eyed. Thor realized what he must have thought and he said quickly. “It’s not like that, he was just-” Loki’s brows lifted. “-Shut up, Loki! He just did that to my neck, there was a thing with Amora and he came-”

Loki’s expression grew more disgusted and incredulous and Thor shot him a frustrated look.

“Amora triggered the obedience disc. Told the Grandmaster it was friskiness on my part. He took it as an opportunity to do this.” Thor growled as he pointed to his neck. “Wipe that look off your face.”

Loki made a face as if to say ‘whatever you say, brother’.

“I was going to offer to take you into the city to get some decent clothes but now I think I’ll take a nap instead.” he grumbled.

Loki paused at that before his brow furrowed, and Thor could tell he had questions, but there was no way to communicate them. He should have grabbed a notepad while he was out. There had to be paper and pen somewhere here. Well, if nothing else it would be in the city.

“As I was saying before you decided to be a brat.” Thor said, and Loki shot him an offended look that made Thor smirk a bit. “I think I could get used to you not being able to snark back.” he teased without thinking only to see Loki’s expression shutter before it became baleful.

Smooth, Thor, real tactful.

“That was…a bad joke.” he said, rather lamely and Loki was not impressed. He crossed his arms and shot Thor a glare, but Thor had gotten better at reading between the lines and also guessing his brother’s moods. It didn’t take a genius to assume the comment had hurt his brother at least a little, behind the anger. “You’ve been wielding words against me all our lives, brother. And usually winning.”

Always winning. Thor could practically hear Loki’s silent reply.

Thor moved back to the couch to sit next to Loki who continued to glare. “In any other circ*mstance it would have been a little funny?” he tried with his thumb and pointer finger together in a small gesture.

The glare intensified and Thor would rather a cutting remark at this point.

Thor set a hand on Loki’s thigh and he had a sense that Loki was debating striking him. He’d seen that look before. Thor adopted a softer tone, a little apologetic. “I shouldn’t have said that. It wasn’t a fair jest. I will see you freed from this, Loki. And if you want to stab Amora and the Grandmaster afterwards, I will personally truss them up for you.” The last sentence was said in a jokingly solemn tone, and he saw Loki’s lips twitch.

Loki had noted the hickey, and for a moment thought that his brother had the audacity to leave Loki to have a assignation. But that really didn’t make sense, especially since he was fairly certain Thor was still hung up on Jane. Then Thor began a somewhat misleading and foolish explanation, got flustered, and then grumbled something more specific. The thought of the Grandmaster kissing Thor’s neck put a shudder of revulsion down his spine.

Then he spoke of the city and getting clothes, which surprised him both because he hadn’t expected they’d be ‘allowed’ and because Thor had apparently inquired about it for him. There was another bit of one-sided banter between them, as much as Loki could grant with expression alone. But Thor ruined it rather stunningly with a joke that he had the luxury of making with his foolish mouth free.

Thor followed it up with a poor attempt at recovery, and Loki was tempted to stab his brother. A hand was set on his thigh, and Loki debated the pros and cons of getting into a fight with his brother. It would relieve some of his tension, surely. But then Thor had to go and make a more decent attempt at retracting his tasteless words, and making a far more pleasing jest that had Loki fighting a reluctant smirk.

The bastard.

Loki saw Thor’s expression grow slightly hesitant, and he suspected bad news of some kind was impending. “I have credits as a ‘champion’, apparently. I was told there should be a card in this room. And we are allowed to go into the city but…It is required that I take you there by leash.”

The words again put an unpleasant, crawling feeling in his veins as the reality of his situation [and in such perfect juxtaposition to Thor’s no less] hit him. He gave Thor a cold smile and then shrugged as if it made no difference. And perhaps it didn’t. What was wearing a leash and being walked around publicly by the brother he had a fractious relationship with compared to all of the other indignities he was still enduring and likely would in the future?

“It gives me no pleasure to-”

Loki shoved his hand in a slightly clenched fashion near Thor’s mouth as he shot him a glare. He didn’t want to hear that, as if he’d thought Thor would be pleased about it either, as if he wanted to hearThor’s feelingsabout being on the owner-end of the leash. Stupid, noble Thor, who had no damned idea. That was one of the most aggravating of Thor’s new traits, his new humility and intermittent attentiveness. While Loki enjoyed not being ignored and seemingly looked down on, Thor’s attempts at empathy with him were usually ham-handed at best and missed the point or ploughed through it dreadfully. Attempts at empathy from someone who had, and always would be, at the top one way or the other. Who had never been in Loki’s position, never been scorned as Loki was, Thor hadn’t been the villain even when he’d been unworthy, not really.

But Thor was earnest, Thor was sincere, he was trying, and it was maddening. Because arguably his heart was in the right place more often than not with his attempts at kindness but Thor was Thor, and a fool. Loki was angry with him, and angry with himself for being angry with him. It was like being mad at a puppy for seeking affection. The annoyance felt irrational but it was there all the same. It was made worse by the fact that only Thor would give him such genuine interactions. Only Thor would walk into a room and see Loki fumbling and ask with that wretchedly concerned expression what was wrong and actually wantthe honest answer to boot.

Thor’s own expression grew annoyed, and there was another level to the communication issues between them. Because he didn’t understand whyLoki was mad, and Loki didn’t entirely understand why he was mad either, but he knew enough to know that Thor knew nothing, and that was irksome too.

Yes, his brother’s company was a giant glob of frustration and Loki wasn’t sure they’d ever smooth it out. Four years apart hadn’t done the trick, obviously.

Thor wasn’t sure why he’d gotten a hand shoved into his face after he thought he’d soothed Loki, but he wasn’t trying to pick a fight, he was trying to help Loki have some semblance of control. It wasn’t much, but it was something to get Loki into clothes that made him more comfortable. Something of his own and chosen on his own power. And he had just wanted to make it clear, because Loki always got strange, negative ideas in his head, that Thor didn’t want to be using the leash. Thor didn’t want to be walking his little brother around like that.

Not while he’s unwilling, anyway. Came a certain, old voice inside his mind, the one he’d drowned out with distance, alcohol, and bad decisions for years. The one that had noticed keenly things like how wonderful Loki’s hair looked when it was curly and unbound, and how Thor wished they were still close enough that Loki would let him run his fingers through it. The one that had seen his brother down in the tunnels in that tight, Sakaaran outfit with said hair uncharacteristically almost just as Thor preferred it and wondered how it would feel to put his hands on Loki’s waist and-

Thor rose from the couch with a cough and a stretch. “Well, help me find the card and we’ll go if you want.” he said nonchalantly.

It was just as well that both times he’d kissed Loki on Sakaar, his mind had been clouded, because it he remembered more clearly how it felt-

Thor forced himself to cut the thought off as he began rummaging in drawers, looking for the card, and mentally berating himself. He’d kept himself from such thoughts for years, and now all the sudden, when his brother was in a situation this tenuous and vulnerable, he was…

Loki seemed almost to appear at his side and he actually jumped slightly, a rare bit of physical startle response as he looked to Loki who frowned as he held up the card Thor was looking for.

Thor’s startled reaction surely came from Loki’s Jotun appearance, Loki noted. He supposed having blood-red eyes suddenly pop up next to you would be surprising. The guilty look on Thor’s face afterwards only confirmed it for him, what else would Thor make that face for? Thor must have been guarding his expressions well not to have shown it before now.

“I don’t know how currency works here, do you?” Loki nodded and Thor repeated the gesture a bit awkwardly, still feeling like he’d been caught out at something. Loki always had this way of making you feel like he knew exactly what you were thinking, so much so that Thor had once suspected he had such a power until Frigga had assured him that he did not. ‘He is very good at reading people, you especially’, his mother had said, and Thor found the notion simultaneously endearing and wildly frightening.

“Alright…over a thousand years old and we’ve never bought clothes together.” Thor noted to fill the silence and Loki gave him a look that dripped with condescension. As princes, their clothes were supplied to them, and Loki could always conjure things anyway. Thor had purchased some on Midgard with Jane, or else been given some courtesy of ‘Avengers perks’.

Loki, ever wanting to have whatever control he could muster, grabbed his own leash with an imperious expression and held it out for Thor to take. He was allowingThor to hold it, Thor was not allowing anything by doing so. That was the air that Loki tried to effect, and Thor being Thor had at least enough tact not to draw attention to what they both knew was a hollow bit of showmanship.

Thor ‘obediently’ took the leash with an expression that made it plain how uncomfortable he was doing so, and Loki smacked his stomach before he confidently headed for the door and made Thor follow for the moment. A few seconds of pretending that reality wasn’t what it was before he had a real taste of being taken out as…’his brother’s pet’.

Loki steeled his expression, determined not to make it worse for them both by betraying that somehow…Thor holding the leash was both better and worse.

Chapter 10: When Will My Reflection Show

Chapter Text

The weight of the collar around his neck perhaps never felt heavier than it had following time spent being leash-led by his brother. Thor was being Thor again, and so he endeavored to be as casual as possible about it and hold the lead while ‘letting’ Loki walk by his side. But it felt so sickeningly familiar that Loki could have choked for it. The days when Loki had been a true Prince of Asgard by Thor’s side, and yet felt as invisible as though he were simply a servant by his brother’s side. Thor commanded a room, both with his own personality and because he was the crown prince. He dominated conversations without trying, he was loud and brash, full of tales of heroism that seemed almost pointedly devoid of Loki’s contributions.

Although it wasn’t much better away from Thor either. Loki was a prince but the way he was treated was a far cry from how Thor was. He didn’t receive the simpering smiles, the warm eagerness to serve and please, he was handled almost as though he were a foreign guest who merited respect but no affection. And he had long since stopped making an effort to change it, he took some small pleasure in being imperious and cool to those beneath him while maintaining a polite persona. Loki apportioned a great deal of blame for that onto Thor, who took so naturally from what was available for either prince. Thor, who openly mocked him before others, who snapped at him carelessly, who didn’t value Loki and his powers.

Thor was a slave [not that he was officially called that, because the Grandmaster liked to pretend he was cultured], and Loki a pet in the social hierarchy of Sakaar. But Thor was a championslave, and simply put, he was still Thor. Loki was even less himself than he’d ever been stuck in a Jotun form with no voice or powers, with only Thor’s mercy to rely upon. A twisted parody of their lives on Asgard.

Loki watched the way Thor was treated and the way Thor reacted as they headed through the halls. The way eyes lingered on Thor, the way desire and admiration presented itself to him. Any eyes cast to Loki seemed mostly to look on him as a curiosity or with a bit of mocking. He recognized some of the people from when he’d been carousing as one of the Grandmaster’s favorites, and supposed he might have made jealous or irked a few who would be glad to see him humbled. But some of the gazes held a predatory hunger that sickened him.

“Champion!” A man cooed as he approached. “I saw your victory against the formerchampion. Most impressive, most impressive.” he glanced to Loki with a faint smirk. “And to win this bit of arm candy no less. May I?” the man asked as he began to reach towards Loki’s face as if to touch it without waiting for permission. Loki had been ready to strike him, since he knew Thor wouldn’t stop him. But he was beaten to the punch as Thor snatched the man’s hand and bent it painfully. Loki thought he might have heard a few bones crack.

“You may not.” Thor said lowly, the look on face one that Loki was well familiar with and one that seemed to make the man even more nervous than having his hand nearly broken.

“A-Apologies, I’ll just…” he scurried off and Thor’s jaw clenched before he glanced sideways and found Loki’s eyes on him.

“Is this how they all treat you?” Thor asked tersely.

Loki might have said ‘this or worse’ if he could, but given the limited range of replies open to him, he gave a nod.

Thor exhaled angrily and they resumed the walk. He had noted the way Loki was treated. Thor was greeted like a, well, a champion. Loki was largely ignored, glanced at like he was a novelty, or gazed at like he was a treat waiting to happen. However angry he was about the ship dock betrayal, however much it rankled constantly to know that he should have been on his way to Asgard but was stuck in this mess because of Loki… The circ*mstances were well above any punishment or brotherly pettiness he would have inflicted on his brother. It was a situation that seemed almost tailor-made to provide Loki with the most possible discomfort and humiliation. Thor knew Loki chafed under restrictions and didn’t do well lacking control or in situations where he felt unsafe.

He did wonder what Loki would have done to him if the situation had been reversed. If Thor had been rendered helpless, perhaps as a mortal again, without his voice or autonomy. Would Loki see fit to help him, or would he take full advantage? Would he have left Thor to the Grandmaster?

The fact that he had to actually wonder made him both sad and irritated. He shouldn’t have to wonder if his own brother would leave him to such a fate.

The exit to the compound was restricted, and Thor had expected to receive whatever it was Andares had mentioned to prevent their escape. But he hadn’t expected to be informed that he and Loki would be separately marked for prevention, and Thor wasn’t best pleased.

“How long will this take? Why is this done separately?” Thor had demanded.

It had taken some explanations that reinforced the fact that even the champion was owned by the Grandmaster, and this is how it was done, and if ‘the Champion’ didn’t like it he could stay inside. Loki had ended up setting a hand on his brother’s upper arm, and inclined his head in silent approval. He’d be glad for time out of the Grandmaster’s direct sphere, and the idea of even having clothes he’d chosen was a sliver of a consolation.

So reluctantly Thor gave in and the pair were separated. Loki was brought to a room with a chair he recognized as one that would bind the occupant. He frowned and was told as though he were naught but a beast to be commanded to sit down.

Loki couldn’t voice a complaint, but nor did he sit, and the man assigned to tag him gave him a disgusted look. “Not even trained yet.” he muttered. “Useless mongrel.”

Loki felt his rage rise at that, at this wretched little nobody who felt entitled to speak to a prince of Asgard and Jotunheim in such a way. He had more power in a finger than the useless wretch had in his entire being.

Not a prince anymore, a pet. Thor’s pet. Loki’s mind jeered at him, and it only made him angrier.

He wanted his daggers, he wanted to painfully introduce the man to how inferior he was, but he let his eyes wander around the room instead. Loki couldn’t make the mistake he’d made at the Grandmaster’s little dinner party, least of all now that he finally had hope of a fix and an escape. Loki made a show of heading for the chair and stumbling as he did so which knocked a tray of items over. The man cursed and began a slew of insults, one of the items had been a bowl of liquid with a rag, and it spilled over the floor.

The man’s haste to deal with the spill gave Loki the precious few seconds he needed. He’d noticed the man had an open drink, and several vials and bottles of what looked like antiseptics and metal polishing liquids. Loki tipped a bit of both into the man’s drink quick as anything, before he took a seat on the chair with an expression of obliviousness while the man continued his ranting.

He assumed they would use some kind of tracking manacle or bracelet, they couldn’t put another collar on him after all. Loki would get it over with, the impudent man would take ill [or perhaps die, and he doubted they screened for toxins after death on Sakaar], and he could get about his business with Thor.

Loki’s wrists were clamped down on by the chair and he frowned, but he had expected it, odd as he found it for what was being done. The man finished cleaning the little mess Loki had made and rose with a repulsed expression.

“Don’t know why anyone’d want you for a pet. Creepy ass red eyes with that slimy blue skin.”

Slimy? Loki sneered at the man despite himself, what in the Hel was that supposed to mean? Jotun skin was cool to the touch, a little firmer than Aesir skin other than on the heritage lines which were softer and more sensitive. The man hadn’t even touched him, so how would he have an opinion? The ‘creepy ass red eyes’ but made his stomach twist uncomfortably though. How often in his childhood had that been remarked on of the Jotnar? The blue skin was ‘bad enough’, but the red eyes really sealed the deal for thinking of them as monster’s. Eyes that were red like blood, eyes that seemed more suited for a demon of Musphelheim or a fire giant. Was that what Thor saw when he looked at Loki? Surely he must, he couldn’t just wash away nearly fifteen-hundred years of being ingrained with the idea that the Jotnar were vile, monstrous beasts.

The man moved to pull something from behind Loki, and he found himself clamped into the seat by a latched pair of curved, metal bars that sunk into his skin and held him in place. All of this to receive a tracking device? He was missing something. Loki surveyed the room again, considered the antiseptics and metal cleaner, the bowl with the rag, the clamped seat…this was an area ready to treat something that would cause injury.

“Now hold still you little sh*t.” The man said, and Loki hoped he’d put enough chemical in the drink to kill the cretin. And then he tensed, startled as he found a strange brought before his face. The man grabbed a handful of his hair and gripped tightly, and Loki instinctively started to pull away. The cretin had been prepared for it though and quickly brought the device to Loki’s nose where he felt a sharp pain that made him intake sharply. The man stepped back and examined Loki, and Loki felt something against the area above his lip. He approached Loki again and Loki tried preemptively to squirm away, he pulled against the bonds but between the metal and his position he lacked stability to exert great force. The man snagged him by the head again as Loki tried to jerk away, and he felt a similar sharp pain at the top of his right ear.

Loki knew with certainty he’d been pierced with something, but he didn’t know what. The man began to apply a cotton swab of antiseptic and he gazed at the man with a longing to kill him personally. He had already had his ears pierced when he’d been made a pet, that was humiliating enough. Warriors and princes didn’t havetheir ears pierced. But now his nose, like some kind of creature, and the top of his ear? The indignities were unending and he had a brief fantasy of burning Sakaar to the ground as he left it.

Loki had time to see into a mirror on his way out, and he found that his nose was pierced with a small, gold hoop decorated with a small, pink gemstone star. He couldn’t imagine a more humiliating thing to have dangling from his nose, and then saw what they’d done to his ear. The piercing was a heart-shaped tag with a deep purple background and glittery silver letters with a different name on both sides. ‘Thor’ and ‘GM’. Loki had been marked like livestock, albeit glitteryand with the Grandmaster’s twisted sense of aesthetic.

“Move it.” The man said as he shoved Loki from behind, and Loki pressed his lips together tightly as he burned with rage and humiliation. The feeling of the metal touching above his lip and the dangling of the tag in his ear served as constant little reminders of how he was viewed on Sakaar, as if he needed another. A reminder of how little power or autonomy he had. Loki was marked, pierced against his will and labeled with the name of his ‘masters’. He knew it wasn’t Thor’s fault really, but the fact that it was Thor’s name on his ear made his blood boil all the same. Loki had come so far, he had tried so hard to escape the shadow of his brother, and now he was tagged with Thor’s bloody name.

When he was brought to Thor, he noted his brother didn’t seem to be sporting any new additions and he frowned. Whatever Thor had as a tracker, it wasn’t a humiliating piercing even though he was a ‘slave’. And again, though he knew it wasn’t really Thor’s fault, it felt like a slight against him and a sign of his brother’s ever-perfect status. The situation rubbed too much along parallel wounds from their lives on Asgard.

Thor’s expression was calm until he took in the piercings, and he moved so quickly towards Loki he expected to be grabbed. But Thor’s hand snaked to his ear and Loki felt him examining the tag. Thor’s gaze was murderous as he looked to the man who’d brought Loki out. “Why have you done this?” he snarled.

And the man was either far more of an imbecile than Loki first thought, or he had quite the stones on him, because he didn’t seem immediately intimidated by the furious thunder-god.

“The Grandmaster wants his pets marked for show. Got a problem with that?” The man jeered.

Thor’s hand was on his throat before he nearly finished the last word as he shoved him backwards into a wall and lifted him a few inches off the ground. Part of Loki was thrilled, but the other part didn’t want to test the limits of what Thor was allowed to get away with. Restrictions on Thor’s freedoms would trickle down to Loki. He quickly grabbed at Thor’s wrist and tugged as he stood in his brother’s field of view and shook his head.

Thor glared at Loki with gritted teeth before he dropped the man to the ground. “If you ever lay hands on my brother again, you will no longer have hands.” he snarled.

Funny how nostalgic the sight of Thor in a bit of murderous rage was. In appearance and sound, he seemed like the Thor who had turned a table over at his coronation and informed Loki it wasn’t wise to be in his company.

‘Whoever said I was wise?’ he’d said, and that was apt perhaps, given the downward spiral his life took from that point on.

“T-The Grandmaster will hear of this.” The man wheezed and Thor looked ready for a second attempt, so Loki tugged him back. Thor’s rage on his behalf was strangely comforting, it was a sign of sentiment he could tolerate well enough, and one that signified Thor’s acknowledgment of Loki. Thor understood the indignity of the piercings, Thor cared about Loki’s status as a Prince of Asgard and his brother, Thor cared about Loki.

With nothing else to cling to presently, Loki found it harder not to cling to those small mercies.

Thor seethed as he left the compound with Loki, a thin band affixed to his ankle as the tracking device. They had pierced his brother with garish trinkets and Thor had, in a way, allowed it. He should have insisted, he should have kept Loki with him, he should have-

The instincts were maddening where his brother was concerned. Nothing should be more important than returning to Asgard, but here his rage was validating the notion that he should be wrathful to the point of detriment. Thor being destructive would have the opposite effect of getting the Grandmaster to low his guard. He wouldn’t just be hurting his chances of escape, he’d be hurting Loki’s chances of being freed from his bonds. But even so, he had set himself to protecting his brother and no sooner had he taken him from their room [how quickly their had been applied], his brother had been pierced and tagged.

Thor didn’t realize he had been storming through the streets to the point of nearly dragging Loki along until he felt angry nails dig into his arm and he was jerked to a stop. Loki glared at him and it took Thor a few seconds to realize why. He ran a hand over his face before he sighed heavily and forced himself to calm. “I didn’t know what they intended. This isn’t…they’re treating you like an animal.” he hissed, and he could feel his anger rising again just at the thought. “They put my name on you. You are my brother, and they would have me be your master.” he spat the word.

Well, Thor seething about it was better than Thor fumbling awkwardly about it, but neither was helpful. And it still drove the point home that Thor had the luxury to complain about such things. He had his voice, he was the ‘master’, he hadn’t even been pierced. Loki shrugged, it seemed the best gesture he could make, and he found Thor’s eyes locked on his. ‘Creepy ass red eyes’ rang in his mind again and he looked away, aware suddenly of how strongly the red and blue would stand out in the sunlight. Of how obvious the contrast between his brother’s skin and his own.

Loki was surprised when Thor’s hand slid into the space between his shoulder and neck as Thor clasped his neck in their old gesture of affection. His gaze slid reluctantly back to Thor’s, and his brother’s eyes seemed pained and frustrated.

“I don’t know if anything I could say would be a comfort, or what those words would be. But I will get this damned collar off you and we will leave Sakaar together. You are not ‘going it alone’.” Thor said, as he referenced what Loki had said to him in the tunnels. “Which, by the way, is a funny thing to hear from someone who keeps letting his only brother think he’s dead.” Thor growled.

Loki felt begrudging affection for his oaf of a big brother, and that Thor brought up Loki’s own words and assured him it was otherwise was strangely touching. At the last bit, Loki couldn’t help an amused smirk and patted his brother’s arm ‘sympathetically’. Thor scowled, which only amused him further, and he ghosted his fingers over Thor’s neck in a very quick approximation of their gesture. He saw Thor’s gaze soften, and he might have laughed if he could. For all of Thor’s talk of still being angry, and for how fierce a look he’d given Loki on the ship dock, he was still so easily moved.

There was a time he would have mocked Thor for it, called it a weakness and pathetic, or disbelieved it as Thor’s attempt at pity. But things had changed, and Thor was nothing if not loyal. Thor was meeting Loki’s red eyes without hesitation, he didn’t hesitate to put his hands on Loki, he used the gesture of affection that he hadn’t done in earnest since…perhaps the mountains of Midgard when he’d taken Loki from the plane?

“Loki, I thought the world of you, I thought we were gonna fight side by side forever.”

But then Thor had followed up with questioning if there was good in Loki and planning to leave him behind. What was he to make of that? He had expected Thor to demand Loki come with him, to give some self-righteous speech about why Sakaar was bad and Loki had a duty to return to Asgard. Loki thought Thor had, more or less, given up on him and he’d been more hurt than he would ever admit. But here was Thor, steadfast and kind despite Loki’s betrayals, despite the fact Thor was still enslaved because of Loki. What was he supposed to feel or think about that? Did he owe Thor anything? Was that even the right way to look at it?

Loki favored his brother with a small smile, he supposed he could do at least that much, and he saw some of the angry tension leave Thor’s shoulders. He felt less irritable himself, less bitter about Thor’s situation in relation to his own. Loki ought to be glad of it, since if they were in the same position, it would be far harder for Thor to assist him and frankly he didn’t want to see Thor trussed up as they’d done him. Loki couldn’t deny a part of him that wanted to punish and humiliate Thor, to overpower him as he’d felt Thor had so many times done to him. But that was between he and Thor, he didn’t want others having that power over either of them, he didn’t want others experiencing Thor’s weakness. And presently, it would take away some of his thin veneer of a sense of safety to see Thor helpless.

The city of Sakaar was dirty compared to any areas of Asgard or Alfheim, even Vanaheim for having so much wilderness seemed more tidy. But Sakaar was certainly eclectic, with a motley assortment of beings, products, and sense-assailing everything.

There was a shop on the corner selling sweet-smelling incense that promised to take you ‘out of this galaxy’. Brothels with holo-suites that could ‘make any fantasy a reality’. There were gambler’s dens, fighting rings, racing tracks for all manner of creatures. There were buskers of various kinds, a few who seemed to use their own bodies as instruments. And then there were the shops that carried general things, such as clothes and food, necessities, weapons. But they wouldn’t be let to carry weapons, or bring them back, so it was a bit of moot point since Loki couldn’t access his pocket dimension.

Loki noticed for that all the beings he saw, he didn’t see any other members of blue-skinned races. He truly was exotic there, and it only added to his discomfort. The tag on his ear swung about loosely and he could feelit, while the one in his nose faintly stung and the star jewel rested under his nose or bounced if he moved just so. Everything about his person felt designed to give him constant reminders of what he was seen as, of what he would be treated as, and how little autonomy he currently possessed.

There were other pets though, he noted, though he wasn’t sure if they were the Grandmaster’s. Most of them were more scantily clad, he noted, and either followed meekly behind their ‘master’ or were practically crawling on them as they walked. Loki gave a shudder, that might well be what Ares would have expected of him if Thor hadn’t won. He glanced at his brother from the corner of his eye. Loki favored Thor’s hair longer, it was a shame they’d cut it. But it did make Thor look strangely older, rougher in a way that his long locks softened. The clothes they put Thor in emphasized his muscular figure, and he had noted to his amusem*nt that Thor had been given a winged helmet when he’d fought The Hulk.

That lightning power though, Loki still didn’t know what to make of it but his mind kept drifting back to it. His brother’s eyes had been covered over by it, it charged around his body in rings, and the explosion when he and The Hulk had collided…how powerful was his brother?

Loki heard Thor snort and saw his brother grinning, and he lifted a brow before Thor pointed to a store next to them. “The perfect store for you, brother.” he said, in a voice of ill-contained laughter.

The store seemed exclusively to sell leather attire and gear, and the mannequins wore tight, black leather costumes that seemed rather suited for a dominatrix. One even had a riding crop, and Loki honestly wasn’t sure if his brother even fully understood exactly what sort of store it was. Thor had many partners in bed, but as far as Loki knew, Thor was as dull there as he was in most other areas. Loki gave his brother a withering look and Thor bumped their shoulders.

“You love leather, don’t give me that look.” Thor teased, and Loki almost didn’t know what to make of it. The spirit of it was familiar, they’d jested this way thousands upon thousands of times in their lives. But they hadn’t had much of that spirit between them in the past decade, to say the least, and in the couple of centuries before that they hadn’t been nearly as close. So he wasn’t sure what Thor’s intention was, or if he truly just…wanted to? Was it that easy for Thor to bury the hatchet between them? Well, a friendly Thor suited Loki better than any angry one, and he couldn’t deny it felt a damn sight better than anything else had been making him feel.

Loki made a show of rolling his eyes, and then decided it might be entertaining to see Thor’s reactions in such a store. He grabbed part of his leash and tugged so that for a moment he was leading Thor to the store.

Thor obliged and smirked at Loki as they headed in. “Couldn’t resist?”

Loki gave him a sharp elbow in the side for lack of ability to give a sharp retort and Thor chuckled.

Thor and Loki’s walk had been silent, which was to be expected given Loki’s lack of voice. But it was more than that, there wasn’t any kind of connection. Loki’s expression was mostly blank, he didn’t express any interest, and Thor had no idea how he was actually feeling or what he was thinking. Thor imagined it would be negative in nature, given his brother’s personality. And he knew things like the Grandmaster’s party were going to be another exercise in humiliation. He felt guilty about his brother’s piercings, and it chafed at him to recognize that Loki and he were so distant that Loki didn’t want to seek comfort from him. There was a time when Loki’s first instinct when he was sad, frightened, or even happy was to run to his big brother. Now Thor wasn’t sure if he could get away with a gesture of affection without being stabbed or betrayed.

He saw the leather store and thought to amuse Loki a bit and lighten the mood, and was relieved when it seemed to have a bit of effect. Loki didn’t reject his attempt at least, and then he pulled Thor towards the store. Thor hadn’t given it much thought but as he entered, he realized the store was…not what he’d thought at an offhand glance.

Whips, riding crops, cat o’nine tails, ridiculously long-heeled boots, corsets, lingerie, masks, handcuffs…oh.

“I didn’t know it was this kind of store.” he supplied, as he and Loki found themselves faced with a ball-gag and Loki lifted a brow. “Youbrought us in here.”

Loki tilted his head and then tugged on the lead of the leash that was still in Thor’s hand with an innocent expression, implying he was the one leading so how could Loki have done it?

“Might I help you find anything, sir?” A woman said behind them and Thor found himself the sole target of her gaze as she ignored Loki completely.

“Weare only looking, but if you’re needed, we’ll let you know.” Thor said with a co*cky smile, and the woman seemed off-put before she left them be.

The amusem*nt had left Loki’s face and he seemed disinterested in the store. Thor didn’t have to guess why, and he thought quickly as he pointed to a pair of what looked like skin-tight black-leather pants. “That looks exactly like something you would wear.” he mused ‘thoughtfully’.

Loki eyed the pants, looked at Thor, and then held up a package with a ball gag towards Thor’s mouth with a mocking smirk.

“You’d miss my jokes too much.” Thor said dismissively, and Loki made an expression that made it clear he disagreed as he put it back.

They came to a row of books and Loki scanned them idly before he stopped and did a double take. Thor was distracted by a set of costumes that seemed to amuse him, but Loki’s attention was on a certain book.

Champions of the Bedroom- Lord of Thunder and The Incredible Hulk

Loki skimmed the contents, a combination of writing and crude comic art that left him with lifted brows and a lovely bit of mischief as he offered Thor a winning smile and handed him the book.

“Hm?” Thor took the offered book, glanced at the title with a frown, and as he began to skim the book his eyes widened. He started to say something and cut off as the book only grew more extreme in content and he made a choked noise before he put the book back. “We are never speaking of this again.” he growled, and Loki grinned at Thor with every intention of never letting his brother live it down.

Who the Hel wrote such things? Why was there even a market for it? And Loki was grinning like Yuletide had come early and while the reason annoyed him, he was relieved to see Loki making that expression.

He didn’t realize Loki had snatched the card off of him until he found he’d reached the end of the leash and gotten tugged back as Loki went to the counter with the damned book. That little…

The woman at the counter stared at the book held out to her and looked at Loki with an expression of disdain. As Thor approached, she said. “We don’t conduct transactions with pets.”

Thor froze and he saw Loki tense, and Thor wanted to break something. He settled for saying in his most arrogant tone. “Is that how you treat the new Grand Champion here? I’ll be sure to let the Grandmaster know.”

The woman stared at him for a moment, then glanced at the book in Loki’s hand, then her eyes widened. “Oh, you’re…you’re…oh! I-my mistake. I’ll ring it up right away…terribly sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to him.” Thor said as he motioned to Loki.

Loki knew Thor meant well in it, and he did have some satisfaction in Thor making her do so, but it also just againrubbed in their status difference and Thor’s luxury to be entitled even as a ‘slave’.

“I…I apologize.” The woman said, and they left the store once the book was purchased and bagged.

Once they’d walked away, Thor frowned at Loki. “That book isn’t coming with us to Asgard, I hope you know.”

Loki switched the bag to the arm furthest from his brother as he stuck his nose up at Thor with an air of ‘try and stop me’. He had no use for the book other than to agitate his brother, but what an excellent use that was.

They came upon a shop that sold pets of the actual animal variety, and there was a giant, albino snake in the glass container that made up the outer display window. Thor took them over to it without preamble, and Loki noted with amusem*nt his brother hadn’t lost his fondness for snakes. If he still had his powers, he might well have transformed into one to mess with his brother again…but he couldn’t so much as light a candle at present. The snake had pearly white skin and red eyes a little lighter than Loki’s current own.

“I’ve never seen such a beautiful snake.” Thor said as he gazed admiringly at it.

Loki frowned slightly at that, albino snakes were an aberration. Thor’s precious Midgardians had cultures that treated albino mortals as subhuman, and he was admiring this snake with it’s strange skin and bloody red eyes?

Are you talking about the snake or yourself? Loki’s mind supplied slyly and he pushed the thought aside with a mental scowl that he didn’t allow to reach his face. His brother thought Loki’s appearance was disgusting, as well he should, and Loki supposed he should be grateful his brother was tactful enough to make an effort to pretend otherwise.

Thor considered to himself if the snake might allow him a reasonable segue to make a positive comment regarding Loki’s eyes. Something casual that his touchy brother wouldn’t find too overt, but he wasn’t sure if he’d be making things worse. Thor could compliment his brother with all sincerity and Loki would find a way to twist it into something utterly different and resent him for it.

“I saw your match with Fandral, you wielded your daggers well.” Thor said, impressed by his brother’s skill with the small, dual-blades. He lacked such a skill himself, and Loki’s speed and precision was a pleasure to watch.

Loki faintly stiffened as sardonic smile curved his lips. “For me, you mean? I know they are not what you consider a warrior’s weapons.”

Thor could see Loki had found some insult in what he’d said and he scowled, irritated that his brother seemed determined to find fault with all Thor said or did sometimes. “A warrior is not defined by their weapon, brother.”

“Funny, are you not the one who likes to say magic is not suited for a warrior?”

“Sorcery is not a weapon.” Thor said, a stubborn reply to an argument they’d had many times before.

“Spoken by one who knows nothing about sorcery.” Loki drawled, in that tone like Thor was an ignorant child, the one that set his teeth on edge.

Thor had been trying to pay his brother a genuine compliment, and it had turned instantly ugly. “Do not speak to me in that tone.” Thor snapped, and Loki blinked before he shirked somewhat. His brother usually caved when Thor’s temper flared, when Thor pulled rank.

Loki had thought he’d fought rather well, he had bested Fandral quickly. But then Thor had come with his ‘you wielded your daggers well’. They were his primary weapons aside from magic, and Thor lacked finesse to wield daggers to their greatest effect. He couldn’t imagine Thor being pleased if Loki came up to casually say ‘you wielded Mjolnir well’ after a battle. Loki knew Thor well, and he was sure his brother was paying him a back-handed compliment. Their conversation displayed Thor’s continued ignorance and prejudice to sorcery, and he longed to show Thor how much a weapon sorcery could truly be. Then Thor snapped at him, that tone like Loki was a servant to be commanded or an errant dog, and it made his skin crawl even as he withdrew. Thor’s temper was something he liked to avoid, he didn’t enjoy being around when Thor reached levels of hurling objects or slamming his fist into things.

Thor regretted the stance he’d taken against his brother’s magic, and how he’d mocked him for it. They had never spoken about it; but with time, hindsight, and new experience he realized his notions were antiquated. He sighed to himself and looked to Loki, who seemed to be absently observing the snake. The metal ring on his nose glinted in the sunlight and Thor felt his stomach lurch. It reminded Thor of the bulls on Midgard, Jane had showed him something called a ‘matador’ that baited the beasts for sport. And then there was the tag on Loki’s ear with his name on it. Thor felt complicit even though ultimately this all came about by Loki’s own hands. His brother was pierced with his name, regarded as his property, and Thor had a finite amount of time to save them both and get them to Asgard to stop Hela.

“Think a giant snake would fit in our room?” Thor queried with false seriousness.

Loki didn’t look amused by the comment and instead walked past Thor, who adjusted and walked with his brother.

Thor couldn’t tell if he was helping or making any real headway with Loki. Was it fair to even wonder? If Thor were bound up as Loki was and Loki was jesting with him, would it make it better or worse? Probably better if Loki were sincere, but likely worse since he could only really imagine Loki mocking him.

Loki hadn’t missed the phrasing, ‘our room’, but his brother’s meager attempt at humor only furthered the annoyance that had built after his thoughts about the snake. He walked on as he ignored it and came across a store with clothes that were…reasonable.

The brothers headed in and Loki browsed as Thor followed, he seemed content to go where Loki wished which was convenient. He had never imagined he’d be doing something so mundane as shopping at a common retail store, and with The Mighty Thorno less. Never mind the rest of the situation at hand.

Thor’s brow furrowed as he picked a shirt up from the rack and Loki glanced at it before he rolled his eyes. The shop seemed to have a mix of items from other plants, and clearly the shirt was from Midgard. It read ‘Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ and had tacky drawings of the Avengers, including Thor looking even more of a muscle bound dolt than his real life counterpart.

He picked up another shirt with a curly-haired man and a quote that read ‘Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side’. Thor smirked as he showed it to Loki who read it and then made a half-shrug with an expression of seeing a point there, even as his lips quirked faintly. Thor would consider that a small victory.

He set the shirt back before he found a long black tunic with two dark green stripes on either side. It reminded him somewhat of what Loki had worn when they’d gone to Svartalfheim. Thor presented it to Loki who seemed faintly annoyed, perhaps expecting another joke shirt, but he paused as he saw the tunic. He considered it a few seconds before he snatched it from Thor and then turned without actual acknowledgment.

Thor shrugged it off as he poked through a rack for something to do, only to feel his shoulder poked by a hanger. He found himself presented with a red and black half-sleeve shirt made of a tight, thin material. Thor was surprised that Loki wanted it, or had bothered to show him. “Whatever you want.” he said, trying to sound as much as possible like it was obvious and not that he was ‘giving permission’. His shoulder was jabbed more aggressively and Thor realized Loki wanted him to take it. “Oh, for me.” Loki nodded, accompanied by a look that suggested he questioned Thor’s intelligence [and what a familiar look that was], and then Loki went back to browsing.

Thor had no idea how to interpret the gesture, but whether or not he liked the shirt he wasn’t going to turn it down since Loki had bothered to present it to him.

“Oh, wow, you’re the new Grand Champion!”

Thor turned to find an attractive woman in an outfit that looked rather like it belonged in the first shop they’d entered. “I am.”

“You were socool in your last battle.”

“Ah, thank you.” Thor said, not eager to engage for a variety of reasons but he offered a polite smile anyway.

“Listen, is the thing about you and The Hulk being…like a thing, true? Or how do you swing?”

Thor coughed as he said. “No thing, there is no thing. That is a lie.”

Loki had been a fixture by Thor’s side long enough to recognize certain tones in particular, and he heard the sound of a woman interested in his brother. His gaze flicked over to the scene as the woman gushed over him, how typical. But then she mentioned the Hulk [and how glad he was for the context of the book] because he thoroughly enjoyed seeing Thor slightly flustered as she brought that up.

Loki considered bringing the book out and trying to indicate that it wastrue, but he decided on a different bit of mischief. Thor seemed eager to mess about, so Loki would generously oblige. He slipped up to his brother’s side as he slipped one arm over his brother’s stomach and the other over his shoulder as he brushed his gloved fingers against Thor’s collarbone. Loki shot the woman a coy smile as he pressed against his brother and gave a rather unbrotherly impression. He had used a similar move, even sat on Thor’s lap once, disguised as a woman to ruin an impending dalliance. Thor would never out him, of course, and Loki would get a thrillingly irritated expression from his brother.

“Loki.” Thor growled as he tried to extricate himself from his brother, but Loki held him tighter. Thor would have to make an effort if he wanted to dislodge him.

“Oh, your pet is kinda possessive, huh? I mean, I don’t mind sharing, that little nose ring is super cute.”

Loki’s humor slipped again as his fingernails dug into Thor’s collarbone a second before he pulled away.

“I’m not interested.” Thor said dismissively.

“Seriously?” The woman seemed offended and scoffed. “Enjoy your little blue freak then.” she said as she walked away.

Thor inhaled through his teeth, knowing full well Loki had heard and that it would be undoubtedly painful to hear. “Brother.” But Loki was already moving to the next aisle and dragging Thor along as if nothing had happened, feigning a nonchalance that Thor didn’t believe for a minute. He headed over to Loki and hesitated, not sure what to say, and Loki shot him a light glare. Thor held up his hands in a non-confrontational gesture. “I know how hard this is for you-” he started softly, trying to empathize, but that was clearly the wrong thing to say because rage flared in Loki’s expression.

Loki couldn’t seem to do anything without being reminded of ‘what’ he currently was. And as the woman called him a ‘little blue freak’, he felt the petty insult like a slash across his skin. She was nothing, no one, but she could speak of Loki that way without fear of consequence. That was what she sawwhen she looked at him, what they presumably all saw other than those who were interested in bedding a ‘blue freak’. And Thor was seeing it all, hearing it all, and Loki had no idea what he truly felt or thought. But he could see the oaf’s concern, he could practically feel it, and he couldn’t stand it. They had been at odds for so long, and Thor was slipping so easily into a brotherly role now that Loki was helpless. Did he think it would make Loki soft and pliant, that he would come running back to Thor to be the same little shadow at his side?

Some part of him knew that wasn’t a fair assessment, but none of it was fair, and he didn’t care to be fair to Thor. Who had the audacity to speak of knowing how hard it was for Loki when he understood nothing, he couldn’t possibly.

He wanted to carve his pain into something, and Thor always seemed a good target for it, he was practically inviting it. Loki had no weapons though, and fighting with his ‘master’ in a public store seemed a bad idea. He scowled as he shoved the clothes he’d taken onto a shelf and started to turn, but Thor caught him by his arm. As Loki whipped around, Thor said quietly but firmly. “I will say no more about it.”

Loki shrugged Thor off and considered it a moment before he picked the clothes back up and shoved them into Thor’s arms, a silent demand that Thor carry them. And then he proceeded to shop while ignoring Thor.

Thor felt his own temper flare. He knew it was hard for Loki, regardless of his wrathful reaction that seemed to indicate he felt otherwise or didn’t want to hear it. Thor was trying to be kind and keep Loki’s spirits up. It pained him to see his brother being treated so lowly, to see him tagged like an animal, to see his name glittering from Loki’s ear as though he wanted any of this. But Loki had done this to them both, Thor had been trying to leave. Loki had mocked and betrayed him. He understood Loki’s moodiness, and his prickly behavior, but being treated as the enemy by his brother rankled. Thor had a spiteful, petty urge to jerk the leash and yank Loki backwards, but it was a childish thought and he gave it no life. What he wanted most was camaraderie between them, a truce at the very least, not Loki’s hostility.

When Loki was satisfied with his selections, he pointed to the counter and passed the card back to Thor as he looked at him expectantly.

Thor frowned and wondered if he’d given Loki the impression he wouldn’t ‘fight back’ just because Loki was like this. He was not a child who would capitulate to his little brother’s mood any longer. But to make a snarky reply would do nothing when Loki couldn’t even speak, so he obliged and purchased the clothes including the shirt Loki had picked for him.

They left and Loki started to walk a good foot ahead, and Thor narrowed his eyes at his brother from behind. He caught up to Loki who increased his speed and made it clear it was intentional. Thor scowled as he came to a stop and held the leash tightly, and Loki came to a halt when he reached the end of the slack. Loki turned with a glare and Thor didn’t move or speak, he waited until an angry Loki came back to him and made a questioning hand gesture.

“We are here because of you, Loki. Asgard suffers while we play games with the Grandmaster because of your pettiness and greed.” Thor said lowly, his tone revealing controlled anger.

Loki again longed for a weapon as Thor forced him to draw up short, only to hit him with a bit of self-righteous lecturing. ‘Pettiness’ and ‘greed’, trying to survive on Sakaar was that was it? He owed Thor nothing, and if he chose to betray his brother and sell him to the Grandmaster or not, that wasn’t for Thor to give Loki a moral lecture about. He gave Thor the snidest look he could manage, having regained some measure of confidence based on Thor’s behavior and his own rage. Loki was therefore surprised when Thor slid his hand up the leash till he was gripping the leash right where it met Loki’s collar as he jerked it and forced Loki’s head to lower.

“I warned you not to stop me going to Asgard. You mocked me and did it anyway. Hela’s rise and Father’s death come from your doing. I am again stuck cleaning yourmesses, Loki.” Thor snapped. “But I don’t intend to kick you when you’re down, although I know you gladly would me. I don’t expect much from you, Loki, but you will stop treating me as the enemy unless that is what you wish me to be.” he warned.

Loki wanted to lash out, he wanted to be in a position to do so, and he wanted Thor’s words not to matter. But he wasn’t in such a position, and the threat of Thor positioning himself as an enemy put an odd panic in his chest. More than just the loss of his ally, it wasn’t what he wanted to be to Thor. True, he currently wanted to stab Thor and was furious with him, but…he had thought after Odin’s death that might start to make some kind of amends. And Thor was still too stubborn and foolish to realize what Loki had said on the docks.

“It’s a shame, but what can we do? Hela would kill us both, and while you’ve always been alarmingly lacking in a sense of self-preservation…I am not.”

The declaration of intent wasn’t overt, but reading between the lines…he didn’t want Thor to die. And Thor lacked sense enough to keep himself out of harm’s way so Loki had to do it, and it was a pleasant bonus that he could make money off of Thor to boot.

Loki had no choice really but to capitulate, and it left him feeling hollow. He wasn’t even allowed to be angry. Thor hadn’t just gotten angry back at him, it wasn’t a ‘normal, brotherly fight’. He had made it almost an ultimatum, and jerked on Loki’s leash, which just drove the point home for the umpteenth time the situation he was in.

The situation that Thor both shared and did not share, and that he dared act as though he could empathize with.

‘I don’t expect much from you, Loki’. The words stung and Loki hated that they did, hated the way his mind turned the words over and found meanings each more unpleasant than the last. Not least among them that Thor had given up on him, that it was why he’d been willing to leave Loki on Sakaar. Perhaps this bit of loyalty and kindness was just Thor’s sense of duty, and not born of actually still wanting Loki back in any capacity.

Loki schooled his expression into a neutral one as he met Thor’s gaze and nodded.

Thor eyed him a moment. “Are we brothers or enemies?” he asked, wanting something other than the vague nod.

Well what the Hel did Thor want him to do? He fought to keep irritation out of his expression as he set his hand on Thor’s chest, a gentle gesture that he hoped made his point. Thor’s expression didn’t soften, but he seemed to accept it.

They stopped at one more clothing store, and Loki picked out a few more items while Thor remained silent. Loki found the absence of Thor’s attempts at teasing suddenly notable, and he cursed himself for being so weak as to think he wanted such a thing. Thor’s attention and affection were of no consequence to him.

When they finished there, Loki pointed in the direction of the compound as a signal that he was done. But Thor had said there was something he needed, so Loki followed as Thor peered at multiple store fronts before he found what he wanted. He watched as Thor grabbed a large and small notebook and a package of pens. Oddly enough, it didn’t click for him what Thor intended for them until after when Thor told him gruffly. “The small one you should be able to carry around. I doubt any of them read and write Asgardian either.”

Thor was giving him a method of communication. He had put thought into it, getting a smaller one to carry when they were gone from the room. The tiniest flicker of guilt mingled with gratitude flickered in him, and he gave Thor’s upper arm a squeeze as a gesture of thanks.

Thor still seemed angry, but he inclined his head in acknowledgment.

When they were back inside they stopped at the dinner hall to grab food rather than order it to the room. But as Thor stated who he was for it to be logged since champions ate free, the man said. “Oh! I got something from the Grandmaster, hold on a sec.”

He produced a small, cardboard box wrapped in sparkling wrapping paper, and Thor’s brow furrowed. “The Grandmaster likes to give little pre-game party gifts sometimes. Was told to give this to you whenever your name came up.”

“Great.” Thor said, with no enthusiasm as he took the box and he and Loki headed back to their room. When inside and seated, he poked at the box with a frown. “You know anything about this?” he asked, since Loki had spent time in the Grandmaster’s company.

Loki nodded and made a grabbing motion, so Thor passed him the box. The box contained a pair of chocolates, one labeled ‘S’ and one labeled ‘C’, for Sapphire and Champion.

Tonight’s theme is Wonderland, eat the chocolates as soon as you get them, and enjoy!

Still deciding on a punishment, thunder-baby.

-Xoxo Grandmaster.

Loki couldn’t recall a reason the Grandmaster would have added the last line so he passed it to Thor while tapping his finger on that line.

Thor read through it and made an expression of distaste. “It’s nothing.” he muttered before he eyed the box. “Do we have to eat those?”

Well, they obviously did something and the Grandmaster was counting on them to be eaten so…Loki nodded even as he wanted Thor to elaborate on his ‘it’s nothing’.

Loki tossed Thor his chocolate as he unwrapped his own, and knowing there was no point in delaying the inevitable, he ate it. Thor followed suit with a displeased expression. When nothing happened, the pair both went back to eating and left it at that.

“Do you have any idea where he’d keep the key?” Thor asked abruptly.

Loki had never been in the Grandmaster’s actual bedroom, no one went there. He had a private and a public bedroom, and the public bedroom was where he took his partners. Loki suspected the private bedroom might be where he’d keep such a thing. He took out the larger notebook and pen and in elegant script, unlike his brother’s messy one, he wrote. Private bedroom, possibly.

Thor read it and his brow furrowed. “Private bedroom?”

He has a private bedroom only he has access to.

Thor considered that and supposed that would be a good place for the key if the Grandmaster was careful about it. But being the Grandmaster, that was up in the air. He noted a faint tingling sensation that crawled up over his arms, but it soon passed and he brushed it off.

By the time the pair had finished eating, Thor rose to head for the bathroom when he saw Loki suddenly double over as if in pain. “Loki?” he said urgently as he quickly went to Loki’s side and set a hand on his back. “Brother, what is it?”

Loki scrunched up into himself tightly as he clutched his stomach and made a few stray whimpering noises. Thor slipped in front of Loki and crouched down to look at his face as he set one hand on Loki’s knee and the other he brought to Loki’s shoulder to move him slightly upright. Loki’s expression was twisted with pain and there was alarm in the red eyes as he looked at Thor. His mouth moved like he was trying to speak before he whimpered again and pitched forward, and Thor guided his forehead to Thor’s shoulder. Thor felt one of Loki’s hands slip against his upper left torso and grab into him as Loki pressed against him and writhed. “I’m going to call for medical.” he’d been advised already that there was such a thing.

Loki made an urgent whimper as his other arm slid around Thor’s shoulder and gripped his back, he clearly didn’t want Thor to go.

Loki had felt odd pains on and off since he’d eaten the chocolate, but he had assumed the Grandmaster’s chocolate wouldn’t do much harm. If the Grandmaster wanted him dead, Loki would be that already. It was some kind of game. But then an agonizing pain came over him and despite his cold physiology he felt like he was burning. Thor was before him and he gripped at his brother like a lifeline, his only sense of safety in his pain-induced haze. His brother started to leave but Loki grabbed onto him and clutched him, Loki was sure Thor wouldn’t let him die, Thor would help him-

Another spasm of pain wracked him as he clutched at Thor with enough force to break a mortal spine. And then he felt a ripping sensation, heard and felt a grinding inside of him, and then his skin ached. Loki gave a pained whimper, the only sound he could make, as his breath hitched against Thor’s shoulder and he heard Thor saying something as though far away. And then the pain was everywhere, he felt stretched and sore, he didn’t understand what was happening.

When the pain finally stopped he felt out of breath and weary like he’d done something strenuous, and he noted that while his arm was still around Thor, it felt different.

Loki cracked open his eyes as he lifted and pulled away from Thor who looked up at him with a stunned expression, and Loki looked down at him with one that quickly matched it. Thor had gotten smaller.

No, Loki had gotten bigger.

Loki’s clothes hung off of him in tatters as he stumbled quickly to his feet, and his body felt unsteady. He nearly fell sideways but Thor was up in an instant and slipped an arm around Loki’s waist to steady him. Loki found himself standing side-by-side with Thor, and he realized then how large the size difference was and what had clearly happened. He was the size of a frost giant, a proper, not-runt frost giant, a good ten feet tall. And his brother, at roughly six and four, was nearly four feet shorter than him now. Loki set a hand on Thor’s shoulder that dwarfed it. The collar on his neck had expanded with him, and it was good thing or he’d have been strangled before Amora could reach him to fix it.

Thor had watched his little brother grow until he was the size of a full grown frost giant, and to say he was stunned was an understatement. It was Loki, in every way that it had been Loki, the features were all still there and he saw Loki’s own shock. But he was suddenly huge, and as Loki staggered, he felt Loki’s hand cover the length of his shoulder. “The chocolate?”

Loki nodded, there didn’t seem a better explanation and he eyed Thor as he wondered why his brother seemed not to be suffering from his ‘gift’.

“Are you still in pain?” Thor asked, and Loki shook his head, fondly exasperated despite himself at Thor’s concern even as he watched his frost giant brother suddenly outgrow him by a good four feet.

He wasn’t Loki with blue skin and red eyes anymore, he was the size of a proper frost giant. Loki felt the weight of the situation anew as he slunk back into the chair and stared numbly at the table. Thor’s hand found his shoulder and it was so small. He looked down at Thor, taller even in a seated position, and laughed mirthlessly. How many times in their childhood had he wanted to be the bigger and stronger brother, to be able to take on Thor, to be his equal, to have Thor’s respect.

Now he was bigger alright, because he was forced to don the features of his birth race before the eyes of an Asgardian prince taught for over a thousand years to fear and revile his kind.

Loki could practically hear his oaf brother’s voice in his head reassuring him confidently that ‘his kind’ were of Asgard, that he was. And the funny thing was, Thor would probably mean it.

With an idle, pained amusem*nt Loki brought his hand to the side of Thor’s head to see that his hand could cover the whole side of it. He was a damned monster. Thor stared and Loki could only imagine how much worse he looked with his proportions blown larger. His brother slid his hand up to Loki’s as if he meant to hold it, but Loki twisted it under Thor’s palm and held their hands together to note the size difference there too. Salt into the wound, to see Thor’s pale, aesir hand fitting in his palm as his own blue, lined hand dwarfed it. Loki steeled himself against the flood of pained feelings that welled up in him, and Thor sat on the table with his knees on either side of Loki’s legs.

“Do these chocolates wear off quickly?”

Loki shrugged, he had only heard in passing that the Grandmaster gave such things as gifts, he had no idea about their function. He did wonder though as he peered at Thor what his were meant to do. Loki gestured at Thor and gave him a questioning look.

“I felt…strange for a moment. But it passed.”

Loki frowned at that, he knew the Grandmaster wouldn’t give out the chocolates without purpose, and that a strange feeling indicated some effect would be in play.

“Would it be magic that did this? Some kind of potion in the chocolate?”

Loki paused and then pointed to the notebook and pen, Thor obliged and passed them over and he had to hold the pen awkwardly between his thumb and pointer finger now that his hand was so large. In less neat handwriting he wrote. I have no way to check without my magic or a potion room.

Thor rubbed his face in a hand as he considered the latest development. “This place is maddening.”

Loki was inclined to agree, and also more than a little concerned for Thor and what his own chocolate effect might be. He hoped in either case the effect was short-lived, because being a full-sized giant would only make things worse. Loki was going to have to attend the party Jotun-sized, to be further gawked at and made the subject of unpleasant commentary. He sighed heavily, and felt Thor’s hand, small and warm rest atop his own. Thor said nothing, either because he had nothing to say or perhaps due to what had happened in the store earlier when he said he would say no more. But the silent gesture of comfort, the little sign that Thor wasn’t outright rejecting him for yet another connection to the race they’d been taught to hate…it was something.

Loki only realized in that moment that his gloves had been shredded in the size shift and he had touched Thor with his bare hands. Tentatively, he brought a few fingers down towards Thor’s skin and met his brother’s gaze, a silent query or a challenge perhaps.

Thor hesitated only the few seconds it took to realize Loki was waiting for him to express some kind of reply, and he surprised Loki by slipping one hand into Loki’s palm, and setting one on top of his hand. Loki instinctively started to pull away but Thor held on as he brushed his thumb against his brother’s hand. “I warn you now, if you use the touch on me for spite I will tie your hands together until we leave Sakaar.” he said with faux sternness.

Thor was a fool, but the little jest soothed something in him. He let his fingers curl around Thor’s hand lightly.

Can’t tie my hands if you’re frozen.Loki wrote in the notebook and watched with a hint of a smile as Thor read it and then shot him a wry look.

“That’s a morbid thing to joke about, brother.”

Who says I’m joking?

Thor frowned and Loki rewarded him with a slight grin as he bumped his leg against Thor’s lightly. He decided to take Loki’s words as a joke anyway, to afford himself the small comfort of hoping that Loki would never go thatfar.

Chapter 11: Through The Looking Glass

Chapter Text

Thor was surprised by how cold Loki’s hands were, and the texture of his skin. Loki had always run colder than the other Asgardians, and he knew why now, Odin and Loki’s glamour could only do so much. But he hadn’t realized how actively cold Loki’s hand would feel in his Jotun form, or that his skin would feel firmer but for the raised heritage lines. It wasn’t unpleasant, only different, and he absently brushed his thumb along a heritage line before Loki abruptly jerked his hand away with a frown. Thor wasn’t sure if he had pushed it by holding Loki’s hand, if it was insecurity about his Jotun form, or if there was another reason.

He wasn’t sure how he’d have reacted if he’d seen Loki’s Jotun form back when he’d first discovered his heritage. Thor had been so blinded by his prejudice, he was sure he would never have hurt his brother, but it was possible he would have reacted poorly. In the sense of an expression that would seem like rejection to Loki, or a knee-jerk instinct to recoil from a frost giant’s touch. But Thor had years to come to terms with the idea, to dispel the notion that the Jotnar were beasts, and to imagine his brother as one. So looking at Loki now, even fully sized, while strange was not a horrific sight or repulsive to him. Loki was Loki in any form, and he loved his brother all the same. He hadn’t had a chance to ask about or think much about the fact that Loki’s little play about his ‘noble sacrifice’ included such a big shout out to the fact that Loki was a frost giant. He called himself, via the Odin actor, a ‘little blue boy’ who melted the old man’s heart.

The notion of it was strange, especially as Loki had still seemed to be trying to decide if he wanted to be Odin’s son or not. Loki had called him brother excessively when he’d gotten him out of Asgard’s cells, on the heels of multiple attempts to kill him and denying they were brothers. Thor hadn’t known what to make of it, though he hoped it was a sign of regret on Loki’s part, and a desire to ask for their brotherhood to be acknowledged without actually asking.

Thor thought Loki hated his Jotun self, so the play confused him. The only thing he could guess is that because Loki had been outed anyway during his trial for his crimes on Midgard, he was trying to rehabilitate his image and make his frost giant heritage sympathetic. But did that mean Loki actually came to terms with it, or he was just making due with what he had?

“You still look like you.” Thor finally said, not sure if he should speak on it or not, but not able to let it lie. He wanted a more elegant way to phrase that he saw Loki for himself either way, and that he wasn’t monstrous, without actually using those words. But he didn’t have them, and ‘you still look like you’ is what came out. In actual fact, the more he looked at Loki, the more he saw Loki’s mannerisms in this version of his brother…the more he found beauty in the form. Thor liked his brother’s sharp, green eyes, but the crimson ones put a pleasant thrill in him. The Jotnar were the enemy of Asgardians, and while he’d shifted his view of them, some part of him still instinctively saw Jotnar as predatory, as dangerous. So, given that his brother was on a good day as liable to stab him as to greet him with a smile, the eyes weren’t all that unsuitable. It was Loki in that form, Loki whose touch could freeze him, who had been born on Jotunheim and ‘given’ to him as a brother.

The blue of his skin and the heritage lines were Lokito his mind now too, he knew enough to know no two Jotnar had quite the same markings. This form was Loki’s birth form, the intricate pattern of the lines was unique to his brother, so cold, smooth skin his brother’s too. Thor saw no monster, only his brother, but with an underlying sense of the fact that his brother had been born to the enemy, could have well been one he met on the battlefield if things had been just a little different.

The thought had left him sickened more than once. The idea that in another life, he might have raised Mjolnir against Loki, nothing but another frost giant to him.

Thor much preferred this reality, even for all the grief Loki had given him, he could not imagine his life without Loki in it.

Loki had let Thor hold his hands, surprised by his boldness and the bit of trust. It wasn’t even that Loki would intentionally freeze him, he could do it accidentally, but Thor seemed unconcerned. They joked about it, and it was a strange moment for Loki to be making jokes with Thor about something that he’d hidden for so long. Thor’s thumb traced a heritage line, and the lines were sensitive, far more sensitive than such accessible skin had business being. The gesture unnerved him in general, but the shiver it sent up his spine as Thor stroked it was what caused him to jerk his hand back.

What had that woman called it, a bad tattoo? Was that what Thor saw?

Thor’s words caught him off guard, and he didn’t know how to interpret them or what prompted Thor to say them. He looked like himself while red-eyed, blue-skinned, and ten feet tall? Had the chocolates affected his eye sight?

Thor saw his words had missed their mark and he internally sighed. Damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. He missed a chance to say more [perhaps a good thing] as the door was knocked on and Thor exchanged a glance with Loki before he headed over. “Yeah?” he said through the door.

”Style express, all aboard.” he heard that man, Andares?, on the other side.

Thor opened the door with a frown. “What?”

“Apparently we’re theme dressing after all. I kindly volunteered to do the honors for you two, to keep the she-devil away, you’re welcome by the way.”

“Loki isn’t wearing a dress.” Thor said immediately.

“In the grand scheme of things, a dress is the least of his worries.” Andares said wryly.

From his chair, Loki heard the exchange and Thor’s little jump to his ‘defense’. Although, how much of that was personal care on Thor’s behalf versus Thor protecting the ‘Asgardian royal family’ reputation?

“You’ve eaten your chocolates, right?”

“Yeah, mine didn’t do anything.”

Andares laughed. “It will, trust me. Where’s the other party guest?” he asked and he noted that Thor hesitated.

“Does he have to go?”

“Didn’t we go through this already? Don’t draw attention to yourself, keep the Grandmaster happy.” Andares saw irritation on Thor’s face and laughed. “It’s not all that bad, give the Grandmaster more scenes like the one you gave him when you claimed Loki and-” Thor’s hand covered Andares’ mouth in one smooth grab, and Thor felt a strange, slimy heat on his palm that made him jerk his hand back.

Loki heard the partial sentence and saw from behind as Thor seemed to grab Andares only to jerk his hand back and he finally pulled the decorative throw from the couch around his waist as he approached. He kept to the side of Thor and out of sight for the moment and he watched Thor wipe his hand on his pants with a frown. “Was that your tongue?”

“What, first time being licked, thunderer? Color me surprised."

It hadn’t quite felt like a tongue, and Thor wondered just what he was dealing with in this ‘Andares’.

“You aren’t a prude are you? I can’t imagine a fertility god being one.”

“It’s a minor affinity.”

“I somehow doubt any part of you is minor.” Andares said with a broad smile and Thor’s jaw tightened.

“Are you done?”

“Depends, do you want me to be?”

“Yes.”

“Touchy, touchy. Well, come on, we haven’t got all night. Where’s-” Loki came into view and Andares’ brows lifted. “Oh, you definitely ate your chocolate.”

Loki listened to Andares talking loosely about Thor’s sex life and physical attributes, never a favorite topic for Loki, and he stepped forward as Andares asked about him again. As he stood behind Thor, he again marveled at towering over his older brother while also finding it uncomfortable.

Thor followed Andares’ gaze behind him where he looked up at Loki with a frown, and Loki took some small pleasure in Thor’s obvious distaste for having to look up at him. Every chance in the world to tease Thor about being the smaller one and no voice with which to do it. He’d noted it sitting, but it became clearer as he got up from the chair, there was a tight pain low in his stomach and he wasn’t sure what to make of it. Perhaps a side effect of the chocolate or the change in size?

“Yeah, I don’t think you’d fit in a dress anyway, honey.” Andares said with a whistle and Thor narrowed his eyes. “Well come on, we’ll see what we can do.” he stepped back and Thor closed the door partway a moment as he looked to Loki.

“We have to go.” he sounded apologetic.

Loki knew the score perfectly well, and for lack of a way to respond ‘obviously’, he made a dismissive hand gesture.

Neither brother remembered to bring Loki’s newly acquired notebook, and they left without either as Thor took Loki’s leash lead in hand and followed Andares.

Loki found it all even more ridiculous and unpleasant. He was in a state of half-undress, his skin on display as he towered over Andares and Thor while walking behind on a leash. It was let a set up for a bad joke, and yet, this was currently his reality. Loki had been lucky that his torn clothes had still been sufficient to cover his lower regions, because having Thor find out would be bad enough. But finding out because Loki had grown four feet and ripped all of his clothes off was just…no.

They filed into the clothing room and Loki had to bend to enter, whereupon Thor released the leash with a look of distaste that Loki supposed was a good thing. Thor had been an ass earlier by using it to jerk Loki’s neck down, he had hatedthat, but Thor didn’t seem to enjoy having Loki leashed despite his apparent lingering anger about the dock betrayal. Loki wasn’t sure if he would be so lacking in enjoyment if he had the chance to pull Thor around for a change.

“Are you familiar with Alice in Wonderland?” Andares asked the pair and the blank look from Thor and the lack of familiarity on Loki’s face gave him his answer. “Great. Okay. Little girl follows an antsy rabbit down a hole, ends up in topsy turvy Wonderland. Bunch of wild characters and nonsense. Total trip dream, if you get what I mean.” Neither brother seemed to and he chuckled. “Anyway, Thor’s the Knave of Hearts, Loki is the Jabberwocky.”

“The what?”

“The Jabberwocky, it’s a monster the little girl has to slay in the second book.”

Thor’s expression turned angry. “Who chose this for him?”

“Who do you think? The Grandmaster.”

Loki received the news without much surprise, and honestly, monster sounded better than garish Sapphire at this point. Perhaps he’d get to be a proper monster and kill one of the bastards who’d been tormenting him. Thor seemed angry, for whatever reason that was, and he set a large hand on his brother’s now seemingly small shoulder to reassure him.

Thor frowned up at him but seemed to settle, albeit reluctantly.

Loki noted there was no hint of recoiling or tensing as Loki touched him, and he wondered if just maybe…Thor didn’t find him disgusting as he was? It seemed unlikely, but it surprised him that Thor was hiding it so well if that’s what it was even when Loki unexpectedly initiated contact. He took a moment to examine his brother from the new angle he found himself in, the juxtaposition of knowing his brother was a large man but seeing him small. Good luck shoving him against a window and kissing him now.

Loki was taken aback by the random thought, and how casually it came about. He pushed it aside, it was the Grandmaster’s influence, Amora’s nonsense, and Thor being a little petty. That was all that was.

“The Grandmaster would probably be fine with you not wearing clothes…” Andares started thoughtfully with a look at Loki who tensed. “But we’ll find you something.” he finished.

Perhaps a good thing, because Loki was sure he’d seen a flicker of lightning around his brother’s hands.

Loki found his brother’s anger far more welcome when it was on his behalf rather than directed at him, but he still wasn’t sure the root cause of it. Was he being protective of Loki, or the family honor? If of Loki, was it out of Thor’s sense of duty and brotherhood, or actual care of Loki?

Loki ended up with his hair pulled back into a tight braid to give as little appearance of having hair as possible, since the ‘Jabberwocky’ had none. He was given an oversized pair of tan cargo shorts that had apparently belonged to The Hulk, and he was let to put those on in private. Andares drew some jagged lines in black eyeliner above and below Loki’s eyes, and a purple lipstick so dark it seemed nearly brown on his lips. Thor seemed irritated by all of it and watched with a frown, which didn’t make it any easier for Loki who wanted his brother to stop hovering. He slid a large arm over and shoved Thor back by his stomach, and Thor seemed surprised, annoyed, and then moved to a chair a few feet away instead.

What did Thor think, he found himself wondering yet again. And it annoyed him how often his mind was going there, how much he found he wondered about it. Who cared what Thor thought? Who cared if Thor saw a monster? He was helping Loki, that was all he needed. If Thor thought he was disgusting…so what?

Loki ignored the painful clench in his chest at the thought. At the knowledge that whatever happened, Thor would remembered seeing Loki in such a pitiful state. He would remember Loki with his bloody ‘creepy’ red eyes, and his cold Jotun skin, ‘slimy’ that wretched piercer had called it. Loki giant-sized, looking even more like one of the monsters they were raised to despise and look down on. The Golden Prince of Asgard and his frost giant foundling brother, on display for all to see. Loki hadn’t realized how hard he’d clenched his nails into his palms until he felt the pain of a bit of broken skin, and he relaxed his fingers as he frowned at the crescent imprints.

“All done.” Andares said as he stepped back and Loki rose. “Little too pretty to be a Jabberwocky, but what can you do?”

Thor gave him a sharp glance, Loki lifted a brow at him, and then Thor stepped closer as he looked Loki over. Loki kept his posture rigid and proud, despite his body’s urge to cover up. He wanted to be covered in full clothes even in his Aesir form and now… Thor’s hand found his forearm and gave it a squeeze, and Loki wanted to swat his brother away, annoyed at how reassuring he found the contact. Instead, he did nothing as he resisted the urge to cover Thor’s hand with his own. Thor was his only lifeline here, it was laughable really. They’d had so little contact over the past eight or so years, and now they were stuck together like this. So much for Odin’s death splitting them apart and setting them adrift, ‘practically strangers’, Loki had snarked.

“Alright, lovebirds.” Andares said and both brothers shot him bewildered looks. “Thor’s turn, come on Knave.”

Thor gave another strong squeeze to Loki’s arm and then let Andares set to work. He dressed Thor in tight-fitting black pants and boots, a black under-shirt, and a bright red dress shirt with the sleeves folded at the elbows. Everything was tighter fitting than Thor preferred, and not nearly as casual as he favored these days. Andares put black eyeliner on Thor’s lower eyes, and then drew a symmetrical red heart ‘over’ Thor’s right eye. He put a dab of red on Thor’s lips and Thor glared.

“How fragile is your masculinity, thunder-boy?” Andares laughed. “This is hardly anything.”

“I am a Prince of Asgard.” Thor said, in a tone that suggested it should obviously mean something as to why it wasn’t appropriate to be having his face made up.

Andares laughed. “You’re a slave in Champion’s clothing, don’t put on airs, princeling.”

Thor’s fists clenched at his side, already well-irritated by the entire past week and half, Andares’ taunts were fuel on the fire.

Loki knew why Thor was irked about the make up, even more so because unlike Loki he wasn’t a shape shifter. There had been a time in their youth when Loki and Thor had disguised themselves as women to sneak Mjolnir back from the giant who’d stolen it before Odin found out. But that was it, and Thor had whined about it the whole way through.

Andares nipped his thumb, muttered something, then ran his hand over Thor’s hair and the blonde became black and lengthened until it sat just to his ears. A single bright streak of pink fell over a strip on the right side, and Thor frowned at his reflection.

“Hmm, not quite right.” Andares pulled his hand through Thor’s hair and it slicked back against his head. “Better.”

Thor scrunched his nose. “It looks like yours did.” he said to Loki, he had never liked his brother’s habit of smoothing his hair down against his head. He had liked his brother’s wild, unbound curls.

Loki found the dark, slicked hair a strange look on Thor, especially when combined with the rest. And yet, in totality, there was something a little striking about it. The dark colors, the different look, the eyeliner, the clothes which were decidedly more in line with Loki’s tastes than the ‘I tumbled out of bed’ Midgardian look Thor favored. Loki winced as the pain in his stomach grew a little more intense, and he dug his fingers into his stomach a moment to try to settle it.

Thor glanced over and noticed. “Loki?”

Loki waved him off and ceased the action, he didn’t have means or patience to convey it was a bit of stomach pain.

Andares began to ready himself and Thor joined Loki anyway as he eyed his brother. He couldn’t help as his eyes wandered over his brother’s bare chest and heritage lines. Loki always covered himself, it had been years since they’d washed together or changed together. His gaze was redirected as Loki put his palm against Thor’s forehead and tilted it up roughly with an angry expression. “What?” he snapped as he pulled back. “Am I not allowed to look at my own brother now?”

Loki was already tense, mildly concerned about his stomach pain, and then Thor wandered up and bold as brass began to look over his body and heritage lines. He wasn’t unclothed by choice, he wasn’t in the form by choice, and Thor’s blatant examination felt invasive. Loki wasn’t willinglyshowing Thor, bad enough to catch Thor’s little stares, but for him to stand there and just starewas aggravating. His irritated response to being made to look away struck Loki as entitled. He owed Thor nothing, ‘my own brother’ was far too possessive and close a statement given the state of their brotherhood. And it wasn’t like Thor was admiring him, not that it would be much better, but it was idle curiosity at best and peering at something grotesque at worst.

“Is this really what you want between us, Loki?” Thor asked, a faint glare on his face.

Thor, oafish, foolish, wretched Thor. He took being denied ogling Loki personally for Gods knew what reason, perhaps the same ridiculous entitlement that led him to think he could have Loki as his own shadow. Loki couldn’t even reply, but he wanted to frame Loki’s pushing him away as some kind of affront to their brotherhood and ask him such an obnoxious question. Loki wasn’t sure how Thor even wanted or expected him to reply, so he sneered and crossed his arms over his chest.

Thor’s jaw clenched, and then he shook his head. “Have it your own way.” he growled as he walked away from both Andares and Loki as he took up a chair and [to Loki’s eyes at least] seemed to sulk.

Thor hadn’t seen Loki making an effort to hide himself, he didn’t seem overly tensed or uncomfortable, and he hadn’t shied away much from Thor so far. So he hadn’t seen it as a great matter to simply look at his brother, Loki’s anger struck him as spiteful. The so-familiar sneer on the less-familiarly colored features grated on him. He didn’t wantto be at odds with Loki, far from it. Even despite his betrayals on the docks, Thor wanted what he’d always wanted: his brother back. But Loki found the most petty little things to agitate him over, and he couldn’t fathom what he got out of it. What did Lokiwant?

When Andares finished, he was several shades of purple and pink, and called himself the ‘Chesshire Cat’, whatever the Hel that meant.

Andares glanced between the brothers, now essentially across the room from each other. “Alright, then.” he muttered before he spoke up. “From what I gather, Loki will be going off on his own when we get to the party, Thor can come with me.”

“Why?” Thor asked.

“Cause the Grandmaster said so?” he shrugged.

The last time Loki had been taken from his side, he’d gotten those vile piercings. What was he being taken for this time?

“Relax, oh ye Knave of Hearts. He’s not interested in damaging Loki, so he’ll never do anything toooff the wall.”

Thor was not at all reassured by that, or the strange tingling that had started up in his arms again. Was the chocolate taking effect? He examined himself for signs of changes but saw none, and he wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

“Hey, thunder-boy, look at me.” Andares said and Thor glanced up. “Hm, you okay there? Your eyes and ears are a little…”

“What?” Thor’s eyes didn’t feel any different, but as he felt for his ears, they felt more pointed than they ought to. “Oh, what the Hel.” he growled as he went back over to the mirror only to startle as he saw his eyes were a bright shade of honey-brown and yellow. He felt more tingling and then a painful twinge in his mouth, and as he looked in the mirror he saw his canines had extended into long, sharp points like fangs.

Andares and Loki had joined on either side of him at that point, and Thor felt the painful twinge in his hands. He looked down and saw his nails had grown longer and sharper as well, like claws.

Andares looked him over speculatively. “I’m thinking wolf, could be dog though. He does have a thing for man-puppies.”

“I don’t want to know.” Thor scowled at his reflection, and then caught sight of Loki’s smirk as he angled behind Thor. “Shut up, Loki.”

His sense of smell had improved too he realized, and his brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of what he was smelling. Thor glanced to Loki and then to Andares. “You…smell like smoke.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You smell like you just stepped out of a fire.” Thor scrunched his nose.

Andares bit his lower lip at that. “Nose got an upgrade too, huh? That’s a little annoying.”

“You aren’t surprised.” Thor meant about smelling of smoke.

“Nah, but also, not your business.” he shrugged. He made a show of looking Thor over though. “I kinda like this look on you, like some kind of feral club escort.”

“A what?”

“I think we should just rename you Papa Thunder. Or maybe Daddy Thunder?”

Thor’s claws dug into the wood of the vanity as he clenched his fist and Andares lifted a brow.

“Temper, temper.”

Thor felt antsy in a way that reminded him of the wait before a battle. The couple of hours of waiting for the inevitable conflict, the eagerness to start and move, the anticipation of the violence and frenetic energy. He felt constricted, like he was trapped inside of his own body and waiting to burst out. His skin crawled with the feeling, the urge to move. Thor hadn’t realized he’d coated himself in lighting until he heard Loki’s palm slam onto the table next to him, his expression annoyed.

Loki mistook the lightning summoning for an anger response on Thor’s part, and found it dramatic and unnecessary. Andares’ words weren’t terribly insulting, and getting wolfish characteristics was relatively benign compared to Loki’s changes. He’d thought his brother had reined his temper in somewhat, but clearly not.

The palm on the table startled him in a strange way, he felt the sound run through him and raised his hackles so to speak. He heard a low, rumbling growl and didn’t realize it was coming from him until both Andares and Loki gave him strange looks. Thor blinked and straightened as he put a hand to his throat.

“Guess the changes weren’t only physical, huh?” Andares chuckled.

“This planet is a blight.” Thor muttered.

Loki watched his brother, a little taken aback, Thor had been unconsciously growling and Loki found it oddly…what was the right word? Something positive anyway, something between amusing and perhaps a little…adorable?

Rubbish.

He had thought before, especially in their younger years, that Thor was rather dog-like. Big, loyal, protective, oafish, physical, loud. Loki supposed Thor’s current new traits were probably indeed meant to be wolf-like, but he preferred to imagine them as being dog-like. The idea of proud Thor being given such characteristics held more appeal than he cared to admit. Loki had imagined forcing Thor to kneel when he’d conquered Midgard, but he hadn’t gone as far as imagining making him share characteristics of a lowly beast. He realized a faint smile had found his lips at the thought, and at that he drew them into a frown. Thor was a pain, but he was past the point of wanting to actually hurt or truly humiliate his brother. The thought seemed ungenerous, given their snippets of reconciliation and the fact that Loki could now admit he’d been…excessive, following learning of his parentage and the influence of the Mind Stone.

“Wait, wait, this calls for a costume adjustment.” Andares said, and he went rummaging through a crate only to return with something he tried to set on Thor’s head only to have his wrist caught.

Thor scowled at the item. A headband with fluffy wolf ears. “Not. A. Chance.”

“Oh, come on, it even has a tail. You can hook it on your pant loop.” Andares offered. “Didn’t I just tell you the Grandmaster has a thing for man-puppies? You’re trying to get on his good side, aren’t you? Make an effort. How badly do you want the key?”

Thor and Loki both tensed at that, and Thor’s grip on Andares’ wrist tightened. “Why do you know about that?”

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know you want to help him out.” he said, with a head tilt towards Loki. “You need a key, clearly, given the collar. And obviously the Grandmaster would have that key. Ergo, you want to make the Grandmaster happy.”

“I don’t trust you.” Thor informed him.

“Boo hoo?” Andares lifted a brow. “Take the advice or don’t. You clearly made a move on your own, Grandmaster was gushing about it, that you asked him personally for a punishment.”

Loki looked at his brother questioningly and Thor made a noise of irritation. “I…it wasn’t like that.”

“The hickey on your neck says otherwise.” Andares held out the ears and tail. “How badly do you want to help your brother?” he asked in a tone that was deliberately sorrowful.

Thor gritted his teeth, the antsy feeling increased as he looked at Loki who watched him with a neutral expression. “You’re both annoying.” he announced, and Loki looked mildly offended while Andares grinned.

“Thatta boy. Good Thunder.”

Thor was aware the second time the growl came out of his mouth, and he caught himself quickly as he closed his mouth.

Andares was laughing and Thor begrudgingly took the head band and tail as he stared at them with a frown. Everything in him wanted done with all of it, he wanted to rip the things apart, he wanted to rip The Grandmaster apart. He wanted to throttle his brat of a little brother for good measure. Loki with his newly blood-red eyes that were decidedly appealing, and the now chilly skin that felt nice against his warm palm and the-

Thor willed himself to stop the thought in it’s tracks. It was nonsense on so many levels, not least of which that his brother didn’t even want to let Thor see him, the idea of…of what? Of…

No. He wouldn’t even entertain the idea by giving it form and sentence structure.

Thor’s momentary distraction was interrupted as Loki plucked the items from his hands, he slipped the headband onto Thor’s head. With fingers more clumsy than he’d planned for, he hooked the tail onto Thor’s pant loop. He noticed that when his knuckles brushed Thor’s back, his brother had tensed a little. Thor frowned at him but didn’t stop him, and Loki hadn’t missed that it was Andares’ dramatic little guilt trip that had spurred Thor into begrudging acceptance. His brother couldn’t seem to make his mind if he was angry or not. Or perhaps for Thor it was different matter. Helping Loki and their issues did seem separate for him, it made sense. Because it was hard to understand why exactly Thor kept being lenient about his betrayals. He’d even anticipated the first one and was…rather gentle about it, all things considered.

“You’ll always be the God of Mischief, but you could be more.”

What had Thor even meant by that? What did he want of Loki?

“Life is about growth, it’s about change but you…just seem to wanna stay the same.”

He had been the secret King of Asgard for four years, what exactly did Thor think he knew of Loki anyway?

Thor looked at his reflection with obvious distaste, while Loki smirked and gave his brother’s tail a flick.

Loki kept his expression amused and faintly mocking, and quite hid the fact that the sight of Thor in the silly accessories…especially paired with far nicer clothing than he usually wore…well, he wasn’t a pain to look at. He looked less annoying than usual, the was how he’d put it. Certainly he wouldn’t go so far as to say that he likedhis brother’s appearance. That would be…nonsense.

“I look foolish.” Thor grumbled, and Loki nodded his head in agreement with his smirk firmly in place. The scowl he got in return was delightful, and just to thoroughly agitate his brother, he gave him a patronizing tap on the nose.

Thor smacked his hand away. “I cannot look at you, but you can poke at my nose?” Loki shrugged and Thor narrowed his eyes up at his little brother.

Loki took the opportunity to put a hand above his head, and then put the same hand above Thor’s as if to note the height difference between them. He then made a show of putting his head above his eyes as though searching, and as he finally looked down at Thor he adopted a startled expression as if he’d just seen him.

“You are a pain.” Thor informed him, and Loki looked utterly unrepentant, the cheeky brat. The insult to the injury was the fact that Loki’s cheekiness was endearing, the play between them desired, and even when he wanted to throttle Loki he missed this between them. Thor wanted his brother back, and he didn’t understand why it had to be so hard. Loki had loved him once, Thor knew it for the truth, and he had come to realize he had not treated Loki in their later years as he should have. But he was certain he’d never done anything bad enough that Loki should be so set against him still. Was the offer to rule Sakaar with him truly just a trick? Were the words he spoken as he lay ‘dying’ on Svartalfheim a lie?

Andares had watched the little exchange with a coy smile. “I ship you two so hard, I hope you know.”

“Ship?” Thor queried.

“You’ve spent how much time on Earth and you don’t know about shipping? Oh, you poor little lamb.” he grinned wryly. “If you only knew the amount of slash written in your name. A bunch of superheroes, locked up in Avengers Tower, isolated…”

Thor didn’t seem to catch the implication, but Loki did as his brows lifted.

“Never mind, little brother can explain it later.” Andares said with a wry grin and Loki frowned at him while Thor looked fed up with the conversation. “Best to head for the party now.”

Thor took Loki’s leash lead and found it hard to stay cross with Loki as he was. The idea of them forcing Loki to sleep in a cage and do Norns knew what else ate at him. “I will do what I can to keep them from touching you.” he recalled the party where he’d been under Amora’s influence, and Loki had tears in his eyes. “I have to gain enough favor with the Grandmaster to get the key though.”

Loki understood, Thor couldn’t ruin his chance to get the key to potentially spare Loki a few extra humiliations. He nodded but knew this wasn’t likely to end well if they were separating him, he was playing a monster, he was mostly undressed, and the Grandmaster had increased his size.

But why were they separating he and Thor? That had gone terribly last time, he had the ever present and tinkling ear and nose jewelry to prove it.

The walk to the ‘party room’ felt longer than it ought to have. Loki received far more stares, and they were accompanied by comments and jokes making plain a curiosity about the size of his masculine equipment. He ignored it as best he could, and didn’t miss a few growls that rumbled in the back of Thor’s throat. What a curious alteration, but it was a pleasant distraction.

They reached the door of the party room and Andares knocked twice before the door opened to reveal a far different looking place than expected.

“Welcome to Wonderland, boys.”

Chapter 12: We're All Mad Here

Chapter Text

The door seemed like a portal to another realm. The area inside of the room was far larger than the room should have been, and it was clear that magic was at play.

The first portion of the area looked like a path through a garden except that the flowers were giant-sized and grew over their heads, taller even than Loki in his giant’s form. The flowers were multi-colored, and some seemed to have faces. The grass was green and bright and the air smelled fragrant and floral.

Andares whistled. “Grandmaster really went all out on this one, must be wanting to impress Ares.”

“Why?” Thor asked as he, Loki, and Andares headed inside the strange landscape.

“Cause Ares is hot and fights like a madman? Grandmaster is all about him whenever he’s around. I was pretty surprised you won your fight so far into it…one might almost think it was planned.” Andares said wryly.

Thor shot him a sharp look, and Andares gave a wide, innocent smile back that set Thor on edge. He already hadn’t trusted this one, but he trusted him even less now.

Loki didn’t miss Thor’s reaction to the comment, and wondered if there was something to it.

There didn’t seem to be a sky overhead as such, almost a faintly painted green ceiling that was at odds with how natural [if odd and oversized] the ‘garden’ around them was. “Did we step through a portal?”

Loki suspected not, but couldn’t say so. He poked Thor’s shoulder and when his brother looked at him, he shook his head and made his typical hand gesture for when he was performing sorcery.

“A conjuration or illusion?” Thor asked, and Loki nodded, that was what he suspected anyway.

“It’s cute how you can speak without words like that. It’s so nice to a bond like that between brothers.” Andares drawled and both brothers frowned at him.

Loki felt a sudden stabbing pain in his stomach and his step faltered as he put a hand to his lower stomach. Thor turned to face him with concern and he tried to wave his brother off and straighten.

“Loki?” Thor peered at his brother’s face, looked for any indication of the issue.

Loki shook his head and waved a dismissive hand, though he kept his other hand on his stomach.

Andares eyed them before he glanced at a pair of approaching ‘attendants’. They were dressed in white tunics and clearly meant to be themed, although both carried blasters on their hips.

“We’re here for the monster.” One of them said as he held his hand out for the leash.

Thor turned from his brother to them and at the words, his lip curled as his eyes narrowed in anger. A possessive feeling slid over him, a growling voice in the back of his mind insisted Loki was his, his brother was his, and they had no business coming near him.

Mine. The voice declared with certainty.

Thor shook it off but kept in a defensive position in front of his brother who had lowered his hand and adopted a posture of being fine. “I will take him wherever you mean for him to go.” he growled.

“No, he comes with us.” The other man said. “The Grandmaster wants his Jabberwocky ready and we don’t keep him waiting.”

Thor seemed about to argue again, but Loki put a couple of fingers on his shoulder and shook his head when Thor looked up at him. He made a flicking motion towards the men to suggest that Thor should pass the leash over. He frowned up at Loki, who stared impassively back. “Are you alright?” he asked as he gestured towards Loki’s stomach.

For a variety of reasons, not least of which to stop prolonging the inevitable, he nodded. To reassure Thor so he would comply and get it over with, he gave his brother’s shoulder a light squeeze and then gestured again that he should give over the leash.

Thor hesitated and murmured. “Be careful, brother.”

Loki found it a littleendearing, and inclined his head as he pointed at Thor as if to say ‘you too [oaf]’.

Thor handed the leash to one of them, and with his tone again threatening he said. “If you harm my brother in any way, I will come for you.”

The men seemed a little uneasy at the threat, but not overly concerned, and they took the leash without comment. The men started to walk and Loki was forced along, and Loki did his best to walk with confidence.

When he was out of sight, Andares motioned Thor along. “Come on, Knave, the party awaits."

Thor didn’t care about the damned party, and having to participate only irked him further. Especially as he didn’t know why his brother was being taken. The urge to go after him was strong, the urge to attack the men who’d taken his Loki.

Thor’s brow furrowed at the sudden thought and the rush of tense, possessive energy that came with it. He flexed his fingers and wondered how much of an effect the Grandmaster’s stupid chocolate was having. The flowers around them heaved and wobbled, and he watched as one dipped closer before drawing back in a way that could almost be called ‘shy’. The place gave him the creeps and he tried to focus on the loose plan that underlay all that he was doing. Get the key, whatever it took, he had to get invited to the private bedroom [or found out where it was] and get the key. He should start carrying some kind of sleeping potion or drug on him to give the Grandmaster, Loki could probably recommend one. He needed to steal another obedience disc controller to release the one on him. And then if Valkyrie wasn’t back, he’d need to find another ship.

Loki was a wild card though, because he still wasn’t confident that his brother wouldn’t betray him once he’d restored his form and gotten on a ship with him. He was confident enough that Loki wouldn’t leave him behind, but that didn’t mean he’d meekly let Thor take them to Asgard. Thor would have to account for that in their escape plans.

They approached what appeared to be a maze and Thor scowled even as Andares looked amused.

“What’s wrong, thunder-boy? Don’t like mazes?”

“I’m not here because I like any of this.”

“You’re here because your brother is a little sh*t and got outfoxed by the Grandmaster.” Andares chuckled.

Thor whirled on him as he grabbed a fistful of Andares’ collar and pushed him against the side of the maze, which wasn’t so solid, but enough that Andares didn’t fall through.

“Are you always so grabby?” Andares complained.

“You know more than you should, why?” Thor was tired of Andares’ little statements and jibes. The antsy feeling had only increased from earlier and left him feeling pent-up and agitated.

“Because I pay attention, you should try it sometime.” Andares drawled. “Now are we going to do the maze and find your missing Jabberwocky, or are you okay with him possibly being alone with Grandmaster and company?”

“This isn’t over.” Thor assured him and Andares gave a faux shiver.

“Tempt me with a good time.” he cooed, and then sauntered past as Thor released him.

Thor followed and began to walk the maze, and he noticed vines in the maze walls seemed to wriggle as they passed. Although there had been no turns, they came to a dead end and Andares hmmedbefore the vines pushed forth a note. He took it and read it before he laughed and passed it over to Thor.

To continue on your way, answer and enjoy the play.

The one who makes it doesn’t use it.
The one who buys it doesn’t need it.

The one who uses it doesn’t know it.

What is it?

Thor scanned the note and fought a fresh wave of irritation. Asgard burning, and he was doing riddles.

Andares stood close as he reread the paper. “If the one who makes it doesn’t use it, they must have sold it…” he thought out loud.

Thor resisted the urge to push him away. What would one use without knowing? And that someone else bought? Loki would have probably had the answer at a glance, the little brat. What would you use without knowing…when would you not know-

“When you’re dead.” he muttered. “A coffin.”

Andares’ expression seemed bright in comparison to the ‘grave’ topic as he answered and the path gave way. “Well look at that, beauty andbrains. Little brother is a lucky fellow.”

“Stop talking about him.” Thor growled, having at least noticed Andares seemed to want to keep hinting that there was something less than brotherly between Loki and he.

They were brothers, that was all, and eventually Loki would find someone-

Mine. The abrupt, angry thought came from the back of his mind and he shook it off.

They came to another cut path and another note, and Andares grinned as he grabbed it, clearly having fun. “Let’s see…”

By moon or by sun I can always be found, but I am undone if not light is around. What am I?

“Oh, well that’s an easy one, it’s a shadow.” Andares said, and the path cleared.

“I remember a shadow! Living in the shade of your greatness!” The flash of auditory memory came back to Thor at that, Loki’s words on a mountain of Midgard.

“You are my brother and my friend, sometimes I am envious. But never doubt that I love you.”

Thor still wondered in the rare moments he let himself ruminate about it whether or not Loki had meant the words despite having plotted his downfall already. Had they come any further from then or were things still the same between them? Loki hadn’t tried to kill him lately, but that didn’t mean all that much. He had told himself he was done worrying about it, done chasing Loki, but now he found himself in a situation where he couldn’t possibly abandon his brother.

But would he do so to Thor in the same situation?

Thor wanted to be able to confidently say no, but he couldn’t.

They continued along the maze until they came to a mirror and the pair stopped as their reflections wavedback at them. And for just a brief instant, Thor thought he saw black eyes in Andares’ reflection and a flash of red. But it was gone, if it was ever there, and it was simply Andares and he in their costumes.

“Alice Through the Looking Glass.” Andares murmured as he held his hand out and pressed it to the glass, which rippled like water and his hand passed through. “Ah, here we go.” he slipped inside and Thor watched as he left view and only Thor and his reflection remained.

The reflection looked unlike himself and he frowned as his reflection grinned. Thor shook his head and pressed a hand to the mirror, and as he pushed forward he found himself on the other side of it looking at rows of red-rose covered hedges.

“Well, look who finally showed up!” The Grandmaster lifted his drink in greeting. He was dressed in a red robe with gold sashes, and wore a red and gold crown. There were hearts embossed on the robe and he seemed in a good mood.

There were a few people Thor didn’t recognize, but the core group that had been around was present. Topaz was there in a uniform that made her look a bit like a playing card, melting stick in hand. There was a boy of about eighteen or nineteen, who looked familiar and was dressed in white rabbit’s ears. A man with blonde hair and blue eyes was dressed in a blue and white suit, with a black bow on his neck.

It took Thor a couple of seconds to realize the boy was Ares and the man was…Amora?

Well, he knew what their chocolates had done, apparently.

“Oh…uh, wow, those accessories look really goodon you, Sparkles.” The Grandmaster said as he looked Thor over appreciatively.

“I dress to impress.” Thor made himself reply, and he mentally reminded himself, do it for the key.

“Mission accomplished, babe.” The Grandmaster said as his eyes roved over Thor. And then he looked to his other guests. “Tea party time!” he called out, and he hooked his arm into Ares’ as he started to walk and the others followed.

Thor kept an eye out for Loki and mentally steeled himself for whatever might happen. He felt on edge, he wanted to fight, or break something, or-

The image of Loki’s startled face as he pressed him against the glass in the Grandmaster’s viewing box came to mind, the feel of Loki’s lips against his-

“Stop it.” he muttered to himself, even as an itchy feeling of desire crawled over him. He’d gotten past this all, hadn’t he? This was just the Grandmaster’s meddling. Thor was fifteen hundred years old, not some awkward youth who couldn’t control himself. And Loki wasn’t even Loki these days, sometimes he seemed like a stranger with his brother’s face. His own brother wouldn’t do the things this Loki did, his Loki was…different.

--

“Come now, give us a smile.” Loki crooned as he wriggled his fingers in the crook of Thor’s neck.

Thor had gotten a grand scolding from Odin over this or that, and ended up outside as storm clouds formed and dropped rain over Asgard. He had taken up irritated residence under a tree, and Loki had soon found him.

Loki had crouched down beside his brother. “Is it your intention to flood the realm? I ask for a friend.”

“Shut up, Loki.” Thor growled as he frowned out at the trees and avoided his brother’s gaze. He had disappointed his father again, apparently, and there was a double agitation in being scolded about something he had no heart for. The idea of being king and All-Father, spending the rest of his life stuck to a chair and one realm, sat ill with him. But what choice was there? His future was decided practically his whole life through.

Loki eyed his brother, unaware of the subtext of his thoughts, but knowing that Odin’s tongue lashing had upset Thor. “Do not take his words to heart, Thor, Father is ever…well, Father.” he shrugged.

“I do not wish to speak of it.”

Loki cast a frown at the slightly wet ground but decided to let it pass as he plopped down next to Thor and leaned his shoulder against his brother’s. Thor still didn’t look at him, but didn’t push him away either. “How long are we to sulk? If very long, tell me now, and I shall nap until you are finished.” he said, before he feigned a loud snoring noise. At the first bit, Thor had scowled, but at his dramatized snoring a little smile quirked Thor’s lips before he scoffed and looked away. “Brother.” Loki said in singsong, before he teleported to the other side of Thor and grinned at him. “I have seen your smile, too late now.”

Thor huffed and shoved his brother’s shoulder lightly. “You saw nothing.”

“No, no, I am quite sure. It much improved your face.” Loki said thoughtfully, and Thor tried to scowl but it was an obvious, ill-repressed smile.

“Brat.”

“I pay you a compliment and you insult me, typical.” Loki sighed dramatically and Thor rolled his eyes, a wide smile fixed on his face then. He eyed Thor before he pressed their shoulders together again and tilted his head. “Do you actually wish to speak of it?”

“Not really.” Thor muttered.

“Then we shall sit here in gloomy silence while you pretend not to smile.” Loki announced before he forced a serene, serious expression onto his face and pointedly looked up at the sky.

Thor snorted and shook his head before he slipped his arm around Loki’s shoulder and pulled him into a one-armed hug. Loki pretended to protest, he swatted at Thor’s stomach before he smiled and slipped an arm around Thor’s waist in turn as he leaned against his brother. “You could tempt a statue to smile.”

“Not Bor’s statue. I think.” Loki said, again thoughtfully and without missing a beat, as though it were perfectly reasonable to discuss making a statue smile.

Thor laughed a little then and sighed. “Will you not let me sulk in peace?”

“Never, brother.” Loki said cheerfully.

Good, Thor thought. Loki’s body fit snugly against his, a familiar and welcome presence, and that alone could have tempted him to smile. He had the urge to press a kiss to the crown of his head but resisted, it would only lead to wanting more. Thor felt guilty for the thought, perverse for the long-held affections for Loki that were anything but brotherly. He shamed Loki simply by entertaining them, and his smile slipped.

Loki noticed and frowned. “What is it, Thor?”

“No matter.” Thor murmured and gave his brother’s shoulder a squeeze. “I am glad you are here, brother.”

Loki gave his brother a soft, ‘oh, you oaf’ look, and leaned his head against his brother’s shoulder. “Well, it was either sit here with you or risk Asgard flooding. I decided to do my duty for the Realm.” Loki said solemnly and Thor laughed again.

“A noble sacrifice.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

Thor pushed darker thoughts from his mind and focused on the moment. His little brother had come to cheer him up, and for that he was grateful, Loki’s care meant everything to him. They were each other’s best friends and companions, as close as brothers could be.

That was surely enough.

--

They reached a long, rectangular table with a pink tablecloth bordered with floral designs. A prismatic tea and plate set was in use, and the table had a spread of assorted foods, desserts, and drinks.

But the actual sitting area was next to it, where plush lounge benches and chairs sat in a circle with a large box-shape center covered over by a seat.

“Take refreshments, the King of Hearts demands it!” Grandmaster ordered, before simpering at Ares who had a cheeky grin as he popped a small cookie into Grandmaster’s mouth.

Amora looked distinctly uncomfortable, perhaps because of her currently male form, and Thor would have drawn a sliver of satisfaction from that if she worth such things from him.

He kept an eye on Andares who seemed cheerful, the other man made him increasingly suspicious. Thor would get Loki’s opinion about it later, now that they had the notepads. Loki’s absence concerned him, he wasn’t sure why he would be taken only not to be present at the party.

Thor absently rubbed his arm as the antsy feeling remained. He would be glad for something to do: a battle to fight, a strenuous activity, time in bed with his-

Enough. He thought to himself, irritated by his own apparent self-weakness. Asgard in danger, his brother in danger, his own situation in the air, and he was having indecent thoughts about his own little brother. What was wrongwith him?

The party goers moved to the chairs and benches surrounding the covered shape. Thor took a seat near one end of it, close to the Grandmaster. He seemed to have eyes only for the young Ares, which was relieving in one way and inconvenient in another. Thor wanted nothing to do with the Grandmaster [aside from killing him], but he needed to charm the key from him. He couldn’t very well do that with Ares hanging off of him. Ares hadn’t seemed to mind the idea of a three-way, but Thor needed he and the Grandmaster to be alone for Thor to drug him and search.

When everyone was seated, Grandmaster looked to Topaz. “Jabberwocky time!” he announced.

Topaz obliged and pulled the cover from the shape in the center, it had been an illusion that the shape was of a box.

What lay beneath it was Loki, on his hands and knees with his wrists and ankles kept to the ground by golden chains pressed down with spikes. A small, stool-shaped object was under his stomach to force him to stay in an upright position on his knees. He was uncovered save for the cargo shorts, and his body was on relatively full display.

Thor had taken a seat at the head end of Loki, so as the covered was removed, he was faced with Loki’s head tilted down and his hands clenched into the ground. No doubt Loki was furious and ashamed, chained and made to kneel as no prince should be.

Several of the unfamiliar guests gasped, and the Grandmaster seemed smug.

“Isn’t our Jabberwocky a peach?”

“What is it?” One of the guests asked.

“I think it’s a Kree.”

“Look at those markings, how odd.”

“That big body though…”

“Our Jabby here is a frost giant. This one’s usually a runt, but uh, I thought we could use a bigger centerpiece for the party.” The Grandmaster chuckled.

Thor saw the tension in Loki’s body, the fingers that dug into the ground. The seats were arranged close to Loki, so he took the quick chance to brush his knuckles near Loki’s temple. Loki’s head snapped up to look at him, and he saw Loki seem to grimace as their eyes met before he looked back down.

Loki had been taken and forced to kneel where he’d been clamped into the ground with chains and spikes. He suspected he could break them, but there would be no point, if anything it might just earn him a punishment. Loki was covered over and could only wait, kept in the position by the chains and the stool, and he heard chitchat as the party goers approached. The wait itself was humiliating, the forced position, the lack of autonomy, the fact he knew his body was about to be displayed for entertainment one way or another.

Then people were seating themselves around them, he heard the shuffling and conversations, and then he was revealed. Loki kept his gaze fixed on the ground as he clenched his hands and willed himself to go somewhere else mentally. He knew Thor must be present somewhere, but he didn’t want to see the pity in his brother’s eyes, or have Thor take some kind of encouragement to act from his gaze.

Gentle fingers brushed against his temple and he knew without looking who it must be, though he instinctively looked up anyway. And there Thor was with his pitying gaze, as Loki saw it. There was Thor seeing Loki in his newly giant Jotun body, strapped to the ground and belittled as a monster. He looked back down and hoped Thor had sense enough to leave it at that.

One of the guests, egged on by his companion, put his legs up on Loki’s back as a footrest.

Loki felt a wild rage run through him, and he bit down on his cheek hard enough to draw blood to distract him from the fact. As though he were furniture, some wretched being was using Loki to rest their feet on. The sight encouraged another guest to do the same, and if Grandmaster noticed, he didn’t care as he chatted.

Thor watched as his own anger rose and he felt the strong desire to intercede, to make them leave his brother alone.

“So, I, uh, thought we’d start the next part off with some party games.” The Grandmaster said as he pulled what appeared to be a glass ball the size of a tennis ball from his robe. “This little baby here is a Lie Spotter. Latest model. Great stuff. Just hold it and answer a question and boom! Blue is truth, red is a lie…” he said dramatically. The orb turned blue in his hands and he held it up for shower. “You get tossed the ball, you answer a question. If you tell the truth, no problem. If you lie, or refuse to answer…you have to take a shot of that.” Grandmaster said as he pointed to a large dispenser with cups set next to it. “Vanaheim Fire Wine. That stuff’ll knock you on your ass in the best way. You might lie just to have a taste.” The orb turned blue again and he seemed pleased. “I thought we’d warm up with some ‘get to know the guests’ questions first. So we know what we’re working with here.” The Grandmaster said, with his brows lifted a bit suggestively.

“So here’s how this’ll work. Hold up a finger, I ask a question, if it doesn’t apply you put those cute little fingers down. If it applies, keep it up. Got it?”

A few cheers and the game commenced. Thor had zero desire to participate but equally knew he had to, it was hard to keep his eyes off of his brother though. He couldn’t imagine what Loki was feeling, the way he was being treated was…it was like Loki wasn’t even a person. Thor had reconciled with Loki being a frost giant quickly, and he’d already softened his stance towards them before he’d found out about Loki. But after finding out, there hadn’t been a hesitation to accept his brother. He’d never looked at him and thought him lesser or fixated on it, Loki was Loki, and his brother, no matter what. Loki kept his heritage locked down and no one spoke of it, so the sudden influx of having it shoved in his face and having Loki being treated so poorly for it…it was like another reality.

“Fingers up! Okay. Easy one. Who is having a great time?” The Grandmaster asked, and he seemed to think it was an excellent question. Everyone kept their fingers up, including Thor who refrained [just barely] from spitefully closing his fist.

Thor noticed that Loki’s head had lifted somewhat, and his brother was watching him with a blank expression. He thought for a moment that Loki was trying to communicate something, but Loki simply stared.

“Alright! Hmm, let’s see…who has had the pleasure of mingling with more than one gender?”

Many fingers stayed raised, including Thor’s.

“Janet, really? And Kraton…gosh, I’m surprised at you. I thought you two would be a little more…you know, explorative.”

Loki found it harder and harder to focus on his thoughts with legs on his back and the knowledge that he was on display for strangers, and for his brother, and could do nothing about it. The game started and he looked up, watching Thor answer might prove something of a distraction. It was better than staring at the dirt as long as he didn’t focus on Thor’s eyes. When the gender question was asked and Thor kept his finger up, Loki was taken aback and thought Thor must have misunderstood what was being asked. There was simply no way that the Golden Prince of Asgardhad romantic flings with other men, it was…no, it wasn’t possible. Thor was a straight-lace good boy, at least in that regard, he bedded many maidens but that was it.

“Who has done the naughty with more than one partner at a time?” The Grandmaster asked. A couple of fingers went down. “More than five?” More fingers, including Amora. “More than ten?” Andares’ finger went down. “More than fifteen?” More fingers. “Twenty.” Thor’s finger went down and Loki stared at his brother. “Thirty…forty?” Ares’ finger went down.

“Gosh, Ar-baby, how many was it?”

“Forty-something, if I remember right. Bacchanlia gets wild.” he chuckled and then looked to Thor. “Whose festival were you crashing?”

“Beltane.” Thor answered bluntly, and Ares seemed to consider that a moment.

“Oh, oh, wait…uh…the thing with the pole right? Fertility festival for the…”

“Celts.”

“There it is. Ahh, wow, Thunderer. You surprise me.”

He surprised Loki too, Thor had never mentioned such a thing before and Loki had been fairly certain he’d been privy to most of Thor’s activities…especially one that would have required him to travel to Midgard back in the day.

Thor’s eyes flicked to Loki’s, and Loki allowed himself to lift a brow. He noted that his brother kept his expression mostly stoic, though there was a hint of sheepishness in Thor’s expression. There was a part of Loki that longed to tease his brother about it, the thousand plus years of well-entrenched instincts that told him Thor was his brother and thrived on play with him.

Ares leaned closer with a grin that looked entirely too lascivious for his youthful face. “I’m curious.” he said lowly to Thor, and Loki with his Jotun hearing could hear clearly. “Does the God of Thunder like to dominate, or be dominated? Asking for a friend.” he said with a chuckle.

“Live with your curiosity.” Thor replied, and Ares’ grin became a smirk.

“So…the latter?”

“If you mean to goad me, you’ll need to try harder. I’ve had worse from better.” he said, and Loki just knew Thor was talking about him. The thought brought a hint of a smirk to Loki’s lips at the near-praise of his ability to get under Thor’s skin. Thor was proving at least something of a distraction from his current predicament, and even managed to raise his own curiosity. Perhaps Thor was making this all up to intrigue the Grandmaster, that seemed more reasonable than that Thor was secretly more wild than Loki ever gave him credit for.

“I didn’t take you for a lightweight, Amora.” The Grandmaster said.

Amora shrugged and offered what was her trademark charming smile and it looked odd on a man’s face. “I prefer a personalized approach.” Ares winked at her and she casually looked away.

“I see what you mean.” The Grandmaster said as he started to pop another cookie into his mouth then suddenly leaned forward. “Here, Sapphy, I mean, Jabby. A treat for daddy’s favorite little blue monster.” he crooned as he held the cookie out to Loki’s lips.

Loki’s hint of amusem*nt died on the vine as he found himself being offered treats like an animal, and he again couldn’t stand Thor’s gaze on him as he forced himself to open his mouth and eat the treat.

The Grandmaster scratched at Loki’s head with a patronizing. “Good girl! And to think, she used to be so feisty. Killed a woman at dinner once, it was uh, well, it was a little nice to watch. But mostly bad behavior.” he said, in a tone like he was chastising a pet that had actually done something cute and he was feigning disapproval.

The urge to snatch the Grandmaster by the throat came swiftly and aggressively and it was all Thor could do to restrain himself. Mine!The insistent voice in the back of his mind came again. The antsy feeling intensified and he wanted to snatch Loki up.

The Grandmaster’s gaze shifted to Thor as he gave him an appreciative look. “You look amazing, by the way. All predatory and hot, mm. You look more like the Big Bad Wolf than the Knave of Hearts.”

Thor wasn’t familiar with either but forced a co*cky expression as he reclined on the seat. “A bad wolf or a knave? Grandmaster, I think you have a type.” he drawled.

“And currently it’s gods. All gods.” he said as he glanced to Ares who winked at him. “Maybe two at the same time?”

“Anything is possible.” Thor replied, still determined to catch the Grandmaster alone. His gaze slid back to the legs resting on Loki’s back and it took significant self-control not to reach over and rip them off. Get the key, stay calm and get the key. He reminded himself.

“I think it’s time to play with the Lie Spotter…let’s see...” he tossed it to Andares. “What’s the wildest thing you ever did?”

“Are we calling ‘people’ things?” Andares teased and the Grandmaster ate it up. “Let’s see…I snuck into Musphelheim once.” The orb glowed blue and Thor’s brow furrowed as he considered that. He’d gotten into Musphelheim to fight Surtur, but what in all the realms was Andares doing sneaking in such a place?

He tossed the ball to Ares. “Who is your favorite bed fellow?”

“Aphrodite.” he said without hesitation, and the orb glowed blue. “My very own goddess of love and beauty.” Who was very married to that bore Hephaestus but who was counting. He tossed the ball to Amora. “Who here would you most like to lay with?” Ares asked bluntly.

Amora’s expression grew slightly pinched and she hesitated a second before she answered. “Thor.” And the orb turned blue.

“Whooooa! Sparkles here has a fan.” The Grandmaster chuckled.

Amora threw the ball to Thor. “Do you still desire your ‘first love’?”

Thor frowned at that even as Loki’s head tilted up to see his brother answer. “No.” The orb glowed red.

“Our first liar of the night! Take a shot, Sparkles!” Grandmaster clapped his hands.

Topaz brought Thor a shot and he downed it quickly. Vanaheim Fire wine was strong even for an Asgardian, but Thor had a high tolerance in general.

“Wait, do you two know each other?” The Grandmaster suddenly asked.

“We grew up together on Asgard.”

“That’s a generous way of putting it.” Thor said, and the orb glowed blue.

“Ohh, did you two ever…you know, get together?”

“No.” Thor said and the orb glowed red.

Grandmaster’s and Loki’s brows lifted and Thor scowled as he made to toss the ball. “No, no, Sparkles, hold up. Topaz, another shot, if you would. Sparkles here lied again.” he cooed. Thor took another shot and the Grandmaster eyed Amora and Thor. “Seems you two had a thing, don’t be shy, we’re all adults here.” he winked at the currently younger Ares.

“She was wearing another’s guise, I didn’t know who she was and we didn’t couple.” The orb glowed blue.

“Wearing another…oh, Amora, that’s positively dirty of you…very nice. Was it someone important?” The Grandmaster asked, amused by the who idea of childhood escapades and sexual intrigue.

“No.” Thor said and the orb glowed red. He cursed even as he was made to take another shot.

Loki tried to make sense of the exchange, and he couldn’t recall the event Thor was speaking of…unless…was it the reason Amora was banished? But who could she possibly have disguised herself as, and why was she banished for it?

“Poor Sparkles is on his way to getting sloshed…fine, fine, I gotta ask though…did she dress up as this first love of yours?”

“No.” The orb glowed red and Thor took a fourth shot. He had tried to trick the orb the last two questions, to think of technicalities to negate the answer but it hadn’t worked.

Loki took the last question as a great surprise. He’d thought Thor’s first love was Jane…but if Amora disguised as them…well, it obviously wasn’t. Why would Thor hide it now? Was he so ashamed of whomever it was? Thor had answered he would partner with either gender…was it a male paramour? Had he known Fandral then? Loki couldn’t think of another man as an option, and Fandral was only a loose one at best.

“Go ahead and toss it.” The Grandmaster chuckled and Thor tossed the ball back to Amora.

“Did you disguise yourself as my brother in the torture room?”

Loki stilled at that, and the Grandmaster tilted his head.

Amora frowned but answered. “Yes.” and the orb glowed blue.

Thor was relieved, he had been pretty certain at this point that Loki hadn’t lied, but the confirmation was good to see.

Loki on the other hand took it as a sign of distrust, that Thor had still perhaps thought the whole time that he’d messed with Thor in the torture room.

Thor’s gaze dropped to Loki’s, and Loki shot his brother a frown. He made a subtle gesture of ‘well’ with his hand, why should Loki be surprised that he’d questioned it?

The game went on and of the guests, a little drunk by then, got up and stumbled towards Loki as they pulled themselves onto his back and straddled him like a horse. The Grandmaster found it funny and chuckled while the man’s friends cheered. He grabbed a handful of Loki’s hair like reins and tugged on it with a drunken chortle. “It’s like a big blue horse.”

Loki found himself ridden on and called a ‘big blue horse’ as his hair was pulled and his dignity shriveled as a feeling of revulsion and shame slid through him. He was reduced to a drunk’s mount for the mockery of all present under the eyes of Thor. His hair was pulled and he gritted his teeth, unable to shove the man off because of being bound to the ground. Loki had gone from [secret] King of Asgard to this, oh how the mighty had fallen.

The antsy feeling in Thor reached a fever pitch as a molten heat slid over him. His vision narrowed into two small circles of focus, and his thoughts dimmed to a few core ideas. He needed to protect hisLoki, Thor alone was allowed to touch him, how dare this man put hands on his brother?

Thor wasn’t aware that he’d moved until he’d shoved the man off roughly with a snarl from the back of his throat. He ‘knew’ he needed to lay a claim on Loki, to put a mark on his brother so the others would know that Loki already had a partner. Thor pushed against Loki’s side as he grabbed the back of his neck firmly and possessively before he leaned down and brought his mouth to Loki’s neck. He was leaned over his brother’s back as he bit down with his sharpened canines hard enough to draw blood and he felt Loki jump slightly. “He belongs to me.” Thor announced with a growl. “This one is mine.” his claws dug slightly into the back of Loki’s neck.

Loki had found himself defended by Thor, which was both relieving and annoying because Thor needed to stay out of trouble. But he was utterly flabbergasted when Thor slid up next to him, grabbed him, and bithim. Thor’s mouth was hot against his cold body as Thor pierced skin and Loki startled at the sensation and the action. His eyes had widened, and he felt Thor’s hand firm on his neck as Thor declared ownership of him. What the actual Hel?

“Think his chocolate was a liiittle strong.” Andares noted.

“Don’t forget the fire wine.” Ares pointed out but he was grinning. “That was pretty exciting though, I didn’t know you had it in you, Thunderer.”

The Grandmaster looked a bit flushed, with slightly dilated pupils after watching the scene. “Topaz, be a dear and get Sparkles here an antidote. I think it’s a little much for him.” he said, but he was watching Thor intently with an ill-disguised look of lust.

Thor clenched his hand harder on Loki’s neck as Topaz approached and he growled. Why was this woman approaching his brother? He paused as he thought he caught the scent of copper in the air but let it pass as Topaz held a little ‘drink me’ vial towards him.

“Come on, Sparkles, take a swig.”

Thor stared a moment before in the back of his mind it registered he should drink it and did so, and then tossed the bottle to the ground as he glanced down at Loki. His hair was bound so tightly, Thor hated that, he wanted to be able to run his fingers through Loki’s curls…he ran his fingers over Loki’s head and down his back in a slow stroke before he traced some of the heritage lines and felt Loki stiffen. He lowered his head as he kissed the back of Loki’s neck, near where he’d left the bite. Loki was beautiful, lithe and dangerous, with a voice that Thor loved to hear. The Grandmaster was an idiot to have taken his brother’s voice, but at least the others wouldn’t get to hear it.

Loki found himself the subject of tender caresses including along his heritage lines and he shuddered, taken aback. His brother kissed his neck and warmth pooled in Loki’s belly to his astonished horror. The two of them were clearly under the influence of their situations and chocolate, all of it was nonsense…Thor’s hand was so warm against his back, a familiar heat, a welcome heat if Loki was being honest. But Thor was his brother, and the way he was touching Loki was far from brotherly. Thor was going to feel like a fool when he’d regained his senses. Especially realizing he’d been tenderly touching a frost giant. No self-respecting Prince of Asgard would be kissing one of those. Loki heard Thor murmur, ‘you’re mine, brother’, and his eyes widened. He couldn’t decide if it would ever be worth taunting Thor about. Because it might well be too embarrassing for Loki as well to bring up.

Thor’s narrowed vision receded and his full mind started to slip back in as he found himself draped on his brother and caressing him. He blinked and then took a step back as he realized what he’d been doing and saw the bite mark on Loki’s neck. “I-”

”Get a little too excited, thunder-boy?” Andares laughed.

Thor stared at the bite and then looked to the Grandmaster as he spoke.

“You can bite me anytime.” he offered. “That voice of yours, oooh, that rumble.” he shivered.

“Hey, uh, the blue one is bleeding.” someone said.

Thor winced as he rubbed his hand over the bite mark to clear it of the blood, and he felt Loki stiffen. His brother was going to killhim for this.

“On his shorts.” someone else said.

Thor paused at that as he stepped back and sure enough the tan cargo pants were stained with a bluish-red liquid, not much, but noticeable.

Loki heard the bit about the bleeding and assumed they meant his shoulder also, but at the mention of his shorts he froze. His mind raced for why there would be blood there. Had he gotten hurt and forgotten?

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Someone else asked. “I thought it was a boy but…”

Loki realized the implication, and suddenly realized why his stomach had been hurting. The horror and mortification washed over him a large, sickening wave. Oh Norns, it wasn’t possible, it was too cruel, it was too horrible a joke, surely it couldn’t be.

But somehow he knew it was.

His Jotun body was dual-gendered, and perhaps triggered by the forced change into a giant’s size, the female portion of his anatomy had kicked into action. Loki was having a woman’s moon cycle. Oh, Gods…his eyes watered despite himself. He never cried, and he’d done it twice publicly now. When he’d thought Thor had abandoned him to his fate, and now that he realized what condition he was in and that Thor was seeing it. Or did he even realize yet, the dense oaf? The implication. Loki hung his head as he bit down on his tongue.

“Wait, wait, are you, uh, suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” The Grandmaster asked.

Thor was confused, and he looked from those speaking to his brother whose body had gone rigidly tense. His brother was male, so why were they asking if he was female in reference to the blood? He ignored the pretense of aloofness as he moved in front of his brother and crouched down in front of him. Loki shot him a surprised look with a wet-eyed, pained expression and then quickly looked away. “Brother?” he murmured, and Loki only lowered his head further.

“What race did you say it was?” A woman asked. “I minored in species diversity.”

”Minored in kissing the teacher’s ass.” the woman next to her said.

“Don’t be jealous.” The woman replied as she gave the other woman’s thigh a suggestive squeeze and smirked.

“Jotun.” The Grandmaster replied as he eyed Loki and Thor’s little exchange.

The woman considered it a moment. “Uhh…right…uh…I think frost giants and fire giants are both hermaphrodites?”

“What, so they’re packing a sword and a sheathe?” A man asked with a laugh.

Thor froze at the words as he stared at his brother. It was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous, he’d known his brother over a thousand years. They’d used the same bathing pool, they’d seen each other unclothed, gone swimming out in the open on camping and adventure trips…his brother was definitely a brother.

But Loki pointedly wouldn’t meet his gaze, and Thor saw a couple of tears drip off his cheeks. And Thor knew then somehow it had to be the truth. “How?” he heard himself ask, just above a whisper and Loki’s hands clenched as a faint whimper came from his throat.

Thor knew, and he asked ‘how’ in that stunned tone, and he was staring at Loki and making it so damned obvious by crouching down in front of him. He needed to go away, what was he thinking? What washe thinking now that he knew? Loki was a monster through and through, how could he be called a Prince of Asgard as he was? A frost giant with both sexes, in a hyper-masculine warrior culture. Thor would have no context for it, gender roles were well-defined in Asgardian society. Loki had considered it fairly open-minded of Thor to take Loki shifting into a woman to mess with his brother in stride, but this? He had a damned woman’s ‘sheathe’ as some cretin had just called it.

The Grandmaster seemed wildly intrigued. “Oh-ho…that…that does change things. Oh, my brother is going to flip. Well wait, so…if a Jotun gets pregnant…so they get, you know?” he cupped the area around his chest where breasts would go. “Do they make milk?”

“I’m not sure.” The woman who’d declared it originally asked.

The line of questions made Loki want to throw up, and he felt himself going numb from the shock and despair of it all. Thor was listening, hearing them speak of Loki like that. He was hearing them speak of Loki growing round with child and having the features to match…milkproduced from his own body. Loki’s tears fell harder and he hated himself for it. He wanted to disappear, to be anywhere but where he was and in the situation he was in.

Thor saw the tears despite how hard Loki tried to hide them and as he reached a hand towards Loki’s arm, Loki jerked away as best he could.

“My brother has a thing about breeding rare creatures…pretty sure he has a regular ole Jotun in his collection…bet he’d love to take a crack at Sapphy here…he has this machine too, uh, you just hook ‘em up and it drains ‘em dry. There’s a good market for rare milks, isn’t that funny? But he likes to keep it for himself, the stingy jerk.” The Grandmaster chuckled.

Thor felt his body go cold at those words and the entire idea. His brother, caged like an animal, forced to…he couldn’t even think of it. He saw Loki’s hands clenched to the point of causing his palms to bleed and he grabbed at his brother’s hands to try to unfurl them. Loki opened one hand to ram his nails into Thor’s palm where he dug them in viciously and Thor snatched his hand back.

Loki felt a frisson of fear at the Grandmaster’s words. He spoke of forced breeding and milking Loki like…like he was truly some kind of creature. No, he would rather die, he would rather be dead than face such a fate. And Thor heard it all and then grabbed at his hands and Loki couldn’t abide it. His brother’s-Thor’s-pity, which was all it could. Perfect, golden Thor was pitying his adopted brother as he was spoken of like a damned animal, his body’s dual-state crowed about for all to hear. He couldn’t breathe, he wanted to collapse. He dug his nails into Thor’s palm as he took out a sliver of agony on Thor and rejected his poor attempts at pity. Loki couldn’t look at him.

“I wonder if Sapphy here can breed with other races…too bad Hulk is gone…that woulda been a perfect match up.” The Grandmaster said with a sigh.

Loki felt bile in his throat at that, at the idea of being forced to couple with the Hulkand forced to carry it’s offspring.

“You know, I think this calls for a little experiment…but who to use…so many combatants…so many combinations…could just try a few and see what sticks.” And then he chuckled. “Sticks.” he repeated, like he’d made a witty joke. “You don’t mind, do ya, Sparkles?” The Grandmaster asked, as if Thor had any real choice.

Thor’s heart rate had increased along side his rage, being stunned, and his worry for his brother. He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the turn of events, but he could see they were sliding into dangerous territory. The Grandmaster seriously wanted to try to…to have his brotherused as a…breeding creature? The thought made him ill, it was a warped reality, it was as if he had to wake up surely and find this all to be a nightmare. This wasn’t reality, it couldn’t be.

And yet it was and Thor’s mind reeled from it. How could he delay this, how could he keep Loki safe long enough for them to escape?

“You spoke of the Hulk.” he heard himself say, and he swallowed hard to try to make his voice more confident. “But you have a new grand champion here. I’m a god…who better than me to…” he couldn’t even say it and forced his lips into a grin that made his stomach curl as he made a vague gesture.

“Oooh! We have a volunteer!” The Grandmaster said. “You do have a point…a tiny, giant Sparkles would be interesting…”

Loki’s head shot up at Thor at that, red eyes brimming with tears as he stared at his brother in mute shock. In the back of his mind, he knew it had to be Thor’s way of trying to keep him from being ill-used, but hearing his brother speak so of him just…it crushed something in him.

Thor, in the position to do so, ever above Loki who was ever forced below.

“Yeah, yeah, I could get behind that…okay, we’ll give it a go. A little Sapphy-Sparkles Jr. That’ll really get the crowds going.”

Thor met Loki’s gaze for an instant before Loki looked away again. He felt physically sick on his brother’s behalf. “Then…perhaps I could take him back to our rooms and…start now?” he made himself ask and he saw Loki’s body slump.

“A go-getter! I like that! Topaz, get the kids their party bags, would ya? And get our little Jabberwocky here on her way.”

A few disappointed noises from other guests, some chatter, and Thor being handed two little gift bags later, and Loki was released from the ground as his leash was handed to Thor.

“Ooh, tears of joy! Sapphy can’t wait to be a mother, can she?” The Grandmaster cooed. “How much bigger would a giant get with a bun in the oven?” he wondered out loud.

Loki was ashamed of his tears dimly, but he was so rubbed raw and numb from it all that it was all he could do to move. Thor gave parting words that Loki barely heard through his pained haze and then he followed after him as Thor walked along.

Thor knew. And Thor had to speak of getting Loki with child. Loki, who the Grandmaster was tempted to send to the collector to spend his days as a rare, caged creature for breeding and…the rest didn’t bear more thinking on. The degradation was too great, the idea too far removed from any reality he’d ever considered.

“Brother.” Thor tried to speak to Loki as they walked but Loki wouldn’t even look at him, there was a blankness in his face that made Thor shudder. It reminded Thor of the day on the Bifrost, when Odin had told Loki ‘no’ and he’d let go. The vacant stare, the blank expression, the emptiness…it frightened Thor, as did the idea that Loki might ever do such a thing again, might ever simply…give up.

Thor returned them to their room, and he tried to think of what he might say but Loki didn’t spare him another glance as he walked to the bathroom and closed the door. He followed after and tried to open it but Loki had locked it. “Loki? Loki!” Should he break it down or leave it be? Was Loki in need of space or was he a danger to himself? Thor had no idea what to do with the situation, or what to say, or how to help.

Loki was dual-sexed, Thor couldn’t believe it. Now that he recalled, he thought he remembered jokes in his youth about such things when speaking of the monstrous Jotnar. But it had meant little at the time and he’d long forgotten it. But it was true…and perhaps Loki too had only just found out, Thor was fairly sure Loki wanted nothing to do with his Jotun form.

What was Thor supposed to say? How did one comfort a prickly brother they weren’t exactly close to at the moment when he was publicly outed on being…apparently both genders? They spoke of his brother like an animal.

What could he say or do? Loki wouldn’t take comfort from him for hardly anything, and now…

Thor’s mind was haunted by the sight of Loki falling into the Void from the Bifrost. He remembered his agony as he thought his brother lost and dead, as he blamed himself, ached for missing the brother he truly loved. Thor leaned his head against the bathroom door with a pained expression. “I’m here, brother.” he said lightly, some measure of his feelings in his words though no movement or sound came in reply.

Chapter 13: Send All My Loving To You

Chapter Text

Thor was at a crossroads because Loki could be hard to manage on a good day, but in a situation like this, he had no idea what the ‘right’ answer was. If he forced his way into the bathroom and Loki simply wanted space, he would be all that more against accepting comfort from Thor. But if Loki were…well, there was a difference between letting go of Gungnir and letting himself fall versus actually doing something to harm himself. And he was certain there was nothing that immediately stood out as a weapon in the bathroom, given that they weren’t supposed to have those. Especially after the recent ‘revolution’.

“I’ll be right back, Loki.” Thor called out, and he heard no reply and cursed as he left. He had decided he needed to get supplies for his brother quickly, because having nothing to tend to himself with wouldn’t make it any better for Loki. He’d not been especially enthused about how open and sharing Jane was with her womanly needs, though he had listened all the same. But now it would serve a purpose towards helping his brother.

His brother who was apparently in part…a sister? Thor couldn’t imagine finding out the same. The idea of waking up one day to find his body was so changed. To be able to bear children, or have a woman’s moon cycle…would Loki truly grow breasts and form milk if pregnant?

Loki pregnant.

The thought felt like a betrayal to even consider, an acknowledgment of something he knew must be driving his brother mad. His brother who had hated the way he was mocked as feminine or lesser as a warrior for his sorcery and lithe body. Loki who preferred dual daggers to more ‘manly’ weapons. And now Loki was forced to suffer this, and even to Thor it felt like a mockery from the universe. Not because he looked down on Loki for it, he loved his brother no less, but he knew Loki would despise it. Loki hated as well to lack control over things, so that he no longer had control of himself, that his body had been so altered and he was forced to deal with that…it had to be crushing for his brother.

The image of Loki, dead-eyed and grim faced as he fell into the Void replayed in his mind’s eye. He’d known what Loki intended the instant before he’d done it because of that look. And it had haunted Thor, he had swirled in maelstrom of guilt and grief and confusion. Thor had desperately missed his brother…to see such a similar look on his face now…

Thor had meant to be faster but it took about an hour to gather all that he intended, and that was with racing about the compound and outside. He’d had to ask for directions from a woman on the street who thankfully seemed pleased about Thor’s purchases for his ‘girlfriend’. Thor hadn’t bothered to correct it and went on his way.

“Loki?” he called out as he approached the bathroom again, and again there was no answer. “Brother, if you don’t open the door, I’m going to.” he warned, and silence.

“No, Loki.” Odin said, and quiet despair settled on Loki’s expression before he let go and fell wordlessly into the darkness.

Thor felt a sickening feeling in his stomach and with a quick jerk, he snapped the lock of the door handle and opened it.

Loki was sat in the bathtub, hunched up because of his size, with sopping wet shorts and a blank expression. He didn’t look at Thor as he entered, he simply stared off to the side unmoving.

Loki had entered the bathroom in a haze, only vaguely aware of whatever Thor was saying as he removed his shorts and began to wash them in the sink with a disassociated fervor. The blood was bluish red, even that was different, the blood that was his and shared with Laufey and not his Asgardian family. The blood of monsters.

The shorts were cleaned though left with a stain, and then soaked wet, but he put them on anyway for lack of anything else. The action of having to put on the Hulk’s discarded shorts, now wet and stained, only further scraped at his insides. Loki wanted to vomit, he wanted to lie down, he wanted to rage, he wanted to sit in the corner and hide, he wanted to scream, he wanted to weep, he wanted-

Loki wanted to do nothing, to be nothing, to sit in dark and quiet and pretend that it wasn’t real. He was the King of Asgard in Odin’s place, not a monstrous frost giant pet set to one day be a breeding creature for The Collector. He was vaguely aware of when Thor opened the door but he didn’t want to move, he had no will or energy for it, Loki stared and tried to be as non-existent as possible.

The look on Loki’s face put fear into Thor as few things could. He faced Surtur with a laugh, he’d looked Hela down confidently, he’d faced monsters of all kinds, terrible battles…but the sight of his little brother looking so…empty…it put fear into every cell of his being. The thought that he could lose him again and feel the agony of his loss again was utterly terrifying. All of the animosity, the anger, the hurt feelings, the being at odds…it fell away for the moment as instinct took over, the desperate need to correct this and reassure himself that Loki was Loki who was far too vain and confident and Lokito give up.

“Brother.” he tried, and got no reply, and Thor’s mind raced. Loki was hard to reach with sentiment in general, but now in this moment, Thor was sure it wouldn’t even register. He needed to reach something else…something like…

Thor approached and stood right next to the tub. He thought about the Thor he’d been when Loki ruined his coronation. The way he’d spoke and acted, the mistakes he’d made, the foolish prejudices he’d carried. “I shouldn’t be surprised.” Thor said, in a tone that was mocking and arrogant. “I mean the signs were there…sorcery…the daggers I could go either way on but the tricks.” he saw the faintest hint of tension creep into Loki’s body though his brother still didn’t look at him.

“Even that nonsense with your hair. Slicked against your head like a damned weasel. As if you needed another reason to be found different.”

Loki’s hands which lay on his lap had clenched at that.

Thor went for the kill. “If Mother could see you now…well, she did always want a daughter, perhaps that’s why she favored yo-” he was surprised at the speed Loki was still capable of in his giant’s form as Loki leapt up from the tub and slammed Thor’s back into the counter by shoving his face.

Thor had expected to rile Loki, he hadn’t quite expected that, but he reacted quickly as he pulled away and walked backwards out of the bathroom to lure his brother out. Loki’s empty expression was now filled with fury and hate as he grabbed at Thor who dodged.

“And to think, you used to be so quick. It was the one thing you had going for you.” Thor mocked thoughtfully, and a noise almost like a growl escaped Loki’s locked throat.

Loki lunged for him again and Thor slapped his brother’s stomach. He saw Loki look more angry, if that were possible, and Thor was taken aback when an end table was abruptly hurled at him.

Thor caught it on his arm. “Hey! No throwing-” Loki aimed a backhand that Thor dodged, only to catch a fist in the side that caused him to partially double over a moment. His brother packed more of a punch as a full-sized giant. The next fist he caught with both hands since it was too large for one, but Loki slammed a leg into both of his and knocked him onto his back. Thor found himself straddled by ten feet of furious giant as Loki shoved an arm onto his chest to keep him pinned while his free hand found Thor’s throat and began to squeeze painfully. Thor had expected Loki to fight viciously, but the ever-closing hand around his throat and Loki’s expression made him wonder if Loki was truly about to try to kill him. Thor had no choice but to let his lightning out as he gave Loki a light blast and sent his brother sprawling backwards. Loki seemed stunned for a few seconds before he started to rise, and Thor rubbed his aching throat as he coughed. “Feeling better, brother?”

Loki had heard Thor’s taunts through his haze, and while it took a moment for the meaning of the words to reach him, they did. And Loki didn’t have the energy to sit and ruminate on why, he simply took the words at face value. Thor who mocked him, dug at old wounds, who saw Loki clearly miserable and decided to make fun of his situation. He was looking down on Loki then, mocking him for this shameful, vile situation. And then Thor mentioned Mother and Loki saw red.

The pair fought for a few minutes until he’d pinned Thor down, and he gripped a hand around his throat in rage. Loki wanted to stop Thor from talking, he wanted to put Thor in his place, he wanted- The lightning sent him blasting back and he couldn’t believe it a moment. As he started to rise, Thor put out a hand and asked if he was feeling better…and called him ‘brother’.

Loki stared at Thor a few seconds before comprehension dawned. Thor had goaded him on purpose. The realization left him taken aback as he watched Thor rub the throat that even now had begun to form bruises. He must have grabbed Thor hard indeed for that to be the case. Loki didn’t know how to react, he didn’t know how to interpret it. He had little time to think more on it as he felt something wet trickling down his leg and looked to see new blood. The mortification, the despair, the pain, the sadness fell on him anew and his expression became miserable. He took a few steps back, he wanted to flee, he wanted it not to be real, he wanted Thor not to see.

Thor saw Loki’s hesitation after he spoke and then the misery in his expression as Thor followed his gaze and spotted the blood. If Loki succumbed to despair again, goading him into a fight wouldn’t likely work again. He had to think fast. Loki as a child had listened to him easily, the older Loki got the more he would snark or fight back a bit, but ultimately Thor had the trump cards. And there was a certain voice he would use, the one he’d told Loki to ‘know his place with’, the one he’d snapped ‘enough’ at Loki with on the Bifrost when he’d spoken to Heimdall. It was the one that made Loki ‘submit’ and fall back. The commanding, angry voice of the crown prince of Asgard. Thor hadn’t used it in years, but he did then.

“Come here.” Thor snapped, and he saw Loki flinch just slightly as a hint of surprise registered in his expression. He moved with confidence as he pushed Loki towards the bathroom and Loki obliged. He watched as Thor wet a rag and moved towards him. Loki started to step back, but Thor ordered ‘stand still’, in that tone. Loki felt some centuries-old instinct flare to life as he obeyed, Thor brooked no arguments as he was. And in his despair, the commanding presence of Thor was somehow comforting, a familiar reassurance and confidence.

Thor knew if he made any showing that it was awkward, or if he showed hesitation or ‘weakness’, Loki would probably lash out or withdraw. So he made every word and movement a command unto itself, he normalized all of his actions, and gave Loki ‘no choice but to comply’. At least, that was what he was going for. Thor knelt down as he carefully drew the wet rag up his brother’s leg and wiped away the blood, oddly reminded of the times in their lives he had done so for his little brother. Or Loki for him, on occasion.

--

“Hurts, Tor.” Loki sniffled as his big brother knelt in front of Loki who was seated on a bench.

”I know, brother, I will make it better.” Thor promised as he dabbed his hand into the fountain beside him and rinsed the blood from the wound on Loki’s leg. He’d scraped it climbing a rock, and Thor had carried him to the bench.

Thor, satisfied that he’d cleaned the wound, made a show of dramatically covering the wound with his hand. “In the name of the All-Father, I banish the pain away!” he drew his hand up quickly and Loki, familiar with this ‘spell’, mimicked the gesture with a little smile. Thor then wrapped it in the gauze he’d had wrapped around his arm for sword practice, and pressed a couple of kisses to the covered wound. “Better, brother?”

“Mmhm.” Loki nodded with another little sniff, and Thor smiled as he pulled Loki into a hug. Loki latched onto Thor’s neck and squeezed his legs around Thor’s torso.

“Good.” Thor said as he pressed a kiss to his little brother’s head. “Shall we go read a story?” he offered.

“Yes, bruh-er!” Loki said enthusiastically as he rubbed his head against Thor’s, and Thor smiled warmly as he carried his baby brother inside to do just that.

--

Loki had slipped into a crevasse as they followed the trail of a pack of terrorizing beasts they were hunting. Thor had snatched his brother out and Loki had gotten a long gash up his arm. His brother would heal quickly, but he wasn’t going to leave an open, bleeding wound.

“It will be fine, you know.” Loki said as he eyed Thor, who had insisted on tending the wound and had carried Loki from the crevasse like a child to his embarrassed protests.

“Hush and let me do this.” Thor muttered, and Loki rolled his eyes but there was a faint smile on his lips anyway. Thor was as brutal as a beast himself when it suited him, he could be so brash and fierce. But when something like this happened the great oaf was a gentle giant. Thor finished tending Loki’s arm and Loki stretched his arm out before he playfully pinched Thor’s cheek.

“You are wasted as warrior, brother, perhaps you ought to consider being a healer?”

Thor gave his brother a dry look as he batted his hand away. “A waste is it? I will let you handle all the beasts yourself then.”

“You say that as though it would be a problem.”

Thor lifted a brow and Loki felt a flicker of annoyance at what he took to be Thor underestimating him. But then Thor chuckled and ruffled Loki’s hair, which caused him to scrunch his nose. “It would be, since we are meant to fight together, brother.”

Thor had a knack for saying oddly sentimental things in the most casual way possible. “I suppose you had best keep up then.” Loki drawled as he abruptly stood and started snaking his way down the mountain side.

“Loki!” Thor shouted after him as he hurried along. “Do not fall again!”

Loki grinned. “No promises, brother. I intend to help you practice!” he called back as he waved his hand and made the illusion of a healer’s robe appear over Thor’s battle uniform. He heard his brother curse with exasperation and laughed.

--

Thor couldn’t remember the last time Loki had allowed Thor to tend him, and he trailed the wash cloth up Loki’s leg with a hint of nostalgia alongside his worry. When he’d finished, he washed the cloth in the sink while Loki watched him with an inscrutable expression. He had the temptation to hesitate. Thor was nearly fifteen hundred years old, the would-be King of Asgard, a warrior and god through and through…and he was about to try to help his brother deal with something neither of them ever anticipated handling. It felt awkward, more so because he and Loki weren’t close anymore, but he couldn’t show the hesitation. If Thor let his unease through, Loki would take it and twist it, or withdraw or reject his aid…no, Thor had to keep an air of authority and use it to suppress Loki’s combative nature. This was totally normal, Thor tried to convince himself, this was just a different way of tending his little brother, totally normal.

“Don’t move.” Thor said gruffly as he headed into the living room and quickly returned with a bag of supplies. He schooled his expression into a neutral one as he pulled out a length of heavy cloth, Loki seemed to be listening but still had no readable expression. “You’ll have to use this for now, when your…size wears off, you can use these.” As soon as Thor started to pull the box, Loki recoiled before he gave Thor’s shoulder a hard shove. He smacked the bag to the ground and started to push Thor by the shoulders. Loki was far larger as a giant, and he was stronger than in his other form, but Thor was a god of strength and he planted himself as he pushed back and the two dead-locked against each other. “Loki.” Thor snapped, but the tone didn’t settle Loki as his brother looked agitated and dug his nails into Thor’s shoulders. He cursed and aimed a punch at Loki’s stomach, Loki caught his fist and twisted it as he pushed at Thor who ended up with his back half against the door frame.

Loki had let Thor tend him somewhat, but when he spoke of the cloth and brought out the box of women’s products, horror and shame filled him anew as he shoved at his brother. It was too much, it was too simple, it was normalizing a situation that was a mortification for him. Thor was acting like it was all so easy and he couldn’t stand it, he knew it for a lie. Neither of them could be alright with this, Thor was Thorand his brother may have thought he was a consummate actor but Loki had been watching his brother for over a thousand years. He knew Thor was uncomfortable, and his mind gave him a litany of negatives about it, about what Thor thought of him this way.

Good, noble Thor who would tend his pitiable brotherdespite all of his misdeeds and his current situation.

Loki felt misery wash over him with the anger and helplessness, along with a sense of futility. He didn’t want this, he couldn’t standthis, and even if they got out of this there was no way Thor would look at him the same. And Loki would always know, would always remember, and the thought was intolerable.

Thor let Loki dig his nails in but he kept himself firm as Loki tried to push him out. Force had only gotten him so far, and he was losing him again, and he feared losing him worse if left Loki to his own devices. Truth given to Loki was much the same as handing him a dagger and asking Loki not to stab him with it, but he saw no choice.

“Few moments in my life have I ever been truly afraid.” Thor began abruptly in a low tone, and Loki hesitated as confusion flitted across his expression. “I expect to be able to face whatever comes my way…but the day on the Bifrost…I saw it in your face, I knew you were about to let go. And I think I had never felt such fear in my life.” he saw Loki’s eyes widen and felt the fingers dug into his shoulders loosen. “In Svartalfheim, when Kurse stabbed you…” Thor trailed off a moment and his eyes closed for a second at the painful twinge the memory brought before he met Loki’s gaze again. “When I held you and were dying…I felt that fear again. I blamed myself on and off for your fall into the Void but for Svartalfheim I had no doubt. You died to protect me, or so I thought. And for four years you let me mourn you and live with that failure hanging over me. I believed your last words, took them to heart, and you made a damned playabout them. You made a mockery of my grief, even when I spoke of it on Midgard.”

“I mourned you, I cried for you!”

“I’m honored?”

“When I came for the Tesseract you asked if I mourned you, and I said we all did. But you will never know how deeply Idid so, you cannot imagine.” Thor said with certainty. “The look on your face when we came back here was a twin to the one you wore when you let go, and I find…myself afraid again.” he admitted, and Loki looked mildly stunned. “You are Loki Odinson, whether you like it or not, son of Odin and Frigga, Prince of Asgard, and my brother. And I-” his voice hitched just slightly and he swallowed hard and forced himself to calm, forced himself to push away the dual images of Loki falling blankly into the Void and Loki dying in his arms. “-I cannot bear to lose you again, Loki.”

Thor wasn’t sure if the deeply held sentiment would mean anything, and it felt strange to speak the words to a brother who had become half a stranger to him. But the idea of not trying and then having something happen to his brother…he couldn’t stand the thought.

Loki heard Thor start speaking and he listened, still agitated and eager to push Thor away. But the first sentence was an odd one and Loki listened as of all things, Thor spoke of the duel on the Bifrost. ‘Never felt such fear in my life’. Loki almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing, was Thor really saying such a thing? To him?

Thor looked pained and spoke of Svartalfheim, and Loki felt a flicker of guilt as he’d done that very day when he saw how wounded Thor looked holding his body. He had been worried when Thor saw the play because it outed Loki, he’d never considered that it hurt Thor to see it. ‘How deeply Idid so’. Loki was stunned, by the admission, by the fact that such a thing might be true, that he was saying it now. And then Thor spoke words that some part of him wished Thor had said years ago. That Thor had been the one to find him in the Vault. If Thor had accepted him, and said such things…who knows, maybe he would have felt differently, maybe Loki would have been less afraid or enraged.

Thor’s voice hitched and Loki watched his brother with something bordering on fascination. His brother could be sentiment, but this was something else. Thor was worried Loki meant to do himself harm, worried about losing Loki. ‘Cannot bear it’, Thor said. And even Loki couldn’t twist the words, he couldn’t imagine that Thor could speak those words facetiously or fake the note of grief in his voice. Thor had truly mourned him twice, and even now, monstrous as Loki was…he was making himself vulnerable with truths out of ‘fear’ of losing him. The thought boggled his mind a bit, even as the weight of the realization was both heavy and light.

Loki hadn’t given him any indication of response though, and whatever Thor took that to mean, he added.

“We have been brothers over a millennia. I have known you most moments of your life, you damned brat. Nothing can change it. And no amount of fighting between us would cause me to abandon you, brother.”

Loki wondered about their conversation in the elevator where Thor had seemed ready to let him go. He had felt abandoned, but perhaps that was…not what he should have felt? Not how Thor meant it?

In the tunnels it was Thor who’d been silent and Loki who egged him on to ‘say something!’. And now it was Thor who waited for some kind of response, some kind of acceptance or rejection to what he said. And Loki had no voice even if he knew what he might wish to say, and he didn’t really.

Loki tentatively moved the hands that had still been on Thor’s shoulders. One he brought to Thor’s upper arm where he gave it a little squeeze, and the other he brought to Thor’s neck. His hand was too big for their gesture of affection, he cupped part of Thor’s face as well as his neck, but Thor seemed relieved. Thor brought his hand up to Loki’s forearm and held it as their eyes met.

Had Thor really felt that way all this time? Why hadn’t he come to visit Loki in the cells of Asgard? Why hadn’t he been happy to see him after four years?

After you let him think you were dead and made a play about it, and banished your father? His mind supplied and he realized that was probably an unfair demand on his part.

The idea that Thor cared so much, loved him still perhaps, was overwhelming. He had felt so lonely, he hinted at it when he’d mentioned ‘going it alone’, when he tried to invite Thor to rule Sakaar with him. Loki painted Thor as judgmental and self-righteous, caring only up to a point, and while he hoped they might reconcile he didn’t think they could be truly close again. Thor seemed to think Loki a villain and to be frank, he wasn’t entirely wrong to think so.

But this was…unexpected. And Loki found he was hungry for what Thor was offering, for the blanket acceptance and reassurance, the place that only Loki held in Thor’s eyes. All of Sakaar was primed to look on him as a beast and a pet, but Thor still [and despite their recent history] saw Loki Odinson, Prince of Asgard? Even with Loki ten foot tall, Jotun, and with his dual-gender so wretchedly outed? Even after the betrayals?

Loki blinked at a sudden mistiness in his own eyes, and his hand clenched a little. Thor seemed to notice and his expression only softened in reply as Thor made a gesture that he hoped would signal to Loki the truth of his words. Thor offered his brother a wry, half-smile as pressed a kiss to his brother’s palm. Loki jerked his hand back with an affronted look, but the heat wasn’t in it. “You told me on Asgard, ‘now you see me’. I see you still, brother. So stop acting like it’s otherwise, let me help you, use what I brought for you, and then come out.” he instructed. Thor gave his brother a firm but faintly amused look, and promptly headed out of the bathroom. The door still closed, but wouldn’t lock now that he’d broken it.

As soon as the barrier was between them Thor let his expression falter as he sat down and rubbed a hand over his face. Perhaps he had said too much, what if he’d said the wrong thing? What if this was the balm of a moment, or even now Loki was thinking of how he might use it against Thor later? What if it made no difference, and Loki didn’t care, and he still ended up with that look on his face?

Loki found his palm playfully kissed and he jerked it back in surprise, the gesture an intimacy that he was no longer used to sharing with Thor. But moreover, Thor wasn’t under the influence of anything, he hadn’t hesitated to kiss a frost giant’s palm. He suspected that was the point, that Thor was trying to show him it didn’t matter. And two reactions warred in him. Thor was in a position to carelessly think it didn’t matter, it wasn’t Thor who’d been threatened with being sent to the Collector. But on the other hand…Gods it was a relief, it was gratifying, it was heart-warming in a stupidly sentimental way that he would deny until his dying day but there it was. Thor seemed truly to see him no differently, and it shouldn’t be possible, but it seemed somehow that it was. The great damned oaf. The fool. The absolutely, utterly wretched, endearingbrother.

Loki closed and opened his palm and thought about the time he’d first discovered, or suspected at least, what he was on Jotunheim when he’d been grabbed and his hand had turned. Never did he imagine his hand, covered in Jotun blue, being shown tenderness by Thor of all people.

Loki sighed as he collected the discarded items, which included a hideous pair of large, stretchy shorts and a gigantic, fluffy robe. He hated both, but he supposed they were the largest things Thor could find. He cleaned himself up, used the heavy cloth, put on the clothes, and after a moment’s hesitation headed out to his brother. The admission gave him a strange new awkwardness, to look at Thor and not be able to neatly categorize Thor in the little box he’d put him in. To know that Thor cared so much about him, apparently, had mournedhim and been far more affected by Loki’s actions than he’d ever realized.

Thor was leaned back on the couch with a hand rubbing his head, and he cracked open his eyes as Loki approached. Loki hid his reservations as he sat next to Thor, who eyed him with a growing and ill-contained smirk. “Nice robe.”

You picked it, you ass! Loki thought as he narrowed his eyes and punched Thor’s shoulder. Thor laughed and Loki found himself smiling a little, surprised at the familiar air about it. As if they were who they’d been years ago, before he’d stopped being close, before they’d hurt each other deeply. He pointed to Thor’s head questioningly.

“Little headache.” he said dismissively. “Wine never sits well with me.” He’d drunk several shots at the party, and Vanaheim’s fire wine was strong indeed.

Loki recalled that, and considered it before he leaned forward and wrapped his hand around Thor’s head with the palm against it. Thor looked confused a moment before Loki’s natural coldness seeped into his head and he relaxed. “Well that’s convenient.” he murmured, and Loki used his free hand to pinch Thor for the ‘offense’. Thor’s eyes had closed again for the moment, and Loki took the opportunity to marvel at the situation. True, Loki couldn’t do much against him at the moment, and it wasn’t in his best interest to harm Thor. But Thor had just made such a raw confession, and here he was, offering himself with his eyes closed to a brother who had done him a number of ills in past years. While said brother, a frost giant, used his hand as an ice pack. It was almost comical, really.

The pains in his stomach had been happening on and off, and he felt a sharper one suddenly as he drew back with a wince, and Thor opened his eyes to look over at him.

Loki started to wave away Thor’s concern, but Thor was wise to what was happening now. “Pain…down there?” he asked though anyway, just to confirm and have it out in the open.

Loki shot his brother a faintly miserable expression, as if to say why would you even ask? Their shared moment in the bathroom had softened Loki towards Thor, it had given him some renewed trust in his brother, but it was still…it was still too much, he didn’t want it to be real.

“Will you let me try something?”

Loki gave his brother a wary look, and Thor looked at him patiently. After a hesitation he nodded, and Thor scooted closer on the couch. He pushed at Loki’s legs so he’d set them off the couch completely, and Loki watched as Thor brought his hand to Loki’s stomach and started to lower it. Loki grabbed his wrist in alarm, confused about what was happening, and Thor paused.

“It was something I did for Jan-” he saw Loki’s expression twist as the grip on his wrist tightened and Thor changed course. “Brother, I think it might help, I can do little for you right now but I would do this if you’ll let me.”

Loki hadn’t liked a comparison to a woman, let alone a mortal woman. Loki wasn’t a woman, he wasn’t…he didn’t need or want to be treated like one! But Thor continued in his easily sincere way and Loki was tempted to lash out on principle but after a few seconds he released Thor’s wrist with a slight nod.

Thor’s hand hovered above his belly and crackled with lightning a moment, Loki stiffened with alarm and Thor explained. “My hand will be warmer after.” And the lightning faded as quickly as it came. True enough, his hand was warmer than normal as he set it on Loki’s stomach. The warmth almost painfully good against Loki’s cold skin as his brother lowered his hand closer to Loki’s pelvis and began a circular, slow massage. The warmth was good, and the massage almost good, but it wasn’t hard enough. The pain wasn’t enough assuaged by it and he impulsively pressed on the back of his brother’s hand. Thor looked surprised but understood and pressed harder, and Loki felt a melting relief all over his body. The situation was nonsense, a writer of myths would balk at such a tale. Two brothers, princes of Asgard, warring for years and ending up enslaved in a wild city like Sakaar only for one to being massaging the other through newfound moon cycle pains. Thor Odinson, the Mighty Thor, offering such intimate care towards Loki, one-time servant of Thanos and villain of Midgard.

Thor’s expression was calm, there was nothing that indicated disgust or annoyance, and Loki couldn’t really fathom it. Surely Thor shouldn’t want to be so kind to him? More than kind really, the situation was so far removed from anything either of them should have had to deal with, but Thor especially. He’d just discovered his frost giant brother was dual-sexed and dealing with female-specific issues and Thor acted like it was business as usual.

Maybe it is. If he really sees you as Loki and brother still, is this any different than any other tending he’s done all your lives?His inner self queried.

“Is it helping any?” Thor asked.

Loki nodded and Thor grinned a little. “Ice hands for me and lightning hands for you.” It took Loki a split second to realize why Thor was reversing their hand attributes, the cold aided Thor and the heat aided Loki. He poked his brother’s forehead with a dry look, and Thor’s little grin was undeterred. Loki shook his head in faux exasperation, and then set his arm on the back of the couch and laid his head on his arm as he watched Thor.

“The Grandmaster seems eager for my company.” Thor said abruptly and Loki frowned at the reminder of the external situation at hand. “I was thinking about just…seeking him out, seeing if I could get an invitation that way. When I’m invited to the public, I can see about getting into the private. I need something to put him to sleep though, whenever it happens. Any ideas?”

Loki didn’t like the idea of Thor getting close to the Grandmaster that way, it could go wrong in so many ways. And what if…Thor actually had to bed the Grandmaster to do it? Would he resent Loki for it? Thor wouldn’t have to do it if not for needing Loki’s key, he wouldn’t even be here if Loki hadn’t betrayed him. Loki leaned and Thor started to move away but Loki casually kept Thor’s hand on his stomach as he took the notepad and pen from the table. He pressed on the back of Thor’s hand and gave his brother an imperious expression that he should continue. Thor looked amused and obliged, and Loki was relieved, he didn’t want to have to askfor the aid. But Thor was willing to let Loki be a little demanding about it, which made it less awkward for him. Less…vulnerable.

Loki wrote Valerian root, poppy, strong clear alcohol. I can make a tincture.

Thor read it and nodded, and while Loki was on the mental subject of Thor sleeping with a man and had the notepad, he asked.

Whose form did Amora wear? Is that what she was banished for?

Thor read it and stilled, his hand stopped in place on Loki’s stomach before he resumed with a shrug. “It is why she was banished. I can’t remember whose form, it’s been so long.”

Loki frowned, because both based on Thor’s current behavior and what was said at the party, he knew Thor was lying.

Is it Fandral?

Thor read it and his eyes widened as he spluttered. “Fandral? Wha-Loki, no. Of course not.”

If you can’t remember how can you be sure? Loki challenged.

Thor frowned and then pulled his hand away as he stood up suddenly. “I should order those things now. Just in case.” he started to move away and Loki grabbed his brother’s wrist to keep him there. Thor twisted his arm at an angle and yanked to free his arm, and while he had the strength to do so in general, the size of Loki’s hand meant he grabbed too much of Thor’s arm to just be pulled away. Loki gave his brother a hard yank and Thor fell somewhat onto Loki, he braced himself in a standing position by putting his arm on the couch behind Loki’s head. “Loki.” he growled.

Loki hooked one of his long legs under Thor’s and in a swift movement kicked up to cause Thor to lose his balance, and he had Thor half on his lap as he dug his elbow into the upper middle of Thor’s back while he locked his legs around Thor’s. He scooped both of Thor’s wrists into one large hand and shoved them down between his thigh and the couch. Thor was stuck in a rather uncomfortable position, and the way he was trapped made it hard to gain leverage to do anything about it. He tugged and tried anyway, and Loki smirked down at him. There was one benefit to his monstrous size at least, he finally had a bit of an upper hand on Thor after a lifetime of being pinned by his bigger, stronger brother. As it was, seeing Thor looking so small against him and bound by Loki’s size and strength alone was…decidedly appealing. A shame he no voice with which to tease Thor about it.

”This isn’t funny, Loki.” Thor growled again.

Loki rather disagreed, but that wasn’t the point. He pulled his elbow from Thor’s back and Thor instantly tried to jerk up, but Loki kept his wrists and legs trapped which gave him little room to move still. Loki held the notepad in front of Thor’s face to indicate he wanted his question answered.

Thor glared at the notepad and then at Loki. “My answer is unchanged.”

Loki didn’t see what the big deal was. Thor fancied himself in love with someone, Amora being the wretch she was tried to use their form, she got banished for it for some reason. It was centuries ago, so what did Thor care about telling him? He could only think that Thor expected Loki to judge him for it. His mind briefly entertained the wild thought that perhaps it was Volstagg, but he was sure that wasn’t right.

Lightning crackled around Thor and Loki scowled, was he seriously calling up the lightning for this? Loki grabbed Thor by the back of the neck and gave it a hard squeeze, surprised when Thor made a pained grunt and visibly winced. Oh, Thor’s neck, he had forgotten…he had sort of kind of slightlyattempted to strangle his brother earlier and it hadn’t healed yet. His neck was probably tender. Loki felt a hint of guilt for that as he released Thor who pulled up while rubbing said neck. He offered his brother an apologetic look and Thor didn’t seem impressed. Thor ended up standing right at the couch edge with Loki’s legs on either side of him, and Loki brought his hand to Thor’s neck as he gently held his throat. Thor stiffened at first before he relaxed at the cold relief, and Loki brushed a thumb against his brother’s lower cheek.

“Were you actually trying to kill me?” Thor asked.

Loki adopted an innocent expression and batted his eyes a few times as his only answer, and Thor sighed heavily with a long-suffering look.

Thor pulled away then as he nudged Loki’s leg aside with his knee. Loki, being Loki, set both of his legs up on the table ‘trapping’ Thor between his legs. Thor made a quiet, annoyed noise as he stepped over Loki’s leg and Loki resisted the urge to trip his brother. He headed to the phone where he ordered the items Loki requested, and Loki considered how he might get the answers out of his brother.

Another thought occurred to him though upon considering what Thor had mentioned, and he scrawled onto the notepad. We should approach the Grandmaster together. One could ensure he stayed sleeping while the other looked for the key.

Thor returned to the couch, read the message, and frowned. “I don’t want you near him. It’s too risky.”

Loki’s brow furrowed. Excuse me?He wrote on the notepad.

Thor considered his answer. “He’s already…fascinated by you. If anything happens and he decides to…well…it’s more dangerous for you.”

Loki wasn’t entirely sure of what Thor was getting at and suspected the clarification was going to irritate him immensely. What?

Thor seemed reluctant but then said. “He…could get you with child…so.”

Loki stared, supposed he was relieved he couldn’t summon his daggers because he didn’t reallywant to murder his brother. He just wanted to stab him repeatedly.

If you ever say something like that again, I will end you, Thor.

Thor looked between irritated and uncomfortable. “I know-” he started to say, and whatever it was, Loki didn’t want to hear it. He shoved at his brother’s chest before he scrawled furiously.

No, you don’t know. You understand nothing. You are comfortably ignorant of my position as usual. So save your fool pity, I will not leave my future in the hands of an oaf.

Loki shoved the reply in front of Thor, who stared at it for a few seconds before he shook his head. “It isn’t pity, damn you.” he muttered. “Did you listen to nothing I said?” Thor ran a hand through his hair and realized it was still longer and off-colored from Andares. Would that wear off or did he have to get the bastard to take it off? He realized he still had the ears on as well, and he tossed them and the tail off as he remembered both. Thor had gone out in public with those on, he’d completely forgotten in his worry over Loki, ugh.

The sudden irritation on Thor’s face as he ripped off the ears and tail gave Loki an idea of what just happened, and he was tempted to be amused but he was still irked about his own situation. Thor said it wasn’t pity, he referenced his words earlier but…what did Thor expect? He’d known for all of a couple of hours about Loki’s anatomy issues, and he was casually mentioning Loki being capable of getting with child and trying to use that as an excuse to keep him from helping his own rescue attempt.

It just made Loki feel more unlike himself, he didn’t want to be babied or treated differently. If Thor still saw him as Loki, then he should treat him as per usual.

Well, maybe not entirely as per usual…Loki still hadn’t decided how he felt about all of it, but the idea that Thor still genuinely felt strongly about Loki, that he had genuinely grieved when Loki died and missed him…that Thor would patiently be tender even to Loki’s strange condition…he couldn’t say he disliked that of Thor.

Thor headed for the bathroom and aggressively rinsed the remnants of makeup from his face, the dye wouldn’t leave his hair so he figured he would have to go to Andares for that after all. He dressed down to a shirt and loose pants, and headed for his brother. “I’ll get the-” he gestured to Loki’s neck, and then removed the leash attached to the collar. Loki looked at it with a frown before he looked back at his brother. “It’s been a long day for us both. I’m going to bed.”

Loki looked at his brother and then at the bed, and his hands clenched slightly as he inclined his head. He wondered if Thor meant for him to sleep on the couch, but Thor surprised him by adding.

“The Hulk’s bed is plenty big enough for both of us. If you can handle sharing.”

Thor and Loki hadn’t shared a sleeping space in years, and the casual offer was both negligible and noteworthy simultaneously. There was a time when it wouldn’t have even been a question.

Loki, again being Loki, quickly got up and headed for the bed where he plopped down in the middle and sprawled out so that he took up a good chunk of it. He affected a yawn and watched as his brother moved towards the bed. There was little means or effort to continue their little spat the moment, so he decided to distract them both by teasing his brother instead. He wanted to feel something akin to normal, if it could be called normal to tease the brother he’d been on-and-off fighting bitterly with over the past decade.

“I cannot bear to lose you again, Loki.” Thor’s words echoed in Loki’s mind, as did his brother’s pained expression. What was he supposed to make of that, or do with that? What did he wantto do?

Thor lifted a brow before he got onto the bed and laid down like Loki wasn’t even in it, his side on top of Loki’s arm as he lay on his side with his back to his brother.

Loki had an almost pout at his brother’s boring reaction. He tugged Thor closer with the arm Thor was on and then wrapped his other around Thor as he pulled his brother against him and tilted so that he was half-laying on Thor and squishing him into the bed. Another sliver of advantage to his giant form.

“Again?” Thor demanded as started to push up on the bed and lift Loki with him.

His brother was too damned strong. Loki promptly flopped the rest of the way onto Thor who was shoved back down to the bed.

“You are Loki Odinson, whether you like it or not, son of Odin and Frigga, Prince of Asgard, and my brother.”

Thor, with his easy sentiment and occasional ability to form sentences of actual merit.

Sentences that cut Loki to the quick and slipped under his defenses straight into his carefully guarded heart, such as only his brother ever seemed able to do.

Loki imagined suddenly if he were in this situation without Thor. If he were still under Amora’s thumb, stuck sleeping in a cage, with no hope of rescue from the possible future chained up to some machine of the Collector’s to serve in beastly fashion at his pleasure. A fate he’d rather die than experience. It was Thor who’d gotten him freed, and fought for him, and kept putting up with his temper and betrayals, and who made himself vulnerable to comfort Loki.

He wanted to stab Thor sometimes, perhaps most of the time, and Thor was maddening and annoying and got under Loki’s skin aggravatingly easily.

But he was also arguably the only person left who actually cared about Loki’s welfare and, or feelings.

Loki rolled onto his side off of Thor, though he kept a loose arm around Thor as his brother turned to face him with an angry expression that melted into confusion at the sight of Loki’s expression.

“Brother?”

Loki wasn’t sure what kind of face he was making, something pathetic probably, something emotional even, given the stupid gratitude and desire for reassurance he was experiencing. Given that he wanted to cling to his pain in the ass older brother like he was the lifeline he so clearly was.

Thor didn’t know the subtext, but Loki looked troubled, and had kept an arm around him in a way that seemed earnest. He sat up and motioned Loki’s head towards him. “Let me take the braid out.” he offered, and Loki seemed surprised but obliged. Loki’s head was partially on Thor’s knee then as Thor his fingers through the tight braids and left Loki’s hair unbound and fairly curly. His hands itched to stroke it and he couldn’t quite stop himself from running his hand through Loki’s hair and dragging his fingers across Loki’s skull. Far from pushing him away, Loki’s eyes closed as his head tilted more towards Thor and Thor took it as a sign he should continue. Thor took the rare opportunity as it presented itself, and he ran his fingers through Loki’s hair as he’d not been permitted to do in ages.

Loki found himself the subject of soothing hair strokes and he couldn’t bring himself to push Thor away, it felt too good. He imagined times Thor had done it when Loki was a small boy, or even an older one, and Thor was always so larger than life and strong seeming. Loki dwarfed him at the moment, his head expansive on Thor’s lap, but somehow Thor still seemed that way.

“I will get us out of here, brother.” Thor finally said quietly. “Don’t lose hope.”

“I saw it in your face, I knew you were about to let go. And I think I had never felt such fear in my life.”

Loki tilted his crimson-eyed gaze up to Thor’s blue ones, and he saw only sincerity in Thor’s face. It was a bit painful to look at, to face that perhaps he’d misjudged Thor more than he’d realized. And that perhaps he’d pushed Thor away incorrectly assuming that Thor approached him out of some sense of duty or familial tie but not genuine love or care any longer. Well, the issues between them were far from fixed, but he was willing to lean on his brother in this moment. Loki settled on bringing his hand to Thor’s thigh and resting it there with a light squeeze as a reply, and Thor looked a bit relieved. Thor was right to be concerned about sharing all that he had, the knowledge that Thor still felt that way meant Loki had more power over Thor than he’d realized.

But the thought didn’t give him the pleasure he might have expected. Rather than pleasure that he could effect control over Thor…the thought that Thor still loved him was…it made his heart ache in a way that was probably good even though it was annoying.

Sentiment.

Loki pushed Thor towards the pillows to indicate it was time to sleep, and Thor snorted lightly through his nose but obliged. He kept an arm around Thor’s waist loosely and waited to see what Thor would do, and Thor eyed him before he moved a little closer and let the back of his hand rest against Loki’s stomach.

Thor wasn’t sure what to make of Loki letting him have the little intimacies, common once but unheard of between them now. He found himself looking at Loki with his blue skin and red eyes, with his hair slightly disheveled and hanging about his face in curly strands. Thor thought he looked beautiful, but he knew Loki wouldn’t believe it if he said it every day for the next millennia. Loki wasn’t scowling or glaring, there wasn’t derision or sarcasm, his expression was soft and his arm was around Thor’s waist. And Thor knew better than to take much hope from it, because every time he let himself trust Loki he got a literal or metaphorical stabbing for it. But he wanted it to mean something so badly, he wanted it to be a sign that his brother as he’d always known and loved him was still in there somewhere. Past the traitorous, seemingly uncaring Loki who could subject Thor to excruciating grief and then laugh about it with a poorly done play. Who had killed Thor, and tried again, and never apologized or shown remorse for either. Who didn’t even acknowledge the fact.

“For the record.” Thor muttered. “I am glad you’re not actually dead.”

Loki blinked, and then laughed, silent but genuine as he looked at Thor’s then bewildered face. Ah, his brother was a silly oaf, and foolishly sweet.

Thor wasn’t sure why that earned him Loki laughing at him, and he supposed it was good thing either way to see Loki looking livelier and actually laughing. “So glad that amuses you.” he said dryly, which seemed to amuse Loki more, and Thor gave in and smiled at his irksome little brother.

Loki pressed his thumb into Thor’s side in a light acknowledgment of his words, and then settled down to sleep. Thor did likewise as he closed his eyes, the lights turned off by the click of a button on the nightstand. Rather than hunched in a cage, Loki was sleeping next to his big brother for the first time in so many years. What a strange [and…surprisingly welcome?] thing to come out of such a horrible one. Loki closed his eyes with Thor’s warmth and now smaller-seeming body under his arm as he went to sleep.

Chapter 14: In The Real World As In Dreams

Chapter Text

Loki was chained to the floor of a cage with metal bars. His neck was collared and he couldn’t rise above his knees, his ankles and wrists were shackled with thin lengths of chains. Loki’s body was far from his own anymore, grown engorged by design over every part of him. His hair was excessively long and ragged, as he would never have willingly let it be. The curls had given way to straggly strands. His chest was heavy with milk-laden breasts of an unnatural size, his belly was round and wide. Loki felt like one of the balloon animals of Midgard, a swollen facsimile of a creature fit to burst.

He had been shown his reflection a few times, and he couldn’t recognize himself in the bloated Jotun before him. Even a Jotun wasn’t meant to look as he did, they didn’t have such pronounced sex characteristics, a Jotun would never be so cartoonishly large. The round, swollen face that stared back at him with red eyes sunken in around mounds of flesh was alien to him. But he could no longer even feel dread, it took all of his energy to simply exist as such a thing.

His chest was clamped to tubes meant to drain him dry of every bit of milk his body fashioned. Given that he was kept in a state of constant, artificial post-pregnancy, he nearly always had milk to provide. Sometimes spectators watched, they jeered and called Loki names not fit for the lowest of beasts slinking upon the muddy ground. A Prince of Asgard, now a rotund creature of loose flesh barely able to move if there was even room or freedom of chains to do so.

And then Thanos had come, and he’d been pleased to find Loki. The Other had told Loki he would long for something as sweet as pain if he failed Thanos, and Thanos had come to make it so. He would not dirty himself with Loki, not that, but he’d let his brute Cull have the task. They’d mixed Cull’s spend into a device of the Collector’s for just such a purpose and it had taken root. Loki’s already overgrown form only grew larger as the progeny of Thanos’ monstrous tank of a son grew inside of him. He felt feasted upon by a parasite, practically immobile, unable to fight back.

They would not let him die either, they fed him, overfed him, with cruel tubes and force. Injections of sustaining nutrients were made if needed. The Collector wanted Loki to live every last of his potential thousands of years of life, chained and milked dry, occasionally used to breed on a macabre whim.

The Other had spoken of longing for pain, and it was proven true when a final torment was visited upon Loki. Thor was on Knowhere, for some reason or other, and on Thanos’ order he was shown Loki by The Collector. Only they had not called him Loki, and he could not blame Thor for not recognizing Loki in the mess of flesh and beastly context before him. The tubes that hung from his chest, the wiry hair sticky about his head. Loki had been rendered mute, and he hoped against hope Thor would somehow know, somehow rescue him. But Thor’s expression was of pity and disgust, revulsion that Loki knew was likely as much for the Collector as for himself. His brother didn’t recognize him, his only hope would unwittingly leave him there. Loki wept as Thor walked away, turned his back on the silent creature in the cage, only to watch as The Collector shook his hand.

“Pleasure doing business with you…you won’t be needing him back, will you? It would be such a chore to remove him now?”

Thor cast a glance back at Loki, to the latter’s horrified astonishment. “I don’t need that, I need only the ship you promised and the stone.”

“Hela will be a tricky business to fight, you know. Wouldn’t you rather stay on Knowhere?”

“I’d rather be anywhere but here.” Thor said with a final lip-curled glance at Loki before he left.

Thor had sold him, Thor knew, he knew and didn’t care-

--

“Loki! sh*t! Stop!”

Loki was awoken by Thor’s startled exclamations. The room was dimly lit from the windows but his Jotun vision saw nearly flawlessly in the dark. A stripe of pure ice ran from where his left hand had been up to the wall and the head board. Another was across the blanket on Thor’s thigh. A trickle of blood on Thor’s cheek with a hint of frost and the icicle-like dagger impaled in the wall behind him showed what had happened there. Somehow, in his sleep, Loki had used the powers of a Jotun and he’d sliced Thor’s cheek with an ice dagger.

He both understood and didn’t as his mind struggled to make sense of his situation. Loki had been on Knowhere for so long, he’d been in a cage. No, he was Odin, no, he was Loki disguised as Odin. He was calling the Bifrost to take he and Thor from Hela…no Thor was on Sakaar with him, they were in the tunnels and the wretched oaf had spurned him again. No he was…he was on the ground, used as furniture at the Grandmaster’s party…no, he was betraying Thor on the ship dock. Thor was saying kind things, about thinking the world of Loki…no, he was a Jotun, he was bleeding, and Thor would see, and Thor would know, and he would hate Loki-

“Brother, look at me. Hey, look at me, Loki.” Thor had risen to stand on the bed as a sitting giant Loki was taller than he. Now Loki’s head was around his chest area as Thor stood and Loki sat with a dazed expression. His brother had been speaking incoherently in his sleep, he’d thrashed a bit, and then unleashed ice powers and Thor had been cut.

Loki looked a little manic, and that was another kind of frightening. His brother had responded to emotional trauma by nearly wiping out a Realm, murdering his brother, murdering his sire, and sending the Destroyer to Midgard to attack. And that was just what had happened before he’d fallen into the void.

What would happen to Loki if he continued to suffer abuse at the Grandmaster’s and others’ hands? Would Thor be dealing with a Loki who wanted to let go again, or one who lost himself to rage and madness? He had to nip this in the bud, he had to do something even as he meant to find the key and save them both in the truest sense.

Thor drew on their mutual childhoods as he drew closer slowly so as not to startle Loki, and he slid one hand over his shoulder under his robe down his back. He used the other to cup Loki’s cheek as he pressed close so that their bodies were lightly touching. “I have you, little brother.” Thor said soothingly, a common enough quote from their childhood. “I am here, Loki.”

Loki shuddered as red eyes gleamed in the moonlight and went from gazing unfocused to half- looking at Thor, albeit with a hint of confusion.

“You were having a nightmare…you’re awake now, brother, I have you, alright?” Thor pressed closer still to get a better angle as he moved his flat palm against Loki’s back in comforting circles. Loki looked up at him with somewhat blank eyes, and Thor felt his heart clench with fear and anxiety. “You aren’t alone, little brother.” he tried the full childhood endearment again. “I’m here, I am not leaving you, Loki, so you can’t leave either. Got it?”

Loki heard the words as if through a haze, almost as though he were underwater. He stared up at the man looking down at him with blue eyes that swallowed up his focus, a rumbling voice that he could feel the vibrations of between their close bodies. The man was so warm, and it felt so good against his frigid Jotun body. The man was speaking and it became more clear, and the words pierced his brain with increasingly clarity to accompany them. ‘Little brother’, Loki was that, even though he was so large right now he was this man’s little brother. Then this was Thor, and the recognition brought more clarity as he blinked. Thor’s hand was so warm and firm on his back, his brother’s body was smaller than his now but there was something pleasant as well as sad in that.

‘Thor’ he mouthed, and remembered no words would come out. But hadn’t Thor just sold him to the Collector? He was being leeched off of by Cull’s get, he was chained, and he was being milked dry and it was so painful and lonely and endless…he just wanted it all to stop.

Thor’s warm hands were on either side of Loki’s face then, and Loki noted absently that Thor’s eyes looked a little wet. His expression was one of struggle, was he sad?

“Brother, please. Come on, Loki. You are the stubbornest, vainest little brat I know. You won’t be bested here. Come on, brother.” Thor urged as the strange stare continued. “Don’t let go, Loki.” he said, words he’d felt in the marrow of his bones and to the core of his soul that day on the Bifrost.

Loki remembered suddenly the fall, the scream of his brother as he fell mindlessly, numb and ready to reject the cold realities around him.

“Loki, no!”

Loki felt like cold water had been splashed onto his face as he regained himself, and his mind struggled to process what had just occurred as his large hand came up to grip Thor’s forearm. Thor’s palms gripped his face and Loki might have normally disliked it, but in the moment, it felt like a lifeline. He licked his lips and his mouth felt dry, he stared at his brother with his worried, slightly wet-eyed expression. This was for him, Thor was making that face for him, pleading for Loki and sniping at Loki to rouse him from whatever stupor he’d been in.

Thor had not sold him to the Collector, he was not on Knowhere, he was in Sakaar and Thor had chosen to help him and comfort him. His brother was here, his brother wanted Loki.

Oh, Gods, it felt so good to be wanted. To imagine that he was valued and needed. Did Thor need him? Value him? What did Thor want from him? Could he give it? Did he want to? Could Loki ever meet Thor’s expectations? Did Loki care?

“Brother?” Thor’s voice was almost pained now and a part of Loki, a desperate and lonely part, thrilled at it. He still had the power to inspire such feelings in Thor, he still merited such a display. “Loki, I will notleave you. We will survive this as we’ve done with many things, together.”

Loki knew he was on Sakaar, but Knowhere had felt so real, the pain had felt so real. And the pain of being a mute, powerless pet with no control even over his own body was palpable and real. Thor was his only shield, comfort, and ally. And he seemed to genuinely care.

Loki moved on reawakened instinct as he wrapped large arms around Thor’s once massive-seeming torso and buried his giant’s head against his brother’s chest. He felt certain Thor would indulge him, and Loki desperately needed to be indulged in that moment. All the same, the relief that flooded him as Thor’s arms came around him nearly choked him as the release of weight he didn’t realize he’d held lifted from him.

Thor found himself squeezed and pressed against by Loki, and he obliged his brother’s comfort-seeking by sliding his arms around Loki and giving him a crushing hug in return. He brought his head to Loki’s as he rested it there before he brushed his lips against Loki’s head with a few, comforting kisses and murmurs of reassurance. His currently giant little brother practically melted against him, and Thor rubbed his back as he held Loki as best he could. “You gave me another fright, brother.” Thor said quietly, and Loki held Thor tighter.

Loki closed his eyes a moment as he listened to his brother’s heartbeat and felt his ridiculous warmth. As cold as Loki ever was, Thor had always run hotter, even for an Asgardian. Was it the lightning in his veins, ever present even before Thor knew how to wield it with bare hands? Loki exhaled away some of the tension in his body as he tried to push Thanos and Knowhere from his mind, from the fear that the very name of his tormentor brought to him.

Hours upon endless hours spent isolated, lonely, dying of thirst and heat, tortured to the brink…his time with Thanos had been an indescribable torment.

He didn’t realize he’d started trembling until he felt Thor’s head pull back from his and peer down at him with concern, and Loki struggled to rein it in. Loki kept his cheek against Thor’s chest as he tilted his head up to look at him.

“I’m with you, brother.” Thor said again, softly, and Loki’s heart did a painful flip flop as he suddenly wanted to be small again. Small as he’d been when he was a child and he could press and curl his body again Thor, be enveloped in his brother’s crushing embrace and feel the safety and warmth only his big brother could provide. “I will take care of you, if you’ll let me.” he bent his head down to press his forehead against Loki’s, cold against hot. “Don’t disappear again, alright?” Thor had seen too many unpleasantly familiar expressions on Loki’s face, ones that had followed despair and madness, and Thor feared what would come of them.

Loki stared at his brother before he nodded slightly and straightened enough to press his head near his eye against his brother’s cheek. Thor pressed his head against Loki’s in turn, and Loki wondered if Thor too had the feeling of wanting to be close. Loki let himself consider the feel of Thor against him. Thor who had always been able to look at least a little down on him, who had always felt at liberty to touch and push and grab at Loki at will. Now he was far larger than Thor, now Thor was in hisarms. Loki gave in to a sudden impulse as he hooked a hand over Thor’s shoulder and pulled his brother down against him. Thor tensed at first before he allowed Loki to guide him down, and Thor ended up partially on Loki’s lap as Loki pressed his torso against him and wrapped his arms around him. Loki let his head rest on Thor’s as for the first time in their lives, it was Loki enveloping Thor. He had held his brother before. A few times it had been Thor seeking comfort from Loki such that he fell asleep in Loki’s smaller arms, to the delight of Loki who felt important and special for Thor’s trust and love.

But now Thor fit in his arms, fit against him, and Loki who could smother him and keep him locked in an embrace.

Loki inhaled his brother’s scent, at once new and familiar, and wrapped his arms just a bit further around his brother as he hugged him a little more tightly and tilted to let his lips and chin rest on Thor’s head. This was his big brother of centuries, and they had fought like mad but…Loki had to admit that he didn’t want to lose Thor, and that especially recently, he had hoped to reforge some kind of relationship with his brother.

Loki lowered his head so that their cheeks were together as he pressed against his brother, pleased when Thor reciprocated and seemed to have no complaints about being pulled into such a state.

Thor for his part was unused to a larger Loki, or larger anyone for that matter. He hadn’t been so thoroughly held since he was a child in his mother’s arms. Loki was cold, but it was more pleasant than uncomfortable against his ever present heat. He felt Loki’s face on his head, and a brush of lips that Thor wasn’t sure was intentional. Then Loki’s cheek was against his as Loki held him tighter. Thor didn’t think he’d be comfortable in such a position with anyone else. There was something inherently disconcerting about it. But that it was Loki, and that Loki was comfort-seeking, was profoundly heart-warming to him. He hadn’t been allowed to be truly close to his brother in solong. And now he wasn’t just close, Loki was the one drawing them together, Loki was the one acting like he wanted Thor’s proximity and affection. Thor knew the situation was likely to blame, but he let himself hope and against hope all the same that his brother had more feeling behind it.

Thor rubbed a hand up and down Loki’s side, slow and soothing, and Loki let himself revel in the moment. Would Thor hold this against him later? Make some sentimental overture and reference this as a sign of whatever he believed of Loki?

“Do you want to talk about it?” Thor asked quietly.

Loki knew he meant with the notepad, and that he meant about the nightmare, and for both reasons he shook his head against his brother’s cheek. He found that he appreciated the offer nonetheless. Loki lifted one of his hands while keeping his arm pressed against Thor’s back, and he toyed with what remained of Thor’s hair. He had preferred his brother’s longer locks, but there was something familiar and contenting about running the pads of his fingers and his nails over his brother’s hair.

Loki had nightmares many times as a child. And if Thor wasn’t already sleeping with him, he would head for Thor’s room where at any time of night his big brother would wake without complaint to take him in. Thor would tuck Loki against his side, hold him, stroke his hair, and hum or even sing at times. That was one thing that Thor had never mocked Loki for, one thing that as Loki had gotten older even while still being a child, others whispered about. Thor knew Loki was startled by strong storms, and knowing that Loki held back at times as more outsiders commented on the young prince being too old to seek his brother’s bed for comfort…he would seek out Loki. Thor would come in, find a disquieted Loki, and drawl something about not being able to sleep or sleeping better if Loki was by his side. And they would both know he was doing it for Loki’s benefit, and neither would say so. Loki would nestle against Thor, grateful and fond, and that would be that.

Loki was tired, worn out from the situation and all that had occurred, and soothed by his brother’s indulgence and presence. He scooted a bit as he lay down and brought Thor with him, and he heard an amused chuckle from Thor who was pressed flush against Loki with his little brother’s arms around him.

“Am I to be your pillow then?” Thor teased lightly.

Loki smiled against his head before he tilted back with a serious expression and put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture as he nodded.

Thor snorted. “Pillows are to be silent, is that the message?”

Loki pressed a finger against Thor’s lips that time with a nod and put-on glare as he narrowed his eyes at Thor who grinned a little. And Loki’s stern expression broke at that as he found himself smiling again, small but genuine.

Thor rolled his eyes and nipped at Loki’s finger, which earned him a swat on the nose. “What? A pillow can’t bite either? There are too many rules.” he ‘complained’, relieved that Loki seemed more himself. Or rather, a softer version of himself than Thor had seen in ages.

Loki smirked as he covered Thor’s mouth with his palm and Thor gave him a dry look as he purposefully said something against Loki’s palm, muffled. And then Thor caught a bit of mischief of his own as he pulled another play from their childhood. When the brothers were grappling and had arms or hands about faces.

Thor licked Loki’s palm and Loki drew his hand back, startled, and it was Thor’s turn to smirk. “Works every time.”

Loki huffed as he dramatically wiped his hand on Thor’s shirt while his brother chuckled. He avenged himself by putting his arm back against Thor’s back as he tugged his brother against him in as crushing a hug as Thor had ever given him. He tilted slightly over to enhance the effect as he half-squished his brother.

Thor grumbled a muffled complaint and Loki snickered silently before he pulled back, though kept Thor again him. “Brat.” Thor said, obvious warmth and fondness in his voice that Loki found impossibly endearing.

Loki mouthed carefully ‘oaf’, and Thor’s expression turned strangely pained a moment before it passed and Loki wondered at it.

Thor hadn’t been called oaf as an endearment in so long, the whole situation was a balm that he didn’t realize he’d wanted so badly. He had missed his brother, much as he’d tried to not think about it the longer apart they spent. Thor chanced saying so, and told himself that it was an investment in trying to keep Loki sane-minded and soothed. “I have missed you, brother. Missed this.”

Loki felt his heart rate increase a little at that, at the open admission. Thor was sentimental, true, but that kind of simultaneously raw and casual bit of wording was something else. And he found that he believed Thor, which was it’s own kind of relief. He was so accustomed to mistrusting, to doubting intentions and looking for ulterior motives or doubting the strength of one’s convictions. But he believed Thor in this, and he gave in as he brought their foreheads and noses together as crimson eyes met blue. There was still no sign of hesitance or disgust from Thor, he had even licked Loki’s palm, and he almost couldn’t believe how very…goodThor was.

Thor lifted his hand to Loki’s cheek was he brushed his palm and thumb against it. He was caught up in the moment, in the softness and hope, in the sight of Loki’s now uncharacteristically gentle expression and the returned affections and play. Loki’s red eyes gleamed and Thor was mildly entranced, the smooth, blue skin that once heralded his greatest natural enemies now seemed enchanting. Thor could only see Loki, and he loved his brother in any form. “You’re beautiful, Loki.” Thor murmured without thinking. He regretted it immediately as Loki stiffened with a frown and withdrew his arm from Thor as he sat up and stared down at his brother.

Thor cursed to himself as he sat up with palms splayed placatingly.

Loki had been enjoying the moment until he heard the murmur, and it instinctively felt like a mockery. He was a monster in a stretched out form and Thor was saying something like that? Was Thor trying to be cruel? Did he think offering idle, false flattery would comfort him?

Thor could practically feel the content of Loki’s thoughts, knowing well his brother’s tendency towards negative thinking. He wasn’t sure he had a choice but to defend what he’d said, because Loki would surely hold onto it. “I said it without thinking, but I meant it, brother.” Thor said as softly as he could. “I have no wish to lie to you or offer you empty words. I want no such things between us, Loki.”

Loki hesitated at that, confused at Thor’s sincerity and the implication that somehow Thor thought this form beautiful. This form that was of the beasts Thor had thrilled once to hunt and slay.

“I know you will not believe me, and I see why it would make little sense to you. But I see you, Loki, I can’t do otherwise. I don’t see you as Jotun, I see you as yourself, just red-eyed and blue-skinned.” he saw Loki’s expression harden as ‘don’t see you as Jotun’, and Thor realized he’d erred again. He tried to quickly recover before the damage set in. “I spoke poorly. I…” he struggled for the words. “You being Jotun doesn’t weigh on my mind. Any more than that you have dark hair, or like mischief, or any other thing about you. It...is as any part of you, I hold it no differently, and see you no differently for it, brother.”

Loki eyed him a moment and Thor felt he was being judged, scrutinized carefully before Loki relaxed a little. He pinched Thor’s thigh, and Thor wasn’t sure how to interpret the gesture other than he thought he’d managed to undo the most of the damage he’d just caused.

“I would have been better served imitating a proper pillow.” Thor tried a jest with a sigh, referencing being silent, and was relieved when Loki lifted a brow with a cool expression that dissolved into an amused little smirk.

Loki nodded in agreement, and promptly scooped his brother back against him as he flopped them down. He wasn’t sure what to make of their conversation, or Thor’s words which again seemed so earnest. But how could they be true? How could Thor truly not…see him differently? How could Thor find beauty in this monstrous form they were raised to fear and revile? Loki glanced to find Thor looking at him intently, and he supposed Thor was still concerned Loki was angry, which was a little flattering. He didn't agree with Jotun and dark hair being similar, but perhaps oafish Thor truly did, which was a bit of a marvel even as it was somewhat comforting...it would perhaps explain a bit.

Loki gave a rough ruffle to Thor’s hair, such as it was, and Thor gave him a half smile as he tilted a little into Loki’s hand in a way that made him want to squeeze his brother close. When had Thor learned to be so endearing? He slid his hands above Thor’s eyes and slowly closed them, his message to Thor to sleep, and his brother gave a breathy chuckle in reply.

Thor let himself be pulled against Loki’s chest, secure with Loki’s arm around him and Loki’s chin resting near the crown of his head. “Rest well, brother.” he murmured.

Loki’s gaze softened considerably as he let his lips brush against Thor’s head, too casual to be proven intentional or accidental either way. He felt Thor’s head press against his chest and an odd feeling of protectiveness along with an old feeling of possessiveness flared in him. Loki loved things best when he could claim them for his own, when he could feel secure in the having of them, and not having to share. Thor had been exclusively his once, his devoted big brother who despaired at Loki’s displeasure and beamed at his affection. Loki doubted such a thing was possible any more, and he had come to wonder if they could even be close again. But the situation had removed many barriers and here they were, pressed together like they were children again, soft and kind to each other. Loki’s only family, the closest thing to a friend he had in the world, was snuggled against him in his arms and he wanted to trap Thor there. To reassure himself that Thor wouldn’t leave him again, wouldn’t replace him again, wouldn’t change again. Loki would surely go mad if Thor coaxed Loki’s warmth and loyalty to him back out to a visible degree only to abandon him [again, as Loki saw it].

Could he trust Thor? Did Thor trust him? He supposed this kind of vulnerability came easier to Thor, it was easier to offer concessions when you held all the cards. Thor was Thor, and he knew Loki was in no position to turn on him presently? The thought put a sour taste in his mouth that faded as Thor stretched a bit, his face rubbing against the part of Loki’s chest that was bare from the way the robe opened. Thor was letting himself be held by a frost giant, trusted him not to freeze him even as Loki had let loose powers when he was sleeping. [Which, was a thing to examine in his waking hours, because that was a pleasant and useful discovery]. Loki closed his eyes as he put all of him as close to his brother as he could, oddly pleased to be able to have Thor snug against him even as he would have enjoyed being enveloped by Thor at his proper size.

Loki wasn’t sure what he wanted from his brother, but he knew with certainty that he wanted to protect his brother too.

Chapter 15: I'm In Love With A Fairy Tale

Chapter Text

Sunlight streamed in through the upper windows of the room and Thor roused first. He was taken aback to find a body in his arms, given that he hadn’t bedded anyone since Jane and that had been years ago now. Thor’s eyes opened to find blue, whirled with white heritage lines, and then it all came back to him, Loki. His brother was his own size again, and still with his limbs wrapped around Thor. A leg had co*cked itself over Thor’s thigh at some point in the night, he noted with some amusem*nt. Thor’s arm had slipped over Loki’s waist and rested against his back. Loki’s mouth was rested somewhat against Thor’s forehead. And it felt nostalgic, which belied the situation at hand. If Thor closed his eyes, he could perhaps pretend for the briefest of moments that it was he and Loki off an adventure again, curled up next to each other to sleep.

Thor took the opportunity to let his eyes roam over what he could see of Loki. He wasn’t sure if he would have found Loki objectively beautiful if he hadn’t spent at least half of his life pining for his brother, hard to be sure. But either point being, although he arguably favored the form he’d grown up knowing Loki in…Loki’s Jotun form was no less beautiful. Thor was only saddened that it took this to be allowed to see it, in fact, he wasn’t arguably being ‘allowed’. Loki hadn’t chosen this.

Ah.

His mind went back to the dressing room when Thor had looked his brother over and Loki had reacted poorly. What had Thor said, ‘am I not even allowed to look at my own brother’?

Gods, he wasa fool.

He took advantage of a situation Loki was forced into, if he looked at it in that way, and then he’d snapped at Loki about it. Guilt flared in his belly and he had the urge to stroke his brother’s cheek, to show him all the gentleness he wished to since Loki’s fall. Since he’d realized what a privilege and honor his brother’s love and loyalty had been, and that he’d taken it for granted.

Blood-red eyes opened, and Loki stiffened and then frowned as he found Thor staring at him and noted their positions. The softness brought on by nightmares had left him, or else Loki was irritated to wake to being stared at, because he quickly disentangled himself from Thor.

“Brother.” Thor said, and hoped there was enough soft mood left between them that Loki would not misunderstand. “My behavior in the dressing room was poor. I had no right to be angry or demand as I did. I took offense I wasn’t due.” Loki’s brow furrowed at him and he tried to phrase it as non-offensively as possible. “You aren’t in this form by choice. I was not respectful of that.”

Loki woke to find himself normal-sized, stuck to his [pleasantly warm, comfortable] brother like a clinging vine, and then being stared at besides. He pulled away and to his irritation, Thor wanted to speak the very instant he awoke. Thor’s words caught him off guard though as he tried to wake fully and understand was Thor was referring to. When it clicked, he looked at his brother in surprise and wondered what had prompted the sudden ‘epiphany’. Or why he felt the need to share it the literal instant Loki awoke. Why did he bother trying to rationalize the actions of an oaf?

Still, it was a level of self-reflection and attentiveness that both unnerved and pleased him.

Loki gave Thor a decidedly patronizing head pat, an acknowledgement of his effort without dipping into sentimentality [which was rough-going even if he’d been so inclined given his lack of voice]. Thor exhaled through his nose, but seemed amused mostly, perhaps relieved.

“How are you feeling?” Thor asked as he searched Loki’s expression.

Loki wasn’t sure in which way Thor meant and he eyed his brother a moment before he made a so-so hand gesture. The more Loki reflected on his behavior the day prior, the more embarrassed he was. He’d been so emotional, so clingy, so…vulnerable.

But Thor had been kind, and fairly gracious. It struck him again that if he’d had to go through this without Thor…he might well have let madness take him, or just killed the damn Grandmaster rather than risk further humiliation. Thor was his main hope of escape as well as his sole comfort. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Thor had called him ‘beautiful’, which was nonsense in all sorts of ways. Since when did they ever use such words for each other, other than perhaps in teasing play?

“Do you want anything?”

The question was innocuous, but all the same, Loki’s mind picked apart even the tiny courtesy. Did Thor think last night had made some grand change between them? They were brothers, sure, and Loki had a reinvigorated desire to keep the fool safe, but that didn’t mean everything between them was water under the bridge.

Thor had mentioned a look on his face, and fear. He tried to reverse the perspective, what would he have felt if Thor had been the one falling into the void? Loki supposed he would have enjoyed it at that moment, though he knew he’d have regretted it later. Thor’s death would never really have made him happy or pleased. But the fear Thor spoke of…well, there had been times he’d been afraid. A few times in particular Thor had been badly injured, one that left him unconscious for nearly a week…Loki recalled feeling like he couldn’t breathe. It was as if his chest was stuck in a vise, sounds were muted, he couldn’t focus, all he could see was an empty spot where his brother was meant to be. Thousands of years of lacking his big brother and best friend.

They hadn’t been those boys in a long time, but Loki had to acknowledge that boy wasn’t dead in him. And so he could still remember the taste of that fear, that dread, that not knowing. Is that what Thor felt? Did Thor see whatever look Loki supposedly had, and feel something of that vice-like grip on his chest? Was it flattering himself to imagine that Thor might truly have grieved Loki as terribly as he claimed? Would that please Loki?

Loki gave his brother a dry look and tugged at his collar, and he expected some kind of snark back from Thor. Not the flash of guilt that was quickly replaced by Thor sliding out of the bed. Loki had the oddest urge to grab him, to go back to moments before when he’d woken up and see how long Thor would let him continue to hold on.

A note was under the door as Thor walked by and he headed over to find a package at the door. A quick perusal of the contents revealed the ingredients Loki had requested. “Got the tincture stuff. I’ll try today if you can put it together.”

Loki rose from the bed and found his pants far too large for his frame, those slipped right off. The robe swamped him, and he clutched it tightly around himself as he realized he needed to replace his bottoms promptly. He barely spared Thor a glance as he headed for the bathroom and put on something that was slightly less of a wardrobe malfunction. When he was back out, Thor was examining the vials of ingredients for the tincture. Loki recalled how swimmingly it had gone last time Thor touched liquid in vials, and promptly snatched the vials and box from Thor with a lifted brow.

“I wasn’t going to drink it.” he grumbled.

Loki gave him his particular brand of: ‘you’re a fool’ expression and Thor rolled his eyes faintly as Loki grabbed a couple of empty cups and began making the tinctures. When he was finished, he poured the contents carefully back into the vials. He set them down to retrieve his notepad.

Half a bottle is one-dose. I don’t know what species he is though, so it may take more.

“Well that’s comforting.” Thor muttered. He hadn’t given it too much thought, but what if the Grandmaster was actually a being of power? Well, he could drug him either way. But that was contingent on getting access to the private bedroom. Thor would have to…seduce his way into the public bedroom first. The thought made his skin crawl, but so did staying on this planet any longer than he had to or watching his brother suffer more. Thor wasn’t sure what Loki’s limit was, and he didn’t want to find out.

I’m going with you.

“You’re not.” Thor informed him bluntly before Loki snatched the vials and held them over the sink drain. “Loki.” he stepped closer to his brother who gave him an increasingly angry expression and Thor splayed his palms. “You’ve been through enough, brother. I can seduce one lusty bastard. Besides, it’s a moot point unless I gain access to the private bedroom."

Loki pointed at himself with a stubborn expression.

Thor wasn’t sure if he was re-insisting he be allowed to go, or suggesting he would be better able to get the invitation. “How about this, if I get an invitation to the private bedroom, you can possibly come then.” The word ‘possibly’ earned him a skeptical sneer and Thor sighed. Mentioning the pregnancy issue again was liable to get a glass thrown at his head at the very least.

Loki didn’t like leaving it up to Thor to handle something so delicate, and it was more sensible for them to watch each other’s backs. He didn’t need to be coddled, he needed the damn collar off. But the thought of Thor going off alone and something going wrong, of Thor not coming back or being harmed…it did weigh on him.

Memories of the night before flashed in his head. Thor soothing him as he’d done when Loki was a child. It should have been grating but instead Loki wanted to stay in that moment. The strange peace his nightmare and tribulations brought had put them in each others arms to sleep for the first time in at least a century. The comfort was painfully familiar and he didn’t know how much he’d missed it till he’d re-experienced it.

Loki slipped one vial into his pocket and handed the other to Thor with a faint glare.

Thor figured it was the best he would get without making it a bit of a fight and he wasn’t going to do that. Two doses was fine enough anyway. “You remember that one prank war where you put me to sleep for a day and a half, and told Mother I was just horribly drunk?”

Loki paused and then smirked, and his expression was answer enough.

Thor snorted. “Was this the tincture you used?”

Loki’s smirk widened as he shook his head. They had been engaged in a prank war and Thor had pulled one off that made him insufferably smug. Thor had made plans to spend the day in a hunt with the son of a visiting diplomat, but the servants found he could not be roused from his bed. The rule of prank wars involved no ratting the other out, so Thor had to swallow the lie when he woke that he’d made a fool of himself out of drunkenness.

“I am glad you’re still so pleased with yourself. I would hate to think my suffering was in vain.” Thor grumbled, a smile on his lips anyway.

Loki gave a snarky flourish of his hand and sliver of a bow at the neck.

Thor swatted his shoulder and Loki grinned, and Thor tried to ignore the way it made his heart flutter. The situation was terrible, but he still couldn’t help but eat up these little moments that were cropping up between them. He had missed his brother, missed their camaraderie, and even Loki’s playful little grins made his heart swell.

Thor had it bad, but then, he’d always known that.

Thor headed for the bathroom and when he emerged, cleaned and changed, he was wearing the shirt Loki had picked for him. The tightness of the shirt showed off his torso, and the black and red suited Thor. “You always did have an eye for these things.” he said thoughtfully.

Loki frowned slightly at that as he tried to determine Thor’s sincerity. Many was the time he’d been mocked for his ‘vanity’ and attention to his appearance, particularly given he was mocked as womanly for his sorcery and daggers. Thor looked up with an agreeable expression, and Loki relaxed, Thor meant nothing by it then. It was a shame they’d cut his hair, but the Grandmaster probably preferred that anyway on his combatant.

Thor moved closer to Loki as he looked him over. The urge to fuss over his brother was still present but he knew Loki wouldn’t appreciate knowing that. He couldn’t get Loki’s expressions of his mind though. Neither the blank look when he’d gotten back to the room, his vacant stare in the bathroom, or the absence he’d shown after his nightmare. Thor slipped a hand to his brother’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “I’m going now.” he said, and he waited for the inevitable explosion or acceptance. Loki eyed him with a deep frown but inclined his head. ‘Be careful, oaf’. Loki mouthed as he pressed his thumb against Thor’s stomach, somewhere between a sliver of threat and a gesture of affection.

“Aren’t I always?” Thor offered a grin to a very unimpressed Loki, whose look screamed ‘you are the most reckless fool I know’. He had the urge to kiss the crown of his brother’s head but settled for chancing to do their gesture of affection. Loki seemed to grimace a bit but allowed it, and Thor brushed his thumb over Loki’s neck. He wasn’t sure if he could take this as a sign of their relationship improving, because Loki wasn’t with him willingly and the circ*mstance was fairly dire. All the same, Thor felt a flicker of hope. Thor headed out to the find the Grandmaster, determined to get the key.

Loki watched his brother go and took a seat on the couch as he debated whether he should have insisted. But he knew full well if Thor was already worried, he’d be even more so if Loki went with him. Thor would be distracted, and obvious, and it wouldn’t be that much better than him going alone.

His neck still felt warm from where Thor had gripped it, and he tried to ignore the stupidly obvious sense of comfort it gave him. Thor was being solicitous and dedicated, but would it last? When Loki was himself again, what would happen? If Loki was able to slip away and let Thor go alone to Asgard, would he be letting Thor die? If he slipped away and Thor defeated Hela…well, surely Thor would take him back if Loki chose to return…or would he? Loki had been set to go back to prison till he’d faked his death and swapped Odin out, and then Thor had needed him to find Odin, and then they’d fallen to Sakaar. Thor said he’d take them to Asgard, but that didn’t mean he intended to leave Loki free. Perhaps this kindness was just Thor’s pity, given the sorry state of Loki and whatever sad feelings the reminder of Loki’s false deaths triggered.

But Thor had matured, that much was clear, he’d even tricked Loki. So would he really be so foolish as to let simple pity dictate so many of his actions? Thor had been worried and tender, Loki couldn’t deny how genuine it was…but what did it mean?

Loki sighed as he eyed the gift bags from the party and idly started going through them for lack of else to do. There wasn’t even a book to read…well, scratch that, there was the book he’d gotten just to rile Thor. Although reading a book of drawings on the Hulk and his brother being intimate sounded like the opposite of a good time. Logistically, he wasn’t sure how that would even work, Hulk had to be hung like a-

-Loki shuddered and cut the thought off. He didn’t want to think about what manner of equipment that wretched, green monster was packing.

--

“sh*t.” Thor muttered as he received the news. The Grandmaster was taking an overnight trip with Ares around the city, he was already gone. If he knew where the private bedroom was, and provided there were no security measures, he could sneak in and have done with it. But he didn’t know where, and he didn’t know if there were measures, and getting caught would put both he and Loki in a bad spot. Amora, Ares, and Andares might know where his private bedroom was. But Amora was obviously a no-go, and he didn’t trust Ares or Andares. The idea of returning to the room unsuccessful grated at him though. The thought of Loki’s distressed face cut into him.

Valkyrie might know where it was, but he had no way to get a hold of her, obviously. And he wasn’t sure she’d be eager to help him help Loki given the situation.

Thor wandered the compound and made an effort to better note the layout. The rooms themselves wound around the building and nothing seemed notable. The Grandmaster knew he wasn’t winning any popularity contests, and he liked things in grand style… Thor recalled what he’d seen of the building outside and realized: there may be a bottom floor, but there was certainly a top floor.

If he was megalomaniac and wanted privacy as well as space, wouldn’t he put his bedroom there?

Thor made two full laps around the building and didn’t see anything resembling stairs or an elevator, but he was sure there was an upper floor. Should he remove a ceiling panel and try climbing up?

“Looking for something?”

Thor turned to find Topaz behind him with her arms crossed and a deep frown.

“What?”

“I don’t like you.” she said. “And you’re being suspicious.”

“Me?” Thor affected a genial tone. “I’m just looking for the bar. While the Grandmaster’s away, the Champion will play.”

“There’s a bar in the Champion’s room.”

“There wasa bar.” Thor said in a conspiratorial tone. “I drank what I liked. Not the best selection. I expected better, to be honest.”

Topaz sneered. “The Grandmaster keeps the finest alcohol in Sakaar."

“Oh, okay. Where?” Thor asked and Topaz narrowed her eyes.

“All of you Asgardians are just lazy boozers.” Topaz spat. “You and Scrapper 142.”

It took Thor a second to recall that was Valkyrie’s Sakaaran designation. “We Asgardians appreciate a good party. And good alcohol. I enjoy finding either.”

Topaz pointed. “There’s always a party in the main room, you twit. Stop roaming the hallway.”

Thor gave her a wink. “I knew you were sweet on me.” The murderous look he got in reply made him hold up his hands in mock surrender as he headed for the party room, now feeling he had to. As soon as his back was turned his genial expression faded into one of irritation. Topaz was a problem, she was probably going to be extra nosy for lack of the Grandmaster to follow after. Thor figured he’d have to make some semblance of wanting the things he claimed to want, so he took a couple of shots of alcohol and interacted with some guests. It wasn’t hard, he was the Champion, all he had to do was make a few greetings and let the guests fawn over him.

His gaze fell to the post where Loki had been tied to when he’d realized who his brother was. The thought put revulsion into him. There were two ‘pets’ tied to it presently, one with a blank face that reminded him too much of his brother’s blank one, and another who looked frightened. Thor’s instinct was to go and rip the post from the ground and set them free. But that was obviously off the table for now. The sight of the blank-faced pet put Loki’s face fresh in his mind though. Loki falling from the Bifrost, Loki dying in his arms, Loki’s deadened expression after the Grandmaster’s plans to…breedhis brother.

The thought made Thor so instantly furious that his lightning started to crackle in his hands and he played it off to the people around him as showing off.

Loki, his little brother, forced to…no, he would never let that happen. He would rip the whole damn planet apart before he let any of this filth violate his brother like that, use him like that. Thor had to get him free and away from Sakaar.

But until then, he had to keep Loki occupied and calm. Thor had to find a way to balance survival with keeping his brother sane and and stable. If he lost Loki again, and especially to this…Pain gripped Thor’s insides at the thought. Loki had been the size of a full giant and yet he’d come seeking Thor’s comfort like a child again, like his baby brother again. His brother wasn’t lost to him, there was at least some part of Loki that was the same brother he’d always known and loved, and that clearly recognized Thor for the same. Even if only out of desperation.

Thor made his way back to their room after being gone a few hours, and as he entered he found Loki curled up on the couch with a hand on his stomach. Loki sat up quickly when he entered, and Thor felt his stomach sink at the flicker of hopefulness in Loki’s expression. “The Grandmaster is spending the night away with Ares somewhere in the city. Topaz caught me looking around, so I had to pretend I had other interests…but I was thinking about it. I think his bedroom is on the top floor. He wouldn’t leave it near common areas and I doubt he’d go for the bottom. Couldn’t find a way to get up there though, I was thinking about trying to climb through the ceiling.” he glanced at the ceiling of their room and found it solid, no ceiling panels like in portions of the hallway. “Are the halls monitored at night?”

Loki took in the information with interest, and was impressed at Thor’s conclusion, there was sense in it. At the question he considered it and made a gesture of so-so again, because monitored was a strong word but it wasn’t as if there were no patrols or eyes about. The fact that there was always at least one never-ending party meant there was a good reason for people to be out and about at all hours though.

Thor tapped the back of his hand against Loki’s legs to make them move, and Loki lifted a brow before he curled his legs up to let Thor sit on the couch, only to cheekily put his legs on Thor’s lap. Thor lifted a brow right back and the brothers stared at each other a moment before Thor chuckled and patted Loki’s leg. “Little brat.” he said affectionately, and Loki caught himself smiling though he quickly chased it from his mouth.

Thor noted a batch of new objects on the table. “What’s all this?” he said as he began poking at them.

Loki picked up the small note pad. From the gift bags.

It took a second but Thor realized what he meant and and began examining the contents. There were strange looking gel-packets, vials of substances, what seemed to be a small toy for…stimulation? Two pairs of vials that were attached, one pair from each gift bag. Thor casually read over what they were, set it down, then did a double take as he picked it back up. “Does this actually work?” he asked as he showed it to Loki.

Loki glanced at it and nodded. More or less, anything can have side effects or affect people differently. But I’ve seen them used before.

Thor stared down at the vials as a strange thought stole into his mind. The vials were for intimate purposes, meant to be drunk by two lovers to experience each other’s passions by swappingthem. “Two people drinking this…they’ll trade forms?”

Loki nodded and seemed disinterested as he rubbed at his stomach again in what seemed to be an absent gesture.

Thor held out his hand questioningly and Loki’s expression scrunched a moment before he nodded. He did it over Loki’s clothes this time as Thor gave a firm massage to Loki’s pained area, all the while contemplating the vials.

Under normal circ*mstances, he couldn’t imagine having interest in such things. Thor was quite content to keep his form, and Loki wasn’t exactly one to trust with one’s body. But two things occurred to Thor. One, Loki’s mood and upset troubled Thor greatly and it might provide some measure of distraction and relief to use these things. And for another, Loki kept making little points that Thor couldn’t understand him. He denied Thor’s attempts at empathy and comfort, partially on the basis of Thor not knowing his experience. Wasn’t this almost a Norns-sent way to change that?

The idea was madness. He didn’t want to be stuck in Loki’s position any more than Loki wanted it. And Thor also felt it was a little…well, was it wrong of him to put himself in a position of wearing the form of someone who he had been [to varying degrees] pining after for roughly half his life?

Loki’s blank-faced expression came back to him, the tears in his brother’s eyes ,the fear, the misery…he wanted Loki’s trust and brotherhood, he wanted Loki to feel he could turn to Thor. He wanted to ensure Loki wasn’t a half-step away from being lost to him again.

“You said I don’t understand your position.” he said suddenly as he met Loki’s gaze, and Loki frowned. “What if…” Thor hesitated and then took the plunge, the vials said twenty-four to forty-eight hour use, so there was no danger of being stuck. “What if we used these?”

Loki stared at him for a long moment, expression somewhere between stunned and incredulous before he gave a silent scoff and his expression became one that suggested he was sure Thor was jesting.

“I’m serious.” Thor said, more anxious by the second even as he was more certain. “If it would offer you some relief…and if it might prove I mean what I say…I’ll do it. If you want to.”

Loki seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to drop, the moment Thor took the offer back or laughed, but it didn’t come. He stared at his brother, not quite able to believe Thor was offering it. Thorwanted to trade forms with Loki, and like this? Had he gone mad? But Thor was giving him that earnest, determined look and he realized that for whatever reason, Thor did seem to mean it. To give him relief and prove what he said, prove what? What is it you hope to prove?

“I’m here for you, brother. I am not the boy I was, or the fool you like to believe I am.”

Loki’s lips twitched at that, amusem*nt and discomfort turning in him as he considered it. Part of him wanted to leap at the offer if only to escape his current condition. Another part wanted no one in his form, certainly not Thor. Some part of him recognized what Thor was offering and was actually a bit touched. Yet another noted it would be interesting to give Thor a taste of being Loki, the negative aspects. His mind quickly noted all the ways he could show Thor far more than what it was like being a Sakaaran pet. Loki could even give Thor a taste of what it was like being Thor’s shadow on Asgard. A malicious thrill entered him at that, tempered by the fact his resentment and bitterness was far from what it once was. He recognized Thor had changed, Loki had changed, and his brother’s loyalty was…difficult to deny. Perhaps his love? But Thor couldn’t handle being Loki, his brother had no idea what it was like to be reviled and ignored. Thor would wither in the shadows Loki had been forced to endure. Still, it was very much in his nature to challenge and test, especially those close to him.

Just trading forms wouldn’t prove anything. We’d have to leave the room for it to have any meaning.

Thor read the note and paused, considering. He understood Loki’s point, and he supposed that was the natural conclusion, but only in that moment did he imagine being in Loki’s form publicly. Being treated as Loki had, possibly used as Loki had, and the thought was repugnant.

But that was the point, wasn’t it? To spare Loki that treatment for a time, and to show Thor’s willingness and effort to be able to empathize with his brother?

“Obviously.” he said, as if he’d thought of that already and Loki fixed him with a skeptical expression. “Would it mean something to you for us to do it? Would it make a difference? Between us, I mean.”

Loki wasn’t entirely sure he understood what Thor was getting at, but figured it was some kind of brotherly sentiment. He considered it a moment and wrote. Perhaps. If you let me take charge. There’s no point if you don’t experience what I have. And I doubt you’d actually go through with it.

“If I say I’ll do it, then I will.” Thor said. “What do you mean take charge?”

You listen to me while you’re in my form, and agree to whatever comes of it. I won’t waste my time if you’re only going to complain or fight me on it. If we did this, then I would expect you to let me put you through what I went through. Nothing more, of course. And nothing less. I would ask no more of you then has been done to me.

Thor read the words a few times as he considered it. They would switch back, that was certain, and it was still no benefit to Loki to harm Thor even if he’d wanted to. And Loki’s words made sense…but the idea of putting himself in that situation, giving himself over to Loki’s ‘mercy’. Well, theoretically Thor wouldn’t have to listen, but Loki would be in a position to force him to comply. He didn’t think Loki would though, that was the point. Thor would be proving himself by submitting to whatever treatment Loki thought fair and equitable to what he’d suffered.

Part of him was desperately against it, part of him regretted offering.

Part of him couldn’t get Loki’s wet eyes and miserable expression out of his mind, or the way Loki had clung to Thor like he was the only protection he had. And really, he was. Loki had been funny and even sweet, the brothers had played a bit and Loki had them sleep with Thor in his arms. It was nostalgic, it felt good, Thor missed that. And it had to be good for Loki, given the situation.

Thor looked at his brother for a long moment, and Loki gave nothing away. He was sure his little brother expected him to back out, and he was sure he’d never be let to live it down. “I’ll do it.” he said abruptly. “I agree.”

Loki’s eyes widened, indeed surprised, and he scribbled quickly. You don’t mean that.

Thor broke the package in half and handed one vial to Loki as he held the other. “We can do it now. The Grandmaster is gone anyway, we have…time to kill.”

Loki studied Thor carefully, and he thought he detected a bit of nervousness, but otherwise Thor did look set on this. Did Loki want this, was this wise? What would happen if Thor did as promised? What if he didn’t? The thought of having some measure of freedom and a voice, even Thor’s, was tempting. And this possibility would surely never come again, it was rather once in a life time. Loki’s only family, his only brother. He knew Thor wasn’t offering lightly, not prideful Thor, whose idea of adventurous was slaying monsters and the like. Thor was offering partially out of care and worry for Loki, he recognized that. And that too was…admittedly touching. Foolish and sentimental, but Loki felt reasonably certain he was the only being in the universe Thor would offer this to, especially knowing what Loki intended to do. Loki gave his answer by pulling the cap off and Thor did the same. He tilted the vial at Thor to say ‘your move’, giving Thor one last chance to back out. Loki watched as his brother offered him a familiar, wry grin. The one Thor had worn many times before doing something reckless to Loki’s exasperation.

Thor drank, and Loki followed.

Chapter 16: That Old Black Magic Called Love

Chapter Text

The brothers downed their respective vials and Thor winced at the sharp taste. He looked at himself and then at Loki. “How long does it take?” He saw his brother shake his head with a half-shrug.

I didn’t expect you to drink it.

Thor lifted a brow at the message. “Who do you take me for, brother?”

Besides a fool, you mean?

Thor gave his brother a dry look and Loki. He was about to retort when Thor felt a twisting feeling in his insides as he clutched his chest with a wince. Loki leaned forward with a faint look of concern before he too seemed pained. Thor’s vision went white and a splitting pain slid through his head before it started to clear. “Loki?” he tried to ask, but although his mouth moved he heard no words. He felt strange, and felt the sensation of a band of pressure around his throat. Thor hadn’t realized he’d pitched forward until he realized there were hands holding his shoulders to keep him mostly upright. He opened his eyes, squinted through a few seconds of haze, and then his eyes widened. Thor’s own face was before him, peering at him with a weary-looking concern. “Brother-” Thor tried again instinctively, but as before no sound came out.

Loki, even as Thor uncorked his bottle, still had a sliver of doubt his brother would go through with it. But Thor did, the wonderful fool, and he didn’t seem regretful after. Loki wondered if he could take that as a measure of Thor’s affection for him, of how earnest he was to win Loki’s favor or ‘prove’ himself. As if bending over backwards to help Loki despite his recent betrayals, and Loki’s helpless Jotun form, didn’t already prove a fair bit. Loki saw Thor seem to be in pain and had a split second to feel concerned before it hit him too. He felt pain, lost his vision a moment, and then opened his eyes to find his own body falling forward towards him. Loki caught his body, Thor now inside surely, and he saw his mouth-Thor’s mouth-moving with failed attempts to speak. They had actually done it, Thor hadn’t reneged, he was that determined. “That won’t work, remember?” he said, and Loki heard Thor’s deep voice speaking his words.

Loki’s eyes roved over his own body, now wearing Thor’s surprised expression. The blue skin, the heritage lines, the blood-red eyes…Loki’s birth form, the form of a Jotun monster. He helped steady Thor, who seemed more affected than Loki, and he felt the cold of the form against Thor’s warm hands. “Strange.” he muttered, mostly to himself as he released Thor. He felt powerful, and he knew Thor was strong, but he felt strong. Like he could lift the Hulk in one go and not even have to try, no wonder Thor was so bloody invested in hand-to-hand combat.

Thor noted his own hands felt warm, almost pleasantly hot against him, and he stared into his own face and watched as Loki seemed to get his bearings. He wasn’t sure what Loki had deemed ‘strange’, and he saw Loki looking his own body over. Thor was sure he wasn’t thinking anything good of himself, and he didn’t know how to help Loki with that other than to keep reassuring Loki he was still himself and loved. In more ways than Thor could admit.

Thor felt oddly small, though he knew Loki was only a couple of inches shorter, and he wasn’t as wide. The muscles felt different, the way he moved felt different, there was a fluidity in his movements that was absent in his own body. Graceful. Thor’s mind supplied, and he considered that as he moved an arm and flexed his fingers. He felt a dull ache in his lower stomach that he suddenly realized the cause of. Somehow in doing this, he hadn’t considered that particular implication. Thor’s hand went to the offended area and pressed on it experimentally and he winced at a sharp pain.

“Not much fun, is it?” Loki asked as he took stock of what his brother was doing. Another facet of this situation Loki couldn’t fathom, Thor had willingly subjected himself to that aspect of Loki’s form. He saw Thor’s eyes go to the table and Loki knew what he was about to grab. Loki beat Thor to it as he snatched the notepad. “I wasn’t able to communicate for a couple of weeks, you can surely handle a day.”

Thor frowned at that, and Loki smiled back smugly. It was odd to see such a Loki-ish expression on his own face. He supposed in the grand scheme of things, being denied the notepad would be the least of what he might expect, but he hadn’t known Loki would be so quick to leave him without communication. The realization that he couldn’t speak, that Loki wouldn’t let him write, was a denial he’d never had or considered before. Loki had taken his voice a few times in their lives through sorcerous mischief, but Thor had been assured of having it back quickly and he’d had other means to communicate. He was used to taking charge, being heard and respected at least if not obeyed. The forced silence was uncomfortable.

Loki’s legs were still on Thor’s lap, now reversed, and he scooted out from under them as he headed for the bathroom to examine himself in the mirror. He heard Thor follow behind and the pair ended up side by side in the mirror. Loki saw a body he’d been familiar with for over a thousand years in his own reflection, it moved as he did, it was him for the moment. There had been times in his life he had imagined being Thor, or more often what it would be like to have this or that of Thor’s: his strength, Mjolnir, his accolades, his way with people, his crown prince status, and so on. But now he wasThor. And then Thor followed into the bathroom and he saw what he was, Loki’s true form. An unsightly, blue and red monstrosity, a frost giant who had been taught to be an Aesir god. Loki didn’t realize the frown that had twisted his expression until he felt Thor’s hand on his shoulder and saw Thor’s concerned expression on Loki’s features. ‘Brother’, Thor mouthed, and Loki wasn’t sure if it was intended as an address or was Thor’s short way of trying to affirm the statement. Did he think that was a comfort to Loki, what did he think Loki needed comfort for? Perhaps being in Loki’s body had given Thor a new ‘appreciation’ for what it was like to be one of the monsters parents told their children about.

Thor wasn’t entirely sure what Loki was thinking, but he saw Loki’s expression go from what he assumed was intrigued and amused to something more unpleasant and displeased as Thor entered. He had caught a glimpse of it when Loki had looked at him the first time too. Loki didn’t like his body, or his Jotun form at least. Thor impulsively slid his hand from Loki’s shoulder to his hand where he entwined their fingers and gave his hand a firm squeeze. Loki looked faintly surprised, and quickly tried to tug away but Thor held fast as he pointedly looked to their reflections and stepped closer to Loki so that their arms touched. Thor used his free hand to make his last point of contact as he squeezed Loki’s upper arm.

“Enjoying touching yourself that much, Thor?” Loki drawled, strange with Thor’s voice, and Thor heard the discomfort beneath it all the same.

Thor made sure Loki was looking as he rolled his eyes and gave Loki’s arm a light punch.

“Ow, you’ve wounded me, this form is so weak.” Loki ‘complained’ and Thor gave a silent snort as he released his brother.

Thor was relieved to see that Loki’s expression was a little lighter, and Loki let their arms keep touching as he examined his reflection again. “I feel like I could snap the Hulk in half. I see now why you’re so fond of being a brute.” he informed his brother as flexed his arms and Thor looked amused.

Thor felt a sharp pain in his stomach that came on suddenly and he winced as his hand went low on his stomach.

Loki gave him a fairly sympathetic glance. “That happens.” he said simply before he put a large hand on Thor’s back and used the other to slip under Thor’s waist band and begin massaging Thor similarly to how the other had done for him.

Thor was startled at the sudden warmth that moved quickly into his pants, and then felt relief with what Loki was doing. It did indeed help, and it made more sense now that he’d experienced it. Thor was a little surprised Loki had bothered, the move felt almost tender if not outright brotherly. So he was all the more guilty when a little flicker of desire sparked in him. Loki was showing him a kindness, and he was thinking about how good the slightly intimate gesture felt for more than the fact it alleviated his pain. His mind conjured an image of Loki, green-eyed and mischievous, putting his hand into Thor’s waist band for an entirely different reason and he barely refrained from jerking away from Loki’s touch.

Loki saw relief on Thor’s face at the comfort he had chosen to provide, and then something strange flickered across Thor’s face [Loki’s face] too quickly for him to decipher. He noted another strange thing as the whitish heritage lines seemed to turn faintly pink. Loki hadn’t noted that change before and wondered at the cause, he had never heard of such a thing either. He pushed it from his mind as he led Thor from the bathroom and pushed his brother into the chair while he pondered his next move. Twenty-four to forty-eight hours to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime situation, and to offer himself some reprieve from his predicament. He felt Thor’s eyes on him as he pondered his options. And even as he did that, he still marveled at how different Thor’s body was. It thrummed with a strange kind of energy he’d never felt before, and he couldn’t do much to analyze the power. Loki’s sorcery was soul-bound, but that didn’t mean he could force it to work well and properly in another’s body. Experimentally, he tried to summon a bit of fire to his hand and while a spark of green appeared, the fire didn’t form.

He caught Thor’s surprised expression and smirked. “It’s my power, little that it works in your form.” Thor glanced at what was currently his hand thoughtfully and Loki shook his head. “You won’t be able to wield any of my powers, if that’s what you’re thinking. They’re soul bound, as well you should know.” Loki sighed. “Little that you ever paid attention."

Thor shot him a faintly irked look of protest and Loki lifted a brow, Thor seemed to instinctively try to speak then realized it wouldn’t work and stopped.

“I did that too for a bit.” Loki admitted. “It’s not pleasant.”

No, it wasn’t, and while Thor had imagined that to be the case it was quite another thing to experience the frustration of it himself. Speaking was such a basic, fundamental ability. The lack of it felt like the loss of a limb, perhaps worse. He remembered his careless little jest about Loki not speaking and regretted it.

Loki’s gaze slid to the table where the leash was, then back at Thor, considering. Then a slow smirk of mischief, one familiar on Loki’s face and foreign on Thor’s, slid over Loki’s current lips. “Well, I suppose we should get started, brother. You have a long day of being ‘me’ ahead.” The sudden familiar wariness in Thor’s expression, albeit on Loki’s own face, put an old, once-familiar thrill in him. This wasn’t the product of malice or resentment, this wasn’t calculated mischief [not exactly]. The moment held the ring of the past when the brothers were still close and prone to pranking each other and challenging each other, mischief for mischief’s sake. Mischief because they were close and it was fun. And Thor would make just such an expression of wariness at times, when he wondered what exactly he’d gotten into with his trickster of a little brother. “Come on, up up.” Loki said, almost cheerfully as he beckoned Thor by flexing his fingers towards Thor then back to himself.

With an air of reluctance Thor rose and approached Loki, who clipped the leash to his [Now Thor’s] collar. Loki was pleased to have the damned thing off, and while he’d have liked the sight of it on Thor’s neck a little better in the circ*mstance, knowing why it was on Thor was pleasing. His brother’s foolish sentiment was a little more touching than he’d ever admit. “By the way, this-” Loki grabbed a fistful of the leash and tugged Thor’s head down roughly as he’d done to Loki. “-is how thatfeels.” Thor’s eyes had widened a split second before he caught himself against Loki. “And then there’s this.” Loki said as he began to practically drag Thor by the neck and forced him to keep up practically against Loki’s side as Thor had done the first time they’d walked together. Granted, Thor had been under Amora’s meddling, but fair was fair. Loki let up by the time they reached the door and Thor huffed as he pulled back and grabbed some of the leash as if to prevent Loki from doing it again. “We both know that wouldn’t stop me if I really wanted to continue.” he grinned. Loki could use Thor’s ridiculous strength against him now, a thought that admittedly appealed.

Thor shoved at his arm, a voiceless expression of brotherly annoyance, and Loki found himself genuinely amused and even a bit fond. He rewarded Thor with a quick squeeze to his shoulder before he pulled away and opened the door. “Pets first, brother.” Loki said genially with a gesture for Thor to proceed. Thor’s also-familiar look of irritation was strange to see on his own face, but no less welcome.

Thor was a little surprised, and admittedly not displeased, to see that Loki’s mood already seemed much lighter. There was a playfulness to his demeanor that Thor hadn’t seen since he’d gotten Loki out of prison and he’d rapidly shifted forms to irk Thor. That hadn’t been a truly warm interaction, it had been more along the lines of Loki trying to goad Thor into a reaction. But this seemed different, this seemed like Loki genuinely enjoying himself a bit. The sight was much improved from Loki being despondent, so despite the rather unpleasant leash tugging, he was glad of his decision to take the potion. He walked with Loki along the hallway, and let Loki lead where he willed. That, at least, was easy enough to do. The pair ended up at the dressing room, and Thor had a sneaking suspicion of where this was going that was confirmed when Loki held up a dress. Thor took a step back and Loki lifted a brow.

“Giving up already?” Loki drawled.

Thor frowned as he looked from the dress to his brother, not sure why Loki would even want to dress his body in such a thing. Didn’t he feel shame from seeing himself that way? It was one thing for Loki to shift into a woman and wear a woman’s clothes, but even though it was currently Thor inside of it, didn’t it bother Loki to see his body treated thus?

“Well, what else could I expect of the Mighty Thor.” Loki’s tone was mostly taunting but there was a biting edge that came across even in Thor’s voice. A bitter note, and Thor realized there was more than reciprocal humiliation in Loki’s intentions.

Thor wasn’t sure if that was because Loki was taking the ‘Thor proving himself’ bit seriously, or he felt judged by Thor, or some other way Loki had turned it around in his mind. He could see the situation growing to have an opposite effect on Loki to what Thor had hoped, and if he hadn’t already been resigned, that would have done it. He sighed to himself as he held out his hand.

“Are you sure? I would hate to compromise your delicate sensibilities, brother.” Loki mocked.

Thor snatched the dress from his hands and Loki chuckled before he tossed a pair of leggings to Thor as well.

Loki could have picked something wretched, but he decided to be merciful both for Thor’s sake and a bit his own. The dress had a revealing slit down the front, but was otherwise fairly tasteful, and he’d let Thor have leggings. He wasn’t interested in having his legs displayed, or having Thor distracted by a lack of pants. Thor stepped behind a clothing rack to change, to Loki’s amusem*nt, and when Thor had finished he looked uncomfortable.

Thor, as he changed, tried not to look at himself. It felt again like it would be taking advantage of the situation, and he felt guilty even for the form trade itself given his feelings towards Loki. How much would his brother hate him if he knew the truth? Loki would probably take it as another way that Thor wanted to humiliate Loki, or he’d make some joke about Thor rutting around with anyone-even his own brother. He tried not to think about the strange feeling of the new downstairs anatomy. But the thought did cross his mind again that Loki could have children. Loki, round with his child-

-Thor cut the thought off quickly as he rounded the clothing rack and submitted himself to Loki’s amused inspection before Loki motioned him to the makeup table. He scrunched his nose and Loki waited with a look, and Thor begrudgingly acquiesced as he sat down. There was an element of surprise in Loki’s face that suggested to Thor he was waiting for the other shoe to drop and Thor to give up. Well, he was going to keep waiting then, because Thor wasn’t going to waste the opportunity.

Loki knew his brother would be embarrassed by wearing makeup either way, so doing it garishly would serve no real purpose for either of them. He did it tastefully, and he relished the way Thor eyed himself in the mirror with a frown. Loki playfully gave a ruffle to the hair at the crown of Thor’s head, and Thor huffed as he poked his brother’s side. “I suppose we’ll attend one of the Grandmaster’s parties, and then head out into the city. What do you think, pet?” he teased as he tugged on the leash lightly. Thor’s narrow-eyed look of reply made him grin. “That excited? We’d best get started then.”

Thor reminded himself Loki’s pleasure was a good thing in this instance as he rose to follow his brother. And if this whole mess gave him a way to regain some closeness with his brother…that was a good thing too. He tried not to think about Asgard for the moment, because the guilt of leaving his kingdom defenseless while he played these games was heavy in him.

The closer they got to the hallway, the more people stopped to talk to Loki [‘The Champion’], and to Thor’s surprise Loki made an effort to engage with each person. He spoke as if he were really Thor, and he intermittently touched Thor in some way-a clap on the back, a grab of his shoulder, a squeeze of his neck-, but he scarcely ever looked at Thor and didn’t really address him. A couple of times Loki had laughed and looked at Thor as if he ought to have been laughing too, but wasn’t concerned to find he wasn’t. Loki told a few stories that Thor realized were from years long past, back when the brothers, or the brothers with Sif and the Warriors Three, had gone on adventures. His brother spoke from Thor’s perspective, but he was puzzled to realize Loki seemed to be downplaying or neglecting his own role in the tale. Loki generally had a reason for the things he did, which meant he was making a point. Thor tried to think back to times he’d told such stories. He didn’t recall intentionally leaving Loki out…well, then again, there had been a few times where Loki’s reliance on sorcery had irked him and he’d felt it less of an achievement than Loki had. But had he really so blatantly ignored Loki’s contributions?

The touching didn’t quite make sense to him either until he considered his own past behavior. Loki was always at his side and Thor loved his brother. He was very much one for physical appreciation and affection, so he supposed he had often touched Loki. But somehow the way in which Loki was doing it, touching him without actually acknowledging him, felt like being an absently fawned on pet. He was half-tempted to swat Loki’s hand away after a bit of it. Thor recalled many a time he had yanked Loki into one-armed hugs, playfully pushed his brother, ruffled his hair, and gotten what he took as normal little brotherly ire or somewhat annoyed acceptance. He had always taken it to be playful and typical, but what if it wasn’t?

“And that’s how I bested the beast.” ‘Thor’ said with a hearty chuckle before he gave ‘Loki’s’ neck a firm squeeze.

Thor tried to pull away but Loki gave him a grin as he squeezed a little harder before he loped an arm around Thor’s neck as he tugged his brother against him, and nearly put him off balance. He found himself bent at the waist somewhat awkwardly as Loki kept him in place but turned his attention back to the person he was speaking to. Thor made to pull away but Loki tightened his grip and Thor scowled. Surely he’d not done this to Loki…had he?

“Trouble in paradise?” The person speaking with Loki asked as he glanced from Loki to Thor. “Your pet looks ready to bite.”

Loki glanced at Thor as if just remembering he was there and released Thor as he gave him a hearty clap on the back. “He thinks being silent makes him look mysterious.” he teased.

Thor remembered saying that very sentence before, and if he’d needed proof of Loki’s intentions, there it was. Loki was reflecting Thor’s behavior, either as it was or as Loki saw it, back at him. He recalled the night in Midgard when he’d referred to Loki’s ‘imagined slights’ and Loki’s expression had grown pinched. There was room to call them imagined, but he was beginning to wonder if there was also more room to call them legitimate slights.

Loki had indeed taken advantage of the flurry of interest directed at the champion to turn the tables on Thor a bit. He could play Thor’s old role well, he’d spent nearly his whole life watching his big brother after all. Loki knew every tone, every gesture, practically ever word he’d seek to use. Or at least he had, this Thor was a newer Thor, this one was one he’d not studied in such detail. And he kept surprising Loki. Even now when Loki might have expected Thor’s temper in response to his pointed baiting, Thor’s expression was almost speculative, like he was actually considering the situation. Where had his oaf of a brother gone? Where was the hair-trigger temper, the painful obliviousness, the self-righteous indignation?

“I would rather be a good man than a great king.”

“It is yours, if you are worthy of it.”

“I shall try to be.”

Thor had learned humility, but surely that didn’t mean he ought to have learned to be clever and thoughtful. Loki was annoyed to find that there were aspects of Thor that he was unfamiliar with, and annoyed that he felt that way about it. Why should he care so much about Thor?

But of course, he did. He always had, even when he’d convinced himself he hated Thor to the point of wanting him dead. And likely, he always would, even more so now that Thor kept being damnably kind and attentive even with Loki feeling monstrous about himself.

The pair continued down the hall and Loki slipped an arm around Thor as he pulled him close again to murmur. “It seems you got my hints, brother.” The frown and incline of Thor’s head was, he supposed, a ‘yes’, and Loki grinned as he squeezed Thor in one of Thor’s death grip excuses for a one-armed hug. Thor looked taken aback and Loki silently cheered. Let the brute see how his own strength felt, oblivious fool.

He had expected if he’d ever had an opportunity to reverse their roles [he’d never imagined it this way, of course, perhaps if he’d succeeded in conquering Midgard and forcing Thor’s submission] he would feel righteous vindication, resentment, fury. But instead, it almost felt playful, it felt like a relief to reveal this to Thor and have Thor meet it as though he were giving it thought and not just blaming Loki or being irritated.

Almost like they were truly brothers again.

They entered the main party area, and Loki scanned the room to assess the crowd before he led Thor to leash post. Thor looked aghast as he realized what Loki intended and took a step back with narrowed eyes.

“Oh, come on, this is nothing. I had to eat out of Amora’s hand like a damned-” he cut off at the instant look of stunned fury on Thor’s face, and Thor grabbing his wrist with a silent demand. “-Stop that.” Loki chided as he tugged his wrist free. “It’s done with now, I’ll pay her back later, I assure you.” There was concern in Thor’s expression mixed with the fury, and it was strange to see it on his on face. It was so very Thor, and Loki’s face was already half-alien given the Jotun appearance. “You’re making my face look foolish.” he complained, with a light brush of his knuckles against his brother’s cheek as he moved the leash behind Thor and attached the lead to the post. Loki took a second to take in the sight of his own body, Jotun, clad in a dress and made up, attached to a post by a collar and leash. Thor was inside of that body for the moment, but only because it was Loki’s. He couldn’t help but note again that the likelihood of Thor ever truly being in his position was basically non-existent.

All the more reason to take advantage of the opportunity to show him what life was like when you weren’t Asgard’s golden son.

“Now you stay here and behave yourself.” Loki crooned and Thor scowled.

He watched his younger brother saunter off in his body and didn’t know why he felt a bit of disappointment. What had he really expected? This was no less than what Loki had assured him would happen. Did he really think that the moments of softness between them born of Loki’s despondency meant anything had really changed? Loki had let Thor think him dead for four years, he had seen him grieving and said nothing. He would have probably gone on doing so for much longer. Loki had betrayed him, betrayed Asgard, and if he didn’t need Thor’s help right now he’d likely be laughing at Thor’s expense. Thor knew better than to get his hopes up, but he kept doing it all the same. The sense of loss and regret for the things that had broken between them before the near-coronation and right after still pained him. Not as keenly as they’d used to, he’d grown rather numb to much of it now, but he wasn’t immune to it by any means. Especially not with Loki doing things like clinging to him as he had the night before. Thor had felt like he was holding his little brother again. Not the stranger, the half-brother, half-enemy he’d been dancing around the past near-decade.

Thor watched as Loki chatted and socialized in his body, and he frowned as Loki’s hands occasionally gained purchase on someone’s arm or shoulder, or even chest once in awhile. He didn’t fawn on strangers like that, perhaps he hadto Loki, and perhaps his friends at times, but not strangers. A woman began flirtatiously squeezing Loki’s bicep [Thor’s bicep], and hot anger flowed through him. What was she doing touching his brother that way?

Thor caught himself at the stray thought. He’d not thought so possessively of Loki in a long time, given all that was between them. But there certainly had been a time for it. The fact was, he hadn’t necessarily monopolized Loki with the intent to isolate him. Thor would never have intentionally prevented Loki from making friends or doing what he wished. But Thor knew Loki capitulate to him, he knew he, and Sif and the Warriors Three, were all the companions Loki had. So it wasn’t hard to monopolize Loki’s social time. And he’d felt…perhaps more entitled to it than he ever should have. Thor likewise knew, in his meaner, more petty moments…that withholding his company [and by extension that of their friends] left Loki alone. And for all that Loki liked his independence and liked to seem aloof, he wasn’t a boy who liked to be lonely. He liked to feel wanted. Thor had [he was ashamed to admit] used that to his advantage at times when Loki was being quarrelsome. Perhaps had ‘punished’ Loki with it at times, or forced Loki to seek out their company.

Thor regretted his childishness now, and he had wondered how much effect even things like that had on Loki and their relationship overall. He had passed it off as par for the course between brothers, and no great matter. But had it meant something different to Loki? Had Loki taken it with more malice than Thor had ever, everintended it? Thor could be as much a brat as he’d ever accused Loki of being, but he had never wished to truly hurt Loki, as he’d always believed Loki never truly wished to hurt him. That was how Loki had been able to manipulate him so easily, because Thor ultimately believed Loki had his best interests at heart. Would Loki have always been Loki, or did Thor in some ways teach him to be the man he became? Did Thor train his own enemy?

Thor had only ever wished to love and protect his baby brother, by the Norns, that was the truth.

Love, protect, and more still…His mind taunted and Thor tried to push past it as he’d always done. He tried to push past the sliver of relief he’d felt when Loki’s parentage was relieved, because it meant they weren’t kin by blood, and that he wasn’t so monstrous for his feelings as he’d believed. But not by much, because what sort of big brother was he that he desired the little brother he’d sworn to look after and care for?

--

“Thor, what is the fastest way to put you in a bad mood?” Loki asked suddenly from his position in the lake, half-lounging, half-leaning against the shore. Sif and the Warriors Three were also present in the water. Thor was sat on the edge with his legs in as he looked down at his squinting little brother.

“I am surprised you must ask, I thought that a well-honed skill of yours.” Thor teased dryly.

“But in this moment, I mean.”

Thor snorted. “You wish me to be in a foul mood, brother?”

“Absolutely, because then it will rain and we might be rid of this wretched heat.” Loki complained. It was hot, but Loki had always had a low tolerance for heat, especially as compared to other Asgardians. A cold constitution, their mother had called it, quite oppositional to Thor’s decidedly hot constitution.

“Poor Loki, he has even made an enemy of the sun.” Sif taunted and Loki bit the inside of his cheek to keep from a biting retort. It wasn’t worth it.

Thor looked down at his brother’s sullen, pouting face and couldn’t help but think how adorable he looked and how much he’d like to kiss away the pout. Loki kept his hair straight, to Thor’s dismay, but at the moment the lake water had caused it to cling about Loki’s face charmingly. His little brother never liked to show his body to others, and he had conjured a strange, tight bit of clothing to wear in the water. “You might be cooler if you took off more of your layers, brother.” he pointed out and got a faint glare in reply. One that said Thor should know better than to have suggested it.

“You are content to flood Asgard when there no call for it. Can you not do it when I ask?” Loki pressed.

Thor had thought him joking but began to wonder if he was serious. “If you wish me to call the rain, you could have just said so."

“Is that not what I have been doing?” Loki grumbled.

Thor couldn’t help a grin even as he shook his head. Loki had grown evermore surly and odd, but he loved his little brother no less for it. As to why Loki played his little games rather than just ask Thor outright to do what he’d be more than glad to: Thor had no idea.

Thor summoned Mjolnir to his hand and Volstagg lifted a brow. “You mean to summon the rains now?”

“Far be it from me to deny this brat his comforts.” Thor announced, and Loki frowned as he gave Thor’s leg hairs a yank in revenge. He pushed his barefoot down on Loki’s upper chest to dunk his brother quickly into the water, and Loki came up spluttering with seeming outrage. Thor’s only warning to what was to come was the tell-tale tilt of Loki’s green, glowing hand as sorcerous force shoved Thor into the water.

Thor came up coughing and squinted as he peered through wet eyes at his now smirking brother. “Now I will ensure there is not a cloud in the sky.” he informed Loki who slumped dramatically.

“You are a cruel brother.” Loki complained with a put-on sniff that had Thor rolling his eyes. He sniffed again, more loudly, and Thor groaned even as he chuckled and gave a light splash towards Loki.

“Fine, if it is rain you want, rain you shall have.” Thor informed his brother as he finished calling Mjolnir to his hand and began to spin her rapidly towards the sky. A mini cyclone of wind formed and reached up towards the sky as clouds began to form, pulled together by Thor’s will, and filled with moisture by the same. A shower of rain began to fall over their part of the forest, and Loki made a decidedly gleeful laugh that had Thor smiling warmly.

Sif and the Warriors Three seemed their own brands of amused and enjoyed it.

Loki grinned at Thor as he moved closer, till only inches separated them.

The urge to reach out and bring Loki close, to kiss taste that rain-soaked grin for himself practically burned inside of Thor. Right alongside the guilt that he should be having such abhorrent, unbrotherly thoughts. Thor was a bastard, but he refused to let Loki know that. He’d lose his brother forever, surely, and Thor loved him too much to imagine life without his little brother.

“Are you pleased now?” Thor asked wryly.

“Very. You do have your moments, brother.” Loki praised playfully as he gave Thor’s chest an affectionate, mock-punch.

“Glad to hear it.” Thor huffed playfully in return, even as the brothers shared a smile and Thor allowed himself the indulgence of brushing his fingers through Loki’s wet hair under the guise of pushing it from Loki’s eyes.

Mischief glinted in said eyes before Loki slipped underwater and pinched Thor’s side before swimming off like the slippery little snake of a trickster he was.

Thor loved the little brat dearly.

--

“Well aren’t you a pretty thing.” came a voice beside Thor, and he looked over to see a half-balding man with two pairs of eyes, spindly fingers, and a tongue that he was certain had suction pads on it though he didn’t care to look too closely.

Thor had no idea what species the man was, but he knew he wanted the man no where near him. He started to give a warning only to remember he couldn’t speak. He cursed to himself as the man crowded his space and he gave him a firm shove back with what he hoped was a ‘stay the Hel away from me’ look.

The man either didn’t get the message, or wasn’t deterred, because he came right back. “Playing hard to get, my little blue beastie?”

His what? Thor’s lip curled, and that was a look well-worn on Loki’s face.

“That is a nice dress you have on, but I think it would look even better off.” The man said as he licked his lips and revealed he did indeed have a tongue laden with tiny suction pads like a cephalopod.

Thor was disgusted, pissed, and the man had started to reach a hand towards him. So naturally he made use of Loki’s own considerable strength to slam a fist into the man’s face hard enough to send him several feet back into a glass table that shattered upon impact. The man squealed, actually squealed, and Thor smirked. ‘Blue beastie’. The prick. As if he’d let that ‘man’ touch his brother, even if Thor was the one inside of him at the moment. Which was a terrible choice of phrasing, he realized mildly.

“What have you done?” Loki hissed, suddenly at Thor’s side. He looked oddly anxious and Thor couldn’t peg why that would be. “I should have told you, I…killed a guest of the Grandmaster. He made it clear any more incidents would come with a price.”

Thor’s eyes widened at that quite relevant and now far too late information. Loki’s gaze had drifted and he grabbed Loki’s chin to force his brother to look at him as he mouthed. ‘Blame me’.

Loki frowned and then scoffed. “Everyone saw ‘me’ do it.”

‘The truth’. Thor mouthed as he made a circular motion with his finger between them.

“Tell the Grandmaster we traded forms?” He said it skeptically but then realized…there wasn’t necessarily a reason not to tell him. The Grandmaster had given them the vials, and he might, just mightlet it pass if his champion had done it [especially unknowingly]. “Perhaps.” he muttered as he glanced back at the man who was getting up, slightly bloodied and angry as he stormed towards them. His gaze was fixed on Thor, and Loki found himself moving automatically to stand somewhat in front of Thor as he crossed his arms and glared imperiously at the approaching man who slowed.

“It isn’t my pet you’re stalking towards right now, is it?” ‘Thor’ demanded.

The man faltered at that and began to hesitate. “That little beast hit me!”

Thor took the opportunity to pull a move he’d learned on Midgard [courtesy of Tony and Natasha] as he flipped the man off. Neither Loki nor the man knew what it meant, but it had a clearly confrontational edge, and Loki shoved Thor’s hand down with a quick look of reproach.

“Not without reason, I’m sure.” Loki said dryly, though in fact, he’d been keeping an eye on Thor and knew perfectly well what had been going on. If it hadn’t gotten out of hand, he’d intended to step in. Loki hadn’t expected Thor’s somewhat quick call to anger.

“Pets are here to be petted.” The man said, and Loki was rather tempted to hit the man himself.

“I’m going to give you this one opportunity to walk away. If you don’t take it, you will regret it.” he assured the man.

The man looked from Loki to Thor, seemed like he might be stupid enough to try for Thor again anyway, but ultimately walked away.

Loki watched him go with a faint sneer that turned into a frown as he regarded his brother. “No more fighting in my body.”

Thor made air quotations as he repeated ‘fighting’ with a faint eye roll, and Loki swatted his head.

“I mean it. You don’t know what the Grandmaster is capable of.”

Thor sobered at that, and nodded his agreement. Loki still looked a little troubled, and Thor felt bad that he’d so quickly turned Loki’s good mood to a worried one [although it wasn’t entirely his fault]. He decided to try to tease Loki, and he made a show of crossing his arms and adopting a co*cky posture as Loki had, as he made to intimidate an imaginary foe.

Loki’s lips twitched and he muttered. “Shut up, Thor.” and as Thor grinned, seeing his small victory, Loki huffed lightly and hid a faint smirk by removing the leash from the post. “Incorrigible.”

And, to be extra snarky, and play along further, Thor mimicked the gesture Loki had made when he’d forced him to reveal himself on Asgard. The splayed palms and awkward grin of presenting himself to Thor and the other Asgardians.

Loki seemed to recognize it, if his scowl and the way he tugged Thor forward a bit roughly was any indication.

Thor wasn’t sure if his brother was amused or annoyed by the antics, but he supposed either was better than worried or depressed. He joined Loki’s side as the pair walked, and while the sight of the leash was distasteful, and the situation with Asgard still loomed in his mind…there was some part of him that couldn’t help but be a little pleased about the turn of events. Thor and Loki were spending time together, and the situation was poor overall but…still, they weren’t fighting, there were elements of play between them, and Loki seemed slightly less guarded than usual. Perhaps he was reading too much into it, or mistaking cues because of Loki being in Thor’s own body. But he was hopeful despite himself. Thor wanted his brother back, and the part of him that kept forgiving Loki at the drop of a hat was eager to pursue the opportunity presented by their forced closeness.

Chapter 17: Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now

Chapter Text

The exit from the compound was easier given that ‘Loki’ was already tagged. The nose piercing in particular irritated Thor, he could feel the charm from the piercing hitting above his lip as he walked. And then there was the tag with his name on Loki’s upper ear. Somehow the reality of that particular bit hit him harder while it was on ‘his own’ ear. This was his little brother’s body, but it was tagged with Thor’s name. Because Loki was Jotun, and even the Grandmaster apparently felt that made Loki lesser enough to merit status as a mere pet.

But had Thor thought any better in his youth? He had, as Loki once accused him on the Bifrost, been ready to kill them all with his bare hands. The thought, not for the first time, filled him with a sinking feeling. He might have wondered what it felt like to have a brother you knew had wanted to ‘kill you’, but Loki ironically had given him that. Thor had wanted to kill members of Loki’s race, but Loki had wanted to [and had] killed Thor.

He wasn’t sure what it said about him that he hadn’t had nightmares about being killed by the Destroyer, but he’d had a variety of nightmares about Loki falling from the Bifrost.

Loki’s good mood seemed to have returned as he walked Thor along by the leash. He still hadn’t adjusted to seeing himself apart from himself, to seeing parts of himself that were difficult to view even with a mirror.

Loki glanced back at him and caught his gaze, he lifted a brow. “Admiring yourself, brother?” Thor made a face and Loki smirked as he slowed to join Thor more at his side. “How is it so far? Being my pet.”

Thor knew he was asking that just to poke at Thor, calling him a pet just to see if he could rile him. He gave his brother a deep eye-roll and bumped their shoulders.

“Ow. So weak.” Loki ‘whined’ again, and Thor wondered how Loki could be manage to be equally annoying in any form.

Thor huffed and then paused before he caught Loki’s attention. He pointed at his brother, made a thumbs up sign, a thumbs down sign, and then splayed his palm upwards as if in question.

Loki’s smirk slipped as he eyed Thor a moment. “You are asking how I am?” he clarified. The serious look on Thor’s face gave him the impression he was not asking a return of ‘how is it so far’. At Thor’s nod, he felt a flicker of fond annoyance. Loki wanted to push his brother’s buttons and get fun responses with the currently mute Thor. But Thor’s concern in the face of Loki’s attempts to irritate him were just so…ugh, sentiment. Loki all the same couldn’t help the little warm flutter in his chest. Thor’s care was the only care Loki could reasonably expect, if he could expect it at all. And given the circ*mstances in which he was receiving it, Loki really couldn’t find a motive for it other than Thor genuinely worrying about him. The great oaf. Loki set his hand on the back of Thor’s neck and gave it a little squeeze, a fond move that Thor had done many times to him. Not all of his reversals today had to be sour, he could show some sweetness. “Better.” he admitted. “It feels like being let out of a prison cell. Which is an unfortunate way to look at getting out of one’s body but here we are.” he muttered.

Thor slid his arm up under Loki’s to set his hand on Loki’s shoulder and give it a squeeze.

Loki looked at the face both alien and familiar, Loki but Jotun, his own and yet not, and currently wearing such a Thorexpression. “Don’t think you can butter me up. I still intend to make full use of this turnabout, brother.” he warned, knowing it wasn’t why Thor was doing it but responding to his sentiment with humor.

Loki dropped his hand and Thor dropped his own as he shook his head, and Loki grinned. They passed the shop that had the lascivious comic and he paused as he fixed Thor with an thoughtful look and asked innocently. “Shall we go and get you another copy of that picture book…?”

Thor whacked his stomach and Loki chuckled as Thor moved quickly ahead. Loki, being Loki, kept in place and let Thor be jerked somewhat as he reached the end of the leash. He glanced back with narrowed eyes and Loki said. “Oops.”

Loki rejoined Thor who finally looked a little annoyed, and Loki gave himself a victory point for that. No one could get under Thor’s skin like Loki, a fair little point of pride.

They passed by the animal shop again as well, and the albino snake was still in the window. Loki didn’t miss the way that Thor’s eyes lingered on it. His brother, the snake enthusiast, who thought the strange little snake with red-eyes was beautiful.

Hmph.

Loki flexed his fingers about the lead in his hand and reflected on how the situation would be in any other context. If they weren’t on Sakaar, and somehow Loki had managed to effectively neuter and leash Thor. It was a tamer version of what he’d intended in his madness when he was going to conquer Midgard and claim Thor as one of his rewards. Thor would be in Loki’s shadow, at hisbeck-and-call, unable to fight back regardless of what Loki did. He wanted to break Thor’s arrogance and pride, he wanted to teach Thor his place.

--

“The one called Thor is mine.” Loki insisted again as the Other observed him impassively.

“You may kill him.” The Other said dismissively. “It makes no difference, as long as you bring the Tesseract and conquer as agreed.”

“No, not kill. He is mine. I wish to keep him for myself.”

“You wish children as Thanos has?”

Loki’s expression scrunched with irritation and distaste. “A child? No. It was he who tossed me here! He who stole my rightful throne! I will not grant him mercy with a quick death. He is mine to do with as I will.”

The Other’s expression didn’t change, but Loki again felt as though he were being looked at like a spoiled child. “Petty creature.” The Other said as if in judgment. “Still. You may take him if you fulfill your end of the bargain.”

Loki pushed down a wave of nervousness and tried to keep his hands steady as he forced his lips into a cool smile. “Excellent."

--

Loki remembered what he did after being tortured and bearing the scepter long enough to be influenced by it. To a degree, he remembered his thoughts and feelings. Loki remembered the obsessive way in which he fixated on Thor and avenging himself. Somehow, Thor had become the root of all of his problems. Loki so clearly remembered Thor tossing him coldly into the abyss, although with clarity he realized he himself had let go and Thor had screamed for him. Thor had mourned him, Loki now knew.

Thor had ‘stolen’ his throne, Thor had denied him Odin and Frigga’s love. He had felt with certainty that Thor wished him dead for being Jotun and for thwarting him. Loki had been convinced in his altered state that Thor relished looking down on Loki and leaving him in a lesser position. That Thor did not, and never had, loved him. As much as Loki always had thoughts in his head playing Devil’s Advocate, as much as he always twisted things in his mind, as much as he ever doubted or pondered…he had almost no self-doubts or such thoughts while he wielded the scepter. Loki had been utterly certain of his ‘glorious purpose’ and the foul things his mind was twisted to believe.

He would have crushed Thor in ways too terrible to contemplate with a sane mind. Loki would have broken his heart, broken his spirit, left just enough of Thor to mourn all he’d lost and then Loki would leave Thor weak at his feet to see Loki’s triumph and regret having been such a poor excuse for a brother.

Loki repressed a shudder at the thought as he cast a sideways glance at Thor who seemed distracted by another, colorful store front. If Loki had succeeded, he would likely not be on Sakaar now in this position. But even if he had survived Thanos, it would have been as one of his puppets. Thor would have been broken for false reasons by a twisted version of Loki and Thor would likely not have realized how imbalanced Loki was at the time. He did not even still know what had happened to him.

Loki recalled Thor holding him even as Loki was in giant’s form, stroking his hair and soothing him patiently and kindly and…lovingly. As though they were boy’s again. A little Loki having crept into Thor’s room to seek comfort. And Thor never once, never once turned him away or mocked him for it. Loki had [perhaps intentionally] pushed all such good points from his mind when he’d sought to turn from Thor.

If Loki had succeeded, he would have broken the person who arguably loved him the most with his own two hands, and he’d have been thrilled about it.

The person that arguably…Loki loved most in turn.

The thought made him want to hit something. Thor may not have been the wretch or unworthy ass Loki had made him out to be but he was still Thor. Smug, entitled, self-righteous, annoying, controlling, no-fun, arrogant, golden, sheltered, awful-

“I knew you were about to let go. And I think I had never felt such fear in my life.”

“You are Loki Odinson, whether you like it or not, son of Odin and Frigga, Prince of Asgard, and my brother. And I cannot bear to lose you again, Loki.”

“We have been brothers over a millennia. I have known you most moments of your life, you damned brat. Nothing can change it. And no amount of fighting between us would cause me to abandon you, brother.”

“You aren’t alone, little brother.I’m here, I am not leaving you, Loki, so you can’t leave either. Got it?”

Loki felt traitorous strands of sentiment weaving every which way around his heart. He should not be so moved by anyone, certainly not by Thor. Loki was free! Asgard was a lost cause, Odin and Frigga were gone, it wasn’t like any of the other Asgardians really cared about Loki and Thor…he was going to leave and get himself killed by Hela at the first chance he got.

Loki’s hand clenched around the leash lead at the thought. He didn’t want to lose Thor, that was the truth of it. Loki didn’t want to let Thor run off just to get himself killed. But as usual, Thor refused to listen to reason or see common sense and Loki could not make him do otherwise.

…Or could he?

Loki’s mind pulled at different threads of possibility as he wondered if there was any way to turn this around. He had been of a mind to rule Sakaar with Thor at his side. Loki had been aiming to let Thor be his partner in crime, so to speak. But…well, he would ‘settle’ for ruling Sakaar with Thor at his side in somecapacity. Thor had forgiven Loki for worse betrayals than trying to save his life, had he not? And really, if Thor was going to keep insisting they were brothers and trying to get Loki to play the sentiment game with him…shouldn’t Thor take responsibility for any success? Loki did acknowledge Thor as his brother, he did love his brother, he didn’t want to lose his brother, and he was growing less irritated by the mere sight of Thor with each passing second. Thor had encouraged all of those things, in his own way, instead of letting Loki be lonely and feeling unwanted in peace. So he should take responsibility. Thor was the one with the ‘I’m the big brother’ complex anyway.

But that was a lot of moving pieces to consider. Loki had to free himself, deal with the Grandmaster, prevent Valkyrie from making any rescue attempts, conquer Sakaar, make sure Thor couldn’t leave or fight against him…Norns, there was so much to do and so little time.

But for the moment, he was in the midst of a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity, and he resolved to let himself enjoy it.

They passed a club of sorts with a variety of neon lights and Loki would generally not have had much interest. But he was hungry, imagined Thor was as well, and more importantly…he had a feeling there would be opportunities galore to poke at his brother. He turned abruptly and slightly yanked on Thor’s collar as he did so, and he smirked to himself as Thor made an audible huff and adjusted to catch up. “This seems as good a place as any to eat, hm?”

Thor gave him a skeptical look. Loki was picky about most things, and he could not imagine his brother willingly choosing a place like this if it was food he was after. Did this place even serve food?

The club was all neon lights and strobes, with dancers of a variety of species with elaborate costumes. Giant, floor-to-ceiling lava lamps and electric light decorations were about as patrons danced, ate, and fawned over dancers.

Loki gave Thor a look that a less-knowing person might take as innocent or guileless, but that Thor recognized even on his own face as the promise of mischief. He found himself led to the bar as Loki took a seat and Thor recognized he was meant to do likewise. Thor watched as his brother resumed what Thor supposed was meant to be ‘acting as Thor’, albeit a dated version of him colored with Loki’s perspective.

Loki ordered himself a complicated sounding drink without looking at the menu, before he passed a menu to Thor. He glanced down at it, but All-Speak didn’t mean All-Writing, and this was written in what he supposed must be the informal official writing of Sakaar. Thor pointed at the menu and then shrugged.

“Not sure what to order?”

Thor waved a dismissive hand and pointed to a word.

Loki glanced at it. “A mule? Hm, I didn’t figure that to your tastes. Well-”

Thor smacked his brother’s arm and pushed the menu back at him. He mimed writing on the table and shook his head.

It finally dawned on Loki. “Ohh, of course. You don’t read Sakaaran.”

Thor gave him a sarcastic face in the style of duh, and Loki smirked.

He ordered something that sounded to Thor’s ears like some kind of orange ale, which suited him well enough. Thor nursed his drink as it arrived, and was startled when it tasted nothing like he expected. Was it the drink, or Loki’s tongue? The ale tasted warm in his mouth even though he had seen it be poured from a cold bottle.

Loki must have noticed his visible reaction because he tilted his head. “That form has…it’s different.” he said, almost quietly. And Thor could see flickers of shame in the response.

Thor had taken it for granted that Loki had accepted his heritage, given the ridiculous play he’d put on talking about a ‘little blue boy’ melting an old man’s heart. But then again, Loki often hid true feelings behind masks of other ones, humor or anger most often. Thor had been focused on the notion that Loki would feel a lack of control for being forced into the Jotun skin, but perhaps he had underestimated how much the form itself still discomfited his brother. He had no idea how to truly help him to accept it. Thor could keep showing his own lack of bother for it, but that likely wouldn’t mean all that much to Loki. Not anymore than it had ever meant to Loki to see Thor keep trying to bring his brother home or forgive him.

Thor went for a cheeky distraction as he snatched Loki’s drink from him and took a sip as his brother looked on in surprise. And then Thor coughed as his expression scrunched drastically and he gave Loki a disbelieving look. It tasted awful.

Loki, to Thor’s surprise and then pleasure, actually laughed. When had he last heard Loki give something that wasn’t a mocking snicker or a reserved chuckle? Thor was disappointed it was happening when Loki was in Thor’s body, because he would much rather have seen and heard it come from Loki himself. Loki clapped a genuine hand on Thor’s back, no role reversal intended as he grinned at Thor. “Too strong for you, brother? Ah, but ark-root is a bit of an acquired taste.”

Thor wasn’t sure how that worked out, because he was in Loki’s body and he sure as Hel had no such taste acquired. Or had Loki’s Aesir form liked it? Perhaps it was all a joke. All the same, Thor found himself smiling at his brother who held his gaze a moment before his expression of good humor again became something more muted.

Loki helped himself to a sip of Thor’s drink in turn though, and he made a ‘not bad’ face. “I don’t normally order something so low class, but it isn’t bad."

Thor wasn’t sure if that was Loki’s genuine opinion of an ale, or just him trying to rile Thor again, but he made deliberate eye contact with Loki as he took a big drink. I’ll take low class over whatever his nasty drink is any day. Thor thought to himself.

“Oi, it’s the Champion!” The bartender said, and a few people took notice.

A little crowd started to form around Loki who again turned on the charm as he began being over-sociable and friendly.

Big faker. Thor thought as he sipped his drink and watched his body be used at Loki’s leisure.

Loki regaled them with one of Thor’s exploits of slaying a monster as a bigger crowd had gathered. He seemed to be enjoying himself and so Thor couldn’t be as annoyed as he was tempted to be. Loki didn’t make so much effort to ‘treat Thor as Loki’, so perhaps his brother felt he’d gotten his point across, or perhaps he was having fun with his story-telling. And yet, he was still telling Thor’s stories. Was it just him being ‘in-character’, was there a point, did he want to play at being Thor?

Of all things, an image of Loki after he’d ‘snuck’ and put on some of Thor’s clothes came to mind. The little curly-haired boy had grinned at Thor from a too-large tunic with sagging boots around his thin ankles. Thor wasn’t sure he had ever seen anything so adorable and Loki had to ‘suffer’ a rather long bout of Thor squeezing his little brother in a barrage of hugs.

Now instead of a boy he was a man, less adorable and more deadly, and he was wearing Thor’s actual body rather than simply his clothes.

A woman was making efforts to flirt with Loki, and Loki seemed to be reciprocating. Thor waited for him to brush her off, but as the woman stroked ‘Thor’s’ biceps and spoke sultry platitudes, Thor felt a frown settle on his lips.

That’s my bro-…body.

Thor was only concerned because it was his body, and Loki had better not be using it for anything more than his little flirting…if even that…his hands clenched at his sides as he watched Loki chuckle and smile winningly at the woman who was eating it up. She stroked his arm again, as if she hadn’t figured out how muscular it was the first time, and then Loki trailed two fingers through her hair as if admiring it-

-Thor found himself stepping up onto the rounded, metal ledge of Loki’s chair as he loped an arm over his brother’s chest and another around his waist, much as Loki had done to him. He squeezed his brother even as he covertly gave Loki a hard pinch on his stomach with the hand on his waist. Loki was so into turnabout today, well, Thor would give him some turnabout of his own. How many dates had Loki interrupted being just such a little brat?

The woman looked startled, Thor fixed her with a smirk, only to make a silent noise of surprise as Loki wrapped a tight arm around Thor’s waist and hauled Thor up onto his leg even as pinched Thor equally hard back.

“My pet is such a needy little thing, always wanting my attention.” Loki drawled without missing a beat as he curled his free hand around Thor’s leash and took enough slack away to give a playful tug that jerked Thor’s head down. He saw a mixture of irritation and surprise on Thor’s face as Loki forced Thor to keep his head around mid-torso level to Loki. “Isn’t that right, darling?”

Thor scowled fiercely and Loki grinned triumphantly. He had been scratching at the surface of Thor’s skin, but now he was well and truly getting under it.

Lovely.

And here Thor had handed him the means all on his own trying to mess about with Loki.

“Not well trained, is she?” The woman muttered.

“Afraid not.” Loki said with a sigh as he stopped keeping Thor’s head pulled down in favor of scratching behind Thor’s ears. “Such a stubborn pet. Doesn’t listen to a word I say. Honestly. A pain.”

Thor glared daggers at Loki as he pulled away from the touch, he slid off of Loki’s leg and ended up standing in front of Loki’s chair with Loki’s legs on either side of him. He tried to push past and Loki naturally clamped his legs around Thor as he smirked down at him.

The bartender had been coming in and out of conversation range, he caught the tail end and addressed Loki. “We’re always looking for new dancers here. If she’s too much, you interested in selling her?”

Outrage flashed across Thor’s expression, both because the man was assuming Loki was a woman and because of what he was saying.

Loki noted the expression but kept his ‘attention’ on the bartender. “Hmm…how much is she worth, do you think?”

Thor looked at Loki with surprised and confusion, like he couldn’t believe Loki would take it so far. He was even referring to himself as a ‘she’. His little brother, who had fought duels of honor against men who’d called him effeminate or lacking for being a sorcerer.

The bartender named a price and Loki did a bit of back and forth pretending to consider it, all the while keeping a tight clamp on Thor with his legs. Eventually he ‘declined’ and said he’d ‘think about it’.

Loki turned back to the woman with his false, charming smile returned. “Now where were we?” he asked, as if he didn’t still have a very irritated Thor between his legs.

Thor knew he was stronger than Loki, but Loki was no pushover, and he used Loki’s strength to start shoving Loki’s legs apart.

Loki turned back to him, to the annoyance of the woman, and he seemed to take amusem*nt in the mini-challenge as he began squeezing back. Thor’s leg strength versus Loki’s arm strength.

Thor was looking up at Loki with a furious glance that had Loki practically giddy. Yes, it was framed in his own face, but that was the kind of angry Thor he could perhaps claimed he’d missed. Not Thor who was giving him speeches, or demanding the Tesseract, or hauling him off to an Asgardian cell. This was the Thor who’d had his sword turned to rubber, been turned into a snake in the bed of a woman he’d been courting, who found his boots stuck on his feet by sorcery.

This was his grumpy older brother.

Loki was, amongst other things, a cheat when necessary and so he reached over his leg to get at Thor’s side and clamped just where he knew he himself was most ticklish. Thor jerked and stopped pushing, and Loki had him. This was a matter of reversing strength as well as amusing himself. Loki, whether in play or fighting, always lost out when it came to brute strength. He kept his legs around Thor as he pulled his brother so that his back was almost against Loki’s torso. Loki snatched Thor’s wrists and tugged his brother’s arms to criss-cross around himself. Loki bent to put his chin on his Thor’s shoulder as he taunted quietly into his ear. “Oh, dear, I seem to have you at a disadvantage, brother.”

Thor found himself unceremoniously rendered the loser in the little game between them as Loki cheated. Then he was bound up in Loki’s arms [his own really], as Loki taunted him with Thor’s own voice.

And yet it was all Loki. Thor knew it was Loki, could feelit was Loki. His brother was intentionally drawing Thor close. Loki was initiating the contact, trapping Thor in an almost-embrace, taunting him right next to his ear, calling him brother…Gods, Thor was hopeless. Because even as he was irritated at Loki, even as he instinctively wanted to fight back…Loki playing with him as he was, binding him as he was…

sh*t, sh*t, sh*t, sh*t. Thor willed himself to stop being a mad man and tried to talk himself down from an all-too-pointed reaction to his brother’s teasing. He was in Loki’s body for Norns’ sake, why was this even possible?

Loki expected a thrashing Thor, but Thor was strangely still in his grasp and he noticed that the heritage lines again turned a pinkish color before taking a darker hue. What did it mean? And Thor’s cheeks had gone from pure blue to a deep purple as though flushed. Was he that angry? Over such a small thing? Perhaps Thor was not so changed as he’d thought if that wounded his pride. He shifted to release Thor when his leg brushed against Thor’s pelvic region and he felt something that gave him an immediate, confused pause.

The utter tension he felt as Thor went stiff as a board was all the confirmation he needed.

Loki’s mind blanked a second before it supplied an answer. Thor was a brawler, a fighter, a warrior’s warrior. Of course this kind of rough-housing would give the oaf a little too much excitement. Perhaps Thor even liked the idea of it being done to him with his own body, the arrogant fool. No wonder he was blushing. Loki was going to tease him relentlesslylater. Then again, he was getting that excited in Loki’s own body which on the other hand made him feel distinctly odd. Was it strange that his body was reacting so with Thor in it? Shouldn’t an instinctive reaction correlate to the specific body? Was Thor’s mental preference enough to stimulate Loki’s physical form?

The questions were intriguing, and a little strange, and not really the sort of thing to be focusing on in present circ*mstances.

Loki released Thor completely and his brother quickly made his way back to his own chair and surprisingly avoided Loki’s gaze. Was he that embarrassed about it? All the more reason to taunt him about it.

The flirtatious woman had left sometime during their game and the bartender was giving them a ‘get a room’ eye.

Loki leaned closer to Thor who seemed determined to focus on his drink. He tutted. “Aren’t you a little old to be so easily excited, brother? And in your little brother’s body too.” he chided, not sure when the last time was that he’d vocally called himself Thor’s ‘little brother’ but it drove the taunt home so well.

He did not expect the stricken look on Thor’s-his-face at the words, and Thor shot him a glance like Loki had caught him with his hand in the lemon tart jar.

Loki was confused and felt he was missing something, because Thor’s behavior was just a little too odd. He dropped the taunting tone as he rolled his eyes. “I’m not upset about it. Norns, Thor, it doesn’t surprise me from you.”

Thor looked utterly stunned by the statement, and Loki began to wonder if Thor was misunderstanding what he was talking about.

Loki’s brow furrowed as he leaned closer and met his brother’s gaze from inches away. “Fighting is practically your favorite thing to do. It does not surprise me that such a thing…stimulates you.” he had not found it embarrassing to tease about, but having to explain it out or reassure Thor about his strange anxiety regarding it was. The heritage lines had gone back to white, but the flush on Thor’s cheeks remained.

Thor had felt Loki’s leg brush against the tell-tale sign of the unbrotherly reaction he was having to Loki’s play, and Loki had clearly noticed. He’d retreated to his seat and of course Loki would not let it be as he started taunting Thor about it. Loki even highlighted the fact that he was Thor’s little brother. Did he know? He couldn’t. There was no way, absolutely no way. Loki would have killed him long ago, or at least used it against him, or never let him live it down. If he knew, and knew Thor had instigated being in his body, his mistrustful brother would surely think ill of Thor’s intentions.

Loki said it didn’t surprise him and he wasn’t upset about it, and Thor was baffled. He…did he know? Or what did he think was happening? He expected it from Thor? But…

When Loki elaborated Thor let out all the breath in his lungs in a great, unconscious exhale of relief as tension bled out of him despite himself. He leaned onto the bar as he clasped his drink and finished it off in a few gulps.

Loki thought Thor was just turned on by fight-play. Never mind that they’d done it thousands of times without Thor being so noticeably at attention.

Never mind that they’d done it a number of times when he had and Thor had likely made himself seem an ass finding reasons to push Loki away or for Thor himself to leave.

Not like he could offer Loki explanations for that.

I’m not pushing you away because I don’t want you around, Loki. I actually want you around too much. Do you take my meaning? No. I’m a horrible person who thinks of his brother in the way no decent person would.

Not fifteen minutes ago he’d been thinking of an adorable baby brother swamped in his big brother’s clothes with all of the nostalgic tenderness that entailed.

And he was thinking of that same brother, now a man, as…as…

What the Hel is wrong with me? Thor snapped at himself. He thought he’d gotten past this.

Or this is just the first time in years Loki hasn’t been acting like he wants to kill you, stab you, or plot against you.

Thor wanted to slam his head on the table.

Loki’s head.

He was in Loki’s body, getting turned on by Loki, who was in his body.

Maybe it’s a fertility god thing. Maybe it’s not my fault. Maybe this is normal. I should find a fertility god and ask. That’ll be fine. ‘Hey, have you ever looked at your little brother and thought-’

“-Thor?”

Thor realized he’d lost himself to thought and Loki was eyeing him like he wasn’t sure whether or not to expect danger. He forced his lips into an awkward smile that was meant to be reassuring and instead just made Loki seem more perplexed.

“Are you….feeling alright, brother?” Loki asked, and he sounded actually concerned.

Loki was expressing actualconcern for Thor again, and Thor was one wrong move away from losing it all over again.

I am the worst. I am the actual worst.

Thor nodded as he forcibly pulled himself together and offered what felt like a more natural smile, forced though it still was.

Loki looked unconvinced. “If…you wish to end this-”

Thor shook his head and mouthed ‘I’m fine’. He added ‘brat’ for good measure.

Loki stared at him a few seconds more before he seemed to relax. “Very well, if you’re that eager for more punishment, brother, who am I to stop you?” he drawled, to the relief of Thor who thought he’d gotten away from the situation he was actually worried about.

Loki, despite the new facets of Thor and time apart, still considered himself the person who likely knew Thor best. He had spent centurieswith his attention on Thor. And he very much had the sense his brother was hiding something, something apparently related to his little display. But what?

Maybe Thor had a particular interest in himself after all? And he knew [rightly so] that Loki would tease him about it until their dying days if that was the case?

But Gods, Thor had looked so stunned at his words, he’d been so tense. Was that worth hiding such a paltry thing?

Some strange little part of Loki felt a bit bitter at the presence of secrets in Thor. Arguably laughable, given the myriad of secrets Loki had kept, still kept, and would continue to keep. But he had thought he’d had Thor all figured out. Loki had accepted he’d been wrong on certain points, he’d adjusted his mental expectations, but still felt he’d reasonably figured his brother out to nearly the most minute details.

And yet Thor more and more seemed to be someone else, a man apart from the prince he’d been on Asgard, even as he tried desperately to return for being just such a prince.

Thor, who turned down the throne and seemed not to want to be on Asgard for any length of time, but who would go fight Hela to the death for the sake of duty. For ‘his people’.

What was the good of going down with the ship? Better to live, was it not?

Thor the dutiful who would bring Loki home in a muzzle and chains. Thor the self-righteous who would bend any rule that suited him but chide Loki for the same.

Thor the loyal who even now was protecting him despite what he’d done. Thor his brother who refused to let Loki declare them otherwise, even when he’d found out Loki was a frost giant.

Fool. Utter fool. Oaf. Wretch.

All the friend or family Loki had left in the world, certainly at least that would claim him so, and absolutely that would be happy to do so.

Maybe being in Thor’s body was making him sentimental.

Keep telling yourself that.His mind supplied, and Loki fought a scowl.

Loki ordered food for the both of them, since Thor couldn’t read the menu anyway, and it gave them both a distraction.

At least until one of the appetizers started wriggling, and Thor looked horrified as he looked to Loki as if to confirm he was seeing what he was seeing.

“What? You’re not fond of clesian worms?” Loki asked innocently as he reached for one to eat [not actually intending to do so].

Thor snatched his wrist. ‘Do not eat that!’ he mouthed.

“Would you have me starve?” he asked with mock-affront.

Thor looked almost panicked and Loki restrained from a delighted cackle, just barely. It was worth ordering them just to see Thor’s face. Plus the Championhad money to burn.

To Loki’s infinite amusem*nt, Thor snatched a less alive food item from the table and shoved it at Loki’s mouth. He held his mouth closed and smirked at Thor, who gave up and basically flicked it at his face instead.

“Throwing food, pet? Shall I make you retrieve it with your mouth?” Thor looked confused by Loki’s words, perhaps thrown off by how fast he’d shifted his persona, perhaps by the crude suggestion. Yes, golden Thor, who would never contemplate such a humiliation.

Thor, who’d assured Loki he could and would listen, to prove himself.

Well, here was his chance.

“Retrieve it.” Loki said suddenly and decidedly. “With your mouth alone.”

Thor stared at his brother, not quite sure he’d heard what he heard. ‘Are you serious?’ he mouthed.

“Absolutely. Believe me, I was made to do worse. Asking you to do this hardly seems to compare.” Loki kept his tone cool as he fixed his gaze on Thor and watched him carefully. He could see how Thor most assuredly did not want to do it. Loki could see the mental debate, and he was prepared for Thor to decline. It was to be expected. Loki might be able to goad him with another challenge issued, but he wanted to see organically what Thor would do when faced with a greater humiliation. How much his ‘opportunity’ was worth to him.

Thor saw nothing in Loki’s expression or tone that suggested he was joking. And everything in Thor rallied against it. He was a Prince of Asgard, they both were, and Loki wanted Thor eating off the floor in his body like an animal? Did Loki have no sense of shame? Was it worth that much to him to humiliate Thor? What did it even truly mean to him? Was this just a chance for payback, or did he care about Thor’s determination?

You’ll think about bedding your brother but you won’t do this for him?

It’s not for him! It’s for his amusem*nt!

That’s not what you told him, is it? You said you’d listen to prove yourself. What he gets out of it doesn’t change that, does it?

Thor indeed had a mental debate with himself, and just when it seemed Loki’s lip had curled slightly and he was about to turn away, Thor stepped off the chair. Loki watched him with a mocking expression, he clearly didn’t think Thor would do it.

Thor’s body was repulsed by the idea. He didn’t think he could be called arrogant anymore, but yes, he had his pride and it was repelled by the notion of what Loki wanted him to do on behalf of both of them. He stood by his chair and met Loki’s gaze, and Loki lifted a brow.

You don’t have to do this. He’s just messing with you. It means nothing to you. He’ll laugh about it later when he’s betraying you again.

He came to you for comfort, slept with you in his arms. Loki wouldn’t do that with just anyone, no matter how upset he was.

A manipulation.

Loki is still in there.

He would have you back in chains in an instant if he could.

Perhaps this will change his mind.

Thor thought of Loki’s vacant eyes, the way he’d had to practically plead with his brother to come out of his stupor. Those dead, hollow eyes…he felt pain seize his chest even as he dropped to his knees. Thor had said he wouldn’t let Loki down again, and he certainly wasn’t going to over this. He had just started to bend his head down when Loki got off his chair and crouched down next to him with a deep frown and an almost angry expression.

“What are you doing?” Loki asked tersely.

Thor stared at his brother, confused. ‘What you asked’. He mouthed.

Loki looked frustrated at that before he sighed heavily and pulled Thor back up. He flashed the Champion’s card across the slide at the table, convenient that, punched a few buttons to tip the man and then grabbed Thor’s leash as he stalked out of the bar. Loki practically dragged Thor behind a moment, and when they were outside Thor grabbed his arm and forced Loki to stop. Except Loki immediately tried to walk again, and Thor moved in front of him as he grabbed Loki by each of his upper arms.

‘Brother’. Thor mouthed, his expression angry and questioning.

Loki pushed him away and walked again, a buzzing bunch of feelings in his chest he didn’t want to acknowledge along with thoughts that were maddening. He had thought he was prepared for the possibility Thor might listen even if asked to do something against the grain of Thor’s pride and character. That perhaps Thor’s talk was more than just talk, and he might have to again reexamine his understanding of Thor and what Loki meant to him.

But he hadn’t been, he hadn’t expected it. Loki could see [he hadn’t needed to see], that Thor was against the action with every fiber of his being but he was doing it anyway because Loki asked him to. Because he wanted to prove himself to Loki. The same Loki who had killed him once, tried again, betrayed him multiple times, arguably endangered if not gotten killed both of their parents [though Thor only knew about Odin in that way], who really had not shown much by way of kindness to Thor in ages. [Other than leaning on him very recently which arguably was self-serving].

Thor wasn’t acting like Loki was lesser, or an obligation, or a criminal. He was acting like Loki was important to him, like Loki actually mattered to him, mattered enough to swallow his pride and eat off the floor like an animal. Just because Loki told him to. Thor had instigated this game, he had put himself in this position, he wanted Loki to do whatever Loki decided was fair on the hope that it would create some meaningful change between them.

Why? Why? What did Thor want really? Did he imagine Loki coming back to Asgard to be in his shadow again?

Surely not. Not for doing all this.

So then what? To trick him into coming back to finally re-imprison him?

The brother who let Loki almost strangle him because he was worried Loki was too upset?

Thor was not supposed to be complicated. He was Loki’s annoying, pain-in-the-ass brother, who was occasionally useful and whom Loki occasionally offered aid to because admittedly he didn’t want the fool to die.

He wasn’t the same Thor that a very different Loki had clung to like a little ball of love and adoration. Neither of them were those boys anymore.

Surely not.

Surely.

Thor could die if he went back to Asgard, if Loki failed to stop him. If Loki ‘failed’. When had this become a situation where he was so invested? Where he could feel that he’d failed if he didn’t protect Thor properly?

You really think you wouldn’t have felt that way already? If you hadn’t saved him on Svartalfheim, you really think you wouldn’t have cared?

Loki wanted to stab something. Hard and repeatedly.

There’s no one else left. Thor is the only one who gives a damn about you, and you’re just going to betray him again because it’s what you do, it’s who you are, it’s what you are.

Thor had stopped caring before, he could again, probably would.

‘Stopped caring’. Is that what they call forgiving fratricide?

Loki should be focused on himself and his predicament, so why did his mind keep turning to Thor? What was wrong with him?

Thor moved in front of him again and he prepared to shove him away, but Thor looked at him strangely and Loki started to snarl ‘what’, only to realize Thor was blurry. His eyes were brimming. Of all the ridiculous-

Thor slipped his arms around Loki’s neck and tugged his brother against him as he hugged him tightly. Loki drew a sharp breath in as Thor pressed their heads together. Right there in the middle of the street, passerby all around them, after Loki had dragged him off angrily.

Oaf! Fool! Sentimental wretch! Awful…awful- “Brother.” Loki breathed as his arms slid around Thor, around Loki’s own body, as he pulled Thor close and hugged him tightly. Thor had one hand gripped around him and one clasping the back of his neck.

This was weakness, this was shameful, this was unnecessary, this was ridiculous. He should push Thor away, he should play it off or pretend it hadn’t happened, he should just ignore Thor who couldn’t speak of it anyway. This meant nothing. Loki knew he would end up going it alone just like he always-

-Not always. Not always.

Thor had no idea what had happened to make Loki so tumultuous. He had been angry, then very angry, and then he’d been teary-eyed, and now he was again holding onto Thor like Thor was all that was holding him together. Thor was at a loss. ‘Brother’ sounded almost desperately spoken, and Thor wished he could speak and try to get Loki to explain.

Thor rubbed his hand up and down his brother’s back [his back], and he tilted his forehead against the side of Loki’s face even as Loki’s head was still on his shoulder.

“sh*t.” Loki mumbled against Thor’s shoulder, and Thor pressed his nose against Loki’s cheek somewhat.

The brothers stayed that way a moment, as if it were only them, and then Loki pulled his head back even as gripped at Thor. He met Thor’s gaze with a pained expression, and Thor mouthed. ‘What’s wrong, brother?’

Loki let out a strangled, small laugh and shook his head. “Everything. Nothing.” he muttered before he sighed. He was looking at his own face twisted with Thor’s concern and worry.

Hela is going to kill him. You’re going to lose him anyway. Loki’s mind taunted him.

The thought put a flare of panic in Loki. He didn’t want Thor dead, he had never wanted that, not really…and now, more than not wanting him dead, he wanted…he wanted…

Loki wanted his brother back, as he always had. He wanted Thor to choose him.

But he’d rather run off and let Hela kill him. He would swallow his pride to prove himself to Loki, but not swallow his pride to live with Loki?

Thor was the worst kind of irrational, nonsensical puzzling.

Loki had to fix all of this, for both of them. He had separated himself from the issue, pretended it wouldn’t bother him, pretended it hadn’t bothered him when he thought Thor lost to Hela already. But as he’d thought, if Thor wanted to go this far and make Loki want to ride the brotherly bandwagon again…then he should damn well accept the consequences. Loki would save Thor from himself, as he’d always done, all those years in his shadow as he tried to clean up Thor’s messes and lead him from his troubles…[or lead him into them, in a careful manner]. Thor had his way of being a loving brother, and Loki had his way.

And if Thor wanted a loving brother in Loki, well, he had better be ready to handle allthat entailed. Loki had given Thor ample opportunity to turn from him. Norns knew Thor had likely been encouraged to do just that. But here he was, being here for Loki despite everything. His giant oaf of a big brother.

Thor brought this on himself, really.

Chapter 18: Thunderstruck

Chapter Text

The pair soon pulled apart as they headed back towards the compound, Loki kept the leash slack in his hand. He didn’t miss the way that Thor’s eyes kept sliding to him with ‘covert’ concern, but found he didn’t mind. Now that Loki was of a mind to do so, it was easier to see all the little ways that Thor expressed care. He hadn’t intended to go overboard in making Thor experience humiliation or what it was like to ‘be Loki’, but he had intended a little more than he’d done. Now Loki didn’t feel like going through with it, not after all that had just happened.

But then he was given reason to regret not simply staying out longer.

“Thor!” The exclamation and voice set Loki’s teeth on edge as he turned to find Ares, flanked by Andares. “There you are, been looking for ya.” he grinned.

“Great.” Loki said, easily adopting a Thor-stance and tone. Who knew better than he how to mimic Thor, who had watched him closer over the centuries?

Thor kept careful eyes on Loki as they walked, attentive to the possibility that he might sink into a depressive state again given that he had just publicly clung to Thor and hugged him. Well, reciprocated a hug at any rate. Then they were faced with Ares and he stepped slightly forward, an instinctively protective gesture. He recalled the battle with Ares and that he still owed the other man an as yet unnamed favor.

Loki didn’t miss the gesture, but he hoped Thor would have sense enough to remember he was in no position to be fighting on Loki’s behalf. His body was strong at least, but Thor wasn’t used to fighting the way that best suited Loki’s size and strength. Loki was not able to face tank as Thor was.

Ares studied the pair with a wider grin as he looked to ‘Loki’. “You look like you’d like to hit me.”

Thor couldn’t argue with that, and he stared at Ares with a stoic expression before Loki interjected. “Why were you looking for me?”

“Oh, right. We’re going to have a little practice battle.”

Loki felt startled but didn’t show it and Thor’s eyes widened before they narrowed. “Tempting.” Loki said. “Think I’ll pass.” he said, imitating Thor again.

“Unfortunately, the Grandmaster requested it.” said Andares, albeit courtesy of Ares having asked the Grandmaster to request it.

“Don’t worry, no big crowds…just you and me and a little…fun in the ring.” Ares said in a friendly tone belied by the glint in his eyes.

Even if it wasn’t a true match, there was no telling what purpose Ares had or what might result. And while Loki knew Thor’s fighting style in and out, the instincts to fight that way weren’t there. A Loki fighting to imitate the way that Thor fought wouldn’t be fighting as well as himself or Thor. “Maybe tomorrow?” Loki suggested, hoping [sort of] that the swap would be reversed by then.

“It’s really gotta be now.” Ares said before he clapped ‘Thor’ on the shoulder. “Come on, quick match. That’s all.”

“Why would the Grandmaster want that?” Loki asked.

Ares shrugged with a smug look. “He wants what I want.”

So Ares hadorchestrated this, but that it was Ares’ idea made it no less mandatory if the Grandmaster was now wanting it. Loki had little choice then. “If you’re that eager to lose again.” ‘Thor’ shrugged.

“Lose. Is that what you call it?” Ares said wryly and Loki’s brow furrowed slightly even as he noted Thor tense at his side. “You still owe me a favor.”

“Pardon?” Loki said automatically, but Ares wouldn’t know Thor well enough to know that wasn’t a word he really ever used.

“Don’t play all forgetful with me, thunderer. You owe me, it’s not every day the God of War allows a loss.”

Loki cast a glance towards Thor who looked irritated and suddenly wondered. The fight had seemed to be going in Ares favor, and then Thor had suddenly won…they had arranged it? Oh, he had questions for his brother later, that was for certain.

“And what was that favor again?” Loki drawled.

“Whatever I want it to be, as you vowed.” Ares said smugly.

Thor had vowed Ares anyfavor? It was all he could do not to snap at his fool of an older brother. He made a vow like that, and to Ares no less? Nevervow an open favor, of all the ridiculous… Suddenly more than irked enough to think a battle might be a nice outlet, he offered a Thor-ish smirk. “Lead the way.” he said, and Ares grinned again as he did so with Andares at his side.

When their backs were turned, Loki shot Thor a glower as he swirled the leash around his hand to take Thor’s slack, and then he gripped the back of Thor’s neck hard enough to make him wince. “Fool.” he hissed and Thor glared as he jabbed his thumbnail into Loki’s armpit, and Loki jerked his arm down. It caught on the taut leash and Thor was yanked down with it briefly before Loki shifted his arm away and the brothers were mutually glaring then. Loki would scold him properly when they back alone in their room. He knew he had personally [more than once in their lives] explained to Thor why he should never offer anyone [a sorcerer especially] an open favor.

And yet, he realized, the battle had been for Loki and if Thor had been losing…his anger dried up fairly quickly at that. Thor would and had done far more reckless things to protect Loki, and he had done it even while under Amora’s influence. His will to protect Loki was stronger than her interference. Loki sighed and he focused on what he would be about to do. He couldn’t wield Thor’s miraculous lightning, he was not accustomed to fighting like a brawler or with large, melee weapons.

Would it be too strange to try wielding daggers even in Thor’s form? Thor was a master of many weapons, he knew at least howto wield daggers, it wasn’t as if anyone would know daggers were among his weaker trained weapons.

Thor and Andares were left in the viewing box, and Thor grabbed Loki’s arm on his way out with a look of concern.

“Later.” Loki said, feeling Andares’ and Ares’ eyes on them as he gave Thor’s hand a quick squeeze before he removed it and followed Ares down to the arena.

Loki had debated all the while if he should try to lean into Thor’s preferred methods or try using his own in Thor’s body. Well, it wasn’t as if Loki was untrained in other weapons, and in the end he chose a sword.

He was surprised when Ares looked delighted and took a sword of his own as he dropped the spear he’d been about to wield.

“I haven’t had a good sword fight with anyone but my sister in…at least a century. How good are you, thunderer?”

“Wait and see.” Loki said and Ares laughed.

Andares and Thor watched from the viewing box and Thor was fairly surprised when Loki came out wielding a sword, and Ares likewise. “This should be interesting.” Andares murmured.

Thor knew his brother was a capable fighter, but Loki’s fighting style was a far cry from Thor’s no matter what weapon he wielded. Still, if this was only a practice battle it wouldn’t be high stakes. Ares had not asked a prize for the victor.

Loki reacquainted himself with the sword as he spun it in his palm a few times and stretched a bit. He hadn’t touched a sword in ages, but it was middle ground enough that he hoped it would suffice, particularly as Ares was also using one.

“First to bleed, or first to fall?” Ares asked.

Loki considered his options and realized it honestly didn’t matter. There was nothing riding on the match, there wasn’t even pride at stake, so he shrugged. “Dealer’s choice.”

“First to fall it is.” Ares said before he made a similar spinning motion with his sword as Loki had, before he tilted the point towards Loki. And then he charged forward suddenly and Loki scooted back, pleased that Thor was at least quick on his feet though it didn’t feel nearly the same as in his own body. Their swords clanked together as Ares slashed and Loki parried, and Ares quickly recovered to thrust at Loki’s stomach.

Loki twisted to the side before he brought his sword up to try to force Ares’ up, at which point he intended to try to slice Ares’ stomach in turn. But Ares of all things swooped his sword upwards, arced it over Loki’s head, and then slammed the broadside of the sword into Loki’s back.

The pain wasn’t there but it did nearly make him stagger, Ares was a fair match for a god of strength.

Thor watched with a frown, but like Loki, he had realized the battle was low-stakes and as long as Ares wasn’t trying to maim Thor for some reason his body ought to be fine. He trusted Loki, and trusted his brother’s skills, but how well they would translate into Thor’s body he wasn’t sure.

“A good old-fashioned sword fight.” Andares chuckled. “I haven’t seen one in an age.” Thor gave an absent nod and then Andares added casually. “Must be strange, seeing your body fighting without you.”

Thor again started to nod absently before he stiffened and looked to Andares with narrowed eyes as the implication hit him.

“Oh, don’t give me that look. Ares was the one who noticed. He thought this would be funny. Ares hasn’t fought someone wearing someone else’s body before.”

Thor was both tensed and relaxed at that. Ares had initiated the fight for a bit of sport then, but nothing serious, and there wasn’t technically a problem with Ares and Andares knowing about the swap. Especially if Thor was going to have to plead his case to the Grandmaster later that ‘Loki’s’ attack on the party-goer was justified and Thor, not Loki.

The match continued as the gods matched each other relatively blow-for-blow and Loki debated simply throwing the match to be done with it.

But the god of war sensed Loki’s lack of resolve and chuckled as he summoned his power forth and let it permeate the air around them. Ares could instill and inspire battle lust, conflict, and the desire to fight and he did so readily as he aimed a fair force of it at Loki.

Loki realized as his skin prickled that something was amiss and then he felt different. His rage came flooding back suddenly: the situation was unfair, he was trapped and ill-treated, he had to rely on Thor, Sakaar had been fine until Thor had come, Asgard had been fine until Thor had come, he was in danger again, Odin and Frigga were dead, he was trapped-

Ares’ sword came at him and Loki parried with new viciousness as he renewed his attack and the gods began to fight in earnest.

Loki was stirred to motion as he picked up his pace with new motivation.

“That’s the spirit!” Ares laughed as he spun to Loki’s side and slashed at him.

Loki turned quickly and rammed Ares’ sword with his own before he sliced at Ares’ arm and drew blood.

Ares seemed faintly surprised and then impressed as he grinned. “Getting serious, then?”

And the battle went up another level as Ares, who seemed to have been holding back, charged at Loki with greater speed and strength. The sword fight became a flurry of blows, dodges, quips, and Loki did his best against Ares despite the body not being his own.

There was at least one aspect of Loki that could remain in any form, one Thor wasn’t inclined to do but Loki was. Loki feigned a blow, dodged on, feigned another and then rolled onto the ground as he seemed to ‘accidentally’ cut his sword through the dirt of the arena. As Ares made to strike again, Loki rose with his sword held at angle for a split second before he made a snapping motion with his wrist. The dirt that he’d collected on the broadside of his sword flung into Ares’ eyes. Ares made a noise of surprise as he clenched his eyes against the sudden, gravelly intrusion and Loki put all of his [Thor’s] considerable strength into slamming the broadside of the sword against Ares’ calves. The god of war buckled and then fell.

Loki inhaled deeply as he watched Ares, not sure how he would take the ‘trick’, but to his surprise Ares was laughing as he rose.

Ares blinked watery, irritated eyes but laughed loudly as he grinned at Loki. “You sneaky little bastard.”

Loki was taken aback and tensed as Ares approached only to clap a hand on his upper arm.

“All’s fair in love and war, or so the mortals say. That was fun. I wasn’t sure how you would do in Thor’s body but color me impressed.” As Loki’s eyes widened, Ares chuckled. “You two couldn’t hide it from me. I’ve already tasted your conflicts. I could tell you two had gotten mixed. Convenient for me.”

“So this was just to amuse you?” Loki asked with a frown.

“Why else?” Ares asked. “Plus, it seems like you had fun too. Must be stressful, being cooped up in that all the time.” he said with a vague gesture towards the viewing box and his true body. “There’s probably a way to make this permanent. Keep you in his form.”

Loki’s frown deepened. “Be stuck as Thor for the rest of my life? I’ll pass.” he said, even as he felt discomfort just at the suggestion. What an ultimate betrayal that would be, if he took such advantage of Thor’s attempt at kindness. Even when he was cross with Thor, there was nothing desirable about the thought of being in another form and bereft of his sorcery.

“Suit yourself.” Ares shrugged.

“What was your deal with Thor? Clearly you wished to tell me about it.” If he knew it was Loki when he was mentioning the favor.

Ares seemed pleased to have been asked. “He was losing…a hint of threat your way, an offer to lose if vowed me any favor…excluding killing on my behalf which…I never let others do my killing for me. But that’s besides the point. Whenever you escape to Asgard, assuming you do, I’m coming with you.”

Loki wasn’t intending to go back to Asgard and let Thor and he be killed, but that was another matter. “Why?”

“I want to fight Hela.” he said with a clap of his hands. “God of war against the goddess of death? What a match.

“If you say so.” Loki offered, and Ares motioned Loki towards the arena exit.

“After you, fake-Thor."

Ares seemed in a jovial mood and Loki let it pass as he considered the new information. The battle fury he’d felt had quieted nearly as he quickly as it had come. Thor had offered Ares to go with them and had indeed bartered for Loki’s safety. What would Ares do if and when Loki was able to turn the situation around and keep Thor from returning to Asgard? Would he help Thor against Loki? Then again, Ares had specifically said ‘assuming you do’, which seemed to imply he had no intentions of aiding an escape.

As they entered the viewing room, Andares smirked at Ares. “The god of war losing twice in a row? You might be losing your edge.”

“The sons of Odin are a fair match.” he said with a shrug.

Thor and Loki’s eyes found each other at the ‘sons of Odin’ bit, and Loki felt a squirming discomfort in his stomach. He had not quite decided how he felt about things now, after Odin’s loving words to Loki before he’d passed. ‘I love you, my sons’…after all the friction between them, he had gone and said that. And now with Thor being how he was…perhaps there was no longer a reason to deny…’his’ name.

“Enjoy your night, boys.” Ares said as he slipped an arm over Andares who lifted a brow.

“Did you learn what you were after?” Andares asked.

“Hard to say…I’d rather fight that one in his proper body though.” Ares said thoughtfully.

--xx--

Thor and Loki took their opportunity to leave, and were silent till they reached their room. Loki let Thor settle into a spot on the couch before he sat beside him. “A favor and a trip to Asgard. Feeling generous, were you?” Thor grimaced at that.

Thor had watched the battle carefully and could tell Loki wasn’t really trying. Then he’d upped the ante and started attacking Ares like he’d personally wronged Loki, and Thor having experienced a battle with Ares could guess why. When Loki threw dirt in his eyes and then won, Thor had been a little surprised but not displeased. He could imagine it wasn’t easy adapting on the fly to fighting in Thor’s body.

Had to. Thor mouthed and Loki rolled his eyes.

Loki hmphed before he added, a little too casually. “I suppose you’re annoyed I used a trickto win.”

Thor paused, his brow slightly furrowed, was Loki seeking…approval from him? Was it an attempt to spark an argument [although a mute Thor was hardly in a position to do so]. He shook his head and gave a thumbs up for lack of better reply and Loki seemed faintly surprised.

Loki was silent a few seconds before he gestured towards Thor’s stomach. “Feeling any better?”

Thor hadn’t expected him to ask and he smiled faintly despite the situation before he made a so-so gesture and then pointed back at Loki to return the question.

“Well, I did just beat the god of war, more fairly than you did I might add.” he drawled and Thor rolled his eyes.

Technically, they’d both ‘cheated’, if you wanted to look at it that way. He let it pass as he clapped a hand on Loki’s knee. Good job, brother. Thor mouthed, with as playfully patronizing a look as he could manage on Loki’s face.

Loki scrunched his nose and pushed Thor’s face with his palm as Thor smirked.

Thor was relieved that Loki seemed better, although he wasn’t sure how Loki’s mood translated exactly in Thor’s own body, or if this would end when Loki had his own back. His gaze fell on the coffee table where the little toys from the gift bags were and he picked one up curiously. The thing was colorful with a string on the end, and Loki started to say something but Thor had already pulled the string.

A shower of glitter exploded from the other side and rained on Loki who stared at Thor with a very Loki-ish look of irritation.

That being the case, it was easier to recognize that he had accidentally just showered Loki in glitter, and he leaned back with silent laughter. Loki’s grumpy look on his body while glimmering with the shiny materials was…well, it was just the sort of random nonsense to give them both a hint of distraction to their overall miserable situation. Thor had a hand on his stomach as he laughed, harder than he could remember laughing in ages while Loki watched with a glower.

“I had been inclined to think it was a fool’s accident, but you seem awfully amused, brother.” Loki growled, and Thor just laughed harder. “So that’s how it is?” he snatched a popper off the table and Thor’s brows rose as he tried to scramble off the couch. But Loki loped an arm around Thor’s waist and snatched his brother against him, Thor’s shoulder against Loki’s chest. Before Thor could move away Loki exploded the popper right over his head and a stream of shining confetti rained over Thor.

Thor stared down at himself and then at his satisfied looking brother before he grinned. His confetti was larger than Loki’s glitter and he collected a quick handful that he prepared to drop over Loki’s head. Thor gave a silent yelp as Loki snatched his wrists, one arm around Thor’s back as he snatched the other and folded Thor’s arms criss-cross over his stomach. Loki pulled Thor’s back against his chest completely as he held the other snugly and set his chin on Thor’s shoulder. “You’re such a child.” he grumbled.

Thor tried to break Loki’s hold, a little curious about Loki’s strength anyway. But Loki doubled down as he pressed harder and kept Thor pinned.

“You should know better than anyone that’s not going to work.” Loki huffed, but he sounded a little smug.

Thor considered his options and suddenly snatched his legs from the floor to the couch as he went from a fast crouch to trying to shove upwards abruptly. Loki was shoved back but quickly recovered as he pulled his own legs up and wrapped them around Thor’s. Thor squirmed against him, but Loki had him effectively immobilized him and Loki smirked with his chin again on Thor’s shoulder. “Oh, dear, brother. You seem to be quite stuck.”

Thor huffed and tried to make a concentrated jerk away from Loki’s grasp, or to shove a leg free. But Loki held fast and he heard Loki chuckle in his ear. He couldn’t remember the last time they had grappled. Certainly it was before the would-be coronation. Thor knew not to read too much into it, all things considered. But he couldn’t help but feel it meant something that Loki was playing along, that he seemed amused, that he was willing to let Thor close to him. Would this disappear as soon as they escaped, was he just a temporary lifeline for Loki? Or was Loki truly considering them brothers again? Was this something that might be possible again? Loki’s arms around him, their close positions, put a warmth in Thor. Norns, he had missed his brother, he had missed Loki being Loki, and them being them.

Thor considered his options and pressed his elbow into Loki’s rib. The younger huffed again as he pulled Thor’s arms further around himself, giving him no leverage to use his elbows that way again. Thor was snugly in Loki’s arms and he was reminded of being in the reverse position in their youth.

--xx--

“Thorrr.” The younger Odinson complained as Thor squeezed him in a hug from behind and trapped his arms at his side. Thor tilted back to take Loki’s feet off the ground as he blew a raspberry on his brother’s neck. “Brother!” Loki growled.

His little brother’s irritation only amused Thor further. “Lokiiii.” Thor mimicked back and he felt Loki try to tilt his head to look at Thor, likely to shoot him a glare.

“You’re such an oaf!” Loki exclaimed.

Thor lifted a brow. “What was that, little brother?” he asked before he began a relentless assault of poking his brother’s sides until Loki dissolved into wet-eyed laughter.

“B-Brother, please!” Loki yelped and squirmed in Thor’s grasp.

“Oh, now it’s brother?” Thor asked thoughtfully. “What happened to oaf?”

“That too!” Loki snarked as he kicked to try to throw Thor off balance.

Thor didn’t notice the stool behind him as he stepped back to catch himself, and made a noise of surprise as he tilted sideways. He tilted Loki so that Thor alone hit the ground. Thor made an exaggerated groan. “Look what you did, Loki. Always tormenting your poor big brother.”

Loki gave an offended huff before he smushed the back of his head against Thor’s face. He heard Thor splutter in protest as he pushed Loki off, and Loki smirked as he quickly got up and pushed the toe of his boot into Thor’s stomach abruptly. Thor oofed and grabbed at Loki’s ankle, but Loki stepped back quickly. “What was that, brother? You wished to spend the day as a frog?”

Thor’s eyes widened slightly before he sent his little brother a pleading look. “Did you not say there was a new book from the market you wanted? We should go right now."

“Oh, you want me to carry you there in my pocket?” Loki taunted with his hand illuminated with green sorcery.

“Aww, come on, brother.” Thor tried and grimaced as Loki looked like he’d wave his hand.

But Loki offered Thor his hand instead with a smug smirk. “You are buying me that book, Thor.” he informed him.

Thor wisely didn’t snark. “Anything for my favorite little brother.” he agreed as he let Loki pull him up and then ruffled Loki’s hair, to which Loki lifted a brow and Thor grinned.

--xx--

Loki was a little surprised at Thor’s playfulness, and wondered if this too was an attempt to keep him cheered up. He found himself grappling with Thor as when they were children, although this time he had the upper hand in the way of Thor. Brute strength instead of Loki’s sorcery. After years of fighting and vitriol, here they were, together again. Loki was surprised at himself as well, at the hint of instinct that made him want to…what? Cling to Thor, to seek comfort from him, to engage in closeness simply out of…affection? Since when had he been fond of the oaf again? Loki sighed to himself even as he let his head, with his chin still on Thor’s shoulder, tilt lightly against Thor’s head. There was a pause and then Thor tugged lightly at one of his arms as he tapped two fingers against Loki’s stomach. Thor seemed to have a genuine purpose so he let one of his hands free, and Thor pointed backwards at Loki, made the thumbs up sign, then tilted his palm upwards as if in question. He must have taken the head tilt as meaning something and was asking if Loki was alright, the fool.

The easy concern was…a little nice though.

“I am fine, oaf.” Loki murmured, and wondered when the last time he had called Thor that [other than at the trial when he’d called him a ‘witless oaf’ was. How very unlike him, there had been much missed between them in their conflict. He blinked as Thor’s hand fumbled upwards and back until he was able to ruffle Loki’s hair [his own hair] somewhat. Loki snorted as he pulled back. “Enough of that.” Was it really that easy to return to behaving as if they hadn’t had so much ill between them, as if they’d not both grown apart? He released Thor, perhaps a touch more reluctantly than he might have imagined, and Thor gave him an appraising glance.

Apparently satisfied by whatever he saw, Thor gave Loki a cheeky smack on the stomach and darted up before Loki could grab him again. Loki exhaled through his nose, amused, and watched Thor head to the kitchen and start rifling around. “Make yourself useful and fetch me something.” Loki ordered, and Thor sent him a lifted brow glance and flicked his fingers towards Loki dismissively. He gave an exaggerated sigh as he rose and headed for Thor, who had discovered that aside from copious amounts of alcohol and snacks there was not much on offer. Loki ended up ordering for them both instead and the pair shared a companionable meal together while Loki considered what would come next. It was a shame that the Grandmaster was out…with Loki in Thor’s body, he was sure he could coax the key location from the Grandmaster far better than Thor could. They did still have another pair of bottles from his other gift bag. Perhaps he could convince Thor to do this once more, or else just…slip Thor the potion. It would be in their mutual best interests after all.

When night fell, Loki had been originally of a mind to make Thor sleep in the cage, or at least pretend that he would. But given the day they’d had, he didn’t see a point that wouldn’t just seem like pure spite. Thor was trying, even Loki could not deny that. His brother was not the same man he’d been before the coronation, and despite all Loki had done, Thor seemed to be trying his merry best to meet Loki in the middle and extend him a hand. The pair ended up in bed together again and they faced each other as Loki took in his appearance again. The red and blue, so far a cry from the pale skin and green eyes he considered his true appearance. Thor seemed more amenable to Loki’s Jotun form than he was. While Loki nearly could not stand it, Thor didn’t seem to see it any differently than Loki’s other form. True, his brother was used to Loki shifting, but frost giants were the natural enemy to Asgardians. Loki knew exactly how Thor had been raised, given that he’d been raised the same.

Thor would always know now, always remember how Loki looked in the other form. Loki had thought that Thor had taken a sort of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach to Loki’s heritage and that would no longer be an option. He’d likely be himself again the next day, trapped and unable to speak once more.

Thor wasn’t sure where Loki’s thoughts lay but he could tell his brother was contemplating something. He rapped his knuckles on Loki’s chest lightly and Loki brushed Thor’s hand away before letting Thor’s hand fall to the bed with Loki’s fingers resting on his wrist. Thor tilted his hand to close his fingers around Loki’s in turn.

Loki knew he’d soon be occupying his body again, those blue fingers curled around Thor’s hand would be Loki’s once more. He would be trapped and relying on Thor’s help to be freed. A panic and despair started to well up in him and after a few seconds he admitted. “Losing my sorcery is the worst thing. You can’t imagine how it feels, Thor. It’s worse than losing a limb. It’s like a part of you has been ripped away…and then to have no voice on top of that…and what the Grandmaster made me do….”

Thor tightened his grip at that as he brought his other hand up to clasp Loki’s forearm.Sorry, brother. He mouthed, trying in the simplest way to offer sympathy given that he couldn’t speak.

Loki gave a self-derisive snort. “Why should you be sorry? Shouldn’t you be saying it’s my fault? I kept us here. Although arguably I might not have lost the Grandmaster’s favor if you hadn’t decided you hadto escape.”

Thor could see Loki was both teasing and pointed in his words, and Thor was both irritated and sympathetic. If he lingered too long on Loki’s role in their current predicament it would only make him angry again. Asgard needs us.He mouthed and Thor saw surprise before Loki rolled his eyes.

“Needs you, you mean. Asgard cares nothing for my presence.”

Thor, were things a little different, might have dismissed Loki’s words as self-pity or let it pass. But he, aside from wanting to ensure Loki’s spirits were kept up, had a hope that things between them might have turned a corner. So instead of ignoring the comment, or rolling his eyes, or some similar response Thor mouthed. I care.

And Loki, who would have usually dismissed any such words his brother spoke whether Loki believed them or not, was also finding the situation called for a different approach. “I know, brother.” Loki murmured, and Thor’s look of surprise nearly made him chuckle. As to what it meant for Loki to acknowledge that, to believe that, neither was sure. The younger let a few seconds pass before he purposefully yawned. “Being a giant oaf is exhausting, I for one, am ready to sleep.” Thor did roll his eyes at that with a wry look, and Loki flicked Thor’s cheek.

Thor paused before he opened his arm in a gesture of invitation and Loki lifted a brow.

“You’re pushing it, Thor.” he informed his brother who gave him an incredulous look.

Loki had practically used Thor as his personal cuddle pillow the other night, and Thor was going to far to offer Loki to be close? He tilted to turn the light next to him off as Loki did the same, and Thor noted Jotun eyes saw in the dark far better. Given that Jotunheim was a land of darkness, it made sense.

Loki wasn’t sure what would come next, but as he lay next to Thor in the dark reflecting on what had happened and what was yet to come…he felt compelled to make a little offering while he still had his voice. He wasn’t going to go as far as thanking Thor for anything but… “I’m glad you’re with me.” he muttered, which could mean a few things that all amounted to the fact that rather than trying to push Thor away he was acknowledging preferring him close. Thor didn’t move and Loki wondered if he’d somehow managed to fall asleep already. But then Thor rolled onto his side to face Loki as he cupped Loki’s neck in their gesture of affection and gave it a squeeze. Loki felt a lump in his throat at that and a warmth in his chest, then Thor drew back his hand.

The pair fell asleep, and sometime during the night ended up closer with their arms pressed against each other. Despite the dangerous situation, Loki had a rare feeling of safety as he lay next to Thor, and resolved not to lose this again.

Chapter 19: Where The Eyes Become A Jail

Chapter Text

The first to wake come morning was Loki, and he couldn’t help a flare of disappointment as he realized he was back in his own form. He didn’t want to keep Thor’s, but nor was eager to be back under the lock and key of the collar.

Loki let his eyes trail over his brother’s sleeping face. He reflected on the fact that he’d not seen Thor’s hair so short since they were young children. The shorn hair made Thor look more mature and he wasn’t sure he liked that. He remembered Thor’s co*cky grin the day of his would-be coronation, the carefree expression right up until he’d revealed his nervousness to Loki in a rare moment of vulnerability. A moment of trust soon to be broken by Loki’s [necessary] scheming. Loki absently trailed a finger through what remained of Thor’s hair only to grimace at the sight of his own blue finger.

It was laughable really, absurd even.

The son of Laufey snuggled tightly in bed with the son of Odin. A discarded frost giant with Asgard’s Golden Prince.

Thor started to stir and Loki felt the arm that had wrapped around him during the night tighten as Thor instinctively nuzzled into Loki’s hair. Half of Loki wanted to push him away, the other half feared the impending moment it would stop.

Blue eyes cracked open with a yawn and Thor blinked as he took Loki in. “We switched back.”

Obviously. Loki thought and felt obligated to shove Thor off of him. He felt the obligation but couldn’t bring himself to follow through. This was the closest to safe and a denial of reality he was likely to find on Sakaar. Here, tucked in the arms of Thor Odinson. Truly laughable.

And yet all he wanted to do was cry for all of it.

Perhaps some distress showed in his face because he could feel Thor’s eyes studying him before a warm, large palm smoothed through his hair.

Had Loki seen pity in Thor’s gaze when he looked up, he might have throttled his brother. But he only saw concern and a kind of tenderness that made his stomach turn even as it made him yearn. Loki followed the instinct as he brought his own hand to Thor’s cheek and trailed cold fingers against it, Thor didn’t flinch. There was no sign of disgust, no sign that Thor struggled to be near his natural enemy. There was only his oaf of a brother.

Thor’s hand had stilled on Loki’s head, fingers still threaded lightly through his hair. He could imagine Loki was morose to be trapped again even if it was back in his own body. Loki seemed in a strange mood on waking as he didn’t disentangle himself from Thor nor object to Thor’s display of concern and affection. His brother seemed to reciprocate and Thor wanted to lift the shadows from his eyes. “You remember that time we snuck from the palace to hunt Mother the silver bear pelt?”

Loki’s brow furrowed for an instant before he looked incredulous.

“It was your bad idea, obviously, and I was dragged along-” he grinned as Loki tugged at his short strands of hair with narrowed eyes.

Their mother’s name day had been approaching and some of the warriors visiting from Vanaheim spoke of a bear with fur that gleamed like polished silver. The young sons of Odin had thought such a pelt would be perfect for their mother and asked permission to take a short camping trip in Vanaheim without stating the cause. They spent the four days searching high and low to no avail, the brothers bickered over their inability to find it, each blaming the other for this decision or that. Then it had begun to rain spectacularly, a veritable flood that had the brothers huddling together in a cave for shelter. When they returned to Asgard, short the much-desired pelt, they told their father of the failed excursion and it was one of greatest laughs they’d ever elicited from their father. The brothers had been put-on, there was no such bear, and Frigga too found great amusem*nt in her bedraggled sons.

“Mother said the story was gift enough.” Thor said with a smile, pleased when one curved Loki’s lips as well. “What was I to do when my little brother was so gullible-” he laughed as Loki gave him a sharp pinch to the side and tilted his head which resulted in their foreheads pressed together. The red eyes which had been so strange at first were now familiar. Thor could see Loki in them. The sharp, assessing gaze and the well of snark that waited beyond Loki’s muted lips. Sakaar was a terrible situation all around, but this was the closest he’d felt to his brother since the aborted coronation. Thor’s hand fell to Loki’s neck as he cupped it in their gesture of affection, overcome with emotion at their nearness, Loki’s permissiveness, the nostalgia, and the memory of their late mother. He was surprised when Loki lessened the hint of distance between them and let their noses press together as though they were boys again.

Loki’s leg had slipped between Thor’s in the night and still lay there while one of Loki’s arms hung loosely over Thor’s waist. Their torsos were pressed together, hot and cold combined, and Thor ached at the gentleness of it. The look in Loki’s eyes was not the rage, the madness, or the burning resentment. Nor was it calculation or mockery, or some cruel amusem*nt. Loki’s eyes were soft, reminiscent of days past when things were well between them.

But Loki had ever called him a fool, and surely he must be one, because before his mind could catch up to his actions he’d bridged the last sliver of distance between them and pressed his lips against Loki’s.

He felt his mistake immediately as Loki went ramrod stiff in his arms, he heard Loki’s breath hitch in surprise, and even as he pulled away abruptly saw Loki’s eyes wide in what could only be mortification. The the look became wounded, almost betrayed, and that look broke something in Thor. Loki snatched away as though burned and Thor sat up as words streamed from his lips. Platitudes, perhaps, apologies, reassurances that it was a-it was a-

Thor trailed off without any proper finish and red eyes bored into him with alarming intensity. Loki had gathered the blanket to his chest as if to shield himself. “I didn’t mean-” He saw Loki’s gaze harden in an instant and Loki’s lip curled as he pulled from the bed with a glare. “Brother.” Thor slipped from the bed as if to approach but Loki jabbed a finger in Thor’s direction as a warning not to approach. Loki’s glare kept for a few seconds more before he swiftly made his way to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Thor rubbed his hands over his face, unable to believe what he’d just done. Loki was being brotherly, truly brotherly, for the first time in so long. Thor had been, deep down past his pride and hurt, desperate for that. He had missed his brother, he had wanted Loki back at his side. And then in the midst of all that was happening he had kissedhis brother. Loki would hate him till his dying day if he didn’t kill Thor first.

--

Loki gripped the edges of the sink as he stared at the counter in disbelief. His lips still felt the phantom warmth of Thor’s on his own. This had not been goaded by the Grandmaster, a rough and mocking thing amidst other tensions. They had been peaceable and calm, focused entirely on each other, and then Thor had kissedhim.

Loki gave a soundless, bitter laugh as he stared at his own hateful reflection. No wonder his brother could tolerate his birth form so well, apparently Thor had a secret predilection. Or else the sight of Loki so pliable and helpless appealed to Thor so deeply he could not ‘resist’. Safe, he’d thought himself, safe with Thor. Norns knew him for a fool.

Perhaps Thor’s own foolishness was to blame. Loki didn’t look like himself, he couldn’t speak the reminders the sharp reminders that would carve his identity into Thor’s mind. He had the smallest frost giant in the realms in his grasp, collared and titled his possession by the ruler of Sakaar, a frost giant who once masqueraded as an Aesir prince and brother.

Perhaps this was revenge. A long game wasn’t Thor’s style but then Thor had clearly changed. Perhaps he meant to humiliate Loki, to degrade him when Loki offered vulnerability. A reminder to put Loki in his place.

He could not in his wildest dreams fathom that Thor actually desired him, if Thor even could desire a frost giant at all. Thor had never in all their years given such an indication. It was Thor who had staunchly declared for and fought for their brotherhood when Loki railed against him.

Loki had been tricked thoroughly. Of course Thor had not forgiven the betrayal on the docks. All he could think about was running off to Asgard to face Hela. He had not wanted to stay with Loki. Thor would never chooseLoki.

Frosted tears slipped quietly onto his cheeks as he glared at his reflection, full of self-loathing and fury at his would-be brother. Thor was many things, but he wouldn’t have thought Thor to be quite so cruel. How better than to demean Loki than to take a moment between brothers and cast if off to the physical.

‘Love’, Thor spoke of love and grief for his fallen brother. But this was all it amounted to.

Loki ducked his head as he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He was the one who’d let himself be taken in by Thor, as if he didn’t know, hadn’t knownbetter for centuries.

--

A couple of hours later saw the brothers in the hall at the Grandmaster’s summons. Thor again held Loki’s leash, it was slack between them as Loki walked beside him and wouldn’t look at him. His attempts to speak to Loki had gone mostly ignored and Thor felt ashamed.

Loki was utterly vulnerable, he had given Thor trust and reliance and Thor had taken advantage. He had kissed his little brother who could not even voice a protest while he lay in Thor’s arms thinking Thor to be his ally.

--

“So.” The Grandmaster drew the word out in a tone of finding the situation awkward as the Odinson came before him. “I hear you two made some trouble while I was gone.”

“Grandmaster-”

“-Ah-ah.” The Grandmaster cut him off. “I was speaking, handsome.” he chided as he dragged his gaze over the two of them. “See, the way I hear it, this one attacked a party guest.” he said as he flicked a finger towards Loki. “And also, come to find out my favorite body piercer mysteriouslydied after piercing this one. Now doesn’t that just seem kind of…problematic?”

“It was me.” Thor said quickly and the Grandmaster lifted a brow. “That attacked the guest. I-I was in Loki’s body at the time.” The words sounded ridiculous to his ears. “I used your…from the gift bag.”

The Grandmaster stilled and then burst out laughing. “You-you what?” Topaz, who stood at his side, seemed unimpressed. “Oh, that’s…wow. You are kinkier than I gave you credit for, Sparkles. Awful bold of you, swapping with your pet.” he laughed again till his eyes were wet and he wiped at them with a hand on his stomach. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all week. Almost makes me wanna skip punishing you two crazy kids.”

Thor could practically feel tension radiating from his brother and said firmly. “If there is a punishment then let it be mine, the deed was mine.”

“You poisoned the piercer?”

“I don’t know anything about a dead piercer.” Thor said dismissively. “I speak only of what happened yesterday.”

“Hmm.” The Grandmaster tapped his fingers on his chair arm. “Well, tell ya what. You didmake me laugh and Ares is pretty happy with you. So I’ll go easy on you two this time. Just a…teensy little punishment.” He co*cked his head at Topaz who looked suddenly more enthusiastic as she rifled through a nearby drawer and found a glass bottle with an eye dropper. “This is another little party favor. But, well, it’s only fun if you want it to be and I don’t think you do, sooo…” he shrugged. “Punishment it is. But don’t worry your pretty little head, Sapphy.” he cooed at Loki. “It’ll wear off…eventually.”

Loki felt a frisson of fear and he tensed only to find Thor in front of him as he addressed the Grandmaster. “Let me take the punishment. The deed was mine.” he insisted and then begrudgingly added in case it might make a difference. “Please, Grandmaster."

The Grandmaster sighed heavily. “I do like a man who knows how to beg. Butsweetie, I need you intact. You’re one of my champions. Afraid I’m gonna have to insist.”

Thor stayed in front of Loki. “I am not letting you harm him.”

Loki snatched at Thor’s sleeve and gave it a sharp tug. He glared at Thor as his brother turned to look at him. Had Thor not learned that his attempts would only make matters worse?

“Letting.” The Grandmaster repeated with a chuckle. “Sparkles, come on now, are ya really gonna make me do it? Really?”

Thor remained unmoved and the Grandmaster shook his head before he rifled in his pocket and took out the remote for Thor’s obedience disc which he waggled pointedly.

Loki knew Thor would rather be shocked than stand down now, so he shoved past his brother as he yanked the leash from his slack hands. Thor started to protest but Loki stepped quickly before the Grandmaster and inclined his head. A display of submission would serve him better. The Grandmaster would punish him either way, but he needed to show that he would comply. And if that helped him make his way into the Grandmaster’s bedroom later to steal the key to the collar so much the better.

“Oh, what a doll.” The Grandmaster crooned. “So well-behaved. Maybe I should get Sparkles to bed all the pets if this is the result.”

Thor felt his stomach drop, and he couldn’t see Loki’s face but could imagine [especially given what just occurred in their bed] that it didn’t strike Loki well. “Leave him be!” he snapped as he strode forward only to fall short as Topaz whipped the melting stick into his face with a menacing look.

“Sparkles.” The Grandmaster’s tone was less patient. “You’re not listening.”

“The punishment should be mine.” Thor insisted.

The Grandmaster chuckled again as he gave Thor a knowing look. “Oh, but you cutie patootie, I am. You’ve made it painfully obvious that hurting little Sapphire here hurts you. You’ve got a terrible poker face, thunder thighs.”

That didn’t stop Thor from trying to intercede which resulted in him being shocked with the obedience disc. The shock was minor, it didn’t render him unconscious but it certainly hurt and kept him down long enough for the deed to be done. Topaz dripped from the bottle into Loki’s eyes and as Thor was able to sit up, he stared at his brother in concern.

Loki had no obvious reaction at first, until his mouth opened wide in a soundless scream of pain and clutched at his eyes.

“Loki!” Thor staggered to his feet and went to his brother who shoved him violently as Thor tried to put a hand on him.

Loki’s eyes felt as though they were burning, it was a pain so intense it left him breathless. He felt like vomiting, he was nauseous, the pain was immense. Loki felt a hand on him and shoved, unwilling to be touched. When the pain lessened enough that he could open his eyes, he tried do so only to find that it didn’t seem to be working. It felt like he’d opened his eyes, but everything was dark. Loki felt a sinking feeling as he brought his hands to his face and tentatively brushed his fingertips over his eyelids only to gasp silently as the truth registered. The Grandmaster had blindedhim.

Thor saw his brother struggling and then watched a look of horror spread over Loki’s face as he touched at his eyes. When he caught a glimpse of them, he saw the red of his irises had turned almost pink and a filmy haze was over them. “Loki?” He saw Loki tilt as if to look for him but the direction of his eyes didn’t move.

“Don’t worry, Sparkles, he only lost sight privileges temporarily. All the party favors wear off pretty quick. Never wanna have one kind of fun for too long, yanno?”

Thor clenched his hands at his sides as he turned a vicious glare on the Grandmaster who lifted a brow.

“I thought you knew not to bite the hand that feeds you…look, if you can’t be an objectivepet owner…I guess I’ll find someone who can. Maybe Amora? She seems to like Loki.” he mused.

Thor felt sick at the thought and instantly forced his expression into a less hostile one. “That won’t be necessary, Grandmaster.”

“No? Well, alright, if you say so.” he winked at Thor before he looked to Topaz. “All this ruler-ey stuff has be starved. I’m thinkin’ kabobs.” The Grandmaster glanced back at Thor. “You guys wanna come?”

Thor shouldn’t have felt such disbelief at the Grandmaster’s behavior, but somehow, he still did. It took everything in him to swallow a ferocious reply and grit out. “No, thank you.”

He shrugged. “Your loss. But you arecoming to the orgy tonight, right?”

“The-” Thor cut off, flabbergasted before he collected himself. He started to decline only to stare at his brother in surprise as Loki nodded vigorously. Loki must have some reason for agreeing, some plan, but he had no way to convey it to Thor now.

“Haha! He gets it! That’s my little former Lolo, always such a card! Great! Well then, you too mosey on along and I’ll see ya both tonight!”

--

Thor hadn’t been sure how to aid his brother but Loki had decided for him when he shoved his arm at Thor roughly in a clear indication that he expected Thor to escort him. He kept the leash in one hand, per the Grandmaster’s rules, and kept his other arm locked with Loki’s as he led him back to their room. Thor led Loki to the couch and no sooner had Loki touched it than he slapped Thor’s arm aside. “Brother-”

Loki held up a palm as if to silence Thor and he fixed a blank stare ahead of him with his mouth drawn into a tight line.

Loki had no voice, no sorcery, no sight, and now Thor had broken the bit of trust he’d gotten back from his brother.

“Loki, it’s not what you think.” Thor started and he saw Loki’s lips form a sneer. “It was…it meant nothin-” he regretted the attempt before he even finished the word as Loki’s expression turned venomous.

Loki was blind. Of all the punishments and indignities he could yet suffer, he had somehow failed to imagine that the Grandmaster would take his sight. Loki had never felt so disgustingly helpless. Oh, he’d been rendered broken before Thanos and the Other but that was torture. That was helplessness through sheer force of diabolical beings whose power overwhelmed him. This was Loki, trapped in his own body on the whim of an ageless madman through his own failed schemes. This was Loki, without his powers and senses, at the whim of a brother who could not seem to decide if he wanted to strangle, hold, or kiss his own would-be brother. He couldn’t even scream for lack of voice. Loki was forced to rely on Thor to walk back to their room and that embittered him no less.

Then they returned to the room, he tried to pull away from Thor, and he was forced to have his remaining sense subjected to Thor’s paltry words. As if Loki’s greatest problem was Thor’s fumbling lust or whatever petty motivation had driven him to choose the moment of Loki’s vulnerability to feign desire towards his adopted, frost giant brother.

Loki’s hands itched for something sharp with which to stab Thor.

Thor was so far on the back foot that he could not imagine how he might move forward. Had he restored all the enmity between them in one careless instant? How was he to fix this, if he even could?

The truth. His mind supplied.

As if his brother would even want to hear it with all else gone on. Loki liked to be given vulnerabilities, Thor could imagine a scenario in which Thor’s confession of centuries of unreciprocated unbrotherly feelings might delight Loki for sheer tactical advantage. Or perhaps he would look on Thor in disgust, and rightly so, and name him for a hypocrite that he professed Loki his brother while harboring other desires. And he might look back on all the nights of shared comforts, all the times Loki had taken refuge in Thor’s bed and arms that hadbeen purely brotherly and taint them with the assumption that Thor had felt otherwise.

Thor did love Loki as a brother, dearly. It was the first way he had learned to love Loki. He had held Loki in his arms as naught but a boy himself and loved him from the first. Somehow that made it all the worse to recognize the feelings he held for his brother as a man.

And they were feelings he had buried so deeply as to pretend they didn’t exist. Thor had even found contentment in Jane’s arms. He had, in a way, written his own feelings off as a kind of madness that should not see the light of day and in that way banished the feelings to the depths of his heart.

He wondered if that in some way affected his treatment of Loki. If looking back, the methods he took to distance himself from his own perverse feelings took him further from Loki’s side and love.

Sakaar was a mad world run by a madman, so perhaps it only made sense that here Thor’s own madness would run rampant. It could be nothing but that when Loki finally, finallyturned to Thor he had ruined it.

“I am sorry, Loki.” he said, just above a whisper, and he felt the look of scorn on Loki’s face well-deserved.

Thor set a glass of water in Loki’s hands and brought him a blanket before he retreated to the furthest corner of the room. Loki could not speak and clearly did not wish Thor to, so he slunk down in the corner with his head in his hands.

Loki had felt the glass pressed to his hand and Thor’s quiet, subdued explanation of ‘should he be thirsty’. He heard Thor’s footsteps as he moved away and said nothing more. That was just as well, because if Loki had to suffer more of Thor’s words and meager attempts at explanations he might chuck the glass at his wretched face.

You’d miss. His mind taunted as he gazed at nothing with open, unseeing eyes and felt the return of the gaping void in his soul that made everything before him seem hopeless.

Loki clutched at the blanket Thor had given him as he slunk into the couch. He did have plans to turn the orgy to their advantage, to take the Grandmaster’s attention, but how was he to convey it like this? He didn’t have the energy to try. What was the use? His life was to be a series of party favors and the Grandmaster’s whims, and-

Loki stilled as an idea began to form in his mind. One that started as a cautious bud of possibility and began to bloom into a brilliant spark of hope. He need only bide his time and wait to regain his sight. Then Loki could free himselffrom this predicament and have his revenge in the process…a favorindeed.

--xx--

When the hour of the party [Thor did not wish to keep calling it an ‘orgy’] approached, Thor had numbly dressed himself in the first dark, leathery set of clothes available. It was to the Grandmaster’s tastes and certainly not Thor’s, so he figured that would do well enough. He knew how the Grandmaster would likely want Loki to dress, but he instead offered Loki from his own selection. Dark clothes, leathers, men’s attire that was a touch too big for Loki but at least wasn’t a dress.

Loki couldn’t see how they looked but seemed satisfied with Thor’s explanation since he took them before he dismissed Thor with his hand. He understood he was meant to depart so loudly went to the bathroom until he heard a rapping on the table that he supposed meant Loki was ready for him. Thor found that he’d put the outer vest on inside out somehow, and when he said as much, Loki had sneered but adjusted it.

He had not felt so chastened or disappointed in himself since…perhaps it had been with their father. It wasn’t the same, hollowed out despair as when he’d been banished. But Thor felt thoroughly ashamed all the same.

Thor felt he needed to make some further attempt to right things between them and approached his brother cautiously. “I meant you no harm, Loki.” he offered, because he had no idea what Loki took the kiss as but knew that malicious intent was a possibility. “I have no wish to hurt you.”

Loki scoffed soundlessly at that. Thor had made it clear that despite his aid, Loki had not been forgiven for the betrayal on the deck. Besides which, even had he the patience for his brother’s apologies, they meant so very little. Thor was ever one to do as he pleased and if he offered penitence afterwards it was more often to avoid the consequence of his actions than true remorse, as far as Loki was concerned.

“We can use the other bottle, if you wish.” Thor offered and Loki stilled in surprise.

A vengeful flash of desire coursed through him. Let Thor be the one stuck in the blind body, let him be helpless before Loki, and oh the tongue lashing he could give Thor with his own damned mouth…

But Loki’s plans did not involve Thor’s form and he swatted the air in a decline as he shook his head. He was admittedly a tad surprised that Thor offered at all, he must have expected as well that Loki would surely take him up on it.

Thor wassurprised, he had been sure Loki would want to use it again, even if only to voice his anger and disgust at a Thor who could not even voice a protest. But Loki declined and it worried Thor that it might even come down to a matter like Loki not trusting Thor in his body, even such as it currently was. The thought wrenched his heart and Loki had no sight with which to see the way Thor visibly slumped at his decline. “I am sorry, brother.” he whispered again, and found no softness in Loki’s face.

Then it was time to depart and Thor followed a boisterous couple down the hall in expectation that they were headed to the right place.

--xx--

Thor had been to a few orgies in his thousand plus years of life. He’d been to fertility festivals as he’d noted in the Grandmaster’s twisted Wonderland. But thiswas something else.

Thor wasn’t sure he’d ever seen such a motley variety of beings, and certainly not so muchof them. Species he didn’t recognize in poses he couldn’t begin to fathom. Others were fully clothed and simply watching. Some drank, or danced, or performed displays of physical prowess of the licentious variety. He found a tiny part of him almost glad that Loki couldn’t see, as if to protect his brother from the sight.

Which was ridiculous, his brother was not a child who needed a hand over his eyes nor would he value Thor’s feelings on the matter.

He caught sight of Ares in the corner with a man and woman on each arm and watching a creature that seemed almost entirely composed of wriggling tentacles doing…he didn’t want to know what.

Andares was on a long pole doing moves that showcased a ridiculous amount of control over his body. His body was completely vertical as he held onto the pole with one hand before he made an artful, swinging motion and hung upside by his legs.

“Hello, Champion.” A woman cooed, though on second look, Thor thought it might have been a man. Or-no, they were changing at every glance. Like an optical illusion portrait that changed with every tilt.

“Look at this piece.” A man with a bulbous, green man on his arm said as he eyed Loki. “Clashes with your green but we can work with th-”

“Don’t touch him.” Thor snarled and the man backed up quickly with an affronted look as his bulbous companion joined him.

“Whoa-ho-ho!” The Grandmaster laughed as he approached and the woman who’d been interested in Thor made herself scarce. “You really are toocute, Sparkles. Did you think this was a ‘plus-one’ only event? They don’t have orgies on Ass-gard?”

Thor knew a heated answer would get him nowhere and even as he hated himself for it he played the Grandmaster’s game, of a kind. “He’s mine.” he said plainly. “A Champion doesn’t have to share, do they?”

The Grandmaster’s brows rose. “Well, when you put it like that.” he licked his lips. “But putting Sapphy here out of bounds doesn’t put youout of bounds.”

Thor knew the ultimate plan was to get an invitation to the Grandmaster’s private bedroom. But he feared having Loki anywhere near him, especially with the Grandmaster’s talk of getting Loki with child. And yet…they had only so many chances and this one was admittedly tailor-made to their plans.

So Thor swallowed his rage and pride as he focused on the goal. He drew on all the casual arrogance of his youth, the persona of the animated, Golden Prince as he favored the Grandmaster with a co*cky smirk. “I am wellaware. I had been planning on having him watch, but then you took his eyes.” Thor said like a spoiled prince who’d had a toy taken away. He waited to see how it would land, uncertain of how false behavior rang to the Grandmaster or if he’d eat anything up.

The Grandmaster pulled a sympathetic face. “Oh, you should have toldme. The punishment could have gone somuch differently, Sparkles.” he tutted. “But, well, nothing wrong with her ears, right?”

Thor didn’t understand the Grandmaster’s insistence on using feminine address for his brother but he could give no display of displeasure about it.

“Also, you’re gonna have to wait your turn, hot stuff. We still gotta pick pairs.”

“What?”

The Grandmaster’s expression turned sunny. “The Lucky Lottery! It’s how we pick who gets luckywith who. Can’t have it all getting stale, can we? In fact, it’s just about time. Excuse you.” he said with a wink as he waved animatedly at Topaz who had entered the room with a fishbowl filled with sheets of paper.

“sh*t.” Thor muttered under his breath as the situation grew more complicated. He looked to his brother and found his expression blank. Thor had no way to gauge his mood or ask if he had any plans, as he’d seemed to. “Are you…alright?” he asked, he didn’t know what else to do to show regard for Loki at present.

Loki’s blank expression grew annoyed even as he kept his face forward.

“How would you feel about staying with Andares?” he asked and that didget Loki’s head to swivel his direction. “The Grandmaster has wanted me in his bed from the start. It won’t be hard to get him alone.” he said, with more confidence than he really felt given how unpredictable the lunatic was. “But I don’t want to leave you alone. Andares is…” he trailed off since ‘trustworthy’ wasn’t the right word. “He doesn’t mean you harm.” Thor felt safe enough in that statement, though he didn’t want to let Loki out of his sight, especially not as he was.

Loki’s hand was quick as he jabbed the points of five fingers into Thor’s stomach with great force. Evidently, Thor’s relative position was enough for Loki to make a decent aim for the wide target. He grimaced as Loki fixed a sightless glare on him. “You couldn’t look for the key as you are now anyway.” he said, and regretted it when Loki’s expression turned wrathful. “I think Andares would agree to…watch…you…” He had to finish the sentence once he’d started it but again regretted his phrasing, certain Loki would stab him if a dagger were in hand.

Loki reached a hand to Thor who expected further violence and was surprised when Loki seemed to feel him out slowly. He allowed it, confused, and Loki’s hand found it’s way to Thor’s face where he abruptly grabbed Thor’s lower lip between two nails and jabbed hard enough to draw blood.

“Loki!” Thor shoved his brother’s hand away with a glare of his own as he sucked on his then bleeding lower lip.

The oaf meant to leave him and go off with the Grandmaster, as if he could be trusted with the task. And they might have only one. For all Loki knew, the Grandmaster would be bored of Thor after a night. Or not excited enough to take Thor to his private bedroom. And Thor was meant to be the distraction so Loki could search…but Thor had a point about his eyes being lacking.

Yet, it was almost negligible, if Loki could bring his revised plan to fruition. Provided Thor didn’t ruin things first.

“Attention all you scandalous, sexy, gorgeous, lascivious little party animals!” A deep, announcer voice came overhead. “We are ready to start the Lucky Lottery, so who is ready to get luckytonight?”

A chorus of screams, shouts, and a cacophony of other noises filled the room.

“Hold onto your royal jewels, you fabulous freaks, because we are ready to go!”

The excited chatter was only drowned out by the giddy Grandmaster as Topaz pulled from the jar and read pairs aloud. He offered commentary and winks. Some ended up in groups, Thor neither knew nor cared how that came about. Then he heard ‘his’ name called and grimaced.

“Spanking Sparkles, the Champion.” Topaz read in a deadpan while the Grandmaster looked gleeful. “Amazingly Sexy Amora.”

Thor’s stomach dropped at that as he looked across the room to where the hated, blonde vixen was again dressed to the nines and already looking his way. “I bet she used her magic.” he hissed.

Loki heard his brother’s name called and hoped that he might be given a partner that could easily be rendered unconscious. Or that it might be Ares or Andares, since they seemed amenable to letting Thor and Loki have their way. But when it was Amora, he couldn’t help his instinctive dislike and the protective [possessive] feeling that welled in him. Even angry as he was with his brother, he wasn’t about to hand Thor over to that scheming harpy. His issues with Amora were personal and his grudges with her ran above how dearly he’d love to throttle Thor at present. He didn’t doubt either that she’d manipulated the name draw.

“Now that’s a pair I’d definitely like to watch. Or join. Or film? How do you feel about home movies?” The Grandmaster asked them both from across the room.

Amora walked towards Thor as she smiled at the Grandmaster, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “It’s bad luck to record the first, Grandmaster.”

“Oh. Well, if it’s like that.”

Loki thought back to the Wonderland party where the Lie Spotter orb outed Thor and Amora’s past, somewhat. Thor had a first love, Amora had disguised herself as them to seduce Thor, the love was important to Thor, and he still desired them. What baffled Loki was that he had no idea who it was or why he’d never been told. Neither of the supposed first love, that Amora had done such a thing, or that Thor desired them still. It couldn’t be Jane, obviously, since the mortal wench was long after Amora’s time on Asgard. He found it hard to imagine that Amora would have disguised as a man, or that Thor would have been with a man, but there was no woman that Thor spent a great deal of time with but Sif. And he was confident that Thor didn’t desire her that way. Also, he couldn't imagine Amora’s pride suffering wearing Sif’s form given that she hated the woman. Then again, Thor had indicated he’d been with both genders before during the party games. That was even more unfathomable even so though. The idea of the Mighty Thor falling for one of his shield brothers. If it was anyone not of Asgard, and yet Amora knew of them, then surely Loki would have.

Amora stood before them and Thor wore his disdain openly in his expression, the Grandmaster had already moved onto other names.

“You cannot expect I would ever follow through with you?” Thor asked cuttingly.

Amora tilted her head with a bored expression. “I am aware you love to deny yourself what is good for you, my prince.” It was Thor’s turn to sneer. “Even if you do not touch me, you will have to pretend. The Grandmaster doesn’t care for those who do not follow the rules.” she glanced pointedly at Loki.

Thor protectively half-stepped in front of Loki. “I warned you what would happen if you made attempt to harm my brother again.” he said lowly.

Amora suddenly smiled, wide and cheerful. “You did indeed. But tell me, dearest prince, what would be your opinion on learning the way in which your ‘brother’ has harmed you?”

Thor scoffed. “Keep your games to yourself, enchantress.”

“I’ve already played them though, do you recall? You asked at the party if I wore your brother’s form in the torture room. You did not ask what I learnedwhen I poked around that disgusting head of his.” Thor’s glare intensified at those words. “Oh, do not look so cross, you will be very glad I did. Will he not, Laufeyson?” she drawled.

Thor’s hand moved towards her and she held up a finger.

“Hurt me, and the Grandmaster will hurt him.” She pointed out with a cluck of her tongue.

Loki had started the conversation with only derision and fury, but it began to melt into panic the longer Amora went on. She had seen a great deal, to his irritation and shame, she knew things he could not have her telling Thor.

“Besides, You would beg for the privilege of the knowledge I have. It concerns your mother, after all.” Loki felt the breath leave him.

“Do not speak of our mother.” Thor growled. “I will not hear your lies.”

“But they aren’t mine, they’re his.” Amora said innocently before she held up two fingers that glowed yellow with her power. “I swear before the Norns that I hold truth unknown to you, taken from Loki’s own mind about the Queen.”

Thor hesitated a fraction at that, it was no small thing to vow to the Norns, and she wielded her magic to spell the vow…a sign of truth. “What truth?” he asked begrudgingly even as he cast a glance at Loki, surprised to see a hint of…fear?…beneath the mask of indifference.

Loki could scarcely breathe, he wanted to grab Thor and pull him away, or to explain, or to cut the enchantress down. But he could do none of those things and any outward sign of distress at her words would only prove them true to Thor.

“He was supposed to find you. Or Jane, perhaps.” Amora said with a dramatic sigh. “Even I cannot see that deeply.”

“What are you talkingabout?” Thor snarled, patience already at an end.

“The Dark Elves broke Asgard’s shield so quickly, as if they knew just where to go…and then found their way to her late majesty.”

Thor froze as a niggling thought pressed at the corner of his mind. They had wondered how the Dark Elves knew so readily where to go, they’d scarcely instigated the prison breakout before they’d broken the shields and Kurse found his mother. She had been where Jane and Thor would have been expected to be.

“What were the words you said, darling?” Amora cooed at Loki. “Oh, you cannot speak, let me see then…” she straightened as Loki’s own voice came from her lips as her eyes flashed yellow. “You might want to take the stairs on the left.”

Loki couldn’t help the way his hands snaked out to where Thor’s arm should be. He clenched his fingers into Thor’s flesh and knew it was all too late. Even if he had his words, Thor would never listen, could never understand.

Thor felt Loki’s cold hands dig into his arm and that was the moment he knew Amora spoke truly. One look at his brother’s expression brought the notion home. “…You directed them?” His own voice rang hollow in his eyes.

Loki’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly as his fingers clenched harder and he shook his head with an almost pleading expression. ‘Brother’, he mouthed, and Thor pulled his arm away.

Thor watched Loki’s expression seem to shatter as he froze with his fingers clenching empty air.

He was reminded of the moment on the Bifrost when Loki pleaded, ‘brother, help me’, only to try to send Thor over.

That had always been Loki’s way though. When he was in trouble, when he needed something, when Thor was angry, when Loki had mischief in mind, it was always brother. The endearment, their bond in a word, a reminder of their relationship, of the responsibility therein.

Amora accused Loki of directing the Dark Elves past Asgard’s defenses. And Loki, who had found him intolerable until that moment, called Thor brother.

A blessing and a curse.