Take me back

To trick a trickster

The Stone was right where Rocket Racoon had said it would be. Loki's magic easily undid the locks and traps, and finally they were in front of the sphere container. Loki was grinning, his eyes shining.

"Are there any traps?" Thor asked.

"Of course not," Loki informed. "All have been dismantled." He kept his hands behind his back, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Why don't you try to pick it up?"

Thor looked at him. "You are not even sure there is no booby trap connected to it and you just want me to take the hurt if there is!" he exclaimed.

"What, me? No, never." Loki turned his head away. "Would you mind fetching it, then giving it to me?" he asked.

Thor sighed, then turned to the pedestal with the container, he stepped up to it then looked down at the thing, even from here he could feel the pulsing. Then slowly he reached forward a hand, and picked up the container.

Loki grinned, his mouth like a cheshire cat's as his eyes glistened. "Now give it here?" he asked.

Thor looked at Loki, he held out a hand with the container, then suddenly... The container vanished.

Loki blinked.

"My pocket dimension is not nearly as big nor impressive as yours," Thor smirked, amused. "Forgive me, I only had a few hours to learn this skill."

Loki was gaping. "You..." he gasped. "You tricked me."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Thor commented. "I just kept an ace up my sleeve."

"You had planned this before we left! Kept quiet about it, and waited for the right time. You tricked me!" Loki stated.

Thor quieted then smiled, a bit abashed. "Well, sort of." He looked up at Loki and saw Loki's eyes... They were not angry. Not the slightest bit. They were intrigued!

Thor did remember back when the dark elves had attacked and he had tricked Loki, Loki's reaction back then had been much the same. He hadn't been angry at all, only intrigued, even excited. Excited for Thor to use trickery back against him, and now too, he seemed deep down excited by the prospect.

Thor had no idea what could possibly be going through Loki's head, if he was delighted by the thought of Asgard's golden prince falling back on trickery like he did.

Or if he was witnessing a challenge he deemed worthy of himself and that excited him... Perhaps it was a mix of both. Thor didn't know.

"Well Loki, your battlefield is not one of brawn but one of wits," Thor repeated himself from one of their earlier conversations. "To have you as an enemy... To stand a chance. You have to adapt or perish."

Loki tilted his head as he looked at Thor, curiosity ever present in his eyes.

"Though quite frankly, I'd rather have you as a friend than an enemy. Any day," Thor stated.

Loki smirked. "Well, perhaps it won't be too bad fighting alongside you once more," he said as he turned around and started to walk out with a straight back.

Thor shook his head as he chuckled, then walked after Loki outside on the barren planet, then he halted.

Loki was standing a bit away, his head raised as he looked up in a frozen position. There was something... different about his body, it looked tense.

"Loki?" Thor asked as he walked up next to Loki and followed Loki's eyes up to blink, most of the sky was littered in stars... Except this one place, that one big massive place around them looked black, it was odd. No stars, no moons or planets, just... Nothingness. "What is..." Thor breathed.