Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 130

Thor doesn't sleep well that night.

He's worried about his brother. He's worried about how worried he's supposed to be for his brother. He'd worried about how he's supposed to show that he's worried for his brother without being a nuisance.

He can't believe he never noticed. Loki's been fighting this silent battle all this time and Thor didn't even know. He'd had some idea that there was something that bothered him — some guy, he'd told them, a couple years ago now — but he didn't know it was this bad. He didn't realize Loki had been holding back so much, but he should have.

He's still stuck on what he'd said about the scepter. The Mind Stone made him do it. It put thoughts in his head, he'd said. The biggest dent their relationship has ever taken was born from anger that wasn't even his own.

And Thor never noticed.

He groans and flops on his stomach, burying his face in his pillow. All he wants is to go to sleep, but his mind won't quiet down. He's desperate to know what happens now. He needs to know what he's supposed to do. What does Loki want him to do? That's all he wants to know. What does Loki want from him, and what will be too much?

"Sir," FRIDAY says, startling him out of his thoughts, "Loki sounds very upset. You may want to check on him."

"What?" Thor jumps to his feet and takes off running without a moment of hesitation. He can ask his questions on the way, but getting to Loki's room is his priority. (Is that the guilt speaking? Probably. Does he care? No.) "Upset why?" he asks. "About what? Is he talking to somebody? Is he crying?"

"I don't know, sir," FRIDAY says. "I can't see into his room. I don't know what he's doing, but he sounds upset."

Thor picks up the pace. He climbs the stairs as though it were flat ground, speeding up them far faster than the elevator could move. If only he'd thought to grab Mjolnir on the way out; he could have flown up the stairs instead and saved a few seconds.

He sprints down Loki's hallway, finally slowing to a halt as he reaches his brother's room. He can hear his brother whimpering from a distance, but it's not until he's just outside his door that he can hear the words he's uttering.

"I'm sorry," he says breathlessly. "I'm sorry; I won't—" His words are cut off with a strangled gasp, and Thor's heard more than enough.

"Loki?" he says loudly. He gives his brother about half a second to answer. He doesn't. "Loki, I'm coming in." He grabs the handle, ready to break it the way he's done before, but now that he thinks of it, Loki probably wants a functioning lock on his door.

So instead, he takes a page out of Tony's book and goes to the room next to his brother's. Even that doorknob won't turn. He has fewer qualms about breaking that one, so he does just that, pulling it from the door and leaving a gaping hole behind.

"I'm sorry," Loki mumbles. "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

Thor grimaces at his tone, at the fear in his voice. He runs into the room, then through the hole in the wall that connects them.

Loki's lying in bed, curled up on his side and hugging his knees into his chest. Thor rushes to his side, and it's only when he gets closer that he realizes just how rigid he is; how fearful. His eyes are squeezed shut, though his pale skin is stained with tears that must have slipped through. His arms are wrapped around his legs, and his fingers dig into his shins, leaving a faint bloody stain on his pants. How is he sleeping through this?

"Loki!" Thor yells. He grabs his brother's hands and tries to pull them away. "Loki, wake up!"

And he does.