Thor awakens abruptly in the dead of night.

For a moment he wonders what has awoken him from his slumber, thinking woefully of the wonderful dream he had just been having, when something small and sharp pokes him in the ribs.

He grunts in pain, then rolls over to see a figure crouching on the bed. His face is hidden in the shadows of the room, but Thor can still see the raven hair and jade eyes that glint even in the darkness. There is no mistaking who the figure is.

"Loki," Thor grumbles, sounding a little petulant, but too tired to care all that much, "what are you doing?"

Loki's eyes dart around the room, as if checking for intruders hiding in the shadows, before he leans down to whisper in Thor's ear.

"I had a nightmare, Thor."

Thor sighs. His little brother has been plagued with bad dreams for as long as he can remember. Once, Loki would simply knock on his parent's bedroom door and allow Frigga to sing him to sleep again. Now, he comes to Thor. Thor had once spoken of it to his mother, but she had scolded him for his selfishness and given him a look so cold Thor hadn't even argued back, instead choosing to escape the weight of her judgemental gaze and find his brother.

"Come, then. Get in." Thor says, tugging at the sheets.

Loki moves off the bed to let Thor draw back the heavy blankets, then climbs in and settles himself on his back, eyes wide and staring at the high ceiling above. Thor knows he will make no move to come closer unless Thor initiates it, so he jabs Loki in his side until he turns to face him.

Thor puts an arm around Loki's waist, rubbing soothing circles on his brother's back and closes his eyes, knowing Loki will follow. He doesn't stop his stroking until he hears Loki's breathing slow, feels the puffs of air on his face come after longer intervals, and then, he lets himself fall back into peaceful sleep, hopeful of returning to that dream he had been having. It had been such a good dream.