Brothers

A/N: Thank you all SO MUCH for reading! This is the final chapter! I've had such a blast writing this story. It surprised me how easy it was to write Loki and Thor, and surprised me even more so that you all liked it so much! Seriously. Thank you.

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Loki carefully eyed his opponent, adopting a defensive stance. His sharp mind calculated his next move as he fluidly ducked a swing aimed for his face. He danced out of reach before snapping out a strike of his own. His fist collided against hard jawbone, sending Thor flying with surprising force. The first prince of Asgard hit the training ground roughly, a cloud of dust lifting into the air. Loki shook out his throbbing hand, rubbing the knuckles tenderly as Thor sat up with a groan.

"Damn. What is your skull made out of?" the younger prince inquired, shooting his brother a look of disbelief. Thor paused in rubbing his chin, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"What, going soft, brother?" he joked.

Loki cracked a smirk. "You wish." He walked over to his brother, offering a hand to help him up. "But I'll be honest. I've been longing to do that since Midgard."

Thor chuckled as Loki pulled him up. "Tempt me not, brother. I will not hesitate to hit you back."

Loki grinned. "I'd like to see you try."

Thor grinned in return and the two brothers resumed their sparring match, the occasional joyful laugh passing by their lips. They had each other wrestled to the dirty ground when Frigga interrupted them, her brow pulled down in disapproval and her hands on her hips.

"Not only are you both late for dinner, you're rolling around in the dirt-!" She made a strangled, infuriated noise in her throat. Both boys scrambled to their feet, heads tiled down in appropriate remorse. Loki attempted to brush off the dirt from his training clothes, but it was a useless endeavor. Frigga sent both of them a scathing glare. "I expect you both in the dining hall no later than the next twenty minutes without a speck of dirt on your clothing, or by the Gods, you will regret it!"

She stormed off out of the training grounds, positively fuming. Thor and Loki exchanged a short look before grins spread across their faces again. The laughed lightly at the familiar feeling of being scolded by their mother. Thor clapped a hand on his brother's back as they started back towards their rooms to change into proper dinner attire.

"It feels oddly…comforting to have mother scolding us," Loki commented.

Thor pulled a face. "To you, maybe."

Loki chuckled, his mind going a little distant. "Yes. To me."

They parted ways at their rooms. Loki attempted to brush the dirt out of hair before deciding that washing his short locks might be more effective. He laid out fresh clothing, nothing more fancy than a simple tunic and trousers, before stepping into his washroom. He ran his fingers through his wet hair a couple times under running water, and couldn't help but think of how mundane and normal everything felt now. At least, at face value.

He knew Thor was starting to grow bored with doing the same things everyday, and ever since the construction on the Bifrost finished, he was making more trips back to Midgard. While he was gone, Loki took up the opportunity to spend more time with their mother, and occasionally, with their father. It was hard, at first, to try and bring back a relationship that he threw away when he felt betrayed, but every day made it easier, and with every passing day, the heavy darkness lingering over his heart grew lighter.

Yet despite all the progress he had made, and the nicely mending relationships between he and his family, he couldn't for the life of him figure out why they did not punish him upon his return. It bothered him, really, that he wasn't thrown into a dungeon, if not for a while so that he could think over his wrong doings and be taught a lesson for trying to rule over a realm that was not his. But when he asked his mother about it, her eyes grew sad and she gently touched his cheek.

"I believe living in the doubt that you are not loved, and have no family or home to call your own after believing all your life that you did is punishment enough, my child," she said quietly.

Loki wasn't sure he was fully sold on that idea, but he let the topic drop. But, a part of him still felt as though he needed to be punished, and he felt it necessary to provide himself with a fitting punishment, even if his family would not. Following his talk with Odin, Loki cornered the darker side of his mind, the side of him that he knew to be the reason he let himself fall away from Asgard that day, the reason he tried so desperately to obtain the tesseract and rule over Midgard, the reason he was so reluctant to accept his family for what they truly were. He cornered that part of himself into the back of his mind where he began to construct a cage of magic separating his dark desires from the kinder, more understanding part of his mind. It was a long and arduous process that left him exhausted most days, but he was determined. He had so much to lose if that side of him took over, and he wasn't willing to lose his family once again.

He toweled his hair dry after he was sure all the dirt had been washed out, and carefully changed into his nice clothes. He spent a few moments observing his appearance in a mirror, combing back unruly locks as they dried. Once again, his appearance seemed different to him. His shoulders seemed stronger, and he held his head up higher for the first time in a long time. That hollow look that he had grown so used to seeing in his green eyes had faded behind a much livelier expression. He felt content for the first time in such a long time. A knock on his door pulled his attention back to the matter at hand. He opened the door to his room to see Thor waiting for him. His brother lifted an eyebrow.

"Why is your hair wet?"

Loki shook his head, hiding his smile. He closed the door behind them and they headed out for the dining hall. They walked in a comfortable pace, shoulder-to-shoulder in comfortable quiet. After a while, Thor placed a hand upon his brother's shoulder. Loki looked over at him questioningly.

"You probably do not wish to hear this, brother," Thor said slowly, his expression serious. "But it is not necessary for you to try and change yourself to fit in with us. I know it has been difficult, but I would much rather have you as you are than who you believe you should be."

Loki was silent, surprised by Thor's clarity on the subject that ailed his mind. "I do not understand."

Thor stopped and turned to place his other hand on his brother's shoulder. "What I am saying is that you try too hard, Loki. We would not try so hard to bring you back home if we only wanted half of who you are. Mischievous or not, you are our family, and we will always love you."

Loki closed his eyes and let Thor's words sink into his heart. "Thank you, brother," he said softly, and met his eyes. "But as much as I appreciate your sentimental words, mother won't appreciate our tardiness for much longer."

Thor's face fell. "You're right." He started to push Loki along down the hallway faster. Loki chuckled and met Thor's quick walk toward the dining hall, his chest feeling lighter than ever. He still had a lot to make up for, especially with the people of Asgard themselves, but he was certain that he had a good start, and that was all he could ask for. In good time, he would have to earnestly thank Thor for pulling him back from the edge and giving him his home back. But for now, he would just enjoy having his brother.

Fin.

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A/N: And that's the end! Thank you all so much for reading Brothers! It's been wonderful to write. Check out my profile for more Thor and Loki stories! Much love!