A/N: So, I was planning to use this chapter as a closing chapter to Pockets Full of Stones, but it seemed to fit better as the opening. Meh. As long as you get it, right?

NOTE: This follows directly after Pockets Full of Stones. If you have not read the Thor and Loki series you will be HIGHLY confused. I've posted the order that they're meant to be read in on my profile if you need a reference. Thanks!

Fractured Reflections

Though the pressure's hard to take

It's the only way I can escape

It seems a heavy choice to make

And now I am under all

"Never Let me Go", Florence + the Machines

There were halls in the palace of Asgard that were, for the most part, reserved for the royal family. Their chambers lay in the one set, other rooms that they often made use of spiraling out from there, and then the rooms that were reserved for close companions and trusted friends of the family just beyond those. Thor and Loki had grown up within those hallways, tumbling and causing trouble in their youth. The occasional servant could be seen, but it was, more times than not in these days, quiet and empty.

That was really the only solace Loki had as his brother laughed loud enough to wake anyone who might have been sleeping at this hour, the thunderer finding much pleasure in the fact he felt he had outwitted his trickster brother. They had not made this much of a ruckus since their childhood - or when Loki and Thor had begun that terrible fight in their father's sleeping chambers that had ended in the shattering of the Rainbow Bridge - but secrets coupled with boredom had led to childish behavior in the young heir to Odin's throne and the younger prince had no patience in reserve for it. It was in these moments, that if mortals had been able to see them, that they might be reminded that the sons of Odin were not far past the mark of adulthood by Asgardian standards.

"Give it back!" Loki growled, reaching out for Thor and just barely missing him as the elder prince turned a corner.

Two weeks. It had been two weeks they had fought the young king of Jotunheim in their halls and only one since they'd sent him back to his own people to be cast out for his failures. Two weeks of demanded bedrest from the lead healer of Asgard and two weeks of quiet. It had been a welcomed two weeks to Odin's adopted son who found great enjoyment in his books and his studies, but it had driven his elder brother into a temporary relapse in maturity. At least Loki hoped it was temporary, otherwise he might have to rethink his oath of loyalty to his brother.

"What could be so important, brother, that you've sat up every night jotting away in this?" the thunderer demanded, holding out the book that he'd stolen in a taunting manner.

"That is none of your concern!" the trickster hissed, making another go at it and missing. He cursed his injured ribs and the way that their healing still pulled at him. He was not back to his usual speed or stamina, having always been a slower healer than Thor.

"We promised no more secrets!"

"I promised you no such thing! Now stop acting like a child and give it back!"

Thor dodged him once more, catching him around the middle to hold him away from the book he dangled over both of their heads. Loki pulled hard against him, throwing both of their balance and they tumbled to the floor in a pile of limbs. The blond prince continued to laugh as he held his younger brother tightly, keeping him from the prize. "If you've taken to writing down your innermost thoughts then all you must do is say so, Loki, and I will let it be. Though I must say that such sentimental behavior-"

"Enough," Loki growled, pulling from Thor's grasp. "I'm done playing this foolish, childish game with you. Hand it over. It is not for your eyes."

Thor heard the anger in his brother's voice and turned to look at him, face flushed and green eyes narrowed dangerously. He often irked the younger prince, but it had been some time since he had driven him to such irritations. "Alright then," he said quietly and handed the leather-bound book to his brother.

Loki seemed to settle down once he'd grasped it and it disappeared into a safe pocket of nothingness that Thor could not hope to reach. Without a word he stood and brushed himself off, looking frustrated still, but not quite as close to taking the blond's head from his shoulders.

"I took it too far," Thor acknowledged, drawing his brother's attention.

Green eyes darted to stare at blue ones looking up at him. The thunderer had not moved from his place on the floor, but instead was leaned back and watching the younger prince carefully. Loki let a long breath out through his nose. "You did."

"I should not have, brother. I am sorry to have angered you."

"But not sorry you did the deed," Loki countered.

"I must admit I am curious," Thor murmured. "You've had your nose and quill in that book into the latest of hours. I swear I can hear you scratching at it from my own chambers, and I dare to think what you write with the sounds of terror your dreams pull from you."

The dark haired prince took a seat on the floor once more, pushing his back up to a pillar next to his brother and sighed. He had never had a shortage of dreams, let alone nightmares. They had plagued him since his childhood, and even more so once he'd developed reasons to be afraid. Though the years stretched on since each new and terrible event, they were but blips of time to immortals, and Loki had never accepted change well. It had shattered him once, leaving him fractured and vulnerable. Though even in the few short years since his fall and his exile, he and Thor had done all they could to cultivate good to counter the bad. No matter what happened, he knew - he knew beyond any doubt - that Thor was there. If everything was stripped away, his brother remained strong and steady as he always was. He was his anchor and his pillar and he chased away the dreams just as he had when Loki was a child. So they faded in less time than they might have otherwise, but events always brought them back. Dwelling on the evils always brought them back.

"I do not enjoy owing anything to anyone," Loki said slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"When I went to Midgard for information on the Jotuns' attack, your friend Coulson provided very useful knowledge and expected knowledge in return."

"Did you imply as much?"

"I needed the information."

"You had nothing to give them at that point."

A smile pulled at the edge of the younger prince's lips. "I know."

"Deceit for your own means has never bothered you before."

"Nor would it have now, if I did not feel that it was a turning point." Loki sighed, eyes fixated on the marble beneath them. "When my name was cleared on Midgard they said that they might call on me, though I have given them precious little on it. These people are your friends and many of them have helped us here at great cost to themselves. It's time I give something back, lest a time come that we need something and they are unwilling to give it."

"You think we'll need something from the mortals?" Thor taunted with a smile, nudging his brother gently.

"Oh, they have their uses."

They sat there for a stretch of time, neither quite sure how long. Finally Thor sighed and Loki could feel him looking. "What will you give him?"

"Information."

"On what?"

"On something I hope they never need have use of," Loki murmured. "Please, Thor, I'd much rather not discuss it."

"Will you let me read your notes before you give it over?"

"No."

"Why not? Brother, do you not trust me after all this time?"

"It has nothing to do with trust, Thor. It has to do with the fact that Asgard should never have reason to fear for it. I should hope Midgard does not either, but if they do, I have done what I can for them." He sighed shakily, knowing that his brother had no question that he was talking around the real point. Thin lips pressed together as he thought and pulled at the words, trying to find a way he could phrase the truth that Thor would both understand and that he was comfortable with. He could not find it, but when green eyes met blue he knew that he didn't fully understand it. "There are things best left in the darkest recess of my memory. Will you let it remain there so it doesn't sully the present?"

"I do not dredge it up," Thor answered as he stood. He reached a hand down and when his brother grasped it he pulled him to his feet. "Do what you must and then let us bury it, shall we? I cannot bear to hear your pain each night."

"Then I shall endeavour to be quieter in it."

"You know what I mean."

Loki smiled, reaching a hand to touch Thor's arm lightly. "I know what you mean."

Thor watched as he walked away and he frowned. Loki had never handled change, nor did Loki let go of things easily. Thor was no fool, contrary to what his younger brother often teased him of over the years. There was only one thing that the trickster could offer the Midgardians that he would not divulge to his elder brother, and if he had opened up even a piece of what had happened to him in those days that he would not speak of it would take a great deal of effort to put it away once more. He would be there for his younger brother, the thunderer vowed to himself, in anything that he needed. That in mind he started for his own chambers to await Loki's return from Midgard.

Loki was fascinated with things he did not fully understand. Granted, if given much time at all, he could often obtain at least the basic knowledge of the matter, but it excited him all the same. SHIELD's helicarrier - a bizarre name, as were many Midgardian names in his opinion - had perked his interest even while under the heavy blanket that the Tesseract provided all of those that she enlightened, but the trickster was fairly certain that there was not a mortal alive that would allow him access enough to see how the entire machine worked.

"Please tell me you haven't touched anything."

He'd heard him, but he'd been ignoring him as he studied the flashing lights to find their purpose. Green eyes glanced back in acknowledgement, an easy smile gracing his thin lips. "Agent Coulson, you wound me."

"There are supposed to be men here."

"There were. I think they're chasing some noises down the hall over there," Loki said and nodded in one general direction. "Isn't that what you're doing here? Chasing shadows?"

"There were some reports. I guess I should be thankful you didn't show up in my room, shouldn't I?"

"I do understand personal privacy," the second prince of Asgard murmured, thin fingers trailing along the dials. His magic was reaching through them, reading and deciphering what each one did and how they worked. He could feel Coulson's steady gaze on his back.

"Somehow I doubt that very much. Is there a reason you're here or do you just enjoy making a mockery of the restrictions placed on you?"

"Yes, I have a reason to be here," Loki answered quickly, almost as if he'd forgotten it for a moment. His hands left their place over the board and pulled the leather-bound book from thin air. "I felt I owed you more than what you received in our last encounter."

Phil's eyes narrowed hesitantly and reached hesitantly for the offered gift. "I take it we're not about to get an early winter?"

"No, that's been handled."

"Then what's this?"

All amusement seemed to wash from the trickster's expression and a small frown tugged at his lips. "That is dangerous," he warned carefully. "Much as the Tesseract called more dangerous foes to your doorstep, this information has that potential, but it can also help you to prepare should that particular threat ever come."

"So you've handed me a time bomb and you don't know if it's armed yet or not?"

The smile returned. "I've cloaked it, so it should not draw attention. I simply wanted to give you the warning to keep it quiet. It isn't for wide sharing, if you understand my meaning."

"You still haven't told me what it is." Coulson let the book drop open in his hands and hazel eyes scanned it. They grew wide at the various detailed notes. "What the hell is this?"

"The Chitauri's leader was only an envoy for the benefactor behind the Tesseract incident. His name is Thanos and I hope, for your sake, that he has lost all interest in your earth." He watched Coulson as the human studied the words. "I'm afraid that is all I know of him. While the Tesseract does tend to... dampen one's interest in anything outside of what is needed to reach its goal, I suppose my natural curiosity is difficult to wipe out completely."

"But they have no way to travel between worlds like you Asgardians do?"

"Hence the need of the Tesseract," Loki answered with a shrug. "And me before the door opened."

Coulson snapped the book shut, turning a sharp glare on the immortal. "If I find out this is some trick, some kind of play-"

"I have no interest in setting you mortals up for anything that I will only be saddled with bailing you out of. If you choose not to use the information, that is your choice, but it is there for you and Fury nevertheless. Use it or don't. It matters little to me."

The SHIELD agent considered him a moment before sighing. He'd always thought of himself as a good judge of character and no flags were going up now. The Asgardian seemed as sincere as one called the god of mischief could be. "Do you have a photographic memory or something? The details in this are incredible."

"It's a spell. After the issue we discussed on my last visit, I had a bit of downtime forced upon me. It gave me enough hours to cast it undisturbed. Basically, it allows me to relive the moments and view it as an outsider would, to note things that I might not have otherwise." He wasn't sure why he was divulging the information, but it seemed to come freely enough.

"Tough days, hm?"

"They were," Loki murmured, not entirely sure which time Coulson was referring to.

Phil pulled in another deep breath, letting it out slowly in a long sigh. Finally, he reached a hand out. "Thank you."

The dark haired prince stared at it as if it were an oddity. His green eyes flickered from the outstretched hand to Coulson's face and back again several times.

"What? You people don't shake hands on Asgard?"

"We do, but rarely is one offered to me," the trickster murmured thoughtfully. He reached out and clasped the offered hand, surprised at how firm the handshake was.

Coulson seemed entirely unphased by the admission and held the book up as he started out of the room in a gesture of thanks, but instead he said, "Don't press any of the buttons and don't let the Director find you. He was ready to take your head off for your last unexpected visit. He's convinced the helicarrier will crash just because you're on it."

Loki felt a smile tug at his lips as he faded from Midgard. Slowly and surely he'd begun to see just what Thor saw in these mortals, but he'd be damned if he'd ever admit it out loud.

TBC

A/N: Anyone watch the Ultimate Spiderman series that started last year? I just found it recently and they fly in these fantastic mini-helicarriers when they leave the main one. I want to see Loki fly one. I think he'd have a blast and it would cause so much discomfort in every SHIELD agent available.