Cellmates

3

She didn't speak to him. Two whole days had passed and she'd barely glanced in his direction. After breakfast, he found her sprawled out on the floor in the middle of her cell. Silently, she doodled on the floor, her legs gently rocking behind her as her cheek rested heavily on her wrist. Over the course of an hour he had migrated across the room trying to see what she was drawing. From where he now sat, slumped in his chair, legs slung over the ottoman, he could make out a few cartoonish figures and obscure abstract creations. Her hair concealed her current addition, but it had to be a mural considering how long she'd been working on said masterpiece. Occasionally, he thought he could hear her humming a tune he didn't know. Something disgustingly cheery.

She was intently focused on her work, until the door upstairs unlatched. It was a bit early for lunch, Loki thought. The lack of guards was also surprising, but he quickly recognized that step. He growled, slouching further into his slump. Thor. His cellmate glanced up when he reached the bottom of the stairs. "I come bearing lunch, brother." Loki didn't even look up, only continued to blankly stare at the other side of the cell. "Are you going to speak to me today? Or do you plan on ignoring me? As per usual."

"That depends," he said gruffly. "Do you intend to say anything worthy of my reply, brother?"

"So your mood has not improved then. Spectacular." He set the tray down, folding his arms over his chest.

"I don't know why you come down here," Loki growled.

"Because you're my brother," Thor quickly replied. He clenched his fist, still loathing that lie of endearment. "Perhaps it's pity."

"I don't need your damn sympathies, Thor!" He stood up, crossing the cell in two long strides, nearly knocking the chair over. "I am perfectly content rotting to my death down here. So until such time I need my corpse dragged out, I have little need of your self-indulgent visits."

"Thor?" A quiet word from the room's only other occupant broke the uncomfortable silence that followed. "You – you're one of the Avengers. You helped save New York. You helped save my planet," she continued, coming back to her feet. She came to where she could better see him, her face suddenly lit up with some foolish glimmer of hope. "I'm from Earth – I've been kidnapped." Loki watched the mighty Thor suddenly squirm. He wouldn't even look at her. He glanced, but just as soon turned his attention to the tray of food. Or something else unworthy of such attention. "Please – I haven't done anything wrong. Could you help me? Tell someone that this is a mistake. Please."

Loki pulled a wild grin, eagerly awaiting his brother's prosaic response, which he already saw brewing behind his shamefully averted eyes. "I'm sorry," he apologized solemnly, absently probing the food on the tray. "But it's not my place to help you. The order was not mine to make, I'm afraid." Loki frowned. That was a bit of an odd response. Not his usual drawl. It wasn't his place? Surely if he was this uneasy, modestly avoiding the question, he had somehow managed to get his hand stuck in whatever it was. Norn-forsaken oaf.

With a new sense of resolve, Thor shoved the tray through the glass, only slightly disturbing its contents in the process. "Perhaps you'll be more cheerful another time," he said quickly.

That was doubtful. Cheerful was a mood he did not often indulge. But seeing his brother so laughably befuddled was so amusing that it was almost possible.

He turned, his cape billowing in his wake and he hurried toward the stairs. So eager to escape their company all of the sudden. Loki turned back to her once he'd gone. "Well, so much for that fervent escape attempt." No response. "I should thank you. Never in my life have I gotten him to shut his gaping trap so quickly."

Once again, she hadn't really acknowledged him. Instead, he found her stare intently fixated on the tray of food set out on the table behind him. He heard her stomach give a single very loud growl. It had escaped his notice previously, but she hadn't been fed since being brought here. Glancing at the tallies scraped into the stone, he noted it had been nearly six days already. Considering that fact, she was fairing remarkably well. "Hungry?" he asked.