Loki Misses the Asgardian Prison System

Chapter 51

Loki focuses all his might in creating a ball of energy between his hands. He's projected miles away from the tower, further than he's ever tried before. He always tries to stay in back alleys or forests so nobody will see him, but there seems to be a shortage of such hiding places around this distance; he had to go a little further away than he'd liked.

A ball of green light flows between his hands. It's small and faint, barely visible even in the shade of the trees, but it's there. He's not sure he could have done that a couple days ago. He really feels like he's getting better at magic from a distance. It's just hard. He's straining to get even that little show of magic to work.

A tap in his shoulder startles him out of his daze. He doesn't have time to process that he's no longer in the woods; he shoots a blast of energy at full force out in front of him. It's only after the damage has been done that he's able to ground himself and take it in.

The wall — if it can even be called that anymore — by the door is absolutely decimated. He'd already broken it when he threw Tony into it, but now the wall seems to be gone in its entirety. Through it, he can see into the next room, though from this angle, there's nothing to be seen but its door.

On the floor halfway between the two rooms lies Thor, clutching vaguely at his chest. He groans as he rolls from his side to his back, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Thor?" Loki rushes to his side, kneeling down by his feet and nearly face-planting against the wall. "Thor, are you alright?"

Thor gives a small, pained nod. "Mm."

"I am so sorry," Loki says. "I didn't mean to do that. I did not know you were here."

"I noticed," Thor says. He pushes himself up with a groan, and Loki reaches over to help him sit up. "Why did you never do that in battle? A blow like that could have saved us a lot of strife."

Loki shrugs sheepishly. "I don't know." What's he supposed to say? That he was always talked down to for using his magic instead of his daggers? That putting that much effort into a single blast may well have rendered him useless for the rest of the fight? There's no answer to that question that isn't weird.

"Help me up?" Thor asks.

Loki climbs to his feet and holds his hands out for his brother to take. Thor grabs his hands, and Loki pulls him to his feet, nearly throwing his back out in the process. Thor brushes himself off, knocking the dust and the plaster off of his clothing. Loki clasps his hands behind him awkwardly.

Whoops.

"Are you alright?" Thor asks.

Loki scoffs. "Me? Are you alright? I just threw you through a wall!"

Thor huffs a laugh. "You know I've had worse," he says. "But you? I must have said your name a dozen times and I got no response."

"And in what world does that imply you should come into my room?" Loki asks. The guy's complete inability to show even basic politeness astounds him. How did the guy grow up in a palace, the son of the literal king of a godly realm, and never learn basic manners?

"This world," Thor says, completely indifferent to the question. "Were you asleep?"

Loki stares at him. "You think I fell asleep sitting up." And not even leaning against the wall, either. He was halfway on his bed, his legs dangling over the edge and his head held upright. He may not have been able to see himself, but he knows he did not look to be asleep. Nobody sleeps like that. Not a single person.

"Well, this has been fairly reminiscent of the last time you had a nightmare," Thor says.

Loki fights the urge to roll his eyes. "No, Thor. I was not asleep."