Tom Hiddleston one shot/drabble collection

It's just an illusion

A/N: Thank you to anonymous for sending in the prompt back in October 2023, apologies for the lateness, I am trying to get on track. Although I will admit this one was a challenge as there wasn't a lot given in the prompt for me to go off with, I had to do through a few rewrites before landing on this version, but I hope it's good enough 😊 x

(Prompt requests are still closed just finishing the last from October 2023)

Prompt requested by Anonymous on Tumblr: Prompt - Loki has done a lot of bad things, but Thor and Odin weren't exactly the perfect brother and father. Thanx!

Summary: Loki, Thor and Odin are in therapy after the events of New York as they had promised Frigga to sort through their issues. Thor is his usual boastful self, while Loki and Odin loathe every second. However things get out of hand when Thor mentions Loki's jealousy and his chaotic behaviour.

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"I do all these things to impress my father...you know make him proud of me. I also can't deny the fact I enjoy all the attention too. The clap on the back from friends and fans. Or the innocent smile from the shy women is always a treat. That look, you know that look, the one that means they want to know what it's like to be with a real hero." Thor's boastful behaviour had completely gone off course, causing the female Therapist to clear her throat and shuffle in her seat. Loki rolls his eyes which triggers Odin to grumble at him for directing it at his brother.

"Let's bring it back to the relationships you have with odin and Loki." The Therapist says after recovering and trying her best to remain professional.

"Right...I feel that after my time on Earth and becoming an Avenger there's some mutual respect between myself and my Father. As for things with Loki and I...I feel as though he is jealous of my success." Loki scoffs as soon as the words leave Thor's mouth. "See, he's just proving my point!"

As Thor continues to complain about Loki's behaviour Loki gets up and starts to head out however he doesn't get very far. "Lo-"

"SIT BACK DOWN!" Odin barks over The Therapist, "you made a promise to your Mother that you would stay until the end." The mention of Frigga is what made Loki stop in his tracks, and he sighs heavily, then he returns to his seat as he doesn't want to let her down again.

After everyone settled down again The Therapist turned her attention to Loki. "Loki...a little while back Thor had been exiled and Odin was in Odinsleep, Asgard was then under your rule, given you were the next in line. Frigga had entrusted Gungnir to you and she believed in you. That was quite a lot of responsibility to suddenly have." She says gently and watches Loki's expression carefully, yet she notices that he is trying to seem unaffected by her words, however the way he nervously plays with his hands is more telling than his mask of indifference. "You went down to Earth during that time to inform Thor that he is to remain in exile and you mentioned that the burden is now yours to bear in his stead. However things started to escalate after that time. Thor and the Warriors Three had to put an end to it before things got out of hand, Odin had awoken by that point, but you had given up, falling off the Rainbow bridge in the end." She continues speaking gently, but he clearly knew how to keep his emotions masked well.

"We never imagined after grieving after the fall that he would come back and reap havoc over New York." Thor pipes up, his words are spoken with weight to them, yet it angers Loki due to his choice of words.

"I HAD NO CHOICE!" Loki yells, as he stands up abruptly and points his finger at Thor. The brothers continued to argue for several minutes, The Therapist trying her best to calm things down, but Odin was losing his patients and began to head out. "Where do you think you're going?! You promised Mother you'd also stay until the end." Loki throws Odin's words back at him and he knows he has him for that.

"Can we all just take a deep breath and sit down?" The Therapist says, as she stood up herself now and put her hands out to gesture for there to be calmness now. Odin grumbled to himself but remained standing near the door, Thor settled down as if he had been scolded like a child, whereas Loki took a little longer before sitting back down this time. "I understand that therapy isn't easy, but things won't change if you don't try...now Loki in your own words calmly explain as to why you didn't have a choice about the events in New York." She continues to say and hopes they will get somewhere as long as Loki cooperates.

Loki's jaw tightens as he contemplates what he should say. He's never been the one to talk civilly about anything to do with emotions, the lack of anyone being in his corner, but also his struggles of dealing with the consequences of his actions. The room is silent for the most part, Odin clearly impatient in the back of the room, but all eyes are on Loki. The Therapist can see he is struggling internally about how to address this topic and therefore she gently reaches out her hand and places it on his arm for encouragement.

"I don't enjoy hurting people...I-I don't enjoy it. I do it because I have to...because I've had to. It's a part of the illusion...it's the cruel elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear...when you have nothing else left to lose and at your most vulnerable state anyone can bend your mind to do their bidding. Your own thoughts are murky and crossed with someone else's ideology while you're being both physically and mentally tortured...you lose yourself. You don't want to do it, but you have no choice." The pain in Loki's voice was evident to what he's been through and having to do it alone. The hefty weight he has been burdened with and the consequences from those actions have all come to a broken shell of man he once was.

A shimmer of green covered around Loki for a few seconds, the walls of an illusion he had created came down, revealing a much more dishevelled Loki. His hair unkempt, his clothes baggy and torn, his face much paler than usual, his eyes bloodshot and dark circles beneath them. Thor's eyes widened in shock and his jaw lowered, he had no idea, seeing his younger brother in this state after what he said hurt him deeply. Odin showed very little in light of everything. Not that Loki expected anything from revealing the truth.