Brotherhood - Loki & Thor ♡

47. beechwood fires are bright and clear

Human AU

Thor thought Loki had long cut him out of his life. He had no idea he was his brother's emergency contact. After all these years.

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Thor and Loki hadn't spoken a word to each other ever since Loki accidentally stumbled upon the truth about himself being adopted. The shock and betrayal drove him into packing his things, leaving and never coming back. Frigga tried to contact him, and so did Thor and Odin, though all their attempts were no use. Eventually, with heavy hearts, they accepted Loki was gone for good.

Today marked 10 years since Loki left. Both Odin and Frigga died long ago, and so it was just Thor living alone in the house that was once full of love and laughter. Thor still thought about them sometimes: his parents and his brother, blood mattered not. He stopped the second he caught his mind traveling back to the good old days. Those days were gone, thinking about them wouldn't turn back time and make everything okay. Better to move on, better to live his life and not looking back. (Wasn't that what Thor had been telling himself for years?)

It was thirty minutes past midnight. Thor was asleep when the phone on his nightstand table chimed. He rubbed his eyes and reached clumsily for it, the screen's brightness too intense it blinded him for a moment. Thor narrowed his eyes to get a better look, the caller ID wasn't familiar. So he, at first, thought it was some random chick, considering the fact he gave out his number to all the bimbos he met at every nightclub he went.

He groaned and almost, just almost, sat the phone back down and went back to sleep. He had a second thought, for some reason, and picked up before its last ring.

"Hello," said Thor. His voice hoarse and clearly half-asleep. If this one some random bitch trying to have some sort of a random dirty phone sex with him, he was so hanging up.

"Mister Thor Odinson?" The voice was of a woman, not some teenager looking for a 'Sugar Daddy' -- Thor could detect the maturity in her voice, the formal and firmness.

"Speaking," Thor propped on his elbow. Maybe it was worth his attention.

"Mister Odinson, I'm calling from Chicago Memorial Hospital. Your brother, Loki Odinson, has been in a car accident -"

"Wait wait wait, hold up, what?" Thor got up all the way to sitting. At this point he was fully awake. Loki? Is this some kind of a sick joke?

"He was in a car accident and is -"

"Is he okay?" Thor cut her off.

"He's alive but is in a surgery. I'm not allowed to disclose any more specific information over the phone call, but you are his emergency contact person. I'd strongly advise your presence here as soon as possible, sir."

"I'm coming," and that was it. Thor hung up and rushed to the wardrobe, picking out the nearest coat his hand could reach. In his head dozens of questions and he couldn't think straight. Loki is in the hospital. Loki in a car accident. Loki - Thor hadn't heard someone say his name aloud in years, especially after their parents died. Sometimes it felt as though Loki, too, were a ghost -- just like Mom and Dad. And suddenly, with no warning, he got a call in the middle of the night, telling him Loki was fighting for his life. It all felt so very surreal.

You are his emergency contact, that probably felt even more surreal. Thor had spent a whole decade thinking his brother hated him, that he wanted nothing to do with him and their family.