Brotherhood - Loki & Thor ♡

52. we could steal time

With Odin dead and Asgard gone, Thor found the great responsibility lie heavily on his shoulders; the people whose lives depended on him, New Asgard that barely looked anything like a kingdom, more like temporary tents, the fact he had to start it all over. Every thing his father built over the million of years, gone in the blink of an eye.

Thor barely took care of himself, if not at all, and it'd taken a toll on him.

Loki would not have any of that.

///

"I thought you said you'd be back before night,"

"Huh?" Thor gave him a quick glance without stopping, already heading toward his office, or what was the closest thing to an office in their house -- no, not a house, a little cottage would be more accurate -- in the isolated part of Norway where their father took his last breath and their people now resided. Thor and Loki lived together, not because they were so fond of each other but because each other was all they had left. No, they didn't say those words aloud, but they knew and here they were; tolerating each other like normal, mortal siblings instead of two literal Norse Gods.

"It's nine, Thor. You didn't show up for dinner." Loki's arms were crossed over his chest. He wouldn't admit, but he'd been waiting for his brother to come home, because Norns knew if Thor, and his hot temper, somehow got himself into trouble. Loki had been doing that for... he'd been doing that ever since they established their new lives here.

"Got busy." Thor responded, shortly. Then disappeared into his so-called office where he spent hour after hour locking himself in there busying with paper work, plans to make, schedule to arrange for meetings with the governments; all for their people, of course. Odin may have gained Asgard her glory by wars, but if Thor wished to live on Midgard, winning a battle wasn't how they earned wealth and respect, not here, or at least not anymore.

"Did you eat?" Loki stood in the doorway of Thor's office, arms crossed over his chest (as always), his brother already seated himself behind that desk, drowning in those pile of paper required his signature.

"I ate," Thor said, without looking up to meet Loki's eyes, his hands fumbling for a pan he was sure was somewhere on the table, among these documents.

"Really?" Loki rose an eyebrow. Thor had always been bad at lying, it was almost pathetic. "I made beef stew. It's probably turned cold now, but I can warm it up for you —"

"Really, Loki," Thor cut him off. "Besides, I'm not hungry."

"You didn't eat this morning, either."

"You know I was in a hurry."

"Yes, I know. You were always busy and in a hurry," ever since you become king, was held back.

Thor sighed. He put the pen, he'd just finally found, down, and eventually looked at Loki. The look on Thor's face wasn't that of annoyance, like it should've been in any other situation, but rather exhaustion. "They need to feel... safe, our people. Safe and secure with the assurance of stability. They need to know they can count on me, I need to give them those reassurance, I am their king and I lost them all their home. I need to," Thor paused, his voice cracked though Loki pretended not to notice. "I need to gain back those trust. I need to give them this... home. They cannot stray, not anymore."

"You don't have to gain back their trust," Loki said, and Thor huffed an air out like he tried to feign laugh. The bitterness expression on his worn out face was present and vivid, though. "For you've never lost it." Loki added, that seemed to somehow catch Thor off guard.

"Their home is eternally burning in space. I wouldn't hold a grudge against them, should they were to have doubt in me as their king." If anything Thor sounded tired. They would've started an argument that turned into a heated fight, if Thor hadn't been so exhausted.