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“A suit? Seriously, Loki?”
Loki gave Thor’s outfit a dismissive glance and sniffed. “Some of us do have standards, you know.”
Thor decided to let the matter drop. When he’d imagined his brother by his side once more, he’d somehow forgotten all the habits that had annoyed him down the years. The on-going competition with Fandral for who was the most stylish in Odin’s court, no matter the situation, had always topped the list. Instead, he turned his attention to the neighborhood they were moving into.
Strange had been more or less helpful – not that Thor had understood much of the conversation. Loki had done the talking for both of them, his conversation with the sorcerer taking on the tone of “We’re having a deep philosophical discussion of eldritch matters which impact the universe beyond your ken” that seemed to occur any time two mages met. Either that or it was the usual pissing contest two enormous egos had to go through before one could transfer the requested information to the other.
So, so many things he’d forgotten about questing with Loki.
At his side, Loki looked a bit unsettled. “You’re smiling. Why are you smiling? It always means trouble when you smile like that.”
Thor knew that tone as well, and this one made him smile all the more. “I was just thinking, remembering,” he said, letting the “umbrella” he carried swing up so the handle rested against his shoulder. “I like the idea of making Mjolnir look like an umbrella. One of your better illusions, brother.”
Loki didn’t look as if he was certain Thor wasn’t about to suddenly change their agreed upon plan, but he did accept the compliment. “Funny how much your skill improves when you’re maintaining an illusion all the time. It can be very useful.“
He pulled out his phone and tapped at the screen several times. “We are apparently almost there. Just about halfway down this block, then turn right. That’s the location Strange gave us.” Slipping the device back into the inner breast pocket of his suit jacket, Loki added, “You do understand this is simple technology, not magic. You could do it if you tried.”
“I understand what Google Maps are, Loki. You’ve just always been better at reading such things. That’s why either you or Hogun acted as guides when we were traveling.”
“At least I was more communicative about where I was leading us.”
“When it suited you.”
“Or Volstagg or Fandral shut up long enough for me to be heard. Or Sif stopped trying to tell me which direction I should be leading us in even if she hadn’t glanced at the map – or been in that location before.”
Thor considered for a moment. “Point taken. She always was a back seat driver. I’ll explain later,” he said at Loki’s curious look. “A bad habit Darcy pulls on Jane. You’re certain this is the place? It’s an alley.”
“Strange said it is not uncommon for the homeless to gather here.”
That brought Thor to a stop. “Time for truth, Loki. You’ve sworn Father is here on Midgard, but you’ve shared precious little detail of how he got here and why you sought the help of this Stephen Strange. Matters were urgent enough that I did not press, but what did you do?”
He expected shifting, words that would tell half a story and omit some important detail that might later, as Stark was fond of saying, come back to bite them in the butt. He expected excuses, pleas that this was not the moment, all the verbal tricks Loki was so expert in using.
Instead, Loki quite calmly said, “Because when I overpowered the old goat and banished him from Asgard, I stripped him of his powers.”
A spell Thor remembered all too well. “Why?” was his only question.
“Because it would keep him out of the way, make it difficult for Heimdall to find him, and I didn’t have to worry about him suddenly reappearing when he’d stopped grieving himself to death for Mother.” A pause. “Also, I thought it might be nice if he knew what he did to you felt like. Maybe learn a little humility in the process. That was his stated purpose in sending you to Midgard, wasn’t it?”
There was something in Loki’s tone that was a little too innocent — and more than a little mischievous. The situation was dire, the fate of the realms hung in the balance, and Thor knew he should be appalled at his brother’s actions. And yet…
He couldn’t help the small curl of satisfaction deep within him, feeling as if he’d somehow gotten some of his own back by Odin suffering just as he had. That feeling would likely dissipate the moment he saw his father, but here and now, it flared brightly. “I have missed you, brother,” he said, taking some satisfaction in the slight upward curl at one corner of Loki’s mouth. “It has been too long.”
Loki’s smile grew broader for a moment, then he looked down the block toward the alley. “So, after we rescue our sad excuse for a father and save the universe, I suppose you’ll play the dutiful warrior of Asgard and clap me in chains to be hauled back to the dungeons to await whatever fate Odin has for me this time. It’ll like be the block – Mother will not be there to plead mercy.”
“I am sworn to serve Asgard and my king,” Thor replied. “But if you play your part with honor, help me save the realms and resist the urge to stab Father in the back at the first – or second – opportunity, you might find the bonds are not as tight as they perhaps should be and my back will have to be turned at some point.”
Stepping forward, he laid a hand on Loki’s black-clad shoulder. “If we prevent this, there is still Thanos to deal with, and no one on Earth has more information regarding him than you. There is a place for you here, and work to be done.”
“Barton would not think any information I have worth keeping me alive.”
“Steve and I will handle Barton.”
Loki snorted at the very idea but made no move to remove Thor’s hand from his shoulder. “You may doubt Captain Rogers,” Thor said, “but he understands as well as I the bond between brothers. He will help me keep you from Father’s wrath, as well as Barton and the others. If you will not believe I would do it willingly, then believe I would do it for Mother’s sake.”
For a long moment, Loki searched his face, seeking any hint of falsehood. At last, though, he sighed. “You are still a sentimental fool. But I have missed you as well.”
Now he grinned broadly, the grin Thor remembered of old. “Let’s go find the old bastard and be heroes.”