Fury had told him to stay out of the cage.

"We can't risk letting Loki out," he'd said. "And we can't risk losing the closest connection to him we've got, either."

Thor had promised to listen.

He won't.

Loki's walking around his containment cell when Thor steps into the room. He's changed a lot over the last year. Even just the way he carries himself is different. He's no longer the timid little brother he'd once been. He's stronger now. He's more confident. He's less remorseful.

He seems unbothered by the cage he's stuck in. It's large enough to walk around. It has a bench to sit on. That seems to be enough for him. It lacks the extravagance of the world they'd once lived in together, but he doesn't care. That's not his world anymore. He's made that perfectly clear.

Thor stands before him, and it's only when he stops walking that Loki does the same. He faces away from his brother, gazing out through the glass at the dreary grays surrounding them. He doesn't speak, he doesn't acknowledge Thor's presence, but he knows he's not alone.

"Loki." He keeps the name short, clipped. The lack of amity is almost unheard of between them. Right now, he couldn't imagine it any other way.

"Thor." He's less curt, more smarmy. He finally turns around, the movement slow, strong. A chillingly empty smile grows on his face. "So happy to see me, you couldn't stay away."

"Enough with your games, brother."

Loki chuckles. "On the contrary," he says. "The games have only just begun."

Thor narrows his eyes. "You think this is funny?"

"Oh, absolutely," Loki says, his eyes lighting up at the question. "You ally yourself with these men, these mortals, as though they could possibly match my power, my allies' power." He shakes his head condescendingly. "You don't know what you've started, brother, but I very much look forward to you finding out."

Alright, that's enough. Thor drops Mjolnir to the ground, the sound ringing throughout the room. He opens up the door that separates them. It seems Fury was worried over nothing, because Loki doesn't try to escape. Instead, he saunters backward, giving Thor more than enough time and space to join him. As Thor steps inside, the door closes behind him. He's sure someone is going to come after him, likely to tell him off. When he's ready to leave, they can open the door for him. Until then, it's just Thor and Loki, together at last.

Loki spreads his arms, a cocky smile on his lips. "Now what?" he asks. "A fight, perhaps? No weapons, evenly matched?"

Thor shakes his head. "I am not fighting you."

"No?" he asks, exaggerating his surprise. "After all I've done, you won't do me the honor of even a single punch?"

Thor just looks at him, at the shell of a god in front of him. He hardly recognizes him. His eyes are sunken in, his face shining with sweat. That mischievous smirk on his lips he's grown to love is tainted by something darker, a shadow in his eyes. This isn't his brother. Not the one he knew.

"What happened to you?" Thor asks quietly.

Loki barks a laugh. "What happened to me?" he echoes back. "I've grown, brother. I've seen all the darkest secrets this universe holds, all the power it's hidden. I've been given a new purpose; one far more important than anything the Allfather had planned."

"By whom?" Thor asks. "Who showed you this darkness? Who stole my brother from me?"

Loki scoffs. "Who stole me?" he repeats. "Nobody stole me, Thor. You pushed me away! You sent me down this path, and you can't take that back now. Not moments before I find greatness."

"I never pushed you away, Loki," Thor says, his words slow, cautious. "I tried to help you. I did everything I could to hold onto you, even when you fought to get away." He takes a step toward his brother, who takes a step back. "I never wanted this for you. I don't think you did, either. So who did this?"

"You want to assign blame?" Loki chuckles dryly. "Oh, there is plenty of blame to go around. How about the Allfather, for lying to me all these years? For building me up to something he'd never let me be? For striking me down as soon as I'd achieved it?"

Thor shakes his head. "Loki..."

"Or the people of Asgard, who never gave me an ounce of respect," he continues. "Me, their prince, scoffed at everywhere I went. Because I was never you, because my power far exceeded yours in ways they never thought to look."

Thor lets out a long breath. He wishes he could say this isn't true, assure his brother that their people never felt this way, but how does he know? He never looked. He never cared. How is he supposed to know what really happened?

"I could go on," Loki says. "Your girlfriend, perhaps?" He practically spits the word at him. "The lovely Jane Foster?"

Thor's hands ball in fists by his side. "You know nothing about her."

"Oh, I know everything about her," Loki says. "Dr. Selvig loves to talk. He told me more than I could possibly want to know."

Thor grits his teeth and marches up to him. This time, Loki doesn't try to step away. "You stay away from her."

"Oh, I disagree," Loki says, his smirk only growing. "She seems like a lovely woman, very smart. I think she would make a wonderful partner — perhaps even, once I ascend to my throne, a queen."

Thor shoves his shoulders, pushing him into the wall behind him. "Do not touch her," he growls.

Loki just laughs, almost manic in his glee. "Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" he says, mocking. "You know, brother, when I'm done here, when I'm done with you, I think I'll pay her a visit. It's about time we met, don't you think?"

"If you lay a hand upon her," Thor hisses, "I will kill you."

"She must feel so lonely, knowing you've abandoned her," Loki drawls. "She must be desperate for companionship, for someone who would never leave her. Another god, perhaps." He rests a hand on his brother's shoulder, his voice filled with insincerity. "Don't worry, brother. I'll take good care of her."

He doesn't think.

He just does it.

Thor raises his fist and throws it at Loki's face. His head bounces back against the wall, and his knees buckle, taking him down to the floor. Thor looks down at him, but he's oblivious, lying limp with his eyes closed. He wishes he could say he felt even the slightest ounce of regret, but he doesn't.

He turns around and looks up at the camera watching over them. "Somebody come down and open this door." He knows they're watching. They're not going to take their eyes off of him as long as he's here.

Thor walks up to the door and waits. He's sure it won't be too long. They don't want him in here any more than he wants to be here.

There's a quiet groan behind him, and Thor turns around to see Loki very slowly waking up. He pushes himself up, sitting with his back against the wall. Thor is about to turn back around, to make it clear that he's given Loki the last second chance he's going to get, but then Loki says his name. And there's something off about it. It's different. It's... nicer.

Thor furrows his brows. "Loki?" Is this a trick? Another game of some sort?

"Thor?" Loki says again, his voice uncharacteristically quiet, even for a normal day. He groans and pushes himself up closer to the wall. He leans forward, almost curling in on himself. "Brother, I don't feel so good."

Thor slowly approaches him, watching his every move carefully and keeping an eye out for any trap he may be setting. Loki doesn't seem to notice. He squeezes his eyes shut and rubs them harshly.

Thor crouches down in front of him. "Loki? Are you okay?"

"I don't..." Loki slowly lowers his hand to his lap. He leans back again, his head resting against the wall. "I don't know." He presses the back of his hand to his head. "You punched me."

"You deserved it," Thor says simply.

Loki gives a small nod. "I deserved a lot worse than that." He runs his hand down his face and drops it into his lap, his gaze following suit. He lets out a long breath. "What am I doing?"

Thor looks at him questioningly. "What?"

Loki raises his gaze to meet his brother's. "I don't know what I'm doing," he says. "Why I'm..." He shakes his head to himself. "I don't know." He pulls his knees into his chest and rests his forehead against them. "I don't know."

"Thor."

Thor looks over his shoulder. Natasha stands by the control panel, looking at him expectantly. Thor shakes his head and waves her off. He's changed his mind. He's not leaving yet.

"Thor, let's go," she repeats, more firmly this time.

Loki lifts his head to look at her. He sighs and looks over at Thor. "You don't have to stay."

"I'm staying," Thor says firmly. That's not up for debate.

He crawls next to his brother, pressing his back up against the glass. Loki looks over at him, an eyebrow raised, his surprise clear on his face. It's not just surprise, though. It's... relief.

Natasha looks at the two of them for a few moments, then shakes her head and walks out. It's nice of her. He'd begun to wonder if she was going to try to drag him out. She wasn't going to succeed, but it would have been annoying if she'd tried.

Loki wraps his arms around himself. He rests his head back against the wall and squeezes his eyes shut. He seems to change his mind because he opens them again, only to blink rapidly quite a few times. He settles down after that, his eyes almost seeming to glaze over as he looks up at the ceiling.

"Loki?" Thor asks quietly. "Are you finally done with these games?"

"I hardly know what games I was playing," he admits. "Or why, or..." He sighs and hugs himself tighter. "I don't know."

Thor sighs. He puts a hand on his brother's thigh, what he hopes is a comforting gesture. "What happened to you, brother?"

Loki gives a small shake of his head. "A lot."

Thor looks over at him, waiting for him to continue. He's not sure he expects it to work, but he doesn't know what else to say if it doesn't.

But after a long pause, Loki does keep talking. "It's all a blur," he admits. "I can't remember what I... " He trails off, then starts again. "He said this would be my day of triumph. Looking at it now, all the broken pieces lying about, I fail to see what aspect was supposed to be triumphant."

"Who said that?" Thor asks, maybe a bit too quickly.

Loki wraps his arms around his legs and lowers his gaze until he's looking straight in front of him. "I can't feel anything."

Thor furrows his brows. "What?"

"But I feel so much," Loki continues. His stare goes blank as he speaks. "Everything is numb, but it hurts. And I don't understand... I feel as though I'm not here, as though this body isn't my own; my thoughts aren't my own." He lets out a shaky breath. "I don't think I know who I am anymore."

Thor doesn't quite know what to do. After a beat, he gently puts an arm around his brother's shoulders, almost a hug of a sort. Loki looks over at him, his eyes shining in the light. Thor swears he sees tears forming. He tries to convince himself he's wrong.

"You're my brother," Thor says quietly. "You're Loki Odinson, God of Mischief. You're the son of Odin and of Frigga; the lost prince of Asgard That's who you are. Not whatever ruthless monster you've been parading about as."

Loki drops his head forward and wraps his arms around himself. "I don't feel so good."

Thor eyes him warily. He wants to believe this. He really does. But at the same time, he knows his brother. He knows his tricks know no bounds, that he can lie his way into and out of anything. So he has to ask, even though he knows the answer he'll get and he knows its sincerity will be questionable, "Are you truly done with this madness?"

Loki gives him a small nod, almost imperceptible. "I think so." He swallows hard. "I hope so."

"Alright," Thor says. He'll trust him. He doesn't know what to do if he can't. "What hurts?"

"Everything," Loki says quietly. "He left no stone unturned."

"Who did?" Thor asks. "Who hurt you?"

Loki shakes his head. "I can't."

"Loki..."

"I can't," he repeats, more forcefully than before. "You don't understand. You don't—" His voice cracks, and he cuts himself off. He hugs himself tighter.

"Okay." Thor gives his shoulders a gentle squeeze. "What can I do?"

"I don't know," Loki says, his voice barely a whisper. "I just want to feel okay again."

Thor looks down at him sympathetically. This is no more the Loki he knows than that cold, violent monster that had been standing here just a few minutes earlier. He's never seen him like this. He's hurt. He's scared. He's broken. And there's nothing Thor can do to fix him.

They just sit there together for a long while. Eventually, Loki closes his eyes, his breathing slowing considerably, but every now and then, his eyes flutter open, assuring his brother, albeit indirectly, that he's not asleep quite yet. He finds himself hoping that won't last. He's sure a nap would do his brother some good.

After a while, Loki says quietly, "I feel cold."

Thor furrows his brows. "It's fairly warm in here." He's actually vaguely sweaty beneath his armor.

"Is it?" Loki asks absently. "I just feel cold."

"Is that normal for you?" Thor asks. "Because you're..." He trails off, hoping Loki will finish the sentence for him. Loki looks at him questioningly, so, against his better judgment, Thor finishes with a very hesitant, "Jotun?"

Loki doesn't seem to take offense to that. He looks away, staring straight ahead as he answers, "It wasn't always," he says. "For the longest time, I rarely felt cold, but now..." He shakes his head helplessly. "I hardly remember what warmth feels like."

Thor sighs. It's become increasingly apparent since his coronation that Loki's not okay, but now? His heart aches for his brother. He's never seen him so broken; so damaged. He longs to help him, to comfort him, but how? He hardly knows what's wrong; just that it's torn him apart.

"Have you been eating well?" Thor asks. "Could you be cold because you're starved?" He certainly looks it. His pale, lifeless skin; his sunken features. It's not just his mind that has been mistreated.

"I don't know," Loki says. "It feels... different. It's not physical; it's..." He shakes his head.

"Do you want to eat something?" Thor asks. "Maybe you'll feel better."

"No," Loki says without a moment of hesitation. "No, the mere thought of eating makes me nauseous."

"Okay," Thor says. That's okay. That's fine. So what now? "Do you want a drink?" he asks. "Water, or...?"

Loki looks over at him with a tired smile. "I could go for a martini."

Thor smiles back in spite of himself. "I don't know if that is a good idea."

"No, probably not," Loki agrees.

Growing more serious, he asks, "What do you want to do? Truly?"

Loki sighs. "I don't know," he admits. "I suppose that in a perfect world, I would like to go home, but I imagine that's not an option."

"It is."

Loki shakes his head. "I don't mean the dungeon," he says. "I want to go home. I should never have thrown my life away. I was far happier living in your shadow than I am now, thrust in a spotlight I never wanted."

"Loki, you can come home," Thor insists. "Father asked me to bring you back no matter the cost. Dead or alive, he wanted to put an end to your chaos."

Loki nods solemnly.

"But he and Mother agreed that if you were to return willingly and show remorse for your actions, you would be welcomed back with open arms."

Loki's eyes widen. "They did?"

Thor nods. "I cannot promise cooperation from the rest of our people, but our parents want nothing more than to put this behind us, and I find myself in agreement." He gives his brother a small smile. "You can come home."

Loki smiles, his eyes welling up with tears. "Thank you," he whispers. "Thank you so much."

"Of course." Thor gives him a small smile. "I would do anything for you, brother. You know that."

"I do," Loki agrees. He rests his head on his brother's shoulder and closes his eyes. "I really do."