Work Text:
“I’m here.”
At first, Thor simply stared. Thrice now he had thought his brother lost and yet there Loki stood, scarcely more than an arm’s length away.
Thor took half a step forward, then hesitated. Despite his earlier words it had been many years since he had freely embraced his brother and he was loathe to threaten the fragile peace between them.
The days since the fall of Asgard had passed in a haze of fear and grief. Secretly, Thor had despaired of his ability to lead his people through the darkness. He worried that he could not be the king they needed, not as he struggled to come to grips with the loss of everything he had ever known. But his brother was here, he was safe – his family was not gone, not all of it.
In the space of a breath Thor crossed the room, reservations forgotten, and gathered his brother in his arms. For a long moment Loki stood frozen, then with a sudden, shuddering breath he reached up to return the embrace, clutching fiercely at Thor’s ruined cape.
When they finally broke apart, Thor clasped one hand tenderly against Loki’s neck. “Welcome home, little brother.”
Odin had been right. Home was not a place, but it could be a person.