Archive of Our Own

Thor’s head was still spinning when his jet touched back down in Norway just after 5pm.

Almost immediately, his phone buzzed and lit up with a text message where it was sat on the table beside him, and Thor felt himself tense automatically at the sound, before he clenched his eye briefly shut, willing his heart rate to slow as he reminded himself for what felt like the millionth time that it was over.

The texts, the pictures and messages and thrice damned videos.

It was over, now.

Not that this made him feel particularly better, as it had still been allowed to happen, in the first place.

Thor swallowed, before opening his eye again and forcing himself to pick the phone up.

If he hadn’t necessarily been comfortable with the device before, he certainly wasn’t now. And, Thor considered as he clumsily attempted to unlock the phone, the only reason he hadn’t smashed it into multiple pieces already was because he needed it in order to keep the Valkyrie updated on the status of his return.

That, and, should Loki need to call and talk to him again, he would be readily available.

Now, Thor frowned down at the few texts on his homescreen.

One from Stark, which simply read, ‘Make it back home okay, Point Break? Keep me updated on baby brother. Miss you already xx’

In spite of the worry churning in his gut, Thor smiled slightly at the text.

It had, after all, been Stark who had watched as Thor had opened the first text from...from Loki’s attackers, taken one look at his face, and promptly began to make arrangements to fly Thor back to Norway on one of his personal jets.

“You don’t have to tell me anything.” Tony had interrupted, when Thor had floundered to make excuses for his hastily prepared departure. “Just--Do what you gotta do, big guy.”

For all intents and purposes, the Avengers did not technically know that Loki was on Midgard, and had been for the better part of the past two years.

Which, of course, meant that everybody on the team knew, to some extent.

The subject remained carefully avoided, however, with Stark being the only one to really push the envelope, occasionally, by taking Thor side to ask how “Rock of Ages” was doing, or moaning exaggeratedly about how they could use a “wizard” on the team, on the rare occasion that they were faced with magical threats.

In return, Thor had been careful to keep his replies to noncommittal hums or small, silent smiles, though in truth he was relieved by the flippancy.

It meant that Stark, at the very least, did not feel threatened by Loki’s presence on Midgard, and therefore Thor did not have to waste any time worrying about the Avengers charging into New Asgard to vanquish the “threat” that was his brother.

Not that Loki would have posed much of a threat in his current state.

The thought drawing him roughly back to reality, Thor felt the smile drop off his face, and he tapped out a quick affirmative reply to Stark, before moving on to view his other messages.

There were two, both from the Valkyrie. The first read, ‘he’s sleeping now. don’t worry. any updates?’

The second text, however, seemingly sent a few hours after the first, was what made Thor’s frown grow, his stomach tightening slightly as he read the words over again.

‘any chance you’re coming back soon?’ it read.

The question was posed casually enough, though Thor knew Val well enough to read the tension behind the wording.

Had she spoken the words out loud, he considered, it would have been with a forced air of flippancy, as if she was digging for an answer without trying to be particularly obvious about it.

‘Back in Norway,’ he tapped out quickly, hesitated, then added, ‘is he alright?’ before hitting the send button.

Not a minute later, the phone buzzed again, and Thor felt his stomach turn slightly at the words on the screen there.

‘he’s awake. asking for you. don’t worry.’

The words, unsurprisingly enough, did little to quell the worry fluttering between Thor’s ribs, the feeling only increasing as he deboarded the plane and piled into the car Stark had waiting for him just outside.

‘Does he need to talk?’ Thor typed back, nodding at the stoic driver with a small smile as they began to travel back toward New Asgard.

He bounced his phone nervously between his hands, and half expected it to ring at any moment.

The moment did not come, however, nor did Val’s reply, not for another 10 minutes at least, at which point Thor was toying with the idea of simply giving in and making the call himself.

A temptation that was not at all helped by the reply he’d finally received.

‘just get here.’

With a low exhale of a breath, Thor allowed himself to lean forward, dropping his face into one hand and rubbing wearily at the skin around his eyepatch.

Breathe, he reminded himself. Loki was alright.

Scratch that, he thought with a thick swallow. Loki was home, and would be alright. That was all that mattered, now.

Just breathe.

---

By the time she could make out the faint outline of headlights bobbing on the horizon outside the window in Thor’s living room, the Valkyrie was shocked that she had not worn a hole into the carpet with all her restless pacing.

“That him?” she questioned, and turned on her heel to shoot a questioning look at where Heimdall was stood in the corner of the room, his arms crossed over his chest and a steely expression on his face.

How he had managed to remain still for the past several hours, Val would never be able to guess.

“It is.” Heimdall informed with a small nod, and pushed himself off the wall behind to cross the room.

“I will go greet him.”

Unfair, Val thought, irritation making her want to argue the declaration petulantly.

Rationally, however, she knew it was the best move.

Though Loki had only awoken a handful of times since their return to the village, and only for a couple minutes at most, each time, he had not reacted particularly well to either of their presences, or their efforts to get him to calm.

However, in his half delirious state, he clearly considered the Valkyrie less of a threat (though Norns knew why), his hysteria at Heimdall’s continued presence escalating to the point of him screeching about the Gatekeeper being a “traitor to the throne”, at one point, before he had toppled forward and passed out dramatically, seeming to have no memory of the outburst, when he awoke the next time.

However, Heimdall had not made another effort to engage with the frightened prince, following the incident, though he seemed anything but offended by the words.

“If Prince Loki is made uncomfortable by my presence,” he had informed the Valkyrie, when she had expressed exasperation at his continued lack of assistance. “Then I would not wish to aggravate him further.”

And, as much as she did not care to, Val had to admit that he’d had a point.

So for the past three hours or so, it had been her against Loki, and she could feel herself slowly starting to edge toward a sort of hysteria of her own, as the time crawled by.

This was not all helped by the fact that, each time Loki reawoke, it seemed there was something new to anticipate.

The first time he’d done so had been less than an hour after they’d arrived back in New Asgard, and had somehow managed to get Loki out of the truck and back into the house between them, before settling him on the sofa with his quilt tucked tightly over the top of him.

At the time, Val had allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief, the last of the tension that had begun to tighten her shoulders when they’d first discovered Loki missing finally beginning to leave her.

She could remember, now, thinking that the worst was behind them, and nearly barked a humorless laugh at her own naivety.

When Loki had awoken the first time, his gaze had still been distant, eyes glassy as he peered around the living area, as if hardly comprehending where he was or how he’d gotten there.

“Highness?” Val had called, softly, and leaned forward in an attempt to catch Loki’s wayward gaze. “How are you feeling?”

Loki had blinked sluggishly, his shoulders vaguely trembling as he inhaled slowly.

Then, abruptly, he let out a sharp, frightened yelp, his eyes going wide as he jerked forward and toppled off the sofa.

“Hey!” Val had cried, though before she could move to help Loki to his feet, she was tossed backward by a clumsy thrust of magic, weak enough that she was simply sent skidding a few feet backward and left slightly winded.

Though, had Loki been focussing even a bit more, Val had no doubt that the strike easily could have killed her.

The thought making her pulse speed, somewhat, Val had stretched out a tentative hand, attempting to calm Loki where he was sat across the room, shoulders hunched and shaking, his face all but hidden behind a curtain of dark, tangled curls.

“Hey,” she repeated, quieter now, and did not miss the way Loki tensed visibly at the word. “Lackey. Just--”

She did not get the chance to finish the sentence, for not a second later there was a distant popping sound, before the glass of water she’d placed on the nightstand beside the sofa shattered, thin shards of glass and water spraying out across the room.

“Hey!” she cried a third time, and opened her mouth, still unsure of whether she meant to reprimand or soothe.

In the end, she didn’t get the chance to do either.

Loki had sat bolt upright, his face sheet white and eyes wide and slightly wild, and stared at the now shattered glass for just a moment before his eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped forward like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Val had allowed herself to eye his now limp form warily for another long moment, before moving forward with a sigh to lift him back onto the sofa.

From there, each brief period of wakefulness had only gotten more exhausting, Loki alternating between waking up screaming, sobbing, or fiercely angry.

The last option was, by far, becoming her least favorite. Both she and Heimdall had had to dodge a number of blows and strikes of magic, over the past few hours, Loki snarling and spitting curses as he fought their efforts to restrain him.

(And Norns, Val thought, even she was somewhat appalled at the manner of curses that had spewed forth from Loki’s mouth.

Those he had definitely not learned anywhere near Asgard. The All-Mother would have fainted dead away).

At one point, Loki had grown agitated enough to bare his teeth and nearly bite her, taking advantage of her brief moment of distraction to conjure a dagger and surging forward in an attempt to drive it into his injured forearm.

Val had been able to recover herself quickly enough to spring forward and disarm Loki seconds before the blade pierced his skin, though his falling back into unconsciousness that time had had less to do with fainting, and more with her elbowing him in the temple with just enough force.

It was after this particular incident that the Valkyrie, sat on the floor beside the sofa and breathing roughly through her nose, had sent her first text to Thor.

Over the course of the afternoon, she had attempted valiantly to refrain from texting the king for one of two reasons; one, she knew that he would not receive any of the texts while in the air, anyway.

And two, she knew that he was, more likely than not, already working himself up past the point of rational thought, and had no desire to aggravate that.

So she’d left him alone, for the most part, deciding to herself that she would answer any questions and provide updates, when requested. If not, she would not offer any further reason for him to worry.

Which had seemed a perfectly rational course of action, right up until Loki had attempted to stab through his own fucking arm, and all rationality had promptly gone out the window.

Unsurprisingly, Val had not received a reply to the text, and she had concluded that Thor must still be flying.

A worrying concept, considering the fact that Loki had not seemed to improve since their return.

Rather, it seemed that he had only gotten worse.

“It’s like he’s getting stronger, but worse, somehow.” Val had vented to Heimdall, after the Dagger Incident. “His mind’s still a fucking mess, and he doesn’t seem like he recognizes me, but his magic is already stronger than it was an hour ago.”

In reply, Heimdall had simply offered a hum of acknowledgement, his face impassive and his gaze remaining far away.

Not that this was anything new.

So the cycle hand continued, Val alternating between attempting to soothe or, just as frequently, subdue Loki each time he stirred into wakefulness, and pacing by the window in the front room of the house.

The tipping point had come the last time Loki had awoken.

His eyes had been slightly clearer, to Val’s surprise, though the faintly puzzled expression on his face had remained more or less the same.

Well, Val had considered in vague relief, at least he wasn’t screaming.

Fearing that tears were imminent, however, Val had crept forward into the room, both arms already outstretched in what she hoped might be a suitably calming manner.

“Hey, Highness.” she greeted lowly (she’d long since learned the hard way that startling Loki in his current state of mind was a decidedly Bad Idea). “Alright?”

At the words, Loki had tensed slightly, and Val had braced herself in preparation for a fight.

Instead, Loki had lifted his gaze to meet hers, his features waxen and lower lip trembling almost imperceptibly.

“Lackey?” the Valkyrie had inquired, her heart beginning to hammer within her chest as Loki failed to respond beyond a small exhale that ended on what was almost a whimper.

That, or a whispered word that she could not catch.

“What’s that?” she questioned, taking the opportunity to take another step closer to the sofa.

“Thor,”

Val had stumbled to a halt, and felt something within her spasm at the murmur.

For all of his writhing and yelling and cursing, Loki had, to her shock, not once cried out for his brother, yet.

It made sense, she thought distantly, that it was only a matter of time before he did.

“He’s on his way.” she had informed, deciding to take her chances and crossing the last few steps across the room quickly before kneeling beside the sofa. “He’ll be here soon.”

If Loki had heard her, he had made no indication of having done so.

Instead, his next inhale had hitched, before his breaths began to speed, slightly, his chest heaving with the force of them.

“Thor,” he repeated, his eyes flickering wildly about the room, and sounded so small for a moment Val felt her heart twist. “Where is Thor?”

“He’s coming.” Val had repeated, firmly. “Look, I’ll text him.”

She had drawn her phone from her pocket and brandished it, though Loki did not seem to see it, before shooting off her second text to Thor that afternoon.

“There.” she had continued, pocketing the phone again before turning her attention back to where Loki was continuing to struggle visibly for breath. “Now--”

“Where is Thor?” Loki had interrupted her to demand, “He--I need--”

He had broken off, then, his breaths leaving him in sharp wheezes that did not sound near large enough to fill his lungs.

“Lackey,” Val had warned. “Calm down. Loki!” she had added, a bit fearfully, when Loki seemed to choke roughly on an inhale.

“Please--” he had gasped, one tear rolling down his cheek as he squeezed his eyes shut and continued to wheeze. “Thor--”

His next exhale had broken off into a series of rough coughs, and Val was briefly convinced that she’d seen the very edges of his lips tinge blue with the force of the hacking, before he let out a soft groan and fell back into unconsciousness.

Val had stayed on the floor beside the sofa for much longer, this time, replying to Thor’s texts with half her attention, the other half focussed on ensuring that Loki’s breaths had begun to even out into something more reasonable.

It wasn’t the worst of his outbursts, she’d considered, not by far, and yet something about it had decidedly shaken her.

The almost haunted look behind his eyes, maybe, or the way he called out for his brother, not unlike a small child lost in a crowd.

(“I need--” he’d said, before something like terror had stolen his breath from him, though Val didn’t think that she’d have to work too hard to puzzle out the end of the aborted sentence).

(Still, she’d felt a chill crawl up her spine at the memory of the words, and had pushed it away hastily).

After having stuck around long enough to hear enough of Loki’s now deep and even breaths to appease her, for the time being, Val had returned to the front room to resume her pacing.

Which was where she was still, when she caught sight of Thor’s car slowly approaching, relief causing her to release a long breath through her nose as she watched out the window as Heimdall crossed the cliffside to greet him.

She did not move from before the window as she watched Thor and Heimdall exchange a few words--

Nor did she move when Thor turned to face the house, his carefully blank expression just visible in the buttery light of the car’s headlamps.

The Valkyrie felt goosebumps raising on her arms at the sight, though she forced herself to remain in place as she watched Thor striding determinedly across the cliffside toward the house.

“Majesty,” she greeted, when he all but barrelled through the door less than a minute later, still not moving from her spot, though she turned to face him with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

“Val,” Thor greeted, tearing his gaze with obvious reluctance from where it had already landed on the doorway to the back room, and turned to give her a tight nod. “Is he--”

“Asleep, again.” Val informed quickly.

“Right.” Thor nodded absently, again, his gaze already beginning to drift back toward the room even as he continued, “Heimdall said that you’re going somewhere?”

Ah, that. She’d almost forgotten.

“We’ve got an errand.” she informed, turning fully now to cross the room in two strides, and knelt to retrieve her Dragonfang from where she’d left it leaning against the wall before pausing at Thor’s elbow.

“There’s a bit of a mess to clean up.” she added with a small, humorless smirk.

Something flickered behind Thor’s eye at the words, something that made her glad that she was not on the receiving end of whatever it was, and the corners of his mouth tightened almost imperceptibly.

“Right.” he repeated, nodding curtly before turning to face the back room, again. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Val replied airily, and extended a hand to rest it briefly on Thor’s arm. “Glad you’re back, Majesty.”

She skirted past him, then, and paused with her hand on the front door knob.

“He hasn’t eaten.” she informed, over her shoulder. “And I couldn’t get him to drink much.”

Thor only hummed, clearly close to losing the battle with his patience and bolting into the back room, though Val could hear him nodding.

“I--I thank you, Val.” he replied, after a moment, and turned to briefly meet her eyes.

“No problem.” Val repeated with a small smile, before she turned and exited the house entirely.

She hesitated a moment on the front door step, nodding to Heimdall as he pulled up in the truck and taking a moment to fasten her sword at her hip.

On the other side of the now closed front door, Val could just make out the sound of Thor’s retreating footsteps, and felt herself smirk slightly, again.

One thing was for certain;

Loki was in the best hands possible, now.

---

In spite of the eagerness to burst into Loki’s room and lay eyes on his brother for himself Thor had felt beginning to build the second his car had crested the final cliff into New Asgard, he found himself hesitating in the doorway even as the Valkyrie stepped out of the house, the door closing behind her with a soft click.

Almost subconsciously, Thor realized that his palms had begun to sweat, and he clenched both his hands into fists, gritting his teeth against the unpleasant feeling of restlessness that had been dogging him since he’d boarded the jet back home.

With a sharp inhale and a small, grounding shake of his head, Thor forced himself to move forward and into the back room.

Almost as soon as he entered, however, Thor faltered again, his breath stuttering unsteadily from his lungs as his gaze fell on Loki.

Loki, who was sat curled up on the sofa, his head cushioned against the armrest and his dark curls spilling over the side of the cushions.

His face was pinched into a small frown, Thor noted, though his breaths left him easily enough.

And while, true to the Valkyrie’s words, he did not seem to bear any major injuries, there was a bruise mottling the side of his face, as well as a bandage wrapped tightly along the length of his right arm, where the sleeve of his shirt was missing.

Thor felt his stomach turn sickeningly, and he had to bite back the urge to growl out loud at the sight.

They’re dead, he reminded himself as he allowed his eye to slip briefly closed and inhaled a deep, steadying breath. Loki’s home. Loki’s alright, now. And--

A small groan from the sofa drew Thor roughly from his thoughts, and his eye flew open just in time to watch as Loki stirred back into wakefulness, his brows furrowed in confusion as he cast his gaze warily around the room.

Only to pause, practically freezing as his eyes fell to where Thor was still stood with one arm half outstretched, his heart beginning to hammer within his chest.

“Thor?” Loki inquired, hesitantly, as if not entirely certain that Thor was actually there.

As if uncertain that he was actually real, Thor thought somewhat forlornly.

“It’s me.” Thor replied, taking care to keep his tone low and soothing, as he had often done in the past when talking Loki down from a nightmare or spell of panic. “I’m here, now. You’re alright.”

Loki blinked owlishly, his eyes wide and glistening at the corners as his breaths began to grow shallow and trembly.

“You’re safe, Loki.” Thor crooned, and took another small step forward. “You’re home.”

Abruptly, Loki’s expression crumpled, and he curled forward so that his forehead was nearly brushing his knees.

Thor watched, his heart feeling as if it were being broken in two, as his brother inhaled a long, whistling breath, before releasing it on a miserable wail.

Unable to keep still any longer, Thor fell forward, his arms rising to encircle Loki’s shoulders automatically.

“You’re alright.” he whispered, one hand coming up to card gently through Loki’s sweat matted curls. “Shh. Shhh...that’s alright. Just let it out. That’s alright.”

Beside him, Loki curled closer, his face going automatically to tuck into the space between Thor’s neck and shoulder as he barked out another sharp sob.

“You’re brave.” Thor whispered, turning to press a series of soft, near-frantic kisses into the side of Loki’s head when his brother only sobbed again at the words. “So, brave. I’m so proud of you. Shhh.”

“Th--Th--” Loki’s breath hitched audibly, and his chest spasmed where it was pressed to Thor’s.

“I’m sorry.” Thor breathed, and tugged at his hold on Loki until his brother was all but curled in his lap. “I’m so sorry.”

Loki only continued to weep miserably, breaths becoming frantic as he attempted to cling impossibly tighter to Thor’s side, his knees coming up to tuck against his chest and hands tightening almost painfully where they were gripped at Thor’s back.

Not that Thor would have spoken a word of complaint for the world, just then.

“There,” he soothed, his stomach fluttering nervously when Loki did not calm at all. “Shh. Shh, Loki. Brother, you need to breathe.”

In reply, Loki sucked in another sharp, short breath, and shook his head where it was pressed against Thor’s neck.

“C-can’t.” he managed to whisper, the word so quiet Thor had to strain to hear it. “I--I--”

“You can.” Thor replied gently, and shifted to begin rubbing a soothing hand up and down the knobs of Loki’s spine. “With me. Breathe with me.”

It was an exercise they’d practiced many times together, in the past few years, yet Thor could never quite shake the terrifying idea rising at the back of his mind that, maybe this time, Loki would truly not be able to comply, and would slowly suffocate beneath his own panic in Thor’s arms.

Ever insistent upon proving him wrong, however, Loki continued to gasp tremulously for another long moment, before his breaths slowly began to even out to match Thor’s own.

“That’s it.” Thor encouraged lowly, using the hand on Loki’s back to tug him into a tighter embrace as his brother continued to calm. “Well done, Loki. You’re alright. You’re safe. I’m here.”

At the words, Loki trembled violently, before he went abruptly still, and turned to snuffle slightly at the side of Thor’s neck.

“I’m here.” Thor repeated, and turned to press another long kiss to the top of Loki’s head. “I’m here.”

They stayed like that for an indeterminable amount of time, Thor gently rocking Loki and continuing to run one hand gently through his hair, absently working out the tangles with his fingers as he allowed the tightness that had taken up residence between his lungs early that morning to slowly start to bleed out of him.

From where he was laid atop Thor, Loki had gone mostly silent, his now mostly even breaths disrupted only by the occasional, a small hiccup.

Eventually, Thor shifted, noting the way Loki instantly stiffened and clung tighter as he did so, and leaned down to press his lips briefly to Loki’s forehead.

“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” he inquired softly, allowing his voice to fall into something soft and overly-fraternal in a way he rarely did, if only to spare Loki his ever-insistent pride.

Somehow, however, he didn’t think that Loki would raise much of a fuss, this once.

And, true to form, Loki hardly even bothered to hesitate before he was nodding quickly against Thor’s shoulder.

Thor hummed, not bothering to hide the small smile that had wormed its way onto his face, and shifted again as he made to stand.

Despite his agreement not moments before, however, Loki tensed again at the movement, his arms around Thor’s shoulders tightening as he released a small whine of protest.

“You’re alright.” Thor soothed, encircling his arms around Loki’s ribs and allowing him a moment to gather himself. “I’ve got you.”

Loki did not react, though his shoulders had begun to tremble, minutely, again, leaving Thor to gnaw at his lip in worry.

Though it was not a long distance away, Thor was not confident in his ability to get them both to the bedroom without at least some struggle, if Loki continued to cling the way he was.

And, if his previous reaction was anything to go by, Thor did not think that he would be stopping any time soon.

He opened his mouth to say as much, only to falter, an idea forming at the back of his mind before he could stop it.

“Loki,” he began, as softly as he could, and glanced down in an attempt to meet his brother’s eyes. “Do--” he trailed off, and allowed himself another brief moment’s hesitation before he took a deep breath and forged ahead.

“Do you want me to carry you?”

It was an admittedly risky move, on his part. At his best, Loki very well may have stabbed him for such a suggestion, bristling at Thor’s “incessant coddling”, no doubt.

Though, Thor considered, Loki was hardly at his best, was he?

The silence that followed the question seemed to stretch on forever, the only sound in the room Loki’s small, tentative breaths, and Thor prepared himself to quickly dismiss the idea before his brother could be the one to reject it.

Then, to his shock, Loki shifted slightly before nodding, just once, the movement small enough that Thor would have missed it entirely, were he not paying as much attention as he was.

“Alright,” Thor agreed at once, before Loki could grumble or change his mind, and tightened his arms slightly around Loki’s middle. “Okay.”

It was a testament to how out of it Loki must have been, still, when he did not bother to respond to the words beyond another small snuffle, his arms around Thor’s shoulders tightening, in turn.

“Okay.” Thor repeated, and shifted so that he could slide one hand to rest at the outside of Loki’s thigh. “Alright. Up on three.”

Rising to his feet was relatively easy, as was bearing Loki’s weight on his hip, though Thor hadn’t carried his brother like this since they were tweens, at least.

Automatically, Loki’s legs rose to curl around Thor’s hips, his hold on Thor’s shoulders tightening as he pressed his forehead tighter against his neck.

“There.” Thor soothed, shifting to brace Loki with one hand against his lower back before setting off in the direction of his bedroom. “You’re alright. I’ve got you.”

Loki hummed drowsily, though he did not bother to move until they entered the bedroom and Thor placed him as gently as possible onto the bed in the corner.

With obvious reluctance, Loki released his hold on Thor’s shoulders, and turned to press his face into the pillows below with a deep inhale.

“I’ll be right back.” Thor informed softly and, when Loki glanced up in alarm, added hastily, “I’m just going to grab a glass of water.”

Loki hesitated, seemingly at war with himself, before he nodded slowly and relaxed back into the mattress.

Thor exited quickly, then, forcing himself to leave the room before he would not be able to make himself do so, and fetched the promised glass of water with such haste he fumbled the glass and nearly dropped it to the floor below.

Back in the bedroom, Thor only paused long enough to toe his shoes off beside the door, before he hastened back to the bedside where Loki was still laid out, blinking with obvious exhaustion as he watched Thor approach.

“Drink this,” Thor commanded, and extended the glass to Loki’s lips. “And then you can go back to sleep.”

To his relief, Loki began to drink with no complaint.

“Slept--” he gasped between frantic sips of water. “Slept enough.”

His voice was quieter than Thor could remember having heard it in a long while, a fact that caused something within him to twist, slightly.

And yet he was speaking, which was cause enough for celebration, as far as Thor was concerned.

“I know.” Thor hummed, and placed the half empty glass on the bedside table before reaching out to cup the side of Loki’s neck, gently.

“It’s good to hear your voice.” he murmured, and stroked his thumb along the very edge of Loki’s jaw.

Loki blinked, his eyes wide and a bit startled, before he huffed, softly, and glanced away.

“It’s good to have you back.” he breathed, his eyes falling closed and brow furrowing slightly as he swallowed thickly.

Thor hummed, a comfortable warmth blossoming in his chest as he moved to press a long kiss to Loki’s brow, before resting his own against it.

“Good to be back.” he mumbled, and smiled when he felt the edge of Loki’s mouth curl into a soft, barely there smile beneath his hand.