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In the small kitchen, a hollowed-out television set hums, a tea bag dips into a green mug of hot water, and Loki yanks it back and forth, watching the water mistily turn a reddish-brown hue.
“Charles Xavier was sentenced to death on charges of sodomy,” the TV broadcasts said. "Tomorrow morning, he will be shot."
“Quickly,” said a voice behind him, and large, muscular arms wrap around Loki's waist in a firm grip — strong and deceptively secure. Loki bucks. He shoots a glance at the window and reaches to draw the curtain.
"What paranoia...":
Loki turns around and shuts Thor up with a single furious glare. Thor knows perfectly well what this look can cost him: from a petty quarrel to a dramatic packing of things, the slowness and theatricality Loki has already honed to a professional level. He has never left not even for a day, but Thor always takes everything seriously and reproaches himself for any human sins, even if he has nothing to do with them.
"Did you hear what they said on TV?" Loki almost hisses.
“It’s not my fault that some loser got caught. We're at home. Who'll see us here?"
Loki looks down, realizing that sometimes he really overdoes the drama, but this is his nature, his character, and everything that he consists of. But even so, Thor fell in love with him like this, which means it's his problem now, whether he likes it or not. (Actually, he loves it).
“Tomorrow we go to the square again,” Loki says a little quieter and looks at Thor from under his brows.
"Well, you're interested in executions..."
"I'm not interested in them! We have no choice, we have to go to them!" Loki pushes himself away from the tabletop, gives Thor another withering look, and defiantly goes to his room. In fact, he never sleeps here. This room exists simply as a library, with a bed to divert the eyes of guests and even a family photo of Thor, Loki, and their mother, a woman they saw once in their lives.
Loki sits down on a chair behind an old desk and hears the door make a thin creak.
"Sorry," is Thor's standard phrase when he comes to makeup. This idiot never knows how to wait, to calculate how much time Loki needs to calm down. He always goes to make up right away. Because of this, in fits of anger, Loki usually says a lot of nasty things to him!
Today, however, Loki is no longer in the mood to swear. He turns around, looks at Thor, purses his lips, and mutters:
"When you see so many executions, you become indifferent and think more about mechanics than..."
"You stare at them like a maniac!" Thor chuckles. “It’s as if you'd like to…"
“Do it myself? Why I would love to,” Loki nods.
Thor steps up to him and gently touches his chin with his fingers
"There are rumors of an uprising."
“Oh, and you've signed up for all the rebel groups, of course." Loki rolls his eyes.
“You have to start somewhere,” Thor scratches his chin like a stray cat and Loki is just about to purr.
"Look, don't play around too much. I need you alive."
Thor smiles as if these are the best words he's ever heard Loki say. The fool, after all, really doesn't understand that Loki won't let him go anywhere to rebel by himself; he'll either ban him at home, or go with him, but he'll never let Thor do it alone.
"What a caring brother you are," Thor whispers with the malice of a jackal — he got this from Loki.
"Well, family is everything to me."
They're not really brothers. They are considered brothers by everyone around them, and it's easier for them to live in this world. Loki never goes out the door in a rush of packing his things and an "absolutely last" breakup. It’s one thing to make a scene within four walls; it's another thing in front of the neighbors. If it were up to Loki, he’d be making a fuss about moving to another continent. But only this apartment is their safe space, a place where they can openly love and hate each other as much as they want.
Loki gets up from his chair and hugs Thor tightly, and Thor kisses him on the top of his head and says:
“Imagine a world where we have won."
And it's scary for Loki to imagine. It's scary at what cost they can win, and it's scary to drown in fantasies of a world that will never be. Loki snuggles closer to Thor.
They're not really brothers. But they're definitely family.