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"You should know that when you betray me, I will kill you."
Thor let the silence hang between them, pushing his emotions down to ensure that his features remained hard and unforgiving. Inside his cell, Loki raised an eyebrow.
"What a lovely incentive," he drawled, leaning back against the wall. "However, I shall have to decline."
That was an answer Thor had not been expecting, so sure in his assumption that Loki would be desperate to leave. "What?"
Loki smirked, and though Thor gave no outward sign his blood began to heat.
"You heard me well enough, Thor. Why should I come along on this perilous journey and help you, when I can stay comfortable and safe in my cage?" As if to give credence to his words, Loki let himself slip down the wall until he was sprawled upon his back. He crossed one leg over the other and placed his hands behind his head, looking for all the world like he had been reclining in a meadow on a summer's day and Thor had interrupted his dozing.
Thor was not amused. "You would be so selfish?" he asked incredulously. "When all the nine realms are poised to fall, and you are perhaps the only one who can turn the tide of battle, you would yet refuse because of a petty grudge?"
Loki's eyes flashed then, and Thor felt some small satisfaction that he had made his brother react even that far. Sure now of a victory, Thor continued, saying "If that is the case, I name you coward, and-"
In an instant Loki was on his feet. "Coward?!" he snarled. "I, a coward? I, who have plotted and schemed and attempted the destruction of two worlds? No, Thor, I name you coward - you and Odin both."
"You dare?" Thor growled, and realized too late that he had done what he was trying to avoid, and allowed his face to show the turmoil raging within. Luckily, Loki was too angry to use it against him.
"Yes, I dare," Loki spat mockingly. In his rage he had stepped closer to the wall where Thor stood, and for the first time Thor could see how truly exhausted his brother looked. "You, the great and mighty Thor, the oh-so-compassionate hypocrite who argued against my execution when all of Asgard was clamoring for my head. I had thought that Odin would not hesitate, but it seems that he had not the stomach to destroy his own creation. So instead I am left here, to rot in this beautiful cell while life goes on without me, all because you are too cowardly to deliver the punishment I deserve."
Thor reeled. "Are you truly so mad to mistake love for cowardice?"
"Love," Loki scoffed. "Do not speak to me of love, Thor. I have tasted deeper of it than you will ever know, and felt the keen sting of its blade over and over again." All the fight seemed to drain out of him at once, and when he looked at Thor again, it was with the mocking expression that he had worn at the beginning of their conversation.
"After all," he said easily, "ruining your coronation was perhaps the greatest act of love I have ever committed."
Thor narrowed his eyes, but refused to rise to the bait. "That is beside the point, Loki. I came to offer you a way out of your prison; a chance to prove yourself to all."
Loki looked unimpressed. "A chance you believed I would leap to take, no doubt. And why not? Surely it would be nobler to die at your hands than to waste away in here." He smiled broadly. "Spare me the sanctimonious speech, Thor. The only way out you are offering is death, and while it is indeed tempting, watching you struggle in vain against your foe is more amusing by far."
Thor said nothing, disgusted that Loki could be so callous in this matter. He was of a mind to leave before Loki could spew any more venom, but somehow his feet would not move. Loki kept speaking, oblivious to Thor's mounting anger.
"And besides," he said, slipping once more into that casual tone that so incensed Thor, "it would hardly be the first time I betrayed you. Why not simply kill me now and be done with it? I predict the people will love you all the more for it. 'Oh, how wonderful of Thor,' they will say, 'to rid us all of Loki while sparing his mother and father the shame of dealing with the traitor themselves. Truly, we are lucky to have such a fine prince.'"
Thor was grinding his teeth now. "Loki, stop."
"It would be so easy," Loki continued, stepping close to the glass again, heedless of the way Thor's hands were curling into fists. "I drove a dagger into your side not so long ago, and it took very little effort at all. And I am not even wearing armor!" He reached up to pull the collar of his shirt aside, baring his breast. "Look, I will even show you where to aim. I may be a Frost Giant, but I assure you my heart is in the same place as yours."
He stood like that for several moments, as if expecting Thor to produce a dagger on the spot and fling it at him. Thor was concentrating on his breathing, not wanting to say anything that would spur Loki to persist in this twisted game. Loki sighed, having the gall to look disappointed in Thor, and let his hands fall to his sides.
"It's not as though I haven't contemplated it before, you know," Loki said, gaze falling to the side. "Sometimes I think I could do it myself and spare you all the hassle, but no one has seen fit to provide me with a knife."
That was simply too much. Thor gave a great yell and charged at Loki. The glass magically parted to allow his passage seamlessly, and before he knew what had happened he had Loki beneath him on the ground, staring up at him with wide eyes, his breath coming short. One of Thor's hands was around Loki's throat, and he gave it a slight squeeze.
"Do not ever say such things again," Thor ground out. His breath was as uneven as his brother's. "Do you hear me?!"
Loki nodded as well as he could in that position, and Thor slowly gained his senses back. Even during all the recent events on Midgard and Svartalfheim, Thor could not recall ever having been so scared. There was a desperation churning inside him, a need to make Loki take back his cruel words, and the most terrifying part of all was the thought that Loki might have spoken truly.
Thor did not know what to do. He removed his hand from Loki's throat but made no effort to climb from atop him, and Loki didn't respond at all except to take a deep breath. An awkward silence fell.
Thor looked down at him, this man who had been (and, he thought, always would be) his brother, and felt a curious sense of helplessness steal over him. His eyes drifted to Loki's neck, and he recalled how easily his hand had fit around it, and how quickly he could crush the life from it if he wanted to. He knew that Loki was anything but delicate, and yet in that moment he felt such a fierce protectiveness that it almost choked him.
It was love, he knew. It could be nothing else. With a sigh, he laid his hand against Loki's cheek, and Loki turned his head to look at him.
"Please, Loki," he mumbled with a tongue nearly as heavy as his heart, "come with me. Help me. I need you."
Loki just closed his eyes, and after a moment he reached up to brush Thor's hand away. Then he shoved at Thor's legs until Thor clambered to his feet, feeling numb and out of sorts. Loki stood too, and for a moment Thor wanted nothing more than to take him in his arms. He didn't dare, though, and so he merely waited for Loki's dismissal.
It never came.
Instead, Loki tilted his head, giving him a look that brimmed with mischief. Thor's heart leapt to see it, and he grinned as Loki's lips quirked into a small smile.
"When do we start?"