| Plus One |

It is no rare occurrence for Thor to seek refuge on Midgard these days.

Not too long ago, he would not have considered any place but Asgard his home, would never have thought he could one day forsake its golden halls and vibrant wilds, would ever yearn for a peace and quiet far away from boisterous laughter and deafening cheers.

Careful, brother. You sound far too much like me for both of our comfort.

Thor frowns down at his beverage.

The alcohol is strong by Midgardian standards, but Thor knows from experience that they will not offer the rush of warmth nor the easing of heartsore he often finds in Asgardian mead. While inconvenient, it is an acceptable trade-off. Thor has not come here tonight to forget.

And Asgard. Asgard is home. Will always be home, dearly beloved by Thor like no other world he has entered, fought for or against. But for all its strength and vigor, Asgard is not pure, not whole like Thor remembers it being.

Awww, you do miss me. How... heartwarming.

Despite himself Thor smirks. Mocking is— has been— is Loki's natural state of being. He should not miss his brother's poisonous tongue, but Thor has admired Loki's mastery of the craft long before his brother began to use his skill against him.

It is a habit that he hasn't managed to get rid off so far, not unlike the clinging fondness and affection, buried deep under desperation, rage, frustration, betrayal and grief as they might be.

You would do well to get rid of that soft heart of yours, Thor.

"You alright there, Point Break?" Anthony, the Man of Iron, leans against the bar next to him, a glass of something bright pink, non-alcoholic in his hands.

Always with the nicknames, that mortal.

"I am well, Friend Stark," Thor replies on reflex. It is not a lie, nor a true. Perhaps Loki has taught him something after all.

"Uhu." Anthony does not look convinced, but neither does he continue to prod, for which Thor is grateful. Instead, Anthony chatters on about a new training simulation he is itching to try and Thor attempts to pay attention.

'You sound like you like him,' he can't help but point out to the voice inside his head, although he very well knows the futility of such an action.

He amuses me.

'As proven by your decision to throw him out of a window.'

Do not pretend as though you have not wished to do so yourself a time or two, Thor. Envy is not a good look on you and, to speak frankly, I do not appreciate you encroaching on my territory.

"You sure you're alright, Thunder Bolt?" Anthony asks suddenly, and Thor only just manages to suppress a guilty wince.

"As alright as I ever am," he replies lightly instead and bears the long, judging look that earns him without fidgeting.

His shield brothers and sister are harder and harder to fool the more time he spends with them, but Thor can not help it. He does not enjoy lying to them even by omission, but the truth of the matter is that they simply won't understand.

To them, Loki has only ever been an enemy to be defeated. A monster to be put down.

And as much as Thor likes their company, it is in moments like these that he wishes he hadn't sought them out. Had continued to roam Midgard on his own, just another rundown face in dirty bar, left to drown his ghosts — or converse with them in peace, as the case may be.

With his fellow warriors around him, mingling in the crowd, this is a luxury Thor no longer has.

You could always leave, his brother reminds him, and though Thor knows well how little appreciation Loki has for humanity, he can never quite unhear the bitterness accompanying those words.

Unbidden, memories of a conversation not too long after Thor had returned to Midgard again flash before his eyes.

"I do not know why I even bothered," Thor says, the words wrong and hateful and bitter because he is so tired of feeling guilty. "All we ever did was fight."

"Well, duh." The man opposed to him snorts, sharp like the jerky, mechanical motions with which he mixes another drink. "'Course you fight. That's what brothers do. Fighting's easy. Question is, do your fights with each other keep you from fighting for each other?"

Thor still does not know how or why he had started a conversation with that man. It was not as though the human shell had fooled him, not even for a moment. There was no not noticing the black film coating the mortal's very essence, now missing the wild darkness lurking behind warm, green eyes.

Thor has spent enough time of his life fighting monsters to recognise one when he faces it.

But there had been something about this creature, about the way it clung to feebly upheld, human illusions, the way it had tipped its head at Thor when he had first entered the dive. The smile it had worn when it crushed the hand of a patron unable to accept a refusal.

How... interesting, Loki had murmured by his side and in that moment his brother's ghost had been more solid than ever before.

To this day, Thor is not sure what made him say the words, what made him confess one of his darkest thoughts, a suspicion that has grown in his heart since he first found Loki again on Midgard after his fall.

"We have fought before many times, but I believe- I believe my brother intended for me to kill him this time."

In all honesty, Thor had not expected an answer. He had simply needed to say out loud what had weighted on him for so long. And his fellow warriors, much as he trusts and loves them, do not need to share this burden. To them Loki is a bad week long passed, and Thor is reluctant to bring up old pains again.

The creature had barely blinked at the confession. "If I've learned one thing, it's that sometimes we dare the ones we love to reject and abandon us. But we never forget it if they do." It shrugs, for the first time appearing uncomfortable in its deceptive skin. "We never forget if they don't."

It had walked away then, and when it returned a couple of minutes later, it had been carrying a tray covered with what Thor has learned are shots.

"Your alcohol will not affect me," Thor felt obligated to admit.

The creature had given him a short, assessing once-over. "Yeah, I figured after the last six glasses of whiskey you had." It shrugged again, the motion fluid and comfortable. "Gotta admit, it's not doing much for me either. But we're not having this conversation without drinks, so bottoms up, man. Name's Dean Winchester, by the way."

The creature had sized him up then, waiting for a reaction. It had reminded Thor of all the times Loki had introduced himself as the Liesmith, daring those around him to do something. Thor wishes sometimes he had learned sooner not to rise to the bait, but he has learned eventually.

And so he simply inclined his head and accepted the first glass.

Loki's ghost had been silent by his side, but for the first time since his brother's death, Thor hadn't minded so much. Despite the twisted darkness in the creature's core, it had made for a surprisingly pleasant companion. One who, Thor felt with something like pain or resignation or regret, might just have a better insight into Loki's mind than Thor has ever managed to gain.

"Look, I'm the last to tell you how to fix anything, never mind a relationship." The creature laughed and Thor could see its hollowness. Something inside him ached — the realisation that he has heard this laugh before, many times, on his brother's face — but he stayed silent.

"All I've got is. You either hold on or you let go. You know? There's no half-assing this shit."

"I believe you are correct," Thor had said, as much to the creature as to himself.

The creature smirked self-deprecatingly. "It's been known to happen."

Then it had lifted its eleventh glass. "To unbearable, pain in the ass, stupid, self-destructive little brothers."

"Aye."

Thor had never told the creature that his brother was dead. He had never asked about the whereabouts of its own brother.

But despite that, despite all the questions that remained unanswered, all the arguments that had never been resolved, Thor had walked out of that bar with a lighter heart and a new resolution.

"Do or do not," the creature had said in amusement. "There is no try."

That encounter shouldn't have changed anything, but Thor remembers all the times Loki has taunted him with the many pathways across Yggdrasil that he does not know, remembers all the time and practice Loki put into illusions, remembers magicks more powerful than most sorcerers can ever hope to achieve. Remembers six secrets at the beginning of everything and a power so absolute only a madman would seek it.

I'm really quite flattered that you're trying to turn into a megalomaniac for me, brother. And to think, I was so sure you never listened to a word I said.

'I didn't.'

I knew it!

"Thor? Seriously, buddy, are you okay?" Anthony's genuinely concerned voice breaks Thor out of his reverie.

"I am fine, Anthony."

This time Anthony outright snorts. "Yeah, you didn't even try with that one. Come on, we're going to find Cap. If anyone can shake some sense into you it's probably him and his soulful stare of Judgmental What Are You Keeping From Me Look."

This is how Thor finds himself surrounded by his shield brothers and sister, has to reassure Steve Rogers, and avoid looking too closely at the Black Widow, and is unable to suppress a smile at Clint Barton's antics. Thor doesn't have to turn around, he can feel Loki's haughty sneer, but he shrugs it off with the ease of long years of practice and resolves to enjoy the rest of the night.

Two of the infinity stones are here, hidden on Midgard, and whilst Thor may be unable to find them on his own, they are not going anywhere for now. Neither is his brother's ghost.

He will find a way. Thor always does.

But for now, he raises his glass with his fellow team members.

"To saving the world!" Clint Barton jokes.

"To staying alive!" Natasha shoots back immediately.

"To Dean Winchester!" Thor booms as Clint sticks his tongue out at the Black Widow.

Anthony chokes on his alcohol-free appletini, so Thor thumbs him on the back a few times — gently, of course.

He does not know what to make of the glances the Black Widow shoots him for the rest of the evening, but Thor soon puts the matter out of his mind.

He has a brother to save.

The end

And we're finally done. I honestly wasn't sure that would ever happen lol. But I hope you enjoyed this last part, even if it didn't turn out as light-hearted as I initially planned.
Please be so kind and let me know in a comment what you think! And have a great Sunday everybody!

Also before I forget, I do have a tumblr for all things Dean Winchester now, so if you have any Supernatural prompts, please say hi on deanwinchestertogo