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"Ugh, fine. You can touch my hair, but don't mess it up!"
Despite the exasperated frown he put on, Loki's underlying concern yet shone through, unable to remain fully concealed.
One shaking hand reached for him, but couldn't lift past his cheek.
A smile, just for him. Barely visible under the blood and grime.
"Gonna... close my eyes for a minute... Jus' a quick nap..."
Loki gently grasped the trembling fingers with his own.
"Don't sleep for too long, now. I need a witness that Thor messed it all up this time, the others won't believe me alone. Alright?"
A weak, rattling breath was the only reply he got.
With a terrifyingly final exhale, Loki's only friend went limp in his arms.
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A couple hundred years earlier
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Launched into the air by the wave of the explosion, Thor crashed into Loki, but was swiftly saved by the grace of Mjölnir propelling him back into the sky instead. Roaring with laughter, he headed back into the heart of the fight - almost drowning out Loki's indignant and snow-covered protest.
"Brother! You knew about this?!"
The words hardly out of his mouth, Loki was almost knocked flat on his back by a massive icicle of a club.
Thor had casually smashed it out of his opponent's now very broken hands, and didn't even bother turning around to respond.
"Relax, Loki, it's all in good fun! They're renegades, there is no risk for us here."
"If Father learns of this he will-"
"Father won't find out, brother, calm down! Like I said, they're not with the rest. Really, we're doing them a favour!"
With a scoff overplaying his well-suppressed smirk, Loki sunk his daggers into the nearest frost giant.
Between the Odinsons, the Warriors Three, and the handful of companions they had brought along, their scouting-mission-turned-training-exercise was swiftly brought to an end.
Now they only had to hope that the Allfather had indeed not been watching.