( upon further reflection, it may not have been the best idea to allow mantis to read loki. it had started out as something of a joke, a dare, really, to see if she could even get a read on him at all. he'd boasted all the usual (god this, magic that), and thor had opted to keep his mouth shut on the matter, more invested in the truths loki no doubt would conceal from himself that mantis might reveal. he could guess, of course, at a few, but the one mantis chose to announce ... well, it had been less than expected. a surprise? not entirely. perhaps the both of them had always known, in some way, it had simply never been expressed so blatantly until now. a confirmation of a feeling as old as life itself.
he could have said something, then, in front of the motley crew of so-called guardians of the galaxy, but these particular matters are always best discussed in private. not out of shame, for there is very little thor feels ashamed of โ it is, quite honestly, because he knows there are only two ways a conversation of this nature could go: a knife in his side, or his cock buried to the hilt, neither of which he would like to display publicly. the complex relationship he has with his brother is of no one else's concern, anyway.
now, they're alone in what has been designated thor's quarters (and by extension loki's), a strange tension buzzing between them. thor sits at the edge of a cramped bed, his arms folded across his chest, his gaze unwavering on loki before him. )
You're going to have to speak to me eventually, you know.
( it shouldn't have been possible. an inferior creature like that insectoid shouldn't have been able to probe his subconscious, especially not with such ease. what was worse, he was so shocked that he hadn't been able to hide it. anger was swift to follow, rising to the surface and making his fingers twitch to retaliate, with a spell or a knife, it would've been anyone's guess. but he tamped down the urge, letting the white-hot emotion simmer just beneath his skin. he still tries most days to be on his best behavior, so as not to alienate his best chance at survival in the coming war.
it's got nothing to do with anything mantis described. loki has little care for thor or his friends, and as soon as it becomes more convenient to be in someone else's favor, he'll switch sides. that bug woman didn't know what she was talking about. and if he's been uncharacteristically silent since her little empathic parlor trick, it's not because he's embarrassed. because that would make it seem like what she said was true.
while thor sits on the bed, loki stands in the corner of their small room, undoing one of his gauntlets and not looking at thor. part of him wants to ignore his brother, to play the petty younger sibling and hold his tongue until it riles thor to anger, but that wouldn't look good, either. so, he says, ) And what would you have me speak about?
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it's got nothing to do with anything mantis described. loki has little care for thor or his friends, and as soon as it becomes more convenient to be in someone else's favor, he'll switch sides. that bug woman didn't know what she was talking about. and if he's been uncharacteristically silent since her little empathic parlor trick, it's not because he's embarrassed. because that would make it seem like what she said was true.
while thor sits on the bed, loki stands in the corner of their small room, undoing one of his gauntlets and not looking at thor. part of him wants to ignore his brother, to play the petty younger sibling and hold his tongue until it riles thor to anger, but that wouldn't look good, either. so, he says, ) And what would you have me speak about?