Thor Odinson (Part 2)

With a soft click, the door lock clicked, and Thor pushed the door open to see Loki sitting at the bar by the door, fiddling with his computer.

Hearing the door open, Loki looked up and saw Thor. Thor looked extremely disheveled; his long hair was almost completely soaked with sweat, hanging messily down his back. His short-sleeved shirt was also covered in sweat, his pants were stained with oil, and his shoes were covered in mud.

"Why are you only getting off work at noon?" Loki asked casually, but Thor didn't answer. Loki peeked at him and saw him walk straight into the bathroom. Hearing the shower turn on, Loki got off the chair with some confusion and walked to the door. He saw Thor turn on the cold shower and wash his hair.

Thor shook his head after getting himself completely soaked, then roughly dried his hair with a towel and walked out of the bathroom.

Loki crossed his arms and leaned against the wall opposite the bathroom, saying, "Looks like you've suffered another major setback. Just like before, whenever the battle gets close, you take a cold shower."

As Thor hung the towel back on the towel rack, he said, "You should know that Sif and the others have come from Asgard, right? You'd better watch out lately; Sif has been wanting to beat you up for a while now."

"Have you forgotten?" Loki released his arm, walked to the sofa and sat down, saying, "I am a true god now. If she dares to hit me, she will be banished by Heimdall."

Thor stood in the bathroom doorway, fiddling with the towel rack as he peeked out and asked, "They say you've been going to the Asgard Palace warehouse a lot lately, and it seems you've been fiddling with that big robot called Destroyer. What are you up to?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention." Loki raised his voice. "While you were away, the All-Father brought in a great deal of energy, and Asgardian gained a lot of divine power. Some even re-enchanted their weapons."

"The All-Father has acquired too much energy, and I don't have a suitable weapon to store it. So I plan to find a place to store this energy for later use. I think that robot called the Destroyer is pretty good..."

Thor fell silent, but Loki was somewhat surprised, because previously, whenever he mentioned divine power or weapons, Thor would start breathing heavily through his nose like an angry bull.

But this time, Thor said nothing. He simply went back to his bedroom, took out his wallet, and came out again, fiddling with it as he said, "I don't know how to explain this to you, but the situation is, I've lost my job..."

Loki turned to look at him, sizing him up, and said, "Not surprising. With your brains, it would be strange if you could keep a job for long."

"So, can you order takeout tonight? I still want to eat that fried chicken."

"Unfortunately, I have a client to meet tonight. We're going to a restaurant in Midtown, you know, one of those bland French restaurants, spending thousands of dollars on a meal at a fairly classy place. Of course, he's paying..."

Thor was still standing in the doorway fiddling with his wallet. He said, "Okay, but..."

Thor scratched his head, seemingly unsure how to express himself. He said, "Well... my rent this month might be a bit... but I'll find a new job soon, I..."

"That's perfect. I don't want to live with you anymore either. If you can't stay here because you can't pay the rent, I don't think S.H.I.E.L.D.. will say anything. You can start packing your bags."

"Hey, don't do this, Loki, I..." Thor walked to the sofa, leaned on the back of the chair, and said, "We're brothers, aren't we? We fought side by side..."

"Don't talk about fighting side by side. You are the bravest warrior in Asgard." Loki picked up a water glass from the coffee table and said while taking a sip, "I am just a mage hiding in the back. When you charge, I can't even see your Shade. You said it yourself."

"I... but not anymore. We're both on Earth now, and there's no war to fight here." Thor tried to clear his head. "When we get back to Asgard, I can repay you tenfold, whether it's divine power or money."

"Don't talk nonsense." Loki curled his lip in disdain and said, "Divine power? I already have so much divine power that I have to find something else to store it in."

"Money? You've already squandered your entire salary from the last three hundred years. Are you going to ask Heimdall for an advance on your future royal allowance? Or is it that the All-Father is just asleep, and you want to become the master of Asgard ahead of time and borrow money from the national treasury?"

"Of course not." Thor immediately denied it, scratching his sideburn with his fingers. "Well, if I've learned anything on Earth, it's never to waste money. I swear, I'll save up my next quarter's salary."

"You said the same thing last quarter, and Frigga and I are sick of hearing it."

"Alright," Loki interrupted Thor, "If you have money, order takeout; if you don't, go hungry. If you have money, stay here; if you don't, get out. It's that simple, understand, Thor Odin's son?"

Thor glared at him fiercely, gritting his teeth as he said, "Understood, Loki Odin's son."

Not long after, Loki left with his computer. Thor sat on the sofa and sighed. He knew Loki meant what he said; if he didn't have money to pay the rent, Loki would definitely use his divine power to pack up his luggage and throw it out.

More than an hour later, Thor was in the S.H.I.E.L.D.. cafeteria, taking a big bite of his hamburger. As he chewed, he said to Sif, "Loki is always like this. He's been naughty since he was a child, and Frigga always sides with him. Last time he broke my carriage, I didn't even ask him for compensation, but he won't even order me takeout once."

As he spoke, he swallowed the food in his mouth and sighed, "I wonder when he'll grow up. I really liked him when he was just learning to walk. He's getting more and more of a worry as he gets older."

"Do you really think his terrible behavior was just being naughty?" Sif said helplessly, "Thor, who is it that needs to grow up?"

"Alright, alright, Sif, I know you two have a grudge. I already apologized for Loki before. He really shouldn't have cut your hair and changed its color. I swear, once I inherit the throne, I'll use the power of the World Tree to change it back. Don't worry, I promise..."

"That's not what I'm talking about." Sif's tone was always steady, like most goddesses in Asgard, with a touch of holiness and solemnity. She said, "You have to realize that there may be deep malice hidden in his increasingly malicious jokes, and it's not just brotherly banter. I don't think someone who would scheme to destroy other people's favorite things when he was young is really as naive as you think."

Thor took another bite of his hamburger and said, "But he's the youngest son, and the youngest son always has privileges. Odin spoils him, Frigga always sides with him, and me... you know, I don't want to complain either, after all, he's my brother."

"He's been in poor health since he was a child. If I were to complain to Odin wouldn't beat him up like he beat me. If Odin really did hit him, Frigga would cry her heart out."

Sif sighed deeply. She realized that Thor's thinking was not on the same level as normal people. She said, "Can't you think about these things like a crown prince? Haven't you considered... the battle for the throne?"

"A battle for the throne? You mean Loki wants to compete with me for the throne, and even wants to start a war over it? That's a bit of a fantasy."

"He doesn't want the throne. Do you think he really wants to sit on that throne, dealing with so many messy things every day, and then occasionally leading troops into battle, charging ahead, and then coming back to attend reward banquets, hear people's praise, rewards, titles, and praise for the warriors? He doesn't like doing that kind of thing."

"Given that time, he would rather lock himself in his room and read those idle books."

"To be honest, I've always felt that he's not very Asgardian. He doesn't like dueling, he doesn't like swordsmanship, he has no interest in fighting, he lacks aggression, and he lacks a sense of honor. He can't be the King of Asgard."

"Then why does he always play those pranks, always trying to outdo you in front of Odin?"

"Maybe he just wants to prove he's better than me." Thor took a big gulp of juice and said, "But that's normal. You see, aren't all families with two brothers like that? They're both desperately trying to prove they're better than the other, to prove they're the son their parents like the most."

"Don't you have two brother too?" Thor asked Sif. "Don't they compete with each other?"

"Hmm..." Sif was taken aback by Thor's question. She thought for a moment and said, "It seems that is true. My older brother likes to drag my second brother to the dueling arena to fight whenever he has nothing to do. Then, when we're having dinner, he boasts about how beautiful his attacks were that day, and how he chased his younger brother all over the place."

"See, that's how it is. This is normal. Have you ever thought about whether you are your parents' favorite child?"

Sif broke off a piece of ladyfingers, stuffed it into her mouth, and said, "Of course I know I'm not. Otherwise, why would my parents send me to the army? How many goddesses in Asgard follow the path of the Valkyrie? Aren't most of them magicians?"

"Back then, Loki turned my blond hair black, and I was furious. But my parents didn't side with me at all. They thought I was vain, that I cared too much about my appearance, and that's why they..."

"Don't be sad, Sif," Thor comforted her. "I told you, the day I sit on the throne, I'll turn your hair back. And maybe I can even persuade Loki to apologize to you. I've noticed he's become much more agreeable lately."

"Easy to talk to now?" Sif stared at Thor and said, "Are you sure? He wouldn't even pay your rent, wouldn't order you a takeout meal, and kicked you out..."

"If this had happened back in Asgard, he would have thrown me and my luggage into the sewer across the street long ago."

Sif covered her forehead and said, "Aren't you being a little too lenient with him? Haven't you ever thought about giving him a good beating?"

Thor finished the last bite of his hamburger, then drank all his juice. He wiped his mouth and said, "I've thought about it, but I don't dare to do it. He used to be unable to withstand even one punch from me. If he gets hurt, Frigga will kill me."

"To be honest, Thor, I don't really agree with Hogun and the other two coming down to find you like this. It's precisely because I'm afraid they'll cause trouble that I came down with them."

"But you also know," Sif said, looking earnestly into Thor's eyes, "That in the struggle for the crown prince position, it's all about the winner taking all. They and their families have made it very clear that they're on your side. They won't allow Loki to make any moves. Even if they don't want to, their families will force them to keep a close eye on you and on Loki."

"Perhaps you have been fighting abroad for many years and have been away from here for too long, so you do not understand the movements of Asgard, but I can tell you that the situation has recently become tense because the All-Father has truly grown old."