Loki knew what could come of avoidance. Knew the pain it could cause to both him and those he cared for all too well. But that didn't make it any easier to admit to harder things, which he was certain Thor was keenly aware of himself. But luckily he was doing well. Much better for knowing that Thor seemed to be doing better. He might not be the thunderer that Loki had grown up with but that mattered less and less as time went on. He treated him like a brother, fostered that bond that Loki had always in his own way desperately craved, and so he loved him fiercely as his own brother regardless of origins.

Not that he might admit it in those words. No, he would show it in actions, like what had sparked their argument, or here where his urge was to tend to his brother and enjoy his company. He grinned at the sight of Thor spoiling the hound currently starting to drool against his knee, green eyes bright with pleased amusement as he was rolling out dough.

"Well you're always welcome to come around, and I can bury you under a flood of chickens, dogs, and cows to help keep the chill from sinking in, hm?" He wouldn't really, but he straightfaced it enough that the image of such a thing likely popped into Thor's thoughts.