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I.
The moment that Asgard was blessed with warmer temperatures after a particularly harsh winter, Thor ran outside to play as fast as his little legs could carry him. Loki never minded the winter, not really, but Thor could not stand it. Sunshine was warmth, and warmth was good, as far as he was concerned. They were young princes, after all, and princes deserved the sun.
Loki followed him because Loki followed Thor everywhere, whether or not he even wanted to; even when Loki protested when Thor dragged him by the hand on whatever adventure his brain schemed for the day, Loki still went along with it. But on this brilliant afternoon, both boys were aglow with smiles and cheerful laughter as they ran through the soft grass, kicking up old, fallen leaves and fresh weeds.
When his lungs ached too much to continue forward, Thor flopped onto the ground with a breathless laugh, shaggy blond locks covering his face, which had gone rosy from exertion.
“I’m still faster than you,” Thor said with a grin, tilting his head up to see what Loki’s response would be.
His smile wilted when Loki was not beside him.
Loki was always next to him. What could have distracted his little brother so?
Thor pushed himself onto his grass-stained knees and saw just what, or rather, who caught Loki’s attention.
A young maiden, her golden hair perfectly plaited and eyes the color of the sky, stood before Loki, offering him a bright yellow flower. Even from a distance, Thor could see Loki’s face contort into confusion before softening, a shy smile gracing his pale face.
Thor didn’t know who she was, but the sight bothered him. She was distracting Loki when they were supposed to be playing together, which was simply unacceptable. Besides, she was a girl, and at this age, girls and flowers and romance were still quite yucky. It would seem that Thor would have to remind Loki of that fact.
Pouting, Thor stomped over to the two, chubby fists clenched in anger. Loki turned when hearing Thor’s footsteps, but before he could say anything, Thor swiped the flower out of Loki’s hand and onto the ground, stomping on it with one boot.
“It’s a stupid gift. Come on, we have stuff to do,” Thor insisted, sending a glare to the little girl, whose pretty eyes were wide and filling with tears.
He saw the hurt and confusion in Loki’s eyes just as he turned away, sprinting off through the field again.
*
II
Years later, Thor would cross paths with the maiden once more.
Rich music and the sound of laughter filled the court, and Thor watched with little interest as the dancers spun around the hall, whimsical and graceful. Thor never cared much for the balls that Asgard held; the only good part was the seemingly endless supply of food. But as a prince, his mother insisted that he and Loki attended.
He heaved a loud sigh as he slouched in his seat, arms petulantly crossed. Beside him, Loki sat utterly still, eyes trained on the dancers with a peculiar curiosity. Thor arched a brow and nudged his elbow into Loki’s boney ribs, ignoring the hiss of pain his brother gave.
“See someone you like?” Thor said, voice teasing. He meant for the question to sound nonchalant and idle, though it was anything but that. In truth, he wondered if Loki did have his eye on anyone as of yet. They were older now, and while still blessed with youth, Thor knew they were growing, changing – both in body and spirit.
Loki shrugged, but his eyes never left the dancers. Thor scoffed, and his arms crossed even tighter.
From the sea of dancers, a young woman garbed in a gossamer blue gown stepped forward, carefully approaching the two princes. Thor recognized her at once – the young maiden that had offered Loki the flower so many years ago. He had seen her since, naturally, though thought little of her. All he came to learn of her was that she was the daughter of one of the head guards.
She too had grown, gentle face shining with an innocent beauty. Thor acknowledged that she was quite pretty indeed, and maybe he would have even come to like her if she hadn’t taken such an obvious shine to Loki.
Sure enough, she bowed before the two before smiling at Loki. “Would you care to dance?”
Thor felt his jaw drop. A bold request, one that he did not expect from this seemingly shy woman. Apparently there was more to her than what met the eye; Thor would have admired such courage had it not been placed before Loki.
Loki blinked in surprise, apparently just as caught off-guard as Thor. But if the beginning of a smile was any kind of sign, Thor assumed that Loki planned to accept that offer, which made his stomach churn. Loki, his Loki, to be whisked away so easily by a pretty face? Not while Thor was around.
He extended one arm across Loki’s chest to hold him back, eyes never leaving the woman’s face. “He doesn’t dance,” he said, voice firm.
For a moment, the two stared one another down, both sets of blue eyes an angry storm. At last, the woman left with a huff, disappearing in the mix of dancers. Only then did Thor withdraw his arm, freeing Loki.
“That rudeness was uncalled for, brother,” Loki said, voice an angry grumble. “And I do dance.”
“Not with her, you don’t,” Thor muttered to himself, crossing his arms again.
They did not speak to each other for the rest of the evening.
III.
The years carried on, and the princes grew – in height, in physicality, and, slowly, away from each other.
Though he still cared for Loki just as much as he always had, Thor had to admit that they were slightly growing apart. Age illuminated the differences between the two. Where Thor preferred to spar with his friends during the day and engage in merriment and debauchery at night, Loki preferred the comfort of his books and the library. Thor extended himself throughout the kingdom, charming his way into the lives of many friends, not to mention the bedchambers of women. Loki, however, withdrew into himself.
For all of Loki’s growing interest in solitude, Thor still managed to drag his crafty brother on spontaneous, forbidden adventures into the wilderness from time to time, though perhaps less often than in their impish youth. And even when the two were not spending time together, Thor tried to keep tabs on Loki’s personal life. Unlike Thor, Loki did not seem to accumulate many lovers, if any at all, which always made Thor suspicious. Was Loki not interested, or was he seeing others in secret?
That all changed on one blessed morning, when Asgard welcomed members of a foreign kingdom to their court.
A peace treaty of sorts was underway between the two kingdoms, and Asgard spared no expense to give their new potential allies a glorious welcoming in the main court. Thor stood tall and proud beside his wise mother and father as the diplomats and royals of the other kingdom entered with poise.
Three tall, burly young men led the march – the princes of the kingdom, no doubt. They walked like warriors, their stride even and their olive skin clad with metallic armor. When they paused to bow before Odin and Frigga, Thor noticed that one of the princes, the middle brother with eyes the color of honey, was staring at Loki.
And Loki, whom Thor glanced at out of the corner of his eye, stared back.
--
Later, when the details of the peace treaty were hammered out, a spectacular feast was held in honor of the event. The setting sun provided a warm, intimate ambience for the festivities, and drunken laughter could be heard every which way. Usually, Thor would be with the rest of the men, drinking and telling stories of bravery and vigor.
But tonight, Thor was distracted by Loki’s empty seat at the table.
Thor restlessly prowled through the hallways, weaving through the crowds of people celebrating with food and drink. He kept his eye open for his lanky brother, but after scouring the castle and even peeking into Loki’s room, Thor found no trace of Loki.
That is, until he ventured outside.
The gardens did not hold the beauty that they did in daylight hours, but they were a favorite of Loki’s nonetheless. Thus, Thor should not have been surprised when he found Loki and the second-born prince sitting in the gardens, their heads bowed low together as they whispered about a spell book on the ground before them.
So engrossed were they in the book (and each other, Thor thought with growing irritation) that they did not even notice his presence, and he took advantage of that, watching them interact. They spoke softly and warmly to each other, and the way that Loki’s face seemed to shine only made Thor more frustrated. He could not remember when he last saw Loki so happy, so open. Knowing that some stranger who Loki just met was the cause of his brother’s happiness rather than Thor himself made his stomach churn.
The foreign prince leaned in a bit closer to Loki, his fingers brushing across the top of Loki’s hand. Loki smiled, and when he turned to face the prince, nearly close enough for their lips to touch, Thor could not withhold his silence any longer. He cleared his throat loudly, and the two sprang away from each other, flustered. The prince had the audacity to offer a sheepish smile, but it did not meet the haughtiness in his eyes.
“Mother needs to see you, Loki,” Thor said.
Loki saw through that lie, because Loki saw through all of Thor’s lies. Heated green eyes narrowed, but Loki picked up the forgotten book and rose nonetheless. The prince followed suit, taking a hold of Loki’s hand once more before Loki could leave. Loki turned, and the prince lifted Loki’s hand to his mouth, lips brushing against Loki’s knuckles in a gentle, fond kiss. With a silky smile, the prince padded off, though not before sending Thor a smug look from over his shoulder. Thor’s hands clenched into fists. He could punch the bastard.
Temporarily blinded by his own anger, he nearly forgot that Loki still stood before him.
“Mother doesn’t need to see me,” Loki said, voice quiet, angry.
“No,” Thor agreed, knowing there was no point in lying to the master of lies.
“That was unnecessary,” Loki said, taking a step closer to Thor. “Stay out of my business.”
“He had been looking at you all day,” Thor said, inwardly cringing at how pathetic that sounded. Looking at someone was not a crime, but for some reason, Thor saw red whenever someone eyed Loki with interest.
“Contrary to what you may think, oh heir of Asgard, sometimes, others notice at me. It isn’t always about you,” Loki said, nearly spitting out the last sentence as if it left a disgusting taste on his tongue.
The anger in Loki’s tone caused Thor to swallow, taken aback. Was that a note of jealousy in Loki’s voice? Did he envy the attention that Thor received?
“Loki – “
“You bed countless women, but I am not allowed a single admirer? Or is the problem that this admirer is a man?” Loki asked, and for the first time, his expression shifted, as if wondering if Thor truly was bothered by the fact Thor had nearly caught his younger brother nearly kissing another man. Thor paused, letting that thought digest. While he would not have guessed that Loki was interested in men, that realization did not bother him nearly as much as the prince’s intentions did. Indeed, it mattered little to him whether it was man or woman that desired Loki. A suitor was a suitor, and Thor would rather they stay away altogether.
“He’s not right for you,” Thor mumbled at last, a weak excuse. Loki barked a laugh in disbelief.
“You don’t even know him.”
“Neither do you,” Thor said, more firmly.
A brief, heavy silence lapsed where they stared each other down, neither sure what to make of this. Thor broke eye contact first with a soft exhale, willing his hands to unclench. He offered Loki the barest of smiles, a truce.
“I saved you a pastry before Volstagg ate them all,” Thor said.
Loki snorted and began to trek back to the castle, but Thor did not miss the way his expression softened.
IV.
After the incident at the peace treaty celebration, Thor tried to give Loki more privacy. Given that Loki was one of the most elusive and private beings in all of Asgard, Thor nearly had his work cut out for him. And yet, Thor could not eradicate the need to check on Loki and try to discover what (and who) he was involved with at any given time. He wanted to chalk it up to being a good, protective older brother, but he had begun to doubt if that was all that fueled that bizarre feeling of resentment he had whenever he saw Loki with someone else.
Thor tried to put it from his mind. For some time, Loki did not appear to be involved with anyone – that, or he was very, very good at keeping his affairs secret.
Thor tried to put it from his mind, but he couldn’t, truly couldn’t. He wondered if he was going insane.
Regardless, life carried on as usual. On a nippy autumn night after returning from a successful with the Warriors 3, Sif, and Loki, the group sat in front of a fire in one of the many parlors of the castle, warming themselves as they drank in celebration of the good day.
This hunt had been the first expedition that Loki took with Thor and the trio in some time. Usually Loki would flat out say that he did not want to join them on yet another “brainless mission”, but he relented without a fight this time. Loki even seemed to enjoy himself at some points, and now with his face glowing from the fire and the wine he consumed, Thor thought that Loki looked quite peaceful, if not captivating.
Still feeling the adrenaline of the hunt and the happiness of spending time with his friends and brother, Thor felt lighter than he had in some time.
Of course, that should have been the first sign that something would go wrong.
“Loki,” Fandral said, turning toward the man beside him. “Why do you not venture out with us more often?”
Volstagg snorted into his drink, and even Sif sent Fandral a look. Loki never fit in with Thor’s friends, nor did he desire to; the feeling was mutual on the other end, so to question why Loki did not want to associate with them appeared to be pointless.
Loki slowly swirled the wine in his goblet, not looking away from the fire before them.
“I suppose I have better things to do,” he said.
Fandral laughed off the insult, leaning into Loki slightly. Thor’s grasp on his goblet automatically tightened.
“Why must you always wound me so?” Fandral slurred, staring at Loki with hooded eyes in an expression that Thor recognized as one solely used on women he was attempting to woo. The familiar anger burned in his chest, his jaw tightening.
“Oh, my sincerest apologies. Allow me to make it up to you sometime,” Loki said, a promise in his voice as he shifted forward.
The group fell silent. Volstagg looked from one to the other, openly gawking in disbelief. Sif arched a skeptical brow, and Hogun’s brows quirked in befuddlement.
Thor, in the mean time, was furious by the display of drunken flirtation.
“Fandral,” Thor growled, a not-so-subtle warning to his friend.
Ignoring the warning, Fandral placed a hand on Loki’s knee, squeezing it softly. “I look forward to it.”
“Back off, Fandral,” Thor demanded, voice louder and angrier than he intended.
The room went silent again, but this time all eyes were on Thor. Still incensed, Thor did not break eye contact with the perplexed Fandral until he slowly removed his hand from Loki’s knee and sat upright once more. Only then did Thor glance at the others, all of who were staring at him with a mixture of confusion and concern. All, except Loki, whose glare might have been intimidating if he was not drunk.
“Thor, it’s okay,” Sif said cautiously. “Fandral did not mean Loki any harm.”
Thor grunted and downed the rest of his mead. An unsettling silence filled the air again, tense and awkward. Volstagg, unsurprisingly, was the one to break it.
“So, then. How about that giant boar that got away?”
The rest of the group chattered on about the huge swine that they had not been able to capture, but Thor remained silent, sneaking glances at Loki, who stared into the fire as if seeing beyond it to a realm of higher understanding. Hazily, Thor wondered what Loki saw that Thor himself could not.
V.
By the time Thor realized the truth of the matter, it was too late.
Loki saw that Thor was banished to the Earth, and when Thor made it back to Asgard, his brother was not the man that he once knew, greeting him with violence instead of a smile. Thor wanted to tell Loki the truth, wanted to confess everything and apologize for being so blind, but combat left little time for words, and when Loki fell from the bridge, there could be no words at all.
Life went on, albeit with a broken heart.
Everything changed when he found Loki again on Midgard, alive and dangerous. Thor joined with the group called the Avengers in order to save his little brother, like any good big brother should.
Because they were still brothers, no matter what Loki said. That would never change.
-
Half-asleep, Thor bumbled down the hallways of the headquarters in search of Tony Stark. Fury called a bright and early meeting, and Thor was assigned the duty of fetching Stark from his bed to make sure that he would be at the meeting on time for once.
Thor opened the door to Tony’s room without knocking, and the sight before him caused him to stop dead in his tracks.
Loki stood in the middle of the room, his back to Thor, standing very close to Tony. The Man of Iron did not seem fazed or bothered that Loki was infringing on his personal space. In fact, if the surprise on his face said anything, he looked flustered that he had been caught.
Loki turned his head to give Thor a glare before disappearing from the room, leaving Tony and Thor alone.
Now that Loki did not block Thor’s view, he could see just how disheveled Tony looked: clothing askew, hair tussled. Thor had the sinking feeling that this was not because Tony just woke up.
“Uh, good morning,” Tony said, for a lack of anything else.
Anger flooded Thor’s veins as he clenched a fist, unwilling to play games. “What was Loki doing here?”
Stark shrugged, looking about the room as if he could find a plausible excuse lying around. “Oh you know, just stopping by for a chat, he- “
Tony effectively stopped talking the moment that Thor crossed the room, towering over the shorter man with a scowl. “Sir Stark, I will warn you only once. Stay away from my brother.”
“Well, you see, he came onto me, so you might want to have a talk with him,” Tony said, holding up his hands in defense. “I’m innocent here.”
Thor growled and stepped forward, causing Tony to step back.
“Yeah okay, I hear you, big guy.”
Satisfied enough with that answer for now, Thor turned and uttered lowly, “There’s a meeting in ten minutes. Don’t be late.”
He didn’t stay to hear Tony’s answer.
-
The next morning, Thor found his belongings taken from his room and placed on the roof of the headquarters. He did not need to ask to know who would play such a trick.
VI.
A few battles and too many casualties later, the war was over. Iron Man said that the Avengers had won, and if he had been younger, Thor might have agreed. But now, he had come to learn that there were no true victors in war.
Loki, damaged in pride and in body, was taken back to Asgard. As Loki prepared for his trial, Thor affectionately squeezed Loki’s shoulder.
“You’re home now, brother,” Thor said.
Loki turned to face Thor, eyes hollow and deadened. “Am I?”
--
Loki was given a prison sentence, and then when freed, probation in Asgard. He did not speak to Thor very often, only using short, clipped words during their rare conversations. Though his heart ached, Thor did his best to give Loki his space as his brother tried to adjust to life back in Asgard.
Night had fallen on yet another day, and Thor strode down the magnificent corridors of the palace toward his chambers. Each night, he debated on paying Loki a visit in order to clear the air between them. There was so much that needed to be said, that Thor should have said such a long time ago. But each night, he decided against it, passing Loki’s room with a heavy heart.
But on this night, he found Loki without even seeking him out.
Whispered voices close to Loki’s chambers caught Thor’s attention, and with a furrowed brow he slowed his movements, trying to remain undetected. Peeking around the corner, he saw Loki and one of night guards standing close in front of Loki’s room, heads craned together and faces flush. The guard slunk an arm around Loki’s waist, drawing him in closer as he leaned in, whispering lewd promises.
Thor grew tense, anger building by the second. Though he knew that he should let Loki to his own affairs, he did not trust this rendezvous. Loki, who had never been popular in Asgard to begin with, was certainly not liked by many now; very few chose to be in his company. As far as Thor was concerned, the guard had to have wicked intentions – not just wanting to bed Loki, but something far more malicious.
The thought alone caused Thor to surge forward, closing the gap between the duo with long, hurried strides. Just as the guard turned to see who was coming, Thor did the only thing that made sense to him: he swung back an arm and punched the guard square in the face.
The force of the hit caused the guard to fly backwards, landing in a heap on the floor. Just as Thor began to prowl toward the guard again, the fallen man clamored to his feet, taking off down the corridor as fast as he could. Thor did not pursue, though he did wait to ensure that the man would not return.
With the adrenaline and anger running through his veins, he had nearly forgotten about Loki. He slowly turned to face Loki, preparing himself for yet another spiel about how Thor needed to mind his own business because Loki did what he want with whomever he wanted.
But this time, Loki did not appear insulted or livid. Instead, his face was pensive, thoughtful, if not a bit hesitant. Thor swallowed, unsure of what to make of this bizarre expression and silence. Luckily, Loki was the one to break the silence.
“You stopped him,” Loki said quietly.
“Aye,” Thor agreed, voice gruff.
For a moment, they did nothing but stare at one another in a silence that was so heavy that it was nearly tangible. It was enough to cause Thor to shift in place, jaw clenched. He had never been good at moments like this, stuck between recognition of buried feelings and the need to lie in order to protect them both.
Loki took a slow step forward, approaching Thor in a careful manner as if he was a bomb about to explode. Thor said nothing, could do nothing but watch as Loki closed the gap between them until he was close enough that Thor could feel his soft breath and see the hesitancy in his eyes.
“Even after all of these years, you still stopped him…because of me,” Loki said, and Thor did not miss the slight questioning intonation in his voice. A quiet, desperate need for an affirmation of what rested beneath the surface of their interactions, of what had always fueled Thor’s overwhelming protectiveness. Loki had figured things out long ago because he was beautifully intuitive and cunning, and even though it took Thor much longer to understand his own feelings, Loki remained patient. He waited for Thor, and that made all the difference.
“Always because of you,” Thor said at last, and admitting that made him feel less burdened than he had in many years.
Loki smiled, slow and stunning – the first smile that Thor had seen since Loki had returned to Asgard. And then his brother was moving forward, cupping Thor’s face and bringing him down until their lips met in a kiss that was years in the making.
Thor reacted immediately, hand possessively pressing onto Loki’s neck to deepen the kiss while his other hand tangled in Loki’s hair. He wanted to go slow, try to savor the moment, but as the kiss became more urgent, tongues warring as they softly moaned into each other’s mouths, Thor hazily knew that going slow was not an option.
The kiss was dizzying, but still not enough. Without breaking the kiss, Thor began to back Loki toward his door, a not-so-subtle hint of what he desired. Loki seemed to understand the message, removing a hand from Thor’s cheek in order to open the door.
The moment that the door was open, Thor pressed Loki forward into the room, slamming the door behind them with more force than he intended. Thor began to press Loki toward the bed, but Loki grunted and pulled away from the kiss at last with an exasperated sigh. Thor furrowed his brows, confused, and Loki leveled a Look at him while pointedly locking the door. Thor paused for a moment, then broke out into a grin and laughed, because that action was simply so Loki, and gods, had he missed his brother.
Even Loki managed a flicker of a smile before Thor claimed his lips again, greedy and wanting as he backed Loki toward the bed. The moment that they reached the bed, Thor broke the kiss just long enough to press Loki down onto the bed. Loki entangled his arms around Thor, bringing the larger man down upon him with enough force to cause their crotches to press against each other as their lips met again. Thor gave a choked groan at the delicious friction, which only further fueled his need to touch and to take all that Loki would give him.
They parted ways just long enough to peel off their clothes, which were torn and kicked haphazardly off the bed. Then they were upon each other again, bodies flush against one another as hands grasped and splayed across every inch of skin available. Thor wanted to learn every single inch of Loki, wanted to run his hands across that pale skin until he claimed it all for his own. He kissed down the side of Loki’s neck, sinking his teeth into the skin until Loki fidgeted and moaned in appreciation.
But Loki was not satisfied with just touching; he jerked his hips into Thor’s, causing them both to moan as their erections slid against one another, a clear command of what Loki desired. Thor stared down at his younger brother, reveling in the image of Loki disheveled with pupils blown and breathing heavy and uneven with desire. The sight made Thor’s mouth dry and his fingers grip Loki’s hips punishingly out of his own mutual lust.
“Take me,” Loki hissed, the command throaty and accompanied with another roll of his hips.
Thor did not need to be told twice. Immediately, he turned toward a small table beside his bed, rustling around in one of the drawers for a small bottle of oil. He uncapped it and poured some of the clear liquid onto his fingers until they were smooth and slippery. Turning back to Loki, he admired the hungry look on his brother’s face as he spread his legs, and that image made Thor grunt in approval. Carefully, he slipped his fingers beneath Loki, carefully pushing one finger into Loki’s entrance. Loki seized up at first, nearly making movement impossible. Thor leaned down to press soft kisses against Loki’s stomach and hips until he relaxed, allowing Thor to press another finger in and scissor them. The more that Loki relaxed, the more he seemed to enjoy it, moaning and wriggling in an attempt to bring Thor deeper, which he complied to. And then Thor hit something, and Loki keened, back arching from the sheer pleasure.
“That’s enough,” Loki said, voice nothing more than a pant.
Thor dutifully removed his fingers and picked up the bottle again, pouring a gratuitous amount of oil onto his cock. He worked the oil over him slowly, eyes never leaving Loki, who stared back through half-lidded eyes that were drunk with pleasure. Carefully, Thor moved over Loki again, and Loki lifted his legs to wrap around Thor’s hips, bringing their bodies close. Angling their bodies just so, Thor gently pressed his cock into Loki, and he groaned at the tight heat of Loki’s body, fighting off the urge to just plow into his brother. Instead, he waited for Loki to adjust, and only when his brother gave a faint nod did he pull out and drive in again.
It took a minute for them to find a good rhythm, but they gradually found a good pace, bodies slick with sweat moving together fiercely. Nuzzling into Loki’s neck, Thor muffled a grunt into Loki’s skin as his thrusts picked up speed and deepened, leaving Loki to dig his heels into Thor’s back and moan in encouragement. Loki matched Thor’s pace with his own, pressing his hips up into Thor’s until they nearly moved at a bruising speed. Loki clawed Thor’s back with a desperate keen as Thor hit that spot again, and Thor bit down on Loki’s neck until his brother was shaking from the sweet combination of pleasure and pain.
They could not last long like this, moving at a furious enough rate to make the bed tremble beneath their coupling. Knowing that he was reaching the edge, Thor reached down and jerked Loki’s leaking cock. Loki barely bit back a scream as he rutted into Thor’s fist over and over until he came all over his hand. With a few more thrusts Thor too reached his orgasm, spilling deep into Loki with a satisfied groan as he collapsed atop him.
For a moment they laid in silence, trying to catch their breath in the sticky heat of the room as Thor pulled out of Loki, though he remained atop him. At last, Loki nudged Thor in the ribs.
“You’re heavy. Get off.”
Thor complied with a grunt, flopping to his side and wiping his hand on the sheets, causing Loki to wrinkle his nose in disgust. Thor simply grinned, and he did not miss the tired note of amusement that formed on Loki’s face.
A wave of exhausted washed over his body, and Thor shuffled closer to Loki, curling an arm around his stomach as he rested his head on Loki’s shoulder. Just as he prepared to fall asleep, a foggy realization came to him.
“You never intended to lay with that guard, did you?”
“No,” Loki said, his own voice tired. “I was hoping you would stumble upon us, and so you did.”
“And hoped that I would ward him away.”
“That too,” Loki replied with a faint smile.
Thor chuckled at that, nuzzling into Loki’s neck with a breathy sigh.
Curled against his brother, Thor drifted off and got the best sleep he had in years.