Approval

While the hunting party was away, Loki continued on as usual. It didn't even affect his day-to-day routine.

He'd reread his spellbooks and cram more notes into the already-crowded page margins, formulating new theories and diagramming them conceptually. One day he'd try them out, but in the meantime, he fiddled with the concepts on paper to his heart's content.

He'd brew drinks and potions of endless varieties, just for the sake of experiment and curiosity. He filched whatever herbs stole his fancy from the palace gardens. A few times he would test the brews on himself, making notes on their myriad effects when he came to (mostly, they just got him high for several hours). It was diverting, and made time go faster.

He'd amuse himself by walking the endless halls of the palace, treading through every inch of his allowed territory. It was amusing because everywhere he went, he was alone. Everyone else in the palace would see him coming, and would scurry away to another room. No one particularly wanted to be near the trickster prince.

That suited him just fine. He didn't need anyone's company. He was completely self-sufficient. He didn't require anyone's approval to function, and preferred it that way.

It had been a fortnight since the hunting party left, and as he was wandering the courtyards, absently twirling a blue flower by the stem between his fingers, he heard the commotion. Steeds galloping closer, warriors carousing as they approached, heralded by the smell of their sweat carried on the wind.

The hunters had returned. And from the sound of their merriment, they had been victorious.

He dropped the flower, and squashed it beneath his foot as he crept to the vaulted open hall where they dismounted. Their mounts nickered at each other as the warriors leapt down and greeted their fellow Asgardians with hearty embraces and raucous laughter. Lashed behind a team of six spare horses, dragged behind them by golden ropes, was an enormous black boar, the prize of their expedition. Several surrounded the beast and congratulated the hunters on their excellent kill, while preparations were made to ready the animal for the banquet tonight.

There would be feasting tonight, with music, toasts, soaring speeches, storytelling for all to hear. The warriors would perform feats of strength to win the admiration of their audience. Those less inclined to the public wrestling matches would flyte with each other in front of the congregation, and the wittiest insulter would prevail. There would be drinking contests and songs, tales from the skalds, magic shows from the maidens well-versed in seidr, all after the Allfather drank the sacred mead and bestowed his blessing to his people.

And because everyone would be in one room, Loki would finally be left undisturbed. Tonight, he would just need to seclude himself as far away from the feast as possible, and he would have some peace at last.

He stayed in the shadows, behind one of the pillars soaring to the ceiling. His sharp eyes peered at the hunting party, scornfully watching their exhausted excitement at the night to come. They would get drunk and bed maidens tonight, every last one of them. Their ruddy faces beamed as they playfully pushed each other, roughhousing with their best friends. Yes, the palace would be in a joyous mood tonight. Loki rolled his eyes.

Then his gaze stopped short. He took a deep breath, steeling away the emotions that nearly rose to the surface upon seeing one particular warrior. But his heart still thundered fiercely at the sight.

Thor was dirty and sweaty as his comrades. He would grin at his fellows when they clapped his shoulder, and gave them obligatory answers to their exclamations. It all seemed well enough for a warrior, but not for Thor.

If Thor was among a hunting party that returned victorious, he would be the most boisterous of the lot. His voice would carry readily throughout the palace as he told the tale of how he rode the boar down to the kill. Everyone would back him up and admire his bravery and strength, showering the crown prince with praise. And the feast that night would most certainly be dedicated in his honor.

But instead, Thor blended in, going through the motions, and it was clear to Loki that Thor was looking for an opportunity to excuse himself from the gathering. His eyes never left the warrior, his blood pounding in his ears.

Thor, finding a lull in his fraternizing, glanced around the emptiness of the rest of the hall. His eyes seemed wistful, hoping to see something that was not there.

Then he found it, as his gaze locked with Loki's across the hall. His stare grew intense as they acknowledged each other.

Thor glanced behind his shoulder, and seeing that no one would miss his presence, he quietly left the gathering and made for Loki. Loki stayed where he was, still hidden from view of the others, his hands shaking in anticipation.

Thor was trying to act nonchalant so as not to attract attention, but once he was far enough away from the crowd, he began to lose control of his pace and started walking faster. Upon noticing it, Loki felt his own muscles coil into readiness, prepared for action.

Thor broke into a sprint the last few yards, far enough away that he wouldn't be seen by anyone else, and his heady grin was matched only by Loki's as they collided in a fierce embrace, laughing at their eagerness and just with the feeling of joy that he's in my arms again.

Thor probably smelled disgusting, and his grimy skin should repulse Loki, but in his euphoria he just didn't care. All he cared about was that he could feel Thor's heartbeat against his own, because they were holding each other so tightly they could hardly breathe. He never wanted to lose that heartbeat, this impossible closeness, ever again. He wanted to stay this close with Thor, get even closer, lose himself in every inch of his stupid big brother until he belonged to him in every way.

He reached for Thor's face, and Thor was grabbing his, and they were kissing, wild and jubilant and desperate. It had been a fortnight since they'd seen each other last…how had they managed to survive without this for that long?

"Loki…" Thor pleaded between kisses. Loki felt his heart soar, his mind go blank with nothing but pleasure. A wild part of him wanted Thor to take him right now, up against this column, in full view of the entire palace. He tangled his fingers in Thor's hair, pulling him closer and searching out his tongue in their kiss, which Thor eagerly supplied.

Then Thor pulled away, and Loki almost whined aloud at the loss. Thor's hands were roaming his face, drinking him in, eyes dilated and shining at him with that look Loki wanted to drown in.

"May I come to your bed tonight?" Thor implored in a husky whisper that sent a shudder down Loki's spine. "May I show you how much I love you in every way I know how?"

Loki hardly heard himself whisper "Yes" above his own heartbeat roaring in his ears, and then they were kissing again, hands roaming everywhere.

That night, Thor left the feast before the first skald's tale, leaving half his food still on his plate as his haste spirited him away. Loki was sure that if he had been any later, he would have actually gone mad from the anticipation boiling in his veins.

He rushed to Thor almost before he'd closed the door to Loki's bedchambers, but Thor grabbed him by his wrists and held him back, taking a moment to just grin at him. Loki wasn't sure about the delay, but found that he didn't mind it.

"Let me have this night," Thor whispered. It was a cryptic request, but Loki agreed. However this was going to work, he didn't care; he just wanted Thor now.

Instead, Thor slowly, painstakingly, gently, methodically, took Loki apart.

He took his time with undressing Loki first, layering every inch of his skin with kisses and gossamer touches until his little brother was a quivering, wheezing mess beneath him. Only then did he touch Loki's erection. But he was so slow with it, drawing out every deliberate inch of the pleasure, until tears of frustration fell down Loki's face and he was pleading, begging Thor to let him finish. At that Thor quickened, and within four strokes Loki came with a wanton moan.

But Thor didn't stop there. He licked Loki clean, lavishing kisses and lovebites to his inner thighs, his prominent hipbones, his soft curls of hair, before he swallowed Loki whole with one fluid motion. Loki whimpered at the overstimulation, but Thor kept at it, eventually bringing Loki to climax again. Thor swallowed every last drop, humming in delight as Loki cried out with the release.

Then Thor turned him on his stomach. Loki couldn't have resisted if he wanted to; he was so wrung out from this he was nothing but a limp doll for Thor to manipulate. But then Thor was kneading his fingers into his back, warming up his muscles with a massage, easing away his exhaustion. Loki wriggled and whined beneath him.

He felt Thor press kisses down his spine as he worked, whispering "I love you, Loki…I love you…I love you so much…" and Loki couldn't help the shudder that wracked through him as Thor's lips drew lower. He trembled, already half-hard again.

Silent tears of ecstasy welled in his eyes when Thor dipped his lips to his entrance, feathering and licking as he clenched beneath him. "You're so beautiful, Loki…" he heard Thor whisper, and felt Thor's breath against his puckered flesh at the words.

He sobbed as he felt Thor's tongue enter him. Thor licked and caressed and searched, stimulating nerve endings Loki hadn't even known existed. He started feebly rocking his hips, arching into Thor's mouth and rubbing against the sheets, trying to find some relief. But Thor snaked a hand underneath him and took a firm hold of his cock, keeping him still while his mouth continued its work.

"Please, Thor…" Loki gasped, but his words cut off into a sharp cry as Thor's tongue pressed against his prostate. He swore he could feel Thor's lips against his flesh rise into a smug grin. From there it was sweet agony, as Thor expertly stimulated him, brushing that bundle of nerves over and over again, until he pressed against it hard and hummed loudly. It worked, bringing Loki over the edge again, and he gave a tortured sob as he felt his seed shoot out of him again.

After that he was trembling, gasping for breath, his body simultaneously begging for it to be over and praying for it to never end. He'd come three times already, and Thor hadn't even taken his own clothes off yet. But as he lay there in his strung-out daze, he heard Thor fumbling with his clothing behind him. It wasn't over yet.

The rest of the night passed like a feverish dream, as Thor took him over and over again, looming above him, then bouncing him in his lap, then rutting into him as he held himself up on all fours like a dog. He mewled, he howled, he babbled and pleaded for more, as Thor wrung orgasm after orgasm from his tortured body, crooning tender words of love into his ear after each one.

He'd lost count of how many times he'd come, and after another release, this time facing away from Thor while perched in his lap, he honestly didn't think he could keep going. His gasps were sounding more like sobs, they took so much effort.

"Thor…I…" he tried to whimper, "…I can't…please…"

Strong arms wrapped around him, and he felt a stubbled chin on his shoulder as Thor started to slowly rock them both side to side. "Shhhhh…" Thor soothed, "It's alright…you've done so well…shhhhh, Loki…"

Loki numbly let himself be swayed by Thor's rhythm, leaning heavily against his brother's body as he gave up any control he had left. Thor's words lulled him into a deep peace. "You're okay, Loki…you've been so wonderful…I love you so much…"

Loki nuzzled into Thor's hair, craving the closeness and seeking out more soft words of affirmation, more approval, more proof of being loved. He fumbled for one of Thor's hands on his chest, and when he found it, Thor joined their hands together and squeezed gently.

Thor gave him this stillness for a while, before asking, "Would you be alright with one more time? For me?"

Loki slowly nodded. "Okay," Thor whispered, and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. Loki sighed softly at the gesture.

Thor shifted him off his still-hard cock, and gently maneuvered him to lie flat on the bed, his head nearly sliding over the edge. It put Loki on the precipice, but somehow made him feel even more secure. It was yet another aspect of his body to trust Thor with.

He sighed weakly with delight as he felt Thor spread his legs again, holding them beneath his knees in the air while carefully driving into him. He kept a measured pace, not too fast for Loki to handle. Loki whimpered softly with each thrust.

Thor started to speed up, unable to help himself, and Loki delighted at the further loss of control. But when Thor reached to his limp cock between them, intending to share the pleasure with him, Loki batted his hand away.

"I can't…" Loki breathed. "Just…just take it…"

Just take me for yourself.

Thor paused, unsure if this was alright, if this was using Loki unjustly, but soon enough Loki felt him pumping into him again. He gave a soft cry of satisfaction as the motions continued.

As he kept on, Thor grew more confident in just taking of Loki's body without reciprocation. He paused to drop Loki's legs from the air, reaching instead to his hips to lift his lower body entirely off the bed, before rutting into him forcefully to seek his release. Loki moaned, loving this feeling of being so helpless in Thor's grasp, as he felt his head fall off the edge of the bed.

He couldn't see Thor anymore, but he knew Thor was watching his exposed throat bulge with moans, feeling his slick heat burn around him as he pounded into his little brother, taking without giving anything back, in complete ownership of Loki's body. Sooner than expected, Loki felt Thor's rhythm falter, his hips stutter, and finally, that wonderful spread of heat inside him as Thor spent himself with a mighty roar.

Later, as Loki lay beside Thor, cradled in his arms, he saw the first rays of dawn break onto the horizon. He smiled, and snuggled up closer to his brother. "I love you, Thor," he murmured against his neck. It was a blatant appeal for more affection, more approval from Thor, something he usually tried to pretend he didn't need, building a wall around himself against it. But as he felt Thor bring him in closer, stroking his raven hair, Loki couldn't remember a time in his life when he had felt more loved than this. He could have burst with happiness.