The moon hung low over snow-capped trees. It was quiet save the occasional bang of the crude wooden door keeping the warmth and human noise inside Thor's latest house of ale. Loki remained outside among the trees where he preferred it, though he anticipated Thor would come soon to make yet another drunken entreaty for Loki to join him in his debauchery.
Had not this been the point of their excursion into Midgard in the first place, his brother would no doubt say.
Loki would rebuff him, of course. It wouldn't take much at this point. The last time he saw Thor, his brother had been in the embrace of a sturdy and buxom blonde quite as intoxicated as he.
Twenty-three days in this realm and Loki had yet to indulge himself, as Thor would no doubt bring up the next time he appeared.
In truth, Loki knew he would have to give in soon to allay his brother's suspicions. Their coming here had naturally been Loki's idea even if Thor thought it his own. And, as always, Loki had a much better reason than mere carnality for their trip. A reason he didn't want anyone to know about.
There was absolutely no magic in Midgard. It was a land of the utterly unremarkable, a throw away place where life was both fleeting and cheap. Which made it absolutely perfect for the project he had in mind. If it worked, he would become sire of a line of unique and powerful mages no one would see coming. His own personal army, bound to him by magic. And if it failed, well, it wasn't as if these pathetic creatures mattered to him in their current unrefined state.
There was only one obstacle in his path. Loki would say to Thor that none had as yet claimed his eye but it was much more than that. These mortals were little better than animals. They acted like them, certainly smelled like them, and he had yet to come across a female even close to palatable enough for him to couple with.
It was going to take a lot for him to put aside his fastidious and cleanly habits in order to perform the deed with the best of them-and this, yet another sad little village in the frozen north was not exactly populated with the finest specimens.
The silver lining was that their time so far was not a total loss to Loki. In truth, by spreading his seed far and wide, Thor was doing him a service. His brother's latent genes would aid Loki in ways unknown to Thor, magical ways Thor couldn't comprehend let alone anticipate.
Every night as Thor lay sated and asleep, Loki would draw blood sigils on the bellies of his sleeping bedmates and insert his magic into the fertilized eggs he found in most of them.
The ancient text Loki acquired was of great aid in the matter.
Yet still he would not be satisfied until he had more directly sired his own lineage. It was simply the personal sacrifice that held him up. But this would not last forever, surely. He hoped.
"Brother." A firm hand clapped him on the shoulder and Loki fought down a flinch. "Why do you not come? There are fair maids for us both, and warm bedding aplenty."
"As tempting as you make it sound, I find I would prefer my own company."
Thor laughed, and it was low and drunken. "Abstinence does not become you, brother." He shook Loki's shoulder and Loki turned to face him.
The harsh reprove died on his tongue as he saw the diffuse, warm glow in Thor's eyes. "There is little point in lecturing one so besotted by ale." He smacked Thor in the bicep and strode past him.
"Indeed not!" Thor laughed again and followed Loki as he lead them back inside the house of ale. If his brother had anything else to say, Loki did not hear it. He was immediately overwhelmed by the sharp stench of alcohol and piss. The scent of unwashed bodies and sex threaded through it all and underneath that, this evening's meal.
It was a nauseating combination but Loki forced himself to stomach it and the hungry gazes of several mortal women. He didn't dare smile at them lest they take it as a sign and approach him. Instead, Loki waved Thor off to his mortal lover for the night and took a seat in an ill used corner of the room. A tankard of mead found its way to him and he held this against the rough cleaven wood of the table as if it was a lifeline.
There was firelight and loud conversation in one of Midgard's native tongues and despite himself, Loki's flesh did begin to thaw from his venture outdoors. He raised the likely filthy vessel to his mouth and took a sip. It was weak by Asgardian standards but stronger than he thought it would be. He took another.
Loki pursed his lips when the tankard was empty. He ruminated on the inevitability of it all as he caught eyes with a dark haired woman across the room and lifted an eyebrow, smiled. She was slightly more pleasing than the rest and, Loki thought to himself, what really was the point in delaying any longer? The sooner he had done with the matter, the sooner they could be gone from this wretched, primitive place.
She approached him, warm and smiling and smelling faintly of honey. It was this that decided him and quickened his silver tongue once more until he had her in his clutches.
Loki thought of many things as he later took her but it was particularly the idea of the fruition of his plans that spilled his seed into her soft warmth. She curled about him under the furs afterward and Loki let her if only so as to better facilitate his spellcasting later. He accomplished his work after she fell asleep and soon, despite his better judgement, Loki found rest as well.
He awoke to Thor's grinning face some hours later.
"Must you?" Loki cast a simple sleeping spell on the woman and slipped out of her embrace. A wave of his hand and he was fully dressed again.
"And how could I not?" Thor followed this with a hearty guffaw. "My younger brother, a man at last!"
Loki bit the inside of his cheek to keep from contradicting the oaf. Instead, he charmed Thor's cloak to tangle about his face and while he was struggling with that Loki slipped outside into the fresh, cold air.
All in all, it hadn't been as bad as Loki feared. He still felt sullied, of course, but not to the anticipated degree. With this in mind, he sought out the hot springs they found near their latest little village. Loki vanished his clothing once more and stepped into the warm water just as a cloak-blinded Thor came into view.
It was Loki's turn to laugh now as Thor's cape beat him wildly about the face while he made aborted attempts to pull it off. Segments of white blonde hair poked out in tufts whenever the struggle became especially intense. "Now, that, brother, is a fine look for you."
"Loki." Thor drew his name out. Then he turned like a bull encouraged by Loki's flippant words and charged at him only to fall face first into the water with a loud splash. He popped up gasping, the cloak a sodden mess now suffocating him. Loki laughed so hard he too was at a loss for breath for a moment.
Thor's groping hands found Loki's neck and amidst several muffled curses Loki finally took pity on him and let the spell go. Thor brushed his cloak back to reveal his wild-eyed, reddened face. His hands tightened on Loki's neck and Loki's eyes went wide in false fear and submission. "Peace, brother. Our quarrel is at an end."
He wasn't really afraid but one never knew what stupidity Thor would get up to if properly inspired. And Loki still wanted his bath.
Thor gave a muffled grunt and shook him before releasing him. He lifted his arms, displaying his soaking wet attire quite nicely. "Would that you had not ruined my clothing. I cannot travel like this. We are stuck-"
Loki cast a drying spell on him before he could finish complaining. "You know I'd do anything for you." He fished a bar of soap out of an interdimensional pocket and began to lather himself up while Thor stared in amazement at his perfectly dry and warm clothing. He waded out of the water and onto the shore.
"And what of my pants?"
"Now you see value in my little tricks, do you? Too late, I'm afraid," Loki crowed, as he started in on liberating his hair from the stench of mortals.
Thor had Mjolnir in his hand in the blink of an eye. He smiled at Loki and it was all teeth. "You think me so helpless? Then I shall ensure your bathing pond is no more."
Loki paused in his scrubbing to roll his eyes. "I think you ridiculous and prone to wanton destruction. Obviously." Another wave of his hand and Thor was dry from head to foot.
Thor tossed Mjolnir casually to the ground and followed it with his clean clothes. He waded into the water again and held a hand out for Loki's bar of soap.
"You see? Ridiculous." Thor reached out to snatch it but his fingers wafted through illusion only. Loki was already on the far side of the pool with his prize. "To think I should ever let you touch my bathing things. Avail yourself of the mortals' clensors if it please you, as you've none of your own."
Thor slogged through the water almost fast enough to catch him. "And why should I when yours are right here?"
Loki darted away and left an illusion of himself where he'd just been but Thor was wise to him now and followed the ripples in the water instead. He soon claimed Loki's arm in his grasp and after that things turned into a full blown wrestling match.
Several mouthfuls of hot water and a scraped knee later and both Loki and Thor were left panting roughly and at an impasse. Thor had his arm around Loki's neck but Loki had a dagger digging into his brother's side.
"Have it your way," Loki finally sighed. He pulled out what seemed to be his bar of soap from its hiding place again and handed it to Thor. His brother let Loki go and Loki stepped back, rubbing his neck.
"Spoils, fairly won," Thor said, announcing his intention of keeping the item.
It was a good thing it wasn't actually the same bar of soap but rather one laced with an itching potion Loki had made after their last bathing dispute.
Thor was entirely too predictable.
Loki schooled his features into an expression of resigned irritation. "This is the last time, brother." The required threat was in his tone, leaving Thor none the wiser.
Thor laughed. "Of course."
Loki sat back to finish his own bath. He did not smirk or smile. Such would take away unnecessarily from what was to be the day's entertainment. Instead he kept his eyes elsewhere as Thor unabashedly slid the soap all over his body.
Oh, yes, but this was going to be entertaining.
Loki lathered himself twice more as was his custom before leaning back against a large rock to rest his eyes. Thor would give him little peace later, he knew, and he would take it now.
When Thor was finished he sloshed over and Loki cracked an eye. "You wanted it, now keep it." Asgard's golden prince didn't exactly pout, but his expression was something close to it. "Is that supposed to move me as it would one of your sycophants?" Now Loki smirked. "Shall I tell them of your utter ineptitude at taking care of yourself?"
Thor needed no further encouragement to dunk Loki underwater and soon they were at it again. Loki slipped away this time, leaving Thor sputtering and alone in the spring and him fully clothed on the shore.
"My, isn't this a sight for sore eyes," he said, and Thor chased him out of the water. Loki danced away into the snow and watched his brother come to a complete halt when he realized how cold it actually was. "Clothe yourself. We've places to be."
"Watch your mouth." He could hear the warning in Thor's voice and felt the sudden rumble in the skies wholly unnecessary.
"As you wish." It was too late now, anyway. The deed was done.
Loki affected a polite mien as Thor clutched him to his chest, remaining passive as Thor swung Mjolnir and sent them airborne. It was only after the snow died away to open sea and then greenery beneath them that he spoke again. "Where, pray, are we going now?"
"I have heard the lands south of the great desert offer challenge." Hunting, he meant. Loki closed his eyes so he wouldn't roll them. Truly, he should have known. In crudest terms, when Thor wasn't fucking he was fighting.
"I should not expect anything less." Loki said it because he could. He did not mind the arm tightening about his waist or the low rumble vibrating through him from Thor's chest.
"Can you not find joy in the hunt? With me?" The wounded tone in Thor's voice had him stiffening before he made himself relax.
"Of course I can," Loki said after a pause. "Fool."
Thor nodded a little and they lapsed into silence, during which Loki ruminated on the reasons behind their little trip. Odin, wise and proud, could sense something between the two and so he readily agreed to Thor's idea of an extended brothers only trip to Midgard. Exactly as according to Loki's plan. Yet he couldn't help but feel a bit...touched. Whether he had manipulated the events or not, it was nice to feel wanted for once. Not that Loki would ever admit to something he despised as weakness in himself and others.
It started with Thor shifting Loki in his arms to scratch at an elbow and gradually got worse from there. Eventually, Loki couldn't stop the laughter from shaking his body.
"What have you done?" Thor yelled, almost dropping Loki in the process.
"Me, brother? Nothing. Assuredly, it was all by your own hand." He laughed until tears were leaking from the corners of his eyes as Thor hurtled toward the ground. Loki didn't stop even when Thor unceremoniously dropped him in the dirt to scratch at his back.
Loki rolled to the side and propped himself up, still staring as Thor pulled off first his armor and then his underclothes to better facilitate his scratching. "Oh, I do so hope Heimdall has eyes for this."
Thor stilled for a moment before turning his baleful gaze on Loki, who scrambled to his feet. Thor's nakedness only served to make him seem more deadly with the red scratch marks covering his bronzed skin further enhancing that image.
It was forever burned into Loki's mind alongside those memories from his recent and unexpected nightmares where Thor was actually trying to kill him.
Loki paled as Thor hefted Mjolnir in one hand. A thousand years of training took over and he dodged the first and second swings. The third came at him so fast Loki had no choice but to teleport. He landed high up in a nearby tree and cursed both himself and Thor for making him reveal his hand. But he didn't have time to ruminate for Thor was upon him once more, cracking Mjolnir against the sturdy wood where Loki's head had been mere moments before.
Loki danced away, sending three illusions in different directions to confuse his brother.
Thor roared and lifted Mjolnir high, thunder splitting the heavens and crackling down Thor's arm.
Now Loki really was afraid. He hadn't seen Thor lose control of himself like this for a long time outside of battle.
Loki jumped just as Mjolnir smashed into the ground. His illusions shattered with the interference and he barely missed being electrocuted himself.
It had to be the spell.
Thor charged him and Loki dodged once more, ended up with his back against another tree which Thor smashed too. It crashed to the ground as Loki ducked yet another blow.
A bad combination. Some faulty, Midgardian ingredient. Loki just needed to counteract it.
But Thor wasn't giving him the time. His brother's face looked nothing of itself. His eyes were almost vacant and given over to a hardness that was at once both familiar and alien.
Loki mustered himself and teleported as far away as he dared. His hand slipped into an interdimensional pocket and he summoned the antidote. It was at his palm the moment Thor was upon him. Loki ripped the cloth bag with a dagger to let the liquid within splash at Thor's face even as Mjolnir bashed him in the side of the head.