Bilgesnipe

Loki gasped at the agony that was ripping through his body as he pushed himself off the sword and landed on Svartalfheim's rocky ground. Almost laughed as the dark-elf was dismembered as he was pulled into another world, before Thor scrambled up, rushing over to cradle him.

Wished that his death could just be an illusion, as the panicked, blond man demanded, "Loki, Loki, look at me, look at me ! Don't you dare close your eyes. Do you remember that bilgesnipe years ago that we killed together ? Tell me you remember."

How nice the warmth felt in contrast to the coldness that was slowly, but surely taking over him. Thor's hand suddenly rested on his chest, putting pressure on his newest impalement wound, right beside the spot where that bilgesnipe had gored him. Dark clouds their edges lit by white light floated by above them as he blinked, pulled back into that memory.

Flashback

Opened his eyes from his breathing exercises and panicked to see that the grass was somehow covered in ice.

'Mother doesn't know ice magic, how can I know ice magic ? This doesn't make sense unless I'm a freak. Mother can't find out about this, no one can find out about this...this thing that just happened.'

Snatched up his spear as a child screamed in fright near-by. The sound of a great smashing as he ran out of the hollow to see a bilgesnipe pulling its antlers from a tree. A girl had frozen in the middle of the clearing to stare in terror at the animal.

He made an illusion of the girl that the giant, gray/brown scaled, repulsive smelling and looking beast chased after - straight into an oak tree. He pushed the girl away, "Go on, run, run !", as he leveled his spear at the antlered beast as it spun back around to glare at him with mud-gray eyes.

The brown-haired girl ran as the bilgesnipe charged at him, he rolled away and thrust the spear into its side. It spun around and charged him, its antlers caused his breast-plate to buckle so that it caught him, before it tossed him hard into a tree. As everything went black he saw his brother's hammer, Mjolnir, covered in lightning slam into the bilgesnipe's mouth.

'The girl will be safe at the very least since Thor is here now.'

Dimly, he felt a hand twine in his blood-covered, black-hair and rest on his neck, tilting his head up. Thor's warm, deep voice started calling worriedly, "Loki ?! Loki, wake up, look at me !"

He managed to half-open his eyes to see that Thor's beautiful, blue ones were as worried as his voice. The shoulder-length blond-haired and tan-skinned man sighed in relief, "You had me worried, brother."

'Brother ? Why must he always call me brother when he must have some inkling that is not my sentiment towards him ? Then again, this is Thor.'

"So, I can see. Is the girl safe ?"

Thor nodded as the blue-leather and steel armoured man twisted to summon Mjolnir to himself, "She is, if she hadn't found us that bilgesnipe likely would have killed you. Even with your magic you shouldn't have gone after it alone."

'Them ? Hogun I don't mind, but Sif ? Whenever Thor's not looking she's glaring at me because she's in love with him too. As if he would ever notice me, he's always paying more attention to everyone else, but me.'

That made him scoff as he looked past Thor to the bilgesnipe's smoking corpse. "Would you have rather that I let her die simply because I am not as strong as you, brother ?"

'Of course, I now need yet another spear. What is this going to be ? The fifth one this year alone ?'

Shock at his words moved over Thor's face as the bigger, heavily muscled man helped him up, Thor responded, "Of course, not, Loki. It's just look at what it did to you, its antlers could have gone through your heart !"

An arm wrapped around his waist and he slumped against Thor from pain, weakness and dizziness, along with partially because he wanted too, as the pale-skinned Sif walked into the clearing. Her long black-haired head was held high and her tone was haughty, "You're lucky Thor was here to save you, Loki."

To be honest, it quite shocked him when Thor verbally stepped in for him, "Sif if it had not been for Loki's intervention that poor girl would have died. If Loki had not stabbed it with his spear and distracted it the bilgesnipe likely would have spotted and tried to kill me."

He looked over at his charred and splintered spear as Thor helped him walk back towards home and the healing wing. As he looked over his shoulder, he caught Sif's outraged look when Thor called back, "Sif would you get Loki's spear for him ?"

Echoes of sharp cracks reached them as they went into the trees, she'd just snapped it off. 'As she wants to do to my head I am sure. Jealous little quim, at the very least Thor always pays her heed whilst ignoring me because she enables his rash attitudes.'

When they got to the healing wing, Mother her brown hair in loose curls, waited for them. She walked up to take his hand after Thor helped him onto the table, "How did you get injured, Loki ?"

"I saved a child from getting killed by a bilgesnipe with an illusion."

Mother smiled and replied, "I am proud of you, Loki."

Healer Hilde walked into the room and then he blacked out from his injuries. Dim sensations plauged his sleep until he woke up in his bed with Thor leaning over him. A tanned hand smoothed his hair, "You'll be all right, little brother. Father had a new spear made for you right away."

Eager to see the new spear and ignoring the slight twinge, he pushed himself up to look. Its head was still the old, sharp one, but its shaft was new and of solid oak, plated in rune-covered steel; it was still beautiful and just as deadly as before.

Slowly, he got out of his bed to pick it up, it was of the perfect weight when still and he did a few test slashes and thrusts. Smiled at how utterly perfectly the spear was as he planted it on the floor, Thor smiled too.

"I am glad it pleases you, it suits you quite nicely."

Tired, suddenly he rubbed at his right-eye and then leaned his new spear against the wall, before he walked back over to and sunk back down onto the bed. Thor helped him lay down then pulled the blanket over him.

'Some day, some how, I'll make you notice me. I'll make it so that you have to pay attention to me.'

End Flashback

He stammered from the pain, "O-of c-course, Thor, aggh."

Thor's other hand took his and squeezed tightly, "You survived that, you can survive this. Y-you have to survive it, Loki, I-I can't lose you too, not right after Mother."

'He wants me to live ? And why would he want that ? Ever since I tried to kill his precious Jane, he's wanted me dead.'

Harsh laughter burst from his throat, "Why ? I have no reason to want it. Mother is dead, Father hates me and you stated that you wanted me dead or you'd kill me, either way you win."

Sadness filled his 'brother's eyes and Thor exclaimed, "I lied, again, I could never actually do it. You just saved my life, why ? To impress Father ? I'll tell him about this, he'll have to forgive you and you can really come home with me this time, no more prison."

Felt himself fading as he answered, "No, not Father, I just-" 'Wanted you. I just wanted to impress you enough to notice me, to love me.'

A blond woman with a raven's wings in silver and black-armour astride an enormous wolf loomed over him as he stood above his body and Thor. She was one of the V-valkyries, "Valhalla calls, will you accompany me, Loki of Asgard ?"

For a second, he stood frozen, uncomprehending before he looked down at Thor. Watched in amazement as Thor bent to press a soft, but definitely not brotherly, kiss against his lips as the faint light disappeared and a ferocious storm broke overhead.

It was very odd seeing the downpour, but not feeling it hit his skin. Thor whispered, "I'm sorry. I had so many opportunities to tell you and now it's too late, but I-I loved you, Loki, far more than I should have."

His jubilant shout of, "Yes !", echoed in the air and then the valkyrie cleared her throat. He coughed slightly to rein himself in and calmly answered, "Of course I will."

The valkyrie's wings flapped as he climbed on behind her, as they took off, he looked behind him. A determined Thor had risen from beside his body and the words, "Malekith will pay.", echoed after the valkyrie and himself.

'Good luck, my love, I'll be waiting with Mother for you.'