It was a warm, sunny morning on Asgard. Thor awoke to the sound of birds outside his window and got up to look outside. He saw the sun glistening on the Bifrost and could hear the sounds of Lady Sif and the warriors three training outside the palace. He smiled to himself as he got himself ready in his usual armour and prepared to join them. As he was making his way through the halls, he decided to stop by his brother's room. It had been months since he had joined them in training and he wanted to let Loki know that he was still welcome to come along.
Loki had been awake for some hours but didn't bother getting up. His dreams had once again been filled with the face of Fandral. He had liked him for years now but was unsure of Fandral's own feelings towards him. He had been trying to build up enough courage to speak to him for months and tried to avoid him during training and feasts in case he got too close. His thoughts about how to bring up the subject with Fandral were interrupted by a loud knock on his door. He knew immediately it was Thor. As usual, he stormed into the room before awaiting an answer. At least he knocked this time, thought Loki.
"Loki, brother, you are not up yet. It is a fine day for training, won't you join me?" Thor boomed as he walked over to his brother and sat down on his bed.
Loki sat himself up and pulled his legs towards his chest. "Perhaps brother, I will think about it." Loki replied looking up at Thor.
"It is unusual for you to still be in bed at this hour brother, are you unwell?" Thor questioned, slightly more concerned about getting himself ill.
"Not unwell brother, perhaps just a little anxious. I was wondering if I could talk to you actually brother." Loki was nervous and his hands shaking slightly. He knew he couldn't hide from Fandral forever and he wasn't prepared to talk to Frigga about this, her advice would be too motherly. He definitely wasn't going to Odin, he wasn't in the mood for being yelled at, but he could trust Thor.
Thor could see how nervous Loki had become and set Mjolnir down on the floor. He turned to face his younger brother and crossed his legs. "Has something happened, brother? What has you so worried?" He asked in a calming tone that only Loki had heard him talk in.
"You told me once when we were younger, that I could come and talk to you about anything. Do you remember that?" His voice was quiet as he spoke.
"Of course I do brother, and I still mean it. You can still tell me anything and I will still listen and try to help you. Please, brother, tell me what worries you." He asked, hoping that he would be able to help his brother.
"I wanted to tell you for ages, but I was worried." Loki had a few tears falling down his face and Thor wrapped an arm around him reassuringly. "I'm not like you or father. Did you know, when we were younger, father told me that if I turned out like this, not even Hel would take me?" More tears fell from his eyes as he recalled the painful memory.
"I'm afraid I don't follow brother. I would never judge you like father does." Thor said confused as to what Loki was trying to say.
Loki wiped a few fresh tears from his eyes as he looked up to meet Thor's gaze. "I like men, brother. I have been trying to deny my feelings for so long, but then I got older and Fandral... I'm sorry, brother." He wrapped his arms around the older god and buried his face in his armour.
A moment of shock passed over Thor and he wondered how long Loki had been feeling like this. "Please do not feel the need to apologise to me, brother. I would never be disappointed in you, okay? Don't worry about what father has to say either, he is a fool." Thor hugged Loki back and tried his best to be reassuring.
"I know, brother, but I still don't know what to do about my feelings. How am I supposed to train with Fandral if I feel like this around him?" Loki asked quietly, hoping for some advice.
Thor thought carefully about what to say and remembered some things that Fandral had said in the past, yes he was drunk those times, but the thoughts had come from somewhere.
"Come down to the training grounds with me, brother. I have a feeling that Fandral feels the same way about you." He said, taking his brother's hand and pulling him out of bed. He picked Mjolnir up from the floor and turned towards the door. "Get dressed, brother and I will wait out here for you.
Once Thor had left Loki grabbed his clean armour and dressed before styling his hair and making sure he had all of his weapons stored where they were supposed to go. He met with Thor and they went down to the training grounds together.
TRAINING GROUNDS
Loki stayed a few paces behind Thor as the approached the training grounds, unsure if he was making the right choice. What if Thor was wrong?
Lady Sif was the first to notice them approaching. "You took your time. Waiting for him I assume?" She said and she motioned her sword towards Loki looking at them both, unimpressed. Thor looked behind him to see Loki looking anxious. He grabbed his brother by the arm and dragged him forward.
He whispered in Loki's ear. "Go and take a seat brother, you don't have to do any training." He saw Loki give a small nod watched as he went and sat on the dusty floor by the edge of the grounds. He gave a smile to Sif as he joined the warriors three on the grounds. He greeted Hogun and Volstagg before going over to Fandral. "I believe my brother would like to have a chat with you." Thor said quietly as the others were talking about sparring tactics. Fandral glanced over at Loki before giving Thor a nod and going over to sit with the younger prince.
Thor joined in training with the others so Loki wouldn't feel like they were all focussed on what he was doing.
"Is it okay if I sit with you, Loki?" Fandral asked as he approached. Loki gave a small nod and Fandral sat next to him. "So. Your brother said you wanted to talk to me." Fandral, who was normally so confident and outgoing, suddenly felt nervous about what Loki had to say. He had feelings for the younger prince since Thor started to bring him along to training sessions. He had surrounded himself with women to see if his feelings for Loki would lessen, thinking that his feelings would not to mutual.
"He told me to talk to you." Loki started. He felt that coming straight out with it would be the best idea. "I like you, Fandral, and I have for many months now but I didn't say anything because I didn't know if you felt the same." Loki finished quickly, looking at Fandral to see his reaction.
Fandral stayed silent for a few seconds, unable to believe what he had just heard. Seeing Loki looking at him anxiously, he decided to give in to his feelings. He leaned in and gave Loki a gentle kiss on the lips. Thor looked over just as he leaned in and dropped his hammer to the ground. Sif noticed the lack of response from Thor and glanced over as well, with a stunned look on her face.
"I hope that tells you how I feel about you, Loki." Fandral smiled as he took Loki's hands in his own. "Maybe we could go somewhere quieter. I would like to get to know you better."
Loki returned this smile and nodded in agreement. "Of course. Mother's garden will be quiet, I like to go there to read." Loki suggested as they got up off the ground.
"Loki?" Loki heard his brothers voice from across the grounds and turned to face him, slightly embarrassed. Thor was walking quickly towards his younger brother.
"Thank you for listening to me, brother and helping me with my feelings. We will be in Mother's garden if you need us." Loki took Fandral's hand and they walked off through the palace, leaving Sif, Hogun and Volstagg looking shocked and Thor with a smile on his face feeling glad that his little brother was happy.