(A/N: I don't know why I have been gone for so long, but you probably shouldn't consider this as me being back. I don't know yet if I am or not. I just felt the need to write something and maybe let everyone know that I am not in fact dead or giving up the fanfiction world. Anyway, this is slash, Thor/Loki, Thorki, Thunderfrost, whatever you wish to call it. If you don't like it then please tell me why you clicked on it. Anyway, I don't own the Avengers and I never will. Just keep that in mind. On with the show!)

Days and Nights

Loki twisted his body so that he was pressed more closely to Thor's side and the delicious warmth that radiated from the other man. It was something of an addiction, the feeling that surrounded him whenever he was close to the blonde man, he could never get enough and he didn't know if it was even possible. The problem was that Thor was not aware of Loki's addiction.

The green eyed Trickster sighed softly as Thor unconsciously wrapped an arm around him, pulling them tightly together. He took the moment to appreciate the hard lines of Thor's face softened as they were by sleep. He did not dare to reach out and touch, to allow himself that guilty pleasure would open the flood gates that were his control and his secret would be revealed.

Taking one last breath of the sheer warmth that Thor radiated and drawing it into himself Loki steeled himself for what he had to do next. Quietly, without waking Thor, he extracted himself from that powerful grip and slid out of the bed. His bare feet hit the floor and the piercing cold was a reminder of what he could not have, the rising sun and brilliant beacon chasing his fantasy away.

Silently he made his way to the bedroom door and let himself out the mortal way as his magic was not to be used frivolously any more. He did not notice half-cracked blue eyes following him, or the way Thor's arms gathered the blanket they had shared closer.

Loki stepped into the hallway and smacked into Bruce Banner's chest, it really bothered him sometimes, how short he was as a mortal. It made sense of course, his Jötunn blood made him tall and Odin had stripped him of it. Thor lost his muscles; Loki lost his height and was made to power his magic with naught but what the frail human body could generate. As such he rarely used it.

"Restless again tonight?" Bruce asked softly, his eyes shadowed by the dimness of the hallway as he carefully stepped back from Loki's stiffened form.

"More than you can ever know," Loki replied in just as soft a voice. His brother was a heavy sleeper but he still had no desire to risk waking him.

"I have an idea. Come on, let's get some coffee, Tony's bound to have some made by now," Bruce said and motioned for Loki to follow him. The green eyed man merely followed, his head down, shoulders slumped. It was not often that he was caught in the midst of his secret shame, but this was not the first time by far. Nor was Bruce the only one that had found him.

"Who is it?" Loki asked after a moment, seeking to reassure himself.

"Guess," Bruce replied with that miserable wry smile that he was so good at. Loki was able to sympathize with Bruce the most. After all, he knew what it meant to be a monster in human form, to have everyone around him walk on egg shells because they knew what he was capable of. He was not pleased to learn that they had yet another thing in common, Bruce certainly had earned the right to a little bit of peace.

"Stark," Loki asked and an easy smile blossomed over Bruce's lips. Loki did not know what it meant; he had never seen that look come from the doctor before.

"No, he and Steve are an interesting item though. I would have never guessed it myself. Give it another go," Bruce said and opened the door to the kitchen, allowing a wave of coffee and bacon scented air to spill into their noses. Tony was at the table with a newspaper and Steve was cooking breakfast. When the Super Soldier noticed them he added more bacon to the pan and threw more eggs into the mixing bowl before waving a cheerful good morning.

"Neither of you slept again," Tony observed critically, his eyes barely leaving the paper as he directed them to the coffee pot.

"So?" Loki asked, swallowing half of his coffee in one go, wincing briefly at the pain of it. Tony just shrugged and continued on with his paper.

"Giving up?" Bruce asked, staring into his coffee cup, stroking his thumbs along the rim and breathing in the steam.

"Natasha," Loki said after giving it some thought and the smile that he was granted was much more strained than the one previous, allowing him to know that he had hit the mark.

"Comparing unrequited love stories are we gentlemen?" Clint dropped out of the special hole that had been left in the ceiling just for him and dodged the swipe of Tony's morning paper.

"There is nothing unrequited about my love story," Tony said smugly and Steve turned around just long enough to shake his head and roll his eyes.

"It's just a matter of getting over it," Bruce allowed and sipped his coffee.

"Nah, there's no getting over Nat, trust me there. Fury's been hit hard, I can't even be in the same room with the pair of them. I don't expect the jolly green giant wants that sort of show either," Clint said earning a grimace from Bruce.

"At least we know that we have to move on," Bruce nudged Loki's shoulder, "This one just sort of has to live with the curiosity and not knowing…" Bruce's touch became more of a sympathetic grasp and Loki did not shrug him off.

"I've lost my right. And I know it. I'm just not willing to give him up yet. He left her, and that has to mean something…" Loki froze, with what little magic he was able to access at a given time, he could feel Thor's presence if it was close enough. "Damn," Loki whispered softly as the morning ground to a halt in the Avengers kitchen.

"It does mean something. I would have thought that you might have figured it out by now," Thor's voice was low and calm but fire rose in Loki's cheeks, even though the rest of the kitchen was looking elsewhere.

"Perhaps I am not as gifted at unraveling riddles as I once was. Enlighten me brother," Loki breathed as one large hand carefully slid around to cradle his jaw, turning his face until his eyes met Thor's.

The blonde man did not speak, instead lowering himself to his knees so that he could stare into Loki's face as it rested between his palms. He ran one thumb along a pale cheek, swiping up the tear before it truly fell and pressing his lips against Loki's with none of his usual confidence. Loki did not hesitate to return the gesture, kissing Thor back with all of the desperate hope that had lived in his heart for so long.

"Aye, love is an unsolvable riddle. Much like the puzzle box that is your mind. Loki, I have loved you for as many days and nights as there ever have been, and shall love you for as many as there ever shall be," Thor whispered as the rest of the kitchen could not resist staring on in dead silence.

"As I love you Thor, as I love you," Loki replied and sealed the words with a kiss. This time Tony and Clint did not resist the urge to whistle salaciously, Bruce chuckled brightly and Steve saved the bacon from a crispy blackened death.

(A/N: God, that was sort of rotten tooth fluff and I don't know where it came from. Let me know what you thought though.)