His room was the same as he had left it. Two years and his family had not thought to clear the space or destroy his things. The sentiment tugged at him and he grunted and kicked at the corner of his bed simply to have something to distract him from the tear pulling into the corner of his eye.
The doors to his balcony were open, letting in the warmth and flavor of Asgard that he had been denied in his prison cell, and upon his release had been too preoccupied to fully appreciate. He paused in his brooding, slipped his eyes shut and inhaled deeply, drinking the familiar, nostalgic, delicious air.
It made him sick that he craved it so.
He stood like that for another minute, just breathing deeply and enjoying the simplest of pleasures. His only complaint, well really he had a myriad of them but this was the most pressing one, was that his own battle-bloodied smell was interfering with his meditative breathing. Loki sighed and sagged a bit, his armor suddenly too heavy for him to bear. He refused to call it fear, but he was wary of taking it off lest some guard burst in and challenge his right to be in his old quarters. In fact, Loki wasn't sure if he was allowed to be here.
He turned and glanced around the room, suddenly frightened that this might be the last time he was in this space. He felt the urge to grab every book he owned and read them all again, lest he forget their contents. He wanted to grab his blankets and curl into a cocoon in his bed, making a dent in his mattress one last time.
A tiny sob escaped him, startling him from his reverie. He had not meant to let such a thing out, and quickly cursed himself for feeling sentimental over things he had convinced himself he no longer needed or wanted. He hastily wiped his tears away and resisted the urge to scream in frustration.
And thank god because the next second his door opened. It was a sound he had not heard in years; the hollow thud of the thing opening and the creak of the metal against the wood. Another sigh almost escaped him.
He was so tired.
Thor moved into the room and quietly shut the door behind him. Loki thought about chastising him for not knocking, but his tongue remained still in his mouth. His eyes moved over his brother's form.
It was infuriating to him that after such a long, fitful journey, he still wanted to rip those clothes off and have Thor throw him down into his blankets. Unfortunately for Thor, Loki probably would have passed out immediately – but still.
His brother was avoiding his gaze, clearing his throat and looking around the room with the same kind of dejected awe that Loki felt. It was clear that Thor had not been here in Loki's absence.
"Father says you'll stay in here tonight," Thor mumbled quietly from his spot, still not meeting Loki's eyes.
Loki nodded and continued to soak up his brother's image.
He was loath to admit it, but he had missed Thor. Their time apart had left a hole in him that ached something horrible whenever he thought of his brother.
Which was always.
It had hurt him beyond measure to finally stand by his side again but for the sole purpose of saving Thor's lover. That wicked, nasty, skinny, little witch with her attitude and her presumption that she could possibly have anything worthy to offer his brother. The audacity and injustice of it all made him want to vomit all over Thor's hair.
He might just do that anyway.
"You're to have a bath."
Loki blinked and looked up at his brother again. "Hm?"
Thor sighed and met his gaze, looking beaten down and ages older than he is. "You're filthy," he remarked, a small, almost unbelievable smile pulling up one corner of his mouth. His fondness was leaking and it made Loki even crazier.
He scowled at the thunder god. "That's quite a thing to accuse someone of when there is blood literally dripping from you onto my floor."
This time Thor laughed. "I'll take one with you."
Loki froze. "You jest."
His brother sighed and unlatched his cape, making good on his claim. "You can barely stand on your own, Loki. I did not go through the trouble of convincing father to let you have your room back just to have you drown," he rumbled.
The trickster blinked and felt his heart lurch again. "You got father to grant me pardon for the evening?"
"Aye."
Infuriating. How dare Thor walk around doing Loki favors like he was some kind of helpless child. But at that moment, he felt his knees threaten to give out and he had to throw his arm out onto his bed to catch himself.
Thor was at his side in an instant, reaching out for Loki, his expression one of concern. It was fucking maddening.
"Let's get you out of this armor," he murmured.
But Loki just scowled again and swatted at him. "I don't need your help, Thor," he spat. But his body betrayed him once more and to his horror he stumbled again, leaning on his brother for support.
Thor slipped an arm around his waist and pulled him flush against his own broad, armored chest.
Loki was furious. He wanted to punch his brother and then scream for an hour until Thor felt just as sorry as he did. Which he never would, he couldn't possibly be filled with the appropriate amount of loathing to satisfy what Loki was feeling right now.
He meant for an angry threat to come out of him, but an exhausted moan did instead. He was so tired.
His brother said nothing. He stood there for a minute, breathing in the smell of Loki's hair, and just let his brother huff. Without warning, he shifted to scoop Loki up under the knees and carried him to the bath.
Loki's protest was pathetic at best. He let out a tiny, angry wail that sounded like a fussy, weeping child. Thor placed him down on the side of the bath and then moved to turn on the water.
His face was determined and stern, with heavy eyes and a low posture. Thor turned back to his brother and began tugging off his boots.
Once more, he felt the urge to say something snippy and guilt Thor into leaving him alone – but he didn't want to. He deserved to just sit there and be tended to after everything he had just done for his brother. The bastard had allowed Loki to put himself in harm's way for the sake of that filthy mortal. He let Loki bleed and suffer while that witch was rescued.
Maddening.
His feet ached, and it was not until his boots were off that he realized how much. His entire body was like one giant knot covered in bruises, cuts, mud, and sweat. Without realizing it, another whimper escaped him as Thor started undoing his armor and jostled his damaged limbs.
"I'll be more careful," Thor said quickly, by way of an apology as his hands continued their work.
Loki lay there limply as his armor was cast aside, making a loud clang that resonated through the acoustics of the bathing space as his brother tossed it onto the floor. Thor tugged off his tunic, cringing at the way Loki whined and winced at the movement.
He immediately saw why.
The youngest prince was covered in blemishes and cruel marks.
"Oh, Loki," Thor whispered as his fingers lightly trailed over his little brother's chest, grateful for the pained rise and fall that proved he was still alive; still fighting.
"Here," Thor murmured, "Lift your hips and we will get you out of these."
Loki did so and his pants were removed with the same gentle care and regard that Thor seemed determined to show him.
His legs were in the same state as his torso; beaten and bloodied. Thor ran his fingers along them and made a pained sound at the sight. "I didn't realize," he whispered.
Loki glared at him. "With your attentions to firmly focused elsewhere, how could you," he sneered with as much dignity as he could muster in his mostly unclothed state.
But Thor glared right back. "I have a duty to protect humans, Loki. You may be injured, but you will heal! They are fragile, limited things, and I got her into this mess. It was my job to get her out."
Loki continued to glare. "I'm your brother."
Thor blinked at him and his expression softened. "Aye," he whispered. "That you are."
They continued to stare at each other for a moment until the oldest became uncomfortable and thought he might cry.
"Let's take these off and get you in the bath," he mumbled, moving forward again.
But Loki pulled his knees to him, ignoring the way his muscles screamed in protest at the sudden movement. "Thor-" he started.
But his brother just scoffed. "You cannot be concerned with modesty, brother. I have bathed with you thousands of times."
His knees remained drawn. "Not like this."
Thor sighed and stood up, leaving Loki thinking that he might for once just do as he was asked and depart from the bathing chamber.
But instead he stripped.
He removed his armor, his tunic, his boots, his belt, and finally his small clothes.
Had Loki been paying a bit more attention to staying on guard he would have averted his eyes or made cruel remarks. But the tired trickster was staring instead; gazing with hungry, mournful eyes that felt so much pleasure and relief at the once familiar sight of his brother's gorgeous naked body.
Thor noticed and felt a flush of pride shoot up his spine. It was exactly the reaction he had hoped for. He took advantage of the trickster's stunned state and crouched back down to try to Loki's small clothes again. When those long, pale limbs simply stretched out and let Thor pull the cloth down them, he could not hide his grin.
Luckily for him Loki was too focused on his brother's biceps to notice the way he was being admired.
When the garment had been cast aside, Thor took his brother's hand and pulled him up to stand. He pulled him up in the same way he had before; with one hand hooked under his knees and the other supporting his back, except this time the men's hearts were hammering at the warmth from the proximity of their naked skin.
Perhaps it could be chalked up to his elemental nature, but Thor could swear there was electricity generating between them. Their hate, anger, passion, love, and desire were rubbing and clinging and thrown at them when they were too tired and weary to take it.
But here they were.
Thor walked down into the bath slowly, still holding his brother, and waded out to the center of the tub before reaching over to shut off the flow.
He could have let go, but still Loki clung to him.
Thor let the hand under Loki's knees slowly drop and then brought that arm to run up along his brother's side.
"I have a bag of healing stones for you," he murmured as he fingered a particularly angry cut. "But I have to wash you first."
Loki nodded against Thor's neck, his arms still up and wrapped around it. But Thor was being just as clingy, holding his brother's naked body tight against him.
"Will you dip under the water with me?"
Loki nodded.
They heard each other take a gulp of air and then felt their feet slide past each other's legs as they let them drop out and fell under the water.
It felt wonderful. Thor had moved to hold Loki's hands and laced their fingers as they stayed down there. It should have been a quick motion, with both of them popping back up once their hair was thoroughly wet, but it felt lovely and warm and safe under here.
When life screamed at the boys to resurface and gulp down more air, they popped back up, softly chuckling at what the weight of water had done to their hair.
Thor reached forward and pushed the curtain of black out of his little brother's face. "You need a haircut," he murmured fondly before letting his hand rest in its favorite spot on Loki's neck.
Loki smiled sadly and closed his eyes, relishing in the familiar comfort. He wanted to fight, but it was warm here in the bath. Thor was solid and safe, holding Loki like the anchor he is.
They stayed like that, letting Thor continually stroke the same strand of hair out of his face, before Loki pulled back.
Thor took it all in stride though. He reached over to the edge of the bath and grabbed soap, pouring some into his hands and working it into lather. He gently gripped Loki's skull and began to massage, but his brother swatted him away again.
"I can bathe myself," he hissed.
"I know."
And Loki let his hands continue.
He had never had so much hair before. He generally liked to keep it short and out of his way, and really he thought he looked better with it short.
But it was a matter of pride at this point. It was the closest he could come to spiting Odin without being accused of treason.
Maddening.
Thor scrubbed his scalp, careful of the scrapes and bruises there, and rubbed until his brother's eyes slipped closed.
"Ready to go under again?"
Loki didn't respond, he just dropped under the water again and started shaking the soap out.
Apparently Thor did not like his brother suddenly disappearing and yanked him back up by a handful of his hair.
The younger of the brothers yelped in pain and grabbed Thor's hands to release him.
"That hurts!" he cried when the thunder god did not immediately let go.
Thor was breathing heavily; nostrils flaring and pupils blown wide. He shifted his grip to the hair at the base of Loki's head and tugged back again.
Loki panted at the treatment, eyes searching for Thor's expression now that his head was pulled back and his neck was bared.
But Thor did not keep him like that for long. His fingers untangled from Loki's locks and he let his fingertips gently run down either side of his brother's neck before resting his thumbs on Loki's collarbone.
The brother's stared at each other, not speaking, but breathing heavily. They could not properly gauge what was going on in the other's head and it was making them crazy.
His hands moved down over Loki's neck, and shoulders, gently scrubbing away the dirt and blood. He lifted one of his brother's arms and slowly slid his free hand down the length of it.
"Careful," Loki hissed.
Thor nodded in apology and moved his fingers gently over the cuts. "You're quite injured," he murmured.
"Ever the observer," Loki scowled as his brother moved over to the opposite arm.
"Are you tense?"
Loki's eyes moved up to Thor's and his eyebrow lifted. "What?"
Thor moved both of his hands to his brother's shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "You are hard as a rock, brother."
They stared at each other for a moment and then burst into laughter.
"Turn around," Thor commanded gently, through his smile.
Though he resented being told what to do, and he let his eye roll illustrate that for him, Loki complied.
Thor gripped his shoulders again and began rubbing them.
"Ah! Careful, you oaf!"
The thunder god chuckled and continued to massage his little brother's shoulders and neck. "Relax, Loki. You are safe here."
But he clenched further at that and growled. "I am no more safe here than I was going up against Malekith and his forces."
Thor continued to rub lovingly, not going to argue just yet. He sensed more angst.
"I may have been granted a pardon for the evening, but you can be certain that come the morn Odin will send guards for me and I will end up right back in that cell."
Loki felt his back being pulled against Thor's chest, but still his brother did not speak.
"I will stay there until he gathers the strength to execute me, and then I'll be out of your memory."
Thor moved his arms to wrap around Loki's waist and buried his face in his brother's neck. "I would never let that happen," he murmured against the wet flesh.
Loki barked out a laugh, more for show than a genuine reaction. "Please. If the All Father decrees it so, you won't lift a finger to stop him."
His grip tightened around his brother and continued to nuzzle Loki's neck. "I won't let anything happen to you."
"Yes, you will," Loki whispered, not really believing it.
Thor didn't have words for his brother, but chose to speak with actions. He pressed a light kiss to the pale column of Loki's throat and squeezed again.
"You'll hurt me, too," Loki added.
Another kiss.
"You'll fight me."
Another kiss.
"I'll betray you."
More kisses.
"You'll break my heart…"
Thor's mouth opened to nibble the skin.
"You'll leave me…"
He sucked the flesh in between his teeth.
"You'll stop loving me…"
Thor spun his brother around and kissed his flush, pink lips.
Loki was so tired, but so relieved. In his heart he knew that he was safe, even if just for tonight, because Thor was here and holding him and kissing him and goddammit did he want.
He didn't tell his arms to wrap around Thor and hold him in place, in the same way that he did not command his legs to jump up and wrap around his brother's waist – but they did.
And Thor rewarded him by hooking an arm around Loki's middle and bringing the other one up under his armpit to tangle in his long, dark locks.
He shoved his tongue into Loki's mouth and moaned at the taste of it: cold, dark, and delicious. Like snow on fire – a beautiful, nonsensical contradiction.
Thor took the hand tangled in Loki's hair and tugged down again to bare his throat. It was a bit rougher than it needed to be, but he still felt the surge of battle within him; and though he was wet, naked, and hard, pressing against a brother in much the same state, he felt powerful and alive holding Loki open like this.
He began kissing a line down Loki's neck. He could suck bruises there without fear of being caught because they would simply blend into the rest of his brother's blemishes.
His brother let out a strange gasp and Thor pulled back to read his face.
They stared.
Thor kissed again.
Loki sucked his brother's tongue into his mouth and panted at the effort. He still wanted to scream and cry, and he wanted to stab Thor as much as he wanted to kiss him, but he settled on kissing.
"I will never stop loving you," Thor growled in between kisses.
The trickster moaned and dropped his head back.
"And I will never leave you."
A whimper this time and a tightening of his legs.
"I may break your heart, and you may betray me-" he paused to suck another bruise, "- and we will fight and hurt each other for the rest of our lives-" another bruise, and then he paused his kisses so he could lean back and look Loki in the eye before whispering, "But never doubt that I love you."
Loki sobbed.
He thought for sure that Thor had put that out of his mind; so distracted and clouded he must be by the events that followed on that day. But his brother was full of surprises; though Loki loved to believe he was predictable.
Thor smiled at him, fondly and full of love. "I've lost you twice now," he murmured, gazing at Loki. "I could not bear is a third time."
He moved in to nibble his brother's lips once more and did not comment when he tasted salt leaking down from pretty, green eyes.
Loki cried into his brother's mouth and tightened his hold with his legs.
He let go against Thor. He let go of his insecurities and his fears and all of the anger and poured all of the things he had been forced to keep to himself over the past two years onto his brother. He sobbed and moaned and ground hips against the waist he was straddling.
Thor moaned just as freely against him, and his hands continued their roaming. Without breaking their kiss, he reached back for more soap and then fumbled with the bottle, knocking it over once he had what he needed in hand. He then moved to stroke Loki's back again, cleaning and scrubbing.
His movements were still gentle and caring, as they removed the dirt, sweat, and blood.
Loki interrupted his delicious panting with a tiny hiss of pain when Thor's hands moved over a scrape. "Thor…" he moaned.
His brother slipped his hand below the water and ran over Loki's round cheeks, fingertips barely grazing the cleft there.
He raised an eyebrow, silently asking permission for what he wanted to do as his fingers continued to dance along that fault line.
Loki whimpered a bit as he nodded, touching his nose to his brother's as he did so.
They stayed like that as Thor let his fingers slip inside to rub that little hole; their noses bumping and nuzzling each other as they continued to press little kisses on each other.
"When was the last time you felt pleasure?" Thor moaned.
Loki nearly sobbed and shook his head. "Years," he whispered.
The thunder god groaned and seized those lips again. "Let me give it to you, Loki."
He sobbed again.
"Let me make you feel good."
He could barely manage a nod, knocking noses again as Thor's finger entered him.
Another tiny hiss left his lips and his hips arched away from the intrusion, pressing his erection harder against Thor's stomach. "Oh, brother," he gasped breathily, letting his head drop forward onto that shoulder.
This was not the first time, it wasn't even their first time, but it had been so long that his body had to adjust to the intrusion.
He moaned against his brother's skin as Thor worked the digit in and out, and Loki clung tighter.
Thor pressed a second finger against the hole and kissed his trickster's neck, mouthing words of love and apology as he entered him again.
Loki cried. It was broken, desperate, and cruel in its nature; twisting Thor's heart as he fingered his little brother. He knew that the pleasure, as much as the pain, was causing Loki grief, and he felt tears in his own eyes as his fingers picked up their rhythm.
The angle was not great for Thor, but he was not ready to move his brother until he had finished removing the grime from his body. "Let me finish washing you, and I'll take you to bed," he murmured before planting another kiss to Loki's thin lips.
His brother just nodded and let his legs drop.
Thor washed him with the same tender touch, but much faster. His hands moved over Loki's chest, legs, feet, and crotch. He gave his little brother a few firm strokes, grinning against Loki's lips as he did so – his heart swelling with affection when Loki grinned back and let out a tiny 'ah!'
He moved to place Loki on one of the steps and scrubbed his own body as quickly as he could.
He pulled Loki out of the bath and dragged him back into the bedroom, not even attempting to towel off. He laid Loki down on his old bed and beautiful sheets, still dripping – flushed and panting.
The trickster grinned with pleasure at the way Thor stared at him.
"Loki, you're gorgeous," he breathed as he moved in between his brother's legs and lightly ran his fingertips over his brother's thighs and hipbones.
The sensations made Loki shiver with delight and he slipped his eyes closed as his legs spread further to accommodate Thor's girth.
"What do you want me to do?" Thor asked sincerely as he bent one of his brother's knees to bring his bony ankle up to his mouth.
Loki just let out a breathy sound. He wanted Thor to do all number of things to him – but he could not bring himself to name them. Not yet.
The elder brother took that noise as a go-ahead to do what he was already. He mouthed at the bone protruding from his brother's foot and kissed down the appendage to suck on his long, skinny toes.
Loki let out a happy, little "Ha!" again and tossed his head to the side.
Thor grinned around the tiny extremities and moved to give each one equal attention before letting both hands wrap around the foot and digging his thumb into the flesh under the ball.
The reaction he got was fantastic.
Loki completely relaxed against the mattress and moaned, stretching out his leg to encourage his brother's actions.
Thor acquiesced with a grin, granting firmer and broader strokes, taking the lengths all the way down to the ankle and then up his calf. "You look so handsome like this, Loki," he purred, planting another kiss to his ankle as he did so.
His brother just smiled and enjoyed the attention as Thor's hands began to stroke up his thigh.
It was lovely to lie here and be spoiled like this, soaking up the affection and pretty words as Thor's skilled hands relieved his knots and tensions. The kisses left a warm, tingly sensation on his heated flesh and made him blush with pleasure.
Had he but known that such a welcome was waiting upon his return then he would have taken care of those elves much sooner…
When his brother had finished with one leg he tenderly set it down and immediately started on the other, beginning with the foot again.
When Loki's legs had been rubbed down into putty, Thor encouraged his brother to move onto his stomach.
He did so with a tiny grunt and a whimper of pain when he lay on his stomach, and brought his arms to cross above him so he could rest his head there.
The thunder god reached over the bed to grab the bag of healing stones, pulling out a handful and pressing them to the various wounds on his brother's back.
It brought him great relief to see the bruises fade and the lacerations seal themselves into pink, unmarred flesh once more.
This was how he liked to see his brother: healthy and whole.
…and naked and spread out for him.
When his back was once again an expanse of pale flesh, Thor began rubbing it as he had his brother's legs; kneading the knots and tenderly caressing his sides. He was straddling Loki's hips and shifted down so he could lean forward and press kisses to the top of Loki's spine before trailing down.
Loki was still whimpering happily and arching a bit, gasping when the touches on his sides were light enough to tickle.
Thor let his lips move down to the two mounds of his brother's buttocks, gripping them and squeezing hard.
He spread the cheeks and let out a hot breath in between them, getting as close as he could to gauge Loki's reaction.
His brother moaned again and pushed his ass up towards Thor's face, letting out a tiny grunt when the whiskers of his brother's beard tickled his overly sensitive flesh.
Thor's lips dropped there again and kissed the twitching entrance, burying his face in between the cheeks.
He slipped one arm underneath his chest so he could press his thumb to Loki's perineum and nuzzled his face in deeper.
Thor moaned at the closeness of the act and hoped that Loki could feel the way he was smiling against his ass cheeks. He dropped his tongue against the hole and dragged it over, back and forth several times, getting used to the unfamiliar texture.
"Thor…"
"Mmm, Loki," he moaned before pointing his tongue as straight and firm as it could go and wiggling it to breach his brother.
Loki ground his hips into the mattress as Thor fucked him with his tongue.
He had not been touched in so long – not even to give himself relief. Truthfully he had been a bit too preoccupied to worry about things like where his next orgasm was coming from, and as a result he had not realized how much he needed this.
He needed to be tended to, cared for, and pleasured. He panted wetly against the pillow as his hips arched and the undulated back down to give his poor cock friction. Forget sex – he could not remember the last time he had a tongue in his ass and it made him want to cry with relief.
Thor was so happy to give his brother this; his beloved, darling, baby brother who he fucking missed.
Goddammit, Loki, he thought as he continued his thrusting.
When Loki's movements became erratic and almost violent, Thor removed his tongue, ignoring his brother's protests, and rolled the trickster back over. He did not leave Loki wanting for long though, and dropped his mouth to his brother's leaking cock.
The sound Loki made had Thor forgiving him for every wrong he had ever committed.
Much to his delight, Loki's seed was familiar and sweet to his tongue. He bobbed his head up and down, gripping the base in the same fashion, as his brother groaned and thrust his hips up into Thor's wet, wanting mouth.
He sobbed on his release. It was an orgasm that had been building for years and it was ripped from him brutally as his brother sucked and stroked him through it, swallowing down everything that he could.
When he lifted his mouth and grinned at his brother, he felt another rush of affection at the way Loki was panting and covering his face with his hands in an attempt to keep some dignity.
Thor moved over him and pulled his brother's wrists away so he could kiss his cheeks.
"You still taste the same," he murmured against his brother's lips.
Loki hummed against him and bit his brother's bottom lip. "You remember?"
Thor moaned and pressed his tongue in again, grinning at their actions. "Oh, yes."
He could feel Loki smiling back through their kisses and it made Thor want to sing.
His brother was back. Loki was home.
"I wish to be inside you, brother," he murmured.
Loki nodded and shifted his hips once more. "There is oil in the bath."
Thor was almost shocked that his brother agreed so willingly. Perhaps he had underestimated exactly how long he had gone without being touched. The thought made his heart ache.
He sprinted back from the bath, oil in hand, and climbed on top of his brother once more.
"You are perfect like this," Thor grunted as he slipped his hand in between Loki's legs. The feel of the oil over his fingers was an old, forgotten comfort that reminded him of being bullied into massages after battles he had inadvertently dragged his brother into. Loki would pull his shirt off and snip at Thor until the thunder god had rubbed him into obedience.
It always took an unnecessarily long time.
He moved to finger his brother again, his eyes greedily took in the sight of the trickster beneath him; pliant and wanting, though he had just been sated.
Gods have an incredible capacity for sexual stamina that is alarming in the entirety of its reality; and Loki had a lot of orgasms to catch up on. His body was too exhausted for the marathon sex his cock felt like having, but there was always tomorrow…
When he had two fingers in and was scissoring his brother to happy, unguarded noises, Thor leaned forward and kissed Loki again.
This was the most important display of affection – it celebrated and apologized.
It was easier to do this without words, as he removed his fingers and grabbed the oil again to work it onto his cock. He pushed on he backs of Loki's knees to lift his rear and then guided his legs to rest around his waist as he positioned himself.
No speaking, just soft touches and comforting strokes as Thor slowly worked himself inside Loki.
The whine his brother let out upon being breached was a beautiful and horrifying thing. It was so desperate and real that Thor almost stopped to sacrifice himself to his brother because he could not handle such a tribute.
His hand dropped away when he felt his hips pressing against Loki's ass, and leaned forward over his brother to place his bent elbows by his sides and press their chests together. He stayed like that, nuzzling Loki's nose again and mouthing at him until he felt hips rocking back against him.
He moved.
The thrusts were shallow, slow, and maddening in their patience.
As much as Loki thought he deserved to have reverence, attention, and ought to be spoiled by his stupid, selfish brother – he also expected to be rutted against. He was not certain, but his instinct told him that it had been a long time for his brother as well, and the amount of restraint the thunder god was displaying as he ever so slowly rocked his hips against Loki's was a little too kind.
He tried to goad his brother into something rougher by forcefully shoving his hips against him, but was reminded of his fragile state when his stomach muscles clenched at the action and demanded that Loki lie still and receive the slow love making.
Thankfully Thor did not take the bait.
He continued to leave sweet, light kisses on Loki's face and moved in him slowly. He panted in his brother's ear and pressed their cheeks together. The silence was still perfect, save for the sound of breathing and puckered lips, but Thor willed for Loki to feel everything that he was thinking: how sorry he was, how much he missed him, how much he wanted him.
When he got Loki panting so hard that whimpers were coming out again, he finally started thrusting in earnest. Thor dropped one of his arms to grip his brother and pumped and squeezed the hard flesh in between his legs.
He was grateful that his brother's eyes were screwed shut because Thor was certain the grin on his face had to be unsettling.
The second time Loki spilled, he did so with a long, low, sigh, and a smile that lit up his whole face.
It was beautiful.
Thor let go inside his brother and felt a weight lift.
He didn't collapse, lest he anger Loki's chest wounds that had not yet been tended to, but he did drop his face and kiss his brother again; long and slow.
Their panting was addictive and Thor decided that when he was king he would decree that Loki pant into his mouth every night.
His brother let out a tiny groan and relaxed his legs after nudging at Thor to crawl out from between them, lest they grow stiffer.
He did, moving to his brother's side and curling against it. He wrapped an arm around Loki's waist and tucked the other under his neck so he could hold him close, before pressing more kisses to his neck.
"I've missed you, Loki."
A tiny hum was his only response.
Tomorrow he would tell Loki that Odin's pardon extended beyond tonight. Tomorrow he would tell him that his stature as a Prince of Asgard had been officially restored. Tomorrow he would tell Loki that he had gone down in front of his father and swore that if the only way to get his brother back was to let Loki have the throne then it would be done.
Odin did not go for that, but Thor was willing.
He would not let his brother go again. This was it. It took him time, too long, but Thor finally understood what the most important thing in his life is.
And right now it was drooling on his arm.