I'll stop soon, Thor decided. Or he will. We'll let each other go in a moment.
Loki's forehead was cool against his, and the ruins were deathly still. The smell of fresh elf blood reached Thor's nostrils as he took in a deep breath.
Loki's luminous green eyes opened wide and he said, horrified, "You like that smell?! The stench of death and destruction?"
"The sweet smell of victory," murmured Thor, breathing in the mingled scent of victory and the scent of Loki in his arms. In his mind the two combined, becoming one heady mixture. Thor shook his head, feeling his arousal increase and wondering if he was normal. Oh, right, he didn't have to be normal, he was a god. Somehow that thought wasn't as comforting as it should be.
He looked at Loki and saw the slight tightening of Loki's nostrils betraying the other god's distaste. "Let me go," whispered Loki, and Thor did, reluctantly. Thor wondered whether the distaste was for his embrace, or for his enjoyment of the smell of victory. He wasn't game to ask. One of the few things he disliked about being around Loki was that he always felt a little behind the eight ball, off his game, like Loki outstretched him in all the ways that mattered. Thor was used to being hero-worshipped, not having eyes rolled at him like he was a tiny bit stupid. And Loki always seemed to be rolling his eyes and shaking his head around Thor. Maybe he does that to everyone, thought Thor hopefully. Maybe it's not just me. He sighed at his own self-delusion and turned his mind back to more pragmatic matters.
Thor looked around at the shattered battlefield all around them, stretching out for nearly a mile. Thirty-five, he counted. Thirty-five bodies, some twisted around gruesomely, but most looking as though they were resting or sleeping on the cold ground. He felt a sudden irritation that his friends were not here, only himself and Loki. The usual noise of celebration from the others was absent, leaving only strange stillness and the graphic sight of death. He had an uncomfortable feeling that victory celebrations were noisy for just that reason, but quashed it. Out loud, Thor growled, "Let's get out of here."
"Where to?" asked Loki, taking something out from under his coat that Thor could not see.
"Don't- " but Thor's insides felt like they were sucked out of his eyeballs for a few seconds and they were back in Loki's chambers in Asgard.
"Damn it! Don't DO that!" grumbled Thor, but Loki only tossed his head and rolled his eyes at his brother. Thor's sense of balance returned after a few seconds. Loki meanwhile was strolling unfazed over to his liquor cabinet, "Absinthe?" he asked.
"Yes!" Thor welcomed the thought of a drink. He was never battle weary as others seemed to be, but he wanted to forget the today's fight and the eerie silence of death afterwards.
When Loki brought Thor the absinthe, in an indecently large tumbler, Thor automatically reached for the liquor with one hand and raised another hand to grab Loki's wrist. Loki stilled and stared at him. Thor looked at Loki's strong, lathe-like arm and looked up into the green eyes, taking in the jet-black hair, the smooth skin and the sculptured aristocratic features. He pulled Loki closer, trying to be gentle but not sure whether he succeeded. Loki watched him with his green, unfathomable eyes.
Thor asked, "Did you enjoy what I did earlier, Loki?"
The gleam in Loki's eyes answered him, but his words had a scathing tone, "You really-"
"Yes?" said Thor quietly, challengingly.
"-need a bath."
Thor looked down at his blood-soaked sword arm and armour and said, "Oh."
Loki laughed, that low 'ehehehe' that annoyed Thor when it was directed at him.
"Come," said Loki, and led Thor through to his bathing room. He stopped, and looked around, "Where the devil is that serving wench?" He let go Thor's arm and stalked off.
Thor looked down at the water and shucked off his armour quickly, then stepped down the stairs into the inviting, clear water. He looked up at a rush of breath and a rustle of clothes, the saw a slim, dark-haired young woman dash over to the bath, apologizing, "My Lord, I am sorry, I was occupied elsewhere!"
"That's alright," said Thor. He leaned back on the edge of the bath and the young woman stripped down and picked up a cloth and a bar of soap, and started work on his body. Soon the water was stained even redder than when Thor had stepped in, but the filters took care of that quickly, and the bath cleared up as the serving wench cleaned him off. Thor lay back and luxuriated in the relaxing power of her hands as she massaged oil into his shoulders, sitting on his lap to do so. The effect on his body was immediate and inevitable.
She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "Are you going to ravish me… brother?"
Thor sucked in a breath, feeling his face redden, "Damn it, Loki!"
He looked up into the beautiful, innocent face of the servant and gritted out, "Get off me."
"Why? Have you suddenly become choosy, you who dabbles with mortal women?" The tone of voice was pure contempt.
Thor was confused. His training told him not to hurt a woman, so he hesitated to shove Loki off his lap and instead growled, "I said get off me."
"And yet…" smiled Loki.
"Yet WHAT?" snapped Thor.
Loki leaned forward so that his words fell across Thor's ear in a cool huff of air, "And yet your desire has not flagged at all, brother."
Thor was silent. He felt outmanoeuvred. Loki was right, Thor's erection had not subsided at all when Loki revealed his identity. In fact, Thor thought he might have even hardened a little more. Even his own body was betraying his secrets now.
Loki went on, and whispered, "No one will know. Even if someone were to walk in, all they would see is you with a serving wench."
Thor frowned. He wished Loki would not complicate things so. What made him think that that was Thor's issue?
"It's not that, Loki."
"Oh?" Loki looked surprised, and a little pleased, Thor noted, but mostly curious. Thor struggled to find words to explain that he just didn't like being tricked and sat on. But anything he could come up with seemed churlish and beneath him, so he pursed his lips and frowned thunderously instead.
Loki leaned forward and whispered, "All it would take is for me to move an inch and you would know what it feels like to bury your sword in the body of a god."
Thor growled, "Stop it!" and meant it.
Loki pulled back, then looked annoyed and went to stand up, but looked surprised when Thor grabbed him by the wrist again and pulled him back.
"What?" asked Loki, snappily.
"I didn't mean stop that, I meant stop that."
Loki stared at him, then declared, "You're making less sense than usual, brother."
"Stop your illusions."
For once, Thor saw genuine surprise slowly overtake Loki's face. Loki looked down at himself and said, "You don't want this?"
Thor felt his face heat with embarrassment again as he looked up at the lovely face of the servant girl, "I want you, as you."
Slowly, the pretty face dissolved and Loki appeared, his green eyes surveying Thor with wariness from the sculpted face.
"Enough of games, Loki- " but Thor's voice faltered as he became aware of the hot, hard erection lying flush alongside his own. He stopped to think about the implications of that.
There was a long silence, during which Thor felt like his face was an open book. It usually was, especially to Loki, he thought ruefully. Eventually Thor spoke, hoarsely, "You always take things too far."
"And you, my dear brother, never take them far enough."
"What do you mean by that? I never shirk my duty in battle!"
"Not in battle. Your cowardice lies in other areas." Loki looked down at their bodies pointedly.
Thor felt as though he had been struck. He had never been accused of cowardice, and to hear it from Loki stung more than he wanted to admit.
"Would you like another drink of Absinthe, brother?" asked Loki. "Or are we just going to sit here knocking swords forever?"
Thor had absolutely no idea what answer to give to that, and it irritated him because he was pretty sure that Loki was enjoying his discomfort immensely.
Or maybe, Thor decided, it was simpler than that. Maybe Loki was just enjoying sitting naked across Thor's lap in the baths? Maybe despite all his intelligence and devious scheming, Loki like Thor had a soft spot for the pleasurable things in life?
"You probably should stop that," said Loki softly.
"Stop what?" asked Thor.
"Thinking. Judging by the expression on your face, it obviously causes you pain."
Thor looked from lowered eyes up at Loki. He was not glaring at his brother. Loki stared inscrutably back. Thor gave up on the contest. He realized he was getting sleepy and leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Bad mistake. When he closed his eyes, he discovered, the input from all his other senses became instantly more noticeable. He could hear Loki's soft, slightly unsteady breathing, and smell his unique scent. And he could feel the warmth of the water, the pressure of Loki's body across him, the slight friction of their bodies moving against each other infinitesimally as they breathed, and every now and then the slight twitch of Loki's erection lying against his.
He started, opening his eyes and meeting Loki's. Thor took in a sharp breath as he saw Loki's eyes widen and his mouth fall open.
"Brother," murmured Loki softly, "You have goose-bumps." Then he frowned, "And some pretty serious wounds."
He ran his fingers along a deep, jagged gash on Thor's upper arm, making Thor hiss slightly in pain.
"Those dark elves give poisonous wounds," said Loki, and reached over Thor's shoulder for a bottle of healing lotion which all the warriors kept handy at their baths. The movement of Loki's body against his was almost the undoing of Thor, whose eyes closed briefly in hidden bliss.
Loki straightened back up and poured some lotion into his hand, then carefully applied it to the deepest gash, easing skin and flesh together and holding it there with his fingers until the wound healed. In a few more seconds the pain was gone and Thor looked over at his arm gratefully, then met Loki's eyes, "Thank you."
The green eyes softened, but Loki continued working on Thor's injuries without another word. Thor leaned back and closed his eyes again and was soon fast asleep.
Loki brushed the blond hair back to repair a cut on Thor's forehead, and whispered, many minutes later, "You're welcome."
