A/N: My tumblr: onewhositswiththeturtles(dot-tumblr-dot-com)

Prompt: chickadee-chick answered: Thor/Loki (or gen): What would have to happen/under what circumstances would Loki become worthy to wield Mjolnir?

Worthy

Only one may possess the might of Mjolnir at a time, Odin's voice echoed through Loki's mind again and again, always tugging at his attention. Although Loki knew his father had told Loki to deter him from fighting for the right, the words had given Loki a much more sinister thought. Thor was the current wielder of the mighty hammer, which meant that Loki had no chance to possess it. Unless Thor was out of the picture.

They had fought and Loki had lost. But he had not surrendered. He had merely returned to the background and waited for his chance. Thor seemed to forget about the incident and grow accustomed to wielding Mjolnir, taking for granted his lack of competition. This worked well for Loki's plans and he remained close. Watching, waiting.

Thor had invited Loki to go travelling for a while, exploring new lands and fighting new foes. Loki had agreed readily, wondering if this might finally be his opportunity. Now he wished they had not been so foolish as to choose a dangerous land to explore alone. He also wished he had not wasted the majority of his attention on Thor instead of focusing on their surroundings. They had been ambushed in the middle of the night, the trees doing nothing to protect them from bandits familiar with the land.

Loki was taking out as many enemies as he could with his spear and the few throwing knives he had been able to reach, the rest packed away and now useless. He was just beginning to gain confidence in the outcome of the fight, Loki and Thor always a brilliant fighting duo despite their clashing competitiveness outside dangerous situations. But then Loki heard a shout behind him. "Loki, help!"

Loki spun on his heel. The grass was littered with bodies, grass stained red. Only one bandit remained standing after the last one Loki had cut down, and the bandit was standing over Thor who was hanging off the edge of a cliff. At the time when they had made camp it had seemed like a smart idea to sleep beside the edge of a cliff; enemies would be forced to arrive from only one direction. But now their planning was backfiring.

Without a second thought Loki threw his spear, watching it embed into the bandit's back as it tore through flesh and bone. The bandit gave a grunt and toppled forward, nearly hitting Thor as he fell over the cliff's edge. Loki called his spear back to him before it was lost and he ignored the sensation of warm blood sliding over his fingers when he held the spear in his hand again. "Brother, please!" Thor called out again.

For a split second Loki glanced away from Thor to the torn grass where Mjolnir lay. The hammer would do nothing to aid Thor now; he needed his brother. Only one, a voice whispered in Loki's ear. He could let Thor fall. He could. Except... he couldn't. "Hang on!" Loki yelled, running past Mjolnir to Thor's aid without a second glance. He fell to his knees and gripped Thor's hand. His fingers slipped across skin, wet with blood, and Loki gave a terrified gasp to mirror Thor's as he nearly fell. "I said hang on!" Loki snapped, made angry with fear.

Despite Thor's strength, he did not have the proper angle to pull himself up and over the cliff's edge himself. He needed Loki. This time Loki leaned forward and hooked his hands around Thor's arms, hoisting him up with all his strength. He managed to pull Thor up a few inches, just enough for Thor to reach some tiny foothold in the cliff-side and push himself up and over the rest of the way.

Thor landed on top of him and the air was knocked from his lungs, but Loki just wrapped his arms more tightly around Thor and held on. Thor held him back, Loki slowly calming in Thor's embrace. Loki breathed in Thor's scent and remained close, both of them holding each other for a long time. "Never do that again," Loki demanded weakly, his heart still rushing anxiously.

"I promise," Thor whispered. Loki felt lips brush his temple and he hummed contently, letting his eyes drift closed. Eventually the chilled air prompted them to move and they disentangled their limbs. They both looked around at their ruined camp, spoiled by bodies and blood. "Perhaps we should move on," Thor suggested. Loki nodded.

Loki walked back toward their camp to begin packing things up, bypassing Mjolnir to leave for Thor. Except he paused when he heard a confused grunt from Thor behind him, and turned to look. Thor was gripping the hammer's handle tightly, muscles straining as Thor attempted and failed to lift Mjolnir. After a few moments Thor gave up and stepped away with a muttered curse. He sounded betrayed, like a part of him had been taken away.

Hesitantly Loki stepped closer. Thor watched him but did nothing to stop him. Loki leaned down and wound his fingers around Mjolnir's handle, tensed his fingers and pulled. Mjolnir rose from the ground as though it weighed little more than air. Loki held it aloft, looking the mighty hammer over in awe and pride. I am worthy. But then Thor caught his eye and Loki looked past the hammer to his brother. Thor looked heartbroken but also proud, accepting. And that was when Loki knew.

Without a word, Loki held Mjolnir out in offering. Thor looked at him questioningly for a long moment, reading Loki's face before extending his hand. Their fingers brushed and locked for a brief moment as Thor took hold of the handle. For a moment they both possessed Mjolnir equally, and then Loki let his fingers drop away. Thor continued holding Mjolnir aloft, the rightful owner.

Loki saw the question in Thor's eyes and stepped forward. Loki sealed their lips together for a brief but confident kiss, and then pulled away. "This is the way it should be," he said. Thor smiled, dropped Mjolnir and used both hands to pull Loki into another kiss.