How could Thor have been such a fool? He'd so conveniently forgotten the presence of Mjolnir at his side, the weapon which was so often also a mean of fast, if rather windy and uncomfortable, transport for the warrior when he needed to be somewhere with haste. Wrapping the leather about his wrist, he gripped the hilt with steady rising hope. "We can be out and on the surface, we could have been sooner, but I'd forgotten that Odin granted me the gift of flight for when I use the Hammer. It will not be a smooth ride, especially not when I am unused to carrying more than myself, but it should work and then I can summon Heimdal to open a path from the Bifrost." He was speaking fast, focus momentarily moved away from his sibling in the sudden fervor of hope.

It was the pulsating light that grabbed his attention once more. A choked gasp worked its way past the lump in his throat. "Loki, no, please. Hold on, I beg of you." Thor wound up the weapon quickly, and, clutching his brother's body close, he launched them upwards. He beat a battered himself flying blindly into walls, but the entire time he made sure to block any danger from Loki; and then, suddenly, they were surfaced once more. Thor lowered Loki carefully to the floor, shaking his brother's shoulders violently. "Wake up, wake up. After all this I cannot - will not - lose you now. Heimdall! I'm certain you must hear me, open up the Bridge!" He must have looked a fool, shouting into the cold and wind like a madman. He grasped Loki tightly, pulling an increasingly slack body against him.

"Loki...Loki…?"

Loki was a pale almost lifeless looking figure. The ball of light followed them upwards but it diminished as it grew closer to the pair once on the surface, vanishing and turning into a whispery mist, floating upwards and gone like a soul. However so; Loki was still by some miracle alive by this point. His features sharpened with the shadows the showed against the white like snow skin that belonged to the younger god. The red of his blood which was sprayed and scattered around his mangled form glimmered with a unnatural brightness against his pale features. The violent shaking was enough to get him to wake for a beat of a second only to fall limp again in his brother's hands. He was battling on the inside to survive, fighting with all his might to stay with Thor. He needed something to jolt him back to life, Loki could only pray Thor was smart enough to figure that out. This whole time pain was the only thing keeping him up and now since everything was numbed out, he had nothing left to cling to. He needed something just as powerful as pain, something just as keen on pulling the mind from oblivion...He needed a shock. Loki still grasping for life, used the left of his energy to tug on Thor's wrist which held the mighty Mjolnir in it. He poked the hammer with his shaky pale hand once and then slumped back against Thor, out of energy for good. He only hoped that Thor got the message. Loki slowly fell into oblivion his only thoughts now as darkness took him were of his brother.

'I'm sorry my dear brother…I love you…' With that he was gone and falling still.

"Heimdall! Heimdall!" Thor's voice was growing steadily more ragged as he shouted into the darkness. What was taking the Asgardian sentry so long to respond? Did he want Loki dead; had his brother been correct in stating he would go largely unmissed were he to die? No, of course not, it was impossible. Thor refused to accept such a reality. Even so, there would be a massive debt to pay when they returned were he to discover the hesitation had been in waiting to see the chances of Loki dying.

"Is this a task? A lesson not to go cavorting off into the wilds anymore? Consider it learned now - !" He broke off from the yelling as he felt a weak pull on his wrist, and he looked back at the broken form. His brow furrowed in confusion. Why? Why bring Mjolnir to the fore of his attention? He looked down at the weapon and back at Loki. There had been some Midgardian tradition he'd heard of from Sif, where dying humans were shocked back into life. Was that what Loki wanted? There was only one way to be sure. Lifting the hammer, he swung once, and launched a thread of lightening from its head towards Loki. The stench of burned hair was frightening. "Loki, brother, please be alive."

Loki felt that for sure. Luckily for him, Thor figured out what he was trying to say and was shocked right out of tiredness. It stung like hell being electrocuted, but for this one time that's all he needed. The electricity danced around him even after Thor had stopped and pulled the lightning away. He could feel it shock through his every nerve and instead of short circuiting his system it actually brought it back online, reviving every part of him that had shut down. With a jolt and a sudden gasp of air, Loki's eyes opened up widely, taking in a sharp intake of breath as he did.

"Wh-What I miss?" Loki breathed out, sitting up and blinking, his once almost grey eyes where back to looking emerald again. He shook his head slightly, and sniffed the air. "Wh-What spells like burnt hair...?" He asked tiredly, looking up at his brother confused. "And why do I feel twitchy all over li-like I've been shocked by a Midgardian eel...?

Thor had been holding his breath. He hadn't realized it until he watch the color return to Loki's face and the eyes fluttered open to show a flash a brilliant green, and then he released the pent up breath in a violent, half-hysterical laugh. The blonde through his arms around Loki in a massive embrace, uncaring if he caused the thinner man a bit of pain his relief was so great.

"Thank the Nine, you still live. Thank the Nine and all those gods worshiped across the realms." He rocked back, slightly, still wrapped about Loki. "I quite literally had to shock you awake, dear brother. Never fall into a sleep like that again. You are not Odin, you require no Odinsleep." There were tears bright in his eyes as he pulled back, but the blue eyed demigod no longer cared. As he leaned back, there was a sudden noise, and near them appeared a brightly colored path. Now Heimdall chose to open the gate, he thought with a surly frown. "I think that it is time we go home. Don't you?"

Loki gave out a startled squeak of pain as Thor slammed his massive frame against the much smaller and battered one of his brother in a tight embrace. Confused by all of his brothers mumbling and shocked that he had been truly dead for a half a second, he simply utter: "...You struck lightning at me?" But sighed and though it was a struggle to move his arms he still hugged his brother back weakly.

"You're lucky I was half dead or by the gods I would have you teleported to an acid river for that..." He teased softly. "Thank you for everything you've done for me today..." He murmured, nuzzling his nose against the crook of his brother's neck. He peeked oh his shoulder to see that the bridge had been open finally and with a gentle smile he nodded, knowing he had much healing to do. "Yes…let's go home. I need to fix alot of things especially this leg of mine before it gets stuck this way...Can we agree on not taking another little adventure for a while...I fear you'll have me in a jar as shattered pieces if we continue this daily."

Thor laughed. It started out as little more than a chuckle rumbling low in his chest as he tried to contain his relieved amusement. The shock of these last few hours had, however, been a bit too much and the noise became full-fledged gleeful laughter, head tossed back and the Aesir holding his sides slightly. "You can throw me in acid; shove me down a dragon's gob, whatever you want. I care only that you're still with me" He smiled sincerely, blue eyes crinkling as he met the wintergreen gaze of his sibling. "Anyways, it was you who gave me the idea."

For a moment he was content to simply enjoy their closeness, breathing deeply of his brother's scent. Something that might have been lost to him. "I'm sorry; I never should have put you in such danger." He muttered, feeling a pang of regret for what must have been the thousandth time that day. "Whatever you want when we're back in the palace. You can have it. And no, you've earned quite the rest I believe." Smiling once more, Thor stood, leaning down to pick up his sibling again. "This is quite the story, don't you think? I doubt I'll ever forget it, although I'll certainly wish I could sometimes."

"I'll still keep the dragon one open for debate." Loki replied with a gentle chuckle. "It was wasn't it? Yes I remember now. The last thing I remember doing before I...passed out..." He used the term likely, not wanting to thing he died. "Was tugging on you and then pointing to the hammer. I'm glad you figured out what I was trying to tell you. Not just all brawn and also brains hmm...?" He smirked as he nudged his brother softly.

Loki purred softly against the warmth his brothers body brought him. He was so content, so happy just to know he was soon to be safely home happier to know his brother was also safe and sound. "It's alright Thor, all if forgiven. And I want nothing but for you to stay by myself for a few couple of days...I will have to get use to not being comforted by your presence soon, but for now, that's all you are. Comfort and protection...and..." Loki buried his head against his brother's chest, trying to hide his teary as he confessed what he was hiding this whole time. That he was afraid that he'd never get to see his brother again after this day. "I may need that until I am stable and unafraid once more on my own..."

"This would be why we're a duo, I believe," he responded with a light smile. "I'm sure you somehow managed to lend me your intelligence for a moment and it's from there that I drew the inspiration. By the Nine, I'd forgotten I could fly." He mirrored the smirk, although his became something more of a grin. He walked slowly towards the bridge, his own aches - although clearly nothing compared to Loki's - making them known as he began to slog through snow and wind.

Thor paused at the edge of the portal, arms pulling his brother as close as possible as the fair-skinned man spoke. He hadn't earned such quick forgiveness, but here his brother was giving just that. Near, perhaps momentarily, dead due to his antics and still willing to set the fact aside. "Of course." He could feel the moisture seeping into his dirtied clothing, and ruffled the dark hair as fondly as he could muster. "If you want I'll be sure to be everywhere with you. We won't be separate. As it is, brothers should never be far apart. And you…Well, you were the bravest man today, I would think." His lips quirked upwards when he heard a soft sniffling and a mumbled 'thank you' come from Loki then a small sliver of a smile grace his little brothers lips. Satisfied, Thor stepped onto the bridge to be drawn back home. Safe, if not completely sound.

THE END