"I would love you in any shape, in any world, with any past. Never doubt that."
― Claudia Gray, A Thousand Pieces of You

"Sometimes I'm envious, but never doubt that I love you."
―Loki to Thor, Thor movie deleted scene


Loki

Out of reflex Loki squeezed his eyes shut when Thor suddenly leaned towards him. An instant later he felt something warm and soft on his lips. It took him a second to register that Thor was in fact kissing him. Loki's heart fluttered. Thor's lips moved against his slowly and he kissed back experimentally, leaning into Thor's hand as he instinctively tilted his head for a better angle. He brought his arms around Thor to steady himself and Thor pressed closer, one hand sliding from Loki's hair to the small of his back, the other caressing his cheek. He traced Loki's bottom lip with his tongue and took the chance to deepen the kiss when Loki's lips parted for air. Loki let out a soft moan and his hand slid from Thor's back to his side. His fingers curled around Thor's waist lightly, testing, then twisted and pinched the flesh there—hard.

Thor let out a yelp as he sprang back and they broke the kiss, both breathless and face flushed. "What was that for?" Thor complained, rubbing at his side and looking at Loki pitifully. Loki huffed and glared at him. He couldn't believe that he let Thor get the better of him so easily. "Who said you could kiss me?" he uttered, willing himself to cool down. Thor had the nerve to look confused.

"But you liked it—"

"Shut up!" Loki hastily ordered before Thor could continue to spout anything more embarrassing. His cheeks felt hot again. Stupid oaf!

Thor wilted—literally—and looked at him with wide puppy eyes. "Loki…" he whined, and Loki narrowed his eyes. He suddenly felt silly for worrying over Thor's health before. The oaf seemed pretty energetic and his complexion looked rather rosy too—though the reason for the latter might be because they just made out—

Loki cleared his throat to forcibly halt his thoughts there before they started to derail. He returned to glaring at Thor. "Were you trying to get me sick too?" he asked accusingly, "You were having a fever this afternoon, weren't you?" He decided to make sure in any case.

"Oh!" Thor brightened for some reason, "You don't have to worry about that! I fully recovered the moment I saw you, so I'm completely well now!"

Loki couldn't help a snort, feeling fondly exasperated. What kind of ridiculous assurance was that?

"So… You have forgiven me, right?" Thor asked hopefully. Loki crossed his arms and turned away, looking unimpressed.

"Loki—"

"Boys, dinner's ready soon!" Frigga announced as she came out of the kitchen carrying two dishes, smiling at them.

"Okay!" Loki answered, smiling back at her, before turning around and giving Thor the side-eye. "I'll think about it," he said, straightening his shirt, and sauntered to the dining area to join Frigga. Thor stood for a moment, probably taking time to digest the words, before perking up and scurrying to follow Loki.

Thor insisted on sitting next to Loki at the dining table, despite the disapproving looks from Odin. Seated on Loki's other side was Laufey and across from them were Odin and Frigga, which kind of made it a strange arrangement for Thor to be seated beside Loki. Loki could feel Thor staring at him the whole time but he opted to ignore him and only chatted with Frigga. When he returned his attention to his plate there was suddenly a small mountain on it—built of pie, potatoes, salad, roast chicken… Loki snatched his plate away before Thor could pile more food on top.

As the meal went on Thor started to nudge and poke at Loki under the table. Loki internally rolled his eyes and tried to ignore it initially, but eventually lost his patience. He discreetly reached under the table and stabbed Thor's thigh with his fork, which earned a hiss from Thor. He decided to steal a glance at Thor to check out his reaction, and couldn't help a small smile of amusement at what he saw. Thor was pouting childishly while rubbing at his thigh, giving Loki the puppy-dog eyes again. He visibly brightened the instant he noticed Loki's smile though, a big smile spreading across his own face. He reached his hand over to take Loki's under the table and squeezed it lightly. "Loki," he leant over to whisper, warm breath tickling Loki's ear, "You have forgiven me, right?" Loki felt his ears burn and he wondered if Thor was doing it on purpose. He sighed weakly. Fine, he gave up keeping up the façade. "Yes," he hissed his answer irritably, but Thor paid no mind to his tone at all, and went on to peck him on the cheek before nuzzling it happily. At that moment Loki was convinced that Thor's spirit animal must be a dog, and a highly affectionate breed at that—a golden retriever, probably. Loki had always preferred cats, though—Thor's cat Mjolnir was so adorable Loki had been tempted to steal him for himself at one point in time. "I don't even know why I like you so much," he muttered under his breath as an afterthought, not expecting to be tackled by a bear hug.

They were interrupted by a giggle and a cough—by Frigga and Odin, respectively. Frigga was smiling at them fondly, eyes crinkling, a direct contrast to Odin's frown and judging eyes. Loki fidgeted in Thor's arms and nudged at Thor to let go, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Thor released him reluctantly, but his hand went back to holding Loki's under the table and didn't let go for the rest of the meal.

After dinner Thor stayed back slightly later than his parents, but it was soon time for him to go home too. They said goodbye to each other and Thor was one step out of the door when he suddenly turned back round to face Loki. Loki raised his brows questioningly.

"I forgot to ask," Thor began, smoothing down his already neatly combed hair with his fingers. Loki recognised it as one of his nervous habits.

"What is it?" prompted Loki, genuinely curious. Thor took in a deep breath.

"Loki," he said sheepishly, "There's a Valentine's Day party coming up in two weeks. Will you be my date?"

Loki widened his eyes in surprise, but lowered his gaze right after. Thor said he loved Loki and Loki believed him now, but there was still the matter of Thor's friends. The Valentine's Day party was a school event, so they would surely be there too. If Thor was right, they probably didn't like Loki very much. He didn't want to place Thor in any sort of dilemma if he could help it.

"Why don't you go with Jane instead?" he asked in a small voice, feeling a pang in his chest as soon as he said the words. Thor looked surprised at that, then bewildered.

"Why would you say that?" he asked Loki, tone careful.

"Don't pretend you don't know," said Loki bitterly, getting mildly annoyed. Did Thor really want Loki to spell it out for him? Well, then. "Obviously, everyone thinks you two make the perfect couple—"

"No!" Thor exclaimed immediately and scrambled to take Loki's hands in his, "No, Loki," he said in a softer voice, "You're the only one I want to go with, you hear that?"

Loki was slightly relieved, but still felt unsure. "Won't it look bad on you to be seen with me?" he asked. Thor looked shocked at first, but almost at once his expression melted to a crestfallen one.

"Loki, is this because of—" he swallowed before rephrasing his question, "Are you still bothered by what I said before?" Loki's first thought was to deny it, but he realised that Thor was right. He told himself that he didn't care, but in the end he couldn't help getting affected by it. He even changed his hairstyle and took the time and effort to fix his lawn because of what Thor had said. He bit his lip and looked down at his feet, contemplating how he should answer Thor so that it wouldn't upset him. Maybe he could just lie about it; he was good at lying after all—

"Loki," his thoughts were interrupted by Thor's hand lightly cupping his face and tilting it up so they looked each other in the eyes. Thor's eyes were so blue. "Forget everything I told you that day, okay?" he told Loki gently, "I was wrong—I didn't know what I was saying. You're smart, you're beautiful—I can't believe I haven't told you that. You're you—you don't have to change anything for me, please. I know it took me too long to realise this, but Loki I love you—I really do, and I won't care what anyone else says. So please," he pleaded, "Go with me?"

Loki's eyes prickled and he was struck with a burning sense of affection for Thor in that moment. Before he knew what he was doing he had crushed his lips against Thor's and locked his arms around him, pulling him flush against himself. Thor responded immediately, one hand shifting to cup the back of his neck. Their lips moved against each other's hungrily, but it wasn't enough for Loki. He licked and nipped Thor's lips demandingly, prodding them to open. Thor seemed to get the message and let out a groan, parting his lips to welcome Loki. Loki kissed him fierily, sucking and tasting and exploring. Thor gave back with equal fervour, his hand sliding under Loki's shirt and leaving trails of heat where it glided across skin. Loki pressed closer and moaned when Thor's hard-on brushed against his own, sending sparks through his whole body. They were both aroused and Loki was hazily aware that it wasn't a good time and place, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. Thor canted his hips forward and Loki gasped and grinded against him, yearning desperately for more friction. The fabric was in the way and Loki needed to get it off badly. Thor was the same, and he wasn't ashamed to let Loki know. "Loki," he panted, face flushed and voice hoarse, "Can I—can I stay over tonight?"

Loki took in the view before him dreamily—Thor's hair was dishevelled and loose strands fell over his face like a curtain of golden silk threads; beneath them his eyes were an intense blue sea half hidden by heavy lids and lashes, and further down were his lips, wet and kiss-swollen, like a dewy red rose bud—his heart skipped a beat and his lower body throbbed painfully. He breathed heavily, "I—"

He didn't get to finish his reply before they were started apart by a sudden loud cough. He looked up at the figure behind Thor and it was Odin standing outside the door, his expression unreadable. "I, umm…" Odin began to say, but he wasn't looking in their direction. Loki looked to Thor and Thor discreetly pointed to something—or someone—behind him. He grimaced and resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. He didn't have to look to know that his father was standing right behind him.

"I just came to see what took Thor so long," Odin finished saying, and Loki felt like he could die from the embarrassment right then and there.

"Ah," Laufey responded awkwardly, "I was just going to inform Loki that he can use the shower now," he said, and added, "Alone." Loki swore he had never cringed so hard before.

"Right, then I'll be taking my son home," Odin said, then turned his gaze to Thor, "Thor, let's go."

As Thor was pulled along by his father he opened his mouth to say something to Loki, but the door clicked shut before Loki could hear it. There was a brief awkward silence before Loki announced "I'm going to shower" and briskly escaped to his room.

"Loki we're gonna have a talk about this!" Laufey hollered, but Loki pretended not to hear him. As he threw himself onto his bed and buried his face in his pillow, he vaguely wondered how Thor was doing.

Thor

Thor was feeling troubled. It wasn't because of Odin's cynical reaction to the revelation of his relationship with Loki, though. He was grateful enough that Odin chose not to be awkward about it, really. That night after he went home, Odin sat him down in the living room and asked him if it was serious between him and Loki or if he was just playing around. Thor decided to be open and honest about it; he told Odin that he truly loved Loki and he wanted to be with him for the rest of his life. But Odin had scoffed in response, said that his judgment was merely clouded by teenage hormones and that he would get over that phase soon enough. He also said that their relationship wouldn't last and told him not to go too far, then he returned to his room without bothering to listen to Thor's retort. Thor was disappointed, but not surprised, to be honest. It wasn't like he didn't always know that his father was kind of a jerk. Naturally, he didn't take what Odin said to heart; in fact he only became determined to prove him wrong.

So, back to his latest trouble. It shouldn't even be a bother, though. He had finally made up with Loki; in fact they became closer than they ever were before—honestly he should be more than satisfied. He and Loki walked to school and back home together, they spent their break times together, they spent their after-school hours and weekend together, they went to each other's house to study and play like they used to—everything was back to normal and it was just like before, if he excluded the cuddles and kisses. They didn't go any further than that though, because Loki said they should go slow, and of course Thor respected his wishes. They also avoided being physically intimate in school, because Loki wanted their relationship to be low-profile for the time being. That was the thing—not the refusal to public displays of affection, no—it was how Loki's entire demeanour had become all quiet and modest that was bugging him. Not that it was a bad thing—it just felt rather strange and out of character for Loki. It was also not that Thor thought modesty non-existent in Loki's nature, it was just that having known Loki for such a long time, he could just tell when Loki was putting up a front and he wondered if Loki was doing it consciously.

He observed that Loki had become more reserved about being himself in the presence of others, and he couldn't help feeling responsible for that. Loki should feel at ease with being himself and Thor wanted to tell him that, but he didn't know how or if he should even say anything. The last time he assumed and said something he had made Loki sad, and he didn't want to make that mistake ever again. But at the same time he couldn't help missing the Loki who was self-assured, playful, talkative, snarky and generally a smart mouth all the time—funny how things had flipped around; those were the exact same qualities he had found fault with not too long ago. Maybe that was the reason Loki had become so withdrawn. He wondered now if Loki wasn't truly happy to be with him.

"What's the matter? Can't bear to be apart from him for one afternoon?" A voice broke Thor from his thoughts. He looked up from his corner and it was Steve, his tone teasing. He was smiling playfully with one eyebrow raised. Thor smiled back at him.

"You should feel lucky," Steve said as he joined Thor on the club room floor, "You get to see Loki almost everyday. You know, I have a childhood best friend too, but we don't get to see each other very much, since he went to attend school in the next town over. Sometimes I just miss him so much," Steve looked forlorn and Thor started to ponder what he should say to comfort him, but it seemed like he didn't need to worry, because Steve had cheered up by himself the next moment. "We'd meet up during the holidays though, and we've also promised to go to the same high school together," Steve said, eyes practically shining with excitement, "and when that time comes I'll get to see him everyday!"

Thor smiled at that. Steve was always so earnest and full of positive energy, so Thor liked talking to him. "That's really great!" he commented, truly happy for Steve, and Steve beamed.

"Enough about me though," Steve suddenly leaned forward and looked at him curiously, "I was only kidding just now, but you're not actually brooding because you miss Loki already, are you? I mean, that's a bit too much, isn't it? Thor, it's only been a few hours…"

"Oh, no!" Thor laughed and waved a hand dismissively, "It's not because of that."

"Then it's because of something else," Steve said, voice gentle, "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Thor lowered his gaze to his hands. How should he even explain it?

"Oh my Sweet Rogers, always so naïve," Tony suddenly cut in, announcing his presence as dramatically as always.

Steve narrowed his eyes. "Tony, it's not nice to eavesdrop," he chastised.

Tony looked mildly offended. "I wasn't eavesdropping. You were openly discussing and I was listening right beside you all this time," he gestured to somewhere around one meter away from them, "Don't tell me you didn't notice?"

"Really?" Steve questioned, raising a brow. "Then your sense of presence must be far more lacking than you think—oh hey, maybe that's a big surprise for you?" He smiled innocently at Tony, who looked appalled.

"Now that was just rude—Seriously, Rogers? I didn't even think you were capable of sarcasm, but now it seems I might have to seriously re-evaluate this whole golden boy image of yours," said Tony, adjusting his tinted sunglasses and squinting at Steve to illustrate his point. Thor couldn't help a muffled laughter and Tony turned to glower at him instead. "You," he said pointing at Thor, "Don't think I forgot this was about you!"

"What?" asked Thor, blinking in confusion.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you two are cut from the same cloth," he said, looking at Thor and Steve distastefully. "Anyway, my point was, Golden Boy here might buy what you say, but I know you're totally pining for Bambi right now—Uh-uh," he wagged his finger when Thor tried to deny it, "Don't tell me that's not it, because I've seen you make goo-goo eyes at him this whole week you were together, so," he smirked when Thor frowned and Steve's eyes widened in surprise, "Let me guess, you're feeling lonely and jealous because he's gone off with his little buddy without you—what's the name again? Thumper?"

"Thanos," Thor corrected with disgust—that bald titan was nowhere as furry and adorable as Thumper the rabbit, for heaven's sake. If Tony was going to refer to Loki as Bambi (his reason was that Loki had 'pretty doe eyes'), and said deer's best friend's name must begin with 'Th', then 'Thor' already fitted the bill perfectly—right up to the cuteness factor, please.

"Aha! You are jealous!" Tony exclaimed, looking pleased with himself. Thor only shook his head, not bothering to refute. Tony could think whatever he wanted, but Thor was positively not jealous, because he was the one that Loki liked the most, he thought sweetly, lips curling into a smile.

"Did someone say Thanos?" Natasha interrupted the moment with a frown, sauntering towards them.

"Yes, he's the guy Loki has been doing some part-time jobs with for a while now," Thor explained, "Is anything wrong?"

Natasha's frown deepened. "You should tell Loki to stop hanging around with that guy. I've heard some rumours about him from my informants and none of them were anything good," she warned.

Thor's smile froze on his face. "What do you mean?" he asked, standing up frantically.

"Wait, what informants? Why would you have informants? Are we just gonna ignore that part?" asked Tony, incredulous.

Natasha side-eyed him. "I could tell you, but I can't promise that you'd live to see tomorrow," she said darkly, and Tony gawked. Her expression went back to neutral when she returned her attention to Thor. "I can only say that he's part of a shady group that does anything for money," she said, voice lowered, "They appear to be harmless on the surface, but word has it that they can become unreasonable and aggressive when things don't go their way—whether it's towards their customers or their own members. Oh, and I've also heard that Thanos has this weird hobby of collecting stones—nobody knows why, though. Pretty suspicious, if you ask me."

Thor took a deep breath and considered Natasha's words seriously. Loki was smart; he never promised Thanos long-term commitment and also made sure not to owe Thanos anything. From what Loki had told him, so far all he did with Thanos were common odd jobs. They were done with Loki's lawn (Loki insisted that he didn't need Thor's help) and today was the last time Loki would work with him. Thor decided that Loki should be safe. He would tell Loki what he had heard from Natasha as soon as he saw him later and Loki wouldn't have to involve himself with Thanos ever again after today. He nodded to himself reassuredly. "Thanks, Natasha. I know what to do," he said, and Steve squeezed his shoulder.

As Thor walked on the way home he considered how he should tell Loki. He wondered if it would sound like he was badmouthing Loki's friend out of pettiness. He was still thinking about it when he rounded the corner to the street where his and Loki's house were, and it surprised him to see Mjolnir right outside the gate to Loki's house, meowing loudly in its direction. "Mjolnir what's wrong?" Thor asked curiously as he jogged towards his cat. But before he could reach Mjolnir he saw three guys emerge from the gate of Loki's house and dash off in the direction opposite from where he was coming from. He recognised two of them as Thanos' followers. "Hey!" Thor yelled as he sped up, but they vanished from his sight before he could catch up. He huffed, stopping just as he reached Loki's gate. He picked Mjolnir up into his arms and petted his fur soothingly before lifting his gaze towards Loki's front yard—and his eyes widened in horror. He felt his heart drop to his stomach. Loki's beloved apple tree was gone. All that were left in its place were a neatly chopped tree stump and by its side a few residual branches and apples. Forcing himself to move, Thor staggered forward, and couldn't stop himself from falling to his knees in front of where the tree once stood. Mjolnir mewled softly and nuzzled against his chest as if trying to comfort him, but Thor only felt numb. It was all his fault. This wouldn't have happened if he didn't say anything about Loki's lawn in the first place.

Thor didn't know how long he sat there, only that the sky was already getting dark when he looked up from his folded knees. He felt a weight on his back and thought it was Mjolnir at first, but Mjolnir was still in front of him taking a nap. He turned around—it was Loki, his hand resting on Thor's back. Thor tried to read his expression, but his face was obscured by the evening shadows.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked, of all things, voice soft and concerned. Thor swallowed, feeling overcome with emotion.

"I'm so sorry," he rasped, "I didn't get here in time to stop them. It was Thanos, he—"

"I know," Loki said calmly. Thor's eyes widened in surprise. "He told me several times that it was interfering with the overall aesthetic of the lawn. He wanted it removed, but I didn't agree. I guess he took matters into his own hands, from the looks of it," explained Loki, "Anyway, it's just a tree. Don't worry about it. I'm more worried about you—how long have you been sitting here for?" Loki tried to pull Thor up from his sitting position, but Thor refused to budge. He didn't get it. How could Loki be fine with this?

"But it's your precious tree!" Thor reasoned desperately, "Aren't you upset at all? You don't have to put up an illusion when you're with me, Loki please."

"Thor, I'm fine," Loki assured him gently, "It doesn't matter anymore." Thor would have believed it, if he didn't notice Loki's eyes flash with suppressed rage and unshed tears. Without a second thought he pulled Loki into an embrace and hugged him tightly. Loki tensed at first, but almost at once he relaxed in Thor's arms and let himself lean on Thor entirely. In that moment Thor made up his mind—he would not sit around and let those bullies off without making them pay for what they did.

"Loki, does your tree have a name?" asked Thor abruptly when he loosened his hold.

"What?" Loki stared at him as if he were crazy, but Thor looked back expectantly. Loki sighed, frowning, "It wasn't official, but I once thought of naming it 'Yggdrasil'. Why?"

"Well, we won't let Yggdrasil fall in vain," Thor declared, "We're getting revenge." As soon as he said it Mjolnir let out a well-timed yowl that sounded like a battle cry. Thor patted him on the head proudly—Mjolnir might be a domestic cat, but Thor always knew he had the heart of a lion.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" asked Loki dubiously.

Thor smiled mischievously. "Since Thanos loves stones so much," he said, "we'll give him stones."

Loki raised a brow in interest and Thor pecked him on the cheek. "Let's move these into the house first, then I'll tell you," he said, glancing around at the branches and fruits littered on the ground.

"Honestly, what are you up to?" Loki probed as he followed behind Thor, carrying Mjolnir in his arms. Thor turned around and gave him a conspiratorial wink.

Loki

"What is that thing?" Thor whispered, squinting at the heap of rocks and stones in Thanos' backyard. "Has he been gathering stones just for that?"

"He's building a sculpture out of stones to impress his crush—that gothic girl from the next class, you know," Loki explained, "I don't know why he's making it the shape of a glove, though."

"A what? Wait, he actually told you all of that?" asked Thor, looking surprised.

"No," Loki admitted, "I had to dig the information out of one of his trusted lackeys, unfortunately." He grimaced with disdain at the memory of said lackey persistently batting his eyelashes at him.

"Do you think she's pretty?" asked Thor out of the blue.

"Who?" Loki frowned in confusion.

"Thanos' crush," Thor answered casually.

Loki eyed him critically. "Evidently not as ravishing as you, Brother," he joked, which made Thor beam. Loki rolled his eyes in fond exasperation.

"You know, I like it when you call me that," said Thor suddenly, and Loki had to think for a moment what he was referring to.

"Honestly?" asked Loki when he caught on, disbelieving.

"Hey, it was true what Mother said, you know. I've always wanted a baby brother," Thor pointed out. "So can we adopt you back into the family already?" he asked in jest, grinning.

"Be careful," Loki mock-cautioned, "You don't want to let my father hear that. He literally warned me not to get cheated by that 'lecherous rascal Thor', in case I haven't told you yet." Loki recalled the long-winded lecture that Laufey put him through and internally shuddered. "Anyway," he shrugged nonchalantly, "We can go back to being brothers instead, if you wish to change your mind."

"I know you don't mean that," said Thor confidently, and Loki couldn't help an amused snort. He guessed this big-headed aspect of Thor's character might dampen with time, but would probably never go away. "Besides," continued Thor, paying no mind to Loki's little reaction, "Can't we just be both at the same time? In fact, I—" he abruptly paused, lowering his gaze as if in thought. Then his eyes flicked up and their gazes locked. Loki's breath caught in his throat. "I'd love you in any shape, any world, with any identity," said Thor slowly, his voice soft and magnetic, "Never doubt that."

Loki suddenly felt dizzy, overwhelmed with the affection he felt for the boy before him in that moment. It took all his willpower to restrain himself from giving in to his impulse. He clenched and unclenched his fist. "If I kissed you right now, we'd both fall off from this tree," he said reasonably, both to Thor and to himself. "Stop being sentimental for no reason," he chided without malice, shying away from Thor's penetrating gaze.

"Sorry," Thor apologised sheepishly, "I just had this really strong feeling all of a sudden, I don't know why. But still, that sort of scenario would be pretty classic, wouldn't it?" Thor grinned playfully. "You know that rhyme—"

"Don't sing it," Loki ordered sharply, somehow knowing what Thor was thinking of, but Thor happily ignored him.

"Thor and Loki sitting on a tree—" Thor began, but was instantly cut off by Loki glaring and pointing a sharp tree branch at him threateningly.

"I'll stop, I'll stop! No domestic violence!" Thor conceded, laughing as he put his hands up in surrender. Loki huffed and lowered his makeshift weapon, rolling his eyes.

"You're being rather chatty today," Thor remarked after a moment, "How come you were so quiet in school this past week, though?" Thor's tone was deliberately casual, but Loki could see the blatant concern in his eyes. He was surprised and slightly touched that Thor would be so attentive to him, given how obtuse he generally was.

"For your information, I was being well-behaved out of consideration for your reputation, since we're officially together now," Loki answered light-heartedly, feeling endeared when Thor visibly relaxed at once. "You know, what you said about me weren't completely wrong," he decided to clarify, "Particularly the part about the words that come out of my mouth. I have to admit that I can't help it, especially when I'm faced with halfwits and annoying pests. It's kind of ironic, now that I think about it. They like to say I'm pretentious, but I'm actually pretty honest and sincere when it comes to sharing with people my opinions of them," he flashed an innocuous smile at Thor, "which also means that if I don't hold back, I might go around offending everyone in school."

"I knew it, you have a horrible personality. You're a devil," Thor gasped in mock horror.

"And?" Loki prompted, smiling sweetly at him.

"I love you all the same," said Thor, grinning. "Like hearing that, don't you?" he teased, lightly poking Loki's nose with a finger.

"Well, you like saying it, so…" Loki scrunched his nose and gave him a cheeky grin. "Love you too, by the way," he stated offhandedly, and was startled to see Thor's eyes widen so expressively.

"What did you just say?" Thor whispered.

"Nothing," Loki denied and looked away, flustered and taken aback by the affection and wonder so honest and plainly written on the other's face. "A-Anyway," he figured he could maybe change the subject, "This…" he gestured around at their current hiding place, "is quite unlike you, isn't it? I was actually prepared to stop you from getting into a fight, but all this has been so," he paused, looking for a fitting word, "Clandestine."

"You can just say 'sneaky', I don't mind," Thor said, raising a brow in amusement. "But I prefer to call it 'an eye for an eye'. He was the one who did you dirty first, so there is no honour to speak of."

Loki was both relieved and disappointed that Thor had let their previous conversation pass just like that. He felt like he should say something—he didn't want Thor to have any misgivings about their relationship because of the way he had reacted earlier. He took a deep breath, "Hey—"

"Shh, the target has appeared," Thor shushed Loki before he could say anything. They were currently atop a tree outside the fence of Thanos' backyard, hiding amidst the leaves and branches, having scanned the area beforehand to make sure that Thor's plan would work. Thanos' house was situated on a low hillside and surrounded by a forest of trees, so they didn't have much difficulty staying inconspicuous.

"Time to have some fun," said Thor, passing Loki one of the catapults he had fished out of his bag along with a pouch of pebbles. Loki looked at the weapon in his hand dubiously. Thor made the catapults with the thicker branches, but he still worried if they were sturdy enough. He turned to look at Thor who was focused on his task, and followed his gaze to what was happening down in the backyard.

Thanos had just come out of his house and was currently circling his half-finished sculpture while stroking his chin, seemingly appraising it. Loki frowned in distaste—he couldn't see what there was to appraise; there was no aesthetic value to that thing at all, for goodness' sake. Thanos had just turned his back to them when Loki saw a projectile hit the back of his neck. Thanos turned around to face them with a stupid look on his face, rubbing his neck in confusion. Loki pursed his lips to suppress a giggle and turned to look at Thor, who was smirking and getting ready for another shot. This time it hit Thanos in the ass and he jumped comically. Loki bit his lip to keep himself from laughing out loud. He watched Thanos clumsily knock over one part of his sculpture and uselessly scramble to save it, destroying more of it in the process. Loki had to cover his mouth with a hand to stifle his laughter. Thor raised a fist in celebration, then opened it up for a silent high-five which Loki delightedly returned. Loki took in a deep breath to calm himself—it would be pretty stupid to fall off a tree from too much laughing, after all.

"Since when have you become so good at this?" he whispered, curious and impressed. They used to play with catapults when they were younger, but Thor's accuracy wasn't this good then.

"Learned a trick or two from Clint—he's also in the archery club, if you didn't know," Thor whispered back, grinning smugly.

"You haven't seen me yet," Loki jutted his chin challengingly, suddenly feeling competitive. "Now tell me where to shoot," he ordered, and Thor's grin widened. "Let's make it a game then," proposed Thor, licking his lips.

They decided on just having three turns each, so that Thanos wouldn't get too suspicious. The rules were simple—one of them would specify a spot and the other would try to hit it when Thanos wasn't looking. Loki hit his first two spots perfectly, one on Thanos' shoulder and the other on an acorn that landed right on top of Thanos' bald head. It was going pretty smoothly until Thanos became exasperated after Thor's third shot, which hit his ass again because Loki found it to be the most entertaining. Thanos jerked around and stomped towards them, glaring up in their direction. Thor and Loki both held their breaths. Then out of nowhere a bunch of monkeys swung past on the branches in front of them, screeching noisily.

"Stupid monkeys," Thanos spat, and went back to fixing his sculpture.

Thor and Loki turned to each other and blinked, dumbfounded by what had just occurred. Then their lips twitched up at the corners and they had to bite their lips to stop from bursting into laughter.

"I still have one more turn," reminded Loki. Thor started looking around for an idea, then his eyes lit up. "There," he whispered, pointing towards a beehive hanging over Thanos' fence. Loki widened his eyes and faintly whistled, surprised and impressed by Thor's boldness. "If you hit that, we'll count it as your win," Thor said, raising his brows challengingly. Loki smirked. "Get ready your things," he told Thor, picking up the biggest pebble and casually tossing it in his hand, "As soon as I release this," he said, pulling the sling back with the projectile in place, "We get up and run." He aimed and fired.

The beehive fell to the ground with a thud, but they didn't stay around to watch what happened next. As soon as Loki made the shot they hurriedly slid off the tree, Loki right behind Thor. The instant Loki's feet touched the ground, Thor grabbed Loki's hand and ran. Loki let himself be pulled along by Thor, relishing in the thrill and the cool breeze blowing on his face. They dashed past rows of trees, sweeping up fallen leaves at their feet and startling a few birds and squirrels on the way. Loki suddenly had the urge to laugh, so he did. Thor immediately joined in, and so together they laughed and ran, hand-in-hand, without a care in the world.

They kept running until they were at the foot of the hill, out of the forest and a long way from where they came from. Thor stumbled and fell over out of exhaustion, pulling Loki along with him. Loki willingly went with him, instinctively placing a hand behind Thor's head to shield it from the fall. He collapsed on top of Thor and they rolled over clumsily, panting and laughing breathlessly. Loki buried his face in Thor's shoulder to muffle his laughter, taking in a deep breath to calm himself down, breathing in Thor's scent without meaning to. Dazedly he shifted and nuzzled against Thor's neck to get more of it, and felt Thor suck in a deep breath suddenly. He flicked his gaze up curiously. Thor's eyes were heavy-lidded, his face flushed and his breathing heavy—whether it was from the adrenaline or something else, Loki wouldn't know. Thor met his gaze and slowly shifted above him until their eyes were level with each other. His breath was warm and tingling on Loki's lips. Loki swallowed and leaned in, closing his eyes.

"Loki," Thor whispered against his lips, voice low and husky, "Did you really mean what you said before?"

Loki caught himself and stopped in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. He averted his gaze and tried to turn away, but Thor's hand held him firmly in place.

"You don't know how much it meant to me," Thor said, his eyes bright and imploring, "I didn't get to hear it properly the first time, so please," he pleaded, "Say it again? For me?"

Loki's heart beat furiously. He bit his lip as he drank in how beautiful Thor was, looking so vulnerable and needy—for him. A familiar warmth filled his chest. "Honestly, you are so," he purred, lifting a hand to caress Thor's cheek adoringly, "Sentimental."

Thor leaned into his touch and gazed at him wordlessly, waiting. Loki's eyes felt hot all of a sudden. "I love you, you oaf," he whispered, willing his voice not to tremble, "Now will you please shut up and kiss me?"

Thor did as he was told, smiling.


End

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read :) It's kinda hard to find works that are pure fluff for this pairing, so I decided to write one myself—and that was basically the whole motivation behind this fic X'D I hope it was enjoyable! The story is finished, but I may or may not add a bonus chapter. Lots of love~