Loki's brow was pulled into a permanent scowl; he was frustrated. He sat on the edge of Thor's bed, the one they'd just been ravaging one another in, and he felt his skin crawl at the memory. He had no time to explore his intentions, or Thor's for that matter. In just a few hours Thor would awaken, adorn his glorious armor, and take his place on the throne of Asgard…as king.

And now this.

Loki knew it had to end here; Thor would not have the sense to abandon this newfound affection for him; this strange little obsession with being more than a brother to him. This was the last sort of thing a prince should have on his mind before his coronation…the last thing a future king should be FEELING, experiencing, dealing with. Loki allowed a sour smile to pull at the corners of his mouth; what a jest this had all been…what a twisted turn of events. Of all the paths they're sibling rivalry could have taken them, of all the outcomes, of all the situations…here he was, in his brother's room, about to erase the memory of their heated, drunken passion from the soon-to-be-king's mind. He shook his head and rubbed the sockets of his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, letting out a small sigh. His fingers traveled up over his forehead to rake his dark, tousled hair out of his face.

He leapt a little when a pair of fingers joined his own in the mussed tangles, gently pulling him backwards. Loki felt a familiar heated sensation surge through him, unbidden and demanding, but he allowed his brother to pull him back down into the covers; Thor was, most likely, still entirely asleep.

Loki twisted onto his back and lay against the mountain of pillows heaped against the headboard, idly pushing some of his brother's golden hair behind his ear. He sighed again and told himself once again that this was utterly necessary…for both their sakes, for Asgard, for the Nine Realms entirely. Yes…this was the only way, the only option they had.

He prepared the words in his mind, allowed their power to slowly spark in the recesses of his subconscious, energy slowly rushing through his veins and crackling at his fingertips. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Loki?"

The magic dissipated.

Loki's eyes shot open and he glanced down at his brother.

"Yes?"

Thor rolled over onto his back and smiled at him, his hand lazily thudded against Loki's chest and rested at the nape of his neck, fingertips grazing the skin there.

"I suppose you've had enough sleep to last you a lifetime," he chuckled, the deep sound making Loki's skin prickle.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Loki replied quietly, pulling away from his brother's touch.

"You were out like a sack of potatoes. I've never seen you look so exhausted."

"I haven't been sleeping all that well recently…"

"Well if you'd put down your spell books every once and a while—"

"It isn't the—," he paused; Thor's expression gone confused and slightly sour at his sharp tone, "I…it just…hasn't been quite the same."

His brother stared up at him, luminescent eyes searching for a clue behind Loki's unreadable expression.

"I understand."

Loki quirked a brow and smirked down at him.

"Do you, now?"

"Aye."

Thor sat up and crossed his legs, resting an elbow upon his knee, and rubbed the back of his neck. He blinked away some of the sleep from his eyes and gave a slow yawn.

"Aye, I do," he said after a moment of silence, his voice soft. He peered up through tendrils of golden hair at Loki, a sheepish, disheveled look on his face that made his brother's heart flinch with a familiar fondness. "It's strange ah…we haven't been…sometimes I wake up and I just, I…"

"We're not accustomed to life independent of one another," Loki offered tiredly, glancing out one of the narrow windows, "But that's only logical, Thor. We've been together all our lives, and it's no mystery as to why we are both a little…confused."

"Confused?" Thor's eyes went wide and defensive.

"Yes, Thor," Loki continued, looking back to him now, "We are confused, we have missed one another's company and it has twisted us into something we were never meant—."

"Enough," Thor said sternly, now sitting up straight. Loki braced his shoulders and placed both hands on the bed.

"Thor listen to me," he pleaded angrily, "as your brother and as your friend I beg you see reason here: this is wrong and it is foolhardy. You are to be king—!"

"I care not for your reason," Thor roared, and Loki flinched at the echo his brother's voice rendered, "We will both be kings! I will see that we are both crowned and you and I will rule justly over Asgard, as brother kings, always at one another's side, because that is the way it was meant—!"

"Thor, that is enough," Loki hissed, "You are spouting nonsense. You have paid too much of your attention to this twisted affection. You are not yourself—."

"This is my self, Loki," Thor snatched Loki's shoulders and held him firmly, "This is everything I am, all I have ever known for certain. It is my truth, Loki…I love you, I always have, you are my brother and I cannot do this without you—!"

"I'm sorry," Loki mumbled.

Thor's words faltered and he blinked at his brother and the strange expression on his face, "…What…?"

There was a great flash of light suddenly, and Thor felt a stab of panic before his world went dark.

He fell limply into Loki's lap, golden hair pooling around his brother's long folded legs.

Loki's eyes remained fixed somewhere in the distance, and his hand found its way to Thor's hair. He remained like that for a long while, stroking his brother's hair, his mind forcibly focused on the coronation, now only a few hours away.

Finally he glanced down; swept a strand of hair from the thunder god's face.

"Forgive me…my king."