WINNERS! Reviews: CleverBast, Autobot Firekat, The Cap and Spectre, Charisma B, BlackStarChan, abbye13, LunaKnyte, EclipsedDevil13, I.C.2014, Key of Randomness -Alexis-, LunaticV, ladykale1985, serina-phantom, Jaquiqui, Unamerican, animehime20, JMCaptain, jadedheart25, BlazePheonix, greydevilforever, Hyper Kid, Cordella Darcy, Iloveanime9251, Piratelizard101, LuvinLavi, kaszz-chan, LoveOfPower, PerlaB4, animehime20, and randysixx! 1000 cybercookies to each person who reviewed!

Major Thanks to Hyper Kid and greydevilforever! Hyper Kid caught a mistake I'd been making for 2 chapters (whoops!) which is now fixed. Greydevilforever gave me a major confidence boost… thanks. I really needed that!

Favs/Story Alerts, etc: CleverBast, Autobot Firekat, Sahdow Alya, nanasabaku13, Flavia Carolina, moon-shadowfire, cerberus309, krazylicious, BMMGoldenEye, DeadXxworld, eyesintothesoul, Midnight LeAnn, japanesehon1, Knyghtshade, EmiuthymHa, BlackShadows190, IrrerasableSin, Remus sasin, Sujika, DarkDevotions, LordlyMaster201, randysixx, rompopita, Lady-Of-The-Shade, luffyacefan, Asano-chan, shilehasupersinger, InhumanEvil, TankianLover, Hellsanimeangel, Mythoria, mamasgirl92001, Kathrind, AnimeFanPersonX3, fandrianto, yay4defenestration, nitrogirl313, EmeraldWit, Bell Cullen2809, The Turn Coat, Cordella Darcy, A.F. wolfSlinx, Freak'net, jadedheart25, DamnWhoopsIMeantDamon, Altair snape black, and hisoka01! 1000 cybercookies to each of you!

Anonymous Reviews has been disabled thanks to some coward. For those who love to hate writing, do us all a favor and go back to the little hole you call home in your mother's basement with your porn and creepy hentai figures. I think I know who you are too… which kinda proves a point here… so, straw off my back! *goes back to real life* btw, they went by the name E. Just E… not very creative. But proves another point. Trolls should be thrown into pedophile prisons and the guards should look away.

Edit: Redone from this point forward. Might have mixed up who reviewed when. But your name is still there, promise.

It burned.

It stung and flared at every breath.

Sleep was impossible for Loki at this point. Even with the healing salve that the medics had given him earlier, the rune was becoming hotter and hotter by the moment. On top of that, a strange, unwelcomed pull at his groin every time the damnable thing flared was causing Loki to toppled into himself in a mixture of pain, pleasure, and nausea. The full extent of the rune had decided to show itself in the middle of the night, waking poor Loki with its flaring. He tossed and turned in his bed, not wanting to venture outside his locked door to tell a guard to get a healer. The effects of this rune were embarrassing to say the least, and the less people who knew the better. He would bring this to his teacher tomorrow, and quickly get rid of it. The embarrassment would stay between his mentor and himself. No one else would need to know that the trickster had been brought to his knees and reduced to nothing more than a horny mortal by a stupid rune. They would never let him live it down. They would jest and torment him about it for the rest of his days. Some of the less savory warriors might even try to bed him over the idea. He could hear them now.

'Hey Loki, need a little help with that rune today?'

'Loki, We can help you with your problem'

'Such a thrall, but at least you can't use magic anymore'

If his recent luck had anything to say about it, Thor himself would start to make excuses to mess with his younger brother over the stupid mark. Loki just couldn't take that. Years of wondering what would happen if Thor actually did make an advance on him had left the younger man testy around the older prince. He didn't know if he could keep his own intentions in check if he was approached by the older man. Thor was always such a driving force in Loki's life. Trying to compare himself to Thor had caused Loki to seek advances in magic. Since there was no way that Loki would ever be able to keep up with Thor in physical combat (not that he couldn't hold his own, but Thor was always bound to be stronger than him), magic was his only solution. He soared in the mystical arts where most only floundered and flopped.

Another shock of warm electricity curled its way around Loki's body as the rune fizzled. It had been hours since this had started, and his personal musings could only entertain him for so long. Dawn would break soon, and the moment it did, he planned to rush to the library and await his mentor. If he could get it off before Thor noticed, it would be perfect.

Thor awoke to an early morning. The sun was barely peaking over the edge of the horizon, and the wind was still as calm as the night sky. One thing he loved about living in the palace was way the winds blew into the halls. His room was situated perfectly so the wind would breeze itself into the thunderer's room each morning. Loki's was opposite of his. His was angled for a good moon light at night and for the sunset to cast a perfect dying glow on his bed each evening. It used to be the reason Loki was late for dinner each night, until he discovered his talent in magic. Thor envied Loki for his talent. Loki could create such wonder, where Thor could not. With a flick of the wrist, Loki could fabricate an entire army of butterflies to follow the mightiest warrior around until the end of the day. He used to love enchanting books to read to him when he was tired of letting his own eyes scan the pages hour after hour. Loki was just so… talented like that. Thor wished he could help his brother, because Loki was his only real interest at the moment.

Loki had quickly become the center of Thor's life. Not that his friends didn't fill up a good portion of that, but Loki was an oddity on his own. He never smiled or acted like he wanted to be around people, and that bugged Thor. It bugged him so much that he stalked the poor boy when he was younger, trying to figure out why the younger man hated Asgard's people so much. It didn't take much snooping to find that Asgard's people didn't favor Loki like they favored Thor. The saw weakness and tricky in the young sorcerer, and didn't laugh at his jokes as much as they used to. It didn't bother the younger prince at first, but as time progress, Loki was noticed less and less overall. He stopped playing his tricks for a long while, which Thor could have sworn crushed the younger man. The look of disappointment in life slowly ebbed its way into a permanent look on Loki's face. Thor hated that look. It wasn't his Loki. It wasn't the Loki he'd grown up with. It was a shell of a man he once knew. And try as he might, Thor's attempts to impress his brother went unnoticed by the target audience, but got plenty of applause from Odin, Frigga, and the rest of Asgard. Thor accepted their happy applause, and overtime, forgot that Loki wasn't impressed. His unintentional display of perfect Asgardian traits left Loki in his dark hovel as maiden's swooned at Thor's feet.

Time lead the thunderer away from his prize, and unexpected call to action had brought him back. Not that Thor could complain. Now Loki wouldn't be able to brush him off with a 'don't you have somewhere else to be?' or an 'I'm reading, Thor. Go play with your hammer'. Thor hated that Loki saw him as an untrained gorilla, and he knew it. Even when he was drunk and came to visit Loki in his chambers at night, no amount of alcohol would erase those cold, heartless words from Thor's ears. But that didn't stop Thor from still trying to build a better relationship with his brother.

He rose to the morning light, muscles cracking and stretching under his skin. He grabbed his pants and threw them on, giving the tie a quick pull. His shirt came next, and then his cape. He left his armor sitting where it should be, since it wasn't needed today.

A fluttering of footsteps and fabric came from outside of his door, disappearing before Thor could even make it there to see who was moving so quickly at this hour of the day.

Sweat dripped from Loki's brow as he used his magic to unlock the library door. He was always allowed in here, since it was his home, but precautionary measure were always a good idea. People seemed to love to snoop around in his areas and steal his notes at the Hall of Magic, so it was a safer plan to keep his more sensitive work locked up in the royal library.

He ushered his tired and sweat covered body into the high walls, adorned with heavy books and shelves. At least here, he could relax until his mentor came in. No one else would even dare venture into-

"Loki?"

…Damn…

Of all the people he didn't want to see at this moment, Thor had to be looking for him! Uggg, that lummox. Couldn't he just go stuff his face like he always did first thing in the morning?

"Loki, are you in there?" Thor's low ox bellow came from outside the door. Even when he was trying to be quiet, the man had a loud voice. Loki sighed roughly, trying to calm himself enough to let Thor know he was fine. It would be a lie, but a necessary one.

"I'm here, Thor…" Loki hushed out, trying to keep his distraught throat from betraying his state. The last thing he needed was that overly muscled buffoon coming in here and touching him. Loki was certain he'd lose it and throw his imbecilic brother to the floor for a session of rutting like wild animals. Oh, the shame. He would be banished from Asgard if that happened. He could practically hear Odin's booming voice casting him out of Asgard and back to the hands of the Jotens.

"Loki, I'm coming in." Thor's voice came through the door. Loki's heart jumped into his throat in fear.

"No! I… I mean… please Thor. No. I'm not hungry right now. I have… I'm not… not feeling well." Loki shoved out of his mouth, his tongue dry enough to cause his words to die on his lips. He could feel Thor's bright aura that constantly burned around the man like a flame, die quickly on his words. Loki could have sworn he felt a twinge of shame when Thor's hand left the door, as if he'd just kicked a loyal puppy for getting in the way. Loki hadn't thought himself compassionate towards his overly muscled brother in years. So why did the rejection of Loki not wanting to be around him at breakfast seemed to hurt so much?

"I'll… I'll be back later to check on you then."Thor voice faded from the door, ushered away by tromphing footsteps. Loki breathed a reluctant and disappointed sigh of relief. He hated to send the oaf away, but it was for the best. He hoped Thor wouldn't be too cross with him later.

Minutes went by before his mentor's steps came into earshot. Loki gladly threw the doors open and practically dragged the haggard man into the library.

"Lo-Loki? What's the meaning of this? Where are your manners?" His mentor growled. Loki sighed and let out a pained whimper.

"Please. It's gotten worse…" Loki gasped out. It was burning again, and Loki could barely stand on his own two feet. His head spun as if he'd been caught in a strong current after being thrown overboard. His breathing became more erratic, and his skin seeped sweat from every pore. He could feel his mentor's wise hands grasping his shoulders and lifting him from his new position on the floor. When did he get on the floor?

"Loki, I know what to do now." He could hear his mentor's voice coming through the haze of dizziness and dulled senses. His chest started to tighten, as if someone had placed a serpent around his frame and allowed it to squeeze the life from him slowly. He could feel his jacket being pulled from his body and cast away, followed quickly by his shirt. He didn't stop the man, since this was one of the few people he actually trusted here. His mentor had never lead him wrong before, so there was no reason to jump at his throat now.

Steel bit his arm, and Loki let out a gasp. He could feel his mentor's hand holding him to the chair he sat in while his body flailed at the unexpected assault. Loki forced his eyelids open, not realizing when he'd shut them. He gasped for air and heard his own voice pleading for the pain to stop, to which his mentor's voice came through the dusky senses like a mist. He heard assurance and soothing words barely making solid sense, and tried to let his trusted friend do what needed to be done. He also heard his mentor take a momentary break in his soothing to call for two guards. Loki felt more hands on him, holding him to the chair even tighter.

Thor's voice was in the room.

Why was it in the room?

He told him to stay out.

It wasn't… wasn't safe to be in this room.

He heard rough echos of scorn coming from Thor's voice, and reassuring vibrations coming from his mentor's.

"Thor…" Loki heard his own voice betray him. He could hear garbled arguments again, and eventually they passed. Loki himself was fading in and out, barely able to keep his mind in the conversation.

He felt the sting of a blade again, tracing through his skin. He could feel another spell carving through the rune, making his mind solid again. His senses came back slowly.

First his sense of touch- with the blade's point bring him back faster than he'd expected. He hit the wall of sensation at a ridiculous pace, slamming his mind into his body. The hands on him were tighter than he'd expected.

His hearing returned next- with his ears ringing to the sound of screaming. At first he thought by the volume it was Thor. It took him a moment to realize that it was his own voice screaming. He forced his dry mouth to close, nearly swallowing his tongue as he did so. Thor's sweet voice came through to his ears, gentle cooing in an attempt to get Loki to stay still for only a few more moments.

When his eyesight returned, a blonde mass of ruffled hair was the first thing to greet his tired eyes. The ritual was over, and a difficult sideways glance at his arm noted that his mentor had to carve a reverse of the rune over the former annoyance. Loki couldn't even muster up the energy to push himself out of the way when the stinging sensation of purified alcohol came to his arm. In the back of his mind, it registered as a precautionary measure to infection, but it still hurt enough to gain a small whimper out of the younger prince.

"Loki…" The baritone voice came to his ears. He felt Thor grab him from the chair as gently as a concerned brother would, easing the mischief maker onto his lap as a heavy cloth came around Loki's shoulders.

"Thor…" Loki weakly whispered. A heavy hand petted his hair, raveling through it as if it was silk.

"My prince." Loki's mentor said to Thor. "Perhaps it would be best to take Loki back to his room. And, perhaps a bath before a long rest?"

Thor gathered his brother up, cradling him in his arms as he lifted the shivering form of the God of Lies to his chest. He gave his thanks to his brother's mentor, and quietly (well, as quietly as a grazing rhinoceros) took his leave.

Thankfully, Thor managed to reach his brother's room without too much trouble. He only saw a maid and two guards while swaddling the trembling magic user in his cape. He had to admit, this must have looked awkward. His brother hadn't stopped trembling since they left the library. Thor could feel the sweat starting to seep through the bright red cape. He gently laid his little brother on the grand, emerald clothed bed he'd become accustomed to seeing each time he wandered in this small room.

He made sure Loki wasn't going anywhere before padding his way into the wash room to run a bath. Loki always enjoyed his privacy, and refused to use the communal baths (claiming at one point that it was disgusting to wash in the same filthy waters as all the other Asgardians). Thor was shocked to say the least when he came into his little brother's room one day to find this new addition to the architecture. Loki had managed to create an entire room using only his magic. When the younger thunderer went to tattle on his brother, his mother threw him a curve ball. She congratulated Loki on his use of magic, and then bragged to his father about it. Odin only gave a gruff huff of indifference to the report on his youngest son's magical abilities.

The water poured from the spout with a small turn, and the steam from the warm liquid quickly pooled in front of Thor's face. He waited a few minutes, adjusting the temperature as needed until he thought it wouldn't burn or freeze his brother on contact. When the bath was drawn, he walked back into the bedroom to find Loki had managed to slip himself from Thor's cape and was panting like a tired dog with what little strength he had left.

Thor carefully raised his brother from the bed, treating him as if he were made of the softest crystal ever known. He carried Loki into the bathroom, disrobed him of his pants and boots, and slowly placed the younger man into the bath. He heard a tiny moan of discomfort as the water touched Loki's skin, but that was amounted to unexpected fluid touching his already hypersensitive skin.

"Loki." Thor spoke gently, trying to get his brother's attention without hurting his eardrums. Those beautiful green eyes glanced his way, casting a look of miserable exhaustion towards the thunderer. Thor could only offer a gentle smile back to the younger man as he removed his own shirt and tossed it out the open door of the bathing room. He reached in and lifted a handful of water from the tub to pour over Loki's head. The sheen of sweat was unbecoming on his beloved brother. After three more handfuls of warm water and a good wash with soap, Thor had managed to get Loki's pale complexion to appear more fleshy and less haggard.

Thor took a momentary exit from the Trickster to look around his room for bandages. Loki had to keep some around here. Far too often, physical combat practice left the mischief maker battered, bleeding and bruised. And far more often, Loki would never seek medical attention from the healers for his wounds. However, he always appeared the next day, tattered and clumsily bandaged, with a fire burning in his eyes. Thor had to admire that determination.

He found the white wrappings and healing salves in a drawer under Loki's spare cloaks. He gathered the supplies and went back to his brother, who thankfully hadn't drowned in the time allotted. Thor took the still bleeding arm in his hand and turned it gently to see the full extent of the injury. He grabbed a nearby clean cloth and dipped it into the water, washing the wound carefully. Loki hadn't even opened his eyes since Thor came back into the room, which concerned him greatly. Only the tiny, nearly silent breathing of the Trickster kept Thor's worries at bay. The thunderer carefully wrapped the arm after applying a layer of salve.

Thor reached down to pull the plug in the bath, letting the red tinged water flood down the drain. He reached for the large, fluffy towels Loki kept in his bath, pulling one particularly green towel from its resting place. He wrapped it around Loki's shoulders as he lifted the weakened and sore God of Lies from the tub and carried him back to the bedroom.

The emerald bed was softer than Thor expected as he laid the shivering form of Loki in his familiar sheets. He removed the now water heavy towel from the younger prince's body, trying his best not to stare at the thin figure that lay helpless beneath him. A toss of the towel and a shedding of his own pants and boots before pulling the covers from beneath the Trickster let Thor ready himself for a quiet rest with his brother. He locked the door before he settled between the sheets, pulling Loki into his chest while pulling the heavy covers and few furs over them. Loki rarely ever kept furs on his bed. He didn't like the idea of keeping something so fluffy near his face at night, and didn't enjoy killing beasts for their pelts. If he managed to fell a beast out of need, he would use every part of it, including the pelt.

Thor listened to his brother's breathing even out into steady, rhythmic breaths before allowing his battle worn hands to run through the ebony locks. The feel of the Trickster's body against his seemed to ease his restless mind.

Sleep soon took Thor. He never released his hold on Loki the entire morning.

If you see any mistakes, I would greatly appreciate a note on them, even if it's a PM. I'm human after all. I make mistakes.

Review please? It would be greatly appreciated… just no troll) s. Or meanies… although constructive crit is welcomed as long as it's relatively polite.

Might be a few days/weeks before the next update. Finals are coming soon and our schedules aren't as set as I thought (and I have a friggin' final on my damn birthday….