Disclaimer: Thor and it's characters are property of Marvel. We just play with them.

A/N: Somewhat inspired by a scene in the Nightrunner books. ;D

Set in the realm of: Asgard. Thor and Loki are: Adults. Guest appearances by: An Asgardian innkeeper and his daughter. XD
Chapter Summary: While Asgard's princes are traveling the golden realm during the midst of winter, they stop at an inn for the night. And much to Loki's relief, this inn offers hot baths to it's guests.

Day 14: Hot Baths

Traveling across the realm of Asgard had become something the golden realm's two princes had begun to do in recent years. Thor, because he sought adventure, and Loki, whom sought knowledge. So they traveled together across their home realm, seeking adventure and knowledge wherever they went. More often than not, however, they ended up in some sort of misadventure.

It was the middle of winter now as they rode their mounts along a beaten down path. Their cloaks pulled close around them against the wind chill, their horses breaths coming out in puffs. At the sight of an inn, both brothers kicked their horses into a faster trot, hoping that the lonely inn had some space.

Thankfully the inn had a couple rooms and their stable could take their horses. As the brothers were putting their things into the room they would be sharing, the innkeeper walked in and smiled at the two brothers. "Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"A good meal and drink would be much appreciated." Thor said with a grin.

"A hot bath would be better." Loki grumbled beneath his breath.

The innkeeper nodded. "Well I believe we can fix the two of you up with your requests." He said, smiling. "My wife can prepare you some food and drink while you bathe in our bathhouse."

"You have a bathhouse?" Loki turned and looked at the innkeeper skeptically.

"Indeed! Has paid for itself already, too! Weary travelers coming across our inn, needing a place to sleep, eat and drink and a warm bath to freshen their souls up. My wife says it was the best idea I've ever had!" He laughed joyfully. "Come, come, the bathhouse is this way." He said, ushering the brothers from the room.

Thor and Loki dropped their things on their beds and followed after the old innkeeper. He took them to a room down the hall, and ushered them inside. Inside the room was a couple of wooden tubs, looking as old as the innkeeper himself. Loki looked over at Thor, silently asking just how desperate he was for a bath.

Thor grinned a bit and patted Loki's shoulder. "This will be far better than bathing in a cold stream."

"Or no bath at all, as some of us has decided to go with." Loki said, pointedly looking at Thor.

The older brother snorted. "I would rather go without than use freezing cold water in a stream. I do not know how you can handle such cold." Thor said, and looked to the innkeeper. "Add a couple of hot baths to our tab."

"Good, good! I'll get my girl up here to fill the tubs with some hot water." The old man said, turning and scurrying off to presumably do as he said.

Loki picked at one of the tubs. "Well I've yet to experience a splinter in my ass during the course of my life. Might as well climb in and see what it's like." He said, eyeing the bottom of the tub dubiously.

The golden haired prince laughed. "It will not be so bad, brother."

When the innkeeper's daughter returned, she filled the tubs up, blushing under the gazes of the brothers. After the tubs were filled, Loki turned to the water. Instead of hot steaming water, they were given lukewarm. "This is not going to do." He said, casting a spell to heat the water.

Thor watched him and grinned a bit. "Think you could heat mine as well?" He asked, nudging his little brother.

Loki huffed and looked at Thor, rolling his eyes. "If it means you will take a bath then I will make it as hot as Hel for you." He said, snorting quietly while he heated both tubs with the same spell. As the water began to steam once it had heated up from Loki's spell, the two began to undress so they could enjoy the hot water before it cooled back off.

While the tubs were nothing much to look at, the water felt amazing as they climbed in and relaxed back. They couldn't stretch out their legs, but both tubs were deep at least. Thor leaned his head back with a grin plastered on his face. "Why could you not use a spell to heat the stream water? I would have bathed then."

"Heating up a stream and heating up a tub are two entirely different things. It would have taken a more complex spell to heat the stream. Simply easier to deal with the cold than spend the time heating up the water." Loki explained, glancing at his brother.

"And it is easier to go without a bath than listening to you explain magic." Thor said, waving his brother off.

Loki scoffed at him. "Just remember why you're currently sitting in a hot bath instead of a lukewarm one."

Thor grunted and looked at Loki, grinning sheepishly. "You are the most beloved of my friends, brother."

"Save your flattery." Loki rolled his eyes and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He sighed, his arms resting along the sides of the tub.

They spent a few moments just soaking in the warmth of the hot water, letting the chill of the winter they'd been traveling in melt off their bones. After a few minutes, Thor looked at Loki and grinned. "That innkeeper's daughter was pleasant to the eye."

Loki turned his head and gave his brother a pointed look. "You are despicable, Thor." He said, shaking his head in disapproval. "Besides, don't you have a woman waiting for you back home?"

"What she does not know will not hurt me." Thor joked, and Loki scowled at him. "I jest!" He held his hands up as he laughed. "I was not speaking for myself. This time." He grinned a bit impishly. "But for you!"

"I am not sleeping with the innkeeper's daughter. Perhaps if she had brought me hot water instead of lukewarm." Loki replied, shaking his head and closing his eyes again. Unlike his brother, Loki didn't sleep with everything that had a skirt that he passed by.

Thor shook his head ruefully. "You will never marry at the rate you are going with women." He said, lightly splashing his brother and smirking.

Wiping the water off his face, Loki huffed. "Well, with as many women as you end up with, I'm sure you will end up marrying enough for the both of us." He snapped back, narrowing his eyes at his older brother. "I plan on marrying a woman based on an intellectual and emotional relationship, not a physical one like you. And quite frankly, most Asgardian women are lacking in that department. Why else would so many willingly bed someone like Fandral." He grumbled.

Thor smiled a bit. His brother was, at his core where it concerned women, a romantic. And it somewhat bothered the older prince that women overlooked him.

Leaning back he looked up at the ceiling. "Well... I suppose I cannot argue with you on that point." Thor mused, sighing in content as his muscles relaxed in the hot water. "You will find someone for you. Even if we have to seek her out on other realms."

"Oh yes, mother and father will be so pleased if I bring home an elf or dwarf as my bride to be. Or perhaps I'll find a nice mortal girl." He snorted, sarcasm dripping from his words.

Thor laughed. "You never know! You cannot help who claims your heart!" He grinned over at the raven haired prince.

Loki huffed at him, and cast a spell to turn Thor's hot water to ice water instead. He had not heard his big brother yell quite so loudly in some time. What made the whole thing even more humorous for the trickster was when the innkeeper's daughter came running in, only to get an eyeful of Thor's family jewels.

Ah, it was good to be the god of Mischief.

Fin