A/N: This story was written for part of my event Birthday Bonanza, an event celebrating birthdays after the miserable year that 2020 turned out to be. The third recipient of a story for Birthday Bonanza was remarkable1!

Beta work was done by Grammarly and xxDustNight88!

Be sure to let me know what you think!

Love always,
~starr

Loki paced the length of the throne room, mumbling under his breath as he thought through what had happened in this very room earlier this evening. Thor had stormed in and demanded that Loki listen to him as he revealed his true affections. Loki was unsure of what he was supposed to do with that knowledge, so he just nodded his head and dismissed his brother from his presence.

The affections that Thor spoke of were foreign to Loki. The only person who had ever loved him was Freya - she was the only reason he was still alive and allowed to live in Asgard. If it had been up to Odin, Loki would have been sent back to the frost giants the moment Freya took her last breath. So to hear that Thor had fallen in love with him made Loki uncomfortable, and all he knew to do to find comfort once again was to pace.

He shook his head as he stopped in front of the window, looking out over the city. Every fiber of his being wanted to shatter the glass and watch it fall over the city like rain, but he refrained, only letting out a sigh as he crossed his arms behind his back. Thor's words were still echoing in his mind as though Loki was not standing in the throne room alone. He felt a presence in the distance. Rather than acknowledge it, Loki waited for the shadow to step into the light.

Thor studied Loki for a few moments before scrubbing his hands over his face. Why he bothered to tell Loki of his true feelings, Thor was not sure and to be sent away was unacceptable. All Thor wanted to do was open the lines of conversation between the two of them, and Loki put a quick end to that. After a few moments of lurking in the shadows, Thor decided to step forward and confront him.

"Loki," Thor announced, making his way across the throne room. "We need to discuss what was said earlier."

Loki rolled his eyes, glancing at Thor out of the corner of his eye. "We need not discuss anything, Thor. You made your intentions clear as I thought I had done."

"Dismissing me from your presence is not making anything clear," Thor replied, shaking his head as he took a step closer to Loki. He stopped short as Loki turned to face him. "I told you that I found myself falling in love with you, and I hoped to hear that you felt the same."

"There is nothing to discuss," Loki hissed, crossing his arms over his chest as his eyes met Thor's. "I heard what you had to say, and that was all that seemed necessary at this time."

Thor narrowed his eyes at him as he took a step closer, now towering over Loki at the window. "Tell me that you do not feel the same, and I will leave you alone. Tell me that you have not thought about the possibility of you and I ruling together and being one with one another."

Loki studied Thor's face as he looked up at him; there was a hardness there that Loki had never noticed before. Although to be completely honest, Loki had never seen Thor this up close before now. "I'm afraid of you," Loki replied, taking a step back and directing his eyes to the ground. "In loving me, you hold a knife to my throat. In loving you, I am telling you exactly where to cut."

"Loki," Thor whispered, stepping forward to cup Loki's cheek only to have Loki pull away from him as he shook his head and held his hands up.

"We belong in different worlds, and I do not trust your hand in mine," Loki said, fighting back the tears he felt welling up in the corners of his eyes. "This," he motioned between them, "is new. And I am terrified."

Thor smiled softly, once more stepping up to Loki. This time, instead of cupping his cheek, Thor wrapped an arm around Loki's neck and one around his waist, pulling him into Thor's warmth. Loki fought him for a moment but succumbed to the hug after realizing that Thor was not about to let him go. He did, however, refuse to hug him back.

Thor chuckled as he pulled back just enough to see Loki's face. The displeasure painted on Loki's face brought a smile to Thor's face and sparked an idea. Thor leaned in and captured Loki's lips in a kiss. He felt Loki start to pull away at first, but after a few moments, Thor felt Loki's body give into the kiss, allowing Thor a chance to deepen it as both of his hands found purchase against the small of Loki's back.

Loki refused to wrap his arms around Thor, but he didn't pull away as Thor tightened his hold on him. He could feel Thor's beating heart against his chest. Neither was ready to let go, so they remained as they were until Thor needed to come up for air. Thor dropped his arms from Loki's waist as he took a step back, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"What was that?" Loki asked, rubbing the back of his hand against his lips. He glared at Thor as he awaited an answer.

"The beginning of something that scares you," Thor replied, turning on his heel and making his way out of the throne room. "You may not realize it yet, Loki, but this will be one of the greatest things to happen to you. The things that scare us make us stronger."

Loki rolled his eyes as he watched Thor walk out the door. Once the door closed behind the golden-haired god, Loki let out a guttural moan as he turned to smack his hands against the window. The rattle of glass echoed through the room. Admitting his fear of a relationship with Thor was not what Loki had planned. However, if he were honest with himself, none of his plans seemed to go as they were intended.

Shaking his head, Loki turned away from the window and made his way to his bed chambers. The thoughts rolling around in his head would only be silenced by one thing - sleep. Decisions could be made in the morning about what the future would hold, but for now, Loki needed to be alone in his thoughts - even if his heart was telling him to chase after Thor.