These Thor & Loki mini fics based on the 30 Elements of Darkness prompt list over on Y!Gallery.
I do not own any rights to Thor, nor am I making any profit from this work of fiction.
Rated M/R (Heed the warning before the second ficlet prior to reading it, please).
13. Good Night
In a quiet meadow, where he and his little brother used to camp as children, Thor leaned back in the tall grass and watched the stars. He always thought of his brother in the peaceful moments before he went to sleep.
He did not think of their disastrous final encounter or the cold words his father had used to explain everything afterwards. Despite what others said, no one knew exactly what had caused such a profound shift in Loki's behavior and Thor doubted anyone ever would know the full truth. Thor was not the sort to waste his time asking questions he would never know the answer to; in the end, all he wanted to know was where he had gone wrong and if Loki had survived his fall.
Even those questions, however, were not on Thor's mind in the quiet hours before sleep claimed him. What he thought of then were all the times he and his little brother had shared before the disaster. He recalled sparkling green eyes and a musical laugh, a witty tongue and a sharp mind. He remembered two boys who shared secrets and adventures.
Thor fondly recalled a small boy who insisted on giving his big brother a goodnight kiss even after the older boy argued that he was too old to receive it. He remembered the same boy teasing him in the mornings by likening him to a bear coming out of hibernation. He recalled Loki locking himself away for most of the afternoon to study magic and then excitedly telling Thor what he had learned when they were supposed to be asleep in the evening.
Thor remembered a trickster who amused him; a scholar who advised him; a sorcerer who aided him; an ally who defended him; a rival who challenged him; a companion who supported him; a brother who loved him.
It broke Thor's heart to think they would never have that again. He had always thought it would be the two of them -Asgard's glorious princes- side by side forever, defending their realm and leading it to peace and glory…
Thor did not want to acknowledge that such a dream had been only that; that he had lost his brother forever, one way or another. So instead, he thought of the times that others forgot...if they were even aware of them to begin with. He thought of the boy that he loved and cherished.
A shooting star flew past his line of vision and Thor smiled, recalling a time that he and Loki had sat in that exact spot and watched a sky full of them. It had lasted so long that Loki eventually fell asleep on Thor's shoulder and the older boy had carried his little brother back to their small tent. He had never admitted to Loki that he had been the one to give a kiss goodnight that evening while his little brother slept.
Thor's smile remained as his eyes drifted to a close. He whispered a few words into the night before he fell into slumber.
"Good night, Loki."
In the space between realms, where only the most powerful of sorcerers can linger, Loki stared out into the empty night and thought of his brother.
There were too many thoughts and emotions when it came to Thor these days, so in a rare moment of nostalgia, Loki allowed himself to remember a time when it so much simpler. He recalled bright blue eyes and a hearty laugh, a helping hand and a stubborn mind. He remembered two boys who shared secrets and adventures.
Loki remembered a thunderer who amused him; a leader who guided him; a warrior who aided him; an ally who defended him; a rival who challenged him; a companion who supported him; a brother who loved him.
He recalled all that they had been and pondered all that they might have been, had fate been kinder. In the end, Loki decided that was pointless; he was not the sort to waste time on flights of fancy. It broke his heart, but he knew they would never have that again.
Loki turned his back on the past and returned to his present goals. He whispered a few words into the night as he walked away.
"Good night, Thor."
14. Perversion
Warning: this ficlet contains suggested (nothing is graphic) self-pleasure, naughty dreams, and teenage lust. It also contains boys kissing and quasi-incest (because they aren't actually related by blood). If you can't handle any or all of that, please skip this entry.
Thor stared at his reflection in disgust. His skin was just cooling from the flushed state of a moment before and sweat still lingered on his brow. His breath and heartbeat were only just starting to steady. He lowered his gaze to his washbasin and cleaned the hot, sticky substance off his hands. Then he tore off his soiled nightshirt with a frustrated grunt.
Thor started at the soft knock at the door to his bedchamber. His body did not know whether to tense or relax at the sound of his brother's tentative call. It was late but he knew he could not turn his little brother away. Loki was troubled by night terrors at times, even though their childhood nurses had sworn he would outgrow them well before adolescence.
"Come in, Loki." His little brother did as he was bid, and Thor could tell at a glance that he had correctly guessed the reason for this visit. Loki was paler than usual, his eyes were troubled, and there was a slight tremble to his slender form. He opened his mouth to speak but paused immediately upon seeing Thor's current state.
Loki wasted no time with his usual tricks and subtleties. This was his brother after all. The only person with whom he ever felt he could truly be himself. Thor would have it no other way.
"Brother, something has been troubling you as of late. You aren't sleeping well and you keep losing focus. That's normal during lessons but your mind clearly was not with you during training today. What is wrong?"
Thor looked upon his brother and saw the concern clear in his bright eyes, eyes that were greener than the purest emeralds. He saw the slight frown on full lips, pink as the roses in their mother's garden. He saw the worry in the fair skin, smoother than any maiden's he knew. He saw the tension in his brother's limbs, long and slender as a dancer's. He really needed to get a handle on these thoughts.
Thor sighed. He had not wanted to speak of this to anyone, let alone his beloved little brother, but said brother was likely the only one who would help him with the discretion he longed for. If nothing else, at least it would help his little brother forget his own troubles. "I think I am cursed."
Loki's features smoothed slightly as determination joined his concern. Both the boy's knew he was the problem solver of the pair…unless the solution involved smashing, brawling, or heavy lifting. "How so?"
Here, Thor hesitated; how much should he reveal? He wanted -needed- Loki's aid but he did not want to confess the subject of his torment to his little brother. "I've been having dreams, sometimes even when I'm awake. They're growing more frequent, more detailed…"
"Do you think they're premonitions?" Loki queried. Thor could see him selecting tomes from the library in his mind.
"No, nothing like that." Thor cleared his throat and scratched his cheek, where the first signs of stubble were beginning to show. "More like…fantasies." he felt his neck and cheeks heat as his admittance caused him to remember.
"Oh." Loki blinked as he caught his brother's blush. The moonlight drifting through the window reflected off his raven locks in a manner that looked much more becoming than it did when it struck the red or golden hues of everyone else's hair. "Well that's to be expected from someone your age, isn't it?"
Thor stared at his brother firmly. "I've been having those dreams since I was your age. These are different." His expression turned to self-loathing as he elaborated. "They're pure perversion."
Loki looked wary for the first time since the conversation began. "Please tell me this isn't about those goats…"
"No!" Thor was not sure if his brother asked in jest, to put him at ease, or if Loki had seriously entertained such a concern. "Its not- But I suppose- Ugh!" Thor wished for once that he possessed Loki's silver tongue. He was always more inclined to actions than words, but actions could not help him in this case.
Unless… Even as he knew the thought was foolhardy, Thor found his body acting on it. He stepped forward, grasped his brother firmly by the shoulders, and kissed him. It was a sound kiss, closed lipped yet very different from the usual pecks the brothers sometimes gifted each other.
Thor kept his eyes closed afterwards, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of his brother in his arms and the lingering sensation of the kiss on his lips. He was no coward, however, so he soon opened his eyes to face his brother's reaction. Loki looked stunned, but there was no hint of disgust or anger.
"Say something," Thor pleaded quietly after the silence between stretched longer than he could stand.
"Is that all there is to kissing?" asked Loki, his voice strangely level. "I always thought there was more to it."
It had not occurred to Thor that his brother had never been kissed before, even if he had overheard their mother comment that Loki was a late bloomer in that area. Thor wasn't sure if it was to make up for that, if his mind had somehow taken the response as a challenge, or if he simply wanted it, but without thought, he kissed his brother again. This time, he let all his passion and unspoken desires make themselves known in the gesture.
Loki was pliant in his hands, his mouth offered freely. He eventually began to return the kiss despite his lack of experience and Thor should have known his brother's mouth would be skilled for this as well as words. There was no rush to speak when they parted, only to catch their breaths.
Thor held his brother close and stroked his soft hair. His chest tightened at the rightness he felt. "This is perversion."
Loki made no move to remove himself from Thor's embrace. "It cannot be so unusual if we both share these thoughts." Thor felt a swell of relief and desire at the quiet admittance. "Perhaps it is yet another thing we are meant to outgrow."
Thor doubted he would outgrow his desire, but he knew he would be able to deal with it now that Loki was facing it with him. That would have to be enough. He would not corrupt his little brother any further. "I think you're right. However…we should not speak of this outside of these chambers."
"Of course," Loki replied easily as he finally shifted away from Thor. He did not move far, choosing to remain in his brother's arms. "It isn't anyone else's business anyway."
"Of course," Thor replied with a fond smile. His brother was always so reluctant to let anyone in, anyone but Thor. He knew his next suggestion was probably unwise, given what had just passed between them, but strangely, he no longer cared.
"Come; I know why you came here tonight and we both know you never sleep well after the terrors strike unless I am near. Remain with me tonight. I am still your big brother and you need me."
Loki sighed contentedly and nodded. Then he allowed Thor to lead him to the bed and they both climbed in. Loki remained in Thor's arms throughout the night but left early in the morning lest anyone should see him leaving his brother's chambers and ask questions. They continued this ritual for several more years. As agreed, they never acknowledged it outside of their bedchambers.
Years later, on Midgard, a temporarily mortal Thor sat bound and emotionally defeated in a strange human structure when, impossibly, his brother appeared. The agony that was clear in Loki's eyes made Thor's blood run cold for a moment, until he saw something else. A look he knew well; one that meant Loki had just realized something he could cling to, some fact he could use to get them out of whatever mess they were in. Alongside the pain and anger he felt at his brother's vulnerable expression, Thor felt a swell of anticipation.
The shadows in Loki's eyes suddenly showed a small gleam of hope. Thor had been sure -just seconds before- that his brother was going to pass on some terrible news. Now, as Loki dropped to his knees before him with tears in his eyes, Thor did not know what to expect. The feel of Loki's cool, smooth hands on his face was glorious, promising.
"Your father has undertaken the Odinsleep." Thor was confused at his brother's choice of phrasing, but he did not have long to dwell on the statement. Tears of relief filled his eyes as Loki breathed the next words against his lips. "Come home, Thor. I need you."
