Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers, any Marvel related material, or the cover picture. This story is not for profit.

"Have you ever kissed anyone before, brother?" Thor called out casually as he threw another rock. The blond haired teenager was standing thigh deep in the river clad in nothing but his underpants, skipping stones, trying to beat his record of ten.

A dark haired youth looked up from the text he was reading at the foot of a tree, sitting in the shade. "If course, silly, I kiss mother and father every day."

Thor let out a whoop as he finally, after weeks, got to eleven. Extremely proud and feeling his arm would be sore the next day, the teenager headed back toward the bank. "Don't play coy with me, cow. You know what I mean."

Loki watched his brother's muscles ripple as the elder tugged on his tunic and pants before returning to his book in an effort to hide his embarrassment. Now fully dressed, the other laid down next to Loki, resting his head in the younger's lap out of habit. Sighing as he set the book aside in favor of running his fingers through the longer locks of his obnoxious and not at all endearing brother, Loki closed his eyes as his face flushed, "No, you great oaf, I have not kissed anyone yet, you now that."

Grinning widely at the admission, Thor caught pale fingers in his own and brought them to his lips, kissing each of the knuckles before eyeing the fairer cheekily, "Well neither have I," at the other's startled glance, the elder felt his neck heat up. "It might surprise you know that I am capable of some self-control...I've been...saving it for someone special."

Somewhat shocked but hiding it well under a veneer of disdain, the brunette scoffed, "As to be expected, your romantic daydreams of idyllic love and pure intentions never cease to amaze me. You should be out enjoying whatever pleasures come to mind. Your fair lady is the one that should be saving herself."

Unfazed by his brother's callousness, Thor continued, "There is only one pleasure that comes to mind, though, dearest brother."

Frustrated by the unwanted tightening in his chest at the thought of Thor already in love, Loki mustered up his best look of joy and curiosity for his most precious, masking the jealousy in his heart, "And who would this fine lady worthy of your affections be?"

Sitting up and taking both of the younger's hands in his, Thor made sure to maintain eye contact. Heart hammering in anticipation and half drunk on adrenalin, the crown prince confessed, "It's you, brother. It's always been you."

"Do not toy with me, Thor. Please do not jest about this," Loki breathed, scarcely able to contain his stubborn hope that was straining to be freed. "I do not take lightly to being humiliated."

Relieved and ecstatic that his feelings were returned, Thor pulled the other quickly into the softest of kisses, effectively silencing any protest, whether said or imagined.

Shifting so that Loki was now straddling the blond, Thor deepened the kiss as they explored each other for the first time. Hands occasionally unsure of where to grip and noses bumping in their inexperience, the two boys spent hours simply basking in the glow of newly required love.

As Loki pulled away, however, Thor as no longer leaning up against a tree on the bank, nor was it the gorgeous summer day that they had been enjoying. Thor sat, against a pillar of ice and stone, shock written plainly across his face as icy wind blew snow in every direction. What was going on?

"Thor-!" Loki had raised his hand to grip his brother but the sight of blue skin where there should be alabaster frightened him to the core.

Opening his eyes to freezing cold and a stranger on top of him, the Prince of Asgard had reflexively flinched in fear. These were the monsters father had told them stories about at night. Where was Loki? "What are you? What have you done with Loki?"

"Thor please believe me," Loki pleaded, clawing at his face and arms, trying to reveal his pale skin. "It's Loki, it's m-"

The blond pushed the other off, careful to avoid touching any exposed skin. "Stay away from me, you monster!"

Suddenly enraged by the blatant disgust in the other's voice, Loki had somehow conjured an ice spear in his anger. The tide of hatred that swept over the younger was exhilarating; the freedom to hate and express it, addictive: it took his breath away. The frost giant turned his red-eyed glare on the figure lying prone in front of him. Looking from his weapon to the terrified face of the Asgardian, Loki stood over his helpless prey. "I'm going to kill you, Prince Thor," he whispered out, voice grating and harsh. "You will die by my hand now."

Loki plunged the spear into the elder's chest, straight into the cavity that housed his heart. Grinning manically at the look of utter horror frozen on the other's face, Loki dropped down on top of the Aesir. Thrusting his bare hand into the scorching chest where the spear had made its entrance and taking hold of the still weakly beating heart, the frost giant began to pull. Laughing as Thor's face twisted in pain, Loki yanked the organ out of the rapidly freezing body, cradling it carefully as to preserve the sweet, sweet blood inside. The suffering emanating from the prince alone was delicious and the smell just made him ravenous for more.

As the last dregs of life bled out of the young prince's body, the image that would send him off would be one of pleasure etched on the frost giant's face as he bit into the heart of his former beloved, the blood dripping down his chin and flowing through his fingers...

"Not even the gods are truly immortal."

xxx

Loki woke first the next morning. He kept his breathing even and his body absolutely still, a practice he had perfected since he was a young boy and that he was grateful for now as his heart hammered uncontrollably in his chest.

Thor was still sound asleep, pressed up against his back with a possessive arm wrapped around his waist, his body cocooning Loki's in a comforting embrace which had warded off the cold as he slept, but was now becoming stifling as the younger analyzed the dream- no, vision, he had just had, feeling the first inklings of an uneasiness that he had been expecting.

Carefully maneuvering his brother's arm, Loki slipped silently out of bed, but not before placing a tender kiss on his brother's brow. Grabbing a loose fitting tank and a pair of sweatpants from the closet, Loki headed to the bathroom to clean up. Washing away the dried drool from his chin irritably, he ran his fingers through his short locks roughly before pulling on his clothes. If there was anything the Midgardians had gotten right, it would be in the fashion department, the so-called "sweats" were exceedingly comfortable.

With one last glance in the mirror, the Liesmith nearly gasped as the image staring back at him reminded him of his youth. His hair was reminiscent of the times before he had found out about his true heritage. His face was flushed and healthy, finally, after months under the Other's control, but there was a hardness in his eyes that would not fade and a frown that would find its way onto his face if he did not pay attention. Gritting his teeth as he felt another wave of malice wash over him, Loki quickly turned off the light and left the room.

Out in the hallway, Loki finally spoke, "Jarvis, where is Tony?"

"Sir is currently working in his lab, Master Loki," the AI informed automatically. "May I ask why you inquire?"

Loki strode to the elevators, which opened automatically, "I am in need of assistance with a theory. I simply wish to discuss it with him. If you would kindly take me to his labs, it would be greatly appreciated."

The elevator seemed to move on its own accord, heading to the project development labs that the inventor was oh so proud of, as he had expounded upon in great detail on multiple, read: too many, occasions.

Jarvis broke the tense silence that surrounded the god, "I must inform Master Loki that Sir is not alone at the moment. He is currently testing prototypes with Dr. Banner on the twenty-eighth floor."

Loki nodded, "I understand, Jarvis, that might prove most beneficial, actually. Thank you for telling me." He paused a moment before adding, "Tony has done well with you."

"I will be sure to pass on the compliment to Sir," Jarvis replied as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened. "I will override the security codes as you arrive at the checkpoints. Good luck with your dilemma, Master Loki."

xxx

Tony Stark was sitting on one of his work tables, popping dried strawberries into his mouth while observing his favorite lab partner meddle with some of designs that Shield had commissioned. "Sweetheart, I think it might work better if you connect that middle router to-"

Banner connected the indicated router to the appropriate port without further prompting and stuck out his hand, his entire body taut with effort as he kept his other hand as steady as possible, ensuring the delicate connection would survive as Tony, expecting the gesture, carefully placed the welding tool in the other's outstretched palm. Setting his food on the table and hopping down from his perch, the superhero quickly donned a pair of protective goggles and gloves before stepping in with tongs to take the prototype from the scientist as soon as the welding was complete to soak in a solution of diheptous-methylpentoctane, their own discovery the previous week, of course.

Mission completed for the morning, Tony clapped Bruce on the back with a genuine smile, "That was a fantastic way to start the day, darling- Loki! How did you get in here? Oh my god, Jarvis let you in didn't he!? I knew he always had bad taste in men."

"Well that's obvious isn't it?" said God of Mischief smirked, donning his charismatic persona like a second skin, "I mean, he takes to you doesn't he?"

Tony scoffed, "That's just because I'm irresistible. Did you sleep in those clothes, by the way? I definitely don't need you spreading your sex god pheromones in my private lab."

"I don't know, Tony dear, why don't you check the recordings you have from last night and see for yourself?" Loki countered smoothly, leaning against a worktable and examining his fingernails casually.

Tony sputtered, ears turning pink despite his own experience with some particularly raunchy nights, but even he had to admit, yesterday's performance by the two gods had been incredibly arousing. "Well, I suppose I could, but c'mon, who would have guessed you're such a slut in bed?"

"Oh please, mortal," Loki laughed, kissing the billionaire on the cheek as he walked past to get to the computers. "I have had hundreds of lovers and none of them satisfy me as Thor does. Besides, we are engaged, there is no better excuse to have incredibly passionate, dirty, filthy sex...except maybe the honeymoon. I'd like to come back here for that too."

Bruce let out a light chuckle as Tony rolled his eyes. "Whatever, what can we do you for, then, oh mighty Prince of Witty Comebacks?"

Loki glanced at the other scientist briefly to gauge his reaction. Bruce was staring intently back at the taller and had kept his face carefully neutral as the Hulk had not reacted badly to the god's presence. Satisfied he wasn't going to have to defend himself, the Norse god nodded stiffly and pulled up the video from The Attack. "I have reviewed your files on what happened that day and have pieced together what was expected from me by the Other. I have failed him...at great cost to the Chitauri and the Other's reputation," Loki revealed, his voice soft and tinged with sadness.

"Thank the gods for that," Tony commenting, attempting to lighten the mood and grinning at his own pun.

"He is taking revenge," Loki scowled, wiping all mirth from the inventor's face. "His mental control over me was broken rather quickly and violently, in the midst of all the confusion, I was not yet in my right mind. Had I been, I would have made sure as to sever the ties permanently. As it is, the Other still has a hold on my conscious and has started his invasion of my mind once again."

Bruce tensed, "What do you mean?"

"I've had my suspicions ever since the incident, but I felt the first signs of intrusion this morning," the Liesmith sighed, finally allowing the weariness to show on his face. "It's as if all the hatred and evil that he possesses within him is transferred to me. I want to kill when I feel it. I want to murder regardless of who is involved and I –I feed on their pain as I do it. It makes me sick."

"Hey," Bruce managed after a minute of processing, his voice gentle and soothing; he knew torment when he saw it. "Why don't you sit down and tell us more, you look like you're about to pass out."

Tony pulled out a workbench in front of him and guided Loki onto it before standing behind him and hesitantly laying his hands on the god's shoulders. "How bad is it?"

Loki sighed as he leaned back into the inventor, relishing the sure hands that massaged the tension away from his cramped muscles. "It's okay for now, I can feel the connection tugging at my mind, but as long as I'm awake, I can keep it under control. I had a…vision this morning."

Bruce sat down a safe distance away as the god took a deep, shuddering breath.

"It was a dream about the first time Thor and I kissed…" Loki closed his eyes and leaned against the surprisingly calming presence of Tony Stark at his back. "But as the memory progressed, things changed. I ended up killing him, ripping out his heart and devouring it."

"Talk about tough love," the superhero muttered under his breath.

Loki's lip quirked up despite the fact that he felt like hurling, "I liked it…in the dream. It felt like I was in ecstasy when I killed him."

Bruce leaned forward to place a careful hand on the other's shoulder, "I don't mean to be insensitive, but if the Other had control of your dreams, does that mean he can read your mind?"

"No," Loki shook his head, absolutely sure. "My thoughts are my own, he just projects his malevolence into my mind, which…how should I put this, overpowers my capacity for judgment?"

"So in other words," Bruce contemplated, pulling back, "the evil itself is causing your perception of everything around you to change?"

"Very good, mortal," Loki mumbled as his personal masseuse decided to devote his attention to the god's neck and scalp. "You catch on fast, I can see why Stark enjoys your company."

"Don't get side-tracked, Reindeer Games. What do you suggest we do, then?" Tony asked, fingers tangling in dark locks. "What is the Other's objective for doing this besides personal revenge?"

"If he is able to strengthen the bond," Loki admitted, rising up from the bench, "the Other hopes to let evil consume me, I'd annihilate everyone in my path. It'd be killing two birds with one stone, murdering the ones I love against my own free will and ruining my resolve in the process. I suspect he would let it go on to the point where I'm about to go insane before cutting the connection and leaving me to my misery when I comprehend the destruction I caused."

He paused as he gazed into Tony's eyes with fierce determination, "We have to end him before that happens. But first, we have to find him."

xxx

TBC

AN:

It's been almost a year since I've updated this story. I would like to offer my sincerest apologies. There really is no excuse except that I've been dealing with real life. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and has been recovering since. Even if it may seem petty in comparison to whatever hardships others may be facing, I ask you to please respect the fact that I am struggling to come to terms with it. I will do my best to continue updating at a more regular pace.

On another note, I have received multiple reviews saying how the end scene of the last chapter seemed a bit "too much". Looking back, it does seem so and I know I had to step out of my comfort zone to write it. But as I justified to myself when I posted it, smut is smut. The actual descriptions of sex are not new. What I wanted to incorporate and emphasize was Loki's trust in Thor and his willingness to submit as a physical manifestation of the level of that trust. I can't speak for other people, but I find that aspect of any relationship incredibly arousing.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to support me and a special shout-out to PR922 for being there for me. I apologize again for not replying to reviews, I'm just not up for it at the moment. I understand that some people have been hungry for more plot development so I hope chapter is satisfactory. I'm sorry if you were looking forward to more sexy-times, more of that to come, not to worry.

Thank you all again, to everyone who has reviewed and favorite and followed and recommended and even translated, you are all such wonderful supporters. I truly appreciate it.