Thor's feet met firm ground again, and he heard Thea's light giggle.
"You've gone green!"
Thor grumbled "I hate doing that, even when your- your father does it!" Thor couldn't help but grin at the words as they left his mouth. Your father. "It's un natural to disappear one place, and pop up another."
Thea laughed again "You've always said it was because you were getting old, that when you were younger your stomach could take anything. Liar! You just don't like travelling by magic!"
She laughed more as he turned red.
"Stupid magic! Like I said it's unnatural to travel as such! I have enough magic in my life with one of you, let alone…" his grumbling split into a grin at his daughter's teasing.
"Come on father, we're getting close now" Thor grew quiet and followed.
The scenery was barren and cold, rocky and wherever they were, it was night time.
"Loki where are you?" Thor mumbled, getting worried. He didn't like to think of Loki alone here, even though he knew the trickster was more than capable of looking after himself.
He was brought out of his silent worrying by Thea's arm spreading across his chest,
"Look, over there" she whispered, Thor suddenly felt nervous. Not that he would ever admit that. Even to himself. "Go to him" she urged.
Down at the bottom of the hill, Loki sat, legs brought up to his chest, arms wrapped around them.
Thor rushed to his side, trying to be silent and agile, but failing miserably, slipping and sliding halfway on his Asgardian rear. He stood and shook it off, glancing at Thea in silent laughter. She hadn't moved. His eyes shifted to the motionless shape on the ground.
"Come to hurt me some more have you Thor?" Loki's eyes moved to him, and Thor couldn't read anything in them, his tone was dead and it sounded as if he had been crying. "Only, I've had quite enough for the time being."
"Oh Loki" Thor rushed to Loki's side, not pausing before pulling his brother into a firm embrace "I'm so sorry, I'm a sorry fool and you deserve better." He prayed Loki could forgive him, but Thor knew he had caused the younger in his arms so much hurt. Loki's arms remained at his side.
"Why Thor?" His blunt tone cut Thor "Why could you not accept me? After everything that's happened, you finally have the chance to show your true feelings to father and you choose to disown me. Do I really mean nothing to you?" His green eyes began to fill with tears that broke Thor's heart, he kissed the ones rolling down Loki's cheeks away.
Loki didn't flinch from him, he acknowledged which was a good sign.
"I'm sorry love, truly I am. I know how wrong it was, but I froze, I was selfish and chose not to stand up to father, because I was scared to have him look at me with disappointment, or worse disgust."
"Like he looks at me you mean?" Loki cut in.
"Oh Loki, he loves you more than you know, he just can't show it." He paused, shrugging "I guess he's not the only one." Thor mumbled, meeting Loki's eyes with his own "I love you Loki, I don't tell you enough, but does it make it any less true? I have loved you for as long as I can remember, and will always love you. Come home with me, and I will shout it from the rooftops that I love you Loki. And hell to anyone who questions that love, even father." Loki's face softened, and his tears stopped. Thor leant forward and kissed the younger god with as much feeling as he could muster, holding him as if he were the rarest thing in existence.
"I love you too Thor, but that morning? I felt as though all you've ever told me was a lie, like I never meant anything to you at all, merely a distraction for the Prince of Asgard to play with. I felt like I didn't matter to you Thor" Loki finished, clutching at the larger god's shoulders tightly "It hurt."
"Loki I'm sorry, truly I am. You will never be a plaything, or a distraction, you are mine forever, if you will put up with me" Thor smiles the smile both knew Loki could never resist.
"Of course I'll have you, you crazed oaf." Loki smiled in return. Thor pulled back, reminded of something,
"You know, I was told today that we complete each other by someone amazing Loki" Thor glanced up at Thea who stretched out a hand to the couple, her eyes looked to be wet with hears. She blew a kiss to Thor.
"Complete each other? I like the sound of that" He played with a strand of Thor's golden hair, back to Thea who looked silently on at her parents "who said it?" Loki asked.
Thor's smile seemed to light up the night as he pointed over to Thea. Loki's head turned for a second, as his eyes widened at his first glimpse of his daughter, his head darted back to Thor. He was quick, and knew instantly who the woman at the head of the hill was, and the look in his lovers eyes confirmed the truth.
"Is that?-" Loki gasped, startled "who is that?" his hands tightened around Thor, whose own eyes brimmed with a loving pride
"She, Loki, love, is your daughter" both men turned once again to see Thea, but found only a hill, and a quickly fading smile that was the remains of her form. The flash of sunlight turned night to day for a second, then Thea was gone, leaving the two men to simply look at each other with a crazed, startled and disbelieving happiness.
"Her name is Thea, and she is our daughter." he took Loki's hand and pulled him to his feet before wrapping his arms around him tightly.
"What?- I-Thor explain, please!" Loki spluttered, caught in a rare moment of speechlessness.
"Thea is our daughter Loki, from the future. She-" he looked down, ashamed "she knew what I did to you, and she came back to help. She said that it was a crossroads, and I could choose two paths. One, lead to a life and wife, and a prosperous rule" he laughed at the jealous look in Loki's eyes, he captured the smaller's hands "yet on the other hand, I could choose a wonderful future, with someone I love with all of my heart, to the best rule Asgard has ever known, and with a beautiful family I could never have dreamed of." Thor stopped, smiling widely.
Loki pointed a finger at his own chest. with me? Thor nodded.
"Thea" Loki spoke in an awe "beautiful" he smiled and kissed Thor with emotions he couldn't express.
"She has my hair, and is strong like me, but has your eyes, and your manners" Thor spoke with a paternal pride that Loki could tell, even now that he would be ruled by his children, a father that could never say no.
"Tell me about her. Is she fierce? Intelligent? Funny?" Loki desperate to know more, slightly jealous that Thor had gotten to meet her before himself.
"Oh Loki she is all of that, and wonderful, beautiful, and mischievous she is everything that is good about us both." He glowed with pride "and," he paused, Loki hanging on his words "she had your magic!"
Thor's words were the last straw, Loki's tears began to fall again, as Thor swept him off his feet "Of course she does! She is my daughter after all!" the pair's laughter was giddy.
"Only half your daughter remember, she's half mine too" He poked Loki in the ribs setting him back on his feet before kissing him again. Thor decided he could kiss Loki every day forever and would never tire of it.
"Let's go home Loki" he whispered in his ear, and Loki's eyes cast downwards.
"Thor?" Loki paused, did Thor imagine it that the younger looked almost nervous?
"What is it?" He asked anxiously.
"There is a reason I needed you to go against father the other day. There's a reason I can't have you marry a stranger. No!" he silenced Thor as he made to talk "It's done now, but my reason still stands. I no longer fear it though." Loki smiled and Thor exhaled,
"What is it Loki?" their eyes were fixed on each other's.
"I needed to know if you loved, before I- I- before I tell you" he breathed, a smile taking over his features "I am with child love, a wonderful, lovely child" Thor's answering smile dissolved any of Loki's remaining fears for their future.
"We- we're having a baby?" Thor didn't wait for the reply before sweeping Loki off his feet once more, and spinning them in a circle.
Loki laughed "yes Thor. What else do you have when your with child? Of course a baby!" Thor's hand came to rest over Loki's on his abdomen. Thor couldn't believe his luck, he had lost, and found and regained so much in the past few days he couldn't believe it, taking Loki's hands in his own.
"Oh Loki" Thor gasped "wonderful news! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
The younger god laughed darkly "oh yes. Father, Thor, will you stop your argument about our pending marriages for I have news!.. That would have gone down a treat" They laughed. Thor nodded, conceding.
"Come on love, come home. We have news to share"
So the two departed, into what Thor knew would be a future laced with brilliance, happiness and love. He knew trials lay ahead, but he also knew that the bond between Loki and himself was in un-severable, that they completed each other, and together they would rule Asgard into it's most glorious and celebrated age yet.
So that was the last-but-one chapter! Love? Hate? A little fluffy at the end, but hey, if you cant pull out the Thoki fluff now and again, when can you? Reviews are veeeeeery much welcome!
Hope you enjoyed it!.. Alexinie xx