WARNING: This chapter contains a passage with M-rated content. I believe it's not enough to rate the entire fanfic that way but well, consider yourself warned. (Even though we all know you'll ignore the warning, my dearest perverts ;-)

XxX

"Loki...", Thor said warningly, watching him closely as he moved over to the bed, dagger firmly in his hand.

The god of chaos took his time getting onto the mattress, his eyes wandering all over Thors body and relishing for a moment in the thought of thrusting the blade deep into that flesh and rip out the heart that claimed to love him.

"Loki! What are you-"
"Shh", Loki made. He was sitting right on Thors hips now, looming over him with a smile that let his dormant insanity show through.

His brother looked positively torn. One part of him was watching the dagger with nausea and the other... well, the other was starting to pump blood into his lower regions.

Loki pressed the cold metal of the blade against Thors throat. His stomach made a flip of excitement and the closest he was capable of feeling to happiness as Thor squirmed under his hold, trying to keep the blade from cutting him.

"Dammit, Loki!", Thor called out and now he definitely sounded pleadingly. It was only when Loki leaned in closer to whisper something into his ear, a threat maybe or a taunt, that he realized why. Because where Loki sat he could feel something hot twitch under him.

For the second time this evening Loki felt himself thrown off the track. Of course he had meant to be teasing, to ridicule this silly infatuation his brother seemed to have with him but first and foremost he had meant to be threatening. He had meant to turn a dream into a nightmare. He had wanted to give him a good scare, to humiliate him. To be suddenly confronted with his... arousal, to have it literally press against him was a clear proof that his actions had backfired spectacularly.

Loki applied more pressure to the blade, forcing Thor to hold his breath and glared at him angrily. Why did he always have to ruin his plans? He really did destroy the mood.

"You really can't keep your emotions in check, can you?", he hissed venomously.

Thor was bright red by now, looking anywhere but into Lokis eyes. And he looked in pain. He looked like he was suffering and of course that had been Lokis intention, but not in this way! But he would show him. He would show him and he would make him fear Loki.

With a hiss or irritation the god of chaos dragged the tip of the blade across Thors chest with enough pressure to sting but not enough to piece the skin. He pressed his free hand against Thors side, right where his kidney sat. Loki had to lean back for that and between his hands on his body and his behind rubbing over his crotch, Thor let out a strangled moan.

Loki tried his best to ignore this reaction. This was supposed to be a game, it was supposed to be fun and yet he felt repulsed by his own actions. He resigned from slowly dragging this out as he had planned to and instead only made a few quick cuts right over the kidney. There was barely any blood for the dagger was very sharp and Thor didn't even seem to notice the pain. When he cleaned the wound he could clearly see the runic symbol, around as big as his hand staining Thors otherwise perfect body. Almost like a mark.

Loki shook that thought from him. If he was marking Thor then only to further humiliate him, not because he actually wanted him. In any way, shape or form.

The frost giant then leaned forward again, causing Thor to let out a whimper, and drew a long, blue finger from his throat down. Loki watched his expression carefully as he shivered from the cold, but he had applied little magic to the touch and thus his skin frosted over but did not disintegrate. There was definitely lust in that gaze, he noted, as Thors eyes finally found his curious ones. There was an odd tingly feeling somewhere in his stomach as he processed the look of utter yearning, of longing and of passion in those blue orbs.

Lokis finger wandered lower, grazing a nipple because he just couldn't resist and he was rewarded with another deep moan, this time loud and free. He could feel Thors now fully erect member press against him through his trousers. However he was not repulsed anymore, merely confused... and excited. He did not understand Thor, not at all. How could he possibly be attracted to Loki? That he was, that much was obvious. But he was sitting here, pinning him down, humiliating him, threatening him, hurting him and the only thing it did to him was cause him to get a hard-on? Just what the hell was wrong with him?

Loki had reached the lower section of his stomach, noting with some satisfaction that the skin was not turning blue under his touch anymore. It was time to stop it. Really, if he had any sense at all he would have stopped it when he first felt Thor twitch underneath him. But that would've been a retreat and Loki refused to give up control in this one. He refused to let Thors attraction to him faze him.

Having gotten what he came for Loki removed himself from the bed and absentmindedly cleaned the dagger at the bed sheets. Thor remained where he was, tense and once again unable to meet Lokis gaze.

The god of lies lazily waved his hand, making the restrains vanish and moved to note down his observations at his desk.

"We're finished for today. You may want to use the shower before you go", he said without looking at Thor, utterly ignoring him as if nothing had happened.

For a few moments nothing but Thors ragged breath could be heard. Then the warrior slowly got to his feet and seconds later Loki heard the door to his bathroom being shut. He couldn't suppress a small, evil smirk as he reached out with his magic to manipulate the shower regulations. It was probably very childish but he felt like playing pranks on Thor was actually more satisfactory then throwing the whole of Asgard into war and chaos.

... he should probably check over his priorities.

His little experiment may not have gone exactly as planned but it was still a success. The carrot and the stick. This had been meant to be the latter, but if Thor had enjoyed it this much, maybe a harder stick was in order next (and yes, that came out wrong). He would make a good obedient pet out of his brother yet.

XxX

Thor barely managed to keep himself from slamming the door. With a frustrated growl he pulled his hand through his hair, pulling at it slightly in hope the pain would distract him from his much bigger problem. Quickly he got out of his pants and stepped into Lokis shower. He desperately tried not to think about the fact that the shower was big enough for two or that this was where his brother cleaned himself every day, where he stood naked, moving his hands all over his body to-

With another groan Thor let the water run, determined to get rid of his 'problem'. The warm water hit his tense muscles, relaxing them and making him feel even hotter. He tried to make the water cold but regardless in which direction he turned, it was either burning hot or lukewarm. He tried to think of something ugly or nauseating instead but Lokis face just seemed to hover over him again and again, with that superior and oh so sexy smirk of his. His fingers moving over his body, slowly, gingerly, teasing him, his ass pressing against his hard cock, practically begging to-

"Oh, screw you", Thor muttered and reached for his member. There was a pang of guilt at the thought of doing this here, in Lokis chambers but his lust was too great. He would probably regret this later but right now all he could think about was Loki over him, kissing him, passionately and without holding back as he had done when he had first confessed his love to him. "Damn you, Loki..."

Thor started pumping, massaging his hot cock that was dripping with precum and imagining it were Lokis hands treating him, imagining his hands exploring his body, his hot mouth kissing his throat, his nipples, his tights. He called out Lokis name again, as a curse or moan he did not know and then he moved faster. He imagined Loki being with him, naked as the day he was born and thanks to that trip into the forests his imagination had little trouble providing him with a picture.

When the release was finally upon him, Thor came with Lokis name on his lips, sending hot white seed all over the tiles. Breathlessly he leaned against the wall, the water mercifully washing away all traces of his sin. A few moments long he just stood there, letting the orgasms flow over him.

Then reality came crushing down. He had just masturbated in his brothers shower, with him being not five steps away from him, probably having heard every moan, every word he had called out, which in most cases had been Lokis name!

Thor was shaking with embarrassment, shame – and fear. Loki must think him some terrible pervert. By the Norns, he would be right. Just because Thor learned a few things about himself on Midgard didn't mean Loki had too. After all he had been brought up amongst the prudish Aesir and without ever knowing the same problem Thor had he was probably beyond disgusted with him now. Kissing him to let him prove his attraction was one thing, and clearly, he had not really enjoyed that either, but this...

He had seen the disgusted look on Lokis face when he had lost control over his body. Yet he had continued to torture him until Thor felt he was deliberately pushing him to the brink. He just did not understand why he was doing this. Was it some kind of test? Like the being chained to a bed for a whole day thing? Going on a ride with him, letting him help with his magic... It was the sort of thing they would do in a family, wasn't it? So then, was he somehow trying to help Thor to think of him as a brother again? Loki said it was payback and maybe that was part of it but Thor felt a persistent little spark of hope that maybe his brother still loved him and was using this chance to spent time with him, as he had always avoided him before.

But just as much as this thought gave him hope, it was also making him feel incredibly miserable. He had tried for centuries to see nothing but a brother in Loki and with every hour he spent together with him, it was only getting worse. He could not be a brother to Loki. The one thing his love really needed, he could not give to him. He had failed him yet again today and he was beyond afraid that this time Loki would realize that, would give up on him and cast him aside, disgusted of his unnatural attraction.

Thor balled his hands to fists and leaned his forehead against the cool surface of the tiles.

"I will continue to fight", he muttered, "I will fight against myself on every day for the rest of my life if I have to. So please... please don't give up on me."

He could not lose Loki again. He had thought that he was prepared, that day when he made the confession, and maybe he had been but when Loki came to call him back he had been so happy. Loki didn't want him to leave! He wanted him to stay by his side. He hadn't said that, of course, he could not but just having the chance to be close to his brother and not having to pretend anymore had made him so happy.

Now though things were different. Thor might not have to pretend anymore. He was free to admire Loki, to praise him, to be overly concerned about him. But he still had to fight to keep his love purely brotherly. In a way this would be harder, for Loki clearly meant to test him for every step on his way and every time he failed it could be the last time. It was a challenge bigger then anything he had ever faced and for once Thor understood the sentiment of not wanting to fight this war. Too much was at stake in this battle.

Of course Loki would leave him no other choice. He never did.

XxX

Meanwhile, Loki was trying to concentrate on his academic work with little to no success. He had not expected Thor to actually fall for his little prank with the water. Especially not so... vocally. Loki was by no means a virgin but he still felt himself turn red when he heard Thors moans. Couldn't the idiot keep his voice down?!

Then his brother had started calling his name and Loki felt his eyes twitch in exasperation. That really was too much. Maybe he'd went too far this time?

Suddenly it was silent on the other side of the door but Thor still didn't come out. Now slightly curious but really only aiming for more blackmail material, Loki cast a spell that enhanced his hearing.

"I will continue to fight", he heard Thor mutter between ragged breaths, "I will fight against myself on every day for the rest of my life if I have to. So please... please don't give me up."

Loki quickly cancelled the spell and bit down on his pen. Suddenly he felt ashamed himself, as if intruding on this emotional moment of Thors was somehow worse then listening to him get off on him. Which was really stupid and didn't make any sense at all.

But what did his brother even mean with those words? Loki should not give up on him? What shouldn't he give up? Thor was beyond any hope! He was so utterly, ridiculously lost there was no way he could ever crawl out of that mess on his own. And Loki certainly didn't plan on helping him. In fact, he planned on stepping onto his fingers when they were the only thing keeping him from falling into the abyss.

For just a second a picture flickered to the front of his mind, of that one time he had hung over the abyss on the Bifrost (never mind it had been an illusion) and Thor hadn't hesitated to reach for him to pull him up again. Of course that had been stupid and he had made him pay for this stupidity, had stabbed him in the back quite literally.

Thor begging him to not give him up, promising to fight against his own madness? Ridiculous. Loki felt as if that should be his words to say, only that of course they weren't. He had no reason to fight himself because he was not suffering from self-hatred, he was not.

Loki was gritting his teeth and only when the door to the bathroom opened to reveal Thor, still in nothing but his trousers, did he realize that he had been violently scribbling on the paper, almost causing it to rip.

Sitting at his desk Loki had his back to Thor and he had absolutely no desire to change that, still fighting to keep his expression under control.

For a moment Thors movements haltered as if he wanted to say something. However in the end he just went over to the bed and put his armour back on. By the time he was done Loki had enough confidence in his voice not to quiver as he said:
"That wound. Do not let it be treated. It will heal on its own."

He could feel Thors confused eyes on him. "What wound?"

Loki snorted. "The one you obviously didn't notice me giving you. I did tell you this episode served an academic purpose, didn't I?"

Loki threw a glance over his shoulder. The god of thunder was removing the part of the armour that protected his side, staring at the angry red rune with a mix of surprise and... something else he didn't think he wanted to identify.

"That will leave a scar", he said without any real anger.

"Well, duh, that was kind of the point", Loki replied snappish. My mark on you, he thought, an odd hum resonating in his chest.

"What does it do?"

"I thought that was obvious. It is supposed to protect the area from the coldness of a Jotun's touch. Whenever or not it works I will have to examine after it's healed."

Thor stared at him in shock. "Why... Why would you give me something like that?"

Loki couldn't help but stare. Thor acted as being assaulted with a dagger was some kind of gift.

"I will have to learn this spell eventually, won't I? The contact with the casket had disrupted my inherited magic, making it flare up at unexpected intervals. You're perfect as a test object. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone I actually care about."

Now his big brother looked like a kicked puppy. Served him right.

The thing about the casket was a lie, by the way but a clever one, one that couldn't be proven. Loki had perfect control over his magic. He didn't need that runic spell either for any future escapades like he had implied. He didn't plan on settling down anytime soon. If he was honest, having such a spell could be considered a bad thing. If someone had the idea to carve the runes into armour for example, that would render a very effective weapon of the Jotuns useless. Unfortunately, this included Loki and he had no desire whatsoever to develop a weapon that could be turned on him this easily. He never planned on finishing the formula he had just... Well, he really had just wanted a reason to chain Thor to his bed half-naked and crawl all over him. Purely to torment him and to get his revenge, of course, not because he was returning this ridiculous attraction. The trick was to make Thor believe that too, despite his obvious, provoking actions.

"You... are a very cruel man", Thor muttered and Loki was startled from his thoughts. He had half expected the blonde to have already left but instead he found him standing right behind Loki, far too close for his liking, his breath just short of tickling the younger mans neck. For some reason, those words had him suppress a pleased hum. Not because he'd been called cruel (though it was nice to see his efforts appreciated) but because Thor, despite his unnatural attraction to him, still saw him as another man, not just as a feminine person who happened to be male, as he knew some people in the palace thought of him.

"I wonder...", the god of thunder whispered, a callous hand stroking lightly over Lokis black hair, "how someone this beautiful... can be this cruel."

Loki found he didn't have an answer. Thor didn't seem to expect one and turned to leave his room without another word.

The god of lies was left with a bitter taste in his mouth, his scalp tingling where Thor had touched him. This would be harder then he'd thought.

XxX

In the morning, Thor and Loki were both being called to the Allfather. On their way into the throne room, they met Frigga, who smiled at them lovingly.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her. "You seem to be in an awfully good mood today, mother."

"This is the first time you spend a day together that doesn't end with Thor in the healing chambers", she replied with a smirk.

Loki snorted. "That does not mean he didn't got injured", he muttered.

Frigga shoot Thor a questioning look, but the blonde only smiled wryly without saying a word.

Together they entered the hall. Odin was not sitting on his throne, instead he stood looking over a map of the mighty tree Yggdrasil and the nine reams. Thor and Loki went to stand at his sides and even though so much had happened and Loki still despised the Allfather for his lies and his rejection, it still felt natural for him to stand here. It almost felt like coming home and this feeling sparked another, angry flame deep in his heart and he balled his hand to a fist, his nails almost drawing blood.

"The time of your rest has to come to an end, my sons", Odin said and looked first at Thor, then at Loki. "Whenever you are ready or not, you have to start fulfilling your duties again."

"What is it that you need?", Thor asked immediately and Loki felt the familiar spark of hatred at his older brother. Yes, indeed like in old times. Only that it wasn't, because things had changed. Or had they?

"There have been unrest and even rebellion in the other realms. In some trouble has been brewing ever since the destruction of the Bifrost, some are in direct response to the events on Midgard." He looked at Loki directly this time. "I am willing to give you a chance to prove yourself, Loki, to earn back the trust you have betrayed."

Lokis expression turned cold. "No", he said simply.

Odin stared at him, his one eye widening slightly. "What did you say?"

"I will not help you in your struggle to control the other realms to prove myself. If you want me to do this, you have to give me the order as the king of Asgard. I do not care about your trust, for it was you who betrayed mine first."

"Loki, you should keep that tongue of yours in check! If it weren't for Frigga you would still be in that cell. I am willing to give you a chance and you will not disregard it this easily!"

"I do whatever I want!", Loki hissed back. "You could not put me back in prison, that chance died the moment Thor confessed his inability to ever ascend the throne. As long as he does not change his mind about not wanting to marry and have a proper heir – and you know no honourable lady would take him as long as I'm on his mind – I am your only heir and you are too old to get another. Even if you threw me back into prison, only to be released upon your death, your kingdom would fall into chaos with none of the advisers or soldiers respecting me. If the king does not leave a heir, it would result in civil war. You would not do that to Asgard. In conclusion this means you cannot make me do anything I don't want. You should be thankful I am still following your orders as a king but do not for even one moment delude yourself that I would do this for you or your thrice damned approval."

Loki had never, ever spoken that way with the Allfather. Odin was staring at him with shock. As were all the guards and advisers surrounding them. The only exception was Thor. He looked at his brother with thinly veiled admiration. If he didn't know any better, he would've sworn he just saw one of Lokis brilliant plans unfold.

Thor quickly looked away to hide his smile. Hearing that speech, Thor swore to himself to never lie with a female ever again. If not having a chance for an heir was what gave Loki a jester's license then he would make sure of it. Not that it would be much of a problem for him but above all he felt that Loki needed this, that he needed to loosen the restrains the royal family put on him. If it would make his little brother happy, he would support him in any way he could.

Odin straightened his back, finally getting over the first shock. "Fine then. If you do not want to do it for me, do it for Asgard. Maybe it is time after all. Time you think of the people first and the family second."

Odin regarded Loki with a thoughtful expression and the god of mischief felt an odd sensation run down his spine. He had half expected his non-father to fall into one of his legendary temper tantrums but there was little anger in those eyes. Instead he discovered a spark of something, something that could be approval, or pride, or disdain, or hatred, or any number of other things. Loki didn't know what to make of it.

"As I said, the nine realms are in an uproar. I want you and Thor to travel them and restore order. Some of them might appear peaceful but I still want you to go and investigate whenever their support of Asgard has faltered. Others are outright preparing for war. I need you to assure them that we have no intention to attack them but if they make a move first we will not hesitate to crush them."
"The last time the frost giants made a move", Thor cut in, "you took my powers and banished me for wanting to crush something."

"That was the action of a few individuals, not a declaration of war!", Odin scolded him sharply.

"Actually, that's not true", Loki said, relishing in the moment. "That first assault was lead by prince Byleistr and as such it was a mission authorized by their king, which made it an act of war."

"Yes and I hope for your sake, Loki, that king Helblindi is not resentful for you killing his brother and father or else your stay in Jotunheim could become quite unpleasant!"

Thor made a choked noise. "You're sending us to Jotunheim!?"

"Yes I do – as official ambassadors. This time however you will do your best to prevent a war, do you hear me?"
But Loki just stared at him as if he had just realized a fundamental truth. "You really want to see us dead."

Thor fidgeted uncomfortably. "Come on now, brother – we have travelled the nine realms before. You'll talk us out of trouble like you always do and if it doesn't work, I'll protect you until Heimdall can bring us back."

Loki threw him a death glare and hissed: "I do not need your protection!"

"You will have a bodyguard of course, a group of soldiers to make sure everything goes smoothly and stays official. If you deem the more hostile realm, such as Nilfheim, Muspelheim or Jotunheim unwilling to negotiate, you are permitted to come back without engaging in diplomacy. However you should have a very good reason to do so."

"Is that all?", Loki asked challengingly.

"For now."

"Where will be our first visit?"

"Jotunheim is the most urgent one."

"Oh joy", Loki muttered and spun on his heel. "Come on then, Thor. Let's visit my brother."

And as strange as it sounded, but Thor found an ugly sense of pleasure in the way his love spat out that last word – he did it with far more hatred then when he addressed Thor that way.

XxX

AN: Okay, first I wanna thank my dear reviewers. I totally agree that there are far too many fics that make Loki either a lovesick puppy or a suicidal wimp. I mean, were did that idea even come from? We've seen him lose his identity, the support of his family, his love, his life, his home - and how did he react each and every time? He lashed out. What did Thor do when he thought Odin had died because of him? He got depressed. He totally accepted his banishment until our favourite god send his little wake-up call. That's why I think I'm not even going too OOC in here, all things considered. I'm not going to make Thor break too fast and Loki... Well, there has to be a reason he's called god of mischief. It implies he used to have a fun personality even if we didn't get to see it too often. I'm trying to dig this up again and make it work for me. I hope you enjoy it!