Loki left his chambers to search for his husband. He didn't have to go far. Sif and the warriors were nearby waiting for him. With scowls on their faces and disapproval in their bodies, Loki saw that his error was greater than his mother had stated.
"A word my prince." Sif said. She and the others charged at him and dragged him to an alcove.
"What are you doing?" Loki asked fearful and slightly angry that they would gang up on him like this.
"How long have you and I been sparring partners Loki?" Sif asked.
"Um, I don't know. A decade or so? What does that matter?"
"And never once in all that time have you ever extended an offer of friendship to me. You burn bridges wherever you go. You isolate yourself and then play victim. I am sick of it. I will speak my peace now and you will hear it. Thor did not deserve what you did to him tonight. You don't deserve him. I say this to you out of friendship and concern for my sovereign. You are digging your own grave. You care too much about appearances and not enough about substance. You destroy those that would offer you their heart out of fear of being made vulnerable. You will lose everything if you do not learn to trust people."
"How can I trust when everyone around me means to use me for their own ends?"
"Not everyone." Sif said. She said it with such hurt in her eyes that Loki couldn't avoid the pang of guilt that flowered in his chest. He looked away, ashamed.
"I am sorry. I am so lonely."
"That's your own damn fault." Sif said. "We put Thor in one of the guest rooms. If you know what is good for you, you'll go in there, kiss his feet and anything else he wants to make amends."
"I should be king."
"We know. We know you can rule Loki. But you need to grow the hell up. You want everyone to see you for the powerful and capable man that you are? Act like a man. Be an omega, but be a prince too. Be a statesman. Be that powerful force behind the throne that I know you can be. You may have to rule from the shadows, but anyone with eyes and intelligence will know who the real ruler of Asgard is, whether you are sitting on the throne or not. You can do it. I've seen you do it. How many times have you bent your father's ear to change a law or rethink a war campaign? You've been ready to take over the reins for a while now. What difference does it make if it is Odin or Thor in the chair?"
"You're right. You're right." Loki said. Tears came to his eyes as his mistakes mounted inside of his head. He needed to find Thor now. Sif's features softened as she watched Loki become contrite and remorseful.
"You have friends Loki, and as your friend it is my duty to tell you that you're damn idiot. Go rescue your marriage. He's in the room on the left."
"Thank you. All of you. I didn't think anyone cared."
"We care a great deal lad. Now go." Volstagg said. They released him and Loki walked with hurried steps to the guest room and let himself in. Thor was on the bed panting and flushed. He saw Loki and glared at him before turning his back to him, groaning as he did so.
"Come to add more insult to injury husband?" Thor asked.
"No. I've come to apologize actually. You've done everything possible to earn my trust and at the first test of unity I failed you. I was not prepared for an attack from those that would benefit by dividing us. I should not have taken my anger out on you." Loki said.
"Then remove this damn enchantment!" He said, pain making his voice strained. Loki approached him and gently pressed his hands to Thor's clothing. Thor moaned from the touch. Loki's fingertips felt like fireworks.
"Actually, I want to make amends, and I'd like to do that while the enchantment is still in place." Loki said. Loki's hands moved to the buttons on Thor's shirt and he began to undress him. Once his chest was exposed, Loki dipped down to press his tongue to Thor's nipple and sucked.
"Ah!" Thor cried out. He would have come if he hadn't already just done so. "It's too much!" Thor cried out.
"Alright. Alright. I'll take it off." Loki said. His hands glowed green and he pressed them to Thor's chest. A long heavy sigh came from Thor's lips at the relief. His body went limp as it relaxed after being tense and tight for so long. Loki continued undressing his husband and Thor did not complain. It felt good to be free of his clothing after the long torture. By the time he was nude, Thor was fast asleep, exhausted from his ordeal.
Loki removed his clothing too, falling into bed next to his husband and curling up into his side. He fell asleep with his head on Thor's chest listening to the steady beat. They had a long way to go, but they could now begin.
XxXxXxXx
Thor awoke with Loki curled up around him naked and purring like a cat. Sunshine streamed into the room from a small slit between the drapes illuminating his peaceful face. Thor was relieved Loki had apologized for his actions, but he still felt angry despite it. Never had his patience been tested so.
"Loki?" Thor rubbed Loki's arm to rouse him. Loki stirred, taking in a deep breath before his eyes fluttered opened. He stretched his body, pointing his delicate toes before curling back against Thor.
"Good morning." Loki said.
"We need to talk." Thor said.
"I'm sorry. I've been a fool."
"I am glad to hear you coming to your senses." Thor said, with some sternness still in his voice.
"Can we start over? Trust is not something that comes easily to me and I have betrayed yours. Can you forgive me?"
"Swear to me you will never cast a spell on me again." Thor said.
"I give you my word."
"Good." Thor got up abruptly and marched into the bathroom. Loki's apprehension spiked at Thor's standoffish demeanor. He quietly panicked as the minutes ticked by while Thor was relieving himself. When Thor came out, Loki stood up quickly and went to him. Thor's face was blank, neither angry nor kind. He arched an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"I want to make amends for last night. I…I could… (Loki bit his lip and pressed body against Thor's) I could pleasure you."
"I'm not in the mood." Thor said and shouldered past him.
"I said I'm sorry."
"And I accepted your apology. But I'm not inclined to share intimacies with you right now. Not after what you did to me last night. You hurt me Loki. I don't think you and I will be together in that way again until we mend the trust between us. I'm going to the sparring yard. I'll see you tonight." Thor said. He redressed quickly and left Loki there alone to think about what he'd done.
XxXxXxXx
"Mirë se vini në shtëpinë time." Thor repeated from the text.
"Which means?" Loki asked.
"Welcome home."
"Welcome to MY home." Loki corrected. "The Allspeak, while handy does make mistakes from time to time. This is one of the phrases that is often mistranslated. This is why you still have to learn foreign languages even though we have Allspeak. A minor mistranslation at the wrong moment could start a war."
"How many languages do you speak?"
"Six, beside our native tongue, as well as the three different dialects of the Frost Giants, Fire Giants, and Mountain Giants. I can go to any of the nine realms and know that my words will be understood no matter who I encounter. The Elves have six native languages but they all speak the common tongue of their world, which I have learned and you will too. My mother taught me Vanir, and I have learned three different languages from Midgard. That realm alone has hundreds of languages but the most useful are English, French, and Italian. Much of their music, literature, and trade negotiations are done in one of these three languages." Loki explained. Thor looked up at him like he was about to cry.
"How long did it take you to learn them all?" Thor asked, clearly overwhelmed.
"It took me about a hundred and fifty years to master them all, and you'll need that long to learn them as well given everything else you also have to learn. Let's move on to your homework on taxation. How much do we charge nobles with land holdings of 200 acres?"
"Um… 200 gold pieces per year."
"No. When they reach the fifty acre mark their tax rate decreases. Only farming nobles have land holdings that large. If we taxed them at the same rate as the city nobles we'd bankrupt them. The rate is one gold coin per 10 acres above 50 acres. So how much is that?"
"Um…50 plus…10…um…" Thor's fists clenched as he tried to do the math. It was dark outside and he'd been at this for hours. When Thor could no longer do a simple math problem, it was time to quit.
"65 gold coins for 200 acres of land. That's enough for today. You need to eat something." Loki said. Thor rubbed his temples.
"It's too much. I'm never going to learn it all." He said.
"You cannot expect to cram in 500 years of knowledge overnight. It'll come." Loki said as he pulled the cord to ring for service. A maid came and took his meal order and returned shortly with two steaming plates of beef and potato as well as a couple of strawberry tarts for desert.
They'd finally spent their first night together in their new marital chambers the night before. They did not cuddle and gulf between them in bed felt like a canyon. He ached to feel protective arms around him, but Thor wasn't there yet. It would take time.