Get On Your Knees and Pray to me By Shining Loki On AO3

Chapter 4 - Honestly, Fuck McDonald's And Fuck Delayed Gratification

"Prince Loki."

Or so he thought. Bastards.

Loki stiffened his back and turned around, trying to conceal the look of distaste on his face. One of the guards was standing in the center of the hall, his helmet held in the bend of his arm. If his helmet was on, Loki believed he would not recognize the rather plain looking ginger.

"Sir Alder," Loki said with a curt nod of his head. "Do you have a message for me?"

"I do. Your presence is required in the throne room," Alder said, bending into a deep bow.

Loki sighed. "Is this quite necessary? I just had a very...intense visit to Midgard and I would ask to be left alone."

"If I may speak freely, Prince Loki, I believe this is rather important," Alder said.

Loki cocked his jaw and debated whether or not he should just transport himself back to his chambers. He was really considering it, however if Alder was to return to the throne room without Loki after Odin demanded it, the old man would surely never let Alder hear the end of it. Deciding to extend his benevolence to Alder - which perhaps he would blame you and your soft nature for - Loki extended one arm forward.

"Lead the way."

Alder bowed again and turned around, escorting Loki towards the throne room. The walk was not unpleasant. Alder was a kind man who understood the boundaries of privacy. Any other guard a bit more smug than Alder would have prodded and poked at Loki until he revealed what he was doing on Asgard. Alder, on the other hand, simply asked if his trip went well. When Loki answered with a smirk, Alder just shrugged and continued his walk.

As they neared the entrance to the throne room, Loki bristled. He prepared himself to hear Odin's wrath. Visiting a Midgardian mortal not once, not twice, but three times? What has gotten into you, Loki?

Into me? Nothing. Into her? Well...

Loki snickered and Alder pretended he didn't hear it.

The guards standing before the golden doors stood up straight as Loki and Alder appeared. They bowed nearly silently before pulling the doors open. Alder stepped to the side and gestured for Loki to enter alone. Loki nodded at Alder then erected his back. He folded his arms behind himself, appearing the perfect picture of intimidation and strength for Odin to gawk at.

But when Loki stepped into the throne room, all of that disappeared.

"Brother..." Loki whispered. Thor was sitting on the throne with a large grin on his face. He stood as Loki unfolded his arms from behind him.

"I'm back," Thor said, stepping down from the throne's dias. He stepped towards Loki, who stepped towards Thor, and before either brother could say another word, they embraced one another. Loki sighed, his eyes shutting as he held Thor in his arms.

"It has been so long, Thor," Loki murmured into his brother's shoulder.

Standing in the quiet throne room as he hugged Thor made him feel like he was a child again. It had been years, perhaps even a decade at this point, without Thor in Loki's life. Thor had always been a traveler, always craving to see more, do more, experience more. For that reason, he left Asgard to mature himself and learn more of what he needed to learn to become King of Asgard one day. He came back every few years, a bit wiser, a bit calmer, a bit less of a pain in the ass, and his absence actually strengthened the bond between the brothers. This past round of travels had been his longest, and though a decade was a blink of an eye for an Asgardian, it was also a decent amount of time to learn that Loki genuinely missed his brother when he was away.