Cazio

“This snob of a woman who thinks herself above everyone has been ensnared by this man who rides those bikes that the Captain rides. He has courted her and they have fallen in love, but her parents don’t approve. So, in retaliation—“ Loki paused, watching as the woman ordered the man out of the house, along with his friends that had come in. There was a small child that didn’t appear to be her offspring, but she was evidently protective of him.

“In retaliation, what?” Thor asked, now engrossed in what was happening on the screen.

“He took her to a bike race with his companions. But his closest friend was killed there when his bike spun out of control. So instead of comforting her lover, this woman hardly bats an eye as he grieves,” Loki snarled.

“You don’t like her,” Thor said with a chuckle, kissing him on the cheek.

Loki quickly shrugged him off. “Your lips are covered in butter and salt.”

“Sorry.” But it was obvious he wasn’t sorry, for he pressed another kiss to Loki’s bare shoulder before returning his attention to the movie. All the while though, he was conscious of Loki’s breathing. The way his breath hitched a little when the woman left the man, swearing never to come back.

Thor even caught the moisture in Loki’s eyes as the man mourned, sobbing in the rain and calling his brother, who could only offer so much. The man was alone in his suffering. Thor held Loki close, gently rubbing his chest to try to ease him. This film was not what he’d envisioned for their night in. 

By the end of the movie, Thor was crying too. It was horrible—the woman simply left the man she loved because he wasn’t good enough for her. They never reunited either. She left the city and left him alone to deal with the loss of his only love. Thor wiped his tears as the names started to scroll, not wanting Loki to see him crying.

Instead of their usual post-movie snack, however, Loki rolled over, burying his face into Thor’s chest.  Thor soothed him, kissing the top of his head and rubbing his back.

“Promise you won’t leave,” Loki whispered after a long moment, his fingers hooked into Thor’s shirt.

Thor’s brow creased and he hugged Loki tight to him. “I promise—I would never leave you.” Stupid Midgardian cinema was ruining their night. He didn’t know why Loki was so upset, but perhaps it had hit too close to home.  “You won’t leave me, right?”

It was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but it ended up hanging there in the silence for much too long. As the seconds ticked by, Loki was quiet.

So Thor answered for him with bile in his throat and a sick twisting in his stomach. “You won’t leave. I know you won’t leave.”

But somewhere deep in his subconscious, he began to prepare.

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Haha, and you thought my OTP challenge was safe from angst. 

A slight blush pinkened Loki’s cheeks, but as he cleared his throat, it vanished again. Ever able to disguise his true emotion. “Take your foolishness elsewhere. “ “Why would I do that? We are alone and the only point of this ride is to get as far from the palace as we are permitted.” He smiled. “A plan to which you agreed.” “Being tackled in my bedchamber and pestered by you does not count as agreeing,” Loki countered. He reached up, plucking a berry off of a tree as they passed. “Maybe so, but you did ask me to st—“ He was cut off by a loud snap. His horse reared beneath him, throwing him off balance but not off. That is, until the ground started to slip from beneath them. His steed let out a sharp cry, startling Loki’s mare and sending her rearing up and backing away and off of the narrow trail they had been riding on. Thinking quickly, Thor leaned forward in his seat, digging his heels in and shouting for his horse to gallop. The stallion charged, barely avoiding the edge that was falling away. There was too much weight. He looked behind him and down the steep ravine behind them, then looked to Loki. His brother stared back wide eyed, his lips parting to shout something. But it was too late. Thor threw himself backward, landing on the mushy dirt behind him and giving his horse a mighty shove before falling backward. His stallion managed to get up the ridge, but Thor couldn’t find any purchase as he slid down. The first tree caught him in the arm, the second in the center of his back. He cried out though he didn’t mean to, for the pain was so great he could do nothing to suppress it. His hips flew over his head as he continued to fall and in the next moment he was on his belly staring up the ravine, though he couldn’t see with all of the dirt in his eyes. It was the third tree that stopped him, but also the one that connected with his skull. His vision went from blurred to black in an instant and all of the pain vanished in the rest of his body, though he did hear a rush of air leave his throat. But the rest of the world was gone from him, lost to the emptiness that had taken its place. An eternity passed, then a heartbeat. Then he heard Loki’s voice. “Thor? Wake up, you fool!” A smile flickered to the corners of his lips, but he couldn’t complete it for some reason. There was a warmth at his hand. “Thor, if you can hear me, please, do something.” Oh, he could hear. But his mouth wasn’t working and his vision was only just beginning to come back. So he took hold of the warmth at his hand, holding tight. It squeezed back and he heard soft noises that sounded like sobbing, but Loki never cried so it would have to be something else. “You’re a stupid fool,” Loki murmured after a few moments. There was a had at his cheek, easing him as his vision slowly came back.  “Never save your foolish steed before yourself, you oaf.” A quiet chuckle escaped Thor’s lips and he began to rub the side of Loki’s palm with his thumb. “We’re holding hands,” he slurred, trying to keep the smile on his lips. “We are doing much more than that,” Loki whispered close to his ear. Thor barely had time to register what was happening before their lips met. Perhaps a few missteps were good after all.

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