Loki stared at the memorial with unseeing eyes.
He would have preferred Thor be taken back to Ásgarð for a proper funeral, but noone could lift Mjölnir....and Loki knew how much that hammer had meant to his brother.
Instead, he lied here, on the very backwater planet that had caused his demise.
They'd constructed the courtyard of his Miðgarðian palace around the grave. After Óðin awakened, he and Frigga came down, and she planted a variety of flowers in the space.
Loki's relationship with his adopted father had ironically improved after Thor's death. The all-father was determined not to lose another son, and fully supported his reign over the mortals. Overall, things were going rather well for Góð of Mischief.
He hated every second of it.
Loki would give up the throne, Óðins approval, everything....if he could just have Thor back. All he wanted was one more moment with him, to see him, talk to him, hold him.....
Maybe even tell Thor how he really felt.
For centuries Loki had loathed himself, feeling wrong for loving the Thunder Góð in a way that was far from brotherly. While part of him had been deeply hurt to find out he was simply another stolen relic, the rest of him was relieved. He wasn't warped or broken, which meant he could finally be with the man he loved the way he wanted to.
But those dreams were gone now. They'd been shattered by an unhinged human who'd used Thor as collateral damage in his quest for vengeance.
Still, Loki could not lay all the blame on the other man, much as he wanted to. It was his idea to lead the frost giants into the vault, and he was the one who goaded Thor into going to Jötunheim. But if he'd known it would lead to this......
With a yell of disgust, he threw his spear to the ground and sank to his knees. The sky opened up and pelted him with rain, as if the Thunderer was crying along with him.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...I never wanted any of this to happen...I just... I just wanted...."
Loki shook and sobbed as the storm got harsher. He wiped the tears from his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision, and gently laid his hand upon the hammer.
"I just wanted you, Thor, that's all I ever wanted. None of this is worth anything if you're not by my side...I..."
He took a deep, shuddering breath, then let out the secret he'd kept for so long.
"I love you, Thor...far more than one should love a brother, but I do, and I always will."
Suddenly, sparks of light ran along his fingertips. Loki felt his eyes widen as the entire hammer started to give off a blue glow. He slid his hand up and wrapped around the handle, then pulled....
And Mjölnir lifted off the ground.
The glow from the hammer got even brighter as he brought it towards his chest. Loki looked from it to the burial mound and decided to try something absolutely insane.
He stood up, hefted the hammer towards the sky, and summoned a lightning bolt that went straight through the ground and into Thor's coffin.
When it finished, the entire ground lit up before exploding in a cloud of dirt, knocking Loki off of his feet. He sat up and nearly choked as he saw a very much alive Thunder Góð crawling out of the hole. He scrambled to his feet and quickly went over and put his arms around Thor, who was on his hands and knees coughing up dirt.
"Lo...Loki?"
"It worked! I can't believe it! Oh Norns, you're back, you're really back."
Loki was wrapped so tightly around Thor, rocking him back and forth, that he didn't even notice that Mjölnir was still in his hand.
"Loki...what...what happened? All I remember is reaching for the hammer and then it all blurs out....was it all a dream?"
"More like a nightmare. I thought I'd lost you forever."
"Oh Loki, you could never.." Thor froze mid-speech when he felt the uru against his back,"Are you holding Mjölnir?"
Loki pulled back from embracing him and looked down at the weapon still in his hand.
"Yes, I suppose I am. Ironic that it would find me off all people worthy, eh?"
"I don't think so. You've always been worthy to me, Loki, always."
Thor touched Loki's hand over the handle and a bright flash of light enveloped them. When it faded, the Thunder Góð stood there, power fully restored, looking at Loki with an expression of awe.
"Loki....you conquered an entire world...just for me?"
"What? But how did you..."
"Mjölnir, she showed me everything," Thor said as he stepped closer to Loki, "including what you said right before reviving me."
"Are you angry?"
"No, although we do need to talk later about using plans that involve luring frost giants into vaults."
Loki looked at the ground in shame, but then Thor gently cupped his cheek and tilted his face upward until their eyes met.
"Even though your methods were questionable, you did the right thing. I was not, nor am I now, prepared to be a King. But if you'll permit me, I'd like to learn by your side."
"I would like that very much."
Thor smiled then leaned closer until they were mere centimeters away from each other.
"Can I tell you a secret, Loki?"
"Yes.."
"I love you too, alot more than I should. You're the best thing Father took from Jötunheim that day."
Then his lips were on Loki's, and the younger Góð lost all sense of reason as he was swept up in the storm of the other's passion. The storm gave one last, deafening thunderclap before the rain started to clear. It was as if the Norns themselves were giving their approval.
When they finally parted, Loki leaned against Thor's chest, smiling at the strong heartbeat pounding in his ear.
"I suppose this means that I'll have to give the Earth back to the mortals."
"Nay, I think they could do with some proper leadership for awhile. We'll transition it back in a few centuries, that should be long enough."
"Long enough for what, exactly?"
Long enough for us to take over as ruler of the entire nine realms, my King."
Loki looked up at him with a mischevious grin.
"I think I'm going to like hearing you call me that."
"I think I'll enjoy saying it to you....especially in our bed chambers, tonight."
Loki's cheeks flushed Crimson at Thor's boldness, causing the other man to laugh out loud.
"Come, my love, let us head home, I'm sure Heimdall is informing them of my return to the land of the living as we speak."
"Among other things."
He smiled and shook his head before grabbing Loki's hand. As they headed out of the courtyard to the bifröst site, the Trickster sent a silent thank you to the heavens for giving him another chance.
This time, he'd be sure not waste it.