The next weeks were not pleasurable at all, for Loki. After their last encounter he had only caught glances of Thor through the palace corridors and halls. Every time they crossed each other's path, Thor would favor him with huge, panicky eyes, the entirety of his body going still before stepping gingerly back toward the nearest exit, be it door or window. The situation only worsened with the growing of his belly. To say that Loki was feeling betrayed, would have been an understatement.

"Yous mustn't tax yourself so, Prince Loki. It is not good for the cub." the old Augur said, patting condescendingly Loki's swollen stomach and receiving only a growled "I despise you" for his troubles. To Loki's dismay, the ancient man, seemed not to have heard a thing and kept mixing herbs and powdered gems in a wooden cup. Loki huffed from his reclined position on the table in the middle of the room, this kind of appointments were becoming almost daily, the sages had insisted to follow his pregnancy as close as possible to ensure that everything would go smoothly.

"Your brother's recovery too is proceeding egregiously. He is now fully capable of wielding a fork and he has kept his clothes on for at last a fortnight!"

"Like I care for that bumbling, egoistical fool!" Loki snapped even thought his words were kind of softened by the memory of his older brother running around the Feasting Hall naked, chased by a squad of maids with his clothes and two guards.

"Yes," the old man said, almost like he was reading Loki's thoughts. "he spent a little too much time in his... Furry form, I fear, but nothing that will interfere with his life and duties. As long as he can refrain himself to relieve his bladder on the Queen's favorite rosebush." Loki glared at the Augur when he laid the cup on the top of his belly, blinking owlishly.

"I'll be back in a moment, it seems we are out of sassafras!"

Loki let his head fall heavily against the table and groaned.

Loki had been relieved when the sages had told his that his pregnancy wold have gone accordingly to the one of a real wolf, this meaning he would have been rid of the squirming creature in his gut after just two months of carrying it. But now, thirty days from the beginning, he was starting to regret his initial relief.

The skin of his abdomen was stretching painfully and unseemly stretch marks had started to mar it. Walking become difficult with the sudden weigh dropped on his pelvis and the consequent widening of his hips, he could swear that he had felt his iliums crack apart while descending a flight of stairs. The pain so sudden, he had almost tumbled to the ground if it wasn't for two strong arms encircling his neck and dragging him up. He had turned, red faced and wheezing, to face Thor. The intense blue of his bother's eyes was boring into his owns, he looked almost surprised, like he had been the one tumbling to a very painful death/paralysis and not Loki. With his mouth open in wonder, he had pressed his large, warm hands to the heavy curve of Loki's stomach, the strong fingers digging in his flesh like he was trying to touch the living creature inside of him.

From that day on, someone started to leave dead squirrels -and sometimes rabbits- in front of the door to his chambers. And someone had started to pee on his flowerbed of medicinal plants.

The first pain struck him in the middle of the main corridor of the West Wing. With one hand against the wall to support his weight, Loki stumbled on ward, the intervals between the contractions still long enough to permit him to walk. He had to reach the Healers, he had to- A sudden stabbing pain between his legs robbed him of his breath.

Stumbling ungracefully he went on, his sight tunneled, all his concentration set toward keep walking and ignoring the pain. Another stab between his thighs had him gritting his teeth and digging his nails into the stone wall.

"Brother, you are bleeding." Thor's voice came to him through the sudden tinnitus in his ears. When he looked downward he let loose a shout of shock. There was blood on his legs and on the floor, a blood too dark to be the one meant to be lost with the amniotic fluid during the birth.

Strong, burning hands gripped his wrists, forcing him to walk, every move of his hip joints sending frissons of pain toward his spine. Whenever he doubled over due to a fresh contraction Thor kept pulling at him, almost dragging him, his boots slipping on his own blood coloring the floor red.

"Where are- ungh- where..." a sudden spike of adrenaline numbed the pain, Thor wasn't leading him to the Healing Wings, he was dragging Loki toward his private chambers. The sorcerer tried to dig his feet in the marble floor, tried to claw at the hands holding his bony wrists but Thor kept on dragging him with barely a grunt of pain.

"What are you doing?! I'm dying, oh Gods, I'm dying! I need a healer!" when finally they barged into Thor's room Loki was sent skidding on the floor while Thor hurried to lock his doors.

Groaning in pain Loki clutched at his quacking belly. He was almost mindless with fright when he undid the fastening of his breeches to pull them off. He was able to free only one leg, but when he looked toward his bother to ask his help with the other one, the words died on his tongue. Thor was still pressed against the shut doors of his chambers, perfectly still, wide, unseeing eyes trained in Loki's general direction. He wasn't going to get any help.

Loki almost laughed when, in his desperation, wished for the old Augur's presence. He took a deep breath and then, with trembling fingers, reached behind his testicles, where the blood was coming from. Where there used to be the smooth skin of his perineum now was a bloody gash, Loki let out a partially relieved, partially terrified sob and prepared himself to start pushing.

All through his ordeal the only comfort had been his bother's unblinking eyes at the other end of the room, when the squirming creature had started to came out tearing his already raw flesh he had stretched out a hand toward Thor, his sight blurry with tears of pain and fear, but the older Aesir had not moved an inch from his perch against the doors. He had closed his outstretched palm with a keen, his nails biting the flesh of his hand and with a last push and a scream, the full amniotic sac was out of him in a rush of endorphines and fluids.

He came to when a hot, wet hand touched his bare knee. Slowly he craned his neck, searching until he saw a snare of matted fur wriggling blindly on the floor. The lupine creature had rid himself of the amniotic sac almost completely, the sheet of tissue still wrapped around the cub's hind legs and trailing after it. Loki felt a wave of nausea crash over him when his "baby" reached the expelled placenta lying on the marble floor and stared to eat it with already formed teeth.

The hand on his knee pulsed, reminding Loki of it's presence. He teared his sight away from the feeding wolf and let it drop between his spread legs. Here was Thor, a fond, soft smile was curving his lips while he watched his son with loving blue eyes.

"You did well" Thor said suddenly, his handsome face turning to look at Loki. He tried to shift away when the God of Thunder lowered himself, his bearded face levelled with his newly formed opening. Thor moved his tongue gently over his shredded flesh, cleaning way blood and fluid with his mouth and caressing Loki's thighs with his broad hands. Loki closed his eyes covering them with his forearm and letting his tears wet the dark green sleeve, he concentrated on the feeling of Thor's tongue gently cleaning him and ignored the smell of blood and the chewing sounds of his newborn son.

He let a shudder run through him when the wide stripe of his brother's tongue raced his crack, the lapping sound of his mouth lulling him in a strange trance-like state.

Filling his lungs with the coppery smell of blood, Loki finally spoke.

"Fenrir"

And no one answered him.

Well, this is the end, my lovelies. Thanks for reading! I'm kind of sorry I did not had the patience to expand the "courting" part, where Thor behaves like an adorable puppy but... Alas! I'm lazy. Actually I would be kind of ecstatic if someone were to "pick up the torch" on that, eheh!