Thor is NOT stupid. But he does speak without thinking sometimes, or considering the true weight of his words. And Loki, being Loki, doesn't hesitate to provide backlash.

In case you couldn't tell, this is earlier in my established Thor/Jotun Loki world, before they become fond of each other. Necessary backstory! Not really. I just wanted to write this XD It gave me a chance to delve away from the fluff for a while.

As always, feedback is desired and appreciated! Also, Marvel isn't my property.

If there was one thing Thor had discovered about his consort to be, it was that Loki was far too clever for his own good. And he possessed a keen knack for vanishing into thin air whenever it best suited him, which tended to be quite often. Much like now. Thor had intended to show him around Asgard, as it was to be his home from henceforth, yet the troublesome Jotun was nowhere to be found! He'd searched high and low, looking in practically every corner of the palace, only for his mother to point out that Loki might have taken the task of exploration upon himself, and wouldn't it be wiser for him to search outside?

Frigga was clearly fond of the little minx. But Thor would have been a fool not to take her advice, so to the gardens he'd gone. Now here he was, and his blue eyes scoured across what was essentially a walled in grove thriving with lively plant life. There were carefully groomed bushes and tender blossoms with the most delicate of petals, which even now served to bring a fond smile to his lips. He'd played here often as a child, when his fists were still small and forever wrapped around his mother's skirts. It was certainly one of his fondest memories. In the years of late he'd rarely stepped foot out here though, too wrapped up in his training to think of such trivialities.

Seeing how it flourished now, Thor couldn't help feeling nostalgic. He did have a purpose for venturing here though, and he cast his eyes across the emerald grass and towering trees with their leaves of jewels, searching for any sign of his wayward consort. "Loki?" Thor left the garden steps and trekked deeper into the familiar surroundings. "Loki!"

The Norns had truly graced him with a most troublesome bride. Thor hadn't expected a beauteous runt with magic when his engagement was announced, but neither had he expected for Loki to be such a handful. Their first meeting had not been the smoothest exchange, Thor admitted this. He'd hardly thought it so terrible that Loki would forever be wary of conversation though. The Jotun seemed never happy to speak with him, and when they did exchange words, it was ever with the taint of sarcasm barbing his tongue. Thor had yet been able to ask of Loki a single question without having it brushed aside, as if it were too troublesome for him to answer. It was surprisingly disconcerting. Thor made play at being kind, but Loki didn't appear to care. Mayhap the stories were true, and his heart was incapable of housing those more tender emotions. The Jotnar were not known for their kindness.

A quiet rustling above his head caught his attention, pulling him from his revelry. Thor turned his gaze upwards and stared at the sun drenched bower of leaves, though no shape was immediately discernible within them. Yet he felt it. Something was there-or someone. "If you mean to hide from me, you chose a clever spot. You are all but naked to my wandering eye." Thor put forth a smile and pushed aside one of the drooping branches. "Enough games, trickster. Will you not come forth and show yourself?"

There was a grueling moment of silence that left the thunderer wondering if he had only imagined Loki's presence. He waited, impatience growing, only for the quiet to break with a silvery laugh that hailed from the branch just to his left. "Your senses are surprisingly acute, for one untrained in the art of seidr." A wash of glittering viridian spilled across the bark and revealed his azure skinned consort resting against the tree's trunk, one leg draped across the branch, the other propped up in a manner that allowed Thor to glimpse his black nails. "You knew I was here." Loki sat up and eyed him with what he supposed constituted a smile, despite its wary edges. "How?"

"It was a feeling. I somehow knew that I was not alone, and yours was the only missing presence that I sought." Thor gave him a smile of his own, craning his head back to better see. Jotun or not, Loki was a most comely creature. He'd been lucky in that the fates had decided to grant him a future queen that was pleasing to look upon. "Forgive me the crudeness of my words. I am not adept at explaining myself."

Loki snorted, leaning back against the trunk. "Even a mute could discern that much."

There it was. More of the icy nature Thor was growing accustomed to. Loki's tongue was somehow dulled though, lacking its usual sting. It was an unusual thing to take notice of, and he couldn't help but grasp onto it with burgeoning hope. Like it or not, he and Loki were destined to wed before summer's end. Thor wanted them at the very least capable of civil conversation before they were bound for all eternity.

"Do you intend to spend all morn skulking about the trees? I had hoped to show you the city today, that you might see what your new home has to offer." Not the type to avoid touch, no matter whom it was he shared words with, Thor offered his hand to the trickster and gestured for him to come down, a welcoming smile touching his lips. "Surely it will be more exciting than having your spine and palms all scratched up by bark?"

"Mm. You would think that, wouldn't you?" Loki looked at Thor with a frown, making no move to take his hand. Nor did he reject it though. That was something else Thor couldn't help noticing. Minute details, but all the same important. "I have seen what your city has to offer, Odinson. It is as prestigious as your golden fortress, and equally welcoming too." Shifting about on the branch, Loki suddenly jumped from his perch and landed on the grass with all the grace of a cat, pupils dilating under the full rays of the sun. He squinted and turned his attention to Thor, sweeping aside his proffered hand in favor of closing the gap between them and fully staring up into the thunderer's gaze. This close, Thor could see that Loki's was not crimson, as he had imagined, but the color of fire rubies, gleaming more brightly than the coveted jewel itself under the morning sun. It was a startling contrast against his frosted skin. "You stare at me."

"Aye." Thor answered without preamble. Was it not the truth? "We've spent little time together since the bifrost, and I would know my intended's face. You offer much to admire, Loki." He watched that mouth grow soft at the corners, the mere beginnings of a smile. Ah, so Loki was not unflappable after all. "Would that all the Jotnar resembled you, our stories might have taken a different turn," Thor praised, lifting Loki's hand to his lips. He'd barely touched the cool skin before it was ripped away, and lilting laughter burned his ears.

"I could say the same of you, but yours is a countenance well versed in our tales." A saccharine smile was directed unto him, whatever softness he'd witnessed quickly vanished and replaced with the mask of false decency Loki wore so skillfully. "Jotunheim has not forgotten the mighty Aesir. Our stories are forged in ice and snow, harbored in the memories of all those who traversed the days of old. When Laufey told me I was to wed Odin's first borne, I imagined a muscle bound brute that would sniff about my heels like a hungering dog seeking its next meal. Now here you are." Loki wrenched his hand away, poison wet on his wagging tongue. "You should be proud. You live up to your reputation, Odinson."

Norns be damned! If he but had Mjolnir at his side, Thor would teach the little Jotun some manners. He dared insult him so recklessly, when all he'd wished for was some sort of camaraderie between them! "And what more to your stories speak of, I wonder?" Thor muscled in closer and bared his teeth at the smaller prince. He had tried kindness. Now let Loki see his ire. "Did they foretell your ill temper as well? You spout poison, when I only sought to court peace!"

"Peace? Is that what you call it?" Loki's dark brow hitched upwards, his only pure sign of shock. "You might yet prove yourself a greater fool than I could have ever thought possible. Speak ill of my race and kin, if that gives you pleasure. Your words are meaningless to me. But you lie to yourself if you really believe that there will ever come a time when I look upon you with naught save disgust in my eyes!" With a callous shove he pushed past Thor and hurried towards the garden steps, his bare feet making no noise on the golden stone. Thor didn't even have a chance to go after him before Loki was gone, leaving him standing there with his temper in flames, and the hunger to fight burning alongside it.

"Stubborn little wretch…" Thor felt the ache of a storm summoned beginning to caress his fingertips, and he cast his eyes upward to watch the iron grey clouds sweep across the sky. It was bleak, the perfect match for his unsettled heart. He had only tried to pay tribute to his consort, and Loki had thrown it back in his face as if the words gave him harm! Was he so unused to compliments that he would turn on them so? Surely a beauty such as his was as infamous in Jotunheim as it was here, in Asgard? Thor didn't understand the offense. All he knew was that his words had caused the Jotun to lash out at him with all the poise of a feral beast, his tongue crueler than any blade. It was confounding. Grunting softly, he stood there as the rain began to fall in a silvery sheet around him, drenching the once golden grove in a shroud of shadows. It was a fitting testament to his mood, and the questions lurking in his heart. He didn't understand what he'd done wrong….