All of them were in black and white, ignored by the characters around them. Everyone around them, were the people they knew, the people of Asgard. Yet, they were not. They were all blue. Loki had created an Asgard where everyone was a Jotunn runt. Instead of halls of glimmering gold, it was shimmering ice and crystal. Bands of rainbow colors sparkled from refracted light, and the shine of silver covered everything. Asgard was a perfect gorgeous winter wonderland. Gladsheim was a diamond palace. The people still dressed the same, though the preferred colors complemented the new prevalent skin color of the people. Ruby red that matched the eye color frequented the masses as did a specific shade of blue that matched the color of the skin. It gave the effect of making everyone look semi-nude.

That was what Thor's friends noticed first. What Thor noticed first, was the smell. This world, the very air smelled of lavender and Loki. He was here, somewhere. He knew it. Thor felt so relieved he became giddy. He ran, first to Loki's chambers, only they were not Loki's chambers anymore. It was just a guest room and that puzzled him.

"It's the middle of the day Thor. If this is his perfect version of the world, he wouldn't be hiding in his room. He would be out, enjoying himself." Sif said.

"Of course. You're right. What would Loki enjoy doing in the middle of the day?"

"The sparring yard maybe?" Fandral asked.

"Loki never enjoyed sparring." Thor said.

"In our world, but that was because everyone was bigger and stronger than him. This is his world and his rules. Here, he can be the best at everything." Sif said.

"You're right, though I still doubt he will be there. But it is just as good a starting place to look as any." Thor said. They walked the familiar paths, the same yet different. Seeing the people they knew in a brand new skin was a novelty. Thor noticed the guard uniform and armor was different, reflecting bits of Jotunn culture mixed with Asgardian. It was elegant, like a crafted dagger. Gone were the ridiculous horns of the Einherjar. Their new helmets were sleek, like the head of an eagle with a long swirling pattern molded into the metal. Their chest plates no longer mimicked the anatomy it was protecting but instead displayed the Jotunn blood lines of each individual soldier. No two chest plates were alike. It was both beautiful and a practical way to identify a person, if one knew how to read the bloodline.

The one departure from true Jotunns that Thor noticed was that the people of this world were still split into male and female. Loki, like all real Jotunns, were intersexed. They reached the sparring yard and though Loki was not there, Sif was, along with the others.

Thor's friends gazed at their Jotunn counterparts in amazement. Volstagg was a bit thinner but still large, and his black beard was groomed much nicer and more neatly. Fandral oddly, still had blonde hair. He was the only one that did. Everyone else had black hair.

"Ha! Look at you!" Sif said as she looked at his other self.

"I guess he couldn't imagine me without my amazing golden hair." Fandral said with a cocky grin.

"I guess not." Thor chuckled. "I'll probably still have blonde hair too then."

"That's right! There will be another version of you here." Volstagg said.

"I know where Loki is." Thor said.

"Where?" Sif asked.

"This is his world. He's King. He'll be in the throne room."

"Of course, you're right. We should have guessed that." Fandral said. They walked back towards the palace, gazing out at the snow covered rooftops of the city as they did so. Everything sparkled in a new pristine way. Though it was cold, it was not bitterly so. The snow everywhere was white and clean and soft.

When they reached the throne room they were surprised to find Odin there, still on the throne, still king. But he too was Jotunn and Thor noticed that the lines on his breast plate resembled the lines on Loki's chest. Frigga appeared and she looked marvelous. Her hair was still red, though a deeper shade of ruby to match her eyes. She wore a woman's breastplate over her gown and her bloodlines too were reminiscent of Loki's.

"I don't understand. Who wouldn't want to be king of their own universe?" Hogun asked.

"Being King doesn't matter to Loki, but being a prince does. In this world Loki is not the adopted son. Look at their bloodlines. Loki's look like that. I remember them from childhood." Thor said.

"So in this world, if Loki is their biological child, what does that make you?" Sif asked. The pieces clicked together for Thor and he smiled.

"Come with me." He said. He walked to a far wall to a tapestry and pulled it aside. Everything here was the same as the real Asgard. The only change was aesthetics. Hidden behind the tapestry was a door leading to a narrow hallway. Only the royal family used it. They entered the space and grabbed an unlit torch from the wall. Thor, using his lightning, made a spark to light the torch aflame. With this they navigated their way through the black passageway.

Thor's friends followed him, glad that he appeared to know where he was going. Thor stopped for a moment, unsure at first.

"I think this is it." He whispered.

"Where are we?" Sif asked.

"My chambers, or what would be my chambers." Thor pressed on the door, opening it a crack and listened. They heard voices and something else. The sound of wood creaking. It took them a moment to make sense of it, until they realized that what they were hearing was the sound of Loki, singing. Thor pressed his eye to the slit in the door and his heart stopped.

It was him, the real him, but he wasn't alone. Loki was in a rocking chair and behind him was his other self. He looked exactly the same. Pink skin, blue eyes, golden hair. He wasn't Jotunn at all. This Thor was no different in appearance from himself. It pleased him, though he couldn't say why. But even that revelation could not compare to the other thing he saw. In Loki's arms, was a newborn child. Loki was a mother.

His hair was plaited and had green ribbons and red roses weaved into it. He was wearing a robe that was tailored to perfection, yet loose in the key areas new mothers needed them to be. Loki's face was one of pure bliss as he cradled his child in his arms, while his husband overlooked them both with obvious affection.

Jealousy ripped through Thor when he saw his other self so joyful and content. More than ever, he wanted Loki for himself.

"…baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby you're mine." Loki crooned to the child. Loki rose from the rocking chair and placed the child in the bassinet. The other Thor's arms wrapped around him from behind and nuzzled his neck.

"Mmm. You look ravishing." He said to Loki.

"You've been so patient since the baby was born. I think I'm healed up enough now. We can make love again." Loki said.

"How long do you think he will sleep for?"

"Just long enough to interrupt us at the worst possible moment." Loki chuckled. Thor did too.

"Then we better hurry." The other Thor said. In the hidden passage, Thor and his friends watched through the small crack. When the couple fell onto the bed embracing and kissing. Thor pulled back prompting the others to do the same.

"Lad, this is a private affair. We will go find something to do while you and Loki talk." Volstagg whispered. They took the torch from Thor and went back the way they came. Thor remained by the door listening as Loki engaged in pillow talk with his fictional self.

"Mmm. Eager to fill my womb again I see."

"Always darling. I love your rounded form."

"And I love you." Loki said. In all his years he'd never seen Loki smile like that, and certainly not at him like he was now with this fictional version of himself. Clothes were being shed, and Thor debated on whether or not to interrupt them. He ultimately decided not to. He wanted to see what kind of sex Loki enjoyed.

He dared to open the crack in the door a little wider, confident that Loki was thoroughly distracted. Thor marveled at Loki's physique. Gone was the waif thin untoned bean pole. Here was a man that got regular exercise in the training yards. Unafraid and unashamed to take his shirt off. The skin on his stomach was not loose from recent childbirth like he expected. It dawned on Thor then, that the child was not real either. He saw the raised lines on his skin crisscross and swirl across his flesh. He'd used his marks and extrapolated slightly different versions for Odin and Frigga.

Thor saw it then. The other Thor's dick. It didn't look like his at all. First of all, where was the hair? And where were the veins? It was an elegant dick to be sure, but it wasn't accurate. It was a nice sized dick (his was still bigger, slightly, he hoped). It was when Loki shifted position that he understood. It was Loki's dick, identical save for being pink instead of blue. Loki didn't have any body hair, and the lack of chest hair and leg hair on the other Thor made sense.

Loki was straddling him, and how he wanted to be the one really beneath him. He listened to the muted sounds of their coupling, kept muffled to keep the baby from waking. Loki's mouth hung agape as he rode his cock, enraptured and enthusiastic. His braid swung around wildly with his body movements. Bronzed hands stroked blue skin, teasing nipples and pumping a purple prick flush with blood.

They climaxed together perfectly. Of course they did. Loki fell down and curled up next to him, sighing contented and sated. Thor felt dirty then. He was about to ruin Loki's happiness. He was going to rip him away from a place where he felt loved and accepted by everyone. The real Asgard would never give him that, he knew it. All he could do was offer him his whole heart and hope it was enough. Thor took a deep breath and opened the door.

Loki sat up, alarmed at first and then horrified. The fictional Thor couldn't see him. All he saw was that the door to the hidden hallway had yawned open.

"Don't worry darling. I'll get it." He kissed Loki's temple and hopped out of bed. Thor got out of the way as his double walked past him. Loki stared at him, his eyes sad yet defiant. He would not leave without a fight.

"Get rid of him." Thor said. Loki waved his hand and just like that, Thor's double disappeared like a mirage.

"How did you find me?"

"Through trial and error and a great deal of searching. Do you have any idea the heartache you have caused?"

"No I don't. Tell me Thor, how long did it take for you to even notice I was missing?"

"Mother noticed. Three months." Thor admitted. Loki huffed.

"Then I was right to come here. I won't go. You can't make me."

"No, but our mother can. Father can. They know the ways of magic that I do not."

"I WAS FINALLY HAPPY!" Loki screamed at him. "You cannot make me return! I won't! There is nothing for me there." Loki was up, standing naked but defiant, and fist shaking in the air. He woke the baby. Loki grabbed a nearby robe and pulled it over him before heading to the bassinet.

"I have a family here Thor. A real family. I have a child and a husband who loves me. Parents who love me. A country that loves me. You have nothing that I want."

"It isn't real Loki, and you're wrong." Thor said, walking to his side to look down upon their fictional child. It was a girl, with ice blue skin, blue eyes, and white hair. She was lovely. "I watched you make love. I have stumbled through book after book looking for you, and I learned a few things." Thor said. Loki turned round, with the babe in his arms and looked him in the eye.

"I did this to you. I pushed you away, and I did it for the most tragic of reasons. I've been in love with you too. I told myself that I couldn't have you, because you were my brother, or that is what Frigga insisted that I hold in my heart. I neglected you, distanced myself from you because being so close to you and not being able to hold you was too painful a burden to bear. I am sorry Loki. I caused you this pain. A pain so deep and consuming you had to manufacture this place to survive. But you cannot stay here love. The child in your arms isn't real and neither is the man that was just in your bed. I am real. I am flesh and blood and I am here to tell you that I love you. I am here to tell you that I would have you just as you are, in my arms, in my bed, and full with my child. But you must come home with me. Mother and Father are both sick with worry. In all my years I've never seen Odin cry…mother isn't eating."

Loki's bottom lip trembled as he looked down at his daughter.

"I am a mother too! Can't you see that? I love her."

"I love you. I didn't understand the nature of that love until my recent misadventures through the world of Hagrid, Juliet, Edith Cushing, and Cinderella's handsome prince. I learned more about you as you pretended to be someone else than I ever did just spending time with you. I learned more about myself, wearing dressing and being courted by men that looked like you. I was made vulnerable. I was open and raw beneath the touch of a phantom that bore your face, and I loved it. I would know that experience again, but with you, not some illusion conjured from dust and parchment."

Loki was shocked that Thor would confess to being taken, being made ergi during the course of his search for him. His heart ached as his grip tightened around the little bundle in his arms. He couldn't let her go. Tears fell from his eyes.

"I'm not a freak here. Everyone here looks just like me. Everyone here practices magic. I'm the heir to the throne not you! I'm the pride of Asgard. No amount of love from you will ever make it so back home." Loki said.

"That is true, and I am sorry. The real world cannot compete with perfection Loki, and you cannot stay here. But I promise you, when we return, things will be different. I will make it so."

"How?"

"I will take up seidr to start. Father and Mother both wield it, and pretending that Mjolnir is somehow different is a foolish lie I've been telling myself for years. I will build for you your own private gym so that you may train away from the prying eyes of judgmental onlookers. I will declare my love for you." Thor said. He took a step forward to close the distance between them. "And when they insult you and call you ergi, I will tell them that they are insulting me as well, for there is no pleasure that I would deny my husband. Ours will be an equal marriage bed."

Loki fell into Thor's arms and cried. It was a dream come true, one he'd never thought he'd see.

"Do you swear it?" Loki asked, doubtful and fearful his brother was only telling him what he wanted to hear.

"I swear it. I will marry you Loki, with or without Father's approval. Though I dare say he'll be so happy to see you he'll deny you nothing."

"I want babies. Lots of them." Loki said as he looked down at his perfect little girl. He placed her in her bassinet. She cooed and smiled at him. It hurt to say goodbye.

"I am sorry love, but it is time to go."

"I'm coming back to visit her. I won't give her up." Loki said.

"Everyone needs a sanctuary. I will strive to make ours a true one for you." Thor said. "Take us home Loki."

With his heart full of sadness, fear, and doubt; Loki closed his eyes and let the world around them melt away. The sound of several voices yelling filled his ears and when they all landed in his library Loki was surprised to see Sif and the Warriors Three.

"Were they in there too?" Loki asked Thor.

"Yes." Fandral said. "I must say Loki, you created for us the most memorable adventure we've ever had. Your brother looks quite fetching in petticoats and a full skirt."

Though Fandral was trying to get a laugh, Loki looked scandalized.

"Were they with you in the hallway?" Loki asked… (watching me fuck?) went unsaid.

"No." Thor said, not elaborating.

"We were busy exploring the ice palace. It was very pretty." Sif said, being uncharacteristically nice to him.

"Thank you." He gave her a sidelong glance.

"I must take you to mother and father. They'll be overjoyed at your return." Thor said. They left the library quickly and made the long walk to the royal chambers. Loki shifted uncomfortably in his clothing. He was back in his real clothes that he hadn't worn in months. The stiff leather was uncomfortable against his skin.

Servants and soldiers alike rumbled at the sight of him. Slowly a cheer arose from the people, letting out a happy sound that their lost prince had returned. Loki had not expected the welcome. Thor knocked on his parent's chamber door and entered without waiting for a reply. It was a breach of protocol but they wouldn't care.

"Thor? What are you…LOKI!" Frigga ran to her son and threw her arms around him, sobbing fat tears into his shoulder. Odin came shuffling out of the bathroom with his toothbrush still in hand. His robe was hanging open and he had on house shoes. Far from looking like the King of Asgard, he looked like a withered old man, with a beer belly that was foaming at the mouth. He looked undignified and he didn't care.

"My boy!" Odin shouted as spit and toothpaste seeped into his beard. Loki felt guilty and conflicted. Where was all this attention and affection before he disappeared? Frigga cupped his face in her hands.

"Promise me you'll never run away again."

"I promise mother." Loki said. Odin hugged him, smelling like spearmint.

"Where were you?" Frigga asked.

"Yes, where did you go? We searched high and low for you." Odin said.

"Mother, Father. If I may, there are things that need to be said and a conversation that this family needs to have that is long overdue." Thor said. He grabbed Loki's hand and held it. Thor looked at them meaningfully and guided everyone to the table where they usually ate breakfast together. The servants would arrive soon with the meal and the timing was good. They had a lot to discuss.

"I think it is high time some confessions were made and some actions taken to rectify a situation that is no longer tenable." Thor began.

XxXxXxXx

Once upon a time, in a golden city high up in the clouds there was a prince. The prince was blue in everything he did. His skin was blue, his heart was blue, and his soul was blue. For he was a sad and lonely man. He was in love with another prince, the golden prince whom he never dared dream would be his. He fled, searching for happiness elsewhere. The golden prince became sad in his absence and searched for him. When he found the blue prince he professed his love and the blue prince returned with him. They married and had seven children. On the sad day when their father died they ascended to the throne and ruled side by side. Their love was strong and the envy of the lived happily ever after.

The End