Burke Institute

Chapter Four

The corridor was dark, shadows cast along the walls. It was a good thing for Thor, because it worked to his advantage. Stepping carefully along the white porcelain tile, he counted silently as his eyes flickered from number to number until he reached his destination: room one-twenty-one. His hand moved forward until it touched cool metal, and he turned the knob slowly, attempting to make the least amount of noise possible. Now that he thought about it, he found it quite irrational that he was struggling to remain so quiet when he was the only one on guard duty. The overnight nurses were most likely entertaining themselves in the back rooms, and none of the patients would be walking around at this hour. Presumably, he had no reason to be sneaking around like he was. Still, he pushed the door open as quietly as he could and peered into the dim room.

Loki was lying on his side, sheets pulled up to his shoulder, sleeping innocently. Thor stood in the doorway for a long moment, contemplating the plans he'd made and second-guessing himself. Common sense began to sink in and he realized how absurd his idea was. He would have shut the door and continued his rounds about the building, had Loki not sat up.

"... Thor?" His voice was muffled by drowsiness as he rubbed his eye with the back of his hand. Thor, caught red-handed, pushed the door open once more with a defeated sigh.

"My apologies, Loki. I did not mean to wake you; I was simply checking on you," he mumbled, stepping back to shut the door in front of him. "Goodnight."

"Don't go."

His voice was sharper now as he sat up completely in his bed. Thor gazed at him for a moment. Finally, he stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind his back. All was silent for a long moment, and then Loki slid his legs out from under the sheets and stood, padding with bare feet over to Thor. "Is something wrong...?"

The blond hesitated, gazing at the raven-haired man in the dimness of the room. Those emerald eyes still shone, even with no real light reflecting in them. Thor swallowed. "Nothing is wrong. I just... Wanted to speak with you about something."

Loki's expression was skeptical, with a matching tone to boot. "At three in the morning?" Thor grimaced slightly, but Loki smiled gently. "Well... Talk to me, then. Come." A cool hand slid into Thor's larger one and pulled him over to the bed, where the smaller man sat. Thor sank to sit beside him, glancing down at their hands.

"Loki... Did they ever tell you how long you would be here, in this institute?"

Almost immediately, Loki's expression fell. He lowered his eyes, staring at Thor's chest. "No."

"No time frame at all?" Loki shook his head, and Thor frowned. "What do they do to help you?"

The dark-haired man shrugged. "Verbal therapy, pills that don't work. When I first arrived, they used to give me shocks."

"... Do you mean electroshock therapy? With actual volts?" Loki merely nodded, avoiding Thor's eyes, but the blond could only stare in disbelief. He was both relieved that they no longer performed such treatment on him, yet outraged that they had even executed such a technique on him in the first place.

"I don't want to talk about this," Loki said softly, breaking through Thor's thoughts. He blinked once, and then gently squeezed Loki's smaller hand in apology. "They don't do it anymore. I don't even think it is legal."

Thor shook his head. "I do not think this place is truly helping you, Loki."

"But you are."

The blond chuckled. "I am no therapist," he murmured, lifting his eyes to meet that emerald gaze. It stunned him into silence and he could not look away.

"You don't have to be. You listen. And you don't judge."

"That is all you truly need," Thor mumbled, lids slipping down as Loki inched closer. "Someone to listen, rather than ask questions."

Soft lips met Thor's for a brief moment. "Thank you," the ravenet whispered against his lips. Thor took the man's face in his large hands and kissed him; gently at first, but passion began to build between them very quickly. Before Thor could comprehend his own actions, his arms were wrapped around the dark-haired man's slim waist and Loki was straddling his thighs.

"Loki," Thor mumbled in warning as the other lowered his head, nose trailing along a chiseled jaw.

"Don't deny me of this, Thor," Loki whispered, breath skirting along heated skin. Dilated blue eyes slipped closed. "This is something I want; something I can finally have. You wouldn't deny me of that, would you?"

Thor was well aware that Loki was manipulating him; oh yes, he knew. He just didn't give a damn. As much as he realized this was not something he should do, his heart and lust overrode common sense. There was no going back now. He could not take back his love for the green-eyed man above him, and he could not cancel the desire that said green eyes ignited. This was the final threshold. Finger slid beneath the cotton shirt to smooth over cool porcelain skin in answer to Loki's words.

Loki allowed Thor to turn and lie him down on the bed. Surprisingly sane emerald eyes gazed up at Thor, almost mocking him; beckoning him. Lowering his head, the blond's hair shielded his face from Loki's view as hands lifted cotton up and eager lips pressed to cool, smooth skin. Loki's soft hum of appreciation reached Thor's ears, and it was all the encouragement he needed.

Lips continued to venture higher, occasionally nipping at the pale flesh beneath, until he sat back on his heels to pull the fabric over Loki's head. The ravenet obliged eagerly, lifting his arms to allow Thor to remove the piece of clothing. A soft sigh fell from the shorter man's lips before Thor leaned down to capture them once more, tugging at the plump lower lip in his teeth. Strong, calloused hands swept over flawless skin, exploring the foreign body below. His reactions were marvelous. The slightest touch caused him to arch up, clearly craving more, and the sounds that escaped him made Thor shudder. Not an inch of skin would be left untouched by the end of this night.

Lips, tongue and teeth found a sensitive spot at the base of Loki's neck. Determined to leave a mark upon what was now his, Thor suckled as Loki whimpered and writhed beneath him. Long-fingered hands grasped at muscular shoulders as a moan finally slipped from kiss-bruised lips. Thor's skin crawled at the noise, and he released Loki's neck to scoot down his body and tug at his pants. With a bit of maneuvering, they were discarded on the floor beside the bed, and Thor covered the bare body with his own. Loki pulled at the fabric clinging to Thor's torso, and Thor was quick to oblige the silent request. He tugged the uniform shirt up and over his head, tossing it to the side. Almost immediately, cool hands came up to touch the heated skin. Thor could only imagine that his chest must feel like fire to the other man.

"You're warm," Loki stated bluntly, mirroring Thor's thoughts. The blond chuckled breathlessly.

"So I have been told."

A slight smirk formed on Loki's face, and fiery jade eyes rose to meet Thor's. "Make me warm too," he hissed with newfound longing.

The growl that fell from Thor's lips did not sound human – in fact, he did not believe that it even came from his own mouth. Laying his body down, he wriggled his trousers off with Loki's help and hastily threw them aside. Descending on the ravenet once more, Thor bit down on Loki's collarbone with more fervor. The smaller man groaned, head falling back. It took Thor a moment to identify the hand trailing down his abdomen. Said cool hand wrapped around his length and Thor shuddered, surprised by Loki's boldness. He had not expected a virgin, per say, but he definitely had not expected the man to be so fearless whilst in the act. Nonetheless, Thor did not halt his ministrations. Teeth and tongue idly teased along his neck and clavicle until marks littered the once-flawless skin. Loki's hand continued to work him until Thor could stand it no longer. He pulled back, holding himself up as he stared at the raven-haired man.

"Loki," he whispered. He knew he should worry that others might hear them and whether he would lose his job or not. But, truthfully, the only thing he was worried around was whether he was taking advantage of Loki. "... Are you positive about this?"

Loki blinked once. "I may be crazy, but I know when I want something, Thor." Loki sat up, causing Thor to sit back as well. "And I want you."

The dark-haired man's words sent a shudder through Thor's body and he leaned forward to capture Loki's lips in a kiss.

"Then you shall have me."

Bringing his fingers to his mouth, Thor suckled on them for a brief moment before pushing Loki back to lie down again. He dropped his hand to circle the other man's entrance, watching his reaction. Loki bit his lower lip, eyes becoming slightly unfocused as Thor pushed his finger into him. His hands pressed flat against Thor's chest, fingers slowly curling to trace along the firm muscles of his abdomen. Thor felt the body beneath him respond to his strength, and he trapped Loki's body between his own and the mattress. With every prick of teeth or flick of his tongue, Loki's spine arched up into him and Thor felt his shivers. The heat between them was suffocating, but there was no stopping now. In one swift movement, Thor pulled Loki up to sit on his lap, his calves resting on bronzed thighs. Meeting those jade eyes, Thor felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as his arms came around the slighter man to lift him further onto his lap. He felt Loki draw in a deep breath before Thor's finger returned to its previous position inside the ravenet. He claimed swollen lips as his own before adding another finger alongside the first, allowing Loki to get used to this simple feeling first. Thor had no idea if Loki had ever been with another man before, but he did know that he was quite thick – even for a woman to take – and that he wanted to cause Loki the least amount of pain he could.

Finally, Thor pulled his fingers from the man's body, heart thumping against his ribs in anticipation. Loki gave a single nod, his eyes sheening with lust, and that was all Thor needed. Shifting, he guided his length upward, giving a small twitch as his tip brushed the man's entrance. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his hips up until his head pressed inside the other man. No longer needing his hand's assistance, he gripped Loki's slim hip instead. The feeling was indescribable. He was incredibly hot and impossibly snug. Hands gripped sturdy shoulders, nails biting into his skin, but Thor barely felt it. He pressed in further, mesmerized by the way Loki's spine arched to accommodate his large length.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he hilted within the smaller body. Loki emitted a whimper, eyes flickering up to meet Thor's, seemingly surprised that the blond was watching him. Thor tried not to make it obvious that he was dying to move.

"Are you... Alright?" he murmured, his voice sounding much more strained than he had intended it to. Loki nodded shortly. "Am I hurting you?"

"Stop being such a gentleman and move," Loki murmured, baring his teeth. Thor did not have to be asked twice.

His hands came to the other man's hips and carefully lifted him. Loki's face became slightly scrunched in discomfort, and Thor immediately pushed back into him once more, attempting to mend his mistake. Loki moaned softly, and Thor could not hide the grin that formed upon his face. A beat of sweat trickled down his back as he met Loki's eyes once more, slowly moving in and out of his body. His breath escaped him in a huff and he pushed Loki's hips down into his own, creating delicious friction that made them both utter sounds of pleasure. Unable to take any more, Thor gently pulled out of the other's body and laid him back on the bed. His eyes never left those pools of emerald as he lifted milky thighs up to his shoulders. In one swift movement, he filled Loki to the brim. The ravenet's head fell back against the pillows as he cried out. Thor lifted one hand to clamp it over Loki's mouth, narrowing baby blue eyes. "Shh. They'll hear."

They quickly became a tangled mess of sweaty limbs as Thor began to lose his rhythm, only able to see the man beneath him and comprehend bringing him and himself pleasure. He thrusted sharply, hips stuttering, but the inconsistency only added to the passion and fervor building between them. Thor pushed Loki's thighs further forward so his knees nearly touched his shoulders. He could tell by the ravenet's sounds that he was nearing his peak. He thrusted harder.

"Come on," he growled, struggling to focus on the man below him through vision blurred with desire. Loki's hand clamped around Thor's wrist.

"Th-... Thor!"

The body beneath him arched as the muscles around his length squeezed impossibly. It was too much. One, two more thrusts and he reached his limit, falling over the edge as he lowered his head to muffle his groan in Loki's shoulder. His hips twitched a few times involuntarily as white enveloped his vision for a brief moment, and then his body slumped. He felt all the air leave Loki's chest in a whoosh, and he used the last bit of strength left in him to push himself up, pull out, and flop beside the other man.

Ever so slowly, he caught his breath. Perhaps it was the fact that he had not slept much in the past few nights, or perhaps it was simply because he had just made love to the man he had fallen head over heels for, but Thor could barely keep his eyes open. Loki maneuvered his body so that Thor's head rested on his smaller chest, and the blond was just content enough to forget all other worries and drift off to sleep. 'Just a few minutes,' he told himself before unconsciousness grabbed hold of him.