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Loki pushes his front door open with his shoulder, toes off his shoes at the shoe rack and makes a beeline for the kitchen. His parents aren't home and he's glad because he doesn't want to explain his bad mood.
It's trivial, anyway, he thinks as he reaches into the pantry for the sugar and flour. Just a test that didn't go well. It's not a big deal, it won't impact his end-of-year marks much; but as always, his feeling of failure settles deep within his bones, clings tightly to his shoulders and threatens to make him fall to his knees.
A knocking at the kitchen window startles him from where he's leant over the table and he looks up to see Thor, grinning and oblivious as always.
"Can I come in?" Thor mouths, and Loki nods, attempting a watery smile. The back door creaks open and closed a moment later and then Thor's next to him, right in his space, those huge arms around him. (And they're both seventeen but Thor's always been a little taller and a lot more muscular but Loki likes it, loath as he is to say so). Thor makes quiet shhing sounds as Loki pushes his face into Thor's t-shirt and cries, feeling stupid and petty with his insignificant problems but completely drained at the same time.
It takes a few minutes for him to calm down but Thor doesn't let go.
"What's up?" he asks.
"Just... I had a test today and it went badly, and it counts towards my mark at the end of the year and my parents are expecting an eighty-five per cent average so I can get into the university I want and I'm just so disappointed."
"Baby, you're fine," Thor says, cupping Loki's face in his big, warm hands. "You've gotten nineties on all your other tests. A few mistakes won't make a huge difference. You'll have the marks to do anything you want to, don't worry." Loki sighs and hugs Thor again, kissing his neck.
"I know, but it doesn't stop me from worrying." They stand there entwined for a few minutes more, Thor's hands stroking up and down Loki's back and running through his hair.
"Help me make some cookies?" Loki whispers, and Thor laughs, then kisses Loki once more and turns on the oven.
They mix the ingredients, eat half the dough, then bake the cookies and curl up on the couch, licking melted chocolate off each other's lips. Loki sits closer to Thor than usual, pressing himself into the warmth of Thor's body, and Thor doesn't comment; only holds him tighter.