The Good 'Ol Days (Thor and Loki)

Equals (Loki's POV)

     It was a dark night in Asgard. Thunder was storming in the distance, the rain drenching whatever was left outside in the misty air. The winds were howling as the storm raged on, while Loki sat peacefully by the window. He gazed out over the realm, admiring its beauty. It looked gorgeous in the rain. Everything was shiny from the touch of the gleaming water pouring from the clouds above. It didn't usually storm this hard, and when it did it was typically Thor's doing. But tonight was different... He wasn't sure why this was happening but decided not to overthink the rare occurrence. Another beam of lightning struck down. This time, it landed on one of the village houses across the land. He saw a small flame go up but it was quickly dissolved into the ground as the rain hit, dissembling the flames.

     As he relished in the sight, he heard light footsteps approaching him. He knew it couldn't be his father, for he walked with weighty steps. Loki turned around to see a small, blonde headed boy walking in his direction. The boy gave a quick smirk in response to Loki's queer expression. "Hey" Loki mumbled as Thor came over and perched on the floor beside him, overlooking the kingdom. He wasn't quite sure why Thor had come over. After all, it was around two o'clock in the morning and Thor was known for his 'love for sleep'.  "What are you doing up?" Loki questioned. "Ah well, I couldn't sleep..! For after today how could I?" Thor's excited voice rang in Loki's ears as he looked out over the black abyss forming the sky, all stars covered by the raging thunderclouds.

    The children had just seen the Casket of Ancient Winters for the first time that morning, and Thor had become very eager. After hearing about all of his father's glorious victories, he had planned to wage war against the frost giants by following in his father's footsteps. His father had earlier clarified that a wise king would not seek out such things, but that didn't seem to phase Thor. Loki knew that when his brother wanted something, he usually fought for it and was willing to put others in danger if it was the price of doing what he beleived was right. Now this could be a great thing, thought Loki, but the blonde-headed boy didn't always follow the right path. He was bloodthirsty and loved fighting, regardless of the actual reason behind the battle.

    The two boys sat side by side in silence as the storm raged on. After a few minutes, a massive strike of lightning appeared, scourging the land around it. Thor smiled. "You know.. That's gonna be me someday..!" The raven-haired boy looked up. He smirked as he pondered "what, a heaping pile of ashes set on fire?" An offended Thor retorted, "No stupid, the lightning! One day, ill be the one creating it, causing the fires. I could create these storms at my will! When I'm king, I could have all my enemies electrocuted by a simple command to the sky!"

     Loki knew that his brother was going to be king. He could feel it deep down that he wasn't wanted at the throne, but that his blonde companion was. Plus, it didn't help that Odin was always favoring Thor over him anyway. He never said anything about it though, because he heard that that kind of behavior was normal when you are the younger sibling. As much as he tried to accept this, something about it just didn't seem right. And as much as he tried to hide it, it always hurt when his brother would talk about being king. It's not like Loki even wanted the throne that much. All he ever wanted was to be an equal to his brother, but it seemed as if the older boy wanted to come out on top. This thought hurt him. He did his best to conceal his emotions, but he couldn't help his eyes from tearing up. He fought back tears but his eyes still glistened in the moonlight.

   The younger boy sat in silence as he looked down at the cold tile floor in front of him. He noticed his brother's pause in speech. Confused, he glanced up to see Thor staring at him, concerned. Loki quickly averted his gaze and tried to avoid eye contact with his brother as he fought to make the moisture leave his eyes.

   "Loki..." the older boy questioned, "are you okay?" "Huh? oh yeah, I'm fine" he answered, trying to sound as normal as possible. "I don't think so... Your eyes are all sparkly." Another strike of lightning snapped in the distance, sending a wave of light into the room, illuminating Loki's tear-stricken face. "Loki!" Thor gasped, "whats wrong?" "Nothing, I'm fine, really... I- I should really be going to bed now it's getting late" Loki turned to get up, but felt the gentle tug of his brother's hand on his wrist, urging him to stay. "not so fast there buddy" Thor said as he pulled Loki back into his seat. "What is it? Did I say something?" Thor paused, a slight smile forming across his face. "ArE yOu AfRaiD oF tHe stOrM?" Loki, unable to admit the fact that he was only upset because his brother wanted to be better than him, decided that it would be better to have his brother tease him over a simple fear of storms than over something he actually feared. At least this way I can't get hurt. Well, emotionally at least. Actually no, Loki figured, I could still get hurt. But at least this way it won't be as painful.

    Still hurt over the fact that he couldn't tell his brother the truth, he 'admitted' his fear of the storms. "Well just you wait," Thor said between giggles "When I'm king, there are going to be many storms like this!! You might want to get over this fear rather quickly..." Loki forced a smile and said, "I know, brother. I am doing my best" Thor smiled as he began standing up and heading back to his bed. Loki exhaled and stood up, following Thor back to their quarters. They slept in bunk beds, Thor on the top bed and Loki on the bottom. Loki had always secretly wanted the top but he knew his brother wasn't going to give it up, so he just let him have it.

     Loki climbed into his bed and heard Thor encasing himself in blankets above him. He heard a soft "goodnight" come from above, so he responded likewise.

    Once he thought his brother was asleep, Loki was no longer able to hold back his feelings. He lied in bed with tears running down his face. He knew Thor would make fun of him if he realized what was going on, so the boy attempted to quiet his sobs, making them almost inaudible. He couldn't stop thinking about that phrase, 'when I'm king'. The phrase Thor said so frequently, yet so carelessly. It killed him to think about his brother leaving to go rule the realms or something. The only thing this boy wanted was a brother. Someone he could share stories, and laugh with... as equals. But as much as he wanted this fantasy, he knew it would never come true.

The rain falling in the background suddenly went quiet. Loki quickly realized Thor had made the storm withdraw. In a panic, he choked back his tears and went silent, realizing that his brother was not yet asleep. He lied there, frozen, until he heard the soft snores coming from above. He let out a deep sigh, and with his brother's words lingering in his mind, Loki finally managed to fall asleep.