The Good 'Ol Days (Thor and Loki)

Equals (Thor's POV)

Thor was lying on the upper bunk above Loki, staring up at the dark ceiling. He was unable to shut his mind off after the eventful day the boys had just endured. Upon waking up, their father, Odin, generously took them down to the grand vault where he let them view the Casket of Ancient Winters. Thor was absolutely enamored by the sight and couldn't stop thinking about it. By just standing in the presence of it, he could feel the power radiating through this body. The glowing blue color reflected in his eyes, accentuating the already-blue color. His thoughts were so consumed by these dreams that he failed to notice his brother's lack of excitement.

His mind floated through the various things he could do with the casket as he lied in his bunk. Unable to sleep, Thor leaned over the rail to express his excitement to his brother, once again. "Loki! Remember when father took us to see the casket??" He knew Loki remembered, but he was just trying to start a conversation. Without pausing for a response, he continued, "-just imagine all the things it could do! We could do anything! Just you wait, when I-" Thor noticed Loki's absence.

Confused, he climbed down the old ladder to find an empty bed. "Loki..?" He glanced around the room, unable to find him.

He left and wandered down the hall to the observatory, one of Loki's favorite places to sit and watch the world from a distance. He was always a bit distanced. Thor felt bad and wanted to help his brother when he would get like this, but Loki always rejected him. The older brother never took offense to this, but he always worried Loki didn't like him.

His face lit up when he found the smaller boy. When approaching, he was asked about what he was doing up. Refusing to let Loki's condescending tone ruin his mood, he happily responded, "Ah well, I couldn't sleep..! For after today how could I?" No response. Thor was used to this as well, Loki typically zoned out and ignored him. He decided not to take it personally, and just sat beside him to relish in the beautiful storm outside. Thor loved storms. They reminded him of his power; he felt as if they made him grow stronger, especially when he wasn't the one causing them. He loved the feeling that occurred within his bones as the lightning struck against the ground.

Zap!

He felt his muscles tingle. "You know.. that's going to be me someday!" He exclaimed with excitement. Loki responded quickly. "What? A heaping pile of ashes set on fire?" Thor frowned as his brother's lips stretched into a smirk. As much as he didn't want to admit it, that actually hurt his feelings. Loki would always snap back at everything he said in a condescending manner. Even if it wasn't anything truly hurtful, it still stung a little. He thought the world of Loki. He knew that his brother didn't mean it, but a part of him couldn't help but believe he did.

Thor got defensive and countered the remark as best he could, "No stupid, the lightning!" Feeling like he needed to further his explanation, Thor continued. "One day, I'll 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!" He looked out the window. "See that house down there? Pretend that was a frost giant."

ZAP!

The house went up in flames. "I could do this all day!" He felt the need to overexpress his powers in order to impress Loki. After all, the younger sibling could make anything with his magic. He figured it just took a lot to impress him, so every day he would tell him more stories in an attempt to win his favor. "I could take out the entire race with one massive zap!" This was highly unlikely, but he liked to make his powers sound cooler to hide the fact that he's always wanted to be a wizard. "Want me to show you another example?"

When no response was given, he glanced over. He noticed a moisture developing in his brother's eyes. "Loki..." He was worried. "are you okay?" He got a suspicious response: "Huh? Oh yeah- I'm fine." Thor noticed a slight crack in his voice. Concerned, he furthered the conversation. "I don't think so... your eyes are sparkly."
Sparkly? You idiot. Is that really the best adjective you could think of?!
Before Loki had a chance to respond, another snap of lightning occurred in the distance, shining a flash of light against his face. Still looking at him, Thor spotted the tears rolling down the raven-haired boy's face. The sight caused him to gasp, "Loki! What's wrong?" His voice didn't portray the amount of concern he was feeling. "Nothing, I'm fine, really.. I- I should really be going to bed now it's getting late." Before Loki was able to fully get up, Thor gently took his arm. He knew the little boy sounded suspicious and wanted a truthful answer. "Not so fast there, buddy." Thor pulled him back down onto the floor. "What is it? Did I say something?" In an attempt to lighten the mood, Thor jokingly added: "ArE yOu AfRaiD oF tHe stOrM?" He expected Loki to decline this inquisition and stab him. He knew Loki loved to stab him, and he thought it might make him feel better. The response he got wasn't surprising. "No!" But what came next took him off guard. "Well- ...maybe.." Alarmed, Thor exclaimed, "Brother, you're joking!" Loki shook his head shyly. He couldn't believe it.

LOKI. IS. SCARED?! He isn't scared of anything! How have I never noticed this? Has it always been this way? Will he-

His thoughts were interrupted by another snap of lightning. This time, Loki jumped slightly.

Well, that's a first...

Ignoring the suspicious undertone to this, Thor pokes fun at his brother's newly revealed fear, "Well just you wait," Thor couldn't help but let out a giggle at the thought of his brother being scared of something. "When I'm king, there are going to be many storms like this!! You might want to get over this fear rather quickly..." Loki showed a small smile as he said "I know, brother. I am doing my best." Thor smiled at his brother as he stood up. Unsure if this was truly the cause of his younger brother's unhappiness, Thor gave up and decided to go off to bed instead. If Loki wasn't willing to tell him, then he might as well stop making futile efforts.

The two boys walked back to the room together in silence, the smaller boy trailing slightly behind.

They climbed into their bunks, and Thor wished his brother a goodnight and got an equal response, but his brother's voice sounded weak and defeated.

After a half hour of lying there listening to the rain pour down on the roof, he heard a very soft whimper coming from under him. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Assuming it was because of the storm, Thor forced the storm to cease. He heard a slight choke come from his younger brother, and the whimpers immediately went silent.

Assuming the problem was resolved, Thor was able to go to sleep.