I'll Trick, You Treat.
1.
Loki remembers his first Halloween on Midgard.
It was not his first celebration of the season of course, but the typical traditions of Asgard at this time were a far more solemn affair. Joyous, yes, very much so, and Loki loved them. He loved the way the mists came down and the magic of those who could part them; loved the thinness of the veil between the worlds at this time. He loved feeling like he should be holding his breath - for one gasp out into the cold air might breathe a whole new world into being. He loved to breathe and imagine it creating itself out of the one first spiral of cool air.
He loved his father's propensity for magic at this time, loved how at this tender, sensitive season he would stop to teach it, so much less awkwardly than usual, to the son he did not quite understand. He loved this one time of the year when his parents were united in passing their secrets down to him; the only child who cared for tricks, for these subtle ribbons of seidr colouring the frosty air.
Thor, on the other hand, was like a restless pony, charging through the fallen leaves and making snow storms of red and yellow, gold and russet. This time was not a time for living warriors in the solid world, as his father gently sighed as he let him run off again, under the condition that it at least be in a different direction from where they worked.
One year, when the boys were no higher than tree stumps, Thor was sent to Midgard for the first time, under Volstagg's supposedly watchful eye, more than anything to keep him out the way.
Later that evening Loki sat in front of the fireplace, contentedly alone and playing the tongues of fire into the shapes of beautiful leaves. His concentration and his leaves dashed apart at a clamouring sound outside his door, a clash of little boots and a foghorn yelling of –
"Loki Loki Loki Loki Loki!"
"The door's open" he said calmly, quietly, closing his eyes in patient readiness as Thor barrelled through, more a blunderbuss than a boy at that age.
"Loki Loki I must tell you –" he bent over, gulping for breath.
"Breathe first brother before you die and then tell me. I am sure it can wait five seconds."
"No no no no no! Thor babbled excitedly, throwing himself in front of the fire and clutching Loki's hands in excitement –
"Your hands are cold!" Loki tried to take his back.
"Mmm well yours are so warm!" Thor clutched tighter – "Loki you must come down to Midgard – you must let me show you all they do this time of year!"
Loki was interested almost despite himself –
"Why?" he raised a gentle eyebrow – "What do they do?"
"Why they – they celebrate! So strangely and so much!" Thor beamed, still breathless – "They dress in the manner of demons and beasts and they go from house to house –"
"To scare people?" Little Loki's eyes lit up like fireworks, he had to admit, it sounded wonderful.
"No! Well – yes partly" Thor beamed with the opportunity of explaining, so often it was Loki who knew things before he did – "They have this game they play called The Trick or The Treat – what happens is they knock upon the doors of strangers –"
"And play tricks on them?" Loki grinned at the idea in delight, leaning forward so they are close together, up on their knees in excitement by the fire.
"Sometimes! What they do is to yell TRICK OR TREAT –" Thor did this very loudly, making Loki almost fall back in surprise. Thor pulled him back up and they laughed – "And then -"
"Do they not get arrested for this behaviour?"
"No! They get given sweeties! Or chocolate from strangers! It is excellent! A small child in the guise of a troll gave some to me – and she said she liked my costume though I was not wearing one - which I do not understand –" Loki frowned and shook his head, not understanding either "But – but brother you will love this – if they don't give sweeties the children may pull tricks on them!"
"And this is allowed? They – don't get into trouble?"
"It is expected!"
"This is truly amazing brother! To be able to threaten strangers for goods and be expected to play tricks! It is wonderful!"
"I knew you'd like it! Loki you'd be so good at it! You will come with me next year will you not? Oh say you will please please please!"
Loki smiled and agreed that he would see if he could, as well as attending all the usual Asgardian festivals. Thor hugged him tight for joy and watched him with wide eyes making his leaves like large flaming snowflakes in the flickering firelight.
-x-
The next year Loki gets their parents smiling permission to join Thor for a few hours on Midgard, accompanied by the warriors – all three of them are deemed necessary, they decide if there is a chance Loki will be playing tricks on an unprepared public.
To Thor's roared delight and Loki's quiet smiling pleasure, Volstagg descends on them shortly before they are due to go down with an arm full of Midgardian children's costumes. Thor picks out a hideous werewolf mask and oversized paws and charges around the room growling at everything. Meanwhile Loki hides himself beneath a sheet with Boo! Written on the front and holes for the eyes. He will always later claim that he entirely resisted temptation to go "Wooo I'm a ghost" just a little but certainly a little voice from beneath the sheet announced –
"Now you can't see me. I'm not even here."
"Look!" Thor thrusts a container in his face, handed him by Volstagg – "It is a receptacle in the shape of a carven squash!"
That said, they set out for Midgard, plastic pumpkin pots clutched firmly in hand.
The streets of a quiet Midgard town ring with the delights of candy, as Loki who, Thor knew well enough, always had an immense soft spot for sugared confections, eats his way through pile after pile of Halloween candy, barely saving any to take home.
Finally, when even the now sticky little ghost has managed to save a pumpkin full of candy and is giggling and reeling, sugar drunk through the streets, Volstagg takes firm hold of the boys and heads them home to Asgard.
The streets of Midgard ring in their wake with horrified screams from those houses that did not give this particular pair of children candy.
In front of the fire back in Thor's room they throw aside their costumes to compare one another's hauls. Thor donates almost half of his when he sees how much less than him Loki has, even though it is in the knowledge that this is Loki's own fault. They whisper of their misdeeds, exaggerating and fabricating upon them until the first whisper of dawn seeps under the windowsill.
And that is how their mother finds them in the morning, asleep like two peas in a pod, dark and golden heads rested together, sweeties spilling from their laps to gleam like glittering gems in the warm ember light of the dying fire.
-x-
As you can see this is part one in a three part Thorki Halloween special. I couldn't decide what genre I wanted so this, chapter one is kids Thor & Loki crack-fluff, chapter 2 will be adult Thor/ Kid Loki feels and fluff and 3 will be adult Thor/ teenage Loki porn….possibly also with fluff. :-)