Where the Ocean Meets the Sky
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the canon characters; they belong to Marvel and Stan Lee in this particular adaptation, though they are originally derived from Norse mythology.
Word Count: 1,200
When Loki feels someone roughly shake his shoulder in the middle of the night, his first thought is to go for the dagger he keeps tucked under his pillow in case any intruders managed to get past the castle guards. However, the voice that comes with the rough shaking helps to put Loki's racing mind to ease as the young God of Mischief's eyes open in the darkness of his chambers.
"Brother!" Thor whispers, though to the raven-haired Prince of Asgard, it still seems as if his older brother is shouting despite his best efforts to be quiet. "Brother!" the young God of Thunder continues, shaking his younger brother again, yet with more urgency than the first time. "Loki!" he tries for a third time, practically shouting the younger prince's name into the darkness.
"Whatever could you want at this hour, brother?" Loki demands in a whisper of his own, rolling over in his bed and wiping his tired eyes before lighting a candle with his magic where he can at least see the golden-haired intruder.
"Are you awake?" Thor inquires, as his brother's back is turned to him.
"I am now," Loki responds in a slightly amused voice, wondering how in all the seven realms Thor thought Loki could be talking to him if he was still asleep. "You made sure of that, Thor," the young Prince of Asgard lightly laughs, sitting up and moving to face his brother. "What exactly is so important you must wake me at this unprecedented hour?" the eighteen-year-old God of Mischief demands of his slightly older brother.
"That is a surprise, dear brother! Come," Thor grins widely, throwing a spare pair of clothes at his brother, which Loki dutifully catches. "Put these on and then meet me outside my chambers," the God of Thunder instructs, turning quickly on his heel to head back to his own chambers down the hall.
Before Loki even gets a chance to refute his brother's potentially dangerous plan, the heir to the Asgardian throne is gone, leaving his younger brother to simply change into the plain clothes that do not have the ornate designs of the royal family's usual attire.
"What in the seven realms does Thor have planned?" Loki softly mutters as he pulls the shirt over his head, scowling at his appearance in the mirror as he realizes that the shirt is much looser on him than he had hoped.
Closing his chamber doors softly behind him, the second Prince of Asgard sneaks quickly down the hallway to find Thor and get to the bottom of this middle of the night excursion.
"Loki! Quickly, follow me!"
"And where, pray tell, are we going, Thor?"
"We are going sailing, dear brother," the twenty-two-year-old God of Thunder reveals, his blue eyes sparkling in the bare traces of dawn as the sun begins to peak as it enters the sky to start the morning.
"In what vessel?" the eighteen-year-old God of Mischief questions with a doubtful expression on his lips.
"Why, my own of course!" Thor grins with a dangerous look in his eyes, the one that Loki knows will get them both in trouble if they are caught.
"I thought Father was still giving you your lessons," Loki reminds as they near the shipyard, catching sight of Thor's small boat that Odin had gifted his eldest son on his twentieth nameday.
"Father told me that I have learned nearly as much as he did when he was my age. I think I'm ready to set sail!"
"And do you know how to stop the ship? What about how to spot reefs and other hazards that could tear the boat out from under us? Hmm? Did you think of those, o mighty Thor, God of Thunder and heir of the Asgardian throne?"
The brothers continue to tease one another as Thor climbs onto the deck of his boat, already preparing the sails and starting to loosen the ropes from around the dock.
"Stopping is almost the same as another technique Father taught me, and I shall try my hardest to avoid any reefs or other hazards," Thor laughs joyously, soaking in the sun on his face as the golden rays cast down on him.
"You make a pretty terrible captain," Loki deadpans, his eyes shining in mirth as he nears the ship, leaning on the side of the vessel.
"At least I have a ship," the golden-haired Prince teases his younger brother, gently shoving Loki farther away from the ship.
"Father promised me that I would get a boat for my twentieth nameday as well!" the raven-haired God of Mischief protests, looking for all the world like a jealous child.
"You are coming with me, aren't you?" Thor innocently asks, genuine hope written on his face as he extends a hand down to Loki, hoping that his brother will join him on his first solo sailing expedition.
"Yes, of course," Loki grins with the purest look of happiness on his face that Thor can recall ever seeing on his younger brother's face. "Are you sure Father will not be angry with us?"
"Who's going to tell him? If you will not tell him, then I will not. This shall remain a secret between us, brother. Now, help me untie these ropes and I shall show you how to sail."
"Truly? I know nothing of sailing."
"Yes, truly. And you know more about sailing than you think with all of those books you read, Loki," Thor reveals, a proud smile coming to his lips as he watches Loki easily untie the boat from the dock and help cast them off. "The left side is called port, and the right side is called starboard. But, you have time yet to learn. Enjoy the ride as I captain us to a special fishing spot I have found," the God of Thunder explains his plan for the day, and it is then that Loki notices the fishing equipment in the ship.
"If you don't kill us first," Loki sasses, casting a smirk in Thor's direction, earning himself a light slap in the back of the head from his older brother.
"I don't think you want to incite a mutiny on your captain on your first day at sea, brother," Thor cautions, laughing at his own joke as he begins to steer the ship in the direction of the cove while Loki holds his hand over the side of the ship, skimming his fingers in the small waves and swells as the boat gains speed.
"I would never take part in a mutiny against you, Thor," Loki promises, grasping his brother's hand in the special handshake Odin had taught them both to use when promising something for life. "I will follow you until the ocean meets the sky."
Though Thor may not have realized it, Loki chose that particular metaphor because the ocean would never truly meet the sky, meaning that he would have his older brother's back for eternity.
"And I shall do the same for you, Loki. The sun will shine on us for all our lives. May nothing diverge our paths from one another as long as we both shall live."
Author's Note: And there it is! Rival Argentica requested some young Brodinson fluff before they betray one another, so here it is! I spent my last hours of being 18 years old writing this; I hope you enjoy it, my friend! I also hope everyone else enjoyed this piece as well! This was refreshing to write, especially after the angst piece I just posted about Clint on Monday! I'm going to have a set Tumblr schedule very soon once I get through house-sitting this next week! As always, reviews are always greatly appreciated. Until next time, my dear readers! Feel free to request something else using any of the prompts and fandoms on my Tumblr or FanFiction account! Have an amazing day, afternoon, or night.