Without You. Ch. 1
A/N: So it's been a while since I wrote a legit story, and it's my first Thor story, so any critique on my writing would be helpful. I'm fairly new to the fandom, and to Norse mythology, so if you notice any mistakes, please let me know! Also, I obviously don't own any of the characters, unless stated otherwise. Happy reading!
Twigs snapped under the two young boys feet as they treaded down the familiar path that led to the stream. The smallest of the two groaned as a low hanging tree branch snagged at his ink colored hair. As he tried to fix his hair, he shot a glare to the blonde haired boy in front of him.
"Why do I always let you drag me along in your silly plans, Thor?" he groaned, "Mother and father aren't going to be happy with us if we get dirty."
He let his voice trail off, the scowl still etched into his features. His brother gave a laugh, "Relax, Loki. Have I ever let you down?" Loki opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off, "On second thought, don't answer that."
They fell into a brief silence as both brothers listened for the sound of the water as they neared the stream.
The two brothers stopped at the edge of the stream, watching the water flow past them. They were silent, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Thor turned his head towards his younger brother, noticing the way his eyebrows pinched together as he thought.
The younger did not seem to feel too comfortable in the silence. After all, Thor was never silent. Even when he slept, he snored as loud as an elephant. Glancing towards his brother at the corner of his eyes. His thin lips were tugged into a frown as he glanced at the smirk growing on the blondes face.
"Thor, what are you-?" Loki cut himself off with a yelp as Thor easily hoisted him off of his feet. Loki kicked his feet furiously, placing his palms against Thor's chest and thrusting away.
"Thor! Let me down this instant! Thor, I mean it!" he yelled. Thor gave a hearty laugh as he began to walk into the water.
"Relax, brother. We're just going for a little swim." He was up to his knees by now. Loki, at this point, had stopped kicking and was now clinging to him, not wanting Thor to drop him.
"Don't you drop me, Thor. Don't you dare let me go." Loki hissed, trying his best to not allow any of the fear he felt bleed into his voice. However, Thor heard it as clear as day and that protective, older brother side of him overtook him. He instinctively tightened his grip on Loki, mindful to not grip him too tightly as to cause pain.
"Don't worry, little brother. I won't ever let you go." His smile softened as he looked down as his brothers face. He could tell the other was trying to read his face. He only laughed, "You know that, don't you?"
Loki was silent for a moment, only blinking in surprise at Thor's sudden seriousness. Slowly, he nodded. "Yes, I know." There was a silence as Loki bit his lips in thought.
"You're thinking of something." Thor states.
"What a keen observance," Loki laughs. Thor shoots him a playful look.
"Haha, very funny." Thor said, his tone dripping in sarcasm, "But what were you going to say?"
Loki waved his hand dismissively, turning his gaze to the water around them, "It is nothing." he uttered. He glanced up at Thor, "Put me down."
"I thought you told me not to." Thor said, amusement clear in his voice.
"I said I didn't want you to drop me. That doesn't mean that you can't put me down on my own two feet." Loki explained.
With a loud laugh, the blonde complied and set the younger down on his feet. Being shorter, the water was up to Loki's thighs.
"There, that wasn't so hard, was i-" Loki's yelp cut himself off as Thor splashed water on him, "Thor!"
Thor erupted in laughter at his brother's furious shout, and dashed a few feet away from his soaked, and fuming, younger sibling
"Oh come on, brother. You didn't think that we'd go to the stream without having a water fight?" Thor gave another laugh as he splashed Loki again.
Loki's scowl melted into a grin as he advanced towards his brother, "If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get."
Together, the two brothers splashed around in the water. Though they were both thoroughly soaked by the time they dragged themselves out of the water, Thor had managed to dunk Loki several times.
"Hey, Loki, look!" Thor took his long golden hair and pulled it off his face. He slicked it back in a way that resembled how Loki typically kept his hair, "I'm you now!"
Loki rolled his eyes at the other, though an amused smile creeped at his lips. He shook his hair out, fixing it as best as he could.
"Haha, you're so funny, Thor."
They made their way home, occasionally laughing, occasionally shoving the other playfully. The two brothers were completely unaware that their lives were soon to be changed drastically.
It seemed almost surreal to be looking up at the stadium. For so long, Loki had been searching for where his brother had gone, searching what he had been up to. Now that he was actually here, after all the weeks, maybe even months that he had spent to find him, it seemed almost impossible. He hadn't been too far, but it had taken him a long time to get everything together.
Thor hadn't been as far away as he had thought, but he had still needed to find a place to stay. Tired of his life, and desperate for a change, he had dropped out of school, ran away from home, and had gotten a job so that he could pay for the small apartment he was currently staying in.
He didn't know what he would feel when he was finally in front of the stadium. He felt free. After so many years of being tossed between foster homes, he was at least on his own. No more would he have to listen to the taunts of the other children. No more would he have to be treated poorly and be unable to do anything.
He too felt pride burning in his chest. He had done a lot to get here; he had made many sacrifices to get to where he was. Though his apartment was barely big enough for him, and even though he was hungry most days, he was still proud. He had done pretty well for himself given his current position.
Despite the emotions he felt, he had not expected to feel nervousness. He was usually quite confident, and rarely felt nervous, even when it came to his foster family. However, he hadn't seen Thor in almost ten years. It was a long time to be apart. He had no idea what Thor would be like now, he had no idea what he would think. Though he didn't plan on talking to Thor tonight, he still felt fear and nervousness twisting his gut. Would Thor see the sad state of his little brother and be disgusted by him?
Pushing the nervous thoughts away, he purchased a ticket to the game and strode into the stadium. Shouldering his way through the groups of people crowding around the concession stand. He managed to find a seat towards the front. He had a pretty good view of the field, and was close enough to distinguish some of the players features.
Everyone around him was cheering and shouting in excitement, but it had little affect on them. Their cheers were just a distant buzzing in his ear. He was too focused on looking for his brother.
He had never one for sports. He had always preferred intellect, though he remembered that his father had been enthusiastic about sports. Believing that sports taught important skills, it was often that he had tried to get his sons to join a few sports teams.
Thor hadn't been a problem. As a child, he had tried every sport at some time. At least, until he tried foot ball. He had fallen in love instantly, and while he was still apart of other teams, he focused primarily on foot ball.
Loki knew not of what happened after they were separated. Perhaps Thor only played foot ball now. He knew that Thor had already been chosen to play for a college team, and a prestigious one at that.
His thoughts drifted back to his father. He had always been disappointed that Loki didn't share Thor's enthusiasm for sports. At first, he had forced him to join a team, but eventually, he realized that Loki was not interested and let him be. He never said it, but Loki always knew that his father preferred Thor over him.
He heaved a sigh. This was supposed to be a good day. He shouldn't be lost in old memories that would only make him bitter and sad. Shoving those thoughts away, he turned his attention to the field. He searched for Thor in the line of high school boys lining up in the field.
He knew he would recognize him even after all this time. He knew Thor's number from his research, so he knew he could always find him that way as well. However, it was not needed as his sharp eyes settled on the one he knew was his brother.
He was big and tall. Even at the distance, he could see the long blonde hair pouring out from the back of his helmet. A soft smile tugged at his thin lips. The gesture felt foreign to him, but seeing something as familiar as Thor's long hair flooded him with nostalgia.
As children, they both tended to keep their hair fairly long. Lightly touching his own shoulder length hair, Loki realized that Thor had also let his hair grow, and something about that made him happy.
He watched as the game continued on. He didn't understand what was going on, or why people would cheer before the ball had even gotten into the end zone, but none the less, he watched attentively.
As the game neared it's end, Loki checked the time, noting how late it was getting. Luckily, he didn't have work in the morning, so he could stay up as late as he wanted, but he was exhausted from a long day at work.
When he turned his attention back to the field, he froze. Thor was frozen in the field, like a deer caught in the head lights. He was staring directly at Loki and though he was not close enough to see the expression on his face it was evident from his body posture that he was surprised.
Loki too was suddenly frozen in his seat. His entire body turned cold as he realized Thor had seen him. Fear spread throughout his body. He hadn't wanted to talk to Thor. He had no idea how he would react and just the idea of not knowing something frightened him.
He had to get out. Standing up abruptly, he fled from the stands, feeling Thor's eyes burning into his back. Luckily, it was the middle of a game, so Thor couldn't follow him. He broke into a jog as soon as he was out of sight of the field, feeling a desperate desire to return home.
With his heart hammering in his throat, he slowed to a hurried walk as he kept to the side of the stadium. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, trying to calm himself down, but all he could see was Thor frozen in the middle of the field, all he could hear was the sound of the people cheering around them, and his own breathing in his ear.
He felt sick to his stomach. His world was spinning. This was all too much for him. He had to get home. He needed to get home. For as much as he hated how small it was, he loved it. It was his own. He had earned it himself, and it was the one place in the world that he could go to to get away from the world when it became too much.
His head was so filled with thoughts that he didn't hear someone yelling his names, nor did he hear the rapid footsteps as said person ran towards him. It wasn't until someone seized his arm, halting him in his tracks, that he noticed that someone was there with him.
Just his luck. He was going to get mugged, though it wasn't like he carried anything worth stealing.
He whipped around, blindly thrashing his free arm at the person who had grabbed him. He managed to land one blow, albeit weak, before the other grabbed his other hand.
"Loki!" he suddenly heard the voice. It was gentle, not at all what he had expected from someone who he had thought was trying to mug him. It wasn't until he looked at the face of the person who had grabbed his arm that he froze.
It was Thor.
His jaw dropped, quivering slightly, and he didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say. A warm chuckle came from Thor, the brother he hadn't seen in nearly a decade.
"So it is you," When Loki didn't reply, Thor continued, "I couldn't believe it when I saw you at first. What are you doing here? Why did you run from me?"
There was so many questions, and not just the ones that Thor spoke of. With his mind spinning, Loki was at lost for words. It was an odd thing. Even when he was younger, he had been so well known for being good with words that he had earned himself the nickname of Silver tongue. Even when everything else failed, he could at least rely on his words, but even now, they failed him.
Loki was silent for a few moments before he found his voice. It was low and it was so I characteristically soft, "I had to come see you..."
For a moment, both brothers were silent. They were perfectly content with just staring into each other's eyes for the first time in a long time, drinking in everything. They had both grown so much since they had last seen each other. Though both burned with questions and with the desire to catch up, no words came forward. They all died on their tongues.
With no words to express how they felt, there was only one thing that could hope to express a fraction of what they felt. Thor suddenly tugged Loki forward and enveloped him in a tight hug. It wasn't until then that Loki realized he was crying.
Though Thor's hug should have been somewhat painful, Loki was grateful for its tightness. His body was trembling and it was as though Thor was holding him together. He had felt like he had been slowly falling apart for so long, that to have someone holding him tight was a relief. He felt as though things would finally be ok.
With so many emotions running through his body, and having kept it locked inside for so long, it felt so good to finally be with Thor. He wrapped his own thin arms around his brothers wide back and clung to him.
"Shhh, it's ok now, Loki. I'm here," Thor whispered softly, his own voice trembling, "I'm here."
And for the first time in almost ten years, Loki knew that things would be ok.
After what seems like a long moment, the two brothers parted from their hug. Thor looked down at Loki's face as the younger tried to wipe his tears away. He placed his calloused hand on the side of Loki's neck in that old but familiar gesture and smiled, "Let us go home. We have much to talk about."
Though Loki began to wonder where home was, he didn't doubt that home was Thor was, wherever that may be.
