Thor couldn't stop thinking about Loki's last words. You'll never... Be a God.
He slammed his fist into his knee. The adolescent Groot looked at him nervously and Starlord rolled his eyes (who, across the 9 worlds, would name their son Starlord? Lord of the stars? Completely nonsensical. One does not rule the stars, and especially not this one).
Thor was left to his thoughts of his brother once more. How many times had Loki thought those words to himself? Never a God, only an ill-adopted son of one. And the brother of one, Thor thought bitterly. How could his brother not have known how gladly he would've traded it. The crown, the power... Anything for his brother back. Incredibly, grief didn't lessen when you've grieved someone before. Every time Loki "died", Thor hoped against hope to get him back. Granted, Loki always did return and made Thor regret his prayers... But his brother had gone out in glory this time. Maybe Thor would resurrect that giant statue and the glorifying theater productions. On Earth, when this was all over.
Because this would certainly all be over soon. Thor would make sure of it. For Loki. For all of Asgard.
For now, he was sitting tight, weighing his options. His mind began to wander as their ship sailed through the infinite expanse.
"Loki? Loki!" cried a young blonde God-child in the woods. The young prince scanned the forest looking for any sign of his brother.
"I'm here, Thor!" replied an equally young voice, this one carrying the sort of mischief that only small children seem to embody.
"Where, brother? I don't see you!" Thor had spent the better part of the morning tracking Loki to these woods. Thor secretly loved Loki's little games, even though he rarely outwitted his younger brother and would inevitably spend the rest of the day pouting around the palace. Still, he felt the familiar thrill of a challenge as he continued his search.
Loki, for his part, had spent the last month with Frigga practicing transformation spells. His brother had stolen his favorite confectionery after dinner last night - just because he could! - and it was time for payback. Thor should have learned by now that his superior size didn't make him immune to consequences. It was Loki's job to keep the soon-to-be-king on his toes. He was practically doing him a favor, in that regard. Loki always got the last word.
"Here, brother!" The young prince called again. Then he took a deep breathe and sang the small spell he'd been practicing. He paused, before repeating it. The spell required 4 repetitions and would last only a few moments, so timing was everything.
He smiled as he felt his body constrict. It wasn't wholly uncomfortable, as he was thin and long to begin with; the transformation suited him. Ironic (and convenient) really, that his brother loved snakes almost as much as he loved Loki himself. He fell to the ground with a small thump, just as Thor rounded the corner.
"Loki? Oh look- a snake!"
Thwack. Thwack. Thwa-
"WHAT do you want?" Thor hissed, whipping around at his desk, looking at his brother sitting behind him. Loki at least had the decency to pretend it wasn't him, though obviously no one else is in the room would dare throw things at their future king.
Come to think of it, was Loki even sitting in the room? Thor snuck a glance at his instructor, who didn't seem to have noticed the disturbance. His classmates were looking at him nervously, but really, what else was new. Even at his young age, Thor was tired of being treated differently by his peers. No matter how warm and comforting he strived to be around them, their deference kept him at arm's length. Just because his father was Odin…
"Groot, brother?" Loki smirked, whispering in Thor's ear. "Now, I know you're not the brighter of the two of us, but even you could've taken a more practical elective. Being king isn't just about fighting, you know. Diplomacy is-"
"What I have you for Loki. And also necessary with the Groots, I'll have you know," Thor said, turning back to the instructor. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm bored."
Thor rolled his eyes. They may have been young, but he'd already fallen for that line too many times. No, this time he wouldn't be joining Loki on whatever harebrained scheme he'd come up with, for which Thor would most certainly take the fall. He was sitting right here learning Groot, thank you very much.
"They won't even notice your absence."
"Really," Thor whispered sarcastically. He tried to tune his brother out and take notes on the lecture. But even he could admit his efforts were half-hearted at best.
"I can make an image of you. One that can sit in this classroom and," Loki sighed dramatically, "repeat I Am Groot as many times as necessary."
Thor snorted.
"What?" Loki snapped irritably.
"You don't even know what you just said. See, in Groot when you say it like that-"
Loki raised an eyebrow at him. Thor trailed off, chuckling. He thought about it for another second before he sighed and resigned himself to the inevitable. Showing Loki how excited he was would only make him more smug, but his younger brother always knew anyway.
"Fine. Show me."
Loki smiled at his brother.
"A dying star? What kind of technical definition is that for spell work? Aren't all stars dying? Isn't everything dying?" Loki hissed, throwing his hands in the air after storming dramatically out of the hall behind Thor. Was he the only one in all the realms with any sense? Without a doubt.
"The definition father gave me," Thor gritted out, as he crossed the palace with his characteristically long and thundering strides. Of course Loki would need to be annoying as a gnat about this. "To become a true Prince of Asgard, I must-"
"Yes, yes. I was there too," Loki said icily, still trailing behind Thor, capes billowing dramatically behind them. Thor wondered angrily if Loki was simply jealous that father had given him a quest and not Loki, then felt immediately guilty for even thinking it. Their father's blatant favoritism was a topic he wouldn't remind Loki of, even during their bitterest fights.
Thor just grunted. He stalked into his chambers. His messy, messy chambers, Loki thought disdainfully. Loki walked in, and sniffed with disgust. He offhandedly levitated garments off the floor, folding them with a simple spell Frigga taught her children when they were young. Thor clearly hadn't learned it, or had forgotten it immediately, probably restless for his father's battle lessons.
"Thor, listen to me. This is a wild goose chase. That planet does not exist. Father is testing you."
"Praytell, Loki Odinson," Thor snapped back, "How do you suggest I pass our father's test then? By giving up on it before I begin?"
Loki regarded Thor for a moment, as the older prince continued sloppily packing his wares for his journey. He crossed his arms as he realized, with no small amount of frustration, that Thor would pursue this foolish quest to his death. Odin may have been a benevolent and wise leader, but his parenting style left a lot to be desired.
Thank God I take after our mother, Loki mused. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he knew what he had to do. He sighed quietly and addressed Thor.
"Fine."
"Fine, what, Loki?" Thor said, exasperated.
"If you insist on going on a wild quest befitting a prince… Well, I don't see why it shouldn't suit a second prince as well." He finished quickly, looking anywhere in the room except his brother.
Thor turned to him incredulously. Loki coughed and continued hastily.
"Look, can't have you killing yourself. Might find myself with a throne, if you did. Father would so loathe that."
"Get help!"
Two pre-pubescent Godlings limped - rather quickly, observers later recalled - up to the palace of Asgard, behind a procession of visiting foreigners.
"You there! My brother is gravely injured!" Thor addressed a guard in the visiting parade.
"Tell them I'm a prince," Loki hissed quietly.
"It's a prince! I'm a prince! We're the princess - I mean the princes of Asgard!" Thor cried out. He thought he heard a giggle from one of the carriages, but couldn't be sure.
Loki swore quietly. His brother was starting to stumble. Loki could practically hear his smile as he spoke. That was Thor's problem with playing tricks; he couldn't keep a straight face long enough to deliver the punchline.
Why must everything fall to me?
"Ahh! I have been- so grievously injured… while… saving a damsel," Loki wailed. Thor claimed later that his greatest contribution that day was not rolling his eyes in that moment. "Guard, tell my mother not to… mourn me. I will… miss her…"
Thor snorted but managed to keep his composure. The two Asgardian guards at the palace door looked alarmed, having noticed the theatrics unfolding. Stuck between receiving the procession and leaving their post to aid the princes, they hesitated only briefly. One dashed towards the princes while the other fled inside, presumably retrieving Frigga, or even Odin. The procession stuttered to a stop in front of the palace steps, concerned but confused. Loki wasn't even sure they spoke Asgardian.
"I can't thank you enough, brother," Thor whispered, eyeing the palanquin he had seen before, and meeting four pairs of beautiful and curious eyes.
Loki just shook his head. Next time, he'd better be the one valiantly rescuing his brother in front of the attractive members of the visiting kingdom. This was humiliating, and he swore to never do it again.
Thor sighed. He looked at the rabbit-with-the-gun attempting to confiscate the video game from the baby Groot. They bickered for a moment before the rabbit gave up. Even that exchange, full of the sort of care that didn't look like care, made him want to hurl himself out the window into the cold infinity of outer space to avenge his brother. If only he had Mjölnir, it could fly him to Mitgard. If only he'd had Mjölnir… he could have saved his brother.
His brother. His only brother. His… favorite sibling? Preferable to Hela, naturally. Thor smiled to himself. No, he would not be shedding tears for Hela. But he would for the brother whom he fought beside. He would shed tears for Loki's every death, and then again for each of them, until the end of his days.