Author's Note: This is PART ONE of a two-part little thing. In particular this is one of the one's I'm most proud of.

4) Deal - Part One

Loki was six and Thor was almost eight. At least in terms of mental-age. Asgardian aging was vastly slower than Midgardians'. They were wrestling on the floor, growling at each other, pretending to be wild animals. Even from such a tender age it was easy to see who was stronger. Loki was very slender and slim while Thor was stockier and bulkier and he easily kept his little brother pinned to the floor. "Thor! Gerroff!" Loki grumbled, face pressed into the carpet.

The blond brother laughed and got up.

Loki pounced to his feet and jumped on Thor's back with a, "Hi-yah!" and he yanked him to the ground, rolling to get Thor under him.

Odin opened the door to the empty parlor they were playing in. "Boys," he said, trying to get their attention. Neither of them noticed him. "Thor. Loki." Still nothing. Thor was beating at Loki's arms with his palms but the black-haired brother wasn't relenting. "Boys!" Odin snapped.

The boys shot to attention, instantly standing side-by-side. "Yes father," they said in unison. Loki was already developing a black-eye and Thor's lip was bruised.

The Allfather smiled at his children and entered the parlor properly, pulling two shiny things from his pockets. "Thor, I want you to give this to your mother." He gave his eldest son a necklace with the golden triquetra inlaid with rubies dangling on a gold chain. Thor took it gently in his hands and nodded. "And Loki, I want you to give this to your new baby sister." He passed the other necklace to his younger son. It was a flat silver pendant with the triquetra engraved into it, hanging on a black leather cord. Loki took it in his hands as his and his brother's jaws dropped open.

"A sister?" Loki whispered.

"Yes. Are you ready to meet her?"

The brothers nodded fervently, taking their father's hands. He chuckled and led them to the one of the many healing rooms.

Their mother was propped up on a bed in a nightdress, holding a bundle of white fur in her arms, looking exhausted but happy. Her free hand was stroking something inside the bundle the boys couldn't quite see. Thor let go of Odin's hand and rushed forward to the side of the bed furthest from the bundle, holding out the necklace. "This is for you!" he exclaimed. His mother smiled at her firstborn and ruffled his hair.

"Thank you, my dear," she murmured. Thor got up on his tiptoes and did his best to put the necklace around his mother's neck. When it was obvious he couldn't quite reach, Odin strode forward and finished for him. Thor smiled proudly.

"It looks beautiful on you, mother!"

Frigga chuckled. "Thank you, Thor."

Loki took a few tentative steps into the room, almost feeling like he shouldn't even be there. Frigga caught sight of him and beckoned him closer with her free hand. He approached the side of the bed closest to the bundle of white fur, the necklace clutched tightly in his hand. Thor had climbed up on the chair next to his side in order to see the face of the small baby sticking out of the white.

"It looks like a potato!" the blond decided.

Frigga and Odin both chuckled.

Loki put his hand out when he reached the head of the bed, opening his long pale fingers to reveal the pendant on a nest of black leather. "This is for the baby," he stated.

Frigga smiled and took it from her youngest son's hand. "Thank you, Loki. I'm sure she will love it. But for now, she's sleeping. Come see, both of you," their mother suggested, quietly and gently. Loki climbed carefully up onto the mattress next to his mother and looked at the baby.

A mop of dark brown hair sat firmly on the top of a head that resembled Thor's skin color much more than Loki's. Her eyelids fluttered slightly, showing dark blue eyes.

Loki came to his own decision. "It doesn't look like a potato," he informed his brother. "It's the most beautifulest little girl I've ever seen." Thor made a face and stuck his tongue out at his brother. Loki ignored him. He turned his innocent face up to look at his mother. "So what are you going to call it?" he asked.

"We're going to call her… Freyja," Frigga told her son.

"Freyja? Okay, she's your baby," Loki remarked sarcastically.

Frigga laughed and ruffled her youngest son's hair. "She's your baby too," she said.

"Huh?" Loki asked.

"Well, you're going to help me teach her magic aren't you?"

Loki's mouth dropped open excitedly. "Really?" He bounced in place a little.

"Of course, sweetheart. I think she'd love it, don't you?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Loki exclaimed.

"If you're careful, I'm sure your mother will let you hold her," Odin said quietly. Thor instantly perked up and sat obediently in the big armchair he'd been standing on to see the baby, holding his arms out. Odin took Freyja from Frigga's arms and instructed Thor how to hold her in his. He kept her for a few minutes, making baby noises. But she just kept sleeping.

After the blond got bored of just staring at a sleeping baby and complained that his arms were getting sore, Loki took his turn. He copied his mother and held her in his left arm—his stronger one—and used his free one to gently stroke her face. As the three eldest members of the family started talking, the two youngest sat in peace. Loki rocked gently back and forth to keep her sleeping, softly humming an old lullaby Frigga used to sing to him when he'd have nightmares.

Frigga nudged Odin's arm and pointed to where Loki was still holding Freyja for far longer than Thor had. The Allfather turned to see his younger son tenderly holding the baby. They could barely hear the hum of the song over Thor's excited chattering but they knew it was there.

It broke Frigga's heart to see Loki so love to his new little sister, yet not know that they weren't even blood-related. She started to cry.

Loki's bright eyes watched little Freyja shift in her sleep, making a tiny gurgling noises and a little baby coo. He smiled and touched the small little button nose. Her eyelids winced but stayed closed. He giggled and held her tighter.

"I love you, Freyja. I'm going to teach you magic and keep suitors away from you. I'm going to show you how to ride a horse and be the first one to dance with you at your first ball. I'm going to always look out for you. And I'm going to protect you," he promised, kissing the baby on the small reddish forehead. She moved her arm slightly and it escaped the fur. Loki put his finger against her palm. On instinct the baby's tiny grip closed around it. He wiggled his finger up and down, as though shaking hands with someone. "It's a deal then."

End Note: OMG I was dying from cute feels when I wrote this.

Thanks for reading!

~Cass