Thoughts. Old thoughts, new thoughts, long forgotten thoughts. They all seemed to plague him. They all reminded him of what could have been. Of how he could have changed things. Of how he wasted so much of his life focused on arrogant and selfish things. He should have been more perceptive, he should have tried to do something before it was too late.

He so desperately wished to go back in time and fix what had been broken so long ago. Perhaps if he was kinder, or smarter, or wiser, he could have done something to save them all. He'd lost everything, truly. His friends, his parents, his people. Those were losses he was willing to bare, but then he lost his own brother... and that changed everything.

He was now truly and utterly alone.

The God of Thunder selfishly wished he would have been the one to die at the hands of Thanos, just so he wouldn't have to carry the weight of all his losses. He wanted nothing more than to go back and change what had happened. He wished to go back to simpler times, times when he wasn't an Avenger. Times when he didn't care about the people of Earth. He just wanted to go back home...

Thor didn't quite know what happened. One minute he was mourning the loss of his loved ones, and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the middle of a courtyard adorned with traditional Asgardian foliage. He stood there, motionless, not able to comprehend what was happening. There was no way his wish came true, that wasn't how life worked. This wasn't real, it couldn't be real. He walked around the palace courtyard, in complete awe of how... real everything seemed. Surely this was just a dream, there was no way...

"Brother? Why are you just standing there? Have you fallen down the stairs again?" an eerily familiar voice came from somewhere behind him. "Although, I have to admit that I did push you that one time, which means that you probably didn't fall this time, either." Loki smirked, coming into Thor's view. "C'mon, what gives? Why are you looking at me like you've seen a ghost?"

Thor couldn't process what was happening, but somehow his little brother, his annoying, backstabbing brother was there, and he couldn't stop the grin that stretched across his face. "Loki!" the God of Thunder exclaimed with pure exuberance. "You-you're really here!"

Loki gave his brother a confused look, "Uh... yes. Where else would I be? Did you actually fall and hit your head or something?"

Thor shook his head, still smiling. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Brother. I..." he trailed off, at a loss for words. "I didn't think I'd get a second chance."

The God of Mischief furrowed his eyebrows, "A second chance at what? You are not making any sense, Thor. Have you been drinking?"

The older God laughed, "No, absolutely not." He gave his brother a suddenly dark look, "I thought you were gone forever."

"You really are not making any sense right now, Brother. Should I call in the doctor to make sure you didn't-" Loki was cut off by Thor giving him a bone-crushing hug. "Get off!" the younger God shouted. "What the hell has gotten into you!?"

Thor just chuckled in response, pulling his brother closer. "I should've done this when I had

the chance," he said, a bit more sullenly. "If I'd have known..."

"Thor," Loki sighed. "I still have no idea what you're going on about, but can you please stop this ridiculous hugging? There is really no need for this."

"Sorry," Thor said in response. "I just... got a little caught up in the moment a bit." He stepped back from his brother, reluctant to let go for fear of losing him again.

Loki rolled his eyes, "Okay," he said sarcastically. "There's no need to be so over-dramatic, Thor."

There was a beat of silence, and the God of Thunder realized how much younger his brother looked. How far back in time had he gone? Had his brother learned of his true heritage yet? Did he know Odin's true intentions? He didn't think so, because Loki still had the spark in his eyes that he'd lost at a very young age. He still looked at his older brother with adoration instead of hatred. He wasn't corrupted, yet. Thor felt a lump in his throat, he felt guilty for all the things his little brother was about to go through. He was only a teenager, he had no idea what the future would hold for him.

Thor wondered if he could somehow prevent everything happen. If he could stop his brother from going down that dark path that would eventually lead to his death. He'd at least try to prevent it from happening, even if time proved to be fixed and immovable. God, he'd do anything to see his little brother happy and innocent again. They had been through far too much together for Thor to give up now.

"Perhaps I am just coming down with a cold," Thor said, trying to explain away is odd behavior. "Maybe I should see a doctor, after all."

Loki rose an eyebrow, "You haven't gotten ill in years, Brother. I'm pretty sure the last time you got sick was when we were just children."

"You got me sick," Thor said, remembering the incident his brother was referring to. "You had the flu, but insisted on crawling into bed with me because you couldn't sleep. I spent the next three days throwing up while you ditched me to hang out with my friends." He frowned in mock anger, "It really seems that all of my problems have come from you."

The God of Mischief grinned, "Can't disagree with that." He smirked, then, pointing up to a balcony where Thor's room was. "I have something in there for you, by the way. You like snakes, right?"

The younger version of Thor would have been royally pissed off with the younger prince's antics, but now he saw them for what they were. He finally understood that everything Loki did to him as a teenager was just a desperate attempt at getting attention, and he was finally willing to give it to him. Perhaps this was the first step in fixing things. Maybe if he paid attention to his brother at this young age, he wouldn't go to such extremes as trying to take over Earth as an adult.

Because of this, Thor simply smiled and said, "You're quite fond of snakes, aren't you? I've always wondered why. Is it their ability to slip away, undetected? Or perhaps it's their infamous reputation for slithering around and striking when one least expects it."

Loki stared at his brother, dumbfounded. "Wow, you, the God of Thunder, has finally said something perceptive for once? What has happened to you, dear brother?"

Thor shrugged noncommittally. "I think I know you better than most, Brother. Perhaps even more than you know yourself."

"I highly doubt that," Loki scoffed. "But I do appreciate your efforts."

Thor rolled his eyes at his younger sibling, "Is it even possible for you to say something nice about me? It really can't be that difficult."

Loki smirked, "You have no idea, Brother. Even when I do try, it's really quite the effort."

The older prince playfully glared at his brother, "One of these days, your attitude is going to catch up with you. You'll see."

The God of Mischief scoffed, "Is that a weak attempt at threatening me, Brother? Because if so, it's quite pitiful."

"A threat? Oh, no. It's just a fact." Thor shrugged casually, "And besides, I'm pretty sure you're going to want to find those snakes pretty soon."

Loki frowned, "Why?"

"Well... perhaps you don't spend as much time in this courtyard as I do, dear Brother, because that," Thor pointed at the balcony above them. "Is not my room."

The younger God looked perplexed for a moment, but then he realized what Thor meant. "Oh shit, Mother's going to kill me if I ruin another bedroom!" he exclaimed, running out of the courtyard. "I really hate you sometimes, Thor," he added as afterthought. "You know that, right?"

The God of Thunder just laughed in reply. It was something like this, a simple sibling rivalry, that made him want to save his brother from his future even more. Who knew that something he once found so annoying could become so endearing? Thor honestly hoped this wasn't some dream or sick joke someone was trying to play on him. He'd been given a second chance, and he was determined to do all he could to keep the relationship he had with his brother from falling apart.

He wouldn't mess this up. He wouldn't be selfish this time. He'd become the king of Asgard with his brother by his side, and he'd make sure Loki knew how much he meant to him. He'd do everything right this time. He wouldn't let his little brother down.

Author's Note: This is very cheesy, I am aware of that. XD I've been having a bit of writer's bock, so that's why i haven't uploaded anything in a few days. I hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot, and if you did, be sure to leave me a review! It's always nice to know what people like, and what they want to see more of in the future. Feedback is always appreciated! I'll try to update again tomorrow, but I can't promise anything. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this admittedly fluff-filled one-shot.

-Miss Faith