Disclaimer: I don't own The Avengers, or any of the characters used in this fic. They all belong to Marvel and their respective creators. I only own any original characters that I choose to include, as well as any original plot ideas.

Chapter 21: Brothers

A/N: Flashback chapter.

He ran, forcing himself into a sprint as, far ahead of him, they laughed, cutting through the bushes and weaving between wide tree trunks as the race went on, his breaths heavy and shallow as he struggled to keep up. They had sprung the idea on him, all taking off long before the countdown had been finished, peering back and making faces as he struggled to reach their speeds. A hand flew to Loki's mouth as he coughed, Fandral having turned to kick a bit of dirt at him with a devious smile. He leaned over, taking to his knees as he hacked, trying to remove the foreign substance from his lungs.

The sound of water reached him, his brother shouting as he tumbled into the lake, Sif laughing as she followed at his heels. Loki trudged the rest of the way through the woods, his dark brows bending to meet at the top of his nose, his pale eyes narrowed in discontent.

They always did this, always played games that they knew he couldn't win. And, when the games were fair, they cheated, just like this. His brother and his friends would place bets on them, saying that the last one to the doors of the throne room would have to fetch snacks for the rest of them. Play gopher, as it were. And it seemed he was always the one.

When Loki reached the edge of the water, Sif was nowhere in sight, thus worrying him. He did not trust her, didn't like the way she played, the way she always teased him. She would call him weak because he cared not for training like the rest of them, taking instead to his mother's library for books on spells rather than requesting lessons from the off-duty soldiers within the armory.

He found the water coming closer as he fell, Sif's hands having shoved him over the edge and into the lake, her laughter ringing in his ears as he surfaced. Loki dropped down into the water again, taking as much of it into his mouth as he could before popping back up onto the bank and spitting it all over the front of her clothes.

"Hey!" she shouted, aiming a kick at his head. He dropped into the water to avoid her, allowing himself to float on his back. "That's not nice!"

Loki grimaced, moving over several feet before pulling himself back up and onto the grass. "You'd know all about being unkind now, wouldn't you, Sif?" he sneered, taking a rock and throwing it at her.

The stone struck her in the arm, Sif's eyes burning as she charged him, grabbing him by the hair and forcing him to the ground. They tumbled about as Fandral laughed, cheering the girl on as she flipped Loki onto his stomach, arms pinned behind his back as she wrapped her fingers around his wrists, the sole of her boot coming to rest at the back of his skull.

"And you'd know all about losing," she retorted, stepping off and bumping arms with the blond boy.

Loki spat, sitting up on his rump as he hunched over, water dripping into his pale eyes as he seethed. One day, he vowed, he'd outdo Sif, outdo all of them. That way, they'd have to show him the respect that a prince like himself deserved.

His brother's laugh rang through the hot summer air, cut off only by the sound of splashing as Thor struggled to lift himself out of the lake and back onto the bank. He fell back several times, spewing water out his nose as he choked and sputtered, fingers digging into the soft earth that refused to hold his solid weight.

Ignoring the others as they teased, Loki crawled to where his brother hovered in the water, leaning over the edge of the bank to offer Thor his arm. When the elder prince took hold of him, struggling to lift himself up again, Loki tumbled into the water with him, taking along a large clump of dirt and grass. They surfaced, Thor laughing as Loki brushed wet dirt from his face. Having finally managed to lift himself out, Thor turned back and tugged on Loki's arm, bringing the smaller boy to rest in the grass beside him.

"I'm sorry," Thor grinned sheepishly, still clinging to his brother's arm. "It was an accident."

Despite being wet and having grass in his hair, Loki smiled back and nodded.

His eyes lit up at the sound of singing, tugging on Thor and taking to his feet, leaving his brother behind as he barreled up the hill and towards the gardens, wet boots slapping against the cobbled pathways as he ran, coming to rest firmly in his mothers arms. She placed a hand on his small back, questioning why he was soaked and covered in dirt. Loki did not answer; just tightened his small arms around her waist as he pressed his face into the white fabric of her now dirtied dress.

"You're not crying, are you?" she asked, pulling him close and taking a seat upon a nearby bench. Loki said nothing, and Frigga continued to stroke his back. "What's wrong?"

"He's not fit to be a warrior," Sif chimed, having followed Thor into the garden. "A warrior must be strong, able to hold his own. Loki can't do any of that. He can't be a warrior of Asgard. He does nothing but cry!"

Loki turned to look at her, to make a face, only to see that Thor had taken to shouting at her, even pushing her into the fountain as he demanded that she take back what she'd said. That, being how his brother was a prince of Asgard, she ought to have some respect, treat Loki the way she'd treat him: As a friend rather than a scapegoat. Sif struck him then, her fist colliding with Thor's jaw, and he jumped on her, yanking at her hair and causing Frigga to step in, pull the blond boy away from her with a firm scolding.

As Loki looked on, he could see the split in his brother's lip as Frigga held him tightly in her arms, explaining that, no matter how angry one was, it was never appropriate to strike another. It made him smile, knowing that Sif had received the same lecture.

He wandered through the gardens and up the steps to the palace, ignoring one of the servant girls as she doted on him, running to fetch him a towel and dry him off as he headed for the bath house. As he sat on the edge of the tub, removing his boots and muddy clothes, she headed off towards his chamber so as to fetch him some fresh ones. The water ran hot and clear from the spout as he turned the knob, sliding into the wide porcelain tub as it began to froth and bubble around him.

He sat there brooding, trying to devise a clever way with which to get back at Sif. A way that wouldn't out him to his mother.

Not yet was Loki skilled enough to conjure realistic-looking snakes, to hide them in her boots and cause her to scream. They all looked fake, like a toddler's paintings, no matter how hard he tried to give them the same consistency as the real articles. No scales, just cold, smooth skin the color of forest shrubbery. Not at all pale and marble gray as he wanted them to be. Thus far, all he could conjure were shining goldfish.

The young prince waved a hand over the water, a fish the size of his hand appearing among the froth, poking its head out to look up at him, the tiny scales along its face shimmering like a rainbow following a heavy storm.

Loki watched as the fish swam about in the water, hopping out and performing little tricks as he observed it fondly. If only a fish could frighten Sif, he thought.

Leaning back in the water, he washed the dirt from his hair, giving himself a thorough cleaning before draining the wide tub, sitting quietly by himself as the soapy water spiraled down the drain, leaving the glittering goldfish to flop about at his feet. He reached back towards the little table in the room, realizing that the servant girl had come and gone, leaving his clothes and a towel behind. The cloth was soft against his skin, and he pulled, drawing the towel around his shoulders as he dismissed the fish with yet another wave of his hand.

Drying off, Loki dressed quickly, leaving the towel upon the marble top of the small table, stepping out of the room and into the hallway where he made quickly for his own chambers.

They were like to be looking for him, Sif and the others, so he ran down the halls and around corners, not stopping until he'd pushed past the doors of his room and dove into the soft comfort of his bed.

On the bedside table sat his books, ancient runes littering the leather covers while others, dusty old scrolls, were tied with gentle lengths of red ribbon given him by his mother. Propping the pillows up against the carved headboard, he reached for one, thumbing through it until he had found the page he'd finished reading the night before, eyes darting across the letters as the information fed into his brain like water being sucked into a sponge.

He sat there in silence until the door opened again, Thor stumbling in still covered in dirt and much, a bruise on his forehead and that same cut upon his lip.

"You're filthier than before," Loki said, not looking up from his book. "What happened?"

Thor stood by the bed, rolling his shoulders and sending flecks of mud to the floor from the ends of his blond hair. "When Mother left, Sif hit me again."

Loki snapped the book shut, placing it on the bed and glancing to his brother. "I don't need you to protect me," he huffed angrily. "I'm not like you, going around beating things with your fists. Mother says I'm smart."

Sitting down beside him, careful not to get mud on the bed covering, Thor put his arm around Loki's shoulder and smiled. "Mother's right. You're fast and clever and patient... and you don't get into trouble like I do." Thor wrapped his other arm around Loki.

"You do get in a lot of trouble." The younger boy smiled, reaching a hand up and touching the side of Thor's face, scraping away the mud and plastering it to his own cheek. "But I can take care of myself."

"You're my little brother, Loki. It's always going to be my job to protect you from the monsters."

"No matter what, right?"

Thor beamed, giving him a fond shove and a hug. "Forever."