Disclaimer: I don't own this or Adam Young. :(
A/n: Blame this chapter on me listening to Fireflies by Owl City. God, that song is so freaking catchy...
Playing hide and seek with Loki was hard, Thor decided, as he roamed the nearly empty halls of the palace. Night was already upon them, and Mother would be angry if they broke their curfew.
The blonde was already frustrated, mainly because of his brother's advantages. Loki was little, and could easily slip in and out of small places. Not only that, but the porcelain skinned boy could stand still and be quiet longer than Thor could.
Then, of course, there was the invisibility factor, but Thor had made Loki promise that he wouldn't use his magic during the game. At this point, however, Thor was almost certain that he had broken his promise.
Thor had literally searched everywhere—the throne room, the orchard, the courtyard, their rooms, the library, the kitchens...Any area where Loki liked to be, Thor had gone there and searched with no avail. The prince considered to just stop looking for his brother, but then Loki would call him a quitter, and he certainly was not a quitter. Bet Thor wasn't about to admit defeat;and especially not to Loki.
Thor sighed, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. At this point, he really didn't see any use of keeping the game going as long as Loki would win either way. He was about to call out to Loki and tell him that he won when he noticed something.
The doors to the library were open a tiny inch, when previously they had been shut air-tight. Someone must have opened them up and gone inside. A slow grin spread itself across the boy's face. Loki wasn't as clever as he thought!
Thor tiptoed closer to the library's doors, scared to even breathe. Loki always said that it was easy to find him whenever he hid; apparently, he lumbered around like a soldier forced to carry a heavy burden, while Loki moved as quietly as smoke. But this time, Thor wanted to be the one who surprised Loki. This time, it would be different.
And so the Asgardian prince took a deep breath and burst into the library, both doors flying backwards and hitting the walls with equally loud BANGs.
"HA! I found you, Loki! I knew you could not...," Thor quickly silenced himself when he found himself standing in the presence of not his brother but his Father.
The King had his back facing Thor. He was standing on the other side of the room, looking out the wall made of glass which overlooked the city. He didn't seem phased by Thor's sudden and dramatic entrance.
"Oh, hello Father," said Thor sheepishly. "I apologize, I did not mean to—"
"Thor," said Odin softly, "come here, will you?"
Thor cringed slightly, not wanting to get lectured about how he was not supposed to be barging into libraries. Yet he still obeyed, quickly walking over to stand by his Father's side at the window. Thor looked up at Odin; his single blue eye was not staring down at the city, but rather up at the sky.
"Tell me, Thor," Odin began, glancing down at his son, "when you look to the sky, what do you see?"
Thor looked up through the window. He couldn't see much—clouds were covering most of the sky. There was the occasional hole where he could see a tiny bit of the moonlight peeking through the blanket of clouds, but that was all.
"Uh...Nothing," replied Thor.
Odin hmmed softly. Thor wished Loki was there along with him; even in his young age, the dark haired boy was much better at answering their Father's cryptic questions then himself.
Thor watched as his Father waved his right arm. Almost as if someone was wiping them away from existence, the clouds instantly vanished from the sky, revealing the most brilliant night sky that Thor had ever seen.
"Now what do you see?" asked Odin.
"Stars," said Thor almost immediately, gazing up at the sky with large and innocent eyes. "Thousands of them."
True to his words, hundreds and thousands of newly gleaming stars now illuminated the night sky. The moonlight joined in on their radiance, casting the city aglow.
"And planets," added Odin.
"Really?"
"Yes, planets and galaxies and universes. They are all out there, right outside your window at night."
"Wow," breathed the prince. A smile began to weave it's way onto the King's face.
"One day, they will all be yours," he said offhandedly. Thor's eyes snapped over to him, still wide with wonder.
"Mine?" repeated Thor. "You can't possibly be serious, Father."
"Oh, but I am," said Odin firmly. "You will someday rule over them, just as I do."
"That's amazing!" said Thor brightly, turning his attention back onto the sky.
"It sure is, son," said Odin, putting his large hand on the boy's small shoulder. "It sure is."
The two were unaware of the pair of green eyes that had been watching the scene unfold. Loki withdrew his head from around the corner, a small frown appearing on his face.
Loki didn't know why Thor would be the one inheriting the whole entire cosmos. He didn't know why his heartbeat suddenly became uneven. He didn't know why his throat tightened and eyes began to sting.
But what Loki did know, however, was that if Thor had wanted to stop playing hide and seek, all he had to do was ask.
A/n: Oh, that sound you're hearing? Yeah, that's me, headdesking. I completely FAIL at writing Odin. This scene was originally played out in my mind to be between him and Loki, but then I decided to bring in the element of sibling rivalry. (Plus, it was kind of awkward in my mind with Loki and Odin. But with Odin and Thor everything just clicked.)
I've noticed something. I've been getting more reviews for the even chapters then I do for the odd. What's up with that? Well, I'm hoping this chapter makes you go "Awwwww!" and want to hug Loki, because it made me do such a thing. Anyway, please review this chapter and crush my more-even-reviews conspiracy!