Chapter Text
In Asgard, Loki had always be known for his mischievousness, his deceit in his trickery. Ever since he was just a child, he had been predisposed for his magic ability and his illusions, setting him apart from other Asgardians. Ever so slightly off, to a certain degree that it was noticeable and unsettling making many say he'd always had something up his sleeve.
When Loki was young, he learned quickly of the large shadow that Thor cast over him, and the even larger overcastting cloud of the All-Father. His small stature and dark hair had already set him apart from the beautiful golden gleam of his brother and the even greater divide that was casted when Loki learned of his magic ability. As often as he heard Odin say "My Sons," Loki always felt that the plural was silent as Odin would always linger his warmth on Thor's bright smile.
As they grew older and Thor sprouted like a weed (a loud, jubilant weed built like a shit brick house), dominating the training arena with his blunt power, Loki felt a comfort in his studies that he couldn't find in the dirt arena or in the sounds of clashing metal. Something about the endless knowledge of books gave him a slight feeling of superiority in his ever-growing skill with the runes. The thrum of magic coursing though his veins gave him more of a thrill than picking up a blade in the field ever did. With a flick of his wrist he could either make a leaf bloom or crack a glass, which was the only triumph he had ever felt over Thor's blunt strength.
Initially, his magic wasn't for the purpose of his own amusement. His first learned skill was a flower he'd magicked for his mother, with soft pink petals. It was such a delicate life that he was so proud of, he presented it to the Lady the moment it stayed alive successfully - running through the large hallways with caution as well as vigor as he cupped it delicately in his hands.
Frigga had accepted the flower with a shocked face when he announced he had made it - the shock something Loki was not anticipating, but thought she must have been surprised at his ability, as he was only supposed to be memorizing at his age and not crafting. She coveted the small flower quickly from sight as she knelt in from of him, cupping his thin face in her soft hands and giving him affection she saved for small moments as such.
"It is lovely, child," Her sweet voice had cooed to him, stroking a short, dark curl behind his ear. "but you should do this no more. Hone those skills for the field, my prince."
Loki had frowned at the All-Mother, not expecting her words, as sweet as honey as they sounded. He thought she would be more delighted at the gift he'd made.
It was only coincidence that Thor had chosen that moment to blunder into the Lady's room, loudly proclaiming what he had killed on the hunt with the All-Father as he grappled at her dress as he bounced with excitement. Loki had shied away from Thor's excitement, still hurt and confused by his mothers words. Of course Loki's flower came into Thor's sight as Frigga fretted over him, and Thor couldn't help but notice and smile.
"Did another maiden give you flowers, Mother?" Thor's confidant tone sank like a knife into to Loki's gut. It was obvious that Lady Frigga was gifted with beautiful flowers wherever she went - given to her by amorous girls, and it would be seen as such a gift. But to Loki it just sounded mocking, like the small life he had worked so hard to produce was nothing more than a flimsy token from a handmaiden.
Loki reacted before Frigga could correct Thor's words. Though Loki was small, he was quick, and he had Thor on his back before either Lady Frigga or the boy knew what was coming. His fist jabbed Thor at his side, and Thor cried out as he tried to hold his brother back by his short dark hair making him scream in return.
Odin hadn't been far behind Thor when he burst into Frigga's chambers in time to tare Loki off of his bother and send him away with a guard to be lashed and simmer in his chambers without food for the rest of the day.
It was in his room, wiping back silent tears as Loki tended to the lacerations on the back of his thighs from his beatings that he recognized his mother's shame of his magic, and that Thor was in the right when he saw it as feminine.
A cold weight hung in his chest as he felt his anger cool in his veins. He was going to change that.
His determination was slightly deterred as a loud knock on his door showed a small plate of (half-eaten) food set on the floor, and Thor's poor handwriting scribbled on parchment with the words I'm sorry.
It still didn't stop Loki from making everything Thor touched the next day turn tiny pink flowers to grow in his wake. Thor's frustration gave Loki a sweet satisfaction, but he allowed it to stop by suppertime.
_ _ _
As Loki grew older and his magic attained abilities higher than his tutors, Loki gained confidence in himself through his skilled tongue. His illusions were more elaborate and his intelligence became fiercer as he was kept in his chambers and left to study endlessly.
Even as his skills improved, though, Thor's brash conquests still overshadowed Loki in every way. No matter what trick Loki could do, Asgaurdians saw his Magic as weakness and cowardice. Loki learned to duplicate himself like a mirror, then Thor would come back after a days hunt with a giant boar and it would be celebrated as if he held the sun in his hands. The cold weight in his chest grew heavier with every passing season.
Loki loved his brother, though. For all of his quick-tempered manner and simple-minded joy that he carried about, Thor would show his brother the greatest affections. He never went on a quest without offering Loki to come along, and never came back empty handed. Where no one would even think of Loki, Thor always extended a hand.
At night, they would sit themselves by the fireplace separating their rooms and Thor would tell of all the things he saw that he knew Loki would be interested in -like magic rocks, interesting creatures, and the like. Thor would be the only one to ask him of his progressions in Magic, always asking Loki to show him what he'd learned from the books he'd read, nothing but delight and amusement on his face everytime Loki would show him a new trick.
But those nights grew fewer and fewer as Thor began entering the tests of his Manhood. Thor would spend endless hours on the training field and in the woods, and if he were to even return at night, he would be asleep on top of his own covers, not even managing to get his feet fully off of the floor before dropping straight into unconsciousness.
And while Thor trained, so would Loki. The first time he was able to slip from Heimdall's gaze, he felt invincible. He traveled to places forbidden to him and for once he felt like the God the Midgaurdians had always claimed them to be. It wasn't long for Thor's shadow to cloak him once again, though.
At Thor's ceremony to celebrate his coming of age, he was presented with Mjolnir, Loki had never felt more terrified. Thor, of all the simple-minded Asgaurdians, was given Mjolnir? His brute strength alone was enough, but to give the boy Mjolnir was the equivalent of giving a child a button to destroy the sun. For all that Loki loved his brother, he knew first hand of Thor's temper and how he was unable to take a course where there wasn't bloodshed. To give him such power made Loki fear for the safety of all of Yggrdrasil.
From then on, Loki never left Thor's side, always accompanying Thor wherever he chose to go. He tried giving Thor council where he saw fit, and as always, Thor would only take a sum of his words, if any, and act on them as he saw fit. Of course, Loki would have his fun every now and again (seeing Thor in a dress will never fail to amuse him, even on his darkest day), but Odin would always point his powerful accusing finger in Loki's direction when trouble rose up. Where Thor would get a slap on the wrist, Loki would sleep on the cold floors of the lower chambers of Asgard.