Chapter Text
Thor had never quite understood his brother’s fixation on the shadows. To Thor, the world was meant to be taken by storm—literally. He liked the clash of training swords, the roar of the banquet hall, and the bright, blinding glare of the Asgardian sun on gold armor. But Loki... Loki moved like water, flowing silently through the gaps where the light couldn't reach. Right now, that meant Loki was currently perched precariously on a high stone ledge in the royal armory, spinning a silver dagger between his long fingers and watching a patrol of very confused guards march right past his hiding spot. "They have absolutely no spatial awareness," Loki murmured, his voice drifting down to where Thor stood hidden behind a massive marble pillar. "It's tragic, really. Father trusts these men with the gates?" Thor let out a low rumble of a laugh, stepping out of the shadows once the guards' footsteps faded. He looked up at his younger brother, his heart swelling with that familiar, fierce protectiveness. No matter how much mischief Loki managed to conjure, Thor would always be right there to catch him. Or, more accurately, to help him cause a scene. "Perhaps they are simply blinded by your dazzling lack of humility, brother," Thor called up, a bright grin breaking across his face. "Come down from there before Mother finds us. She expects us in the healing halls within the hour." Loki rolled his eyes, a familiar, mocking expression crossing his pale face, but he slid off the ledge anyway. Instead of falling, he dissolved into a shimmer of green light, reappearing a second later right beside Thor's elbow. Thor didn't even flinch. He just reached out, throwing a heavy, armored arm around Loki’s slim shoulders and pulling him into a brief, rough headlock before Loki could squirm away. "There he is. Ready for our next grand adventure?" Loki smoothed down his tunic, his expression annoyed but his eyes holding a distinct, fond sparkle. "Only if it involves less shouting than the last one, Thor."
"Shouting is the very essence of a grand adventure, Loki," Thor bellowed cheerfully, ignoring his brother’s exasperated sigh as he finally released him from the headlock, though he kept a heavy, grounding hand resting firmly on the younger prince's shoulder. As they walked out of the armory, Thor’s eyes flicked to a massive gilded tapestry of their family line, noticing how Loki automatically stepped into his shadow to avoid looking at the looming figure of Odin, a subtle flinch that made Thor’s protective instincts flare instantly. He knew their father’s praise was a currency only ever spent on golden sons and heavy hammers, leaving Loki to gather up the cold scraps of disapproval, so Thor deliberately tightened his grip on Loki’s shoulder, pulling him into a sudden, fiercely tight side-hug that nearly knocked the wind out of the smaller god. "Ignore the old man’s stern glances from yesterday, brother, for your magic was magnificent during the drills, and I will hear no arguments to the contrary," Thor declared firmly, burying his face briefly in Loki's dark hair before letting him go with a bright, encouraging grin. Loki stumbled back a step, furiously smoothing down his crumpled collar while huffing a sharp, defensive breath, though the tight, guarded line of his shoulders visibly softened as he muttered, "You are entirely too loud and terribly sentimental, Thor, but... thank you."
"Do not think your sentimental display went unnoticed, Odinson," Sif's voice rang out down the long corridor, her arms crossed over her silver breastplate as she leaned against the stone wall alongside Fandral, Volstagg, and Hogun, who were all currently eyeing the two princes with varying degrees of amusement. Volstagg let out a hearty laugh that echoed off the high ceilings, slapping a heavy hand against his belt as he bellowed, "Indeed, Thor! We could hear your booming voice from the courtyard, though I suspect Loki’s sigh of despair was loud enough to carry across the Bifrost all on its own!" Fandral offered a theatrical bow, his eyes gleaming with mischief as he stepped forward to join them, adding playfully, "Come now, leave the trickster be, Thor, before he decides to turn your luscious golden locks into slithering serpents out of sheer embarrassment." Sif merely rolled her eyes at the boys' antics, her sharp gaze softening just a fraction as she looked at Loki, inclining her head in a quiet sign of respect that she rarely afforded anyone else, before she gestured toward the heavy oak doors at the end of the hall and muttered, "We ought to hurry; Lady Frigga is already waiting for us in the garden courtyard, and you know how she dislikes it when her sons are late for midday tea."
As the group began to walk, Thor deliberately falling into step right beside Loki to keep a protective, solid barrier between his brother and the rest of the boisterous warriors, the heavy footsteps of the All-Father suddenly echoed from the upper balcony above them. The entire hallway went completely rigid as Odin looked down, his singular, piercing gaze sweeping over the group before lingering coldly on Loki’s green robes for a tense, heavy second without saying a single word, a silent dismissal that made the air in the corridor instantly turn to ice. Thor felt a familiar, hot flash of anger spark deep in his chest at the blatant slight, but before he could shout a defense or demand his father's attention, Loki subtly caught the edge of Thor’s crimson cape, giving it a tiny, warning tug that silently begged him to let it go. Thor swallowed his pride with a heavy grunt, instead choosing to look ahead toward the sunlit gardens where Frigga was already standing, her beautiful face lighting up with a warm, radiant smile the moment she spotted her youngest son, a sight that instantly melted the tension from Loki's frame as the Queen stepped forward to wrap them both in the unconditional warmth of a mother’s embrace.
"You are late, my sons, though I suspect the blame lies entirely with Thor trying to drag everyone into another competitive footrace down the palace steps," Frigga murmured with an affectionate smile, her hands resting gently on Loki’s shoulders as she deftly steered both of her boys toward the elegantly set stone table, completely ignoring the way the Warriors Three immediately began piling pastries onto their plates like starving wolves. Thor let out a bright, booming laugh, sliding onto the bench right next to Loki so their shoulders pressed together in a solid, comforting line that silently promised he wasn't going anywhere. He watched as Loki hesitated for a split second before reaching for a cup of tea, the tight, defensive tension finally leaving his brother's posture entirely under their mother’s watchful, loving gaze. Thor reached over and subtly nudged Loki’s elbow with his own, offering a bright, knowing wink as he grabbed a pastry for himself, utterly content in the knowledge that no matter how cold the rest of the palace could be, here in the sunlit garden, his brother was safe, loved, and exactly where he belonged.