Loki:
The next morning I'm awoken by the sound of the bedroom door shutting quietly. It doesn't take much to wake me; I've always been a light sleeper. I hear Thor's unnecessarily jovial voice call out, "Good morning Milla!"
He's always so damn chipper. I let out a small smile, as much as I've tried to hate him, I just can't anymore. I've missed everything about him. I slip out of bed and use magic to change into my favorite black suit. Then I snap my fingers and change into my black, gold and green Asgardian leathers, not wanting Thor to poke fun at me for wearing all black again. I look in the mirror and use magic to smooth out my tangled black hair. When I notice that my skin is looking sallow and drab, I cast another spell to give my skin a healthy, subtle glow. I turn to my side and roll my shoulders back, admiring myself in the mirror. I look damn good, as always. I exit the room feeling confident, but am caught off guard when I see Thor in the kitchen swooping Kamilla off the ground into a giant hug. I scowl, as a twinge of jealousy burns inside me. Great, I'm stuck as the third wheel with these two stupid lovebirds.
I clear my throat loudly, and Thor quickly sets Kamilla back down.
"You're welcome Thor, let me know if you need me again tonight" Kamilla tells him warmly.
I grimace, "So what's for breakfast?" I ask loudly, intentionally cutting them off.
Thor grins, "Allow me." He reaches up into a high cupboard and grabs a colorful bag and plops it on the table.
"Breakfast of heroes!" Thor announces proudly. It's a large bag of sugary cookies that appears to have come from Earth.
Kamilla's eyes widen, and she asks cautiously, concern filling her voice, "Um, is this what you eat every day for breakfast?"
"Yes of course. I told you, it's a breakfast for heroes." Thor replies, clearly unashamed of his bad eating habits.
I smirk. "Well this explains how you got to be such a large size, brother mine."
Kamilla purses her lips and glares at me, clearly not liking that I continue to make fun of his size, so I raise a challenging eyebrow in response.
"Try them, Earth food is quite delicious!" Thor exclaims, dismissing my insult as he reaches into the bag and grabs a handful of cookies, eating hungrily.
Kamilla takes one herself and smiles, "Yes, I've had them before, they are tasty."
I roll my eyes, they're both degenerates. I use my magic to conjure an apple and eat it slowly, savoring each bite. By the time I finish, Thor has consumed the entire bag of cookies. I cringe, Disgusting. "You should be more careful about what you eat."
"Why? I'm still stronger than you." Thor taunts his voice challenging.
"There is no way in the nine realms, that you're stronger than me." I reply with a tight grin. He always used to make me feel weak and powerless, but now, I just smirk. Now he's evened the playing field. For the first time in my life, I'm in better shape than him. I'm undoubtedly stronger and faster than he is. I can take him down easily.
"Prove it." Thor challenges eagerly.
I narrow my eyes and roll my shoulders back, enjoying my surge of confidence, while actively ignoring the creeping doubt and insecurity that creeps up my spine. "It would be my privilege." Instantly I conjure my horned helmet and grin wickedly, "This is going to be fun."
Thor squares his shoulders and takes a step towards me, his eyes gleaming mischievously as he stretches out his arm to summon his ax.
"Wait!" Kamilla calls out. My gaze snaps back towards her, annoyed by her interruption; I almost forgot the little wench was here.
"I know how we can decide who's stronger," She declares smugly.
Thor pauses, and arches an eyebrow, "How?"
"A simple display of strength. Whoever does the most push-ups wins!"
I balk, Thor's always been good at those, he has way more core strength then I do. But perhaps not anymore.
Thor smirks and waggles his eyebrows at me, "What say you, little brother?"
I cringe, revulsion clawing through me. I hate when he calls me little. And I hate the nagging voice in my head that agrees with him and everyone who thinks they're better than me! I shrug my feelings away and give Thor a devilish grin, "I will crush you without breaking a sweat!"
Thor lays down on the ground and props himself into position, "Count us off, Kamilla," he orders. I get in position next to Thor, determined to show him up.
"Ready, set, go!"
Immediately Thor and I are moving quickly, our arms pumping up and down as fast as possible while Kamilla keeps track, counting aloud.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."
We are up to eight hundred by the time I start to feel tired. Sweat beads on my forehead and my arms start to quiver, but I keep pushing myself. I've faced worse than a little arm pain. I try to detach myself from the pain in my body and focus solely on winning.
"Give up yet?" Thor taunts with a crooked smile, as he continues moving.
Indignation burns within me, the more certain he is of himself, the more determined I am to prove him wrong. "Not in the least." I say casually, my voice calm and collected. I call forth my magic and am about to use it to enhance myself when Kamilla interrupts me, "Hey! No magic Loki, that's cheating!"
"No tricks!" Thor snaps, annoyance tinging his words.
"Fine." I force myself to keep going, but by the time we get to two thousand my arms are noticeably shaking. I just need to push myself a little bit longer. My thoughts begin to spiral downwards into a familiar pattern of despair. I'm tired of Thor seeing me as broken and inadequate.
Sometimes I can't bare the way he looks at me, it's like I'm a stranger to him. But I am determined to prove myself to him, anything else is unacceptable! I scowl, and I certainly won't lose to him in front of a mere human! I glance at Thor whose brow is furrowed; he's slowed down slightly and grunts as he moves, but he doesn't show any signs of stopping. I'm dripping with sweat and my hands are slick, but I refuse to let him think he can beat me.
"Two thousand five hundred and fifty-six," Kamilla continues counting sounding bored, as she munches on a sugar cookie.
More sweat pools beneath my hands, and I continue to push myself until suddenly my left hand slips out beneath me and I crumble to the floor. I curse myself inwardly as I fall flat on my stomach.
"And the winner is, THOR!" Kamilla announces proudly, as she throws her hands in the air happily.
Thor hops to his feet and mock bows, "Thank you, thank you. Twas nothing, really."
I stand up quickly, cursing myself for being weak and try to hide my embarrassment by adjusting my jacket, "Don't get cocky, I let you win," I lie smoothly.
Thor rolls his eyes as Kamilla pipes in, "Sure you did."
Then she smiles playfully and waves her hand casting some sort of spell on Thor. My eyes widen when I realize what she's doing, but Kamilla doesn't break eye contact with me as she raises her finger to her lips, and makes a shushing motion. I narrow my eyes at her and glance at Thor ready to protect him from whatever foolishness she's concocted. Suddenly a small pink, curly tail sprouts from Thor's behind. I gasp when I realize Kamilla's given Thor a pig tail, and that Thor is completely oblivious. Kamilla grins and puts her arm around Thor giving his shoulder a squeeze, "Thor you are without a doubt the strongest man on this ship! You are a boar of a man!"
My mouth gapes as Thor grins proudly and pumps his fist in the air, causing his pig tail to bounce and wiggle behind him. I have to restrain myself from laughing at the sight of Thor with a pink pig tail curling out from his grey sweatpants. Kamilla glances back at me her eyes sparkling mischievously, then adds, her voice loud and teasing, "Now, there's no need for s-whining, Loki dear. Thor won fair and square."
Thor laughs as I groan at her attempt at a joke. By the Norns, her puns are horrendous!
I hide a small smile, I'm no longer upset about losing, now I just want to wait and see how long it takes my thickheaded brother to figure out that he has a tail sticking out of his ass. Kamilla turns gracefully to Thor and puts her hand on his chest gently, "Now that everything's settled, would you mind helping me clear the kitchen to make room? Loki has agreed to train me, in exchange for saving his life."
I raise my eyebrows at her and am about say I've done no such thing, when Thor looks at me thoughtfully, half smiling, "Is that so brother? That's incredibly honorable of you." He beams at me proudly.
I pause, caught off guard. Is that genuine pride I detect in his voice? I feel an unfamiliar warmth spread through my chest, he hasn't looked at me like that in a long time.
"Yes, she is my apprentice." I say puffing out my chest. Then I use magic to clear the room and levitate, so that I'm sitting cross legged and floating in the center of the room. "Won't you join me Kamilla?" I say in my most gentlemanly manner.
Kamilla uses her magic to levitate and joins me, asking, "What are you going to teach me today?"
"Since you seem to have a pretty good handle on fire magic, I'd like to know if you can control the other elements."
She puts both of her palms face up and within a few seconds, it's raining slowly just above our heads inside the spaceship. Tiny water droplets splash my perfectly styled hair, so I conjure a shield to protect me from getting wet.
"I can do that too." Thor mumbles from the floor, with an exaggerated eyeroll, "Sorcerers are such show-offs."
Kamilla's eyes narrow, and her head swivels towards him, "It's a sorcerer you have to thank for saving your brother's life. Show some respect." She snaps at him. I can't help but grin, savoring the look of shock and embarrassment on Thor's face.
Thor's large face pales as he mumbles an apology, "I'm sorry to you both, I meant no offense."
Kamilla's expression softens, "I'm so sorry Thor. I didn't mean to snap at you, sometimes I get overly defensive. I didn't mean to yell."
"No, no, you were right, I shouldn't poke fun. Old habits die hard I guess." He shrugs, "Please, do carry on with your lesson."
Kamilla smiles at him gratefully, her violet eyes twinkling, then she turns back to me expectantly. I frown, feeling a flare of jealously. They make everything look so damn simple! Why does he so readily respect her magical abilities and never mine? And why does everything have to be so much harder for me?! Why can't my relationships ever be that easy? The frustration I had once tamed begins to resurface, threatening to break down my carefully constructed walls. I bristle at the unfairness of my lot in life, before snapping, "No more interruptions! I don't have all day!"
"Mmhmm, don't you though?" Thor cuts in, his eyebrows raised in defiance.
My gaze snaps towards him and I'm about to use magic to shut him up, when Kamilla reaches out to put a calming hand on my arm. "Ignore him." She says gently, then she grins, "He's just jealous of us. It's snout as if he can do any magic." She smiles widely at the pun, and I roll my eyes and lock away my resentment before asking her, "Can you also control the wind and earth?"
She nods, "Yes but only if there's enough of it nearby."
"So, you're not actually creating the elements, you're only drawing it to yourself and manipulating it with magic."
She nods, "I can teleport and manipulate the elements and other objects, but I can't create something from nothing." She pauses and widens her eyes in admiration, "Not like you can."
I smile feeling pleased, "Yes well that is more advanced magic. And I am the most accomplished sorcerer by far."
Thor snorts from across the room and tries in vain to hide his laughter. But I ignore him and focus on Kamilla.
"What else can you do?"
"Well you already know about the sleeping enchantments, the dream weaving, the astral projection, the force field shields, and my strong propensity for casting spells and illusions. But although I can easily teleport objects, I have a hard time teleporting myself."
"Alright Little Witch, first I'll teach you how to teleport yourself and others, and perhaps tomorrow we can work on creating things, by manipulating raw energy."
She nods seeming relieved, "Sounds, good to me."
I spend the next hour teaching her how to teleport the exact same way my mother taught me. Before long Kamilla has mastered the ability to teleport herself and Thor to the front of the ship and back.
"Once we are on solid ground, you can practice travelling farther distances, it will feel strange the further you go. But with time it will get easier."
She grins sweetly, "Thank you. You're an excellent teacher Loki."
I feel my muscles relax slightly at her words, it's so rare that I receive a genuine compliment. People are so often blinded by my magnificence, that they just waste my time with pointless flattery. I cock my head curiously, maybe she really does understand me. No! No one could ever understand me! I refuse to let her wear down my defenses, it's not like I'm some sort of child desperate for approval.
Am I?
I grind my teeth, hating how needy I feel. No, I most certainly am not. I am a God, I don't need anyone!
"Let's see if you can use your newly acquired skills in battle, Little Witch." I say to Kamilla grinning wickedly. She is a fool for assuming that we're friends.
Her eyes light up with anticipation, but before she can say anything, I blast her forcefully with my magic. We spend the next thirty minutes sparring together as I unleash my powerful magic on her. Unsurprisingly she struggles to keep up with me, but Thor cheers her on, shouting encouraging words from the sidelines. I ignore him and continue to test her reflexes and abilities, using my full strength until she's on the ground panting heavily.
"Do you yield?" I demand, my tone icy.
"Yes, I yield." She replies tiredly from the floor as I hover above her. I grin feeling satisfied at my redemption; if I can't beat my brother I can at least beat her.
Thor pats Kamilla heartily on the shoulder, "You fought bravely. But my brother is a legendary warrior, nearly unbeatable." He grins, "Except of course, by me."
"Not with that swollen belly slowing you down." I taunt, still not used to seeing my fitness-obsessed brother overweight.
Thor's taken aback for a moment, then he smirks and leans to whisper in Kamilla's ear quietly.
Before I can use my magic to hear what he said, Thor stops whispering and Kamilla chuckles as her eyes shimmer with gleeful excitement. I glare at them haughtily, I don't like seeing them act so smug and suspicious. I have a sinking feeling, that I try unsuccessfully to push away, I hate feeling left out. You're always excluded! A desperate and familiar voice screams from within me. I roll my eyes at their smiling faces, it doesn't matter I'm better off on my own anyways.
"How about some lunch?" Thor says merrily, "Loki you really ought to try the Captain's special!"
At this Kamilla's smile disappears and she pales slightly, "NO." Kamilla exclaims loudly.
Thor looks at her questioningly, "I thought you liked it?" He asks, sounding offended.
"I did, but, uh- well you know... I'm your guest so I thought it would be nice if I cooked something special for you, as a thank you." I scoff at her awful attempt at a cover up.
But Thor, still as dense as ever, simply grins. "That's so sweet of you Milla! You're too good to us."
"Alright, but I want it to be a surprise. So go wait somewhere else." Thor chuckles as she puts her hands on his back and quickly steers him out of the kitchen. Once she's pushed Thor away, she shrugs at me exasperatedly, "I just could not have him feeding us more of his garbage-food!"
I shake my head, chuckling and turn to leave.
"Wait," She says stopping me in my tracks, "I need your help."
I hide my self-satisfied smile and smooth my face before turning back to her, "Yes, you seem to need that quite often."
She grins playfully, "I know, I know. But can you just conjure up some fresh vegetables for me before you go?"
"What kind?"
"Ten fresh tomatoes and a clove of garlic."
I wave my hand and picture the images in vivid detail in my mind, and instantly they appear on the table.
She nods, "Oh, and a couple of onions!"
I conjure some onions for her and they also appear on the kitchen table.
"And some fresh basil."
I wave my hand and conjure some fresh basil leaves, then sigh, "Anything else my lady?" I ask sarcastically. I don't know why she insists on trying my patience.
"Some pasta?"
I cast one final spell then go join Thor in the front of the ship, he's standing still, quietly staring out the window his expression distant.
I wonder if he's thinking about Jane Foster, or about our parents. I wonder if he realizes that I miss them too.... Not that I would ever tell him that.
I flash him a charming grin that I know he can't resist, "So since you've made up your mind about taking Kamilla to Nidavellir, perhaps Eitri can forge a weapon for me as well."
Thor guffaws, "Ha! That is not happening!"
My frustration mounts, and my voice comes out more whiny than I expected, "But you already have two weapons! And I have none!"
"Oh, Loki." He says sadly, his words clipped, "There's no way I will allow you to wield such a powerful weapon." He shakes his head and is silent until he adds with a hopeful smile, "But perhaps someday, when you've earned it, we shall return and Eitri will forge an incredible weapon that's truly worthy of you."
My shoulders slump, as disappointment and jealousy shatters my hopes. As usual, the golden son gets everything and I'm left fighting for scraps. I feel the familiar sting of bitterness burning recklessly inside me, but I push it away and try again. "But what if Lady Death shows up and demands my life?"
Thor freezes, then glances from side to side quickly, before forcing out an awkward laugh. "You don't believe in that old legend, do you? She's not real!"
I purse my lips tightly before replying, "We both know that's not true."
Thor looks worried for a moment, then shakes it off as his optimistic nature takes over. He lowers his deep voice, assuring me confidently, "Don't worry brother, if she comes, I will give my life to protect you. I won't let her touch you."