Title: Kill Me ~ Loki + Thor
Fandom: Marvel (movie 'verse)
Author: Batsutousai
Rating: T
Warnings: Character death, childhood bullying
Summary: ' One day,' Thor said, 'you and I will be in a battle, and you will fight gloriously with a spear. You will bring the greatest honour to your name.'
Disclaim Her: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Marvel. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A/N: From a list of prompts on tumblr as a response to a prompt given to me by hiddlebang (tumblr). The prompt was Kill Me - Thor and Loki

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Loki remembered a moment, nearly two thousand years ago, when he'd waved a spear Thor's way, failing to even touch the elder's defences:

'Is this the best you can do, Brother?' Thor mocked him, making barely an effort to dodge the spear.

'Oh, let him be, Thor,' Volstagg had laughed from where he was sprawled, eating out of a bowl of grapes. 'We all know he's much better with a book in his hands.'

'Aye, but his aim is still poor,' Thor returned, catching the spear with one hand and using Loki's own momentum to toss the darker-haired prince over one shoulder.

Loki landed on his feet with a snarl and swung his spear at Thor's back. 'At least I can read,' he snapped as Thor avoided the weapon without even looking. 'You idiots will go through life wondering what those little scribbles on the page means!'

'Oiy! I read fine!' Volstagg complained, sitting up with an offended expression.

'Peace, friend,' Thor soothed, catching the spear again and absently sending Loki sprawling with a casual sweep of his hand. 'Loki is only attempting to rile you into joining our spar. He believes he might have a chance of at least landing one hit if there are two of us.'

Thor and Volstagg both laughed, loud and obnoxious, and Loki glared up at them from the ground, blinking back tears. It wasn't fair, the way they treated him. Bullies and brutes, the both of them. He raised his hand to cast a nasty spell to leave them with boils for a week.

Thor, always so quick for his side, darted in and grabbed Loki's wrist, frowning. 'Loki, you swore.'

Loki picked up his spear with his off hand and threw it at Thor, not even chancing a hit, because it was true, his aim was abysmal. 'I can't do this!' he shouted. 'I'll never be able to use a spear!'

'You can say that again,' Volstagg muttered.

'Enough,' Thor ordered his fellow before kneeling at Loki's side, blue eyes wide and earnest. 'I know you can. One day, you and I will be in a battle, and you will fight gloriously with a spear. You will bring the greatest honour to your name.'

'I don't want honour,' Loki muttered, wiping at his nose with one dusty sleeve, then proceeding to sneeze.

Thor chuckled and got to his feet, holding down a hand to help Loki up, which the younger pointedly ignored, still sore over some of the insults thrown his way. 'You will, one day,' Thor promised.

Now, here, staring down at where his spear, glinting beautifully in the light of the dying sun, rose vertically from Thor's chest, Loki laughed, bitter and loud.

Thor had been right; they had fought on the same field of battle, and Loki had done so gloriously. He'd felled his brother in an easy motion that was nothing like the desperate flailing of a child. He'd won the honour of killing the man who'd been a thorn in his side for years, decades, centuries, even. He would been greatly celebrated by his allies.

So why, then, did he feel so hollow?

..