1. When Loki Is Cold After a Trip to Midgard (Age 12)
Frigga hurried down the stairs as Thor clambered through the door, tracking in leftover Midgardian snow and slush. Leaning hard against his shoulder was her other son, Loki. He wore thin pants and an oversized hoodie, and she could hear the clacking of his teeth as he shivered. “Before you say anything, I told him to bring a coat, Mother,” Thor started.
“Come, let’s get him in the living room,” she bustled, waving away her other handmaidens to get supplies, warm water, and towels. “What happened?”
Thor groaned in annoyance. “He said he could handle the Midgardian winter because he was a god,” he mocked. “He lasted longer than Sif and I thought, but..” He glanced down at his shivering brother.
Loki said nothing through all of this, clinging to the sleeves of his soaked sweatshirt and shivering, his entire body soaked from the rain and snow. His long, black hair was plastered to his head and his breath wheezed between shivers.
Frigga nodded, understanding. “We’ll have to get him warmer first. Thor, help me push this couch close to the fire. I can handle him from here.”
Thor grunted in agreement and In minutes, the formal living room was rearranged and the couch was as close to the fire as Frigga dared to get it. She gave Thor a quick hug and kiss before turning her attention to her other son. Loki looked pitifully up at her, his green eyes shadowed and she motioned for him to sit up. “I’ve got to get this off you. It’s wet and it’s making you colder.”
“N-nn” he shivered, and started pulling the sweatshirt off. It was heavy and wet, and Loki struggled as his teeth chattered.
Frigga helped guide his arms through the sleeves and pulled the hoodie off of him. His body tensed against the chilliness of the room, but Frigga immediately wrapped him in a warmer blanket and he sighed, pulling it tighter around himself.
“That’s it,” she encouraged, and then began to towel-dry his jet black hair. Loki huffed in annoyance and tried to move away from her, one hand shooting out to try and use his seidr.
“No, no magic right now,” she said quickly. “I don’t want you to work harder than you have to.”
“It’ll knot,” he whined, pulling his head away.
“Then you’ll use magic to fix it later,” she said, pressing the towel against his head. “Right now, you’ve got to get dry.”
Loki gave another annoyed sigh, but allowed his mother to continue.
When she had finished, she helped Loki lean back against the cushions. She smiled slightly as she noticed his shivering had lessened and a slight pink was already starting to peek into his cheeks. One of her maidens came by to leave a cup of tea.
“So,” she stared, sitting down next to her son. She carefully handed him the cup of tea. “You want to tell me what strengths you had to keep you warm in the middle of a winter storm on Midgard?”
Loki sighed and did his best to hide his smile. “Well, it started with what I had just learned about…” he started.
Frigga leaned in and listened, fascinated at her son’s ability to not only use magic, but fearlessness when it came to testing his limits with it. And as he trailed off and began to give in to exhaustion this all had caused, she began to get up to refill his tea.
“Wait,” her son asked softly. “Can you stay?”
Frigga’s heart softened in her chest and she nodded, moving to sit more comfortable on the couch. Next to her, her son drifted into soft sleep.
2. When In Sickness (Age 13)
Frigga was on high alert as she walked through the castle. Something in her magic shifted, and then stilled. Suddenly, she knew it was Loki. Of course. She had caught his weary and flushed face at the end of their lessons the day before. His bright green eyes that usually were alight with curiosity had been duller green. On top of that, her worry only increased when she remembered his absence at dinner.
So, she carefully climbed the stone stairs to the upper level of the castle and listened at Loki’s door. Sure enough, she heard the loud rushing of the faucet, the shower, and the extra tub, all turned to high blast. But even through all of that, she could still hear the sound of her son’s gags and vomiting.
She opened the door slowly, letting each hinge creak so Loki would hear. She knew the last thing he needed was to feel caught or exposed.
“M-mother,” she heard him gasp. “D-don’t come i-in.”
She heard him cough again, then whimper and at that, she drifted in.
“Oh, Loki,” she whispered, immediately dropping to her knees and rubbing his back.
Loki moaned as he coughed again, retching again and brought up another wave of vomit.
Frigga gently gathered her son’s hair away from his sweaty face, and pulled it into a loose knot at the base of his neck. “Any more?” she asked quietly, and saw Loki grip the toilet seat and shake his head. She kept a steady hand on his back, rubbing it slowly.
She felt Loki’s body tense and then he was over the toilet again, gagging up nothing. His ribs tightened under her ministrations as he dry-heaved.
“It’s okay, Loki,” she hushed. “Breathe. It’s okay. Just breathe.”
Loki pulled in a stuttered breath, his body trembling.
“And again,” she encouraged.
Loki whimpered slightly as his body hitched again, but drew in another steady breath. Slowly but surely, his body relaxed and he lay his head down on the toilet seat.
Frigga easily conjured a cup of water and held it out to Loki. “To rinse your mouth.”
Loki nodded slightly and allowed her to help him take a sip, swish, and spit it out.
She nodded and conjured a new glass. “Just a few sips, if you can.”
Loki nodded, his green eyes tired and hollow. He managed a sip before shaking his head.
The cup disappeared and Frigga adjusted her position and easily pulled Loki into her arms, surprised at how much he had grown in the past few years. Of course he had gotten taller, but his arms were longer and his hair now hung long around his face.
Loki whined slightly and shifted so he fit more comfortably in her arms. He yawned against her and hiccupped as he tried to speak. “‘M glad you’re here,” he mumbled.
Frigga smiled and began stroking his hair softly as he closed his eyes. “Of course,” she whispered back.
3. When It's Past Loki and Thor's Bedtime and She Tucks Them In (Age 8)
Thor lay in bed for a minute, trying to get comfy under his covers. The fire that usually crackled and kept the room warm had long gone out, leaving his room feeling larger and darker. He suddenly shivered, and wished he and Loki still shared a room. Luckily, Loki’s room was across the hall and Thor slid from his own bed and padded over the cold stone floor in his bare feet and pajamas. He crept quietly across the hall and tapped three times on the heavy handle outside Loki’s room, using their secret knock. The door swung open and Thor jumped in surprise, nearly forgetting that Loki had magic now and had no need to physically open doors.
“You’re still awake?” Thor whispered. Loki’s room was dark too, but he could see his brother’s face illuminated by his green flashes of magic.
“I’m practicing,” Loki grunted back, annoyed. Again, the flashes of green continued as Loki made daggers, cups, liquids, and even small fireflies appear out of thin air. Then he flashed, changing himself into a bunny, and then a deer, and then a small rat before changing himself back into Loki.
Even in the dark room, Thor could see Loki breathing heavily as he practiced, pushing his jet black hair out of his eyes as he continued. He climbed into Loki’s bed, and got comfy on his stomach, watching his brother practice. “Why? We’re supposed to be sleeping,” he said carefully, unsure of why his brother continued.
Thor was cut off by a soft knock at the door and he jumped in surprise as their mom stepped into the room.
“Hi, Mama,” Thor whispered shyly. He’d spent plenty of nights in Loki’s room, but he knew that they both should be asleep.
“Shouldn’t you both be in bed?” Frigga said softly, making her way across the room.
“I was, but Loki..” He pointed at his brother who was still practicing.
Frigga placed a hand on Thor’s shoulder. “How about you climb into bed and I’ll find you in a few minutes?”
Thor grumbled and stood, giving his brother a last look before heading to the doorway. But instead of going back to his room, he hung by in the doorway, watching as his mother slowly helped Loki stand and in one swoop of her gentle magic, his brother stood in comfortable pajamas. Even in the shadows of the room, Thor could tell that Loki was shivering visibly as his mother picked him up and placed in his bed. A second later, a small cup of something warm and steaming appeared and Thor watched in silence as Loki sipped it with her encouragement, pressing himself perfectly in the crook of their mother’s arm. He watched their mother wave her hand again, and Loki smiled,looking upwards at the ceiling. A few minutes later, Loki sighed slowly and was asleep.
Thor watched in fascination and their mother carefully laid Loki on his own pillows and stayed in the bed until he had found his usual position of sleeping curled on his side.
Silently, he watched his mother give Loki a kiss before leaving his bed, and meeting him at the doorway. “Let’s get you to sleep too, hmm?”, she said, looking down at him.
Thor nodded and couldn’t help but yawn. “Mama,” he started. “Can I stay with Loki?”
His mother sighed and then nodded. “As long as you don’t wake him.”
Thor gasped happily and scrambled onto Loki’s bed. Loki still slept soundly, so Thor made sure to get under the covers slowly and quietly. Looking up, he gasped in awe. Their mother had enchanted the ceiling above the bed to look like a starry night. He smiled widely. “Look, it’s the stars,” he whispered.
His mother cupped his cheek before giving him a kiss on the forehead. “Sleep, my Thor,” she whispered.
Thor barely had the energy to yawn again as he watched his mother close the door to their room with a quiet click.
Next to him, Loki shuffled in his sleep and stretched, one hand curling around the corner of the pillow where Thor’s head lay.
And together, they slept soundly.
4. When Loki Leads His First Council Meeting (Age 16)
Loki paced outside the large oak doors to the council chambers. He had checked his clothes both physically and with magic to make sure everything was in place. His council robes felt heavier than usual and found himself adjusting them again. It was nearly time; he could feel it. The council doors would open and he would walk in, greeting them and beginning the meeting. He had sat in enough meetings to know exactly how they went, but for some reason, his hands still clenched his notes and his robes felt too hot. He could do this. He was going to be king. He was meant for this.
“Loki.”
His head snapped up and he allowed a tiny smile as his mother came around the corner.
“It’s nearly time, is it not?” Frigga asked, automatically fixing his robes. She stroked his cheek and met his eyes. “How are you feeling?”
Loki stood straighter. “Ready,” he responded confidently, but he wondered if she could hear the pounding of his heart or could feel how clammy his palms were.
“You are,” she agreed, giving her son’s shoulder a squeeze. “You’re going to do so well.”
“You think so?” he asked softly, looking down at his notes again. “I could have added a bit more about…”
Frigga smiled. “My son, you’ve sat in countless meetings. You’ll take to leading a council as well as you have magic, and no matter what, I am so proud of you.”
Loki shuddered out a nervous breath and smiled shyly, letting her words loosen his own nerves.
With a final nod, he opened the doors to lead the council.
5. When Loki Is Working on Coming to Terms That He’s a Frost Giant (Age 21)
Loki sat on the stone floor of the study, surrounded by piles and stacks of books. Some stacks were a few books high, with some hanging open on the tops of their towers. Other books were thrown and had landed on their cover, sliding to a stop by the door way. And others landed on their middle pages, their spines bent or snapped. Loki had searched them all for anything more on Frost Giants but there had been nothing more to find that he didn’t already know. Dangerous. Monsters. Terrifying. He could feel a ball of rage bubble inside him and his seidr flashed. Around him, the books and the shelves around him suddenly exploded into a flutter of torn pages and bindings. The scraps of pages fell silently around him like snowflakes, some of them trailing smoke as if they had been set on fire.
Loki shuddered in the middle of the mess. Dangerous. Monster. Those were the words that defined him now. He had felt the shadow of Thor his entire life, and now it felt more real and weighted than ever. There was no denying now that it existed and that there had been a reason for it.
And for that reason alone, he would never be king.
The realization hit him slowly and he blinked once. He would never be king. Of anything.
A rustle brought him out of his spiral, and suddenly, he went still, his eyes scanning the room. Who was in here?
“Loki.”
Her voice came softly and something in him loosened.
“Mother,” he whispered. He looked at her and then looked away.
“My son,” she said.
He shook his head. “But I’m not,” he corrected, his voice coming out a croak in the otherwise silent room.
“You always have been,” she replied, stepping closer to him.
He looked up at her then and watched as she closed the distance between them in a few steps.
She stepped over the broken books with ease and grace before sitting beside him. “I was raised by witches,” she said, meeting his green eyes in the dimly-lit room. “I see with more than my eyes.”
Loki shuddered again, but this time he could feel her words seep into him slowly, and warm him from the inside. He allowed himself to lean against her.
“You have always been my son,” she said, holding him. “And nothing will change that.”
Loki’s eyes dripped stubborn tears and he clung to her, thankful for her presence.
1. Thor’s Turn: Taking Care of A Sleepy Loki (Right Around the End of Thor: Ragnarok)
Thor walked down the quiet hallways of the Statesman, trying to erase the images of Asgard in flames from his mind. It was dark enough to be nowhere near morning, and Thor was glad for the silence. Images of his home in flames and Surtur’s bellow, echoing in his ears, had jolted him awake, and he was thankful for the coolness of the hallway as he caught his breath.
Asgard isn’t a place, it’s a people, he reminded himself. Ragnarok needed to happen.
And even still, the heaviness in his heart remained. He kept walking and caught a light from one of the doorways. Curious, he walked towards it and paused as he peeked into the small room.
To his surprise, Loki was sprawled out at one of the tables, his head laying on an open book as he slept. His long legs stretched out awkwardly in two directions in the oversized chair where he sat, and his jet black hair was rumpled and spilling over the pages of opened books. As Thor crept closer, he could see the dark circles that seemed to be etched under his eyes. The table was filled with notes in Loki’s crawled writing, leaving Loki’s fingers stained with ink.
Carefully, Thor laid a hand on Loki’s back and his brother jumped awake.
“Thor,” Loki said in surprise, rubbing his eyes to clear them of sleep. “I was just doing another look for anything more on Ragnarok. There might be a way–” He broke off with a yawn that surprised him as much as it did Thor.
“You’re tired, brother,” Thor chuckled. “Come on, it’s time to sleep.”
Loki rubbed his eyes again and sat up straighter. “No, it’s fine. I can keep going. There could be something we missed.” He ran a tired hand through his long hair and shuffled through his notes.
“Loki, come on, you’re exhausted.”
“I can’t,” Loki responded slowly. He stared at the notes in front of him. His voice dropped to a whisper.. “Sleep doesn’t always come for me.”
Thor wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but the truth from Loki was not it. He thought of the meticulous way Loki researched and read, and how quick he was to find a way out of something. Even as children, it was always Loki that could talk his way out of trouble or, at the very least, deceive his way out of it. Clearly, he hadn’t been able to do so with sleep.
“Come on,” Thor encouraged, and watched as Loki reluctantly stood and then followed him out of the room.
Thor led Loki up a few levels and then carefully opened a door to a room. The room was larger than the one they shared, and there were two large beds set up, both piled high with blankets and pillows. The room wasn’t lit, but instead had a large domed top that was clear, allowing a full view of the night sky. The stars shone brightly against the blanket of black, and made the domed room twinkle.
Loki gaped up at the stars, his eyes tracing the patterns of constellations and moons.
“I thought it’d be better than our room,” Thor said quietly. “I know it’s not the same as Mother’s magic…” He broke off, unable to find the words.
Loki could only nod wordlessly and made his way over to the bed, quickly using magic to change into more comfortable clothes. He kept his head tilted upwards, watching the sky in awe. He sat down and then laid down on the bed, suddenly feeling the weight of his several sleepless nights. He yawned, and exhaled slowly.
Thor climbed in next to him, earning a look of surprise from Loki.
“You’re staying?” Loki asked curiously, propping himself up with one arm.
Thor looked at him as he laid down. “I thought I might. Besides, the sky looks particularly bright tonight.”
Loki hummed in agreement, and laid down again.
Together, they watched the sky in silence for a long stretch of time.
Before long, Thor heard Loki’s breathing get more even and deep as his brother finally fell asleep. Next to him, Loki shuffled in his sleep and stretched, one hand curling around the corner of the pillow where Thor’s head lay. “Thank you,” Loki mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep. And together, they slept soundly.