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"A park for amusement...whose amusement exactly? I can hear people screaming, they do not sound amused," Loki said, perched up on his older brother's shoulder, peering forwards as he tried to get a good look as what they were approaching. He could at least see through the crowd from this vantage point, his eyes looking over the odd metal contraptions before him.
"It is for your amusement, I did not bring you here so your fear could amuse someone else, brother," Thor said with a laugh, keeping a firm hand on Loki's back as the boy moved around to try to get a better look. "You will enjoy it, this is a popular Midgardian past time."
"Going on a method of transportation that takes you back to your starting point so quickly doesn't sound like a very good way to pass the time," Loki said, watching the metal boxes full of people flying down the twisted rails, wide eyed as they walked closer.
"Does that mean you do not want to try it? If you are too scared, I will understand," Thor said, looking up at him, smiling at the indignant look that crossed his brother's face.
"I am not afraid," Loki said in determination, facing forward still, unaware that Thor was looking at him. "To the rolling coaster!"
Thor chuckled, happy to see the cheerful brother he remembered from his past. Back in Asgard, or what was left of it, Loki had been miserable, spending most of his time avoiding everyone but his brother. No one, their father included, had been willing to forgive Loki for the crimes he'd committed in his past life, taking their anger out on the young incarnation who existed in his place. Thor had managed to keep him safe, though he couldn't protect his brother from the wrath of the Aesir despite his best efforts. He knew they would make this poor young mind as twisted as it had been before, their hatred and mistrust shaping him back into the being they so despised.
He wasn't going to let that happen again.
Loki had been sitting alone, hugging his knees to his chest after a particularly harsh scolding from Odin, when Thor finally decided he'd had enough. Scooping Loki up, he didn't look back as he carried him away from the ruins of Asgard, and its inhabitants.Taking to the air, Loki hanging on tight, Thor left his home without looking back. He'd made a life for himself on Midgard before, he could do it again, especially now that he had such a strong purpose to. Once they had a place to stay, a stable place for his brother's sake, everything else would take care of itself.
And then he could let Loki have his chance to be a child.
"To the rolling coaster," Thor said, carrying Loki over to stand in line, smiling as his brother babbled excitedly on his shoulder.
The rolling coaster had been a success, though Loki had doubted the purpose of it until the moment they crested the high hill. Thor had to admit, he found his brother's near hysterical laughter to be more fun than the ride itself.
"Again!" Loki announced as it came to a stop, his cheeks flushed and bright as he looked at Thor expectantly. "We must go again, I don't care that we will end up in the same place! All transportation should be like this!"
As the ride attendant walked over to lift the restraint for Loki, the boy clung to it, frowning.
"We wish to go again, you do not need to do that," Loki said to him.
"You have to get back in line, kid," the teenager said, annoyance in his voice.
"Why would I do that if I am already here?" Loki asked innocently.
"Nice try, smart ass, if y-"
"One more ride will not harm anyone, but if you speak to my brother that way, harm will come to someone," Thor interrupted, narrowing his eyes at him. As he expected, the flustered teen backed off with a quick mumbled apology, leaving Loki in his seat, delighted.
He may be spoiling him, but he didn't care, it was good for him. And it was easier to do this than get back in that irritating line.
One more ride on the rolling coaster turned into three, and by the time they finally stepped off the ride, Loki was dizzy, but ready for more. Perched back on his brother's shoulder for a view of the park, so he could decide what they were to do next.
"Thor, I think I am hungry, but I don't know what these foods are," Loki said, looking at the menu on the side of a concession stand, frowning and raising an eyebrow. "...what is the difference between a twinkie fried here, or in the deep? And what is a twinkie?"
"I am not sure..." Thor said, stopping in front of one of the booths, trying to find something he was familiar with. A few of the items were fried in the deep, apparently, he didn't want to wait for the cook to have to go all the way there and return.
"I do not want to eat a dog, be it hot or corn, I like dogs," Loki said, making a face, wondering what breeds were the hot and corn ones. Still, he didn't want to eat them.
"How about the candy made of cotton?" Thor suggested, though he did have to wonder how that could be edible. He didn't think they would sell something unless it was food, though, there had to be something they did to render it into sustenance.
Loki looked at the hanging bags, and the colourful masses inside of them, reminded of the balls of cotton he had once seen in a Midgardian shop. Maybe they were edible as well, he would have to try them some time.
"...alright, the candy made of cotton," Loki said with a nod, watching as his brother pulled out some of the paper he'd used earlier to gain entrance to the park. He understood how gold or gems were considered valuable, but not these pieces of green paper with old men printed on them. Perhaps if you collected enough you could trade them for gold, he would have to inquire about that later.
"Here you are," Thor took the bag, passing it up to his brother before collecting his change, looking up at the boy as he pulled out a small handful of spun blue fluff, examining it. "I believe you just put it in your mouth, Loki."
Sniffing it, Loki did as his brother instructed, his eyes going wide as his hand flew back into the bag for more.
"It has disappeared, it just melts!" he exclaimed cheerfully, pulling off another chunk from the large ball, offering this one to his brother before going for one of his own. "No wonder Midgardians take such pains to cover up from the rain if their clothing is made of this material."
He was definitely going to have to try those white balls of cotton now, he wondered what flavour they were.
"And there is nothing else you want?" Thor asked between the bites of cotton candy his brother was pushing into his mouth.
"I may want more of this later," Loki said as he began to pick at the pink candy underneath the blue, utterly content to try to consume his weight in sugar by the end of the day. "For now, we shall move on."
With a chuckle, and another mouthful of spun sugar, Thor began to wander towards a row of games, looking at the giant animal trophies for children. He wasn't really sure of the appeal of them, they obviously weren't real animals that had been hunted, slain, and prepared for display. Though he had seen many Midgardian children with them, even infants, so they obviously served a purpose. Perhaps to entice children into one day slaying a real creature for themselves.
Still, whatever the reason was, if every other child enjoyed them, why wouldn't his brother?
"Here, on your own feet for a moment, stay close," Thor said, lifting Loki down and setting him down, keeping a hand on his shoulder as he led him over to one of the game booths, pointing at the stuffed animals hanging in front of him. "I am going to obtain you one of these spotted horses."
"What is wrong with their necks?" Loki asked, confused as to why his brother was insisting on getting one of those odd, artificial creatures. "There are some real horses in a long silver stable not far ahead, why don't you win me one of those?"
"Step right up, one ball for two dollars, three for five, just knock the cans down and win a prize!" yelled a man in an old Ford t-shirt and jeans, adjusting his cap as he walked down to Thor and Loki. "You're a big one, aren't ya? Takes a bit more than a strong arm to win though. You up for it?"
Thor pulled out a couple of single bills, holding them out to the man and taking the ball in exchange.
"Think your old man can win you something, kid?" the man asked, leaning back as Thor sized up the task at hand.
"He is my brother, and he will win," Loki said with confidence, his eyes locked on Thor with a proud smile on his face.
Hearing his little brother, Thor looked over, returning the smile before whipping the ball at the metal bottles, hitting them with a sound loud enough to be heard in a twenty yard radius. The bottles had been cleared, lying dented underneath the hole the softball had punched through the wood, the ball itself long gone in a neighbouring field.
"I told you he would win. I would like the best of these long necked horses above me," Loki said, grinning slyly, pointing over at another set of stacked cans. "How many more of these vessels must he decimate for a live one?"
By the end of the day, Loki had gone on almost all of the rides, played a handful of games, and consumed more than his fair share of cotton candy, ice cream, and funnel cake. Thor had let Loki lead the way most of the day, amused by his small brother's enthusiasm, pleased to see the weight of Asgard no longer weighing on his small shoulders. Loki had needed this greatly, and Thor had been more than happy to oblige him. By the end of the day, and with an armload of toys, or trophies as Loki referred to them, they left the park to head home to the small apartment Thor had found them.
"We will have to do that again," Loki said, sitting cross legged on the mattress of the pull out couch, the only piece of furniture they owned for the moment, playing with the hem of the oversized t-shirt he wore to bed. "Is it open every day? Can we go back tomorrow?"
"I do not know about tomorrow," Thor laughed, walking over to the other side of the bed, smiling at the odd horse, or giraffe as they'd been told, sitting beside Loki's pillow. "We have many things to get done, but we will have fun again soon, I promise you. Now go to sleep."
Loki smiled at that, sliding down under the blankets and pulling his giraffe closer, resting his cheek against it.
"I'm not tired," he lied, the grin still tugging at the corners of his lips as Thor pulled the blankets up over his shoulder before slipping under them himself. "Will you tell me a story?"
"Alright, what would you like to hear?" Thor asked him.
"Tell me about one of our adventures," Loki said, getting comfortable, his body turned to face his brother.
"I am warning you, I am hardly a master storyteller like Volstagg," Thor said, turning his head to smile at Loki and his giraffe.
"I don't care," Loki said, smiling back.
With a chuckle, Thor began, purposely choosing one of their many adventures together where Loki had saved his life. He knew he hardly came across as eloquent, and that he did the story little service, but the facts were all there, and unembellished. Without Loki's magic, Thor, Sif, and the Warriors Three would not have made it home from the wilds of Vanaheim that day, it had been the first time Thor had seen the worth of his brother's abilities. He had been proud of him, an emotion that leaked into his voice as he spoke.
"...and you should have seen the look on Father's face when we returned, he was furious we had gone, but when I spoke of your accomplishments, he-" Thor turned to look at Loki, curious to if the young boy was enjoying the story of his past victory, only to find that he was fast asleep. "I knew you were tired."
Reaching a hand over, Thor brushed a piece of Loki's hair back from his brow, a small smile crossing his lips. As troublesome as he could be when he was awake, his little brother was the picture of innocence as he slept, curled up with his stuffed giraffe. Of all the people in Asgard, Loki had hurt Thor most in the past, but he was the only one who had been able to see him not as Loki Liesmith, God of Evil. Instead he saw a blank slate, a determined and intelligent boy with a desire to prove himself and make his older brother proud. With love and understanding, Thor was sure that he could forge a new path with his little brother, give him the chance to become the good man he knew Loki had the potential to be.
Putting a strong, protective arm around Loki's small body and pulling him closer, Thor closed his eyes to settle into sleep. They had a long day ahead of them, and many after that, but they were together, where they belonged. As long as that remained, they would be fine.