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Loki wasn’t used to being stabbed. Usually, he was the one to do the stabbing. Also, the person he would stab would drop instantly, unless it was Thor. Loki believed his brother had a thick hide instead of skin. The easy way he would pluck Loki’s dagger from wherever he was stabbed and toss it away was impressive, even for Loki.
Unfortunately, Loki didn’t share Thor’s genetics. It had also seemed that Odin’s glamour had rid him of the durable skin the Jotnar had. How a Midgardian had even managed to stab him was more of an issue for him than the wound itself.
Wincing as he looked down at his side, he grabbed the knife handle and looked into the eyes of his attacker. “You’re going to pay for this.” His tone was low, menacing and angry. Without removing his eyes off his attacker, Loki pulled the knife out and tossed it aside. Ignoring his injury, he summoned his daggers and threw them at the enemy.
The Avengers had joined SHIELD in a raid. The mission was a sensitive one. It had to be planned and executed in complete secrecy, which made it difficult for some of them to operate. Mainly Thor and the Hulk, who were known of being the loudest among the group. Loki was asked to join at the last minute, since he was skilled in going around unnoticed.
Apparently not enough to not get stabbed by a Midgardian.
Loki felt humiliated.
Loki’s anger drove him into an irrational state of attack first, think never. He sliced his way through the warehouse they were raiding, while ignoring the yells he heard from his teammates. Everyone needed backup, it seemed. Well, tough! He was a little bit busy.
Too busy, even. Something intercepted his way and Loki found himself being flung against the nearest wall. The wall cracked upon impact and Loki groaned in pain. Not only his stab wound was still bleeding, he heard a crack when his back hit the wall. He hoped that it was his armor and not a rib, though he paid it no attention. He summoned more daggers and threw himself back into the fight.
As the last dagger hit its target, Loki looked around the bloodbath he had created. He had seen worse in his years of battle alongside his brother, so the view before him did not bother him that much. The Avengers kept yelling at him and at each other. Their fight was also nearing an end, it seemed. Loki looked at his injuries. The few scratches here and there were nothing. His main concern was the stab wound that kept bleeding. With a hand pressed over it, he made his way through the bodies, making sure he’d step over the biggest of them, the one who had thrown him against the wall. He sneered at the lifeless corpse as he stepped on the stomach, before he stepped off and made his way forward. He could feel his lungs burning. He most definitely had a cracked rib or two. Probably internal bleeding as well. He wasn’t sure. He was too pissed about being stabbed to care about anything else.
The area around him seemed to be moving slowly, like an ocean wave would gently rock a ship. He stumbled in his steps, catching himself in the most ungraceful way. Loki was in pain, he felt lightheaded and he knew at any given moment, he’d drop face forward on the ground. He wouldn’t allow that. He was summoned for a reason and he was going to see this through. He would not let a group of Midgardians see him fall. Being stabbed was humiliating enough as it was.
“Got eyes on the shipment.” Loki heard Barton’s voice through the earpiece he was given. “I’m going in.”
Loki found himself being dragged in yet another fight. Ignoring the throbbing pain, he sliced his way through attackers, aiding the Avengers until they finally had the upper hand.
“Good job, everyone.” Steve spoke, sounding out of breath. Natasha tapped his shoulder before she went and sat down on a wooden box.
“Anyone seen Bruce?” Stark landed a few feet away from Loki, who ignored him and looked around for the green monster.
“He went after a group of them and...” Clint craned his head for a better view at the entrance. “There he is.” He added, once he saw a battered Bruce walking in.
“If you’re done doing a headcount, I’m going home.” Loki announced and turned to walk away.
“Loki,” Steve spoke and Loki halted his steps, turning his head slightly towards the captain. “Thanks for helping out.”
Loki nodded, acknowledging the gratitude and continued walking.
Something was off and he wasn’t sure what exactly it was. The wound wouldn’t heal and his chest felt as if it would cave in at any given moment. He did not want to risk teleportation, not in the state he was in. He’d make things worse, without even knowing what was wrong.
Cold sweat covered his skin. His hands were shaking and he struggled to keep himself straight. Everything around him was still swaying, making him feel like he was drunk. He needed help, but he couldn’t trust the Avengers with what was ailing him. Sure, they called upon him for help, which meant they trusted him enough to aid them in their quest. But Loki believed that came from a place of need and not actual trust.
He needed to get to the little apartment he called home on Midgard. Thor would always join his friends at the Avengers Tower, but Loki preferred his solitude. His relationship with the avengers was rocky at best. There were days where they would treat each other with forced respect, and other days someone had to come between them before there would be bloodshed.
Loki walked. He didn’t trust himself enough to teleport. He made his way through abandoned streets, paying little to no attention to where he was stepping. The one good thing all the criminals did was to choose locations away from civilization. That gave Loki the chance to drag himself back home with no curious eyes following his every step. That would change once he would reach the city, but that was a problem for later. He first needed to make it there without losing consciousness.
He didn’t know how long he had been walking. Each step dragged longer and longer. His body felt heavier with every breath he took. The world around him kept getting darker, even though it was mid-afternoon not long ago. Loki stopped for a moment to catch a breath. He looked around, thinking he had heard his name being called. Did someone follow him? The warehouse they had just raided was not visible anymore and the Avengers wouldn’t bother coming after him anyway.
As he turned to continue his way, a wave of dizziness hit him and he felt consciousness leave him as his knees failed to keep him standing. The last thing he remembered was an arm going around him, before everything turned dark.
*-*-*-*-*
Something heavy was pressing against him. Loki wasn’t sure whether the pressure was on his chest or his whole body. Everything simply hurt. As he blinked his eyes open, he was assaulted with a bright light that wasn’t there earlier when he was making his way home. Despite the pain he felt, he knew he was laying on a soft surface. Where he was and how he got there were the first questions that popped into his mind. He resisted the urge to open his eyes or to sit up. Wherever he was, he seemed to be needed for something, since he wasn’t killed or tied up for torture.
He kept his eyes closed and concentrated on listening. There was only one other person around. He could hear them breathing. It seemed the person was asleep, for their breathing was calm. But that could also be a trick. He slowed his breathing when sneaking around, so he wouldn’t be easily detected. This person could have been doing the same.
Loki didn’t know when he drifted back into sleep.
The next time he woke, it was because of the agonizing pain in his side. He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t find his voice. His body tensed and he struggled to breathe. He brought a hand to the wound involuntarily, only for it to be grabbed by someone.
Loki opened his eyes, ready to attack, only to close them once more as another wave of pain shot through him like a dagger coated with poison.
“Brother, you need to calm down or you’ll be bleeding again!”
“Th- Thor?” Loki stopped struggling against Thor’s grip and slowly opened his eyes again.
“Yes, brother. Please stop moving.” Thor sounded desperate as he carefully let go of Loki’s wrist.
Loki tried sitting, but Thor put both hands over his shoulders. “Loki, please. Don’t make it worse.”
Loki looked at his brother through exhausted eyes. A part of him wanted to sit up, just to annoy his brother, but another, a more rational part, told him to comply. Thor looked tired. If the dark circles under his eyes were any indication, Loki would guess his brother hadn’t been sleeping well. He did seem fine during the fight though. Loki wondered what had happened during the few minutes or hours after he had left the warehouse, but before he could think more about it, he gasped as a sharp pain hit his side again.
“Thor, what’s happening?” Loki’s hand went to his side once again, but he kept it hovering over the wound, instead of touching it.
“Hold on.” Thor mumbled as he grabbed a roll of bandages and sat next to Loki. “You’re bleeding again.”
“What?”
“Don’t move. I need to change your bandages.” Thor didn’t look at his brother as he worked on cutting the soaked bandages and replaced them with new ones. Loki kept still, his eyes on his older brother. He pursed his lips whenever he felt a sharp pain, not wanting Thor to worry even more than he already was.
Once done, Thor took the dirty bandages and tossed them into the garbage can, before he went to wash his hands. Once back, he sat at Loki’s side and watched his little brother in silence. Loki had his eyes closed. The frown across his forehead was not promising. Thor knew Loki was in pain and he was trying to hide it. He always did that. Always tried to be brave, just to please his big brother. Thor believed Loki should not have to pretend around him. They were brothers. They should share their strengths and weaknesses alike, without judgement between them.
“Does it hurt?” He asked, knowing the answer already.
“What do you think?” Loki snapped. The faintest of smirks tugged at the corner of Thor’s lips. This was a good sign.
“I cannot heal you with magic, nor am I familiar with potion making. All I could do was try and stop the bleeding.” Even though Loki hadn’t asked, Thor started talking. He told him how he had gone after him when he left the warehouse, wanting to celebrate their victory together. Only to find him looking lost and disoriented. He had only managed to grab him before he hit the ground as he lost consciousness.
Thor avoided using the word ‘fainted’, as it brought sour memories for both of them from their childhood. The Odinson brothers did not faint. They might decide to rest their eyes every now and then, which would be accompanied by a temporary loss of consciousness. But they did not faint. Not even when the healers were stitching Thor’s first ever battle wound. Thor absentmindedly ran a hand over his thigh, running his fingers over the old scar that lay hidden under his clothes.
“And since I know how much you dislike being around the Avengers, I brought you home. Stark helped with the transport and the initial medical care, though.” Loki’s eyes snapped at Thor’s direction and Thor raised a hand. “The healer was the only person aside from me inside your home.”
That seemed to ease Loki’s nerves a bit. He didn’t want any of the Avengers inside his home. They were already at every corner of the city to begin with. His home was his sanctuary, where he could close the doors and enjoy his solitude. Well, as much solitude one can enjoy when your brother happens to be Thor.
“I simply do not understand why it doesn’t stop bleeding.” Thor sighed, seeing the freshly changed bandage start to change color again.
“Something is keeping it from closing. How long have I been... asleep?” Loki asked.
“Three days.”
Loki sat up in such a speed, he immediately doubled over and screamed as pain tore through his whole body.
“Damn it, Loki!” Thor wasn’t sure whether he was angry at that moment or if he was in a panic. Loki’s bandages soaked again and he started shaking. His skin was losing color fast and Thor was running out of ideas on what to do.
One thing he could do was to change the bandages once more. He helped Loki lay down and was surprised to see how warm his skin felt. Loki was never warm. As children they didn’t question the reason why Loki had a cool skin, but as adults, after discovering Loki’s heritage, they finally understood.
Thor contemplated seeking help, but whom could he ask without risking Loki going off on him? Not a single person among his friends was someone Loki would willingly allow to set foot into his home. It would do more harm than good to bring someone to Loki. Maybe he should take Loki out instead?
He sat at his brother’s side, gently pushing a stray strand of hair off his face. Loki’s skin was radiating heat, even without touching it Thor could feel it against his fingers. He looked up to the ceiling and sighed. He could ask for Heimdall’s help, but he wasn’t sure if the Allfather wouldn’t put Loki into the dungeons. The last time they were there, Loki caused such a chaos, that Odin threatened him with jail time had he set foot back home before he properly apologized, which Loki simply refused to do.
The memory made Thor smile. Loki had gone to the royal kitchens and had enchanted every piece of meat that was to be served for dinner to start moving when scooped up with a spoon, and to shriek when picked up with a fork. While amusing to the two brothers, the guests Odin were entertaining that day were less impressed. The prince from Alfheim had left dinner very much in a rush. Odin was livid, while Loki was unapologetic.
Thor weighed the possibility to call for his mother’s help, but she was currently visiting her relatives in Vanaheim. Any contact with her would have to be done through Heimdall, and again, Thor feared Heimdall might relay the news about Loki’s condition to Odin. His father needed the smallest of reasons to punish Loki for being reckless and Thor was confident this would count as one.
Loki never got stabbed during battle.
But there he was now, laying helpless and unconscious in bed. Skin warming up at an alarming rate. Thor started noticing the beads of sweat forming on his brother’s forehead and he wiped them off with the back of his knuckles. That was when he gasped, surprised at how warm Loki felt.
He quickly gathered a piece of cloth and a bowl of cold water. He used to watch the healers do this to the injured who were running a fever after being ill or horribly injured in battle. As he brought the wet cloth to Loki’s forehead, a hand wrapped around his wrist, halting his movements.
“You’re soaking me, you boar.” Loki groaned, pushing Thor’s hand away.
“Sorry.” Thor mumbled. In the moment of worry, he hadn’t wrung the cloth after dipping it into the water. Once he had done so, he gently pressed the cloth to Loki’s forehead, earning him a sigh from his younger brother.
Thor continued in silence. While relieved his brother seemed to be awake, he was still worried. Especially since Loki started trembling. “Tell me what to do, brother.” He whispered as he dipped the cloth back into the bowl, this time remembering to wring it before he continued his attempts to cool Loki’s skin.
Loki’s eyes were closed, but his rapid breathing indicated that he was awake. He wanted to stop his body from trembling, but it wasn’t working. He felt too warm, yet cold at the same time. “Mother...” He whispered, bringing his hand to the one holding a cloth to his forehead.
“Brother, mother is in Vanaheim, you know that.” Thor said, worry evident in his voice.
“I didn’t do it on purpose.” Loki opened his eyes and looked at Thor. “Fandral made me.”
Thor could see some sort of worry in Loki’s eyes, which he hadn’t seen for centuries. Not since they were children. The kind of worry a child feels when they know they had done something wrong and were about to be punished for it.
“Whatever you mean, brother?”
“I’m not weak, mother! Fandral said I was!”
As tears welled in Loki’s eyes, Thor looked at him with confusion. “Loki, what are you talking about? The last time Fandral made you do something you turned his favorite sword into a snake. That was...” Thor gasped. “Loki, we were children!”
“Will he be alright?” Loki’s voice trembled. “It wasn’t supposed to bite him.”
Thor dropped the cloth from his hand and carefully took Loki into his arms. The fever was making his brother hallucinate and Thor hated it. Anyone else would have been exploiting Loki’s vulnerability at that moment, but Thor wouldn’t allow it. He carried his brother to the bathroom and walked into the shower cabin. He turned the cold water on and cursed under his breath as ice cold water hit him, soaking him first and then Loki.
Loki shuddered, but made no sound. He lay his head against Thor’s shoulder, tightly pursing his lips. Thor stood under the water, hoping it would help bring the fever down a bit.
A whimper escaped Loki’s lips and he tried to push himself more against Thor’s body, as if it would help get away from the water. Thor didn’t move. In fact, he believed he had lost sensations in his skin. He was shivering, but he needed to get Loki’s fever down quickly and this was the only way he knew might help.
Loki grabbed at Thor’s shirt collar, groaning in pain. “Hurts.” He said, tightening his hold on the wet fabric. “Stings.” He added, before he let out a sob Thor did not know possible.
The God of Thunder felt helpless. He finally walked out of the shower and brought Loki back to his bed. He lay him down and went to grab a few towels. After what felt like hours of trying to get Loki dry and change his bandages, Thor sighed as Loki fell back into sleep.
*-*-*-*-*
Fingertips were massaging his scalp. It felt good. His mother used to do that when they were children. She would wake him up by massaging his head, gently waking him on a school day. Thor opened his eyes slowly. He looked up from where his head was laying on the mattress. Loki was looking at him with tired eyes and the corner of his lips was slightly curved up as he slowly pulled his hand away. Thor smiled at his brother. He sat up and moved his head left to right, stretching the stiff muscles in his neck and shoulders.
“A few more minutes and you would have drooled over my mattress.” Loki’s voice sounded tired, yet better than it had been a few days ago, Thor noted.
“I do not drool.” Thor replied with a huff, though there was no malice behind it. He had fallen asleep on the floor next to Loki’s bed, while keeping a watchful eye on his brother.
“How long have I been out?” Loki slowly pushed himself to into a sitting position. Thor was quickly on his feet, adjusting the pillows at his brother’s back.
“Four days after the last time.” He replied, sitting at Loki’s side and looking at him. “I’m happy to see you finally awake, brother.”
Loki nodded, looking down onto his lap. He picked at the back of his hand, a habit he seemed to have kept from his childhood days. It made Thor smile for a moment, before he frowned, looking down as well. “You scared me, brother.” He spoke softly. Loki looked up at him. It was unlike Thor to speak in such a hushed way. “Your wound wouldn’t stop bleeding and then you were feverish. You thought I was mother.”
Loki drew in a sharp breath. “Thank the Norns you’re not.”
Thor chuckled, his frown instantly disappearing. Leave it to Loki to know how to instantly lighten up his mood, even when he’s a step away from knocking on Hel’s doors. “Are you insinuating I lack the skills?”
“I know for a fact you lack them, brother.” Loki grinned. “Besides, you would make quite an ugly woman.” He shrugged.
Thor laughed, relieved by the joke at his own expense instead of feeling offended by it. His brother was back. “Thrym did not mind it, though.”
Loki dropped his head back as his laughter filled the room. His hand went involuntarily to his side. While the wound had stopped bleeding, it was still sensitive and laughter had pulled at the healing muscles. The pain was bearable by now, so it didn’t affect him as much. Thor watched him with a grin of his own. When Loki’s laughter faded down to a chuckle, he grinned at Thor. “He did throw a fit when he found out, though.”
“Aye. It ended in a glorious battle, which we had won.”
“You and your glorious battles.” Loki shook his head, smiling. “Would you grab me some glorious food, then?”
“Of course, brother.” Thor got up, placing a gentle kiss over Loki’s forehead, before heading to the kitchen to get him some nourishment.
Loki leaned against the pillows with a sigh of contentment. Maybe it was his injury, but he felt warmth inside his cold heart. He would definitely blame it on the injury, if anyone asked. But for him, secretly, he was glad to have his brother at his side.