Can You See Me? (A Loki FanFiction)

Chapter Twenty-One

"Quickly, on the bed," I ordered briskly to Thor and Fandral as we stumbled into Loki's bedchamber and I ripped the green, silk sheet from the bed.

Loki breathed a laugh, "Really? Now? Well, I'm flattered but I'm not sure if I'm up for it," he quipped, before grunting in pain as Thor and Fandral dropped him less than elegantly on the bed.

"Shut up, Loki," Thor growled, helping me take off Loki's thick, leather and armour robes. It was the same royal robe he had been wearing last night, the one he only wore for special occasions and had obviously forgotten to change. It was torn and blood-soaked now, and, as I threw it over the back of a nearby chair, I thought it a pity that such a beautiful garment was ruined. 

"Fandral, call for a healer," I ordered.

"No, I said no healer. Just let me rest." Loki interrupted, straining to adjust his position on the bed, before giving up and dropping his head weakly on the pillow.

I scowled down at him, putting my hands on my hips, "Loki, that wound needs to be seen to now."

He grimaced in frustration, squeezing his eyes shut, "I'm fine, leave me be."

Sighing, I threw my hands in the air, "All right, I'll just have to do it myself! Thor, fetch Jane for me and tell her to bring her sewing kit." I asked, putting my head in my hands as my mind whirled, trying to think of all the things I needed to stitch up the wound. Luckily, Thor didn't mind me ordering him about and dutifully nodded before rushing from the room on his errand.

 "Fandral, I need you to go fill a basin of warm water for me. Oh, and can I borrow your dagger?"

Without hesitation, he handed me the small dagger by his waist, "Of course, here." 

I thanked him as he disappeared into the bathroom, barely remembering Loki's outburst this morning before I heard Fandral's hesitant footsteps crunching on the broken glass. I stopped, staring at the bathroom doorway in wait for Fandral's remark. When none came and the faint sounds of running water could be heard, I relaxed. Obviously, he was used to Loki's temper tantrums by now.

I turned my attention back to Loki and grasped the hem of his green shirt, using the blade to slice it open straight up the middle to give me access to the wound. The tunic came apart in my hands, damp with his blood, and revealed his pale, red-streaked chest, leaving him in only his leather trousers and boots. If my mind hadn't been more focused on his health rather than his body, I probably would have been more distracted by the sharp definition of his naked torso. 

"Hey, I liked that shirt." Loki objected, lifting his head just enough to look down at what I had done.

"Be quiet," I ordered distractedly, my attention too focused on checking to see if he had any more serious wounds. The blood made it seem worse than it was, but as well as the deep cut in his side, he had another smaller gash on his chest above his heart. Leaning down over him, I pressed my fingertips gently down either side of his chest, stopping when Loki grunted and flinched in pain. My face twisted in worry - he had a few badly fractured ribs. Not enough to be life-threatening, but they must have been pretty painful. Unfortunately, there was very little I could do about that, and he would simply have to stay in bed for longer than anticipated. I was sure he was going to love that.

Behind me, Fandral returned from the bathroom, placing down a large brass bowl on the bedside table, "Here, Alva."

I straightened up, nodding in gratitude as he retreated to the foot of the bed, wringing his hands nervously. It was curious - I never thought that Fandral and Loki had been that close, but I had never seen Fandral look more worried than he did now.