Monsters and Magic

Chapter 32

 After a couple of hours, Thor shook Loki awake. "Get up, Brother," Thor bid him and shook him harder.

Loki groaned as he woke, jolting upright, though careful not to disturb you as he laid you down gently beside him. "I'm up. What's wrong?" he asked Thor a little groggily. His eyes were still on you. He brushed your hair back from your face, checking to make sure you were alright, even though you were dead asleep.

"Nothing is wrong. The maids have brought food. You need to eat something," Thor told Loki gently, worried over his brother. Loki was still more out of it from blood loss than Thor felt he should be.

Loki nodded and carefully climbed out of bed. His legs were still a bit wobbly from blood loss. He and Thor went into Loki's sitting room where lunch was sitting out on the table there for them.

"She could have killed you!" Thor snarled as they walked into the other room. He was really upset and worried over how weak-legged Loki still was.

"She was near desiccation. She had no idea how much she was taking!" Loki growled in reply, pissed that Thor was questioning how much you'd needed in order to survive after what Odin had done to you. "She needed all the blood she could get," Loki added, snarling at his brother. He would have done anything to save you. Spilling a little blood was hardly worth concerning himself over.

"She nearly killed you to save herself!" Thor protested, echoing Odin's cruel words from your first trip to Asgard. Thor was worried over Loki and he never approved of you drinking Loki's blood. It wasn't an issue most of the time since you didn't approve of doing it either.

Loki growled louder and summoned a dagger, holding it to Thor's throat in one instant. Thor didn't look concerned. In fact, he seemed nearly relieved that Loki was back to normal. "And I would have gladly let her if it meant she lived! It is my fault she came to Asgard in the first place. If Odin never knew about her, she never would have been taken!" Loki protested angry and indignant at Thor's accusations. In any other circumstance, you never would have drank Loki's blood, and if he'd somehow convinced you you never would have taken that much.

Thor sighed and tried to give his brother a reassuring look. "It is not your fault. If anything it is mine. I am the one who convinced you to bring her with us so you did not have to leave her behind so soon after getting her back from Hydra,"

Loki wasn't reassured, but let himself be pushed into a chair at his own table to eat something. He sighed heavily, staring at the food on his plate, eating slowly. "She keeps getting taken from me. I'm not sure how much more I can take. She means far too much to me to lose her..." he admitted to Thor. He actually admitted having feelings and sentiment.

"She keeps getting taken from all of us," Thor told him gently, feeling equally to blame, at least for this last time. "Do not forget, Brother, that she will not be able to stand being locked in the tower for her safety. We will make her as safe as we can, but our lives are dangerous, both here and on Midgard. Don't push her away by smothering her," Thor stopped his speech of brotherly advice when he heard a noise coming from the bedroom where you were supposed to be sleeping

You weren't sleeping. Either the lack of Loki's presence or their voices had woken you. You were standing in the doorway between the sitting room and Loki's bedroom with one of Loki's blankets wrapped around you like a cape. "Loki?" you asked softly, weak and wobbly yourself, and a little hazy-eyed with sleep and confusion.

Loki jumped to his feet and rushed over to you, wrapping his arms around you to steady and support you. You smiled sleepily up at him. "Darling, you shouldn't be up yet. You've been through quite an ordeal and need more rest," he told you warmly. His voice gentle and kind.