LOKI IMAGINES

In Safe Hands

You gave him a glass of water before sitting down across from him.

“The Time Variance Authority are on high alert for you, Loki Odinson.”

“Don't call me that,” he spat bitterly, then receded from being spiteful. He sighed tiredly. “What is the Time Variance Authority?”

“They're an organization that manages each and every timeline in the Multiverse. Taking down anyone that meddles with the timelines. Sometimes they fail to seize the meddler thus chaos ensues,” you explained.

“I am not certain if you were meant to escape using the Tesseract. I'm only aware that you must live. You died in the other timeline with the same cube you held to escape the Avengers. The Fates have decided you are needed in something much bigger. I am at your disposal. I'm willing to help.” you said additionally. Loki was listening intently a quizzical brow slightly raised as he was digesting whatever information you were feeding him.

“You said I died. How?” he asked, leaning back into his seat.

“Do you really want to know?”

“It's death. Everyone goes through it.”

“You died in the hands of the Mad Titan. You tried to trick him with a fake Tesseract. You were being clever, I give you that; but not clever enough.”

When you told him, you swore you saw his Adam's apple bob up and down in a nervous way. He feared Thanos, that was certain. Perhaps that was enough incentive to live and stick with the Fates.

“What is the worst thing the Time Variance Authority can do to me?”

“They would certainly use you for information. It's highly likely that they would pry the information off of you by violent means. If they haven't broken you then, they would make your breath seize.”

“Death either way.”

“Everyone goes through it.” You shrugged and went into the kitchen to fetch cloths and a bowl of clean water to tend to Loki's wounds.

You now sat beside him, looking at him pointedly. You waited until he would take off the metal parts of his armor by himself but he only seemed to stare at you confused.

“Does your armor not hurt the bruises?” You asked rhetorically.

Loki tipped his head back, now gaining context. “You would let a patient remove their own armor when they're hurting?” He returned rather sarcastically.

“You have seiđr.” you said factually.

He rolled his eyes but snapped his fingers all the same to unfasten the many metal plates of his clothing. Some clattered to the ground while others needed to be slid off.

You sat on the ground to remove the ones attached to his legs. Loki smirking when he watched you do so, you tried your hardest not to look at him with furious eyes. Then the ones on his wrists, abdomen and upper back.

“Where is the biggest wound?” you asked.

“Side.” he said simply.

Luckily there was a zipper down either end of his shirt. You slipped it open and suddenly your mouth gaped at the size of the bruise. It wasn't an open wound so it wasn't bloody. But the bruise looked sickening. You knew what happened, still this was surprising.

“I suppose you knew what happened. Light Elf and all.” he said to you while looking at his own body.

“I'll fetch some ice for you.”

You came back to him with ice in cloth bags and pressed it gently into his skin. Loki sighed in relief and managed to sit more properly in his chair.