(3rd person POV)
For Loki, it had been a peaceful morning.
He was getting better at brewing coffee, and this morning's batch may have been his best yet. Lex made a better breakfast than usual, not that Loki didn't like her food; he understood that she didn't have much to work with. He finally found something to occupy his tired mind in the form of a sketch book and charcoal and he rather enjoyed it.
The sun was out today for the first time in a while. It shone through the only window in Lex's small cabin and illuminated the dust particles floating through the air. If he was in a bad mood, he might've tried to count them, but he felt way too relaxed at the moment to attempt a feat like that.
Yes, it was a beautiful morning.
Even though Loki was grateful for this time of peace and solitude, he found himself already missing Lex's presence.
In the handful of months that he had been there, he grew to enjoy his new housemate very much. There was something about the way she lived as a runaway in seemingly complete serendipity that comforted him. Maybe one day he could find the same, but only after satisfying Thanos. Thanos could not simply be ignored.
Yes, he had grown to care deeply for Lex. And Lex had grown to care deeply for him. They both knew there was something more than friendship going on; a sort of, mutual attraction if you will. But neither one of them made a first move. Things were complicated.
Loki shouldn't have shoved her away so harshly after he kissed her. He knew that, and regrets it still to this day. But he was hesitant to apologize since he was leaving sooner every day and he didn't fancy breaking her heart (and his) more than necessary. No. It was for the best that they remain strictly platonic.
There wasn't much tension running between them any more. The first few days were extremely awkward, but they soon found an unspoken understanding, and fell into a comfortable rut once again.
Loki was gazing out the small window, admiring the way the sun sparkled off the icicles like glass, when he saw Lex's beloved dog bolting towards the house.
'Oh, they must be back already.' He thought.
Koda always reached the cabin first, so it was no surprise when he scratched at the door and howled at the top of his lungs. He didn't bark, Lex said that wolfdogs don't do that, but the continuous loud noise made Loki get up and open the door for the large animal.
Loki expected Koda to rush in and shake off the snow like he always does, but Koda was acting strangely. He made no move to enter the cabin, and instead looked Loki in the eyes and howled again.
"Look dog, do you want in, or don't you?" Loki asked him, losing his patience. Koda still wouldn't enter the cabin. Loki stared down at the dog, perplexed by his unusual behavior. "And where's Lex?" She should have caught up by then, yet, Lex was nowhere to be found.
Koda spun around to gain Loki's attention, and howled again. It was then that Loki connected the dots, and his heart started racing at the fear that just spiked through his body. "Where is she?" He finally asked the dog.
Instead of answering, Koda turned and took off running. Loki bolted after him, not even bothering to close the door.
When Loki first laid eyes on Lex's broken body, he thought she was dead. She looked like she collapsed while she was crawling somewhere. The snow around her was soaked red with blood, trailing back to a giant dead animal of some kind.
When he finally reached her body, Loki fell to his knees in front of her. "Lex!" He yelled, and turned her over on her back. Her face was pale, despite lying in the cold snow and her eyes were closed. He pressed his fingers against her throat, searching desperately for a pulse. He gave a sigh of relief when he felt the very faint, very slow beating of her heart. She must've passed out from blood loss.
Loki was no doctor, but he'd been through enough battles to know a thing or two about keeping somebody alive, and he knew that if he didn't act immediately, Lex would likely die very soon. "It's all right. I've got you." Loki scooped his only friend out of the snow, and held her in his arms. He turned to the dog, somehow knowing he would understand. "Go home." He then held her unconscious body tight against his chest.
It's been a while since he'd teleported, mostly because it was so difficult and taxing. But in that moment, he wouldn't think of getting Lex home any other way. Loki felt the familiar pull in his lower gut and a few seconds later their surroundings had changed from the snowy tundra to the warm cabin.
Loki wasted no time. In one swift sweep of his arm, he sent everything that sat on the table clattering to the floor and laid Lex on the hard surface. The wound was on the side of her abdomen, and it looked like a bite. Several puncture wounds marked her leather coat in a U pattern.
With steady hands and much haste, he started unbuttoning her coat. He thought back to months ago when he told her that he'd never touch a woman without her consent. Oh well. She could kill him later after she was done thanking him for saving her life.
He finally opened up the large coat to see that she had several more layers underneath that. There wasn't time for this! He grabbed the knife off the floor and in one clean slice, all her shirts were cut down the middle, exposing her pale waist. Her sports bra remained intact, to Loki's relief. He didn't want to have to explain that to her after she woke up.
If she woke up.
Blood was still pouring out of the many holes in her stomach. Loki's first goal was to stop the bleeding. Luckily, he had his magic to help him. He placed his hands over the holes in her flesh and concentrated all his healing magic towards the gaping wound. It took a few seconds to notice any change, but eventually he started to feel the magic take effect. Blood stopped pouring out of her body, and her torn flesh began knitting itself back together.
A sigh of relief passed Loki's lips. She's going to be okay. He thought.
When Loki began to feel weak from using so much magic, he forwent the table and moved his new best friend to the bed. He situated them so she laid with her back against his chest. He continued holding his hands to her side, letting his magic seep into her skin. There was a lot of damage to be fixed, both internal and external, but he kept working furiously.
It was then that Loki took the time to really look at her. She was pale, even paler than usual. Her arms and torso were lighter even than her hands and face, probably because they rarely saw sun. She wasn't slender and dainty like Asgardian women. Lex was strong and muscular under all her clothing. He found it attractive. She could take care of herself. She wasn't needy, that's for sure. Lex's pride and joy was being self-reliant and independent.
Sigyn was needy.
Then Loki saw something else; Lex had a tattoo. It was a red star on her left shoulder. He thought maybe that was something left over from her past as an assassin, but he wasn't sure.
Suddenly, there was scratching at the door. Loki recognized it as Koda, who finally made it back to the cabin from the battle scene. Loki knew he couldn't leave the dog out in the cold in case Lex woke up. She had an unusual bond with the creature. Loki didn't care for him much, although after what the dog just did to save his master's life, Loki had a lot more respect for him.
As soon as the door cracked open, Koda forced himself inside. He left wet spots on the floor on his way to the bed. Loki paid no mind to the mess, he just watched as the dog ran up to Lex and licked her face. The dog obviously knew something was wrong, and was just as worried about her as as Loki was.
As soon as Koda came in, Loki closed the door, lifting the board back into its slot. He then turned and walked to the bed in two steps, pulling her back into the position they were in a moment ago.
Loki locked eyes with Koda, no words were exchanged, and Loki wondered what the dog was thinking in that moment.
"What is it?" Loki asked him. "What could you possibly want?"
Koda answered him by leaping up, placing his enormous front paws on the bed, and licking Loki's face. Loki didn't shove him off, only because he didn't want to take his hands away from Lex's side. He was pushing as much healing magic as he could into her body and he didn't want any more interruptions.
"Aaagh! Stop it! That's repulsive!" Loki turned away as best he could, but it didn't do much. Koda licked his face until it was suffeciently wet, and then sat back down. When Loki opened an eye, he saw that Koda was still staring at him, but this time, the dog sat with an apparent smile on his face.
Loki's hard gaze softened when he saw Koda. He realized the dog was just showing him affection. In fact, it was the first time that Koda gave him anything besides a threatening glare.
Loki sighed, feeling convicted. Ever since Lex cleared him of the Mind Stone's influence, Loki felt his moral compass and his conscience returning. When the stone was in his head, it was like having a soul switch. when the stone held control, it shut off his soul, his emotions, his empathy, the ability to feel things, to enjoy things. All suppressed. Except hate. Hate was always prominent. Towards the end when Loki regained some control, it was like fighting to keep a lever pulled. And when Lex took it upon herself to relieve him of his burden, it felt like having a hot spike pulled out. He didn't realize how much the Mind Stone was hurting him until it was gone.
He would always be grateful for that.
"You're welcome." He smiled at Koda, happy that the dog had finally taken a liking to him. Maybe the dog just needed a good reason to trust him.
he turned his attention back towards the woman in his arms. Her breathing had gotten deeper and her heart was stronger. Her color was beginning to return to her face as the healing magic helped to replenish her blood. Loki refused to think about what would've happened if he hadn't gotten there when he did. She was so close to death that it made him shudder. Human bodies are so fragile. Even the smallest would, if left untreated, could kill them.
If only she was Asgardian. They would've met long ago, before he fell off the deep end...literally.
Perhaps they would've met before his marriage was arranged with Sigyn. He would've courted her, showed her all his favorite places in Asgard, and perhaps they would've been happy.
But then again, if Lex had grown up on Asgard, she wouldn't be the woman he knew today. Lex was truly a product of her environment. She was lean and strong, fiercely independent, doesn't take anything for granted. She sees people as who they are, not what they've done.
How can I let her slip through my fingers like this?
The thought surprised him. He wasn't usually one to rethink his decisions. However, the more he thought about leaving her, the more he thought about the memories he wanted to leave behind with her.
The sadness of my absence will go away. Good memories are worth clinging to forever. He thought. Perhaps tomorrow I'll tell her the truth and dissolve the tension between us.
Loki could feel the wound growing smaller, little by little, and he was exhausted. By the time this was over and done with, he'd probably sleep for twelve hours straight.
But he didn't mind. Not when his best friend laid in his arms, alive. Even if it was to live out the rest of her short human life, she'd be happy. He hoped she'd be happy anyway. He knew it would pain her greatly to see him go, but it had to be done.
His heart ached at the thought.
His eyes grew heavier and heavier. He knew he wouldn't stay awake for much longer. He would still heal her in his sleep; he'd trained himself to maintain magic in his sleep. But he needed rest.
He closed his eyes and leaned his head down to place a soft kiss on the top of her head. "You're safe. I've got you." Koda jumped up on the bed then, and laid down with his head on Loki's thigh. Loki smirked at the dog's gesture, as if he knew he wasn't getting the credit he deserves. "Pardon me. We've got you."
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Hey everyone! Okay I have to say y'all, this has to be my favorite chapter up to date. It was incredibly fun to play with Loki by himself. There is another chapter coming up that is also told from this perspective so we're super excited about that too lol.
Hope y'all like it!
~MJ