Disclaimer: I do not own Thor/Avengers. I do not claim to. I only own my OC Althea! :)
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Loki was annoyed with himself. A week and a half later and he was still avoiding Althea like a coward. But he didn't know what else to do. He had kissed her impulsively and now he didn't know what she was thinking of him. He knew he was only avoiding her because he was afraid of her rejecting him, being disgusted with what he did, and telling him their friendship was ruined. Honestly, he couldn't blame her if she did tell him to leave her alone, and he would, if that's what she wanted.
But there had to be a way to fix it! Maybe he could just tell her it was a mistake, and she would agree and things would turn back to the way they were, with him pretending to have only feelings of friendship towards her, when in fact he knew it wasn't true.
Why couldn't he have been like Thor? Having women chase after him wherever he went, sharing in the affections of a different woman each week. He knew women weren't lining up to be with him, but if they were then…No, Loki knew that even if they were, he would just ignore them. They would be annoying and Loki would probably use his magic to get them to leave him alone. Still, it didn't help him to not feel jealous of the attention Thor received. Not just with women. No he was always the favorite, always the likable one, and the golden son… well maybe if he'd been paid more attention to as a child he wouldn't be called the Silvertongue. It wasn't his fault. It was his parents for always focusing on Thor over him, punishing him for Thor's misdeeds. Like the time Thor had broken Frigga's favorite vase and blamed it on Loki, when Frigga demanded an answer. Couldn't his brother have just blamed it on a servant?
He was angry about so many things; it was hard to keep track of them, to understand them. The only way he knew how to express it was through his magic, through scheming and mischief making. Which, if he was honest with himself, he loved to do and enjoyed making other people miserable like himself. But he wasn't so lonely and sad when Althea was around him, it was like her presence blocked out all his pain and suffering.
Loki was preparing himself now, with the distance he put between himself and Althea, for her rejection, and for all the hurt and misery to be back and hurting him. He knew he would be causing more tricks and mischief around the palace, around all of Asgard afterwards.
"There you are!" An angry voice shouted over at him, and for a moment he thought it was Althea, but the voice was too deep to be hers.
Turning to look over, he saw Sif marching over to him in full armor, a very, very angry expression on her face.
"Here I am," Loki replied half-heartedly. What did she think he'd done to her now?
"This is all your fault!" Sif shouted at him.
"What is?" Loki asked her lazily.
"Ugh!" Sif grunted, before slapping him across the face, shocking him.
Slowly, he turned back to face her, tilting his head in confusion, "Now what have I done to deserve that?" He asked her.
"She's like this because of you! Because you taught her magic she's dying!" Sif yelled at him, while hitting him in the chest multiple times.
She was really testing his patience now; while others may let her get away with knocking them around, he was not one of them. And there was only so many times she could hit him before he snapped, "Who is dying?" He asked her, not knowing who she was speaking of.
But then he remembered what she'd said, and there was only one 'she' that he had ever taught magic to. Only one person in fact.. "What are you talking about?" Loki asked, grabbing her arms and holding them tightly in his grip, staring her down.
"Althea! She did some stupid magic in the healing halls to heal a stupid child and now she's been unconscious for three days and nothing will wake her! I've been searching for you, to just, to hit you! To blame you!" Sif yelled angrily, struggling to free her arms from his grasp, but being unsuccessful.
Loki was in a state of shock, Althea was dying? While he had been avoiding her for these past few days he'd really had no need to as she wasn't around to be avoided. But how could she have been so stupid?! He'd taught her better than this! She should have known better than to heal a child so much that it would drain her of her energy. He'd warned her when he first started teaching her the magic of healing and life that everything had a consequence! Had she not listened to him the thousands of times he'd reminded her, drilling it into her head?
"Take me to her right now!" Loki yelled back at Sif angrily, squeezing her arms tighter than was really necessary, but at this moment he did not care.
"No! You have no right to see her! Ever!" Sif screamed right back at him.
Now Loki was getting angry, who did she think she was? This pest of a woman telling him what he could and could not do! She would learn that no one but himself controlled what he did.
"I have no right?" Loki replied, in an eerily calm voice, "I have every right!" He yelled getting angrier by the second, so much so that he pushed Sif back until she hit a pillar, hard, "Who do you think you are?" Loki asked her, narrowing his eyes, "I am your prince! And you are just an annoying pest who is testing my patience!" He yelled before stepping back, calmly and slowly.
"Now, I don't need you to take me anywhere, do I?" He asked her, but did not expect her to answer him as Sif seemed quite shocked, "She will be in the healing halls, and I will go see her," He said, turning away from Sif, like nothing had ever happened, but then looked at her over his shoulder, "Without you." He told her with no room for argument and then left her standing there as he quickly made his way to the healing halls.
Loki looked at Althea's pale face, and couldn't resist touching her cheek with his hand, feeling how cold she was, even when covered in multiple blankets. The curtains were closed around the two of them, so he was alone in the very warm space, which seemed unable to seep into her skin as Loki sure felt it himself but he ignored it. His comfort didn't matter now, all that mattered was the fact that Althea was slowly dying, right before his eyes.
He was angry with her, for getting into this stupid mess, angry with the child for being trampled by a horse. Yes, he'd heard the story from the other healers on many different accounts over the two days he hadn't left her side. He was angry with them as well, for not helping her. It was their job after all, what were they even doing here if they couldn't save her life?
But most of all he was angry with himself, for not being there when it had happened, to have helped her save that boy. If they had done it together, combined, then she would not be in the state she was in now. And he not knowing how to help her.
He'd tried talking to her, yelling at her, even trying to reach into her mind but it was like she wasn't there for him to find, to help, to save. It was like her body was there, but it was empty, and she was... she was, he didn't know where she was and that worried him the most.
He could tell her body was dying, the only thing sustaining it was her Asgardian heritage, making it possible for her to go longer without food and water, as long as she had no real physical injury. He had no doubt that if she was a mortal from Midgard she would have been dead days ago, so now he was thankful for whatever had blessed them with their long lives. Something that had seemed so natural to him before, now felt like such a gift.
There was one thing he hadn't tried yet, and was a little reluctant to. It was after all the cause of what was happening to her now. Though he hadn't studied the healing and life magic as deeply as she had, he'd been there to help her understand it, and it wasn't a far stretch that he himself had also learned some of it. Though, he wasn't as good at it as she was, just like she wasn't all that great with the spells he had mastered long ago. They were opposites in that sense. Mastering each other's weaknesses was unusual, or he thought it to be at least. It wasn't like they had other magic users to speak about it with.
But he decided if he didn't try this, then nothing else would work, and she would...she would die anyway. With that thought in mind, Loki knew he would put all his knowledge of magic into what he was about to do, and he would save her, he had to believe he would or he would fail.
And so, he summoned his magic, that in his mind always appeared in a green colour and closed his eyes, setting his hands on either side of Althea's cold face. Then drawing it up, he sent it out his hands and into her skin, sending his life force into her, reviving her weakened body. But still she did not awaken. So he continued searching through her, like he was swimming through the darkest of waters. So dark, that he could not even see where he was heading. But still he continued on, searching further and further, until he saw a faint golden light, the same that always appeared whenever Althea used her magic, and knew he had finally found her.
Going towards it, it was like he was loosing energy, and slowing down the closer he came. Still, he pushed onwards, not stopping until he captured it, surrounded it with his own energy, feeding it, drawing it out, making it larger than the small size it was. It didn't respond at first, but after he became more insistent it complied, spreading out further and further, until it didn't need his guidance anymore, doing it all on its own. And Loki knew that was Althea's strength, her determination and will fighting for her to survive, which had kept fighting even as she had been so small.
He left her essence and retreated back within himself, opening his eyes quickly to stare at his love, watching as the colour returned to her cheeks and her breathing became even, though her eyes didn't open, and Loki realized she was just asleep now, and in no more danger. Sighing, he touched her cheek one more time then stood up and left to return to his chambers to get some much-needed rest.
The next morning, Loki returned to the healing halls, heading in the direction of the bed Althea was in. As he arrived, he saw Sif exiting the curtains, then closing them tightly to block out the sound and then she turned, coming to stand in front of him.
"Loki," She greeted nodding at him, though looking slightly wary, no doubt from the way he'd acted the last time the met.
Did he regret it? No. Would he ever? No, "Sif," He greeted in return nodding as well.
"I was actually coming to find you," She told him, though with what seemed to be reluctance, "She was asking for you."
So she was awake, Loki realized thankfully, "Then I will go see her," Loki said making to go around her, but Sif grabbed his arm, stopping him. Not this again... He let out a sigh.
"Althea may care for you, and overlook the danger that you present, but I will not," Sif told him staring him down. "She is my sister, my blood, my other half, and if you ever hurt her, I will kill you, whether you be the prince or not," She finished, giving him a serious look and then letting go of his arm, leaving him standing there.
Loki smirked, he had no doubt about that, but for now he was focused on Althea, and momentarily forgetting the kiss between them, he opened the curtains and walked inside, seeing her sitting up on the cot with her knees tucked into her chest, seeming to be deep in thought.
"You had me very worried," Loki said, standing at the foot of her bed.
Her head lifted to stare at him in shock, apparently not having heard him walk in, "Loki! I thought Sif would have taken some time to find you," She told him.
"I was on my way to see you when she came out of here," Loki explained nodding.
"Thank you, for coming to see me," Althea said to him smiling slightly.
And that was when Loki realized why the air between them was filled with awkwardness, the last time she had seen him, he'd kissed her, then walked away.
"Althea-"
"Loki-"
The both started at the same time before quieting, then Althea spoke, "You can go first," She told him.
Loki nodded, "I just wanted to apologize for how I acted in the corridor the other day, it was uncalled for," Loki apologized, he seemed to be doing that to her a lot lately. The only one besides his mother whom he had ever apologized to.
"It's alright," Althea replied, "I know you were just confused, I was as well, we can forget it," She told him with a small smile.
Loki's heart stopped, of course, she would want to forget the kiss, and he didn't know why he had thought otherwise, but while he was angry at her rejection, he didn't show it on his face, or in his voice when he spoke, "Of course, we can forget the.. kiss, ever happened between us, and our friendship can stay how it was," He told her, sending her a fake smile.
She tilted her head slightly, her smile faltering, before it picked up again, "Right, yes, let's forget about the kiss," She agreed, "Things can then return to..normal," She told him nodding.
"Yes, good," Loki replied, though he would never show how much it was hurting him.
They lapsed into an awkward silence, both avoiding the other's eyes, "Uhm, well I must be off, Thor wanted some help with…something," Loki made up an excuse, a pretty pathetic one if he was honest.
"Of course," Althea said nodding, a small smile appearing. "Well, thank you for visiting me," She told him ,"On your way out could you send Sif back in?" She asked him with a pleasant smile.
"Of course," He repeated what she had just said, "I will see you…later," He said before turning and walking out of the room, not noticing the tear fall down Althea's cheek as he did so.
Althea was in a sense of heartbreak, and she wasn't sure how to deal with the feeling. She felt sick to her stomach, and like she was going to lose the nonexistent contents of her stomach, but nothing came up her throat.
She wanted to tell Loki that she felt something more than friendship for him, to tell him that she had enjoyed that kiss. Her almost dying put her life in a bigger perspective, and she didn't want to have any regrets.
But she was glad she had allowed him to speak first, to avoid embarrassing herself, and destroying their friendship in the process. When he'd apologized, she thought he was talking about him leaving her standing there after kissing her, but he meant the kiss itself, and she'd agreed to forgive him for walking away. She might have done the same if their positions were reversed. But then when he said he was apologizing for the kiss, and not leaving her standing there, she couldn't make herself correct him.
She wasn't sure how she could go on seeing him everyday, and pretend that she did not love him, but she treasured their friendship and his company and wouldn't risk losing it. Maybe it was just a fleeting fancy, and she'd be over it in a few years, but a part of her, well all of her, realized that would not happen.
And as Sif entered through the curtains, Althea couldn't help but burst into tears as she saw her sister standing there, the one she could always rely on to comfort her.
"What did he do!" Sif shouted in anger, walking over and pulling her into a tight embrace, letting Althea cry into her shoulder.
A/N:
I know! Like how stupid can you be! But Althea is still learning and figuring things out, so she made a youthful mistake that will have consequences for her later in life. And I will say there will be consequences but the question is what they are and when they will make themselves known!
And please forgive me for this chapter! I have a plan! Loki and Althea will be together eventually... :)
Thanks for reading!
