Thor jolted awake, his head snapping up off of his pillow. It was dark all around him. He was freaked out at first, but he listened for his brother's breathing which comforted him. His eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness and Thor could just barely make out the shapes in the room. His pillow was clearly visible being white, as well as the beds around him including Loki's. He looked down to see his brother in the same position as he was when he fell asleep. He could only see the outline of Loki's face in the darkness since it was even paler than usual.
Thor calmed down his breathing seeing that nothing dangerous had abruptly woken him. He guesses he had been sleeping for about three hours now. He had just fallen asleep those few hours ago when he started having nightmares. They were mostly forgotten, but Thor did remember that they startled him when he woke. After waking up from about three bad dreams, Thor had finally fallen asleep into nothing but a floating darkness.
Now he was jolted awake once more. Thor took a deep breath and was about to settle back down into his pillow when movement made his heart jump: Loki?
"Loki?" Thor whispered. His brother didn't move. He could have sworn he saw Loki shift. Thor reached out lightly touching his brother's shoulder. He lightly shook him, but still nothing. Thor stared at him for a while, waiting and hoping for his brother's eyes to just suddenly open. He ended up being disappointed though. Loki just resumed his regular breathing patterns.
Thor shifted his weight on the two chairs he was lying on and repositioned his pillow by Loki's shoulder. He lay down once again and closed his eyes.
Thor began to drift off as soon as his head hit the pillow. All of his thoughts and worries seemed to wither away and darkness began to overcome him. He was close to slipping into a deep slumber once again, but he jumped up when he heard a gasp cut through the silence.
Thor jolted upright into a sitting position. He looked down at Loki who he was sure was stirring now. His brother was now tossing and turning under the sheets. His breathing was fast and rushed. There was no doubt that his eyes were still closed though.
"Loki!" Thor said. He put a hand on Loki's shoulder but this only made him thrash around more. Thor ran to a torch on the wall and put his hand over it. He wasn't very practiced in magic, but he was easily able to light candles and torches. He did it without a second thought, the warmth of the flame suddenly against his palm.
He immediately ran back to Loki's bedside that was now illuminated in the flickering light of the fire. His brother was getting himself tangled in his sheets. It was almost as if he was being tortured all over again.
Thor was about to run for a healer or his father or anyone at all, but he was stopped when something out of the corner of his eye went flying across the room, crashing against the wall. Thor spun around to see that it was a wooden chair that was thrown against the wall. It lied in heaps at the bottom of the wall with splinters scattered across the floor. How did that happen?
Thor could see more movement in the other corner of the room. Empty glass bottles and jars were rattling on the table. There was at least about eight, and they were all violently shaking. He could hear the clinks of the glass rattling against the polished wood when suddenly all at once, they all shattered. Thor cringed from the sound the split through the air. He had no idea what was going on. For a moment his first suspicion was elves. They could be doing this, but why?
Thor's suspicions were instantly discarded though when he remembered how Loki didn't have a mortal band on any longer. His brother was violently tossing and turning in his bed, now panting as though Black Magic was suddenly inside of him once more.
Thor rushed over to Loki and held his wrists on either side of his head against the bed. Loki tried to free himself in his sleep, but he was much weaker ever since the incident in the observatory. Loki's face looked as if he was in pain, but Thor didn't know what to do.
"Loki, Loki you're okay. I'm here, calm down." Thor tried telling him. At that moment, Thor turned to watch as a strong wind picked up in the room. It blew across the room, taking any loose papers into the air with it. They billowed around the front of the room. There were so many materials flying across the entrance of the room that Thor could barely see the doors of the healing room that burst open. A figure stood in the entrance. With a wave of his hand, the flying objects ceased and fell to the ground.
Odin stood in the midst of the objects that were now lying lifelessly on the floor. Thor was still trying to contain Loki, although it wasn't working. His brother thrashed underneath his arms and hands that were trying to restrain him. Odin took no time to rush across the room to aid him.
At the same moment, a healer burst in the room from the direction of the healers' quarters. She looked appalled by the destruction of the healing room that she had left perfectly fine when she had gone to bed. She looked first at the broken glass that was all over the floor, and then at the smashed objects that littered the ground.
"We could use a little help." grunted Thor as he tried to hold Loki down. His father was now leaning over his youngest son while chanting something softly. Loki's efforts to get out of Thor's grasp weakened but only by a little.
The healer seemed to snap out of her dazed, horrified expression. Her face was now determined; a look that gave Thor hope that she may know what to do. She rushed over to them, her skirts billowing around her as she ran. She stopped at Loki's bedside, taking in how much he was freaking out in his sleep.
"When did this start?" she asked gravely. Thor grunted as he had to regain his grip on Loki's right wrist that was stronger than his left.
"I had just woken up thinking I heard something and all of the sudden he started freaking out." Thor said. The healer didn't do anything so much as nod in response. She felt Loki's forehead gently, making him go into an even more violent spasm.
"He's burning up." she muttered. The healer hurried across the room to a basin of water that was on the far side of the wall. She reached into a basket besides the sink and pulled out a white rag which she soaked in the water. Thor watched her prepare, but his attention was soon returned to his brother when he heard him mutter something.
"What did he say?" Odin asked in between his chanting. Thor shook his head. He couldn't quite catch it.
"I-" Thor could just barely make out. Loki groaned but didn't say much of anything else. He only continued to struggle.
Suddenly the healer was back at Thor's side. She reached out and pressed the cold, damp cloth to Loki's forehead. As soon as the cool rag touched his forehead, he settled down. He decreased his struggles into meager attempts to rid of Thor's restraints. With Odin's soft chanting and the coldness of the cloth, Loki finally completely ceased his thrashing about.
Thor kept his hands on his wrists, just to be safe. He watched Loki, hoping for his brother to open his eyes. He never did though. Thor sighed before releasing his brother. He lied there unmoving once again.
They all stood there trying to catch their breath and regain their composure.
"What was that?" Odin finally asked. He wasn't angry, but more confused. Thor dropped down onto the chair and looked at Loki who was now back into a peaceful sleep.
"I don't know…"
"It was him who was doing the magic that destroyed the room though, wasn't it?" the healer asked. Thor nodded.
"I think so. Whatever was freaking him out set his powers off…" Thor trailed off. "When you first get your powers back I believe it's harder to control them."
Odin nodded and looked out the window on the other side of the room. The healer returned her attention to Loki. She repositioned the cloth on his forehead before stepping back and sighing.
"I think it is most likely the Dark Magic still affecting him. I've heard of these types of attacks of spasms. I'm afraid it will only get better with time though." she told Thor. He looked at her and back at Loki.
"I'll stay with him through it." Thor said firmly. He leaned over so his weight was supported by his elbow that was resting on the edge of Loki's bed near his chest. "If it occurs again, I shall call."
The healer nodded and walked off. Before she completely left the room, she turned.
"If he does start to do that again, just try using water if I'm not available." she said before walking through the doors out of sight. Thor sat there in silence for a moment. He nudged Loki's arm a few times with still no response. He almost forgot about his father that stood behind him.
"Thor, I think it's time we put his mortal band back-"
"No! Absolutely not! It's the only thing that is helping his stability! Without it he could be too weak to survive!" Thor jolted upright. His father looked calm but stern. He knew that this wasn't going to be an easy argument, but there was no way Thor was letting anyone put that stupid band back on his brother.
"Thor, he could have killed someone in his spasms. He nearly demolished the entire room!" Odin argued, raising his voice slightly. Thor shifted so that his back was to Loki. He spread out his arms protectively over Loki.
"You said I'm in charge of him, this is my decision." Thor said. Odin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them once again before throwing up his arms in the air.
"Fine! But make sure no one gets hurt though." Odin finally said. Thor relaxed, dropping his guard for protecting Loki. He turned back around so he could watch his brother. He wanted more than anything for Loki to just wake up.
"I'll come back tomorrow…" Odin said behind him. "I trust he is in good hands?"
Thor nodded and turned to see his father to begin to walk out the door. "Good night…" he said.
"Good night." Thor answered. Once he knew his father was out in the hallway and heading towards his room, Thor reached down to pick up his pillow that Loki had knocked to the floor. He put in back on the bed between Loki's outstretched arm and chest. He stretched out on the two chairs that were still sitting directly next to each other.
He lied down on the pillow, sinking into its softness. Thor yawned before remembering the torch that he had hastily lit. He looked over towards it and with a wave of his hand, it flickered out. The room was dark once more. Thor made sure once again that he could hear Loki's breathing before he was pulled under into sleep.
~X~
It was late afternoon, around three o'clock. Thor hadn't left the healing room once the entire day. He had woken up in the morning to another one of Loki's tantrums in his sleep. It had been fairly easier to deal with since he knew what to do.
After that, Thor couldn't go back to sleep. He was worried that Loki would freak out again and he would be in a deep sleep unable to help. About an hour later, breakfast was brought to the healing room by Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun. They had breakfast for both Thor and Loki in case he woke up. Jane had also joined him and she brought her breakfast in as well to eat with him. His father had come in as well, just as he promised. Thor told him about how Loki had been sleeping peacefully for most of the day. His father had merely nodded.
Near midday, Hawkeye had even stopped in. He told Thor about how busy the kingdom was with their preparations. They had Selvig, Jane, and Darcy working on the elven ship, Asgard's finest constructors and architects working on the bifrost, Odin sending messages to other realms through the ravens, and all warriors training and preparing. Thor felt guilty that he was not helping there continuous effort. He had a right though. His brother had nearly died less than a day ago. He was going to stay with him no matter what.
It seemed as though the only person that didn't come to see Thor or Loki was Sif. Thor was conflicted as to whether to feel angry or indifferent. He couldn't help but feel that she was being immature in foolish. On the other hand, he really just wanted to know that she was there for him. She had been one of Thor and Loki's best friends for years and years.
Now that it was late in the day, Thor was truly beginning to worry about Loki. He wasn't waking, moving, or even having any more attacks. He was simply in a coma of sorts. Thor just wanted a sure answer that he was okay, but even the healers couldn't give him that.
Thor was exhausted from barely getting sleep, but he refused to let his guard down. He didn't want to leave Loki alone, even if it did mean just sleeping. He sat next to Loki's bed, holding his brother's wrist. He knew that holding onto his brother wouldn't do anything, but it felt like it was a lifeline of sorts. It comforted him to know that his brother was actually right there, alive.
Thor jumped when the doors swung open. Darcy burst in, Jane following behind. They looked excited about something, giving Thor hope for something that was actually good news.
"Hey, look who hasn't moved in the past six hours! Surprising…" Darcy said cheerfully. Thor rolled his eyes and looked back to Jane, hoping for her to give a better clue as to why they looked so enthusiastic.
"We are almost there!" she said breathlessly. "Erik has nearly figured out a distinct energy pattern that may lead to an even greater hypothesis that we'll…"
"Long talk short, we are near figuring out that big hunk of elf stuff." Darcy muttered from across the room when she took interest in flasks of strange potions and liquids.
Jane rolled her eyes and walked to Thor's side. "The bifrost is coming along well too… I mean, it looks good to me but I haven't actually seen the first version." she said. Thor smiled up at her.
"Thank you; I could have really used that good news right now." Thor said. She smiled sadly at him and looked over at Loki.
"How is he?" Jane asked.
"The same as he was six hours ago." Thor said. She sighed and looked down at Thor.
"You look exhausted."
"I am."
"Why don't you sleep?"
"I- I don't want to have my guard fall." Thor said. Jane frowned as she rubbed her hand over his shoulder.
"Loki's not going anywhere. He'll be fine. You on the other hand, could use a break."
Thor looked over at Loki: exactly the same. He took a deep breath and looked back up at Jane.
"I know…" he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him so that his head rested against her stomach from where he sat on the chair. She looped her arms around his neck before Thor let go to look up at her again.
"I've got to get back. Erik probably could use some help." she said. Thor nodded and watched Darcy pick up a glass bottle from the counter. She twirled it around in her hands, watching the violet liquid splash around. Before she could even turn it around twice, she fumbled, the bottle falling from her grasp.
Thor cringed as it crashed to the floor, the liquid flowing out of the broken pieces. Jane looked at it with wide eyes.
"Darcy…" she groaned. Darcy's eyes were wide as well. She bit her lip and slowly backed out of the room.
"I'm going back before I trash the place."
Thor chuckled and Jane rolled her eyes.
"I'll clean it up." Thor said. "Go on…" Jane smiled apologetically at him before leaving the room, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. Thor looked at the spilled liquid and pushed himself off the chair before moving to get a towel to clean it up.
~X~
Jane bent down to see through the two slabs of rock where there was a glowing ball of red light. She, Erik, and Darcy had headed back into the ship after a short break. They were in the top room where they suspected to be able to control the trip. Jane was holding the small radar in her hands that beeps at a rapid pace whenever it gets near the red energy.
"The signatures have been much higher whenever a living being gets closer." Erik said, looking at his own equipment that was set on a tripod at the end of the room. Jane was pretty sure it was a heat and energy sensor, but she wasn't quite sure.
"Is it like the door, all human sensory and stuff?" Darcy asked while eating some sort of chips that Jane has never seen on Earth.
"Probably," Jane said as she squinted at the swirling energy. It moved in the same patterns that she had last recorded. Sighing, Jane stood up straight again. She moved her arm up to look at the device in her hands, but she accidentally hit the floating piece of the ship.
The rock soared into the air, gravity having no effect on it. Jane gasped and watched with wide eyes as the floating rock with the red energy suddenly broke off into separate pieces. They flew in different direction, though in a slow motion.
Darcy let out an excited breath. "Ha, what did you do?" Jane ignored her comment. She didn't want to move in fear of what the parts of the ship would do. Out of the small broken pieces in the air around her, the red ball of swirling light levitated alone. She squinted at it. Was it moving towards her?
"Jane, don't move…" warned Erik. Wasn't planning to… She thought to herself. It was coming closer directly at her now as if it was a floating possessed object that was attracted to Jane. It was only a foot away before Jane got to curious. She reached her hand out towards the ball of light.
"No! Jane!" Erik quickly said. She ignored him and kept moving her hand towards the energy. Before it could get to close, she pulled back quickly. She instantly regretted it though, when the whole ship lurched backwards as well. Erik, Darcy, and Jane were thrown off their feet. Jane hit the ground and slid backwards. The rocks that floated in the air tilted back as well, but they remained in the air. She didn't have time to even react before the ship suddenly stopped again.
Jane looked around the chamber. Everything looked the same, but the ship was moved backwards just a bit. She was lucky that it wasn't forwards where the castle was only about a meter away. If she was going to experiment with this, she was going to need more room.
~X~
Thor pushed the chair together and reset his bed. Maybe Jane was right, he need to sleep for at least a little while. He couldn't stop yawning and his eyes seemed to burn. Every part of him just wanted to close his eyes for a few moments.
Thor spread the white blanket over the two chairs and put his pillow on a part of the bed that Loki was lying on. He lied down like he had the last night and looked up at Loki. Thor knew it wouldn't work, but he reached over and gently took hold of Loki's arm and lightly shook it.
"Loki," he said quietly. His brother didn't even stir. Even though Thor knew it would be a dead end, every time he tried to wake his brother and failed, it sent a pang of disappointment through him. He just wanted his brother to wake up, was that too much to ask?
Thor sighed and settled back onto his pillow before closing his eyes.
~X~
A light breeze blew around… around what? Where was he? Was he outside?
Loki hesitantly opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, but he could make out that he was definitely inside somewhere. But he had died, he was sure of it. Everything became warm and white and he was sure that he had died. If he hadn't died, then where was Thor? Was he in Asgard? Was everyone okay and where was Thanos and the Other now?
He had so many questions, but pain soon overtook him and the only thing he could think of was the burning in his chest. Every part of him ached. He felt that if he moved, he would be hurting… a lot. Loki was freezing, the coldness only adding to his achiness.
He closed his eyes again. He was lying on a bed, this he was sure of. A pillow, a blanket, and a mattress… it was definitely a bed. Loki just didn't know where. He opened his eyes again, everything suddenly clearing. The ceiling with the golden intricate designs gave him the last clue before he immediately knew: he was in the healing room.
Relief washed through Loki. For a moment he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the reeling of being safe; of being home. There wasn't the lingering presence of someone watching his consciousness anymore. Even though Loki had never been this sore, it was the best he had felt in a long time.
Loki opened his eyes and looked around the room. The big window was open across the room. A light, warm breeze blew in, causing the curtains to billow in the wind. The entire room was unoccupied except for Loki, until Loki realized that that wasn't true. He turned his gaze to see Thor asleep. He was lying one two chairs put together, his head resting next to Loki on his bed. Loki's brother's back rose and fell in time with his breathing. His arm was lying right next to Loki's.
Loki carefully shifted so that he was sitting up just a bit more. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. His head rested against the headboard and his shoulders were leaned up against his pillow. How did Thor get him back?
Loki looked over at his brother and smiled. His brother, that was his brother right there.
"Thor?" Loki quietly said. His voice was weak and small, unlike his almost beyond recognition. He reached over and lightly shook his brother's shoulder. Thor stirred in his sleep, but that was it. Loki sighed and decided to not wake him. He probably kept him up pretty late with the observatory situation. How long ago had that been?
Thinking about it made Loki realize how starving he was. He hadn't eaten since breakfast the day that he nearly died. He looked out the window. It was either morning or afternoon, he wasn't too sure. Either way, Loki wanted to eat now. He looked down at Thor debating whether to wake him or not. No… Loki though. I'll do it myself.
Pushing himself off his bed even though every morsel in his body screamed in protest, Loki made his way out into the hallway. He forgot to check for guards, but there didn't seem to be any anyways. Loki walked down the hallway of his home, slightly limping as he went.
Suddenly feeling an overabundance of dizziness, Loki stopped, slouching against the wall. He took a deep breath and tried to see straight. Come on, don't pass out now… he thought. Eventually, the dizziness passed and Loki pushed himself up again. He made sure that he was stable enough to keep walking before he carried on towards the kitchen.
He felt so different, and not just because he was hurting. Loki felt so much less-burdened. He felt relieved, he felt content, he felt… free. He had absolutely desire to kill his brother, he had absolutely no connection to evil aliens… it was truly a good day for Loki. The only question was redemption. He knew that there was no way of undoing his evil ways, but would Thor at least forgive him and let him be his brother again? He hoped so.
Before Loki could enter the doors to the kitchen, a figure emerged from behind the door. Loki quickly hid behind a wall, pressing his back against it even though it just made his achiness even worse. Sparing a look around the corner, Loki saw it was only that annoying Midgardian: Darcy.
He walked back into the hallway, making her freeze with food in her hands. Her jaw dropped as she watched him walk towards the kitchen. Loki narrowed his eyes at here as she watched him in awe.
"Hi?" Loki said, waiting for her to do something other than just stand there in a frozen matter. Darcy closed her mouth and frowned at him.
"Um… hi." She said. He nodded and walked into the kitchen while smiling. He had just made Darcy speechless. He had to say, he was pretty proud.
He only smiled more when he realized his luck. Someone had just made tons of food. It looked like it was nearly dinner time. From the sound of it, the workers were setting up the dining room. Loki decided that he should probably hurry up before anyone came back and caught him stealing food. He just wanted to be left alone.
The first thing that caught Loki's eye was the cookies. He started from there and started gathering as much as he could to bring back.
~X~
Thor yawned as he opened his eyes. He felt a lot better now that he had gotten a bit of rest. He put his arm underneath him so he could groggily push himself up into a sitting position. Thor rubbed his eyes and stretched before realizing that something didn't feel right.
Thor dropped his arms to his side, opening his eyes to see a bed… an empty bed. Thor jolted completely awake as he frantically looked around the room. Loki was gone, that's the only thing he could think. The lonely breeze blew in through the window. Thor could only imagine the worse that happened. What if Loki had died when he had been asleep and they had carried him away?
No, no… that wouldn't happen. Someone would wake him. Excitement fluttered in Thor's chest. It must have meant Loki was awake. Where was he though? He couldn't be off alone! What if he was suddenly overcome with the Black Magic that still reacted on his body? Thor jumped off of the chair and frantically looked around the room calling Loki's name.
It didn't take too long to search the room, seeing as there weren't many concealed areas. Thor bounded out of the room and into the hallway, still saying Loki's name.
"Loki?" he said. "Loki, seriously..." Thor muttered. Where was he?
"Are you looking for Loki?" a voice came from the adjoining hallway. Darcy walked around the corner with bread in her hands. Thor nodded vigorously.
"Have you seen him?" he asked hopefully.
"Yeah, he was walking into the kitchen." Darcy said casually.
"Alone? Why is he just going around alone, he is hurt?" Thor said, frustrated. Why didn't his brother just wake him? He had died and nearly slipped from Thor's grasp forever and he couldn't even wake his brother to tell him that he was alright! Thor couldn't be mad at Loki right then though, he was much to relieved to hear that he was okay.
Thor thanked Darcy before running down the hallway towards the kitchen. He realized that he probably should have checked there first, Loki must have been starving. Thor smiled at the thought of seeing his brother again. It falter a little as Thor remembered his questionings on whether Loki would still be in his sinister revenge phase, or if Loki truly meant everything he had said that night before. Thor hoped more than anything that his brother meant it. He honestly missed him so much.
Thor swung through the kitchen doors, smiling at the sight he saw. Loki was standing there trying to hold a tall pile of food. He glanced over at Thor and then back down at his food.
"Help?" Loki said, looking over at Thor. Thor chuckled and shook his head. Loki tried to take a step, but everything nearly toppled onto the ground. Loki sighed and put everything down on a counter before Thor instantly threw his arms around his brother. Loki froze in Thor's embrace as Thor hugged his brother close, not wanting to ever lose him again.
Loki finally got his arms out of Thor's tight hug so he too could wrap an arm around the back of Thor's shoulder.
"Th- Thor… still hurting here." Loki said. Thor let up a little, but only little. His brother let his head fall on Thor's shoulder. He felt like everything was as it was supposed to be. His little brother was safe and his little brother again.
"I'm sorry Thor." Loki said quietly.
"I know, me too." Thor said. "Promise me that if you are mad at me, you'll just punch me a couple times instead of going on some revenge rampage."
"Hey, I already decided to come back, don't push it." Loki said. Thor chuckled and let his brother go. "How am I alive?" Loki asked.
Thor nodded his head towards the kitchen door.
"Let's get your food and I'll tell you in the healing room while you eat." Thor said. Loki nodded and began to gather up his food once again. Thor smiled as he watched Loki struggle.
"Well are you just going to laugh at me or are you going to be a good brother and help me?" Loki asked. Thor smiled and helped Loki gather up his loads of food.
"Are you really going to eat all of this?" Thor asked.
"Assuming you'll take most of it." Loki answered. Thor nodded, thinking it was probably true. The two of them walked side by side back to the room. Thor sighed and glanced over at Loki. For that moment, he thought he could never have been more happy.