Ahhh, it's been almost a month. Thank you all so much for your patience, I struggled through this chapter because my anxiety has been sucky again but I'm definitely doing better than I was a couple weeks ago.
I hope you all had a good new year! And I hope you all enjoy this chapter! ^_^
Hydrangeas Say Our Family Will Flourish
Chapter Thirty-Four: Down With the Sickness
Loki started taking missions again a couple weeks after the twins' third birthday.
Amelia was not thrilled with the development, but she couldn't fault Loki for doing what was essentially his job, and she reminded herself that her family lived in Avengers Tower rent-free and Tony hadn't demanded anything of them for the past three years, so Amelia held in her protests and bid Loki farewell the first time he left.
The few missions he took over the course of the next month never lasted more than twenty-four hours. When the children asked where daddy was, Amelia told them that he was working and that he would be back home soon; despite the fact they were a little downhearted at his absence - Aster especially - they got over it rather quickly when Amelia set them down to watch a Disney movie to pass the time.
By the time the credits rolled, the kids were ready to play with their toys and their curiosity about their missing dada had faded, thankfully.
Loki had thankfully returned mid-afternoon, a little scuffed and sweaty from what must have been a hearty ass-kicking session; although the children were happy to see him and desperate for cuddles, he only greeted them briefly before disappearing again to take a quick shower and refused to cuddle them until he was clean. Amelia assumed his reasoning for this was that he didn't want to run the risk of his children seeing dried blood on his clothing, because it would likely prompt some interesting questions from the three year olds.
Once Loki was refreshed and changed from his leather armour into his more casual Asgardian clothing, he returned and spent the rest of the afternoon by the childrens' side; after the first time, Amelia was a lot more reassured seeing that Loki was straight back to dad mode upon returning home. She had feared that there would be a period of time after his return in which he was disconnected and needed to get back into his fatherly role, but her worries were needless, Loki switched seamlessly from fighting badass to loving dad.
Loki sat down and the kids clambered onto his lap, happy to be close to him, neither of them questioned where he had been or why he had gone, all was well.
The second time Loki left was mid-afternoon, he was called away rather urgently at Tony's request; Amelia was not made aware of the sort of mission her husband was leaving to undertake but she assumed somebody's life must have been in immediate danger. Seeing as Loki didn't have time to really bid the children farewell, they were confused by his disappearance and more inquisitive than the last time.
"Where's dada gone?" Kari asked shortly after Loki had rushed out of the door.
"He's had to go to work," Amelia explained, and upon seeing Aster sign a few words inquiring when their dada would be back, she sighed sadly and told them, "I don't think he'll be back until tomorrow." At the very least, he probably wouldn't be back before the children went to bed, and Amelia felt even more upset when Aster's lips trembled. Loki was very much missed when he wasn't present, and not just by the children.
Amelia was a worrier by nature, and she always felt the irrational fear that something was going to happen to Loki while he was away - it was ridiculous when she thought about it, because Loki was so powerful that he could overcome almost anything and there was no chance a bunch of humans could do much damage to him. He was practically invincible.
Or so he had led Amelia to believe.
It was around the fifth time Loki was called away on a mission that Amelia's worries ended up being more than an overreaction.
It had been a tiny, insignificant thing that Amelia had noticed that day - when Loki had gotten up that morning, he had stood as he got out of bed and then sat back down quickly like he'd gotten dizzy and needed a moment to recover. When Amelia had concernedly asked if he was alright, Loki assured her that he was perfectly fine, but offered no explanation for the odd moment of unsteadiness.
Loki set off on the mission once again in the late afternoon and didn't return till early the next morning, around two o'clock. Amelia was woken from her restless slumber by a jostling noise and startled up into a sitting position, quickly locating the source of the noise - Loki had entered the bedroom, but something was off, so unusual that even Amelia could tell in her sleep-addled state. She fumbled to hit the lightswitch of the bedside lamp and peered up at Loki, squinting through the sudden brightness, and frowned at the pained look on his face.
"Babe?" Amelia murmured, "Are you okay?" She was happy to see him back, but something about him didn't seem right. He wasn't wearing the armour he'd left in, his clothing was that of his Asgardian linens, and he was moving slowly with uncertain steps.
"Fine," he replied stiffly, making his way gradually around the bed, but despite his claim he winced as he lowered himself to sit on his side of the mattress, and that brought Amelia more to the edge of wakefulness. She shuffled abruptly across the bed, laying a hand on Loki's arm and gave him a worried, quizzical stare.
"You don't seem fine," she murmured, and then double-checked the digital clock beside the bed, "and you're back pretty early…" She hadn't expected him to return until a more reasonable time in the morning, when the sun had risen.
Loki seemed to hesitate and then he sighed, "Stark and Barton are continuing with the mission, but it got cut short for me, because I… I got shot. Twice." He sounded oddly mortified at the admission, but upon processing what he had said, Amelia's heart almost leapt out of her chest.
"Shot?" Amelia squeaked, her hands growing shaky at the thought, "I- I don't understand. How did this happen?" The realisation that her husband was in pain because he had been shot pulled uncomfortably in her chest and she bit her lip to try and control herself.
Loki glanced down at his hands, eyebrows furrowing briefly, "I'll be fine, Amelia. Don't worry. Romanoff accompanied me back and Banner saw to my injuries. There were no exit wounds, Banner removed the bullets and stitched and bandaged me up. Easy clean-up." He tried to make it sound casual, like it was no big deal, but Amelia's fears were not allayed.
"But, you- you're in pain? You're hurting?" She asked gently, rubbing her hand gently over his back in a comforting manner.
"The enemy got lucky. I would have dealt with them, but I was… distracted," he clenched his fists and Amelia couldn't ignore the tentativeness with which he spoke, "-two bullets, ridiculous. To think a mortal got the better of me." It was exceedingly rare that Loki was caught off guard by anybody; for a human to be able to hurt Loki before he had the chance to react, it was abnormal, and Amelia couldn't help but think there was something Loki wasn't telling her.
"Well- how long will it take for your injuries to heal? Shouldn't you still be in the infirmary, just in case? Where are your wounds?" Her quickfire questions garnered a weary look from her husband.
"One in my arm-" he indicated his right arm, pointing just above the crook of his elbow, "and one in my abdomen, thankfully missing any important organs - the human had awful aim. The pain should be manageable by morning, and I should be completely healed within the week. And no, there is no way I would choose to stay in an infirmary bed, they're so uncomfortable. I simply wished to rest in my own bed beside my wife." He tilted his head back, wordlessly asking for a kiss, but Amelia was too perturbed by the whole situation to put all her heart into it. She pecked him on the lips and cradled his cheek in one hand.
"Do you need anything, love?" Amelia asked softly.
"I just need to rest," Loki assured her.
He didn't ask her to help him lie down, but Amelia jumped up to assist him nonetheless. She peeled the duvet cover back and supported him so that he didn't lie down too quickly and hurt himself; Loki rolled his eyes slightly as she fussed over him, but Amelia could see the pain in his eyes and the agony in every flinch and wince, and she concluded that he was desperately trying to hide his discomfort from her so as not to worry her. It wasn't working.
"Are you sure you don't need anything else?"
Loki's furrowed brow softened and his mouth curled into a very slight smile, "Love…" he spoke gently, a hint of exasperation in his tone, and shook his head, "I am fine. You won't even be able to tell that anything was wrong come morning, I swear." He seemed confident that he would be in better condition come morning, and Amelia hoped he was correct and that he wasn't overestimating his body's natural healing speed.
Either way, she wasn't sure how she was going to explain to the children that they had to be gentle with their dada instead of climbing all over him like they usually tended to do.
Amelia didn't sleep well for the rest of the night, too worried about her husband's physical condition. She spent a lot of time cuddled up to his uninjured arm, softly stroking her hand over his skin, while Loki seemed to sleep like a baby, which Amelia hoped meant his body was taking the necessary steps to recover.
She eventually fell asleep around four o'clock, but the sleep was light and disconnected and not at all restful.
Amelia was woken up by the sounds of Aster and Kari whining and fussing through the baby monitor, as was normal for most days. She let out a yawn and stretched slightly before sitting upright and then promptly remembered what had happened last night; she turned her worried gaze on Loki, who she expected to be in the process of blinking his eyes awake, but no - he was still fast asleep, his chest rising and falling at a relaxed rate.
It was odd, because Loki was perhaps the lightest sleeper in the world. He would ordinarily be awake at the first sign of wakefulness from the children over the monitor, and if not that, he would definitely be woken by Amelia shifting beside him. Amelia didn't remember a time where he ever slept so soundly that movement in the bed didn't wake him.
Amelia bit her lip gently, mulling over her concern for him. Eventually, she leaned forward and placed her hand on his good arm, giving him a slight shake, "Loki? Love?" Still, he slept, his state of restfulness unchanged by her attempt to disturb it.
Perhaps she shouldn't have been trying to disturb it. Amelia pulled her hand back, frowning at her choice to try and wake him - he'd been shot, after all, he probably needed all the rest he could achieve. It wasn't fair that she would try to deprive him of that, so she decided to just let him be until he woke naturally. It made sense that his body would require more sleep while it kickstarted its advanced healing.
She slipped out of bed as quietly as she could, determined not to shuffle too loudly and end up waking him anyway, and slid into her slippers and dressing gown before leaving the room to see to the children.
Despite her nerves, she put on a brave face and entered the nursery with a bright smile, delighted to be greeted by happy faces when the kids made eye contact with her, "Hello my little sweethearts, did you both sleep well?"
Kari was practically climbing the bars of his cot, a sight that made Amelia certain that they would very soon have to transition to regular beds; she went to him first out of habit - Loki always went to Aster simultaneously, but since he wasn't there, she was looking rather confused at the break in routine. Her eyes were on the door as Amelia lifted Kari and placed him on two feet.
Before Amelia could begin to explain, Aster was already signing the question "Where's dada?"
She gave a sad smile as she picked Aster out of her cot and placed her down by her brother, "Dada's just a bit tired today because he got back home very late, so he's gonna sleep a bit longer and join us later, okay?"
Aster nodded her head in acceptance and Amelia got them ready for the day ahead. She helped them out of their cute, cosy onesies and dressed them warmly, but they didn't make it easy because they refused to stay in one place and were adamant about playing with their toys rather than getting changed. It would've been easier with Loki because he wasn't afraid to speak firmly with them whereas Amelia was always just a little too soft on them, she didn't like raising her voice or speaking sharply with the kids, and thus they were more inclined to be mischievous and disobey her than they were their daddy.
She needed to be more resolute with them, lest they grow up seeing her as the pushover parent. That just wouldn't do.
"You two need to work with me here!" Amelia mumbled as she urged Aster's arm into the sleeve of her little sweater while the girl resisted in favour of trying to reach for her stuffed toys. "I don't think dada would approve if he knew you were making this morning difficult for me," she added, hoping at the mention of their father, they would maybe stop opposing her. They didn't. Kari was in the middle of pulling his socks off - the socks that she'd put on him only moments before.
Amelia sighed, searching her mind for a different approach. "Hmm… Kari, the sooner you get dressed, the sooner we can go downstairs and eat breakfast," she said with a playful lilt in her voice, and Kari tilted his head up, visibly rethinking his efforts to pull his socks off. The little foodie couldn't resist breakfast, and Amelia knew that more than anyone, but for Aster she had a different approach, "And Aster… the sooner we go downstairs, the sooner dada might be able to join us."
Aster stopped squirming and let out a rather dramatic sigh, perhaps mimicking how Amelia had done just a few seconds prior, and then dutifully stood still so that Amelia could finish dressing her. In her head, Amelia gave a victorious cry of delight, glad she had resolved the situation by herself.
"Good girl," said Amelia, giving Aster a little kiss on the head, "right then, shall we go have breakfast my little lovelies?"
"I want egg!" Kari exclaimed as he attempted to wrestle his socks back onto his feet and Amelia snorted at his enthusiastic shout.
"You want egg, huh? What kind of eggs? Fried eggs? Scrambled eggs?" Amelia asked as she helped her toddler put his socks back on.
"Scam-bulled," Kari responded, his pronunciation a little bit off.
"Scrambled egg on toast, what do you think Aster, is that what you want too?"
Aster shook her head and then helpfully signed out what she actually wanted to eat, which happened to be yoghurt. Amelia shouldn't have expected them to want the same thing for breakfast, it was exceedingly rare for them to both agree on one thing, but at least yoghurt was easily prepared - Amelia could throw in a few blueberries to make it more of an exciting first meal of the day.
"Very well, let's go." She ushered her babies out of the room, glad that they were at an age where they were both eager and happy to explore on two feet, because they were getting too big that it took extra effort to carry them both at the same time. Amelia cast a glance back to her and Loki's room, wondering if her husband had awoken yet and if she should check on him. Her worries were not at all abated, but she managed to convince herself that he would be fine with just a few extra hours of sleeping.
The morning went on as usual, with Amelia making breakfast for her children and herself; she fulfilled the steps of their daily routine without Loki which involved playtime, reading time and putting on a movie to keep the kids completely occupied and quiet, which gave Amelia a little while to just enjoy the peace and quiet. Normally, when there were two of them looking after the kids, they could trade off and take short breaks, but now Amelia was having to get used to caring for them by herself for a few hours every so often and she never realised before just how difficult it could be.
It probably would've been different if she had had just one baby instead of twins, but having to keep her eyes on both of them at once was quite a challenge when they were full of energy. Still, she wouldn't swap them for the world. She loved Aster and Kari dearly, even when they were trying her patience.
Amelia had sat them both down in front of Frozen and thankfully it seemed that Elsa and Anna had all their attention for the moment - it could all change in a heartbeat, so she didn't take the moment for granted and revelled in the fact that she could sit there and drift through her thoughts for a while without worrying that her children were running around wreaking havoc.
Naturally, her thoughts went to Loki. It had been two hours since she'd gotten up and she was starting to worry; he was never the kind to sleep in, always preferring to be up and awake rather than resting in bed, even when he was injured. The stubbornness within him usually had him up and about when he probably should have been resting, which was why Amelia's concern flowed endlessly that morning. He had said he would be fine when he woke, but he hadn't woke yet, it seemed.
She was starting to feel bad for just leaving him in bed. What if his injuries were worse than he assumed? What if his wounds had gotten infected or something? Her brows must have furrowed and brought a very intense look of alarm to her face because suddenly she noticed Bruce standing at the edge of her vision and he was giving her a vaguely amused look.
"Earth to Amelia?" He joked lightly, "Something on your mind?"
Amelia had failed to notice when he'd walked in, but she quickly wiped away her troubled expression and smiled at the man, "Oh, I'm fine, just a bit worried about Loki is all."
The smile on Bruce's face fell slightly and he adopted a more uncertain expression, "I see. How is he this morning?"
Amelia shrugged her shoulders slightly, feeling even more ashamed that she hadn't woken her husband up to see what state he was in, "I'm not entirely sure, he was still asleep when I brought the children down… I thought it was best to let him rest but now I'm not so sure," she glanced at the clock again - it was coming up to 10:30am and his absence was feeling more and more irregular by the minute.
Bruce's frown didn't help settle Amelia's nerves, "I would have preferred he stayed in the infirmary but he wouldn't have it," he murmured, "It was… strange. He was acting strange the whole time I was treating his wounds, he just kept scrutinising his hands, I'm not sure why. When Tony reported back, he told me that Loki pretty much froze up on the battlefield and that's why he was, um-" Bruce's gaze flickered to the kids and he reassessed what he had been about to say, "-why he was unable to evade the assault."
After hearing what Bruce had to say, Amelia's fears increased tenfold. Loki froze up? That wasn't like him at all, what could have caused him to falter at such a pivotal moment that resulted in him being riddled with bullets? Something was definitely up with him, Amelia understood what Bruce meant when he said Loki had been acting strange, unlike himself.
She stood quickly, drawing the attention of her kids.
"Mama, sit," Kari whined gently, his fingers clenching in the fabric of Amelia's shirt as he tried to tug her back into her place on the couch.
Amelia flailed for a moment, looking between the twins and Bruce. She needed to go check on Loki, but she couldn't leave the children unattended.
"Bruce, could you-?" She didn't even have to finish her query because the man in question nodded his head and gave her a small smile.
"I'll watch 'em. You let me know if Loki needs any medical assistance."
"Thank you," Amelia couldn't have been more grateful. She gave Kari and Aster an apologetic look, briefly tousling their hair with gentle caresses, "I'm gonna go see how dada is feeling, okay? Bruce is gonna keep you company till I get back so behave for him, okay?" Kari pouted but seemed to accept that mama had to go for a while, while Aster perked up at the mention of their father.
She quickly signed with her hands, "Me too!" And raised her arms in a request to be picked up; Amelia was struck by the fact that she was a very clever, empathetic little girl - she wanted to go with her and check on how her dada was doing, which absolutely pulled at Amelia's heartstrings. Unfortunately, Amelia felt it was the more sensible decision to leave the children with Bruce, especially given the state Loki was in last night - it was something that could potentially upset them.
"You stay with Bruce, sweetheart. I promise you can see dada later, but for now he needs to rest," Amelia told her, because there was no doubt that having the children fussing around Loki when he was in pain was a recipe for more stress. Aster slumped back into her seat, looking none too happy at what she had been told, but Amelia knew she would be back to herself in no time - especially when Elsa started singing 'Let It Go', the kids would most definitely love that song.
She thanked Bruce again as he sat between the kids and feigned extreme interest in the movie they were watching for the sake of their entertainment and then speed-walked out of the room and towards the elevator. With every step closer to their room, Amelia's anxiety grew. What if he'd been in severe pain all this time and had needed her? She'd hate herself if he'd been waiting for her to return all this time.
The lift couldn't move fast enough. She tapped her foot aggressively against the floor of the elevator, willing it to speed up, but it remained annoyingly slow. By the time it reached the correct floor, Amelia was in the process of wishing Tony had invented some sort of instant teleport device rather than relying on slow elevators.
She burst out as soon as the doors parted and launched into a jog down the hall till she reached the bedroom; the door slid open and she stepped into the room.
"Loki?" Her nerves switched to confusion, because he wasn't in the bed where she had left him. For a moment she felt silly, assuming that he probably had gotten up and felt fine, and maybe even headed to the training room to get a little exercise in before coming to join them, but then that thought was immediately crushed when she heard a sharp hacking cough followed by Loki's pained moans coming from the bathroom.
Amelia dashed through the door without even bothering to knock and found Loki sitting on the tiled floor, back pressed against the side of the tub, shirtless, with laboured breaths escaping him. He looked up as she entered in a haste and Amelia saw the true extent of just how terrible her husband looked.
He was far paler than could be considered normal, with dark bags below his eyes betraying his exhausted state, and the usual bright pink of his lips had dulled significantly. He looked seriously ill, and it didn't help that he was looking up at her with a piteous look; Amelia's eyes fell to where he was bandaged on his arm and then to his abdomen, and blanched at the sight of red seeping through the white gauze.
Amelia clapped a hand over her mouth, utterly speechless for a few moments at the sight before her. She managed to find her voice and stumbled over her words in a rush, "Wh- what…? Loki, what's going on- are you… are you okay? What happened?" The sight caught her so badly off guard that she wasn't sure what to do, and ended up almost tripping over as it occurred to her to kneel beside him and try to help him.
Loki blinked slowly, "I'm not well." He explained, his tone swathed in irritation at his current predicament, but instead of sounding aloof, he just sounded forlorn, like he was unable to put on a tough front in the state he was in.
"I can see that, Sherlock," Amelia snapped, her sarcasm covering up her shock. "How did this happen? Your wounds?" She cupped his cheeks, hands gentle on his face, and looked between his eyes - he could easily see how tired he was, the way his eyelids were drooping slightly.
He sighed, "No. The other way around."
"Huh?" Amelia didn't understand what he was implying.
Loki looked vaguely distressed with his next few words, "I am sick. Yesterday I felt unwell when I woke up. I tried to brush it off, went on a mission when I was called to action, and I got shot because of the fatigue I was and am still feeling."
"You idiot!" Amelia snapped, and then regretted her outburst when her husband winced. "Headache?" She guessed, speaking a lot more quietly, and Loki gave her an answering nod; Amelia gave a few seconds of consideration as she decided on what to do, and then shifted, dropping a hand to his shoulder to softly squeeze it, "Alright, listen. I'm gonna get you back to bed and I'm gonna call Bruce so he can deal with that," her eyes flickered to his bleeding wound, "then you're gonna tell me exactly what's up with you, cause you told me before that you don't get sick."
He had implied that he was completely immune to any disease or virus before, and the only time she had seen him in such a debilitated state was after the battle with Thanos, but this was entirely different, because he appeared to have some sort of ailment similar to the way humans battled infections.
"Actually, I said I was immune to human illnesses and that you'd never see me sick. This is not a human illness, and… I was wrong about the second part," he murmured. His words were slow and his throat was somewhat raspy, like he was trying desperately not to cough and it was further irritating each breath he took.
"Okay," Amelia whispered, biting her lip due to her nerves, "Come on, I need your help moving you to the bed."
The journey from the bathroom back to the bed was painstaking, especially when Loki almost fell down halfway there when he suddenly erupted into a coughing fit. His gasping breaths and weak cries that followed were a result of the agony that came from the wound in his abdomen, and Amelia concluded that his coughing must've been how he tore the stitches in the first place.
Loki's body seemed to be entirely weakened. He was practically slumped onto Amelia entirely, which made it very difficult to transport him seeing as he was a whole lot heavier than her, but after what felt like forever, they reached the bed and Amelia laid him down, doubling up the pillows below his head. She then rushed to the intercom and demanded that F.R.I.D.A.Y contacted Bruce and requested his presence.
With a stroke of luck, Tony Stark had just entered the living room when Amelia called for Bruce's help, and he was able and willing to take over the duty of watching the children - something for which Amelia was immensely relieved by, because there was no way she was going to let the kids in the room when Loki was suffering in his condition.
Bruce arrived quickly with a few medical supplies and made quick work of stopping the bleeding and stitching Loki up again, redressing both wounds in the process. He did try and probe Loki on what ailed him, but the response was stubborn and predictable.
"I'm fine," Loki hissed, glaring at Bruce through weary eyes.
"Loki, he just sewed you up. Be nice," Amelia stated sharply in her mum voice, as if scolding one of her children, and it was done so without any hint of irony.
Surprisingly, Loki fell briefly quiet, looked at Bruce, and then mumbled, "Thanks."
"You're welcome," Bruce stated, and then turned to address Amelia, "If his condition worsens, I suggest it's best we move him to the infirmary. Otherwise, make sure he stays put, don't let him out of bed because doing so may put unwanted strain on his injury, and the more active he is, the more he'll cough. As always, just call if you need anything."
As it happened, Loki didn't like being talked to as if he wasn't there, and he made as much clear in the grouchy scowl he pinned Bruce with, but the good doctor was completely unphased and left the room with the promise that he would ensure the kids were looked after while Amelia took care of her husband.
"Alright," Amelia sighed, "Explain to me exactly what the heck is going on. Please tell me this is just some forty-eight hour bug and you'll be perfectly fine tomorrow? Better yet, tell me you know a freakin' spell that you can cast to just make yourself better!" She kept her frantic words hushed for the sake of Loki's head as she sat down on the bed beside her husband's prone form.
Loki gave a bitter laugh that transitioned into a half-suppressed cough, Amelia offered a comforting hand and rubbed his bare shoulder, knowing her touch couldn't do anything in the way of easing his pain, but hoping the contact would soothe him just a little.
"I don't know a spell… and even if I could… I couldn't cast it," Loki breathed.
Amelia didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean?"
Loki took a slow breath and gently exhaled it, "I have Sorcerer's Sickness."
Amelia blinked, "You have what?"
Loki rolled his eyes, scoffing slightly, "You heard me." His grumpiness was definitely enhanced by his state of illness.
"What in the world is Sorcerer's Sickness?" Amelia couldn't help but think it was graver than the name made it sound.
Loki licked his chapped lips, looking very much like he had to gather up the energy to give the explanation; he also seemed like he was struggling to stay awake and that he very much needed to sleep for the rest of the day.
"It's the name given to an ailment that affects magic users, and it's rare. I've only had this sickness on three separate occasions in my life," he paused, "it's not life-threatening, but…"
"But?" Amelia prompted anxiously.
"It is unpleasant."
"Okay," Amelia began rigidly, "Tell me the symptoms. How long does it last? What can I do to help you feel better? Do you need anything from Inga?"
Loki cringed at the seemingly endless flow of questions coming from Amelia's mouth, "Uhh. Symptoms? Fatigue, exhaustion, muscle ache, headache, cough, and… complete loss of magical abilities." He looked positively miserable at the fact and Amelia swallowed thickly.
"You're telling me you can't cast any magic?" Amelia could hardly believe it.
Loki didn't say anything, giving her another weary stare that begged the question 'do I really need to answer that again?'
Amelia gave her husband an apologetic look, "Sorry. Will this last long?"
Loki shrugged and winced at the movement, "Few days. Inga will not have anything for it, I just have to endure."
Amelia slumped slightly. She'd never seen Loki like this before and she hated it, it was awful seeing him in pain and physical distress and not being able to do anything to take the discomfort away. She sighed, reaching out to brush the back of her fingers against Loki's pale cheek; his furrowed brow softened slightly as he gazed up at her with eyes that were a much duller green than usual. She hoped he was right in saying it would only be a few days.
"Can I get you anything at all? I could make you breakfast?"
Loki shook his head weakly, "No. Thank you."
Amelia frowned. Loki was never one to turn down her cooking, which just further emphasized how unwell he must've been feeling.
"I'll get you some water, at least. Your throat sounds like you need it."
To that, he nodded. Amelia gave him a small smile and leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead; as she righted herself, she wondered out loud, "Is this illness catchy?" She was thinking more of the children and how it would really suck to have to keep them away from their daddy lest they too were to fall ill.
"No," Loki answered, to Amelia's relief.
"Good. You rest, I'll get you some water. I'll be right back."
When Amelia returned with a pitcher and glass of water, Loki appeared to be once again in a deep sleep as he didn't rouse when she walked in and set the water down on the bedside table - either that, or he was too enervated to open his eyes. She sat on her side of the bed up against the headboard and just watched Loki sleep, hearing the slight rasp in his lungs as he inhaled and exhaled each breath.
She had always assumed Loki was immune to all illnesses, he had practically said as much before, so it was surprising and felt strange that he was lying there in a weakened state, completely devoid of all his powers. Vulnerable. Amelia's heart clenched; she would do everything within her power to help make him comfortable - he was always there to assist her whenever she was feeling unwell, and she'd be damned if she didn't look after him like he often looked after her.
"I've got you, darling," she whispered aloud, stroking his cheek again.
She wondered how the kids were doing downstairs. The movie was closing in on the ending when she'd headed down to retrieve some water, and Tony and Bruce had been doing a good job of appearing interested in the plot while simultaneously doing subtle work on their tablets; Amelia had heard Tony asking who their favourite character was and Kari had enthusiastically responded that Elsa was the best because she was "so cool", which Aster had eagerly agreed on, and the following joke Tony had made about Elsa being 'cool' because of her ice powers completely went over their heads.
Amelia imagined they would probably end up watching Frozen quite a few more times and that it would likely be a while before the childrens' enjoyment of the songs faded, if it ever would. It was one of those Disney movies that pulled kids in and never let them escape.
Loki probably wouldn't find delight in hearing Kari sing 'Let It Go' off key fifty times a day, unlike Amelia, who would absolutely find delight in it, but he would no doubt have to get used to it. She'd have to tell Kari to keep the singing to a minimum when they came to see their daddy later that day, if Loki was feeling up to it, that is.
Amelia hoped he would feel better after a few more hours of sleep because she'd hate to have to tell the kids that their father was too sick to spend time with them. They weren't used to seeing him so vulnerable and she thought the sight could potentially upset them. Amelia looked down at Loki's face again.
She was getting ahead of herself, Loki would probably wake up a few hours later with his appetite returned and request something scrumptious to eat so that his strength might return and allow him to recover more easily. She hoped.
With an anxious sigh, she picked up a book she had left on her bedside table and began reading, content to sit quietly while she watched over her husband as he slept.
It was roughly an hour and a half later that Loki awoke rather suddenly, his body crumpling in a savage coughing fit that had him curling up in agony from the pressure it put on his wounds; it panicked Amelia, the sound of his dreadful hacking noises and sobs in between were awful and it was abundantly clear just how painful it was. She was up in a heartbeat, rushing round to Loki's side of the bed.
"Sit up," she instructed, helping her husband shift, mindful of his injuries. She fluffed his pillows up slightly, positioning them up against the headboard and urged him to sit against it, then she offered him the glass of water she had brought him, "have a drink."
He took the glass with shaky hands and drank down several gulps quickly, effectively soothing his throat and easing the affliction just slightly - it was enough for Loki to take a few affirming breaths without triggering another coughing fit. Amelia also rubbed his back in comforting circles, and gently asked, "Better?"
Loki answered by nodding his head subtly; when he looked Amelia's way, his eyes caught the light and she saw the glisten from the tears that had gathered there as a result of his pain, and Amelia was struck with a thought.
"Darling, why did you go on that mission if you were feeling like this? Without the use of your magic?"
Loki's face hardened and his eyebrows furrowed with indignation, "You think I'm useless without my magic?" He asked tersely, misinterpreting Amelia's concern as pity and clearly taking unnecessary offence. The low hiss in his throat irritated it further and his body quaked with the effort to hold in the coughs that wanted to escape.
Amelia rushed to deny it, "That's not what I meant and you know it." She moved her hand to lightly brush his cheek but he turned his head away in a huff, slumping from the effort to sit up straight. "Loki," Amelia spoke her husband's name with vague exasperation and reached for him again, placing her hands on his shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze, "I don't think you're useless without your magic, but you are hurt and sick, and definitely in need of looking after," she smiled kindly, "so work with me, yeah?"
Loki's tired eyes fell to the bedsheets and he tentatively answered her previous question, "I felt off, but I didn't realise I was sick. Not until my magic failed me on the battlefield when I had guns pointed my way," his face soured exponentially, "I tried to launch magical projectiles and nothing happened, then the next thing I knew, I was flat on the ground with two bullets embedded in me. Stark saw everything, he incapacitated the gunmen and called Banner."
Amelia swallowed tightly, worrying her lip at the mere thought of Loki being in that situation; she could only imagine the confusion he must have felt when his magic failed him, the pain and shock of being shot, and while Loki was probably too proud to admit it out loud, he had to have been scared. If it wasn't for Tony coming to the rescue, those gunmen could have finished Loki off, and that probably went through his mind in those few moments between being shot and being saved.
If Amelia was in his shoes, she would have thought about the children. Her heart clenched at just the possibility of Loki being tragically killed in such a way, unexpectedly without any prior warning. She imagined Tony and the others coming home to the Tower and breaking the news to her, the very notion wholly unbearable. Loki wasn't impregnable, he had the capacity to die just like a human, and in his line of work, the chance of him coming face to face with death was regrettably high.
Amelia resisted the sprouting tears in her eyes for a few seconds and then gave in to them, leaning down to wrap her arms gently around her husband and holding him as tightly as she could without hurting him. "Why did you start doing missions again?" It was a rhetorical question, because he had already explained to her his reasoning of rejoining the Avengers previously - because it was simply what he did. "What would I do if something happened to you?"
Loki was taken slightly aback at Amelia's sudden outburst; he let his head fall to her shoulder and embraced her with his good arm, sinking into the hug. Amelia tearfully continued, "If you… if you died, I wouldn't be able to raise them alone. I don't want anything to happen to you, whenever you're gone I'm always worrying," she sniffed and hiccupped, "you always say you're immortal, but it's not true, not really…"
Loki rubbed Amelia's back gently, "Amelia… I'm not going anywhere."
"Next time, if you feel even slightly off, don't you dare head out into danger. Promise me."
"I won't, I promise," Loki breathed, and Amelia pulled back, holding Loki's face between her cupped hands and looking between his eyes as she quietly wept. She could see the regret in his apologetic gaze, but it was clouded with exhaustion, so she shifted and pressed his pillow back down against the mattress.
"You should sleep. I want you to recover," Amelia murmured, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "the children are probably wondering what's going on…"
Loki looked thoughtful for a moment, "Go to them, I will be fine up here. If I need you I can ask F.R.I.D.A.Y to call you."
"Are you sure?" Amelia was hesitant to acquiesce to his suggestion, because if he had another coughing fit she would be leaving him in a whole lot more pain, and the thought brought her insurmountable guilt.
Loki smiled, "I will be fine. And later, when I am feeling better and more rested, perhaps I can eat and you can bring the children up here."
The credence in his voice gave Amelia a little relieving boost; she smiled back, wiping her tears away, and leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek, "Yes, I think that's a good idea. Tell F.R.I.D.A.Y when you wake up feeling hungry, and the kids and I will bring you something to eat."
After that, Loki settled back in to fall asleep and Amelia returned downstairs to her little ones, hopeful and awaiting the signal from the Tower's AI that Loki was feeling better.
It was almost four o'clock in the afternoon when Amelia received confirmation that Loki was awake and feeling a little less fatigued; she dutifully jumped up and zipped to the kitchen, putting together a tray of food that would be good for Loki, and informed her children that their daddy was feeling a little bit better.
Aster and Kari were delighted at the fact, as made clear with the way they ran around squealing, the little tippy-taps of their feet on the floor echoing throughout the room; they had been waiting all day to see their father again. Time had no meaning to a toddler, they didn't have a grasp of how long 'a few hours' was, so they had resorted to enquiring every ten minutes as to when they could go and see him.
"Alright sweethearts, let's go see dada."
"Yay!" Kari shouted, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet; he and his sister looked like they wanted to bolt down the hall ahead but they sensibly restrained themselves and walked along on either side of their mother. Amelia carried the tray of food steadily as they reached the elevator and all of them stepped in. The kids knew the button that needed to be pressed from memory, but both were too small to reach it.
"Sorry kiddos, I'll have to press it this time," Amelia told them, balancing the tray in the crook of one arm and hitting the button with her free hand. Aster and Kari both let out an audible noise of mild disappointment, they always wanted to be the ones to press the buttons.
Amelia shook her head in vague amusement and then sighed. F.R.I.D.A.Y hadn't relayed any information on exactly how much better Loki was feeling, but as he'd said he would be feeling ill for a few days, Amelia imagined his condition hadn't improved hugely. She was a little bit worried about how Aster and Kari would react upon seeing their father ill in bed.
It wouldn't be their first time seeing a parent unwell as Amelia had been ill several times before, but they had never seen her bedridden.
"Listen, kids," Amelia spoke, garnering the attention of her little ones who fell quiet upon sensing the serious tone of her voice, "daddy only feels a little bit better, which means he's still very sick. He's not allowed to get out of bed and he might be sleepy and coughing a lot, so you need to give him some space and keep the noise down in case he has a headache. That means no jumping on the bed or climbing on top of him, do you understand?" She told them slowly and clearly what they weren't allowed to do, and both nodded up at her with their big round eyes.
Amelia smiled, "Good. Remember, daddy will be feeling all better in a few days, so we just need to be patient for him, think you can do that?"
"Yep!" Kari exclaimed, and Aster signed in affirmation.
Amelia's shoulders grew a little less tense at the display of understanding her children offered; they all exited the elevator when it arrived at the correct floor and walked down the hallway to the room Loki occupied. Amelia paused outside, giving the door a brief knock before opening it, just to give Loki a little prior warning that the peace was about to be disrupted - but to what degree? Well, that remained to be seen.
When she walked in, she was relieved to see that Loki was sitting upright against the headboard, now wearing a soft green linen shirt to cover up the bandages over his wounds; he still looked visibly poorly with the bags under his eyes, his paler than usual face and the less than luscious quality of his unkempt hair, but the cloudy exhaustion was no longer so prevalent in his eyes, and he had the strength to sit and read the book that was sitting open in his lap.
He smiled over when they walked in, clearly putting on a strong facade for the sake of the children, and the kids raced to the bed, sweet little noises of excitement escaping them at the chance to cuddle with their father. Kari climbed up onto the bed with ease, having become something of an expert climber, and he very kindly helped to pull his sister up onto the bed before the two of them both crawled over and sensibly didn't climb all over Loki.
Amelia was thankful to have children who actually listened when it was something important.
"Hey, you two," Loki greeted, wrapping his good arm around the kids as they snuggled beside him, and his voice was just as - if not more audibly raspy than it had been that morning. He must've been coughing a lot after Amelia had left him alone to rest.
"You okay, dada?" Kari asked as he sat prudently on the bed, voicing the question on both his and his sister's mind while Aster stood and carefully stroked her hand over Loki's hair, returning a comforting gesture she was used to receiving from him.
"Don't you worry about me, little ones. I'll be fine. What have you two been doing today, hmm?"
Aster excitedly signed her answer, "Watched a movie!"
"It got queen Elsa!" Kari bounced slightly in his seat, eager to relay the contents of the movie to their father who had not seen it, "She got sad cause she can not show the ice, and she left and singed a song." His barely comprehensible, strung-together sentences usually made just enough sense for Loki to understand but as he was lacking the context and not quite at full brain capacity due to his illness, Amelia elected to translate.
"Queen Elsa has ice powers but she had to hide them all her life until she accidentally reveals them, and then she runs away from the kingdom and sings an empowering song because the weight of hiding it all is lifted." Amelia explained with a chuckle, lowering the tray across Loki's lap. "I've made you chicken soup and ginger tea with honey, both good for soothing your throat. And a few slices of watermelon for a little sugar boost."
Loki looked up at her gratefully, "Thank you, my love."
"It go like this!" Kari exclaimed, and then remembered his instructions to keep the volume to a minimum and significantly lowered his voice, "Let it goooooo, let it goooooo… it anymoooore!" He hadn't heard the song enough times to know the lyrics exactly, but it was a good effort all things considered.
Aster waved her hands to steal the attention and then signed, "Cold never bother me."
"The cold doesn't bother Elsa, just like all you three," Amelia added for clarity, and Kari clapped his hands enthusiastically.
"We all Elsa!" Kari proclaimed, "Dada, can you watch Frozen?"
Loki tilted his head, swallowing a mouthful of the warm chicken soup Amelia had prepared for him, "Mmm. Maybe. Perhaps." He was vaguely intrigued by the concept, but he predicted there would be a lot of catchy and annoying songs he'd have to put up with.
"Please dada?" Kari murmured, his eyes shining as he pouted.
"We'll see," Loki huffed a slight laugh, but the action irritated his throat and made him cough again. He shook slightly as he coughed into the crook of his elbow, forcing himself not to crumple in agony as he had done earlier, and Amelia rushed to rub his back soothingly. She hated that there still wasn't much she could do; she'd thought to grab some painkillers, but Loki had told her once that the medication would be too weak and ineffective for him.
"Perhaps we can ask Heimdall to inform Thor and Inga of your condition? She might have something for you."
Loki regained his composure and shook his head, speaking with a heavily raspy voice, "Nonsense. I'm fine, I'll be fine."
Amelia did not appreciate his stubbornness. If it was herself or one of the children who was suffering, Loki would have sought Inga's aid from the get go.
The children peered up at their father with concerned little faces, Aster mimicked her mother's comforting gesture of patting Loki's back gently while Kari repeated his earlier question, "You okay, dada?" a little more tentatively.
Loki cleared his throat, took a breath, and responded croakily, "I'm okay." He forced a smile to try and convince the toddlers that he was fine, and while he was usually a master of deception, he wasn't fooling anyone in his current state.
Aster pouted, her lower lip wobbling, and she lifted her hand palm-up in front of her; Loki glanced confusedly between her outstretched palm and her face as she looked at it in what appeared to concentration - a rather amusing expression on a toddler - but slowly, it became evident what she was doing when a flicker of green came to life above her hand.
It took a moment, but a shimmering green butterfly emerged, its wings fluttering as it flew around her hand in a lively manner, perching upon her skin again every so often. Loki's smile was no longer forced as he gazed upon it; the small gesture reminded him of the time when Aster was unwell and Amelia had done the same for her. He was shocked Aster remembered - perhaps it was a subconscious memory for her.
"Thank you," Loki whispered, warmed by his daughter's efforts to help him feel better. While the butterfly held no powers of healing, just the sight of it lifted him up.
Amelia watched on, relishing the beautiful sight. Even Kari was entranced, butterflies were about the only insect that didn't fill him with dreaded alarm.
Loki pulled Aster into a hug as the butterfly eventually dissipated, kissing her cheek softly, and murmured "C'mere," to Kari so that the boy snuggled up to him alongside his sister. Loki could have been on his last leg, but having his children by his side, cuddling up to him in the most wholesome way, could always enliven him.
"You two want some watermelon?" Loki asked after a short while, and huffed out a quiet laugh when two pairs of eager green eyes opened wide and the kids nodded their heads in affirmation. It seemed Amelia had predicted Aster and Kari would want to steal some of their dada's food, because she had placed three slices on the plate just for that reason.
Aster and Kari tucked into a slice of watermelon each while Loki began to slowly consume his chicken soup. "Now, tell me more about this movie you watched," said Loki.
Amelia smiled as the kids' faces brightened considerably at the chance to talk more about what was no doubt their new favourite Disney movie. She couldn't wait till Loki had recovered from his illness and was coerced by two excitable three-year-olds into watching the Disney film that had the catchiest song in history.
Thank you all for reading. Please leave a comment, it'll make me happy ^_^
Next chapter will be RELEVANT TO THE PLOT. And also there's gonna be a special little surprise that I'm sure a lot of people will love :D I've been excited about writing this next chapter! Yay!
