Competition/Challenge Block
Written for/Stacked with: Monthly Challenges for All (Year 4); Whumptober 2021
MC4A: Fireworks; Garden; Link; PP; NC; SIN; ToS; Rum; MLG; RoB; AV; ER; Fence; O3; SN; T3
Other Challenges: Whumptober Day 3: Sticks & Stones May Break My Bones, But... | Taunting | Insults
Word Count: 483
Stab My Heart & Break My Bones
"O-okay," Loki barely got out between the harsh, painful swallows.
The magic ceased and the hand was removed. Loki swallowed again, feeling the fire chasing it as his neck started to already bruise and throat ached from the intense and unnatural pressure it endured.
"I was… curious," he rasped out.
It was the genuine truth, but it wasn't going to matter. Not with them.
Through his glassy vision, however, he saw the cruel Loki quirk a brow. His own curiosity was stirred.
"So, not only a vile worm, but a truthsayer as well?" He chuckled darkly, expression filled with amusement. "My, have they really reduced you into nothing more but one of their pets."
He paused for a moment, inspecting Loki. Though he was hurting, he tried to keep himself impassive, to not give anything away, but something must have slipped.
"Or was it a someone?" he prodded, taking the dagger once more and trailing it down his jaw toward his collarbone, down to his side. "This is really going to hurt…"
"They wanted me to track one of us…" Loki all but pleaded out. "Not only was I curious about what the TVA was, but the task they presented intrigued me."
The dagger froze in place, it's tip pressing against his ribcage. He was shocked it didn't draw blood.
"A truthsayer who not only betrays his own self but another one of them for their cause."
His eyes narrowed harshly, shifting the dagger to the injured shoulder only to stab it deeply into it again. The hand went from the hilt to his upper arm, jerking it back harshly, the sound that filled his ears from it told him he dislocated his shoulder.
"You're more sickening than I anticipated."
Loki bit his lip hard to hold in his groan, wincing harshly instead, ignoring the bitter taste that pooled over his tongue. His breathing was labored, head growing fuzzy as his healing abilities tried to kick in.
"It was a means to an end… to survive," Loki spat. "You should know…"
He shuttered when the dagger twisted and pulled away. "What was the other Loki doing to have them desperately need to enlist you?"
"They…" he breathed out, struggling to maintain consciousness. "They were outsmarting them… taking out their units by the dozens… hundreds… stealing their equipment…"
"And you stopped them?" he questioned.
Loki shook his head, blinking away the darkness. "No… I wanted to help them once I figured it out. But their interests weren't for the same reasons as mine… which…"
He gave so much away already… How far should he go? How much should he reveal? He's managed to keep Mobius out of it… But he's thrown Sylvie in instead. If he can keep her name secret… her entire identity, perhaps it will spare her from them should she ever end up here.
If they thought he was different...
