They Come on White Horses: Chapter 11
Requested by: NoVacancyMind and many wonderful others
Sequel to Knights.
I am updating from CA! Lots of fun out here, and as I am unsure what my schedule will be like tomorrow, I decided to update early for all of you wonderful people who read my stories. :) Here you go!
Also, I put a poll up on my profile. I want you guys to decide which plot you want for my next Avengers fic! Like it says on the poll, all of the plots will happen, but I need help deciding which on to do next. SO please, CHECK IT OUT!
Please enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: Don't own. Never will. So sad.
Deja Vu
Loki actually found great comfort in the repetitive motion of Thor petting his head. Not the he would ever tell the oaf that. He might take to doing it on a regular basis, which was entirely unacceptable. However, he would (for now) allow the degrading act to continue.
Thor felt his brother ease into his touch, gradually, and smiled though his brother could not see it. Loki seemed to tense up during any signs of affection now, accept from the boys of course, and that saddened Thor greatly. He knew Loki would no doubt never be so relaxed around Thor again, so he would take what he could get. Thor's voice is a soft rumble in the now quiet room.
"You have not run yourself down like this since you were first mastering your magic." Loki huffed a laugh, then laid a hand to his temple. His headache was easing a bit with Thor's petting, but it was still a constant hum in his skull. The crown prince saw this and turned his body for a better position. Laying a thumb on each of Loki's temples, he began to gently run them from the front of his brother's forehead to the middle of his skull, just enough pressure in each hand, and stopping periodically to circle his thumbs on Loki's temples before starting again. Loki did not push away, but instead sighed deeply and leaned into Thor's hands cradling his face. He did not hear whatever Thor said next, as he slowly slipped back into the world of dreams.
Loki had to be woken when Tony, Bruce and Steve returned, bearing a tray of heavenly smelling soup and water and toast. He did not even protest, when Thor eased him up into a proper sitting position and arranged the pillows behind his back. Finally fully awake, Loki smiled at the young boys. They both had big grins on their faces.
"Loki, we made you soup! Steve had to help up with the hot things and reaching things, but we did it." Apparently, someone, most likely Steve, had informed the children it would be best for them to keep their voices down.
"Thank you very much. It smells really good." Once the tray was settled in his lap, both boys clambered up, forcing Thor to move out of the way, and positioned themselves on either side of him. They watched his face very closely as he took his first spoonful of the soup and looked like clapping when Loki closed his eyes and moaned at the taste. It did not take him long to finish off the soup and toast. Once he got started, it was like his body took over, feeding itself like Loki had not the past few days. The food settled into his stomach, and suddenly his bones felt heavy and weighed down.
Steve and Thor noticed, and quickly took the tray away. Steve laid a hand on Thor's shoulder when the man made to remove the children from Loki's bed, and shook his head.
"Let them stay. It will be good for all of them." Seeing the two children curling into his brother's sides and Loki hugging them in, Thor could not help but agree. The two blondes left, leaving the trio in the bed to rest and look after each other. The boys had already done so much for Loki, perhaps they could heal him in this as well.
Loki did all of the sleeping. Both boys were actually content to just stay there with him, even Tony with his rambunctious and always moving nature. Occasionally, they would whisper to each other across Loki's chest or play staring contests, but they remained by his side. When he started to move a bit, they thought he was waking up. They watched as his face scrunched up in what looked to be pain and distressed noises were bubbling up from his throat. Tony and Bruce were scared, but they locked eyes once more and decided then and there to take care of Loki like the man had done for them. Bruce laid a hand on Loki's cheek.
"Loki," he whispered. "Lokiii." The Norse god wasn't waking up. Tony started to poke his shoulder.
"Loki! Wake up!" Both boys were getting really concerned when Loki started to twist and turn. They looked at each other and then Bruce held up three fingers.
"On three." Tony nodded.
"One. Two. Three." Together they yelled as loud as they could.
"Loki!" The Trickster jolted awake, though immediately stopped moving so he didn't jostle either of the boys at his sides. His breathing was harsh and sweat gathered on his brow. He looked between the two boys, who while grinning widely, also started to fuss over him.
"Are you okay?"
"You were having a nightmare…we think."
"Was it scary? Was it about your daddy too?"
"Did we scare you? We're sorry!" Loki took a deep breath and pulled both of them in for a hug, to both comfort and silence them.
"I…am alright. I am fine." Bruce and Tony relaxed in his embrace and nodded into his chest. Loki felt one of the boys speaking into his shirt and let them pull their heads back. "What did you say, Anthony?" Tony looked up at him and furrowed his little brow.
"You were having a nightmare and wouldn't wake up. Are you okay?" Loki still felt the wisps of his dream floating about in his mind, but pushed them away easily; it was not something he hadn't dealt with before. He tried to give the boys his most reassuring smile.
"I am. Thank you, Anthony, Bruce." Bruce, however, still seemed unsure, much like his older self would be.
"Do you…want to talk about it?" No. Definitely not. His nightmares were not for the ears of innocent hearts. Luckily, he was saved from explaining that, by none other than his brother walking through the door. Less surprising though, not that his brother barging into his rooms was anything out of the ordinary, was that he came bearing even more food. His smile took up the entire bottom half of his face when he saw Loki awake and covered in the little boys.
"Brother! You are already looking a great deal better!" That was true. The pasty hue Loki had been sporting before was fading back into his more usual shade of pale. The food and rest had done him a great deal of good, despite how restless the sleep was. Thor set the food down in his brother's lap, and once he had a free hand, felt Loki's forehead.
"Yes, your fever has gone down. I have brought you more sustenance. It is not much, but I will bring you more later. Natasha and Steven have impressed upon me the fact that those suffering from an illness do not eat as much as they normally do. Therefor the meals will be small, but there will be many!" Loki just rolled with Thor's logic and looked down at the full plate in his lap.
"So less you mean one full plate instead of two or three?" Thor smiled and nodded.
"Yes. You may be sick, but you must keep up your strength." Loki raised his brows to Tony making the little boy giggle.
"Well, thank you, Thor. Mother would be proud of you for taking care of her favorite son." Thor just laughed at the jab and Loki smirked. Thor used to joke that he spent more time with their Mother than himself and the other warriors. That he was their mother's favorite. It made him laugh when he was younger, but as he got older he started taking each comment as a strike against him. Now, though, now he was unsure where he and Thor stood. He knew the oaf still considered them brothers, but…should he? It was a puzzle he would have to sort out eventually, but for now he would just humor Thor, the man he used to call brother.
Thor stayed with the trio in the bed while Loki ate. He chatted happily with Bruce and Tony giving Loki a break from having to try to keep them from worrying over him. Once he had finished the meal whipped up for him (no doubt by Steve, because there is no way Thor would have been able to cook that well), Thor took the plate and left, promising to return soon and check up on him. As soon as he was out the door, Loki rolled his eyes dramatically to the two boys.
"He can be such a mother hen, almost as bad as Mother." They laughed, but Bruce smiled up at Loki.
"That's because he really loves you." That gave the Trickster pause, his smirk falling off momentarily, before bouncing right back.
"Yes, I suppose he does. Though he always has been a fool." They talked for a few more minutes, before they were interrupted by Jarvis.
"Sirs, I have be told to tell you to stay in your room, please. There is a bit of a disturbance down the hall." Loki tensed and the boys cuddled closer to him as they heard raised voices a ways off.
"Jarvis, what is it? What's wrong?" The AI didn't answer him right away, almost as if he didn't want to tell Loki.
"Director Fury is here, Mr. Loki, and wants to see you and the young Sir and Dr." Loki would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised. To be honest, he though Fury to be a wise leader, if not for their last encounter with him. The voices were growing closer, and they could hear the argument.
"Get out of my way, Rogers! I just want to check on my team." That was odd, a much different attitude from what he came in with last time. They were right outside their door now, and Loki could tell it was not just Captain America standing in the Director's way.
"No, Sir. You scared them really badly last time, and Loki's sick."
"Aye. I will not let you near, my brother or our younger comrades." Tony and Bruce were starting to shake under his arms. Fury's voice went from mildly irritated to threatening and completely annoyed in two seconds.
"You will let me in that room, or I will have all of SHIELD bursting through those doors and taking your brother away for a long interrogation. That would break the bounds of his parole wouldn't it? Get him thrown away in some deep, dark Asgardian dungeon?" There was a mighty gasp.
"No!" Fury knew he had won.
"Then let. Me In." There was a tense silence, before the door to Loki's bedroom slowly opened. The entire troupe was on the other side, Steve and Thor looking on warily, Clint and Natasha not showing any emotion but still tense, and Fury, dead center, just hiding his surprise at the scene before them. Tony and Bruce had wrapped themselves around Loki and were starting to cry. Loki was holding them close and trying to calm them down, all the while keeping a close eye on Director Fury.
"Don't take Loki away!" Tony wailed. He was sobbing now, and Bruce was keeping quiet but crying all the same. Fury seemed at a loss at how to handle crying children. Loki narrowed his eyes at the man.
"What is it you want, Director? As you can see, you have already left quite an impression on them from the last time." There was something strange going on. Loki could tell by the slight look of confusion on Fury's face.
"What last time? Everyone keeps mentioning a last time. The last time I set foot in Stark's tower, I left you here, and everyone was an adult." There it was. The rest of the Avengers looked at each other, eyebrows raised in question.
"Correction, Director. You were here not a day or two ago, scaring Anthony and Bruce, trying to take them away, and threatening me." It was Fury's turn to narrow his eye at Loki.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Loki had gotten the boys to quiet down a bit, though they still kept their heads tucked into his chest.
"I'm saying that either you have suddenly come down with a mental affliction making you selectively forget things, or," Loki looks at Thor. "Someone with very convincing shapeshifting abilities made themselves look like you and wanted to take Anthony and Bruce away from us." Thor's eyes widened.
"Amora," he muttered. Loki nodded, while understanding dawned on the others' faces. Fury looked back and forth between Loki and the rest of the team.
"Explain. Now."
Ha! I normally don't think of Fury as such of a jerk, so I had to give a reason for him acting the way he did.
Please review! :)