ONE STEP FORWARD, FOUR STEPS BACK
A THOR/AVENGERS FANFICTION
CHAPTER EIGHT: Aftermath
WARNING: This chapter refers to the physical and physiological torture of a minor. If you don't like, don't read. And please, no hate.
Though Thor slept well that night, Loki did not. He was plagued with nightmares and night terrors all night. Eventually, he crawled into bed with Thor with the thought that Thor could make the bad dreams go away. Although that didn't work and he still had terrifying dreams, Thor was there to put a comforting (and sleepy) arm around Loki when he woke, allowing him to cry on his chest.
When morning came, Thor awoke, feeling semi-refreshed. If Loki had slept more soundly, so would have Thor. That wasn't the case, however, but Thor didn't mind; Loki was safe. As he prepared to get out of bed, he glanced over and saw Loki thrashing about, in the throes of a nightmare. Thor sighed sadly and put a hand on Loki's small shoulder, shaking him gently.
"Loki," he said softly, "time to get up." Loki stirred and his eyes opened. He shot up, his breathing heavy, and glanced over at Thor. The boy's eyes filled with tears and without any warning he launched himself on to Thor. Thor, though surprised, wrapped his strong arms around Loki as he cried, murmuring soothingly into his ear. Thor could recall Frigga doing so when he was small and frightened, and Thor figured Loki could use reminding of Frigga. After crying for a while, they both got up and left the room, Loki not speaking at all. He held on to Thor's hand silently and allowed his brother to guide him through Stark Tower.
"It's about time," Tony said as the two approached, "How rude of you to make me wait in my own building." Pepper scowled at Tony, but said nothing.
"Is it arranged for Loki to see a doctor?" Thor asked. Tony smirked and walked behind his bar counter. He prepared a drink for himself and sat on the counter.
"Sort of," Tony began, taking a sip of his drink, "You see meat-swig, hospitals and doctors require paper work and identification which neither you nor the kid can provide. Even with my influence, we wouldn't get helped." Thor's brow lowered. Stark had promised to help Loki. If he couldn't see a doctor, how in the world would he get healed?
"Are you saying that no one will help us?" Thor asked, his temper rising.
"No," Tony said, setting his drink down and hopping off the counter, "I'm saying it's in short supply." Thor sighed deeply.
"Dammit," he muttered. Loki looked up at him for a moment, then cast his gaze downward. "Isn't there anyone who can help?" Thor asked.
"Actually yes, but even that gets complicated," Tony said, picking his drink up again.
"How so?" Thor asked, an eyebrow raised.
"The only man with medical training that would look him over without paperwork may not be willing to see him," Tony explained, gesturing with his glass at Loki. Loki didn't look up or speak. His gaze stayed fixed on the floor. Thor put a comforting hand on Loki's tiny shoulder, warmth pulsating from him. The fever was worse and Thor was concerned. How much longer could Loki last without seeing a doctor? And who was this man who may refuse to see Loki?
"Why is that?" Thor asked his heart pounding in his chest.
"Because," Tony began, drinking again, "that man is Bruce Banner." Thor's eyes widened; that was some of the worst possible news that Thor could have received. Banner hated Loki more that Tony could ever dream of.
"Banner? He'd never agree!" Thor cried. Tony huffed and sat down.
"That and he's hard to track," Tony said. Thor was sweating; what was he going to do? Loki needed to see a doctor. He was hurt and in daily pain, not to mention the risk of his infection and fever getting worse. Thor shook his head; if he had to, he'd find Banner himself and drag him all the way to New York.
"No, we must seek him out! Loki must see someone!" Thor said, his grip on Loki's shoulder tighter.
"I agree beautiful, which is why I had Pepper call Fury for you last night." Thor blinked; that was unusual, not to mention unexpected. From what Thor knew of Tony, he wasn't the kind of man to get caught up in affairs that didn't concern him. He didn't really even want Loki at the tower. Yet, he called Fury. Why? Thor shook his head; he could get an explanation for that odd piece of behavior later. A more pressing matter was at hand anyway; Thor needed to know what Tony had told Fury in the first place. The last thing Thor needed was S.H.I.E.L.D. knowing that Loki was on Earth and hunting the boy down like a dog.
"What did you tell him?" Thor asked. Tony shrugged and finished his drink.
"Just that you were back on earth and needed medical attention. Fury said he'd find Banner and send him here. Hopefully that bag of nerves gets here soon." Tony said, scratching his chin.
"Thank you," Thor said, relief in his voice, "You are a better man than people credit you for, Stark." Tony laughed.
"Okay, fine, but can we eat? I mean God! It's almost ten and I haven't eaten yet," Tony said, rounding on Pepper, "I blame you." Pepper smiled.
"I'll have Jarvis start the stove. What would you like?" Pepper asked. Tony waved his hand dismissively and walked back to the bar. Pepper turned to Thor and Loki.
"He's letting you decide. I can get you almost anything you'd like to eat." Pepper said. Thor grinned sheepishly.
"Do you have Poptarts?"
An hour and two boxes of Poptarts later, everyone had eaten. Loki refused to eat at first, but Thor managed to coax him into it, sparking a love for the Midgardian food in the child, though he didn't eat much. The boy complained of stomach pain and stopped eating before he had finished his first Poptart. Loki still wasn't speaking and visibly didn't feel well, but that wasn't what was bothering Thor. What had the thunder god worried presently was Banner. He knew that Banner and Hawkeye favored Loki least out of his comrades and knew that Banner's reaction to treating Loki may go...badly. Thor was seriously considering asking Tony to call Banner off, but knew Tony had no ability to do so. Fury (and by default S.H.I.E.L.D.) was pulling the strings meaning that Banner was on his way and no one could do anything to stop it. After cleaning up, Loki laid his head in Thor's lap, the boy shaking violently. His hair was soaked with sweat and he was whimpering quietly. Thor sighed and stroked Loki's sweaty hair, trying to comfort him as best as he could. He knew Loki wouldn't be fully soothed until he was well again, but Thor at least wanted to try. Pepper seemed to notice.
"Do you want me to pick him up some medicine while I'm out?" Pepper asked her eyes on Loki. Thor nodded and met her gaze.
"Yes, that would be nice. If you could, Loki and I require Midgardian attire as well." Thor said, his hand mechanically running through Loki's sweaty hair. Pepper nodded.
"Of course. That's why I'm going out anyway. Tony didn't want you two running around in and I quote 'stupid-looking Baroque era mugs on for days on end.'" Pepper said with a laugh. Thor's brow knitted together in confusion and Pepper quickly added, "Tony hates the Baroque era." Thor shook his head, still not understanding.
"I do not understand. What is this Baroque era?" he asked, Loki shifting his head slightly on Thor's theighs. Pepper blushed madly and waved her hand.
"Sorry, never mind! I'll just see you later." Pepper turned on her heal, clearly embarrassed (and Thor didn't understand why she was) and left, Tony still behind the bar counter. Thor had pretty much forgotten about Tony; he hadn't spoken much during breakfast. He instead just sat back there and ate with Pepper in near silence. It was odd since Tony never seemed to shut up during their mission. However, Tony's unusual silence was not the most pressing issue on Thor's mind. The most pressing issue was Loki. The boy was slipping in and out of consciousness, his fever causing violent tremors throughout his body.
"Loki?" Thor asked softly. The boy's eyelids fluttered and he peeled them open, his green eyes glazed over.
"Hmmm…" Loki responded.
"Would you rather go lay down in your bed?" Thor questioned, his voice soft and soothing. Loki smiled.
"When'd your face get so fuzzy? It wasn' like tha' y-yes-yesterday." Loki giggled, his words slow and slurred. Thor chuckled and ruffled Loki's hair.
"I assure you, my facial hair has not changed since yesterday." Thor said. Loki's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Are you sure? It sure looks like it t' me." Loki stated. Thor picked Loki up and stood, carrying the feverish boy, who was clinging to him like mad. He walked to the room and placed Loki in the bed they had shared last night, tucked him in and handed him the goat. Thor then pulled up a chair to the side of the bed and sat down. Loki squirmed a little in bed and tried to remove the covers from his little, feverish body. Thor put a gentle, yet firm, hand on the covers to prevent Loki from taking them off. Thor could remember that when he would run fevers as a boy, Frigga would tell him to keep his blankets on. She would tell him even if his body felt like it was too hot for blankets, it really wasn't. He felt it appropriate to follow in Frigga's footsteps, keeping Loki secure and warm in the covers. Loki moaned and kept trying, even though it was useless.
"Don't do that Loki," Thor said sternly. Loki met his gaze and scowled. If he wanted his blankets to come off, they were going to come off. He stuck his tongue out at Thor and continued to try to squirm away from Thor's hand.
"You can' tell me wha' t' do," Loki slurred, his feeble attempts at escape growing weaker by the minute. Thor gave Loki a stern look, trying to tell him that he indeed could tell him what to do. Odin and Frigga weren't around, so Loki by default had to listen to Thor. However, Loki wasn't particularly in the mood to listen today, his little head pounding like someone had trapped a humming bird inside it. So he continued to struggle, Thor rolling his eyes.
"Come on now, Loki. Do not act like this. Mother always says it is best to stay warm when you are sick." Thor said calmly. Loki stopped struggling for a moment, a strange yet beloved memory coming to him. While in Fjørlag-Bryggja that man, his "not-Thor", had come and spoken to him the same way Thor was speaking now. Was it possible that not-Thor was actually Thor? Loki wasn't sure, but if not-Thor was in fact Thor, he wanted to know so he could thank him for lulling him to sleep with that story. Loki got himself into a sitting position, his glazed eyes focused on Thor.
"Thor…how well do you know the story of Odin's fight against the dragon?" Loki asked. Thor tilted his head back and let out a howl of laughter.
"Tis one of my favorites, little brother. Would you like to hear it?" Thor asked his voice still full of laughter. Loki quickly shook his head.
"No, but I'd like t' thank you for telling it t' me in Fjørlag-Bryggja. It helped me go to sleep after…" Loki trailed off, not wishing to talk about one of the last torture sessions he had had with the Shadow. That one was definitely one of his least favorites. Loki looked back up at Thor, surprised to see his elder brother's look of confusion.
"What are you talking about Loki?" Thor asked gently. He assumed the fever was making Loki talk nonsense. Loki scowled and lay down; so not-Thor wasn't Thor after all. Too bad.
"Ne'er mind," Loki slurred, shutting his eyes. Thor blinked and grabbed one of Loki's small hands in his own giant one.
"You can tell me," Thor encouraged, trying to get Loki to talk more. Loki groaned and peeled open one of his eyes.
"The day I got the cuts on my stomach, I was really, really sick. I couldn' go t' sleep by myself, but this man came t' my cell and started talkin' t' me. His voice was like yours, but different at the same time. I can' explain, but I knew it wasn' you, but I w'nted it t' be you. Anyway, not-Thor started t' tell me that story and I fell asleep. When I woke up, he was gone." Loki explained sleepily. Thor's brow lowered. Who would come down and do that? Or was it all just some dream that Loki's feverish mind created so that the boy would sleep? Thor didn't know, but was extremely curious about the person Loki called "not-Thor".
"And did this 'not-Thor' every come to see you again?" Thor asked. Loki's face scrunched up in thought, attempting to rack his brain and remember if he had.
"Yeah," Loki finally answered, "he did. He tol' me another story." Loki yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"Okay then. You can tell me about it later. Right now you should sleep." Thor said gently, planting a kiss on Loki's warm forehead. Loki nodded and shut his eyes, allowing sleep to overcome his tired body. Thor slumped in his chair, wondering who this "not-Thor" was and why he would care enough to see Loki. No one in Asgard cared for Loki as Thor did besides Frigga, and Loki had specifically said that "not-Thor" had a man's voice. Confused but unable to ask Loki any further questions, Thor had no choice but to let the subject of "not-Thor" drop for the time being.
Time marched on slowly for Thor after that. He sat on that chair for what felt like days, only to glance over at the clock and see the numbers only change by one digit. Thor hadn't quite learned Midgardian time keeping but understood enough to know that when a number on the clock changes, a minute (or something small of that equivalent) had passed. He knew looking at the clock constantly would not help time go faster, but he felt his eyes wondering over there constantly. Loki had a death grip on Thor's hand, his breathing shallow yet relaxed. Besides being dead bored, Thor was quiet relaxed and content knowing that Loki was going to be okay and that he and his brother were safe.
However, boredom was quickly overcoming Thor. He always preferred to be doing something and what he was doing was absolutely nothing. Perhaps Stark had a sparring ground some place. It would make since considering Tony had to pilot that metal suit constantly. Why wouldn't he have a sparing area? Thor silently slipped out of Loki's tiny yet strong hand and quietly left the room, the boy only stirring as he left. He walked down the hall in search of Tony. Even if he didn't have a sparring area, at least Tony was someone to talk to. He reached the bar area and found no sign of Tony anywhere. Not knowing where else to look, Thor wondered around the open room, his eyes locking on a pair of double doors near the elevator. Thor crept over and turned the handle, not bothering to knock. He cracked the door open and peered inside. Tony wasn't inside so Thor went in shutting the door behind him. The room contained a desk and many other items spread out on the floor. Thor went over to the desk and saw many papers scattered sloppily on top of it, and two Midgardian devices that he instantly recognized as a telephone (not the ones carried in pockets) and a computer. The computer screen was showing many different pictures of automobiles and Thor accidently brushed his hand up against the laptop's touch pad. He jumped as the screen changed and a man's voice called:
"You are not authorized to view this data". Thor backed away from the desk slowly and didn't stop until his back it the corner of another table. Groaning in pain, Thor turned to see what he had run into. His eyes grew large as he looked at a miniature town complete with a running river. There where little tracks and multiple automobiles Thor knew as trains on it, crisscrossing through the town, little people waiting at the stops and stations. Other wooden figures were scattered across it, no particular reason for standing there other than to make the town seem more real. Thor grinned as he picked one up, its little face frozen in a happy grin. He placed the person down and stepped back, in awe of this wondrous table Tony owned. He wondered if there was a way to make the trains move.
"That's cool, huh," Thor tore his gaze and turned quickly towards the source of the voice. Tony was leaning up against the closed door; his arms crossed and face bearing a smirk. Thor blushed madly and he looked around the room. He shouldn't have intruded-it was rude to do so. But Tony didn't seem upset or angry about it; in fact, he seemed amused about it. Tony walked over and put his hands on the table, his back facing where Thor's eyes were looking.
"This was mine when I was a kid. My father gave it to me." Tony said, his hand folding around the conductor of one of the multiple train stations. Thor turned to face Tony.
"We don't have things such as this on Asgard," Thor commented, a finger running over the cool metal of one of the trains. Tony chuckled and placed the conductor back.
"I guess not. Too bad; these things are the coolest. Especially when your dad installs all sorts of gizmos on it to make it cooler than the ones the other kids have." Tony mused.
"Why is it here? What is this room?" Thor asked, curiosity getting the best of him.
"This is my office. All the cute little trinkets you see including this here train table didn't fit anywhere back home in Malibu, so when the Tower was finished, I moved them all here." Tony explained.
"Fascinating," Thor breathed, still fascinated by the running water in the river. Tony chortled.
"Really princess? Of all the things to keep your attention, a train table wins the cake." Tony teased, walking over to his computer. Thor blushed and stood by the table, still able to see the working river on the table.
"Do you have work to get done?" Thor asked. Tony shrugged.
"Even if I did I'd work for ten minutes then get on YouTube," Tony said indifferently, sitting down.
"Oh," Thor said, not sure if he should leave. Tony looked up and rolled his eyes.
"For God's sake Thor. If you're uncomfortable get outta here." Tony said his face smug and amused. Thor scowled.
"You make for bad company, Stark," Thor said teasingly. Tony propped his feet up on his desk and his smirk grew.
"That's what I'm here for."
Pepper entered the top floor and saw that no one was in the room any longer. Not wishing to waste time, Pepper went straight to Thor and Loki's room. She entered and saw Loki sleeping soundly (though he did look a bit sweaty) and smiled. Pepper had really enjoyed buying clothes for him. Little boy clothes were just so cute, and she couldn't help but go all out on Loki. She slowly unpacked and sorted through her purchases, placing Thor's clothes in one dresser and Loki's in another. After a few minutes of fussing with them, Pepper was finally satisfied and grabbed the medicine she had bought. It was a children's pain reliever and fever reducer and she hoped that it would do the trick. She placed the medicine on the bedside table and felt Loki's forehead; it was burning up. Pepper knew it was good for sick people to sleep as much as possible so she didn't want to wake him. Instead, she went to the bathroom, wetting a washcloth with cold water and returning. She placed it on his head and left, hoping that would help to bring Loki's fever down. As she was walking through the hall heading toward Tony's office, she spotted Thor in the main room, looking as though he was unsure of what to do with himself. Pepper smiled and approached him.
"Can I help you with anything?" She asked. A look of relief spread through Thor's face as he saw her.
"You have returned," he breathed, taking her hands. Pepper's face turned red and she fought the urge to squeal.
"Y-yes, I have. I brought the medicine…" Pepper said as Thor smiled brightly, pulling her into a hug.
"Oh, thank you! How Loki was worrying me so!" he cried, pulling away from the blushing Pepper Potts.
"Oh, um, yes. Very worrisome. I left it on the bedside table in your room. There's a small plastic cup on top of the bottle. Just fill that cup all the way and give it to him." Pepper explained, feeling very flattered indeed. Thor grinned at her and began walking away.
"Thank you," he said as he left. Pepper giggled to herself than shook her head. This was no time to lose it! She had work to do, phone calls to be made, Tony's shoes to tie! Oh yes, there was too much work to be done to be consumed by Thor's charms. Running a hand through her hair she walked off, trying desperately to forget her encounter with Thor all together.
Thor walked into the room and heard Loki moaning softly. Thor walked to the table and looked at the bottle and found the little cup Pepper had spoken about. He smiled and sat on the chair, waiting for Loki to wake up. Frigga had always warned against waking sleeping sick people so he didn't dare wake a sleeping sick Loki; he feared that would be much worse than a normal person. Thor waited and waited, anxious to get the medicine inside of Loki. He decided that if Loki didn't wake within the next hour, he would have no choice but to wake him up. Finally, Loki stirred and sat up, a look of confusion spreading on his face. He shifted in the bed and his eyes grew wide, a violent blush spreading through his checks like wildfire. Concerned, Thor grabbed Loki's hand.
"What's wrong brother?" he asked. Loki turned to look at Thor, his blush increasing drastically. Loki shifted again and his lip trembled a bit. Something was upsetting him greatly and Thor wanted to know what it was.
"Loki," he cooed softly, trying to coax the boy into speaking, "what happened? Did you have a bad dream?" Loki shook his head, a few tears falling from his eyes.
"No," Loki began, his voice strained, "I…uh…" Loki stopped talking and looked away, obviously ashamed. Thor was still lost of course, not understanding why Loki would feel shame or embarrassment.
"You can tell me," Thor encouraged softly. Loki brought his teary gaze back to Thor.
"Promise you won' laugh or be angry?" Loki asked. Thor nodded.
"Of course," Thor answered. Loki blushed harder and looked as though he was trying to figure out how to say something.
"I wet the bed," he said finally, his words coming out in a rush. Thor blinked and stayed silent for a moment, then began to laugh loudly. Loki scowled at him, his lip trembling more violently.
"You promised you wouldn' laugh at me!" Loki cried, feeling a bit betrayed. Thor put a hand on Loki's shoulder and managed to contain himself.
"Loki, I'm not laughing at you, dear brother; I am just surprised is all. I thought something truly awful had happened." Thor explained. Loki's face relaxed and his look of anger was replaced with one of curiosity.
"Why are you surprised?" Loki asked.
"As you know three weeks ago you were a man. Now you are a boy dealing with childhood problems that I haven't had to deal with in many years. It will just take getting used to." Thor explained in the best way he could without touching on Loki's treachery or madness. That was not a conversation he wanted to have when the boy was so upset.
"'M sorry," Loki mumbled, still ashamed of himself, "I didn' mean to." Thor nodded in understanding.
"I know you didn't. It's alright." Thor soothed. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Loki just glanced around the room, his face still pink. Thor could see him tremble, his fever still raging. Just as Thor was about to suggest taking the medicine, Loki's eyes became fixed on the bottle in Thor's hand.
"What's that?" he asked.
"Medicine to make you feel better," Thor said. Loki's brow furrowed.
"I thought I was goin' t' see a doctor. How come you have medicine already?" Loki inquired.
"Well, you will see a doctor, just not yet. Until you do, Pepper bought you this so that you'd feel better. You don't have to see a doctor to receive medicine." Thor explained slowly.
"Oh," Loki said, his eyes glued to the bottle. Thor unscrewed the cap and poured the thick liquid into the little cup. Loki watched anxiously, his heart rate increasing. Thor recapped the bottle and put it aside, the cup full.
"Alright, let's take this now," Thor said softly, handing the cup to Loki. Loki's eyes grew wide and he just stared at it for a minute or two, a non-fever induced sweat breaking out over his body. He didn't want to; it would hurt and taste bad. What if it wasn't medicine? He knew Tony didn't like him….
"No," Loki said shortly, turning his face away. Thor blinked; why didn't Loki want to take it? Didn't he want to feel better? As Thor pondered this, realization flowed through him; kveisa, Fjørlag-Bryggja, Margr-Vígaferli. It all made sense; Loki was scared that the medicine wasn't medicine at all and that it would hurt him like the kveisa had. Thor put his free hand on Loki's trembling shoulder.
"Loki, look at me," Thor commanded gently. Hesitantly, Loki turned to face Thor, fear written across his face. Thor smiled at him and Loki didn't smile back, but some of the fear disappeared from his young face.
"Loki, would I hurt you?" Loki's brow furrowed and he shook his head. What a stupid question to ask.
"Loki, would I ever let my friends hurt you?" Once more, Loki shook his head. Thor was asking such stupid questions.
"Now," Thor continued, "since I would never hurt you or let anyone ever hurt you, would I give you medicine that would hurt you?" Loki looked back at the tiny cup; the red liquid suddenly seemed less menacing. Loki shook his head a third time, a smile playing on his lips. Thor smiled back and ruffled his hair.
"That's right. You're so smart." Thor praised. Loki beamed at the praise, soaking up Thor's voice and touch like it was the sun. Both were something he hadn't had in weeks.
"I'll take it now, even if it tastes yucky," Loki said grinning. Thor smiled wider and handed Loki the cup. Loki took it and his face crinkled in disgust; it did taste nasty. Smacking his lips, Loki handed the cup back to Thor, his attention returning to his soggy clothes.
"Um…Thor?" he asked softly.
"Yes Loki?" Thor said putting the cup next to the bottle on the nightstand.
"Um my accident?" Loki said shamefully, hanging his head. Thor patted his back.
"Not to worry, brother. I shall help you bathe and change clothes. No harm done." Before Loki could respond, Thor had scooped him up and held him close. Loki assumed that Thor was just making up for those weeks in Fjørlag-Bryggja whenever Thor insisted on carrying Loki around everywhere. Not that Loki really minded or anything; it did hurt to walk and he didn't really mind being babied a little.
Thor carried Loki to the bathroom, helped him undress and got the water started. Loki informed him when it was just right ("A tiny bit t' the right Thor…Nope, too far! Now a little t' the left…") and Thor lifted him from the armpits and put him in the tub. Loki's arms weren't as sore so he washed his own hair, Thor helping him scrub his back. Loki still didn't feel too well, so when Thor began splashing him, he quickly got irritated and whined to be released from his bath. Thor obliged of course, not even correcting him for whining and lifted him out, wrapping a towel around his tiny brother. Loki liked this towel because it was soft and didn't irritate his burnt and sensitive skin. Thor picked him up again and carried him back to the bedroom and put him down on the bed. Searching through the drawers, Thor found a pair of cow printed pajamas (women!) and grabbed them, helping Loki put on the pants after assisting him with his underwear. Loki sat on the bed shivering, wondering why Thor hadn't put the pajama shirt on yet. Thor's gaze was on Loki's stomach, his expression one of worry.
"Wha' are you lookin' at, brother?" Loki asked, his voice shaking. Thor scratched his chin in thought.
"Well, I was just thinking that we should wrap that," Thor said. Loki glanced down, the sloppily closed wound pulsing in pain already, pus leaking from each laceration. His nose wrinkled in disgust when he saw it and looked up at Thor, nodded his head.
"That seems like a good idea," Loki agreed. Thor left and located Pepper who was standing over Tony's bar counter.
"Excuse me," Thor said. Pepper jumped in surprise and turned, her face already turning pink.
"Um…y-yes?" she asked. Thor grinned sheepishly; she was so polite.
"I require what you Midgardians call a first-aid kit. I wish to dress Loki's wound." Thor informed her. Pepper's face was instantly downcast; she felt so bad for the little guy.
"I can get you one and meet you in your room," Pepper said. Thor nodded in agreement and walked off to rejoin Loki. The boy was still awake and seemed impatient.
"Something wrong?" Thor asked. Loki stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.
"I'm hungry an' I didn' eat lunch. So now its dinner time an' I haven' eaten yet cause I don' have a shirt on." Loki whined, obviously tired. Thor didn't know what it was about being sick that made you so tired, but it sure did take a lot out of you. Thor smiled at him and Loki's face softened.
"Worry not brother; once Pepper brings the dressing for your wound we shall eat then you can sleep." Thor informed him, Loki nodding in sync with Thor's words.
"Yeah, I guess that'll do alright," Loki said. He liked feeling like he was planning out his own day and not having a grown-up do it all for him. No one likes to be babied all the time; it was just nice sometimes.
Pepper arrived and she and Thor began to dress Loki's four gaping wounds. Loki fought them of course, the anti-bacterial stinging his infected cut like nothing he had ever felt before. Kicking and screaming (Thor had to hold him down), Pepper finally got the anti-bacterial on all four lacerations, Loki sniffling afterword. Thor then wrapped the gaze around Loki's tiny stomach ("Not too tight Thor!") without much protest from Loki. When it was all over, Loki refused to walk and Thor had to carry him to the main room, Pepper complimenting Loki's pajamas the whole way. Tony had already ordered out and was just waiting on the arrival of the food. He had ordered Chinese and neither Thor nor Loki had ever heard of it. The delivery man came and Pepper paid him. She laid out the food and made plates for both Thor and Loki, making sure they got a little of everything. While eating, Tony cleared his throat loud enough for all of New York to hear, all eyes now focused on him.
"Now that I have your attention, I have an announcement." Tony said, placing his take-out box down.
"What is it?" Thor asked.
"S.H.E.I.L.D. has located Banner and he'll be here in two days' time." Tony announced, picking up the box and chopsticks and eating again.
"Is that good brother?" Loki asked. Thor nodded.
"Aye, Loki. It is very good."
The rest of the night was uneventful, though Loki fought to stay awake after dinner. Tony had left his office door open and Loki had been eyeing Tony's train table all night, but knew better than to ask Tony if he could go and see it; he knew Tony would say no. Loki had quickly learned through dinner that Tony truly didn't like him. That was hurtful seeing as Loki had done nothing (to his knowledge anyway) to upset him. What was possibly worse was that whenever he'd ask Thor about it, Thor would quickly change the subject, never giving Loki a straight answer. That was really annoying. Loki was sitting on the floor of the main room playing with some LEGOs that Pepper had bought him and rubbed his eyes, a loud yawn escaping his mouth. He was trying really hard to build a model of Asgard so he could show Pepper what it looked like, but was a having a hard time staying awake. Shaking his head, Loki picked up another LEGO and placed it on the model, another yawn sounding. Thor, who was talking with Pepper, saw this occur, but also knew that look on his brother's face. Loki was determined to finish his model of Asgard tonight, no matter how hard his body was fighting against it.
Eventually, Loki was satisfied with his model of Asgard and presented it to Pepper, beaming. She patted his head and he soaked up the praise, allowing Thor to then pick him up and carry him to their room. He sleepily cuddled into Thor, falling asleep in Thor's warm, strong embrace. Thor held him close, swearing to never let him slip from his arms again.