AN: So very sorry! I went into a writers block, plus I had a lot going on. But I managed to finish this chapter, enjoy!

Cobwebs and flies

Frigga and Thor have gotten progressively better. It's like their spirits were slowly lifting once they heard about Loki's 'awareness'.

Miku woke up late once again, even Darcy was out of the room before her. She slowly shifted to the right, and hopped off. What was Jane doing? What would it matter, sure, a good friend has to help her with wedding preparations, but Miku thought Darcy had it covered on whatever she was doing.

Miku walked into the large guest bathroom where there was a hot tub already prepared for her. She bathed, got dressed in her Asgardian clothing and took off down the empty golden halls. Each dorm held mystery, oh how Miku wanted to examine all of them, find secrets. This was a castle right? Of course it had secret passage ways.

She carried on, picking up her pace. She finally reached the dressing room and peaked in, no one, not a maid or a bride to be seen. Miku opened a pearly walk in closet and pulled a lavender hood off the rack. The silk self like nothing to her. She slipped it on and draped the hood over her head.

After that, Miku scampered off once more, making sure she was taking the right route.

Her hands tightened, fingers paler than before. She clenched the basket handle and headed for the underground. The unknown.

...

She was stopped by guards, expected.

"It was an order from prince Thor." Did her voice squeak? She swore she could have heard a squeak. The guards nodded in return. She asked them questions before her entrance to the cell.

"Is he getting better?"

"Progressively..." One murmured, which caused Miku to tilt her hair, her long pig tails falling, locks of ebony shielding parts of her mouth and nose.

"Like, is he speaking? Has he ate?"

"Like we said...he's progressively healing, we are not sure if he will speak in a matter of weeks, the antidote could take months."

Miku nodded respectfully. "Alright, thank you." Her voice turned into hushed whisper once they lowered the maize shield. There he was, once more. Not washed, same position of the bed, the scars were healing, but his lips were a pale pink, chapped with small blotches of red.

Once she took a step in, his head turned to her, just like the day before. She was close now, and then she sat on the bed. Miku did the same as before, she set out the same food, same plates, and waited for him to make his move.

"Hey there." She greeted softly. "Looks like we didn't really get to know each other. I think we can talk now, are you ok with that?"

No answer, just a slight twitch of the lips. Miku hung her head and reached her hand out, grabbing his roll, cutting it in half and then it was buttered. She set it back down carefully, and began to cut her own. I'm the process she spoke, "I think you need to eat, I mean, I'm not going to force it on you...but..everyone's worried." She waited, and waited. His staring continued.

She gave up and nibbled on the bread. Butter landed on the top of her fingers and she wiped them with a napkin.

"Why?"

She stopped, and dropped the napkin. Miku looked up at Loki. 'Did he just...'

"What do you mean, why?" Miku sputtered. "Everyone knows you're not eating and-"

"Why are you coming back?"

Miku paused and saw that Loki's mouth was parted slightly. She raised her chin and blinked several times. "Because I'm worried." She couldn't say anything more, she licked her lips and picked at her nails.

"Who even are you?"

"I'm-"

"Your speech pattern is out of the norm, intonation like this is not like my brother's people." His mouth twitched again, then he leaned upward. "You're from Midgard."

"Uh...yeah..yeah that's right. Midgard, Earth.." She looked down and grabbed her roll again. "I'm Miku...a friend of your brother, I already told you that but-"

"You're worried?" Loki bellowed plainly.

"My mom used to say that sometimes you need to show some people kindness, step out of the box, be the hero for once."

Loki's quiet chuckle caused Miku to flinch slightly. "Kindness, for me? Midgardian instinct is perpetually weak, ill minded."

"Not everyone is like that." She rebutted. "I've been trampled on, told to be someone I never wanted to be. It's crap, but sometimes I stick to kindness, I believe it can turn someone around...you're a candidate, now could you please eat?"

Loki was silent again, did she say something wrong? Was it to aggressive? His hand moved and reached for the small piece of bread, he raised it to his mouth, Miku turned and ate hers as well.

She waited for lip smacking, constant food shoving, a complete mess. No. He didn't even dig into the food like a hungry prisoner. It was small bites, no mess. He finished the half of the roll slowly, once he was done Miku locked eyes with him again.

"See, that felt good right?"

He looked down at his plate again, staring at the other piece of roll.

"So," Miku muttered. "I noticed your books, do you know Shakespeare?"

"You asked me that already,"

"You didn't answer, do you?" Miku asked as politely as she could. Loki opened his mouth and then closed it, she hopped off the bed and saw some ripped book pages. She picked one up, frail and somewhat ripped at the edges.

MACBETH

"You do read it? Thor told me you were introduced to it when your dad stopped by in disguise and-"

"He's not my father!" Loki screeched, his head twitched and he swiped the glass plate off his bed, it hit the force field, sending small embers flying at him. He lifted his scabbed arms and began to claw at it once more.

'He's not my father!' That's right, that's right! Why did she say that?! Miku threw the transcript of Macbeth to the ground and ran to Loki. "Stop, please stop! I'm sorry, look- Please, no please!" Her speech turned to small sobs.

His grunts grew louder as blood seeped out of the once healed scars, dripping on the dingy white sheets. Miku grabbed his bloody right arm, trying to seize the sudden self harm. Loki stopped abruptly and looked at her, his green eyes glossy. The guards were already in their position to settle he prisoner down.

"You've should haven't come." He whispered hoarsely. "Please...leave me be."

"But,"

"Please..." His voice was faded. Miku reached in her basket fanatically, taking out another napkin. She reached for his arm and slowly applied it to his wounds.

"Don't-"

Miku's break hitched as she looked at the cloth, there was even more blood that she expected. The crimson continued to drip, then sliding against the metal rail of the bed.

"Leave." Loki pleaded silently once more. Miku just had to obey, she gripped the cloth in her hands and packed the food up quickly. The shattered glass, the uneaten slice of bread. Then, she took a small book out of the basket, setting it on his lap lightly.

"I wanted to read it with you, maybe you can by yourself."

Loki cocked his head and looked at the title of the book. 'King Lear'.

Miku was already on her way out, a guard motioned her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She brushed her black locks away from her when she turned to him once more. She slightly smiled before she made her depart. Loki's brows arched upward at her as she walked away.

He gripped the spine of King Lear tightly.

...

"Thor wishes to visit him again. They say he's even better than ever."

"He is?" Miku tried to be surprised. Jane opened the door and walked halfway.

"You don't want to go?"

"I think...I'm alright..." Miku grinned, taking the bands out of her pony tails, letting her knotted hair free.

Jane mouthed ok happily and shut the door. Darcy was gone, who knew where she went. She told Miku she would never visit Loki in her life, he pisses her off. No, scratch that, she is furious with him.

She shifted her head and saw the ripped pieces of a bloody napkin in a small waste basket. Miku sighed and flopped on her bed and then curled up. She failed, she wanted to at least share a small 'normal' conversation with him. Was the antidote really working? Arms were scratched raw again, where are the signs of peace?

She didn't want Loki to go through that pain, the idea of a large tube trailing down her throat. So what if she cared for him, she cares about a lot of people. She cares for people that don't even care for her.

'But...he has killed thousands..'

'He was lost.'

'He's going to kill himself. I can't let him, for Thor's sake.'

Miku gritted her teeth. She looked at the ripped bloodied paper in the trash can and sat up. It was only 1 PM. She would have to wait a day to visit him once more.

Was she really visiting him for Thor's sake?