Yay, part three! The ending is kind of abrupt (sorry), but this is so much longer than I planned, like ridiculously so, and I really didn't want to make it any longer. Hope y'all like it!

Part Three

"You okay?" Bruce asked. When he didn't respond, Thor gently pulled his hand away from his mouth. It was only open slightly, his jaw too tense from disuse to open any further. His lips were torn and bleeding freshly, though not to an alarming degree. The rasping and wheezing of his breath sounded worse now that he was taking in more air, even if it was less strained than before.

"Well, it's open," Bruce said. "I guess that's good. Can you turn your head up a little, Loki?"

Loki barely moved his head, looking absent as his eyes threatened to close. Thor tilted his head up for him and moved his hand away when he tried to cover his mouth again.

"Can you open your mouth any more?"

He tried, only opening it a fraction more before he shuddered in pain.

"Your jaw's really tight, isn't it?"

He moaned weakly in response.

"Uh, hold on a minute." Bruce located a penlight and came back. "I'm gonna touch your face," he warned him. "Don't worry, okay? I just wanna look in your mouth." He took him gently by the chin and Loki gasped, eyes widening. "It's okay. I'm just looking." He shined the light into his mouth, but couldn't see much. His teeth were coated with blood, which he hoped was only from his lips. He carefully pulled his bottom lip down a bit and Loki whimpered, trying to jerk his head away. "I'm sorry. I promise I'm not trying to hurt you. I just need to see."

From what little he could make out, there was no obvious damage aside from where the wires had been. He worried there was more, but it couldn't be helped now. Loki was rapidly becoming distressed again, still trying to move away from his hand as he pulled at his lips. Bruce let go of him. "Okay. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you again. It's okay."

Loki calmed after a moment, bringing the gauze back to his lips as his eyelids began to droop again.

"Does your mouth hurt?" Bruce asked him. "I mean, besides your lips?"

Loki hesitated to answer, but then shook his head.

Bruce felt relieved, even if he wasn't entirely convinced. The sound of another raspy breath raised another question. "What about your throat? Does it hurt pretty bad?"

He nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I suppose it would. You're probably really thirsty, huh? You wanna try to drink something?"

To his surprise, Loki shook his head again.

"You don't want any water or anything?"

The same response.

Bruce was concerned, both for anything hurting him internally that he couldn't address and the fact that he was most likely dehydrated. But he knew forcing him to drink would probably do more harm than good. "Okay, that's fine. You can drink later, whenever you want to."

He settled for leaving him as he was for a while, swapping the gauze for a damp cloth to slow the bleeding and soothe the pain in his lips. Loki kept it against his mouth and closed his eyes, his breathing finally beginning to slow.

While he rested, Bruce assessed his back again, trying to determine the best way to treat the injuries there. The gashes concerned him more than anything, and the more he looked at them, the more he pitied him. They were deep and deliberate – long, sickeningly clean lines sitting open with some crossing over each other. And they were burned.

Someone had done this to him, because they could. They had wired his mouth shut, which was a horror in itself, and then did this after. He couldn't speak, couldn't scream–

Bruce forced the thoughts out of head. He couldn't think about that now; he had to focus on fixing it. That was what he was good at, fixing things.

Fortunately, while they must have been agonizing, the burns didn't look severe and they hardly extended beyond the gashes. The damaged flesh had torn in places and fresh blood was trickling down his back, but once again, there were no signs of infection. Bruce was beginning to wonder if this was even a concern for him or if he simply healed too quickly. Thor had told him how resilient Asgardians were, practically boasting of how difficult it was to wound them and how quickly their bodies healed. He'd always seemed unbothered by his own injuries, although Bruce had only seen him face minor ones, which healed within hours. But Loki wasn't Asgardian – he was Jotunn, a Frost Giant, bound to an Asgardian form. At least, that was what Thor had told him. While it didn't entirely make sense to him, it made him wonder how much abuse he'd already suffered and didn't show, and how long it would take for him to recover now.

Tony had joined him and was lost in a similar train of thought as he looked over Loki's back. "So, uh, what are we doing here? Do we leave those open or try to close 'em up...?"

"Well, they're burns," Bruce responded, also at a loss.

"So leave 'em open, then?"

"There's no need to close the wounds by force," Thor supplied. "They will heal as they are... or they should." He looked down at Loki, running his fingers through his hair. Loki no longer reacted to his touch. "He's weak, but he should be able to heal as before, as long as he can rest. Covering them should ease him."

"Should we clean them first?" Bruce asked, relieved to finally be given some instruction.

"That would probably be wise."

He circled back around the table so Loki could see him. "Um, Loki, you still with us?"

Loki moaned softly, looking absent again, but his eyes flicked toward him.

"We're gonna clean up your back now, okay?"

He shut his eyes, as if the thought alone pained him.

"Can I help with something?" Steve broke in. "I'm kind of just standing here."

Tony looked down at Loki's back with a grimace. "Be my guest."

"What should I do?" Thor asked, still standing at Loki's head.

"Stay there, keep him calm," Bruce said. "He responds to you the best."

The next ten minutes were unpleasant as Steve and Bruce cleaned his back, slowly and carefully, with saline, mostly letting it run over his back to spare him as much pain as they could. They gently wiped away the blood and dried fluids that remained, but as delicate as they tried to be, it still hurt. Thor was ever present to try and soothe him, but he didn't restrain him. As movement only added to the pain, he didn't struggle much. He flinched and moaned, sometimes trying to jerk away. Any contact with the gashes prompted a harsh reaction, but only once did Thor have to hold him in place, and Loki cried out as Bruce opened one further to clean it.

By the end of it, he was laying on his stomach so they could start dressing his wounds and examine his right side. Thankfully, there were no injuries there. He was breathing hard, moaning softly against the pillow. Some of the tension had left him as he clung to the edge of awareness, but he was still trembling. His lips had stopped bleeding.

Bruce collected the packs of burn gel, handing a few off to Steve. "Okay, Loki, we got something to put on your back." He waited for Loki to open his eyes to make sure he was still lucid. "It should help with the pain. It might hurt at first, though. You ready?"

Loki huffed in exhaustion, but nodded.

They began spreading the gel over his back, letting it sink into the gashes. It most definitely hurt as he tensed up with a gasp. He writhed weakly as they continued, strained sounds of discomfort forcing themselves from his throat.

They finished quickly, discussing how they should cover his back. "I think we should wrap him up," Bruce decided, "just to keep everything in place."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Steve gestured uncertainly over Loki. "How do you want to...?"

"We'll have to sit him up. Tony, we're gonna need the gauze pads, the big ones."

Tony was already ahead of him. "Wrapping too?"

"Yeah, and the tape. Thor, you and Steve are gonna get him up, okay?"

"All right."

"Hey, Loki?"

The half-lidded eyes found Bruce again, looking empty and pained.

"I know you're tired. We're almost done, but you gotta sit up for a minute so we can finish your back, okay? And maybe you can try to drink a little."

Loki just groaned faintly, making no attempt to get up. Thor and Steve carefully lifted him into a sitting position, making sure the blanket still covered him enough to spare his dignity. Loki let out a strangled cry as he straightened and would've collapsed forward if they weren't holding him. "I'm sorry, brother," Thor said, keeping a strong arm across his chest.

"Are painkillers still out of the question?" Steve asked bleakly.

"I'm not gonna drug him," Bruce replied. Loki moaned pitifully, and in that moment he was seriously considering drugging him, but he wouldn't.

With Tony's help, he covered nearly all of his back with the gauze pads and then loosely wrapped his torso. Loki breathed raggedly, leaning heavily against Thor and Steve as they held him steady. He was shaking hard again, his head hung low with his face hidden by his hair.

"Okay, we're done," Bruce said once he was fully bandaged. "That should make him more comfortable, at least. Let's try to get some water in him before he lays down, though."

Thor nodded. Loki was clutching weakly at his arm, fingers twitching. "We're almost finished, Loki," he whispered to him. "Just a little longer."

Bruce filled a bottle with water. With some luck, he found a lid with a spout, hoping it would make it easier for Loki to drink. He gave the bottle to Thor, who looked at him uncertainly. "Just give him a little at a time. He needs it."

"All right. Here, Loki. Here's some water. Can you lift your head up?"

Loki only glanced at it, keeping his head down.

"You must try to drink, brother. Please."

When he did nothing, Thor gently pushed his chin up, and he slowly raised his head to look at him.

"That's it. You need to drink, all right? Just try to have a little."

Thor placed the spout between his lips and poured a small amount of the water into his mouth. Loki tried to swallow but only choked and the water ended up on the blanket, tinged with blood. He whimpered miserably.

"It's okay." Thor looked distraught and helpless.

"Yeah, it's okay," Steve said, only partly to Loki. "Let's just try again."

Loki raised his head again, panting. Thor tipped more water into his mouth, slower this time. He swallowed but still gagged, tensing up further in pain.

"Good, Loki. That's it," Thor encouraged. "Try to have a little more."

Reluctantly, Loki accepted more. His throat was raw and the water did little to soothe it, but he realized he was desperately thirsty. Through several attempts, he managed to drink, uncomfortable and spluttering a few times. Eventually, he turned his head away when Thor offered it to him again.

"Can't you drink any more? Please?"

He hesitated, then took one more drink before groaning and turning away.

Thor sighed. "No more?"

Loki shook his head, completely drained and exhausted.

They helped him lay back down on his side. Thor placed another pillow against his chest and he relaxed into it while they tended to the rest of him. He was too tired to protest and gave little reaction, even when Bruce uncovered his hip again. He taped a good deal of gauze over to pad it, and he also cleaned and wrapped his wrists. After a brief examination, he didn't suspect there were any fractures in his hands despite the bruising, but if there were, there was nothing more he could do.

What little blood and dirt there was elsewhere, Thor cleaned himself, as Loki seemed to tolerate his touch more anyone else's. He even allowed him to clean his face, letting him wipe away the blood and tears without any objection. But his lips were too painful and Thor only managed to clean them slightly before his whimpers became too much and he gave up.

Tony went off to find some clothes for him and came back with a T-shirt, a bathrobe, and a pair of sweatpants. Loki didn't respond when Thor said he would dress him, but having the blanket removed sent him into a sort of panic until he understood. Then he relented. Thor settled for only giving him the pants, even if they were a bit too short (being Tony's), and covered him again.

At some point the lights were dimmed, and Loki found himself covered with a lighter, softer blanket and the bloodstained towel beneath his head was gone. Vaguely, he realized the pain in his back had eased somewhat. There were no more voices, no more questions, no more hands prodding him and making him want to scream at them to stop. Exhaustion carried him slowly into sleep as Thor watched over him.

The broken thunderer had made himself comfortable in a chair beside him. They were alone now. Thor knew his Midgardian friends were likely still watching – Tony had pointed out the camera in the corner before leaving – but he didn't blame them. He'd only asked to be left with Loki, to sit in the dark and gather his thoughts while they gathered theirs elsewhere. The only sound was Loki's breathing, slow but heavy, even in his sleep. Sometimes it would turn ragged as he stirred, writhing weakly but never fully waking. Every time, Thor would try to ease him until he stilled again, though he never seemed aware of it.

Natasha came in quietly after a while, offering Thor a plate of steak and potatoes. "We thought you'd be hungry," she told him. "It's okay if you don't want it."

He accepted it with a grateful smile, but didn't eat. "Thank you."

She watched Loki for a moment, forcing herself to look at his face. He looked peaceful now, but so frail, so... defeated. The marks from the wires made her stomach clench. "How is he?"

"He's still in pain, but he's been able to sleep."

"I'm sorry we can't do more."

"You've done more than enough. He will heal... with time. But we will be gone soon, once he's rested. I can promise you that."

"Where are you gonna go?"

"I don't know yet. I fear he has no place on Asgard now. I am lost... once again."

"What if you stayed here?"

"I don't think that would be wise."

"I don't mean here at the tower. I mean somewhere else, off the radar, just for you and him. We might be able to figure something out."

Thor finally turned to her, doubtful. "You would let him live free in your world after what he did?"

Her expression made it clear that living free was not necessarily part of plan. "Deals can be made. It's just an idea. But he can stay here until he starts to get better. We'll make sure SHIELD doesn't know."

He gave her a sad smile. "You're very kind, Romanoff. All of you are. I will repay you for this somehow."

She hit him playfully on the arm as if to scold him. "You already helped us save the planet. You don't owe us anything."

Her response only seemed to trouble him more. Now he almost looked contrite, but whatever he wanted to say he kept to himself, turning his attention back to Loki.

"Steve and Bruce said they'd watch him for a while if you want a break."

"I think it's best if I stay with him."

"Has he said anything?"

"No, not yet."

Natasha's heart went out to him, but she didn't know how to comfort him any more than he knew how to comfort his ailing brother. They were both lost to their own torment. "Well, if you want anything, or if he does, let us know, okay?"

"Thank you."

She left him.

For a while he stared down at the meal she'd brought, no doubt delicious. He was hungry; he couldn't even remember his last meal, but he didn't want to eat. He placed it on the counter and leaned against the cool marble, shutting his eyes as if he could shut out his own weariness.

The sound of Loki's breathing brought him back to his side as he began to stir again. He moaned through labored breath, writhing beneath the blanket. Thor ran his fingers through his hair just as he had before, muttering the same empty words. "Shh, it's all right. You're all right..."

Loki began to move more frantically, his face twisting into an expression of intense pain – or perhaps fear. His breathing hastened and Thor grew concerned, grabbing him by the shoulder. "Loki– Loki, it's all right. You're okay."

His moans turned to sounds of panic. He was nearly sobbing as he thrashed against him, crying out in obvious distress. Thor's heart broke as he realized he was dreaming. "Loki, wake up. It's okay. Come on, brother."

He only continued to struggle, trapped in whatever nightmare that had sprung up to torment him further. Feeling helpless once again, and against his better judgment, Thor gave him a firm shake. "Loki, wake up!"

Loki jolted and then suddenly stilled, his breath coming in uneven gasps as his eyes opened slowly. They found Thor immediately, full of fear, and he let go of him. "It's all right," he said. "You were dreaming. You're safe, I promise."

Loki just stared at him, seemingly not understanding, then winced as the pain in his body struck him. He looked around, at the pillows, at his bandaged wrists, still breathing rapidly.

"You're okay now, remember? Everything's all right."

He reached up to his face, his fingers barely brushing his open lips as if he was afraid to touch them. Awareness suddenly spread over his tired features and he looked at Thor again. Then he turned his face into the pillow, too slow to hide his tears.

"Oh, Loki..." Thor reached out to him again, but he jerked away from his touch. Thor drew back while he sobbed quietly, his heart breaking all the more at the sight. He didn't know what to do now.

After a moment, he hesitantly laid his hand on his shoulder again. He didn't lift it when Loki flinched and began to cry harder, trying to curl in on himself. "Loki, please," he begged helplessly. "Are you in pain? Are you afraid? I don't know how to help you..."

Loki didn't respond to him, and Thor felt his own tears spilling over. He didn't try to stop them. "I'm so sorry, brother. I'm sorry this happened. I didn't know what–" His voice broke off as he choked back a sob. "I'm sorry for everything."

After a while of standing there, listening to Loki cry and feeling like he was losing himself bit by bit to guilt and grief, he heard him mumble something indiscernible. Surprised, he leaned down closer to him. "What? What did you say?"

Loki spoke again, but it was too quiet to understand.

"I can't hear you, brother."

He tried to catch his breath, his face still buried in the pillow and hidden by his hand. His voice was weak and strained, almost inaudible, but he repeated himself clearly this time, "Don't take me back."

Thor couldn't speak. The words were like a knife in his chest.

"Please... please... don't take me back..."

Thor shook himself from his anguish and mindlessly rubbed at his shoulder, willing himself not to break down entirely. "No, no, you're not going back. You're never going back. I swear it. I'll keep you safe."

"Please..." Loki sobbed. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

With that, Thor lowered his head to his and wept into his hair, holding him as close as he could. Loki kept pleading, kept begging as he cried with him.

"It's just you and me now," Thor said. "I won't let anyone hurt you again. Never again. I promise."

It was a foolish promise – he knew this even as he spoke it. He didn't know what future awaited them now, but through whatever struggles they faced, he would protect him. To his dying breath, he would protect him.

Loki uncovered his face, finally turning it from the pillow, and Thor drew back to look at him. He looked so broken, trembling with tears running down over scarred lips, but something had sparked in his hollow gaze. He suddenly clutched at Thor's arm, pulling it close to him and pressing his face against it. He cried softly into his brother's hand, but he was no longer afraid.

Thor held him again. He never wanted to let go. "Everything will be okay now, I promise. You'll be okay. I'll be right here with you."

-Part of my Loki whump collection-

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