Stitches

[complicatedliar]

It had taken every trick in Loki's considerable repertoire to arrive in Asgard ahead of Brokk and Eitri. As he strode down the halls toward his Odin's throne room, he tucked his hands in his pockets to hide their shaking. He fought to control his breathing, to appear calm and in control. The effect was ruined by the tattered state of his coattails, by the wildness of his hair, and the vivid streak of blood that had run from his forehead and past the corner of his eye.

He would explain it, all of it to Father. Well, all that he safely could. Thor's part in the escapade, he would leave out. As much as it gave him pleasure to tweak his brother whenever possible, he owed Thor this one and he would keep his peace. But Father would understand, would no doubt see the cleverness in the plan, would appreciate the gifts he had brought back in addition to the newly-rescued Mjolnir...

The throne room was filled to the point of bursting, though that was not unusual for the day and time. The court turned to look at him, his footfalls loud and hollow, but he told himself that, too, was not unusual.

Then across the crowd of gathered Aesir, he spotted the dark, stumpy forms of the dwarven brothers. His breath caught in his throat with shock, and there was a slight stutter in his step, but otherwise his expression was well-schooled enough to not show his dismay.

Head high, he walked to the steps of the throne and dropped to one knee. "Father, I have won gifts for you, and for the Queen." With a clever movement of his hands he turned the armlet, the golden boar, from the pockets in space he'd used to hide them, and set them on the floor. Mjolnir, he still kept hidden, the titanic weight a strain on his magic that was beginning to make his head pound. He imagined that the dwarves had the common sense to not mention Mjolnir as part of the wager and spoils he had won; surely they must have kept that silent if they were playing for Odin's sympathy.

"Loki." Odin's voice rolled like thunder. It was not the tone that Loki had hoped to hear his name spoken in. "I have been told that you won these gifts dishonorably."

Loki looked up, meeting his father's eye. He saw nothing there but a mirror, that showed a pale but resolute image. "I would beg to differ. I promised them my head, but gave them no leave to touch my neck. It is no fault of mine if the good dwarves did not fully consider the terms."

Brokk cursed him; Eitri grabbed his brother's arm. "We no longer desire his head. We accept your judgment on this matter," the dwarf said.

Loki's eyebrows went up. "Judgment?"

Odin stood. "You have treated friends of Asgard falsely, Loki. It is luck for all of us that they have accepted this, and ask but a pittance in return. The people of other realms might not be so kind." Odin's voice became cold. "Words have as much power as actions, Prince. And you must consider your words, and your wagers more carefully for what they could cause."

Loki bowed his head. "Of course. I understand."

"I don't think that you do." Odin said. Loki looked up sharply to see him wave a guard over. The man held a tray, with a spool of coarse black twine and a needle. "Brokk and Eitri have proposed a punishment I find most fitting. Your words have caused much trouble, Loki. It would be best if you take time to think before speaking so glibly again." The court dissolved in an uproar.

It didn't have to be spelled out any further than that. Loki swallowed hard, but he could also see no path of escape in his father's face. And he refused to beg shamefully in front of the entire court. His head felt strange, light and far away. "I understand."

It was only then that he realized that the noise of the court was not disagreement or protest.

They were laughing.

Comments

[shield_maiden]

Sif paid little attention to the cup, laying it aside carelessly when he finished the potion and rested his head against her shoulder. Arms squeezed him lightly in comfort, her cheek resting atop his head for a moment as she gave herself a brief moment of relief. She knew his brew for his headaches was potent and fast-acting, although it might not seem it to him when he was in pain. Still, it was better than nothing, and she could abide that for now.

Still, the floor was hardly a comfortable place to stay much longer and her arms tightened about his waist for a second before she picked her head up once more. "Come, Loki. At least come stretch out on the bed while you wait for the brew to take affect," she spoke, her voice hushed, her manner sober as she gave him a slight nudge, still fussing over him. "I'll stay with you a while, if you wish? Or go, if you'd rather?" Her voice wavered into uncertainty for a moment, not wanting to overstay her welcome if he wanted to rest in peace.

[complicatedliar]

Loki shook his head. "Still bleeding," he said, after a moment of considering how he wanted to distill that message down. Though without healing, he supposed he would be bleeding for some time to come because that's what wounds in the mouth tended to do. Perhaps if he lay on his side with a towel under his face, that would work well enough. "Messy," as the only comment he could really make to the notion or the reality.

He wasn't certain if he wanted Sif to stay or not. Part of him just heartily wished both her and Thor elsewhere, because their constant worrying just made everything worse, and he'd never been the sort that craved attention when he was wounded or sick. Rather he tended to resent it because it made him feel helpless and more humiliated.

Yet.

The logical part of his mind pointed out that it would probably be best to have someone with him, as a sort of backup plan. And a far less rational part of him simply did not want to be alone, and refused to be budged from that position no matter how childish it seemed.

He sighed quietly, letting his eyes drift shut. "Stay." For a moment he found one of her hands at his waist and gave it a soft squeeze. "Please." It didn't seem right to make this sort of thing seem like a command.

[thunders]

It was easier leaving Mjolnir behind a second time. He dropped it on his bed, his fingers brushing the haft once before before he turned from it. He still felt its strength in him, but it was a futile sort of thing. Raw strength could not remedy pain, or undo what had been done this day.

When he returned to the room he caught the last of what Loki had said, curled against Sif so they both looked strangely small and dark. There wasn't very much left to be done. He saw that the cup had been drained, and Loki had closed his eyes.

Thor crouched before them. "Come," He said softly. "We will get him into bed."

[shield_maiden]

"You let me worry about the mess," Sif countered, her lips quirking faintly at Loki's protest. "You just focus on getting comfortable and getting some rest." When his hand found her own, her expression softened again and she gave him a light squeeze in return before starting to help him upright. "Of course I'll stay, Loki," she answered, her arms anchored around him.

And then Thor was back and she smiled up at him gratefully as he lent her his strength in getting Loki on his feet and moving. Between the two of them, they stripped off his messy coat and got him into the bed. Sif fetched more towels for the pillows, knowing Loki would protest until it was done. He was ridiculously fussy at times, which normally she would have teased him over, but she did so without comment for the moment.

With that accomplished, she sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out, brushing a loose curl from Loki's brow. The scars were still a mess and seeping, but the bleeding looked as if it had slowed somewhat, which was good. She didn't look too long, feeling her stomach churn with clashing emotions, but lifted her gaze to Loki's instead. "Has the brew started working yet?" she asked of him, not wanting him to be in pain.

[complicatedliar]

He was still in full possession of his faculties at first, but he let Sif and Thor manhandle him anyway. It would help them feel useful, he told himself. That was the reason for it. Than midway through the process the brew started to hit him, probably because he'd taken it on an empty stomach. He had to lean rather heavily on Thor when they pulled his coat off. He considered protesting that he was being put in bed in his tunic - it was also a ruined mess, as were his pants - but it just seemed like too much trouble to even bring it up.

By the time he was fully stretched out in bed, he was about where he'd wanted to be - numb and insensible. The pain still existed, but he no longer cared that it did.

He managed to pry one eye open when she brushed his hair back; the pupil of it was large and unfocused. What she said didn't quite make sense to him, the words echoing and far away. He made an incoherent mumbling sound and let his eye drift shut again.

[thunders]

Thor pulled the covers up and dropped a hand on Loki's arm one last time. He would have given it a light squeeze, but his his hands still seemed to feel the phantom trace of Loki struggling against them and he couldn't make his fingers close again, even gently.

"Sleep, brother."

He didn't think that Loki heard him, but it hardly mattered if he did. He was no longer in pain. That was what mattered.

Without Loki leaning on him for support, Thor sank to the ground beside his bed, leaning back against it so he could hear his brother's still uneven breathing behind him. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, but it did not stop the tears leaking from them. His strength seemed to desert him. There was so much shame in this already, he could not be bothered to posture at pride in front of Sif, who already knew him too well.

[shield_maiden]

Seeing that Loki was already drifting off, Sif let him be, tucking the covers around him gently as she did her best to make sure he was comfortable. She had no intention of leaving - she would stand guard for as long as necessary, she only hoped that he would heal quickly, and that the brew he'd downed would help him rest a while. Her fingers fumbled for the satchel at her waist and she tugged the crystal out once more, staring at it with a small frown for a moment before she laid it on his bedside table. Perhaps he wouldn't have as many reservations about it when he had the strength to use it on himself. Odin hadn't forbidden him all forms of healing, after all, just that he wasn't to have help.

She still felt no regret for disobeying that particular command. She doubted she ever would.

A quiet sound drew her attention from Loki's still form to see Thor crumpled by the side of the bed, his cheeks wet with tears. The sight shocked her for a moment and she hesitated before shifting on the bed, still keeping close enough to Loki that she would feel if he stirred, but reaching out to clasp Thor's shoulder.

"He will be alright, my prince," she whispered to him softly, not wanting to disturb his brother, but sensing he needed just as much comfort for other reasons.

[thunders]

Thor tensed under her hand, but didn't pull away. The image of his brother's face filled with pain seemed etched into his memory so that it was all he saw when he closed his eyes and wished for darkness. He breathed in, but it was unsteady still.

"In time, perhaps." When he opened his eyes again, he couldn't meet her gaze. His own was bleak and far away. Thor closed his hand and opened it again, as if unconsciously feeling for the hilt of blade or hammer.

"I am more a fool than a prince, Lady Sif. This needn't have happened - any of this. He is my brother, and with my own hands I have wronged him so deeply I cannot make it right again."

He would not normally have spoken so honestly, but with Loki still bleeding nearby and his strength all used up, he could do nothing else. The healing crystal Sif set on the nightstand caught the light, and he thought of using it while Loki was not awake to protest. Who would pay for that? Loki still, though he had no part in it? Or Sif for bringing the crystal to his aid?

[shield_maiden]

Sif leaned down, wrapping her arms about his shoulders as she tilted her head against his own, giving him a light squeeze. "Thor... no one could have guessed this would happen," she answered softly, wishing there was more comfort she could offer him as well. "You never intended for Loki to get hurt, not like this. Even he knows this." It made her furious with Odin all over again, seeing the way his hands clenched and unclenched in his lap. "He will heal. At least, if your father's intentions were for you to both learn that there are consequences to your actions, it is not a lesson that will ever be forgotten."

Despite her best attempts, she couldn't keep the edge out of her voice, or the tremor that slipped through her as she glanced back at Loki once more.

[thunders]

Thor reached up to grasp her arm, perhaps to remove it gently, because he was still prince and a man besides, and he should not be seeking the comfort of a friend. He deserved to bear the weight of this.

Yet he didn't pull her away. He squeezed her arm lightly. Loki's pain did not seem to less with Sif's arms about his shoulders, but it was an odd sort of feeling. The last time Sif had wrapped her arms around him he'd ended up with a bruised tailbone, her cheerful smirk finding him every time he sat down.

That was the way things ought to be: the weaknesses they found in each other shallow enough to be laughed at until they were trained out. But it was not the way things were, and Thor had always been a man of the present.

"It matters not what I intended." Thor replied bitterly, but the sharpness of his tone was directed inward. Sif seemed to draw him back after that, and he took strength from her before he turned, reaching further behind him. He caught a lock of her dark hair and met her gaze. "Loki knows already that there are consequences to his actions. It is I who did not see I would bring harm to those I would protect with my life."

And then he did shift away from her, but only to stand and reach for the crystal she had brought. Loki's ruined lips seemed to settle it. His mind was made up. "I will speak with father and make him understand." He moved to use the crystal on his brother.

[shield_maiden]

"What Loki knows and what Loki does does not always add up," Sif remarked, but there was no biting edge to her words. She shifted to the side, giving Thor room although she gave him a worried look, concerned over what disobedience might cost him, or Loki. "He should not have wagered what he could not afford to lose. Neither of you should have. That does not mean I agree with... with this. I don't. It was unnecessarily cruel. It was wrong," she added , her fingers clenching momentarily into a fist before she reach out to brush her fingers against Loki's brow once more, as if to reassure herself that he was still alright.

"Are you sure it is safe to do that, my prince?" She asked Thor quietly, watching him as he picked up the healing crystal. "Your father could be most upset with you. I do not wish either of you to find yourselves in more trouble with him. It may be that he would be more lenient on someone not his son, if his command was not heeded. Especially when one is possessed of more... delicate sensibilities of the female gender."

Someone had spouted off that bullshit about her several years ago, foolishly within her hearing. The warrior had never made that mistake again, but that did not mean Sif didn't occasionally pull the female card with it played to her advantage. She prided herself on being an expert at every weapon she wielded.

[shield_maiden]

[Continued here.]