The Witch and The God

Wanda and Thor finally join Loki in the waiting area outside the operating wing. They reluctantly let him know that the guy had help and was able to get out of the compound in an unknown vehicle. Loki doesn’t say anything, simply glares at the two of them. Neither of them is taking it too personally though, they know that he is stressed about you especially since it had already been a couple hours since he brought you to Bruce and Tony. Thor and Wanda stay with Loki, Wanda holding Loki’s hand and Thor’s hand on his shoulder.

A short while later, Bruce came into the room. “She’s alright. She lost a lot of blood, but she is doing ok. She is still sleeping but I can have one of you go in at a time.” Loki immediately rushes in to be by your side. Thor and Wanda go update everyone.

*******

The rest of the avengers are in the living room once the news of the attack spreads.

Tony and Steve are pacing ruts into the floor, Nat and Peter are hugging pillows on the couch, Bucky is leaning against the wall half asleep, Clint and Pietro are keeping each other occupied via thumb war, Vision is simply observing everyone. Wanda and Thor walk in, everyone looks up at them.

“She’s alright. Loki is with her now,” Wanda announces. A collective sigh of relief is heard.

“It’s group hug time, right?” Peter questions.

“Fuck it, group hug time,” Tony decides. “Get in here losers.” Everyone, except Peter it seems, reluctantly joins the group hug. They stay like that for a while, Tony is the first to break the hug. “I’m going to see if she’ll be up soon, see if she remembers anything.”

“Bring Loki some food, he hasn’t left for hours and needs to eat,” Wanda adds. Tony makes up a plate of food for Loki and leaves to go meet him. When Tony approaches your room, he disregards Bruce’s plea to have only one person limited to your room, but when Tony reminds Bruce that he owns the building, he gives up with a sigh.

“Hey Loki, I brought you some food. Don’t you dare tell me that you’re not hungry or you don’t need it because she needs you full and healthy. Can’t have both of you down and out.”

“Careful there Stark, you’re starting to sound like you care about me.” Loki retorts but takes the plate. “Sorry, that was crass.”

“You’re tired and over stressed. Why don’t you let me take over for a little bit? You are still covered in her blood.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“You sure it’s a good idea for her to see you covered in her own blood when she wakes up?” Tony eyes him, causing Loki to sigh.

“The world must be ending; I agree with you. You notify me the moment she awakes if I am not here.”

“Yes, yes, yes. Now go shower and get some clean clothes, eat this food. Don’t come back for at least 30 minutes. Ok bye now,” Tony practically shoves Loki out the door much to Loki’s chagrin. “Looks like it’s just us, kiddo.” Tony proceeds to stay with you and talk about anything except the events of the prior evening. Your eyes start to flutter as you recognize his voice.

“Tony?”

“In the flesh kiddo. How do you feel?”

“Like I was stabbed, so pretty normal reaction to that, I think. Where’s Loki and Wanda?”

“Went to eat and clean themselves up. Loki didn’t want to, but I basically kicked him out because he was still wearing the same clothes. F.R.I.D.A.Y., let Rock of Ages and Emo Witch know that she’s awake.” You chuckle at the nicknames, which causes you to wince. You try and hide it, but Tony catches it. “No need to be brave here, if it hurts, we can get some meds.”

“Tony – “

“No butts kiddo. I mean it.”

“Fine, it hurts. There, happy?”

“Extremely.” Tony retorts. “Let’s get you some morphine, you are probably going to fall back asleep from it. But there’s no such thing as too much sleep after what happened.”

“I want to see Loki and Wanda first.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t just teleport here once they got the announcement.” Tony leaves you to yourself for a few minutes while he grabs some morphine and you just look around the room, heart sinking a little that no one else is here. “Alright, I’ve got the morphine for you, going to feel cold for a second.” You shiver as you feel the cold, but you quickly feel heavy as you get pulled under into sleep.

*******

Loki returns freshly showered and with a new set of clothes in 31 minutes but finds you fast asleep from the morphine. He takes a seat next to you holding your hand, struggles to keep his eyes open and finally gives into to sleep on your arm. About an hour later, Thor tries to enter the room quietly but wakes Loki when he shuts the door.

“Sorry brother, I didn’t mean to wake you. How is she?”

“The same, I guess. At least she isn’t getting worse. I used my healing magic for the first time in centuries and I’m glad that it worked. It might have made the difference.”

“I’m proud of you brother. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” Loki lies, which earns a side eye from his brother.

“I’m not inclined to believe you at this moment.”

“Well, I wish that you would, because that is how I feel,” Loki says struggling to keep his emotions from bursting forth. One more knowing look from his brother and the facade falls. A single tear falls from his eye and Thor’s heart breaks. “I don’t know why she affects me this way, it just feels like a part of me was stored in her. It’s just a…desire to protect her. In any way possible.”

“Oh brother, is there anything I could do to help you?” Thor offers. Loki doesn’t respond, instead he stands and pulls Thor in for a hug and breaks down into silent sobs. Thor is completely shocked to see his brother reveal so much emotion, but he reacts quickly and pulls him in tighter.

“I’ve only just met her; I don’t want to lose her. I can’t.” Loki says, tears continuing to flow. Wanda walks up on the brotherly hug and almost stops herself from interrupting, until she sees the tears streaming down Loki’s face.

“I don’t want to be without her either,” Wanda interjects. He doesn’t even flinch as she says this and joins in the hug. They all stay like this for a few minutes of silence before Loki finally speaks, breaking the hug.

“Did Tony have any clues as to the intruder? Any idea who they are working for?”

“He’s still working on it, but I gave him as much information as possible.”

“That’s not good enough for her!” Loki whisper yells.

“Loki!” Wanda whisper yells back at him, turning him and grabbing his face with her hands. “That is not helping her at all! She needs you to stop fighting everyone around you!” Loki looks her in the eyes and sees the pleading look on her face and relaxes into her arms as she hugs him. Two deep breaths are taken as Wanda rubs his back. As much as Loki is enamored with you, Wanda has slowly become his support person outside of his brother. Maybe even falling for her too. Loki is no stranger to being with more than one person, so the thought of that being taboo doesn’t even cross his mind. He has a feeling that Wanda might not be on board right away, but this is the least of his concerns. He needs to focus on you right now.

******

You hear voices around you, but your eyes still feel like they weigh 1000 pounds, so you keep them closed.

“Alright, I will be off to see the others and do some more investigating with the Captain. Let me know if you need anything,” Thor says, followed by the door to your room closing.

You are able to decipher the voices bidding him goodbye and feel comforted, which gently pushes you back to sleep, even though you wish that you could continue to listen.

“Alright, I’m sure you’re reaching your limit of people touching you.” Wanda responds. “How is she doing?”

“The same as earlier. Nothing new to report.”

“That’s good at lease. No news can be good news. Look, I think we should talk.”

“I agree. Ladies first.”

“I want to ask you some questions.”

“Now I’m intrigued, please continue.”

Wanda takes a deep breath in and out. “Why do you think I’m attracted to her?”

“Your feelings radiate towards her. Not to mention your thoughts are very, very loud.”

Wanda chuckles at that. “Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels that way. Your thoughts are just as loud, but much naughtier. I thought you were joking when you said if the opportunity arises, I could join. I’ve been seriously considering taking you up on that. Well…until tonight happened. She’s not going to be doing anything like that for a while. If she even would want me in the first place.” Wanda sighs, her breath unsteady.

“Do you have thoughts on sharing? I am no stranger to it as that was not a rarity while living on Asgard.”

“Given how my life has been, there hasn’t really been time for…those kinds of relationships. To say I’m inexperienced as a whole would probably be an understatement. Had she been remembering anything about her previous life? Relationships, family, anything?”

“All she had was the nightmare from the one night so far. I can show you if you like.”

“Not without her permission. Those are her thoughts to share.”

“That is wise of you. I just hope she wakes up soon.”

A moment of silence passes between them before Loki speaks again. “I have never been so attached to a person as her.”

“Everyone can tell Lokes,” Wanda confirms, calling him by the name that you coined to him. “Like I said, your thoughts are loud.” She pauses as she realizes what she said. “Is it ok if I call you that?”

“No, it’s ok. I liked the way it sounded when it came from you. But no one else can know about that name.”

“Of course. For the future, I need some time to think about the possibility of even having her, let alone sharing her.” She grabs his hand. “I have no intention of trying to steal her from you.” She closes the space and gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek and gets up to leave the room.

“Wait. You don’t have to leave, I’m sure she’d love to see your face when she wakes up. Pull your chair closer, it’s nice to not be alone.” Loki sheepishly admits.

“Loki, the god of mischief, admitting he doesn’t want to be alone?” Wanda jests. That earns her an elbow in the side. “Low ball, I know, but I couldn’t help it.”

“Here’s to hoping I can keep you two in line.”

******

You finally are able to shake the strong sleepy hold the morphine had on you. Both Loki and Wanda are still there, holding hands actually, but they separate before they think you notice. You hide your hurt, unknowing of the rest of the previous conversation.

“Lokes? Wanda?” you say with a raspy voice.

“Hey there little one. Glad to see you awake,” Loki replies.

“How do you feel?” Wanda inquires.

“Well, I’m not dead, so I’ll take what I can get at this point. I feel so tired still.”

“That’s the morphine still in your system. I’m sure you’ll feel better once it’s gone.” Loki adds to reassure you. Loki and Wanda each reach for your hands. You pull your hands away and now it’s their turn to hide their hurt.

“Where’s Bruce? I have never wanted to get out of bed so bad. I’m not really a fan of these hospital-esqe rooms.”

“Not so fast, darling. You’ve got to stay put for at least a little longer,” Wanda insists.

“No, I want to go to my room. I want to go home wherever that is. I want to get out of here.” Each sentence you say with more force than the last, encroaching on panic. You rip out your IV, ignoring the pleas from Wanda and Loki and wince as you go to stand up from the bed. “I need to get out of here. I don’t belong here. You guys clearly don’t need or want me here and I’ve overstayed my welcome. I’m going back to my room, please don’t bother me.” You say as you continue to ignore their pleas, but you make it to your bedroom and slam the door in their faces.

You fall to the floor as tears begin streaming down your face. The pain from your wound and the pain that it appears that Wanda and Loki get along just fine without needing you are overwhelming. Why would they keep it a secret from you? Why was Loki offering the things he was offering? All these thoughts are going through your head as you had into the bathroom. After being covered in blood and laying in a hospital bed, you are ready for a nice, long, shower.

Your thoughts are interrupted by a knocking at the door. “I just want to be alone and take a shower. Is that too much to ask?!” you yell towards the door.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to check in on you. I heard you broke free from the hospital wing,” Steve shouts through the door.

“Oh shit, come in Steve,” you respond, ashamed of how you reacted.

“I mean I know you got stabbed kid, but you don’t seem to be all doom and gloom.” Steve says, opening the door. Once he closes it behind him and turns, he notices the tear-stained cheeks. “Hey, what’s going on? Talk to me.”

“I am just…overwhelmed. I feel like the last few hours have just been mentally draining. It’s so stupid and frustrating to not know who you are or where you come from. On top of that, I feel so stupid. I thought I had something with Loki and Wanda, but I think they were taking pity on me. I don’t even think they have a connection with me in the way that I thought I had a connection with them.”

“Kid, you are being way too hard on yourself, and you have every right to feel every other emotion in this instance except the embarrassment. They both are changing because of you, whether you feel that way or not. No pitying yourself right now, especially since you were just stabbed and don’t have any magical healing that we know of anyway. Why were you going to take a shower by yourself?”

“I was going to use it to collect my thoughts. I feel terrible and dirty, like I’m still covered in my own blood, even though Bruce got most of it.”

“Since I don’t really want you to shower by yourself in your current state, I will be outside the shower to aid you because it will hurt. And you shouldn’t have to be alone. Don’t worry, I will be a gentleman and will avert my gaze unless you absolutely need me.” Steve offers, calmly waiting for your response. You don’t say anything at first, contemplating his offer. You walk up to him and wrap your arms around his waist in a very grateful hug.

“Thank you, Steve. I don’t know what I did to deserve your friendship.”

“All I want to do is make you feel safe. Now let’s get started as I imagine this will take a really long time.” You nod at his words, and he follows you to the bathroom. You turn the water on and as it heats up, Steve turns his back to you as you take off your hospital gown that you want to burn. You pull back the curtain and go to step into the shower when a hand comes out to take yours to provide balance. You turn your head and see that he is staying true to his gentleman’s bargain and his eyes are squeezed tightly shut. You chuckle and manage to get into the shower with his help and close the curtain behind you. Steve goes to settle on the toilet with the seat down, so he’s close by without suffocating you. You go under the water slowly, one body part at a time, until you get to your side and the water makes you cry out which causes Steve to jump up from his spot on the toilet.

“What do you need?”

“I need something to block the wound from direct water flow. The water flowing into it makes it burn.”

“I’m on it.” Steve finds a waterproofing bandage and, with his eyes closed, partially opens the curtain, and passes it to you. “Here, wipe the area around it dry and tape this on gently over the wound to see if that helps.” You do as he says, and it works, a sigh of relief escaping your lips.

“Thank you, Steve.” You manage to get through the next few minutes with this, and just as you finish washing the shampoo out of your hair, you start to feel lightheaded and dizzy. “Steve, I don’t feel so good.” You warn as you sit down on the floor of the shower, your over exertion finally catching up with you.

“Ok, shower time is over. I’m breaking the rule, I need to help you.” He abruptly shuts off the water and grabs a towel to wrap you up. He thankfully doesn’t see any blood through the bandage, so it seems like your stitches are still intact. He picks you up now that you are wrapped in the towel, takes you out to your bedroom and gently sets you on the bed. “Do you have any particular clothes you want to wear to bed?”

You smile and tell him where you hid Loki’s shirt and sweatpants from their special spot. Steve hides his smile from you as he retrieves them.

“Do you want help, or would you like to do it yourself?”

“No, I’m feeling better, I can do it.”

“Rule reinstated then,” he replies as he turns his back to you. You slowly put on the clothes and once you’re done, you tell him he can turn around. He turns around to you directly in front of him as you wrap your arms around a hug once more. He returns the hug for a good while before he speaks. “Let’s get some food in you. I can bring you some cereal or toast, if that’s ok with you.”

“That sounds great. Thanks again. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Anytime kid.” Steve exits your room and once he gets to the kitchen is immediately bum rushed by Loki and Wanda who have looks of worry on their faces. “She’s fine, she just wanted to shower and decompress. I’m going to get her some cereal and toast for dinner, something bland but filling at the same time.”

“Did she say anything about what was on her mind?” Loki practically shouts at him as they follow him around the kitchen, trying to ignore his jealousy about Steve being near her while she showered.

“She did, but I think you should ask her. It is not my place to share what she told me in confidence. I don’t intend to face her wrath anytime soon,” Steve responds as he puts the toast on the plate. “And know that I only helped her from outside the shower, so maybe put your jealousy away for a moment. Perhaps you could deliver her dinner for me,” he hints as he hands Loki the food.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Now go, before I change my mind.”

Loki looks at Wanda for fear of hurting her, but she just simply shakes her head. “Don’t you dare, I still need time to process how I feel about her. Go.”

******

You slowly crawl into bed, wincing as you do so. After you settle, you look to the door. You thought Steve would have been back by now. Finally, there’s a knock on the door and you shout, “Come in, I’m starving.” Loki sheepishly peaks his head as he opens the door.

“I’ve brought you dinner courtesy of the Captain.”

“Thanks Loki,” you respond taking the bowl and plate from him. You set the plate of toast on the nightstand and start eating the cereal without making eye contact with Loki.

“Care to share what is on your mind, little one?”

“No, I’m totally fine,” you answer with a mouthful of cereal.

“How am I supposed to believe you when you don’t even believe yourself?” You finally look up and find that Loki has crossed the room and is standing near the bed, but not too close that you feel trapped.

“Ok, fine. I’m not ok. Physically or emotionally. I was completely overwhelmed. I still am if I am being honest. I just want answers.” It’s like the flood gates opened and you told him everything that you felt. When you get to the part about how Wanda and Loki made you feel when you woke up, his face drops, but he stays silent to let you finish. By the time that you are done, you’ve got tears streaming down your face and you can’t even look him in the eye. He sits on the bed next to you and gently uses his hand to raise your head up to look him in the eye.

“Darling, why did you run away from us? Why didn’t you feel comfortable talking about it?” he asks as he wipes a tear from your cheek.

“I didn’t want to be right so I thought I could hide. Thankfully Steve stopped me from that terrible showering alone idea, especially when I started to feel unwell. Don’t worry, he was a complete gentleman.”

“I’m sure he was.” He wipes the last of the tears from your face before he speaks again. “Listen, the first time I saw you, I was enchanted. You have been on my mind almost every moment since your arrival. I apologize for making you feel this way. You must understand the conversation we were having before you woke up.” He then takes his turn, explaining the conversation that Wanda and Loki had before you had awakened, while you are trying but failing to hide your guilt. Fresh tears well up in your eyes.

“I’m so sorry that I even thought that. I just felt like you guys were together, and I didn’t want to get in the middle of it.”

“The only reason we would even think about being together is because you would bring us together. She wants some time to figure out what she wants. In that instance, she was just helping me feel better. I certainly was more of a wreck than I would care to admit. I just…can’t lose you.” He takes that moment to take a deep breath in. “Let’s just take this time to allow you to heal, see if we can finally find any information about you, and take you and I slow. You probably should talk to Wanda and air this out with her as well. She is just as enamored with you as I am. How does that sound, little one?”

“If you insist,” you say dripping with sarcasm. “You’ve just been so convincing this whole conversation. One more thing.”

“What is it little one?” He says pushing a piece of hair behind your ear.

“Can you stay here tonight? Or I stay there? I don’t really want to be alone.” That earns you a soft smile and Loki pulls you in for a hug.

“Of course, little one. That is more than alright.” You finish eating your toast and cereal dinner as Loki heads back to his room to change into his night clothes and grab a book. Once he re-enters the room, you’ve already curled up under the covers, already starting to fall asleep. “Someone is going to sleep well tonight,” Loki says as he starts to head to the couch.

“Where are you going?” you question as you move the covers, motioning for him to join you. “You go here.”

“Alright I go here,” he says as he crawls into bed with you. You curl up into him with your head on his chest as he opens his book and begins to read aloud.

You almost miss the way his fingers brush some hair behind your ear as you drift to sleep.