Chapter 15
Chapter 15
When they'd finished eating (Thor had luckily managed to not burn anything) Thor brought Loki back into bed, softly covering him with the blanket and tugging him into it.
Thor: "Fine, Loki. Now - would you mind turning onto your stomach?"
Loki looked confused, not knowing what Thor was intending to do.
Loki: "Why? I'm comfortable like this."
Thor: "Yes but you told me your muscles were still aching. Banner told me what I could do to release the tension. I'll be careful. I promise."
Loki gave him another sceptical look, before obeying. He knew how gentle Thor's touches could be and that they normally soothed him better than anything else. And soothing was exactly what he needed right now. So he turned onto his stomach, pulling the blanket down so Thor could reach him more easily. The thunderer sat down next to him, gently pushing Loki's black curls out of his way.
Thor: "So - where does it hurt the most?"
Loki: "Mostly around the shoulders and neck. - And lower back as well but I've got a lot of bruises in that area so you better don't-"
Thor: "No need to worry, Loki. We'll figure it out."
Loki wasn't completely sure of that, but he knew it wouldn't do anything to protest now. He was too weak and Thor would get his way in any case. So he kept lying still, while Thor gently touched his shoulders to assess the damage. He could tell Loki was extremely tensed, not reacting to any of his touches in his usual way. Whoever had hurt him, had beaten him brutally and while falling he'd obviously only made things worse, trying to catch himself and only provoking his muscles to get hurt even more.
Thor: "I can't promise it won't hurt, love. You're in - quite a bad shape."
Loki didn't really react so Thor didn't wait longer and started the treatment, Banner had ordered him to do. At first he only tried pushing his shoulders down into a more relaxed position, which Loki didn't like at all. He started cramping, trying to push Thor away. Resultlessly.
Loki: "Thor stop! Please!"
Thor: "I can't, Loki. But it'll get better, okay?"
Thor thought better of it and at first massaged between his shoulders and neck, where the tension was probably centered. This worked a little better and with time, Loki relaxed slightly, his shoulders sinking down a little but Thor still didn't dare intensifying his touch. After this, Thor moved further down to his back. As Loki moaned with only the slightest touch, he considered stopping. His love was already in enough pain and he couldn't stand, knowing he was causing him discomfort. But he remembered Banner ahd told him to keep going for at least 15 minutes so he focused on the other area Loki had mentioned. As he drew up Loki's tunic to inspect the area he knew what Loki had meant. The lower part of his back was littered with so many cuts, bruises and half-healed wounds that thor barely knew hwere to touch him without hurting him. He started at his sides, slowly moving further into the direction he was aiming for. But as his hands got closer to one another, Loki's moaning grew louder and more pained.
Loki: "Thor - Thor, please - stop! - Please!"
Thor looked towards the clock. He'd still got 5 minutes left.
Thor: "Only a little more, Loki. You're finished soon."
Thor kept going, touching him as gentle as possible while still exerting pressure on his muscles. But when Loki began screaming after only a minute, he stopped, sighing deeply. This wasn't going to be easy. He carefully turned Loki over, noticing he was practically in tears. He hugged him, comforting him as good as he knew how.
Thor: "Hey, shhh - everything's fine. We'll stop for today. For today you're done. You did well."
He kissed him comfortingly, wiping his tears away and watching as Loki's sobs slowly faded and he began to relax. Thor kept holding him close to his chest, reassuring him everything would be fine. He knew the next time was going to be hard. For them both. He knew Loki'd need much time to recover, physically but mentally as well. At some point, loki fell asleep in Thor's gentle grip, a smile gracing his features. Thor couldn't help but smile as well. Seeing his love smile was the most satisfying thing he could imagine. Whenever Loki started smile, his world brightened up and his heart felt like exploding with joy and love.
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