A Little Out Of The Ordinary
Adverse effects, Unconventional restraints, “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Lying in his giant bed, Tony was startled awake by another violent coughing fit. He tried to lift his upper body to resolve some tension, but even that tiny movement strained his body immensely. He was weak, weaker than he wanted to admit to himself, but he was unable to even sit up properly without any help. Still coughing violently, he mustered up as much strength as he had and turned on his side to hold his head over the edge of the bed.
Loki, who was sleeping in one of the armchairs in Tonys room startled awake from all the coughing and immediately rushed towards his boyfriend. He sat down next to him and started to rub circles across Tonys back.
Slowly the coughing lessened and finally stopped, so that Tony could turn again, which he could only do with Lokis help now. Loki helped Tony to position himself in a sitting position, leaning on the headboard.
After taking a few deep breaths to get his breathing back under control, he looked up at Loki with dull brown eyes. His hair was greasy and a total mess. His face almost paler than Lokis and his eyes sported impressively dark bags. His eyes were sunken and dull, they had lost all their glimmer.
Loki scooted closer towards Tony and gently put a hand on his right cheek and stroked the skin slowly and lovingly with his thumb. Tony immediately leaned into the contact, closed his eyes and let out a soft and exhausted sigh.
The sickness had started exactly a week ago and at first was nothing to worry about. Tony had coughed a bit and got a running nose, but that was all still normal for this time of year, and he had told Loki – who had been concerned and didn’t know how to help – that it was nothing to worry about. With a bit of medicine, bed rest and soup from Pepper he had said, that he would be better soon.
Though, three days ago, Tonys predictions turned out to be completely wrong. He had started to get more and more violent coughing fits, with longer durations, he had started to become pale and weaker with every passing hour.
He wasn’t able to walk on his own only six hours after the violent coughs started.
Two hours later, he had to throw up for the first time and since then, he couldn’t hold in any food he tried to eat. Even drinking water was already a risk, but Loki insisted, that he tried.
He hadn’t left the inventors side since that day, only to fetch water or get something else for Tonys wellbeing.
“I am so sorry, my love”, whispered Loki into the silent room and upon opening his eyes again, Tony could see the hurt in his lover’s eyes.
He knew that it pained Loki immensely, that he was so sick and that he didn’t know how to help him. That blame had only skyrocketed, when Loki found out, that he himself was the reason for Tonys state.
Loki had been on a trip to another planet two weeks ago and caught a space sickness. Thanks to his strong physiology he was healthy only two days after catching the virus. He had waited another two days before returning to the tower, but even that time was not enough, and Tony had therefore got the virus from Loki as well.
Loki had explained that the human’s weaker immune system was not equipped to handle such a sickness, but Tony had an already weakened immune system, which only helped the virus to develop and attack his body.
The moment Loki had known what ailed his partner he had started to search for a solution. He had tried it with earth medicine, before changing towards his own healing magic to cure him. But even after he had done everything he could with his magic, Tonys situation had not changed, and he was still bound be sickness.
Tony ripped himself from his thoughts and stared into the beautifully green eyes of his boyfriend. “Not your fault”, croaked Tony, his throat dry from coughing and unuse.
Loki immediately summoned a class with water into his free hand and held the straw in front of Tonys lips.
Gently Tony slipped the straw between his dry lips and started to take small sips of water. The cool temperature had a soothing effect on his strained throat, and he closed his eyes in relief. But the moment the water reached his stomach he had to hold back a pained gasp and the straw slipped away from his lips.
He could feel his insides churning and raised his right hand to lay it on his belly.
Loki vanished the glass again and lied his left hand upon Tonys hand, simply holding his hand upon his belly.
A few seconds ticked by, before Tony released a sigh and relaxed a bit again. It seemed like he could keep the water down this time. Loki moved his right hand from his lover’s cheek towards his head and gently stroked his hair. Tony could not resist and leaned into the touch, smiling slightly, when he felt how Loki started to massage his scalp a bit.
For a while the two just sat there together relaxing in one of the calm moments they could have during the otherwise straining time.
Sometimes during that time, they had shifted positions and Loki was now leaning back against the headboard, with Tony lying on top of him. His upper body propped up against Lokis and his head placed on his chest, listening to his partners calm heartbeat. Lokis right arm was draped over Tonys waist and his left hand comped through the short brown strands of the engineer’s hair.
Tonys right arm was lying on the bed, while his left arm was propped up a bit and his left hand was drawing small circles across Lokis chest.
“I contacted my mother”, told Loki him suddenly. Tony startled and the movements of his hand stopped for a second, before returning to their drawings.
He had known that Loki had thought about it, but hadn’t known, that he actually had decided the ask his mother for help.
Loki had told him of the idea and all Tony could do, was tell him, that he thought it would be a good idea, given, that she was supposedly a very good healer. He hadn’t wanted to push Loki though and had told him, that it was his decision, and he wouldn’t pressure him into anything.
“Good.” Tony croaked out the answer, before falling back into silence.
The only sound in the room was the breathing of the two, otherwise it was completely silent, but it did not bother either of them. The silence was comfortable, and they did not need words to convey their feelings for each other, or how much they worried about the situation.
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It was a day later, when JARVIS alerted them of Frigga’s arrival. Neither bothered to leave the room, or even the bed. They were positioned on the bed the same way as the day before and neither Loki nor Tony wanted to leave the comfortable way they lied on the bed.
They didn’t even have to, trusting the others in the tower to greet the goddess and leading her towards them.
At the beginning all team members had tried to help Tony, but eventually their attempts at help had only strained him more and they had stopped, though it was reluctantly and only after Loki convinced them it was for his wellbeing. They still checked up on them regularly and even spent some time with them, but they had stopped pestering Tony and trying to help him in other ways.
Their trust in their friends was confirmed, when only a few moments later, someone gently knocked on the door and opened it after Loki allowed it.
Thor stood in the door, his mother located next to him and already looking worriedly into the room.
The moment she spotted Tony and her son lying in the bed, she rushed over and sat at the edge of the bed.
“Thank you, Thor”, dismissed Loki his brother, who – after a second of reluctance – left the room again. He trusted his mother to help the man of iron with his illness.
“Thank you for coming, mother”, greeted Loki the moment the door closed again.
“Of course, my son. When I heart, that your beloved was sick, I immediately prepared everything and travelled here”, explained the queen and shifted her gaze towards Tony, who watched her with warry in his eyes.
She smiled at him gently, before speaking again. “Hello Anthony. I have heart much about you from my son. I would love to get to know you myself, once we dealt with this problem.”
If he weren’t so sick, Tony would definitely make a quip at Loki, for talking with his mother about him, but as it was, he was simply to weak and could only answer with a small smile.
“Let’s see then, what I can do to help you”, spoke Frigga and started to examine him a bit. She asked him questions about the way he felt and what kind of symptoms he had. Most times she posed the questions in a way, where he could answer with a simple nod or shake of his head, but when she needed more than that, Loki was always ready to answer for him and provide as much insight as possible.
Tony was so grateful for the help of his boyfriend and didn’t know, what he would do without him.
After minutes of questioning, feeling his pulse and examining him with her magic, Frigga seemed to be finished and let out a deep sigh.
Tony and Loki both immediately worried about her diagnosis. They feared that she might not be able to help, the way they had hoped.
“This is a sickness that has to be taken seriously. Without the right treatment it could turn fatal”, started the woman and Lokis grip on Tony immediately tightened. He was not ready for that yet. He gazed at his mother with fear and helplessness.
In that moment, there was no strong god, who faced villains regularly and has lived for over a thousand years. In that moment, there was only a young man, afraid of losing someone loved and searching for help from his mother, believing, that she would have all the solutions for this problem.
“But luckily, there is a way to tread this”, said Frigga and Loki relaxed a bit again upon hearing those words.
The woman raised her hand and a glass vial appeared on her palm. She held it out towards Loki, who grasped it immediately and held it, as if it was a big treasure, which it probably was for him.
“Give five drops of this to him every morning and he will be fine in only a couple of days”, instructed the queen and Loki nodded immediately. He would make sure, that those instructions where followed.
“Thank you so much”, said Loki and hugged his mother strongly.
“Of course, my son”, answered Frigga and returned the hug. After a few more words and a last goodbye, the goddess left the room and departed back to Asgard.
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It had been five days since Frigga had visited and presented Loki and Tony with a cure for the sickness. Loki had indeed made sure, that Tony took five drops of it every morning.
Even after such a short time, Tony already felt much better and stronger. He was able to eat normally again, without having to throw up every time. He had gained so much strength, that he was able to walk around the tower again, even if he had to sit down after a while to not strain his body too much.
He was not allowed to go back into battle yet, but he was actually not that mad about it. He knew that it was best for him. And he was able to spend more time with Loki that way.
It was a Friday evening and the Avengers had gathered in the living room to watch a movie, when it happened.
Tony had been snuggled up against Loki. They were all there and only waited for Natasha, who was in charge of snacks and preparing them in the kitchen.
Tony and Bruce where in a heated discussion about some scientific stuff. It was not abnormal that they went a bit head-to-head, when they disagreed upon something. What was unusual was, that Tony suddenly growled at Bruce and sat up a bit straighter.
“It would not work!”, exclaimed Tony in a dark voice, which gained the attention of everyone else. He was staring at Bruce with a heated gaze and his hands were clenched into fists.
“Love?”, asked Loki him worriedly and sat up himself.
“He is wrong! He has no idea what he is talking about”, exclaimed Tony and turned his head towards Loki, his expression not changing in the slightest.
“Everything is alright, love. If he is wrong, then just explain it to him. I am sure that Bruce did not want to offend you in any way. You don’t have to become this agitated”, tried Loki to calm him and put a hand on his shoulder.
Tony didn’t want to listen and slapped Lokis hand away. “No! He was actively trying to offend me! Why else would he say all that? He has no idea and only pretends to be so smart”, retorted the inventor and glared harder at Loki.
“Anthony”, started Loki with a stern voice now. “You have to calm down. There is no reason for you to behave this way. If you don’t calm down, we will have to leave, so that you can let of some steam”, spoke Loki, now staring into Tonys eyes sternly.
Tony answered those words with a scream and suddenly lunged at Loki who fell back of the couch at the impact.
Tony was seated atop of him and swung at him with his fists.
Loki raised his hands, to protect his face from the punches. Tony was lifted off of him when Steve pulled him back. But other than calming down or trying to get to Loki, Tony whirled around and punched Steve square across the nose.
Steve let go of him to cover his nose with his hands, staring at his friend with shock.
Tony didn’t stop though and tried to lunge at him again, but was stopped, when green robes of magic wound around his wrists and ankles, pulling his arms and legs back and positively making him levitate over the floor.
He tried to free himself and squirmed in his restraints but was unable to do anything about it.
Loki walked around him and stared at him with worry and shock.
“Why are you doing this, Anthony?”, questioned the god but only received a growl in return. Sighing heavily, he reached up and touched the fingertips of his right hand to Tonys forehead.
His eyes glowed green, when he entered his lovers mind to find the source of this anger. After a moment he pulled back and looked at Tony with sadness in his eyes.
“Oh, my love, had I only known”, whispered the god and then vanished with Tony in a cloud of green smoke, reappearing in their bedroom.
He levitated Tony onto the bed and bound his legs and arms to the bedposts to hold him there. Tony struggled against the restraints and gazed at Loki with hatred and anger in his eyes.
Loki pulled a chair over towards the bed and sat down in it, watching his beloved with pain in his eyes.
He had found out, that the supposed cure for Tonys sickness had severe adverse effects and was causing Tony to be this violent and angry. He did not know what to do now.
He could continue to give Tony the cure and hope, that the adverse effects would soon stop, or he could stop giving him the cure, which would stop the adverse effects but could mean the return of the virus.
He sighed, rubbed his hands across his face and stared at Tony, who hadn’t stopped struggling. A small tear slid down his face and dropped to the floor.
He was clueless and at the end of his wits. He had no idea what to do and feared for his lover’s wellbeing.
“I am so sorry, my love. This was not supposed to happen”, chocked Loki out, before another tear slid down his cheek.