Asgard Awakening
Loki reaches out—desperate almost to the point of fumbling—and grabs your ankle. He uses all his remaining strength to attempt to slow your descent. For a moment he wonders if it is in vain if even with his best efforts he’ll be scrubbing your blood and viscera off a giant’s armor. Your collision is sickening but not enough to completely eviscerate you. Loki doesn’t get a full view of the event because said giant, upon realizing what is happening, sticks out an arm and plucks Loki out of the air.
Caught by the back of his clothes, the air is knocked out of Loki and the collar of his shirt tightens around his throat. To his surprise, though, the giant does not leave him to hang or crush your crumpled body under his foot. Instead, the frost giant lies your bleeding body gently in the snow and drops Loki onto his feet.
All Loki can manage is a weak ‘thank you’ as he tries to heave air back into his lungs. He coughs and wheezes. The giant just watches for a few seconds.
“I am going inside to get a weapon. Be gone before I return, runt.” The giant grumbles as he makes his way into his humble shack.
Loki’s mind races, and yet he does not hesitate or even stop to check your vitals. Your chance of recovery, even with Asgardian healing, dwindles with each passing second. The fall should have killed you, but it didn’t. You’re still breathing. Your death is not an outcome he is willing to accept.
“Heimdall, please.” Loki can’t stop himself from begging. He can’t keep the desperation out of his voice as he falls to his knees in the snow next to you, “take us home.”
Milliseconds later the bright light of the Bifrost consumes you both. Loki, now able to breathe, feels his throat close painfully. You look so small, so breakable. Battered and bruised, your face is already swelling. Drawing on energy he does not have, he teleports the two of you directly into the infirmary. He ignores the few startled gasps he hears. He moves to lift you off the ground and into a bed. A few pairs of hands help him.
Loki does not even know if his voice works now, but he doesn’t need it. The healers move with swift precision and begin assessing you immediately. He grabs one of your limp hands, and despite not being physically affected, he shivers at the lack of warmth in your skin. Someone tries to move Loki away from you, to separate you. Loki yells something intelligible. The sound feeling like glass in his abused throat.
In the next second, Frigga is there. She is touching him. Speaking to him maybe, but he can’t hear what she is saying. When did she get there? Who alerted her of your arrival? Loki realizes how little grasp he has on reality and tries to ground himself. He clutches his mother as she holds him against her chest.
“Oh, Loki.” Finally, he can hear her voice. He separates himself from her and takes a few deep breaths. He watches as she assesses his injuries, her brow furrowing deeply. Then she sees his face. Red bloodshot eyes laced with tears. Stringy, messy hair. His hands are shaking and he’s panting. He gives her the best smile he can muster, which is pathetic. Then he turns back to you, intent on being as near to you as possible.
Loki feels his mother place a gentle hand on his shoulder as she peers over him to look at you. His stomach turns at the sight of you. Your peaceful expression is marred by darkening purple bruises and sickening slashes around your eyes. Luckily none of the glass from your glasses punctured your eyes. Loki shudders to imagine what other injuries you have sustained and what proof of them is visible elsewhere on your body.
Loki startles as his mother gestures for him to move out of the way. Any other person would have to drag him kicking and screaming, but not Frigga. Loki moves away, silent. He stays close and worries his lip. His eyes dart from your body to his mother’s face trying to solve some secret puzzle that will tell him if you will be okay or not.
Frigga rests one hand over your forehead and another over your heart. Loki becomes at least semi-conscious of the healers that are darting around, all working diligently to save you. Loki lets out a breath as his mother’s hands begin to glow. Gentle golden light makes you look ethereal as her magic flows through you.
Frigga’s voice jostles Loki once again, “She will be fine, my son. I trust you can tend to your own injuries.” Loki nods dumbly and Frigga nods in return with more certainty. “Please rest.”
“Mother, I cannot—”
“Loki, you must heal. What use will you be to her collapsed under your own exhaustion? Do you want her to awaken alone, in such an unfamiliar place?”
“Of course not,” Loki says taking a tone he rarely uses with his mother. He’s indignant. Angry and offended that anyone would dare insinuate that he would mistreat you in such a way.
Despite his rudeness, Frigga just shakes her head and offers, “When she awakens you can both explain the unusual circumstances of your arrival.”
Loki nods again finding himself mute. His shoulders sag and he allows himself to take this simple direction. Frigga stops him as he turns to leave and places a soft kiss on his forehead. Loki feels a bit more of himself return and as it does the utter exhaustion comes with it. He slinks over to an empty cot and allows himself to collapse.
—
For the second time in much too short a time frame, awareness comes to you with pain. But unlike the first time, there’s something else swimming at the edges of your consciousness. A distant melodic humming sounds like it’s coming from all around you. It seems to ease some of your pain. The thought that you are supposed to open your eyes drifts into your hazy mind.
It’s more of a strain than it has ever been in your life to open your eyes. For a second you fear they are sealed shut, but eventually you can pry them open. Pain alights every part of your body. The light in the room, that you would come to learn is gentle sunlight, is much too harsh and forces your eyes closed again. A soothing breeze drifts across you from the left.
“How are you feeling, my dear?” You can’t recognize her voice but something in you tells you that you know her. The sound comes from your right, and you turn as much as your body can allow toward her.
Your eyes flutter open once again. You are greeted with the sight of a beautiful older woman, she has long golden curls cascading over her shoulders. Her face is framed nicely by some stray ringlets. Her smile is so blinding that it almost makes you close your eyes again, but you hold tight and see her reach forward to brush some hair out of your face in a familiar way.
“My head hurts,” your voice comes out croaky and hoarse from lack of use. You wonder how long you’ve been…How long you have been here. But where is here? And who is this woman? Sifting through your thoughts is a slog, but Loki stands out in your mind. Loki. The In-Between. The rift. You fell. You both fell. Oh god, you think, where is he? Is he okay? How are you alive to have these thoughts?
The woman beside you senses your confusion and lets out a bell-like laugh. “You are confused, it is only natural,” she starts slowly.
She waits for you to nod before she continues, “Will you be alright on your own for just a moment, dear? There’s someone who has been very eager to see you.”
You nod more frantically at that, and it sends pain soaring through your skull. You wince and she laughs again. You crack your eyes back open to watch her glide out of the room.
You take the minute alone to test all your limbs, just to make sure they are all still there. They are. Every muscle in your body is filled with a certain amount of soreness. You are not complaining though, you are alive. And though you are not sure of much now you are one hundred percent certain that you should have died.
That thought sends you reeling. What feels like hours ago you were sneaking out of your dorm, careful to not wake Valery. After however much time has passed, which you have absolutely no grasp on, you are recovering from a fall that would kill any human. Except you, apparently.
A very familiar voice calling your name startles you out of your reverie. He looks much better than the last time you saw him, when he was sleep-deprived and dirty. He wears loose comfortable looking clothes, and his hair looks rather fluffy and very clean. Overall, he looks well-rested. Joy bursts in your chest just seeing him.
“Loki. Oh my god, I’m so happy to see you.”
“Worried about me are you, little mortal?” He has a confidence in this place that seems slightly forced. He hides it well, but there’s something subtle about him that is different from when you were alone. Your tired mind takes too long coming up with a witty retort and you feel the bed dip as he sits next to you.
The room seems to lose its warmth as he loses his lighthearted air. He lies a hand over one of yours. His chilly fingers rub small circles onto the back of it, “It was you who almost lost your life.”
You nod, somewhat breathless and at a total loss for words. Instead of speaking you grasp his hand and squeeze it. Putting as much reassurance and comfort into the gesture even though you have no idea what will make him smile again. The moment passes. Loki drops your hand and sits up straight and steels himself. Against what? You do not know.
“Um…where are we?” You ask a silent question at the same time. Are we safe?
“Asgard.” His reply is simple, but it fills your lungs with air.
“How long was I—How long have we been here?”
“Two days.” Your eyes widen and he continues, “The healers were not sure that you would awaken.”
“I was,” the woman from before cuts in. “I am Loki’s mother, Frigga.”
Your breath picks up. But it makes sense, she looks like a queen in every sense of the word. It takes an enormous amount of your strength to raise your aching arm so that she can shake your hand. “It’s, uh, it’s an honor to meet you, your highness.” You add your name weakly.
She takes your hand with the utmost caution and instead of shaking holds it in both of hers for a moment. She smiles, “I believe there is a story here, huh, dear?”
Loki has to visibly hold back his laughter as you shoot him an alarmed look. He shrugs nonchalantly and tips his head at you as if to say, ‘go on’. You trip over your tongue for a few minutes before Loki takes pity on you. The way he spins the tale makes you want to relive it, even the worst parts. He’s just that good of a storyteller.
“It seems as if fate wanted the two of you to meet,” Frigga sends you both a knowing smile. Heat rushes your face so much that it burns. Loki shifts his stance and looks away which makes you feel a little better.
“So, does everyone on Earth think I’m dead or?”
“No,” Loki answers immediately, “I don’t believe anyone thinks you’re dead.”
“Yeah, okay,” you start practically forgetting that Frigga is in the room, “You seem real sure of that. But what do you think my roommate thinks? She lives with me; knows I don’t know anyone on campus, and I haven’t come back to the room in like three days? I don’t know if I were her, I’d think I was dead.”
“I know your mortal brain is tiny, but surely you’ve grasped the concept that magic exists.” He taps the side of your glasses; you didn’t even realize they were still on your face. They should have been destroyed in your fall, in fact, you can feel the sting of some cuts around your eyes which must be from the original ones breaking, but here a new pair is on your face. They are perfect, you have a feeling he adjusted your prescription somehow in recreating them. He notices the realization on your face and raises his brows. He’s smirking. And, of course, he looks ridiculously hot. Ridiculously hot and hittable that is.
You glower at him, “I’m pretty sure your brain is only like marginally bigger than mine.”
He laughs, “You seem eager to leave, to get back to Earth. Is this not—hmm how did you word it? ‘Everything you’ve ever wanted’?”
“No, it is, you dick. It is but this is also real life and if they remember me down there, which I have no reason to think that they don’t…” You trail off and your fingers dig into the blanket around you. Suddenly you’re aware of Frigga’s presence again and hot-cold embarrassment floods your body. She looks amused, if anything, but that doesn’t stop the sick feeling in your stomach. “I don’t want to worry anyone. And I- I can’t leave my mom—”
“I thought you said that you trusted me,” Loki cuts in. His expression and tone are serious, nothing like they were just a minute before when he was teasing you. You gulp.
“I do,” you answer without a moment’s hesitation.
It seems as if Loki falls under the same spell you did, and forgets that his mother is standing behind him because he leans towards you and lays his hand gently on your cheek. His skin is cold, and his fingers are soft. All your worry leaves you and you push your face into his hand a bit, dazed.
“I will handle it, little one. You need not worry. Your body is fragile,” the way he says it seems to imply that he means precious, “and you fell a considerable distance.”
“Loki’s right. You must rest and let your body heal. Our magic can only do so much to aid you. Leaving could be very dangerous,” Frigga says.
Loki’s eyes widen considerably, he really did forget that she is there. His face blooms red and you revel in the look of it, you have a feeling it is a very rare sight. Loki shakes his head and regains himself. He smiles at you but looks a bit uncomfortable. His hand falls from your face and gently pats your thigh a few times before he moves to stand. Facing his mother must fluster Loki again because he barely says goodbye before he’s rushing out of the room. Frigga beams at you, she steps forward and leaves a kiss on your forehead before taking her leave as well.
Your head spins. The exhaustion is back, and something in your mind nags at you. You know you should be worrying about home, but you meant it when you said you trust Loki. You trust him with your life. You smile and drift off to sleep thinking that Asgard is not such a bad place to call home, even if it’s just for a little while.