“It’s going to be a while until he wakes up, Thor.”
Thor keeps his eyes closed, only hearing the doctor’s tired voice.
“You should get some rest.”
He heard him continue. Thor only shook his head a bit more, he kept his hold on his little brother’s hand. But he felt the weight on his shoulder, clear that the Midgardian scientist was resting his hand.
“I mean it, Thor. You need some rest. Just like Loki does.”
“I heard you.”
“And you’re going to ignore me? Figured-”
“I’m not ignoring you I’m-” The words fell dry in his mouth, he huffed through his nose sharply. “I’m not leaving him.”
“I’m not asking you too. All I’m saying is, maybe you should bring a mat or cot in here. But actually try to get some sleep.”
Thor glanced at the steel floor before nodding. He heard Banner mumble a reply, before he heard the loud empty echo of the door. Thor released a sigh, sinking in the uncomfortable chair. His eyes went back to his brother’s relaxed face.
Thor scooted to the edge of his seat, resting his elbows on the edge of Loki’s bed. It was stiff, it couldn’t be much more comfortable than the floor itself. Thor tucked the greasy strands of curls behind Loki’s ear. Thor found himself smirking, because he knew if Loki was awake, he would never let him be this close. He would probably growl or hiss at him to leave- or perhaps swat his hands away.
Thor liked to think about it, it was amusing.
But the smile on his face soon faded. Instead, he kept his focus on his brother’s chest, making sure it continued to rise and fall in rhythm.
“I’m sorry, Loki.” He breathed, kissing Loki’s busted and bandaged knuckles. His mind was only full of guilty thoughts and voices. Telling him over and over again that this was all his fault. His baby brother was laying in a bed unconscious with half his face covered because of him.
Thor sighed, pinching his forehead. His margarine was back.
Thor stood, letting his brother’s hand fall limp onto the bed. He walked to the dresser, going through the bottles of medicine Banner had left. Most of it was foreign to both of them. They were on a stolen Sakarian ship after all. But Banner was able to make a few things out. Thor tilted his head back as he swallowed a couple pills. He looked back at Loki’s sleeping form.
It’s going to be a while… Thor thought. He might as well follow Bruce’s advice and get some sleep.
He had gotten a mat together, putting it on the floor close to Loki’s bed. Thor was only half sure that it was just if not more comfortable than the stale mattress Loki was currently asleep on. Thor tossed and turned a few times, his mind wouldn’t stop racing. But eventually he let the hum of the ship drift him to sleep.
It couldn’t have been very long until Thor’s eyes shot open again. It felt like just a few minutes had passed, but yet he knew better than that, it could have very well been hours.
It took him a moment to recognize the sound he was hearing, but once he realized, he jumped to his feet.
“Loki-” He tripped over his own scattered blankets, as he tried to hurry to his brother’s side. Loki’s whimpers filled the quiet room, he had this awful groan that made Thor’s stomach twist. “Hey, Loki, Loki can you hear me? I’m right here, it’s Thor-” Thor tried to get his attention, but Loki continued to moan in pain. His eye (not covered by a bandage) darted around the room, not ever landing on Thor himself.
Thor huffed spinning around, the room was dark but he found what he was looking for. He turned the small lantern on, setting it on the crate beside Loki’s bed.
“Look, Loki- Hey- It’s alright. It’s me.” Loki seemed to be calming down, but the pain clearly wasn’t easing. “It’s okay, I uh- I think I have something you can take.” Thor dug through the bottles, trying to remember which one Bruce instructed him to give to Loki once he awoke. When he turned to face his brother’s side again, he saw Loki scratching roughly at the cloth covering his wound.
“No- Loki, quit it- Stop it-” Thor grabbed Loki’s hand, pulling it away from his face. Thor noticed the blood slowly spreading on the white cloth. Thor managed to get Loki to swallow the pills, and to keep his nails away from his face. Even if Thor had to lay his arms across his brother’s body while he slowly but surely drifted back into sleep. Thor, however, never closed his eyes again.
He had gotten some a few hours earlier, and that was good enough for him. Besides, he wasn’t sure when Loki would wake up again, or if he would try to rip the bandages off again. So, staying awake seemed like the best option.
***
“Shit, Thor- Did you even sleep?”
Thor jumped at Bruce’s sudden voice. Thor blinked, rubbing his burning eyes.
“Yes,” He coughed. “A little.” Bruce huffed as he walked to the side of the bed. He leaned over, seeing the covered, and yet, bloody bandages.
“What happened? I thought the stitches looked pretty good last night-”
“He woke up.” Thor answered, “But I don't think he was really awake. He started scratching at it. I...I haven’t checked, but I’m sure he pulled a few stitches out.” Bruce exhaled a long sigh, his fist resting on his hips.
“Okay.” He nodded before leaning forward again, “I’m gonna remove the bandages and check, can you get the stuff out of the bag.” Thor nodded, turning to do so. He held the supplies in his arms as he returned, almost dropping them as he couldn’t hold back the gag that escaped his mouth.
“Thor-” Bruce snapped.
“I’m sorry- I just- You said it- It looks worse than before! Norns it-” Thor covered his mouth as he sat the supplies on the crate.
“It’s….It does look a bit worse than it should.” Bruce grimaced. He leaned in a little closer to the wound, “It looks like it’s getting infected. Go get me some alcohol-”
“What?” Thor asked instantly, but turned on his heels after he received a glare from the scientist.
Once he returned, he saw Bruce re-stitching the side of his brother’s face. He held the bottle out for him.
“Has Loki- He hasn’t woken up yet?” Thor asked, surprised.
“He stirred a little bit. I think he’s close to waking up, which is why I want to get this done before he does.” Bruce explained, twisting the cap off the alien liquor. Thor grabbed Bruce’s elbow before he had the chance to reach his brother.
“Is it going to hurt him?”
“Probably-” Thor had to tug him back again.
“Bruce-”
“Thor, it is only going to get worse.” That seemed to convince Thor, since he slowly let up on his grip on his friend's elbows. Thor held his breath as Bruce began to slowly pour the thick liquor onto Loki’s skin.
Thor’s eyes widened as Loki began to scream, thrashing around in the sheets. Bruce jumped back, almost dropping the bottle. Thor held Loki’s limbs down to the best of his ability.
Thor cringed as Loki’s screams ringed in his ear. It was rough and agonizing.
Thor had a really hard time holding in his last night's dinner once the stitched wound began to bubble and fester, puss beginning to spew.
“Bruce-”
“It’s working- I know it’s hard to watch.”
Thor looked back to his brother, who continued to scream and whine in pain.
Thor had to hold and sooth Loki for at least another hour. Bruce had slipped out of the room, as Thor kept ahold of his brother's thin hand. The festering of the wound ceased, but it took a while. Thor had to make sure he never showed his discomfort on his face when Loki glanced his way.
Thor couldn't help it. The wound was nasty. One of the worst ones Thor had seen, infection wise. Loki was riddled with a rising fever, sweat covering his pale skin. Thor released a heavy sigh, his thumb distractingly rubbing over Loki’s knuckles.
“Thor,” The voice was rough, most likely from the screaming and then some from the lack of use. Thor perked his head up. Loki had turned his head on the pillow to get a better look at Thor. Both sides of his face on display. “Do you have…something to drink?” He spoke slowly. He sounded like he was going to black out at any second. His words were all slurred, and his eyelids were unusually heavy.
“Yeah, yeah, right here.” Thor turned around quickly to the crate. Grabbing the pitcher of water and a glass. He wasn’t sure how much he really trusted the water supply here, but it was all they had. He held the cup to Loki’s lips, only allowing a few tiny sips at a time. Once Loki laid his head back on the pillow, Thor returned the items back to their spot on the side table.
He sat there a moment, his hands in his lap. He wanted to talk with his brother, but Loki’s voice sounded terrible, Thor was sure it felt that way too.
“What happened?”
Thor’s head shot up once again. Loki seemed to read his expression, so he repeated, “What happened? I- I can’t remember.”
“Oh,” Thor rubbed his hands together nervously. “Well, Loki…Do you remember Hela?” Loki gave a small nod, “We were fighting her, remember? On Asgard. We are on a ship now, the one you brought from Sakar.” Thor explained. He was met with little reaction. Loki just kept his eyes focused on something else in the room, Thor could swear he saw them glaze over a little. He wasn’t even sure if Loki was still paying attention by the time he was finished.
“What,” Loki started, but shook his head. “My head- Why does- Why does everything hurt? What’s wrong?” Thor swallowed thickly. He brought his hand back to Loki’s, and he felt his brother tense underneath the sudden touch.
“You were fighting Hela and you…You are very injured, Loki. So it's best if you just keep still. You have a lot of stitches, so we don’t want them to be pulled or anything.” Thor tried to explain with an even voice. There was only a time or two where his tone started to quiver but he hid it well.
“How bad is it?” Loki asked, Thor dipped his head.
“It’s bad, brother.” Thor admitted, “But you’re going to be okay. Everything will heal eventually.” He added. It was quiet for a long time, and Thor half thought that Loki had simply just fallen back to sleep. But that was not the case however.
“I want to see.”
Thor jerked his head up. “What?” He sounded like a fool, “No, Loki that’s not a good idea-”
“I want to see, Thor. You said it was bad, I need to know.” Loki argued. Thor’s chest was tightening. He felt like all the air in his lungs was getting sucked by a vacuum. He knew if he did what his brother asked he would have to deal with a certain reaction. And whether that be a fighting one, or a crying one, Thor really didn’t want to deal with either.
But he owed it to him, didn’t he? Thor’s shoulders fell. Thor knew he would want the same thing if he was in Loki’s place. The curiosity, the fear. It all must be too much to bear.
“Okay…” Thor said softly. He went off and fetched a small mirror. When he came back into the room, he felt the mirror in a fist. He had the urge to throw it to the ground, watch it shatter. Sure, he would have to listen to Loki’s lecture. But it would be better than witnessing Loki’s expression when he finally sees what had happened.
Thor walked slowly into the room. He stood there a moment, looking down at his brother. Loki’s arms were wrapped, one in a sling, one laying limp beside him. His skin was covered in bruises, even his uninjured side looked awful. Thor’s stomach began to twist. What about his eye- or really lack thereof…
“Do…Do you want me to take the bandages off?” Thor knew he shouldn’t have asked, it was only going to make everything so much worse. But he felt like he had to. Loki responded with a nod, and Thor did what he had said. He was sure to be careful. He was also determined not to react, given that he was a mere foot above Loki’s face, and any expression he made, Loki was sure to notice. The puss wasn’t as bad as it had been earlier. It seems the alcohol had done a little bit of good. Although the swelling had only gotten worse, the bruising, the rash from the infection spreading across his cheek. Thor gulped when he focused on what he was most nervous about.
Hela had a mission. One Thor would find it amusing if it was any other time or place. It seems Hela was determined to keep the tradition in the family, the tradition of only having one eye that is. She removed Thor’s in a quick jab, and at the time it hurt like hell, but now, Thor forgets about it every so often. However, she took her time with Loki.
Once Thor had heard his screams he had rushed to the palace, but he was already too late. His face was all torn up, blood everywhere, Hela gone, and Loki’s heavy heaving echoed off the walls.
The only option Bruce was given to fix things, forced him to stitch over the hole where Loki’s eyes had been. His eyelids were ripped, and there was far too much damage.
Thor took a deep breath before he held the mirror up. He was waiting for the screams, the cries, maybe even a punch. He tensed, he cringed, he was ready for it.
“She sure does have a sick sense of humor, doesn’t she?”
Thor blinked. He looked at Loki a moment, unsure of what he had heard was actually said. “What-”
“I mean, obviously it’s a jab at Odin. You know, removing both our eyes.” Loki said dryly.
“You’re…You’re not upset?”
“Of course I’m upset, Thor. But…What’s the point? Maybe I’m just tired…” Thor nodded, yeah that had to be it. He knew once all of this blew over, and Loki began to heal, the real problems would begin.
Thor took his seat again.
At least he had a little time to prepare. For now, he would appreciate Loki’s uncharacteristic calmness.
Maybe it was the drugs, Thor thought.