The Saving Type
Chapter 8: The Saving Type
Thor and Loki were standing at the end of Stella's room, looking out the window. Loki has a cup of tea in his hand. "So Heimdall's right?" Thor asked his brother.
"Yes, he was." Loki took a sip of his tea. "They were about to kill her. They were close to killing her."
Thor studied the fragment of the band from Stella's neck in his hands. "What do you think this is? Does this only impede one's power or tortures the one who wears it?"
"She said it was about to kill her. She was in so much pain because of it." Loki glanced at Stella, who was still asleep. "It is a torture device. It kills you slowly."
Thor noticed Loki's eyebrows creased in agitation. "Brother, you are worried."
Loki looked at him and straightened himself. "I am worried we wouldn't find the tesseract if she does not come around. This is her brother we’re facing. We need her for that even though he attacked me." He puts his empty teacup on the table.
“You said you could work on this case alone. Now, why are you telling me that we need her?” Thor turned to his brother.
Loki stood still. I said what? Then he remembered he told Thor that they needed her. It was a slip of the tongue from the Silvertongue. He cursed himself and took a different course. “We should have taken the tesseract in the first place, not entrusting it with these inferior Midgardians,” Loki said in spite. Thor threw him a look. Loki raised a finger. “This was your idea. I can’t believe Odin agreed to your plan. Now look, it’s missing. Probably in the wrong hands.”
“It even was in the wrong hands when you were holding it,” Thor replied nonchalantly.
Loki stepped forward, green eyes blazing in fury. “At least I didn’t lose track of it. I would never.” He gestured as he emphasized his words. “Please remind me why you did this?” He stopped beside Thor.
Thor looked outside the window. “I am not repeating myself,” he replied darkly.
“You wanted to help Midgardians advance their technology? Huh?” Loki sneered.
“Loki, enough.” Thor hissed as he snapped his head to Loki’s direction.
“Now look.” Loki extended his hand to Stella’s direction. “Someone wants to kill the demigod guardian. I wouldn’t even be surprised to find out someone also wants us dead. What’s new anyway?”
But Thor raised an eyebrow. His brother was acting peculiar. Thor didn’t feel any ounce of regret because he was too focused on studying Loki as the latter paced between him and the bed where Stella was still unconscious.
Loki ran a hand through his hair. "The amulet from the twins, the one I showed you, it seemed enchanted. I felt a low hum of energy throbbing from it." He said urgently. “I also wouldn’t be surprised that they already harnessed the tesseract’s energy to create those bands.”
Thor was studying him, ignoring what he just said. "You have grown your heart, have you not?"
"Huh?" Loki snapped his head to him, seeing a curious look on Thor’s face.
"That look on your face," Thor said amusingly. "It is foreign.” Loki gave him now a confused look, still unsure of what to feel. “This is the first time I’ve seen it. You’re furious but you’re worried like your life depends on it."
"I am worried because we cannot come home without the Tesseract. Of course, my life depends on it! You know what will happen if we can’t find it.” Loki hissed. Thor knows exactly what will happen to his brother. It’ll be eons in the dungeons. “Besides, you don’t know what this trouble entails. It does not only involve Asgard, Midgard, or Olympus.” Loki turned his back to his brother as his eyes widened in realization. He was afraid all of a sudden. He dropped his arms, clenched and unclenched his hands, trying to calm himself down. As much as he wanted to forget the whole reason why he had the tesseract, he couldn’t. He can run, but he can never hide.
Thor felt a shift in Loki’s mood. “Is there something else you want me to know, Loki?”
Loki watched Stella’s chest rise and fall for a moment. He suddenly has thoughts of an inhuman hand wrapped around her neck. He was sure the hand in this vision did not belong to Ares. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wouldn’t let that happen to her. If they wanted to hurt someone, it had to be him. But, he thought, as much as possible I hope they won’t interfere this time. It’ll be too much to handle two problems for now. He opened his eyes and found relief when he saw her still breathing.
Thor stood beside his brother. “What do you mean this does not only involve our realm and theirs? Is there something else that I should know?” Thor insisted.
Loki clenched his jaw. “Let’s just bring the Tesseract to Asgard.”
"You really want to go back to Asgard?" He asked carefully, waving the fragment between them. Thor knew there was something more to how Loki was behaving and he knew it had something to do with Stella.
But little did Thor know, it was more than Stella and the missing tesseract. "Yes. I quite miss my peaceful chambers." Loki snatched the fragment from Thor and studied it. Thor frowned, knowing that there’s something deeper behind how Loki was acting.
Stella stirred on the bed and sighed. The brothers turned upon her sigh and walked to the bed. Thor stopped by the foot of the bed but Loki stopped beside it. Thor smirked at this.
Stella opened her eyes and saw Loki over her. "How long have I been out?" She asked immediately, her voice hoarse.
"10 hours by now," Loki replied.
"Wow, thanks to the beatings I am catching up on my sleep." She was still lying down, not daring to move an inch more. Loki smirked over her snarky remark even when she's seriously injured. She looked at the two gods in her room. “Why are you two worked up? Is there trouble?”
Loki sighed. “Nothing to worry about, Stella.” Stella’s eyes narrowed in deep thought.
"How are you feeling, Lady Lords?" Thor asked.
Stella looked at him. “I'm not sure." She tried getting up, pushing herself up with her right arm. "Ouch, everything hurts." Loki caught her and helped her sit up. "Thanks."
Loki looked at her. "How do I look?" She asked them.
"Uh." Thor paused and folded his arms across his chest. "Not good."
She smirked. "Man, those twins totaled me." She placed her hand on her neck and she hissed. “Ah! Goddammit!” Her eyes watered from the sting. She wanted to hold her neck again but was scared that it would sting. She resorted to crumpling the blanket as she let the pain subside. “What happened here?” Her confused eyes darted to Loki.
"About that, your skin got burned because of me breaking the band." Thor gave Loki a questionable look as the latter started to explain. "She asked me to break it," he told his brother. "I couldn't open it with this dagger nor mine." He gestured at the Aresian dagger sitting on the nightstand.
"Oh yeah. I remember I asked you to do it. Thanks. I didn’t know it would sting but better to be burned than to be dead, am I right?" She chuckled at her own joke.
“Were there no alternatives?” Thor asked Loki.
“If we would have explored alternatives, I would have died because of it. Loki’s the only sorcerer I know who can destroy it. We needed to take risks.” Stella answered for Loki.
“But he could have killed you.” Thor retorted.
“That’s what I said! Did you even think I didn’t tell her that?” Loki proclaimed to his brother.
“Hey! I’m alive, okay.” She raised her hand, like a referee halting a match. “He saved me and I’m grateful to him.” Loki’s eyes veered to her, not believing what he just heard. No one was ever grateful for him saving their life but here’s Stella, thanking him. She doesn’t know anything about me, he thought.
Thor shifted on his legs, uncomfortable with the thought. The thought of Loki using his sorcery to save someone never crossed his mind. He looked at his younger brother, amazed that he could be selfless. Something’s different. Something in him changed, he thought.
Stella flicked her hand, expecting a blue flame to appear in her hand, but there was nothing. Confused, she raised her hand, palm up, and closed her eyes. She felt her energy pulse lightly inside. Since it seems she can’t let her magic flow through her hand easily, she mentally led that energy to her palm. She could feel the electricity flowing through her fingers but when she opened her eyes, she couldn't see the blue hue from her hand. She took a deep breath and did it again, this time trying to create a force shield. But she couldn’t. She fell into the pillows after she tried.
Loki instantly placed his hand on her back, catching her. He helped her sit against the bed’s headboard as Thor observed them at the foot of the bed. "This has never happened before.” Stella raised her hands before her, gazing at it in utter confusion. “The band seemed to have weakened my energy. Is this possible?” She asked Loki, who was sitting at the chair next to the bed.
Loki gulped, afraid of the truth. “There are objects that can drain a sorcerer’s magic,” he replied quietly. “Have you heard of this occurrence before from your kind?”
Stella’s brows furrowed. She turned to Loki but stared at the NYC skyline behind him. “I have not heard of this instance from others before. I don’t even know if there are other demigods like me who have innate energies.” Her brown eyes veered back to Loki. “Has this happened to you?”
“Not that I could remember. Did you say this is innate?” She nodded. “Then I believe you can reclaim that the way you strengthen your energies back when you first felt it,” he suggested.
“I wish mother was here to help her.” Thor pondered. Loki’s gaze dropped and he gulped, showing Stella a few seconds of vulnerability.
Stella pressed her head on the wood behind her. “If that’s the case then it might take a long time before I can recharge," she told them. “I have to meditate and talk to Athena regarding this.” She was scared. Losing something that has defined her whole life would take a toll on her. Her magic was the reason why Athena trusted her to become the guardian. Tears threatened to show but she took a deep breath and controlled her emotions. She was not the one to openly cry. But she was afraid her sister would strip everything from her. At that point, she doesn’t even know what else to do if it has disappeared completely.
"This band, is it the same band you placed on Ares in Asgard?" Thor asked.
Stella turned to her nightstand. "I don't think so.” She picked up the fragment Loki returned at one point a while ago. “The band I used was only to contain one's energy. It is painful but only for a moment of time. Unlike this one, it can still restrain me but I can feel myself being sucked out of consciousness," she explained as she studied the fragment.
"The amulet also has energy coursing through it. I can feel it but it is faint." Loki informed her.
"I am worried about that, to be quite honest." She looked at them. "What if that's a tracker?"
Thor straightened up. "Then we will welcome them with loaded arms."
She cleared her throat before she spoke. “Huh. What a weird way to say it,” she mused.
“Also-” Loki picked up her amethyst necklace “-I accidentally broke your necklace when I destroyed the collar. I replaced the chain but the crystal’s in good condition.” He gave it to her.
Her eyes twinkled upon seeing it. “Oh. Thanks a lot, Loki.” She beamed and studied the crystal. “It was my mother’s,” she said fondly.
“If I may ask, is it enchanted?”
She chuckled. “Nope. But enchanted with love, maybe. I wish though. I wish it could help me strengthen my energy.” Loki smiled at her reply.
When the brothers left her room, Stella pushed herself to stand regardless of the pain she's feeling. She locked her bedroom and drew a warm bath. The shelf in the bathroom was full of bath and body products and luckily the shelf has an arnica bath bomb. She placed one and fizzed. She then took off her clothes like a normal human being and checked herself in the mirror.
She gasped at her reflection. She looked worse than she thought. A map of bright red, blue, and black hues covered a huge part of her skin. There was more colored skin than her normal, tanned skin. She touched her neck and she felt Loki's light touch. She wondered why she has a remnant of that feeling. She dipped into the tub and let her mind and tears drift.
"Oh my god, you look like someone dumped gasoline on you and lit you up," Stark commented when Stella showed up in the medical bay where she was expected to be. She was wearing a white, v-neck shirt, dark green jeans, and black, laced-up boots; clothes she had acquired with the help of the Asgardian brothers.
"My insides would scare the hell out of you," Stella replied as she sat at the foot of the bed.
"I've seen worse." Natasha quipped.
"Loki told us what happened," Bruce said as he checked Stella's blood pressure. "He said you had two men after you."
Stella nodded. "Yeah. Ares' sons. Speaking of which-" she gave Tony the necklace "-I managed to grab that from one of them. Loki said there's magic coursing through it, though I can't feel it now because those men clamped me with something."
He studied the amulet. "It’s blinking, that’s for sure. Let me run scans on this," he said and left the room.
“What do you mean you can’t feel the magic on the necklace?” Natasha inquired.
Stella raised her hand and concentrated on pulling her energy within and attempting to emit even a faint magical pulse from her hand. Natasha and Bruce backed away when they realized what she was doing. Stella extended her hand, pointing it on the wall.
“I hope you don’t plan on blowing up this room,” Bruce told her.
Stella clenched her hand but when she opened it, there was nothing. She gritted her teeth and shook her head. “There’s still nothing.” She dropped her head. “Fuck!” She said in a low voice.
“Did you lose your powers?” Natasha asked as she took a step closer to Stella to assess her injuries.
“Not really. It’s there. It’s here.” Stella jabbed a finger to her sternum and looked at Natasha. “I just can’t feel it running through my veins. Normally it’s just there, I don’t need to pull it out from my core. What they placed on me weakened my energy.”
Despite Stella’s efforts of trying to look collected, Natasha could see panic mixed with worry in her eyes and she couldn’t help but feel worried too. Bruce also felt Stella’s worry and acknowledged it with a nod at Natasha’s direction. Natasha placed a hand on her shoulder. “Do you think you can recover from that?” Natasha asked. Stella slightly turned her head to Natasha’s hand and her eyes darted all over.
Stella’s head dropped again to look at her hands. She could feel her cheeks warming up at Natasha’s gesture and her own reaction. “Yeah. I think. I hope so. I just need a few days to meditate. Guide everything to the center and out, as Loki suggested.” She pulled her legs up the bed and sat cross-legged. She rested her elbow on her knee and facepalmed. “God, I feel like I’ll be a useless unit here.” She heaved out a frustrated sigh. “I need my energy back, ASAP.”
“It couldn’t be avoided, Stell. Everyone gets injured. But I don’t know how you regain your energy. It’s my first time hearing anything about this.” Bruce shared.
"Yeah. The thing is, I don't have any idea how long it will take me to recover it."
"Have you heard of this incident with anyone you know before?" Bruce asked as he tapped her left arm. She shook her head. “I need to check your blood pressure.” Stella extended her left arm and he strapped her with the digital sphygmomanometer's cuff. He pressed a button and the cuff inflated. "Blood pressure normal,” he muttered as he checked when the device beeped, signaling that it was done. We're going to do something about that burn." Natasha passed some cotton pads to Bruce. "What happened here?" He gestured at the burn on her neck.
"The men clamped me with a band that restricted my power, my magic. This was more powerful than the one I used on Ares ‘cause I could feel like I was dying every minute. And now I don’t have my powers. Great." Stella threw a hand in the air.
"And it burned you in the process?" Bruce asked gently.
"No. That is the result of Loki saving me."
Natasha looked at her. "Loki saved you? Is that right?" Stella nodded. "How?"
"He couldn't use his dagger nor the dagger from the men to open the band. I asked him to use his magic. It burned me in the process. Kind of like the price to pay for me to live and regain my powers." She winced as Bruce placed ointment on her burn. "If it weren't for him I would have died. I'd rather burn than die."
"Huh." Natasha was still skeptical. "Can’t see him as the saving type."
"Loki showed up out of nowhere and killed them," Stella added.
"And there's the Loki I know." Natasha snickered. Stella could feel the tension between her and Natasha going down.
"Maybe he has changed or he has a deal with his father that made him change," Bruce concluded. Stella could feel the cooling sensation the pad gave off and she let out an airy “ah”. "Can I see your bruises?" Stella looked at him with a little uncertainty. "It's okay, I told you I've seen worse."
“Uh…” Stella was not used to taking off her shirt in front of anyone. Not even the doctors. It just doesn’t feel right for her. It’s not that she was insecure or something but she just doesn’t want people to see her naked. But now she feels ridiculous. They needed to treat her and she wants to be healed as soon as possible. And she wants to trust these people. In her head, she is groaning and ruffling her hair in frustration. She feels that she was being silly.
Natasha immediately knows what’s up. “Uh, Bruce. I think you need to leave the room.” She glanced at him.
“Oh.” Bruce adjusted his glasses, trying not to feel awkward. “Okay. You know how to put these on, right?” Natasha smirked and nodded. “Right, I’ll be outside if you need help.” Bruce turned around to the door but stopped when Stella called him.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Stella trailed off as she fingered the hem of her shirt.
“No, it’s okay. I understand.” He smiled sympathetically.
“No, I’m sorry. You’re a doctor. I should trust you.”
Bruce faced her fully. “Are you sure?”
Stella smiled and nodded. “I’m sorry, I’m being silly.”
“No, no. It’s okay. You can tell us what’s making you comfortable and not.” Natasha nodded in agreement.
Stella wanted to slap herself for being silly. She doesn’t even know why she doesn’t want to pull up her shirt in front of a medical doctor. She doesn’t want to make a fuss out of this. Now she doesn’t feel right. But she gulped and heaved a sigh. “No. I’ll...let’s do this,” she said firmly.
Stella pulled up her shirt and winced. Natasha helped her take off her shirt. "Yeah, I've seen worse," Natasha commented. "Don't worry, this will heal in no time."
Bruce worked on putting pads on Stella's bruised skin, careful not to let his gloved hands touch her skin so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. He told her that some spots had turned red and tender. "I didn't have time to shift into my armor. Also, I was scared I would have been seen by mortals," she explained.
"Makes sense. So, while you have this, you can't do anything physical yet." Stella's face contorted in frustration. "No." Bruce raised a finger, preventing her from talking further. "You have to let yourself heal. We don't know what more that band can do to your body. We won't take any chances."
Stella sighed. Natasha placed a hand on her knee. "Don't worry, you'll get through this. Those pads can fix you up in a week and you'll be up and running again." Natasha smiled at her comfortingly.
Bruce peered at Natasha over his glasses. “Wow coming from you who also wouldn’t stand down when seriously injured.”
“I can’t sit still, y’ know. I need to have something to do.”
“And that’s why you shouldn’t listen to Natasha when it comes to this kind of talk,” Bruce told Stella.
Stella smirked. "How do you guys do it? Still be up and running despite being thrown around?"
Bruce chuckled. "The Hulk doesn't let me feel pain. I guess I'm lucky."
"A few painkillers and vodka," Natasha added.
"I think I need that vodka," Stella commented. With the help of Natasha, she wore her shirt.
After getting patched up by Bruce, next on her list is to find Loki. She never had the chance to thank him properly since she last saw him in her room. But she got sidetracked by other things. Since she left the medical bay, she went straight to Stark’s lab to check out what the necklace was all about. Then she picked up the dagger from her room to show it to the three of them. She also spent some time alone on the rooftop, meditating and trying to pull her powers to the surface. She has been so preoccupied with the situation that it took Natasha, Bruce, and even Tony, who is also a hard-headed patient, to convince her to take it easy and heal.
After dinner, Stella went back to her room to get that wine Athena made her bring before finding Loki. Then she saw him in the common area, reading a book on the couch. She hid the bottle behind her.
She cleared her throat as she stopped in front of him. "Loki?"
He turned on his seat. "Yes, Stella?"
"I, uh, just want to say thanks. Thank you, very much."
He gazed at her in surprise. "You're welcome, I suppose," he said and continued reading, though he wasn't really reading but fixing his eyes on her boots, waiting if there's something more.
Stella tried so hard not to be awkward. She shifted on her feet and cleared her throat once more. "I...uh...I actually brought you a gift."
He looked up, amused. "A gift?" He closed his book. "Why so?"
"'Cause you saved me last night and killed those two. And you replaced my necklace. And you and Thor gave me clothes. I still have to pay you for that."
Loki looked at her, not sure of what to do. Should I indulge her or not? He grinned. "Think nothing of it. I needed to do that because we need the tesseract." Oh, he did not indulge her. "We will be banished from Asgard if we fail to return that artifact." What am I doing? I should want this. “As for the clothes, it’s okay. You don’t need to pay for them.”
“How did you pay for the clothes? I didn’t give you my money.”
He stood up. “It’s just a little trick I have to do.” He rubbed his fingers together and a gold-green vapor appeared. Stella gave him a ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’ look. “What? I’m Loki.” He walked past her.
"Alright, more wine for me. Anyway, Agent Romanoff said vodka helps so I guess this can too." Stella said nonchalantly as she walked to the pantry to get a wine glass. "Sure you don't want some? These are from Santorini. One of the best."
"No, thank you," he said over his shoulder and started to walk to his room, disappointed with himself. Stella sighed. I thought I could open myself to the possibilities, but it looks like I can't, she thought as she sipped her wine. And he’s acting super weird. A while ago he was so concerned and tender but now he’s back to his snarky self. Loki indeed.
Loki closed the door behind him and hissed at himself. He had the chance. He couldn't believe he walked out. He took a deep breath and got out of his room.
"Wow, you're back. Why?" She grinned, amused. She was sitting on one of the barstools by the table.
He settled on a stool in front of her. "You know you shouldn't be drinking if you're under medication. Alcohol and medicines don't mix well with your mortal body. Also, I don’t know how alcohol can affect your weakened energy."
There’s the weirdly concerned Loki.
“Are you forgetting that I’m part Zeus?” Stella raised an eyebrow as she slowly tipped the wine glass. Loki glared at her like a father trying to discipline his misbehaving child. She finished her wine in one gulp. “Maybe I just need to get hit by a lightning bolt to have it back. Wonder if Thor’s up for it?” She said as she grabbed another wine glass from the cupboard.
"Are you trying to be coy?" He asked her.
"Is it working?" Loki rolled his eyes at her question. Someone is trying so hard to be me, he thought. "Thanks, again." He picked up the glass and gave her a suspicious look before bringing the glass to his lips. "Don't worry, that's clean. If you're worried about that kind of thing."
"I'm not." He took a sip and wow I did not expect that to be good.
Stella chuckled at his reaction. "Told ya it was good."
"Well for a Midgardian wine it's fairly good."
"Fairly? Oh please. It's the best."
"You clearly have not had Asgardian liquor."
She shook her head. "Nope. Not a drop 'cause whenever I'm there I only spend a few minutes. It's like I'm driving by." He smirked at her remark. "You should bring me some."
"I will not bring anything Asgardian for you," he jeered.
Or you can be that Asgardian something for me. Stella thought of saying that out loud but she dismissed it. She might not see the light of day. She chuckled and smiled at the thought. "Never mind, I'll ask Thor. Bet he'll be more than happy to bring me some."
"Yes, if he can find his way to the cellar."
They drank their wine in silence. Stella's down to her third. "How are you feeling?" He asked, now concerned.
"Like pulp and I can't feel my energy surging in my veins." Stella studied her hand and tried feeling her energy. "It's there but it feels like it's sleeping."
Loki grabbed her hand and closed his eyes, face stoic. He concentrated and felt the faintest of vibrations of Stella's energy deep in her core. He tried to pull it with his own energy and a surge pricked his palm.
“What was that?” Stella asked when she felt a zap through her arm.
“I tried pulling your energy from your core,” he replied, not opening his eyes. He let a sliver of his energy through her and pulled. Stella’s jaw fell when she saw blue and green vapors emitting from her fingertips. Loki opened one eye to see what was happening. He let go of her hand. “Try again.”
Stella flicked her hand in the air but nothing happened. She did the same thing she did earlier that day, concentrated, and pulled her energy out to her hand. Nothing happened. “How did you do it?”
He held her once again, this time, he cradled both her hands on his, palms up. “It’s like fishing,” he explained and closed his eyes. “You throw your line -” he felt a line of his energy flowing through her “-then when you feel the tug, you extract that fish.”
Stella was observing him the whole time, mesmerized on how peaceful he looked. There were no creases on his face and it seems like he was in a lighter mood, taking her hand and trying to summon her own energy using his. She felt another zap through her arm and a piercing nudge in her sternum, but it wasn’t painful. A few seconds later their hands glowed. Loki’s green vapors displaying Stella’s blue vapors, although his was visibly stronger.
Loki opened his eyes to find an excited Stella. She bit her lower lip, trying to shush herself so as not to break his concentration. “It’s beautiful,” she uttered. Loki just smiled at her.
Then he felt his heartbeat faster than normal. That kind of rhythm where he would have difficulty gulping. That feeling he has not felt for a long time. For centuries.
"Is it there?" She asked in a quiet voice.
"Yes, it is. You need to work on amplifying it. I can’t keep on tugging it out of you. It’ll weaken me"
"I’ll work on that."
He slowly let go of her hands, letting his fingers caress her soft, tanned skin.