Chapter 7
When Thor entered the living room, he saw Loki sitting at a desk in a corner of the room, in front of him was his computer. It was a peaceful sight. The dark-haired man hadn't noticed him yet, which gave Thor the opporttunity to look closer.
He had already noticed the fact that Loki was a very attractive man, but due to the soft light of the screen, his cheekbones appeared even sharper and his skin even paler. His black hair fell curly into his face, which had taken on a concentrated expression. Once again, the same thought crossed his mind, as it did at the university, that if he had met the young man on the street, he would surely have tried his luck and had flirted with him.
Thor couldn't imagine whether Loki would have actually returned his clumsy flirtations, because a man like him was often complimented or asked for a date, but he would have tried it nonetheless. The young man probably would have dropped a sarcastic or insulting comment and would have gone on carelessly.
He had to smile at the thought, but these picture existed only in his head and he had to mentally kick his own ass, so he didn't lose sight of his actual plans.
Thor gently knocked on the door frame to announce his presence.
"Hey, what are you doing? Could I sit with you or do you prefer to be alone?"
Despite the knock, Loki startled and looked at him confused, as if he had forgotten that he was even in his apartment. He probabaly thought that Thor would stay in the kitchen with Natascha. But a moment later, his facial expression was unreadable. Slowly he leaned back, looked at his computer screen one last time and turned his wheelchair in his direction. His hands remained firmly on the pushrims.
"Let me guess, you want to talk about what happened at the therapy center."
Thor flinched. Loki really had a talent to get straight to the point. But he was somehow grateful that he could immediately address the topic without much small talk. Nevertheless, the young man was faster and didn't even let him speak.
"Listen, Thor. There's not really much to talk about. For me, the case is closed. You're new to this job and I was just shocked because I fell forward. Luckily, nothing serious happened. And that's the end of the story."
Thor could have agreed and the matter would have been done, but he didn't want to give up easily. He approached carefully and took a chair which he placed directly in front of Loki's wheelchair.
"That may be true, but I have a feeling that there's some tension between us, which is completely unnecessary. By the way, it was good to work with you, today. What Natascha told me so far, there have to be far worse patients."
Loki just shook his head.
"So, you don't want to let the subject drop, because you're afraid that Natascha will assign you to another patient and you're worried that you might get a crazy guy who might throw a plate at your head?"
Thor looked gravely at the young man and nodded.
"Well, yes and the fact that I would like to be uninjured. Imagine how much it would hurt to have hot soup on your face. Someone would have to pull carrots out of my hair."
For a brief moment, it was quiet until the two men had to laugh loudly without warning. Both of them couldn't stop and Thor felt like a weight was lifted from his mind. With a big grin, he watched as the cold expression on Loki's face disappeared, leaving only a big smile that actually reached his beautiful green eyes and let them shine brighter.
After a while, Thor had calmed down again and his smile changed again to a serious expression.
"Loki, I really meant that. I enjoyed the day and even though it's just my first day, I have no illusions that this job can be exhausting. But that's alright and that's why I don't want to make unnecessary conflicts with patients, no, people like you. The last few months haven't been easy for me and I think you can understand that."
It was quiet in the living room again, but this time it wasn't unpleasant as in the car. Thor looked at the young man, whose eyes looked at a indeterminate point on the opposite door. He didn't know what to do next and felt that if he would say something wrong now, the walls around Loki would be rebuilt. The blonde had seen it in the therapy center how fast that was possible.
Loki's grip on the pushrims tightened and he rolled himself a little farther away from his desk and closer to Thor. Now, they were really sitting opposite each other. The black-haired man looked him deep into his eyes. It seemed like he was looking for something. One last sigh and he began to speak.
"Everything's ok. I was just shocked. Meanwhile, I'm used to my body not working as it once did, but if it calms you, it wasn't the first time that I lost my balance during a transfer. However, it's always scary when you fall and you know that you can't do anything about it and that's exactly what has upset me so much. And to be honest, I don't even know why I'm telling you this."
The young man ran his hands over his face and in that moment he understood Natascha's words. He saw how exhausted Loki was and that it was hard for him to accept his disability. The young nurse had asked him if he could imagine waking up one day and being paralyzed. His answer would be no. Thor had never been an independent man before, at least as far as the financial things was concerned, but he still had himself. He could go wherever he wanted without help, he could do sports to take his mind off things. No matter what, he could plan his decisions freely. For Loki, such things were no longer possible. If he wanted to do something, he needed help or had to plan certain things. But he didn't give up. He fought and Thor admired him for that.
"I'm glad you did."
****
After the talk with Loki, the rest of the evening was very relaxed. Thor would even go so far that he enjoyed eating with the two of them. The food was simple but delicious and they laughed a lot. But the blond had to remember himself, that he didn't forget, he had been there to work.
Loki had needed help with his meal. The young nurse had shown him that due to the high level of injury the black-haired man could move his arms and partly his wrists, but his fingers were paralyzed. Although the doctors had been able to form a functional hand by means of an operation, where the tendons were shortened, so that Loki could grap objects by a special technique. Yet, they had to reach him things like forks and spoons before he could take them in his hand. But bad mood or an unpleasant tension had fortunately no longer come up.
When they had finished eating, Loki's sister Hela had come to the apartment to continue to look after her brother and prepare him for the night.
She was a tall woman and Thor felt that she attracted all attention only by her mere presence. But if he had tried to talk to her, he had been punished with a cold glance. So, it had surprised the blond man all the more, as Hela had greeted her little brother with an almost lovingly kiss on the forehead.
****
And so, the days had passed after his start as a nurse and his first week was over. If Thor had to come to a conclusion, he would say that he enjoyed the work. Of course, there were always situations which brought you to your limits, but there were also some touching moments which made up for the stress like a grateful hug from patients who embraced you sincerely.
Thor, however, enjoyed the time with Loki the most. He had seen the young man every day, because Natascha was his temporary primary caretaker during the day. They picked him up from university, took him to his medical appointments or physical therapy and cooked a delicious meal for him in the evening. Well, Natascha cooked, with Loki and Thor standing by and driving her insanse.
But after work, there was little distraction for him. So far, he had been able to stay away from his father, only once when he had had to see him at breakfast. But fortunately, his lovely mother had put an end to the tense silence. His sister Brunhilde, on the other hand, talked to him again, but they rather met on a professional basis.
That's why the blonde had been all the happier when Fandral had visited him on his day off. His best friend had had a hard time as well and was glad that the nightmare was over, at least for him. He hadn't been arrested after their interrogation, but he also had to fight with Odin's lawyers. Back then, they had sworn him to secrecy, had kept him away from the Borson family and they had assisted him in his interrogation against Thor, which meant that they had dictated every word to him. However, Fandral hadn't given up and was still there for Thor.
With the support of his best friend and a relaxed weekend, the blond man wanted to start with all his strength into the new week. Soon, he would find out which patients he was still allowed to look after. But just as he entered the company's headquarters, he was stopped by one of Odin's lawyers.
"Mr. Borson, we would like to ask to follow us into the meeting conference room. Your father and Laufey Nálson want to clarify some things."