Caregiver
The healers at the Citadel warned him that it would take time for him to feel normal again, but Loki has never been one for patience. He fatigues easily still and the slightest magics drain him like never before. He knows he will be back to full strength before long, but it is still a frustrating, slow process, that leaves him irritable and on edge.
He’s walking in circles around the ship, pacing to prove to himself that he can and trying not to feel stir-crazy, when he hears a small voice call his name.
“Prince Loki?” He turns to see a small gathering of very small Asgardians, peaking out of the doorway at him.
“Oh, hello,” He says, mustering up a smile.
“Prince Loki, we wanted to see if you were feeling better,” The ringleader says. He crouches before him.
“I am, much better, thank you for asking.” The child blushes. “You wouldn’t be asking because you’d like some illustrations to your stories, would you?” He’d been casting the illusions to entertain the children since a few nights after Ragnarok, and he’d heard they’d been quite disappointed when he fell ill. The children brighten.
“Will you? Please?” The rest join in the cajoling. Loki makes a show of hesitating.
“Well, alright, I suppose I can do one story,” He says with a dramatic sigh. The children cheer and he ushers them back inside the creche.
Leaving them a little while later, he has to admit that he was perhaps not ready to summon the illusion of the dragon. His head spins and his chest twinges and he has to brace himself on the wall for a minute until his vision clears.
“Your highness? Are you alright?” One of the young farmer’s sons, one of the ones who the Valkyrie had been training as a guard. He’s taken his responsibility very seriously.
“I’m fine,” Loki says quickly, to head off further concern. “Just a spell of dizziness, but it’s passed.”
The young man stands up very straight. “Will you allow me to escort you to your destination, my prince? To make sure you get there safely?” Loki sighs. Everyone was so insistent on coddling him. Didn’t they see that Thor fussed over him enough for everyone? Why couldn’t they just leave him be, let him fall if he did.
“Fine,” He says, perhaps too sharply. The young man doesn’t seem to detect the tone, instead looking extremely pleased with himself.
Once Loki is outside the ship’s bar, insisting that he’ll be alright for the last five feet to enter, the guard takes his leave, bowing deeply. Then he goes into the light and warmth of the bar.
“You’re late, brother,” Thor says.
“Worried?” Thor frowns at him. “I apologize, I ran into some of the children who insisted I entertain them. Took me hostage in fact, wouldn’t release me until I gave them what they wanted.” Loki flops onto one of the couches.
“Uh huh.”
“They can be very persuasive.”
“And did this entertainment that they persuaded you to do involve you using your magic, which you are not supposed to be doing until you’re better?”
“It might have.” Thor gives him A Look, which Loki shoots back, but before Thor can even open his mouth to nag, the Valkyrie opens a bottle of some bubbly liquid with a pop and Bruce and Heimdall enter carrying dinner.
The food is warm and filling. Thor keeps glancing at him to make sure he’s had enough, then hands him a glass of the alcohol the Valkyrie had opened. The liquor makes him feel floaty and relaxed, and he rests back on the couch, just listening as the others talk and laugh. The sound of it is almost as lulling as the drink.
He doesn’t realize he’s closed his eyes until he feels Thor’s hand, gentle on his arm.
“Loki,” Thor says quietly. “Do you want to go to bed?”
“No,” He shakes off the drowsiness. “No, I’m fine, I just drifted off.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I want to stay, I don’t want to go back.” The room would be empty and dark and silent. Here was warm and light and the sounds of the other three talking amongst themselves, better than any lullaby he could think of. “‘M fine.”
Thor nods. “Okay.” His hand lingers on Loki’s arm for a moment more, then he returns to the conversation.
Loki hangs on for a few minutes more before his eyes feel heavy and drift closed. He drowses for a while, listening to the sound of their voices until he falls into proper, deep sleep.
“So the city itself was floating?” The Valkyrie says, incredulous.
“Yup,” Bruce says. “It was insane. So insane that the Hulk apparently decided to just get the hell out of there. Stole a jet and ended up on Sakaar. So maybe I should have stayed.”
“But then you wouldn’t have gone to…how many planets are you up to now?”
“I’ve stopped tracking. I think last count was twelve and that was a while ago.”
“Thor,” The Valkyrie nods her head at the couch next to him. Thor turns. Loki is sound asleep, head resting on the arm of the chair at an odd angle. Thor touches his side. He doesn’t stir.
“He needs it,” Thor remarks, dropping the volume of his voice so he won’t wake him.
“Should we get him to bed?”
“No, let’s let him sleep. I asked earlier and he didn’t want to go. I think he didn’t want to be alone.”
“Move his head at least, he’s giving me a stiff neck just looking at him,” Bruce says, rolling his own neck in sympathy. Carefully, Thor shifts Loki until he’s laying with head resting on his lap. He runs his fingers through the dark curls, starting to absentmindedly play with the strands, loosely braiding them.
“Did either of them even tell you about the jam incident?” Heimdall says with a mischievous smile.
“Ah, that could have been a tragedy.”
“The All-mother was on a visit to her relatives on Vanaheim, leaving the All-father alone with the children.”
“A disaster if I ever heard one,” Valkyrie says, taking a drink.
“A new ambassador had brought a basket full of delicacies from his home-world. In it was this jam that is very good…but very sticky. It was left lying around in the royal family’s private quarters. And Thor managed to cover his brother’s hair in it.”
“I maintain he got into it first!” Thor says. “I swear, I found him playing with it and just…helped.”
“How old were you?” Bruce says through peels of laughter.
“Oh, I think I was around the human equivalent of…4? Maybe 5. Loki was barely a toddler.”
“The All-father was about to cut off all of Loki’s hair when the Queen returned and intervened. She was furious. Refused to leave Odin alone with them for a long time.”
“I’m just picturing the Frigga’s face,” Valkyrie laughs. “I would have loved to see that.”
“She burst in to Father holding the shears over Loki’s head as he wailed. Grabbed Loki and started shouting about vinegar,” Thor chuckles. “It turns out it washes out at once if you just rinse it first in vinegar. She was so mad.”
“That sounds like the time I got gum in my hair…” The conversation continues, Thor occupying his hands with braiding.
Loki stirs. “What are you doing?” He murmurs.
“Hush. I miss my hair.”
“Hm. Okay.” And he’s out again. Thor smiles down at him and doesn’t think he could imagine loving something more than this.
They continue talking until late in the night, when they’re all starting to drift off. Valkyrie picks up some of the scattered bottles and dishes.
“Need help with him?” She asks.
Thor shakes his head. “Just get the doors for me.” He gently shifts Loki so he can get off the couch, then scoops him into his arms. He’s out cold, barely stirs at Thor picking him up except to rest his head on his shoulder.
He carries him through the halls, the Valkyrie helping with doors. Bruce pulls down the blankets of their bed before climbing into the one he shares with the Valkyrie. Thor removes Loki’s boots and heavy outer shirt, and rolls him to his side.
“Night, guys,” Bruce says. The Valkyrie grunts in return and flops down next to Bruce.
“Goodnight,” Thor says, turning out the lights and crawling into bed.
The sounds of soft, even breathing in the dark. Loki rolls towards him. The Valkyrie starts to snore.
Thor, for the first time in a while, doesn’t think he’s doing such a bad job taking care of them.