Lost in Glorious Mischief

Healing

Loki returns to your room with a book in hand.
You sit up onto your elbows,
"Is that all you need?" you ask, smiling.
Loki grins at you,
"Would you like me to move completely in?" he asks, jokingly.
You lay back down, smiling.
"I just needed something to keep me entertained while you sleep," he says, placing the book on the nightstand and sitting on the bed.
"How are you feeling?" he asks, turning to you
"I am okay, a little sore, " you say, forcing a grin.
"Well, why don't you try to sleep?" Loki suggests.
"I'm not sure I can, " you say, taking his hand.
"Well, would you like to watch a movie?" he asks, as he moves further up the bed, grabbing the remote.
"Sure, " you say, attempting to move closer to him.
Loki giggles as you struggle,
"Here, " he says moving closer to you.
He lifts you gently, slipping his arm behind you. You lay on his chest and settle in.
Loki flips through the movie list. He plays an old black and white movie. It makes you smile.
It doesn't take long before you fall asleep.
Loki notices, he looks down and smiles. He turns the movie off and reaches over to grab his book.
He reads as you sleep. Often stopping to check your breathing.
After a couple of hours, he has finished his book. Nighttime is falling.
Loki moves out from under you and quietly slips out of your room.
He heads to the common room and kitchen to find himself something to eat. As he walks to the kitchen he hears someone behind him.
"How is she?"
Loki turns to find Thor coming in from the balcony
"She is fine. Has been sleeping most of the day." Loki says as he rummages through the refrigerator for something to eat.
"Bruce said she had a lung that collapsed?" Thor asks, walking to the kitchen.
Loki settles on an apple and a bottle of water. He grabs both from the fridge and closes the door.
"Yes, she woke up early this morning and was having a difficult time breathing," Loki says, facing Thor.
"How long do you think Stark will keep her benched?" he asks.
Loki, becoming slightly irritated with all the questions,
"I am not sure. She has to stay off her feet for a day or two. After that she has to take an easy for a few weeks, " he says, peeling the sticker off the apple.
"Brother, it is fortunate you were with her when it happened. You saved her life," Thor says.
Loki takes a second and thinks. What if he wasn't there? You could very well be dead right now.
Thor looks at Loki and can see he is thinking hard,
"Claire is strong brother she will heal quickly."
Loki looks at him,
"I know she will. Just something has bothered me since this morning," Loki says, walking out to the balcony.
"What is that brother?" Thor asks, joining him.
"Well, she didn't seem too terribly shocked when Bruce and Tony told her about her ribs. She had mentioned that broken bones were nothing out of the normal for her. However, she said it as though it wasn't anything to be concerned about," Loki says
"Well brother, Claire has had a lot of trauma. I would imagine if what Bucky says is true, she went through hell while she was held captive." Thor says, leaning against the balcony railing, looking at Loki.
"Bucky has told you about their time with Hydra?" Loki asks.
"He has told me some details about his time there. I imagined Claire's wasn't much different," Thor says, crossing his arms.
"Brother, if you're curious why don't you just ask her?" Thor asks.
"I don't want to pry into her life or bring up old, painful memories," Loki says.
"Well, I am sure she would tell you, you need only to ask," Thor says, walking off the balcony. Patting Loki on the shoulder on his way out.
Loki stands on the balcony and thinks for a few moments before heading back to your room.

Before entering your room he goes into his. He changes into sweatpants and a T-shirt. He grabs a few books and heads back to your room.
As he enters he notices you aren't in the bed.
"Claire?" he calls out, placing his books on the dresser. The room is silent.
He hears a faint groan coming from the bathroom. The door is slightly cracked.
He lightly knocks on the door.
"Claire?" he says.
He can hear you groan on the other side.
He pushes the door open to find you sitting on the floor against the wall.
You look pale and slightly sweaty.
"What are you doing down there?" He asks, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms.
"I thought I was going to be sick. False alarm, but I kind of got stuck down here," you say trying to smile.
"Would you like some help?" Loki asks, grinning at you,
"In a minute," you say, leaning your head back on the wall.
Loki sits in the doorway his back against the door frame.
"You don't have to sit here with me," you say, watching Loki sit.
"I don't have anything better to do," he says, looking at you, smiling.
You attempt to smile back.
You both sit in silence for a few moments.
"Claire, may I ask you something?" Loki says, breaking the silence.
"Anything," you say to him.
"What happened to you while you were with Hydra?"  he asks.
You weren't expecting him to ask that question. You shift your weight a little.
"Why the sudden curiosity?" you ask, unsure if you want to bring up the memories.
Loki looks at you,
"Something you said this morning, about it not being the first time you have broken bones. I know you have been through a lot, and you don't need to tell me if you are uncomfortable. I would just like to know more about you and your past is all," he says.
You let out a deep sigh, slightly wincing from the pain in your side.
"When they kidnapped me I never knew what day it was, let alone what year it was. The days ran together a lot. I did know they had me for years, at least three or four. I was there before Bucky, they kept me frozen until after he was found and trained " you begin to explain.
"I was locked in a cell most the time. When I wasn't in the cell, I was having experiments done on me. Their favorite was injecting me with a different serum and observing how my body reacted. When they did I would shut down. Allow my mind to go to another place. Before my parents were killed I made it very hard for them to control me. As many times as I could, I would try to get away from them, but they broke me," you say, looking at Loki. Tears begin to form in your eyes. You look down at your hands
"Um, " you say, your voice cracking. You attempt to wipe away your tears before they are noticeable. You clear your voice and shift your weight before you continue;
"When I fought back they would lock me in my cell for days. They wouldn't bring food or water. They would keep me up. Make me fight with little energy, causing the many breaks. When my memories would return they would shock me into forgetting. Sometimes so hard it would cause fractures. One time blowing both my eardrums. There was a time, in the end, I was willing to take my own life. Death would have been better than another day with them. They froze me before I could go through with it," you wipe a tear from your cheek.
Loki is watching you. You look up and notice. You clear your throat,
"You know, I think I'm good now. Would you mind helping me up? you ask, changing the subject
Loki stands,
"Of course," he says. Pulling you up off the floor. As you stand you try to avoid eye contact.
Loki lifts your chin so your eyes can meet. He leans in and kisses you, gently.
"What was that for?" you ask.
"No reason. Claire, I am glad you chose to live," he says, brushing your cheek.
"Me too," you say, smiling.
He helps you back to the bed.
The rest of the night the two of you spend watching old movies and talking.
It's late when the both of you fall asleep.