Fix You (Loki Romance)

Chapter 21

Day Four

"Lo? How ya feelin'?"

Loki lifted his head with a pained groan. All over he was incredibly sore. As he opened his mouth to reply, he felt the cut on his lower lip split open. He winced and let his head fall back onto the mattress.

Ebony's gentle hands flipped him over and began applying a cooling salve to his cuts and bruises. He groaned in relief but couldn't muster up more energy to thank her. He heard her laugh softly.

"I told you not to do it. Odin's going to kill you."

They had been leaving Navid's tavern after visiting the family when a man, similarly leaving, had pushed past Ebony. She had stumbled forward and would have fallen had Loki not grabbed her.

"Teach your whore to move aside for her superiors, Jotun."

Ebony had gripped his arm, trying to keep him quiet. "Don't."

"It's one thing to speak against me." He growled. "But I won't have your honor tarnished by the likes of him."

He's rounded on the man without another word, striking him in the jaw as hard as he could. The resulting brawl had left him sprawled in the street, overflowing with pain. But there wasn't an ounce of regret.

Trying to soothe the pain, Ebony packed ice on the worst bruises and rubbed a cooling salve on the others. As she rolled him over, Loki looked at her through the slit that was his left eye. His right was swollen shut.

She laughed. Leaning over him, she cupped his cheeks and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "My knight in shining armor. I didn't know the princess was supposed to patch him up later."

She kissed him as gently as she could, trying not to hurt him any further. "I love you." She said.

Loki pushed himself up, groaning as he collapsed again. A steel-toed boot slammed into his ribs. He choked, coughing. The boot flipped him over; Loki tried to turn back. Blood bubbled up in his mouth and he spit it out. It landed with a warm splat over his chest. His ribs throbbed under the pressure. Thanos paused as a knock rang through the stone room. The door opened and in was dragged the god of gods, Odin. Thanos smiled and bowed mockingly.

"Ah, All-Father! I wondered if you would be joining us. Come in, come in!"

The Other pulled Odin's weak and battered body by the front of his bloodstained shirt. Loki pushed himself to his feet, desperation making him forget his own injuries. Odin was dropped on the stone floor, where he remained unmoving. Loki knelt beside him, his pounding heart roaring in his ears and his lungs heaving for a breath of air that wouldn't fill him with panic.

"Odin?" He cried. "Odin! Father, look at me! Look at me!" He shook Odin by his lapels until the All-Father's dazed and empty gaze fell on him. "What happened? What did they do?"

"You killed him." Odin whispered. His blank stare slowly morphed into horror and terror. "You... Why Loki?"

"What?" Loki's hands loosened until Odin fell back onto the floor. Odin pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and tried, painfully, inch by inch, to get away from Loki.

"You killed Baldr." He said. "You knew what that would mean for us and yet you killed him." He looked up at the Other. Pointing with hands he barely had the strength to lift, he pointed to the servant. "He came to take you away. And he told you to kill them. And you..."

Loki shook his head. "I don't understand."

Thanos' massive hand landed on his shoulder. "You'll have to forgive him, All-Father. His guilt has been so great that he's blocked the memory. You killed Baldr for me, Loki, don't you recall? It was to be your redemption. To bring Asgard to its knees for me. But even that you couldn't manage. You tried to save your wife, despite my orders. That's why I had her killed."