Broken Beyond Repair

Chapter 12

After a goodnight kiss and a promise to return soon, Frigga goes back to Asgard, leaving Wanda, Pietro, and Thor to put Loki to bed. Loki's half-asleep — he'd been entirely asleep until Frigga had to wake him up to say goodnight — so Pietro decides it's easier just to carry him to bed. Wanda brings the wheelchair with them anyway for tomorrow.

Tony shows them to Loki's new room, and he waits in the hall while Wanda and Pietro put Loki to bed. Thor stands in the doorway, watching but giving them space. Pietro lies Loki down in bed, and he curls up on his side, hugging his legs to his chest.

"Is this okay?" Pietro asks. "Are you comfortable?"

Loki doesn't respond.

"I will take that as a 'yes.'"

Wanda kneels down by the side of the bed, eye-level with the god. "Pietro and I will be across the hall," she tells him. "Try to rest. We will come back in the morning."

Loki just looks at her.

"Goodnight, Loki," she says quietly. She stands up and presses a kiss to his cheek.

When Wanda steps away, Pietro takes her place, kneeling down by Loki's side right where Wanda had been. "Sleep well," he says. "Enjoy your new big bed. It will be much more comfortable than the floor. I promise."

When they're sure that Loki's situated, they leave him be. They keep the door closed, blocking out any extraneous sounds that could bother him throughout the night. Then they all gather outside the door, next to not only Loki's room but the Maximoff's and Thor's, too. Thor insisted on staying near his brother, so their rooms are all adjacent to each other's. Wanda's not entirely sure it's a good idea to have Thor so close, but she gave up arguing pretty quickly. He's been pretty good about not hovering over them. She can at least give him this.

"And you guys are sure he's going to be okay in there alone," Tony says cautiously.

"He has always slept alone," Wanda says. "I do not know that he would want to change that."

"I think he will enjoy the quiet," Pietro adds.

"Do you think he would rather sleep with you?" Thor asks.

Wanda furrows her brows. "Did he not sleep alone when you knew him?" It's not the weirdest thing she's heard about what Loki used to be like, but she can't really imagine...

"Well, no, he did..." Thor says.

"Then there should be no problem," Wanda says. "Loki is used to being alone. It is not always a bad thing, and he will like the quiet while he sleeps." It's possible that she's wrong, but until this week, he'd always wake up when Wanda and Pietro were with him. She assumes that means he prefers to sleep alone, though it's possible he just wanted to make the most of their visits when they were with HYDRA. Hopefully they'll find out soon enough.

"Okay," Thor says. "I trust that you know what you're doing."

It's not long after that when they go their separate ways, and Wanda and Pietro check out their new bedroom. (Tony offered to give them separate rooms, but they've slept in the same room for nearly as long as they can remember. They're not going to give that up just because there are dozens of empty rooms in the tower.) It's right across the hall from Loki's, so she doesn't find herself at all worried, about him or themselves.

The twins both climb into their beds, and Wanda covers herself with a light blanket, not because it's cold but because she sleeps better when she has a blanket to cuddle with. She didn't realize how tired she was until she laid down. It's been a very long few days.

"I feel like I am inside the bed," Pietro says.

Wanda can't help but laugh at the absurdity of that statement. "What?"