A Tale of Mischief and Mutants part 2

Always Have You

—-Thor—-

As I'm searching the halls for any doctor that looks particularly non threatening I get a phone call. -'Roz'- I freeze not knowing what I'm going to say. 'All of a sudden she contacts me now?!' 'The second she hears that my brother's been found, the second the situation's resolved she's finally reaching out?!' 'I needed her yesterday or a week ago yet she calls now!' I pick up the phone mid ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Thor I heard your brother was found are we still on for our 2 month anniversary tonight?"

I pause taken aback by her question. How could she possibly believe I'd still be going out to have fun when we literally just found him less than 24 hours ago?

"No, he's still in the hospital and there's still a lot to figure out. I'll need to be here when he wakes up."

"Oh come on. The hospital can take care of him for just one night. If he's sleeping he'll never even know anyway, you promised."

I cannot believe this woman.

"...where were you?"

"Huh?"

"While I was dealing with this, where were you? I called, I sent many electronic messages, you never responded. Where were you?"

She pauses as if coming up with an excuse.

"I was... busy."

'With what?' I would have understood if she'd give me a decent reason. She doesn't seem to have one or even the decency to fabricate one.

"Doing what?"

Her voice becomes smooth a voice she uses when she's trying to get her way.

"Thor, babe, I understand you're tense but you shouldn't take that out on me."

'Tense?!' 'Of course I'm tense!' 'My brother has been missing for a week and a half and apparently so has my girlfriend's sense of empathy and reason!' Instead of yelling like I want to I keep my head cool.

"Don't change the subject."

"I was just busy okay, it's none of your business."

Not even a made up excuse... 'Does she truly think me this stupid?' I grit my teeth in anger seething for a moment before going on as calmly as possible.

"You're right it's not, if you don't feel it important to at the very least respond to my messages in a crisis I don't feel it important to continue this relationship therefore it's not my business."

"Thor wai-"

*click* I end the phone call and put it on silent not wanting to give her any opportunity to manipulate me into believing she can change her mind about my brother again or that any of her behavior over the past two weeks was acceptable. I shed a tear I really thought she could end up being my queen one day but I thoroughly misjudged her character.

I shake off my emotions quickly and refocus on my task, before I can search any further though I'm bombarded by some of the Avengers who were out searching yesterday. They have many questions and I don't have all the answers but I try my best to quell their curiosity about my brother and how he's doing. I try to make it quick though because I know Sam is waiting back in Loki's room in anxiety and pain.

Luckily Strange comes across our conversation and we're able to get away when I tell him about Sam taking Loki's leg injury. He's offered to treat it and though he's certainly not a member of the staff here he's more than welcome to our supplies and equipment.

This is a relief to me because Strange is the only medical doctor I've seen Sam talk to without anxiety as she knows him from a non medical setting and his presence isn't triggering for her. We hurry off to Loki's room.

—-Loki—-

I've managed to get a grip over myself now though I'm still on edge about everything. This life I've built here on Midgard came crumbling down with two words from Sam, 'the team'. 'How can I face them again?' 'How can I possibly bear the shame of them knowing?' Another silent tear runs it's path down my cheek at the thought of loosing the only good, real friends I've ever had.

I've just gotten to a place where I felt I could actually be myself more with them but now... now they'll distance themselves from me because of my lie about what I really am. Sam says it's not true but I can't believe that, I want to truly and desperately want to, but I can't. I can't accept myself like this how could I possibly ever expect others to?

I'm so sure they'll hate this part of me because I hate this part of me, I still don't understand how Sam doesn't. Sometimes I worry she's just being kind and I'm afraid I'm making her uncomfortable but she is always so absolutely enraptured with the form whenever I'm with it that her exclamations of beauty and looks of awe simply are too genuine to be fake.

I look over Sam as she has her head leaning against me. I know something's wrong from the hidden pain in Sam's expression, in fact I'm fairly certain I know exactly what from the lack of pain in my leg. This woman was foolish enough to take an injury to suffer with from someone who was unconscious.

I feel a swell of both thankfulness and guilt over her gesture. It's a gesture someone like me is unworthy of yet a gesture Sam, who is worthy as can be, performs for me time and time again. I could never say enough to thank her for it. Somehow despite everything wrong with me here she is at my side. Her words come back to me, 'I'll always be right here'.

"I'll have you. I'll always have you."

'The others may reject me but she never will.' She nods somehow having guessed my train of thought well enough not to question my sudden statement.

"You will."