In-between Love Sweat And Tears (Loki Short Stories And One Shots)

The Day Before

Loki's POV

Why was this happening again? The first time he's actually dreamed in a while, and all over again it's an absolute nightmare. All of his past actions that resulted in pain or death for others. Him being tortured by Thanos. Odin telling him of his actual birthright. Everything he has to relive in his own mind hurts him. It's a whirlwind of bad memories hitting him repeatedly, and he's almost certain that he can't wake up until it's done with him.

"It'll be okay, Loki."

Your voice, as soft and melodic as ever to him, instantly quiets the storm he's enduring. He only needs to turn around to see you, and instantly he's closing the gap between you. You smile up to him and take his hands in yours, giving him the warmth that he is accustomed to, addicted to. He wants to relax, to be able to hold you in his arms and tell you how much he loves you, but something is stopping him.

Everything is suddenly changing, too fast. It's too quick for him, and the warmth in your touch is gone. He blinks only once, but your smile, the love in your eyes are both gone.

Blood.

Blood so strikingly crimson, is dripping from the corner of your mouth. Covering the parts of your bare skin in messy splatters. You're so close to him, but he isn't holding your hands anymore. You say his name, but so silently that he only sees the movement of your lips. He looks down slowly, and his own eyes widen with shock and turmoil.

He's holding the three-pronged dagger that you had been stabbed with before, the hilt pressed up against your stomach as the blades themselves were plunged deep within your body. He jerks his hand away, and in an instant the dagger itself is also ripped out.

"She's your weakness. All she has to do is die."

These aren't his words, nor yours. But as you reach out for him and fall forward, he catches you. He's screaming your name, trying to wake you, to keep the warmth in your body from fading out.

"It's not so hard, is it? She's just a human, after all."

From out of the corner of his left side, he sees him.

Khao grins, and looks at you instead of Loki, scratching under his chin. "I hate to say that I can't even actually take over your body, it's hard to even get to this part of your mind. I'll find a way back to her one day, but if you just give her to me now, you can carry on without worrying for a mortal ever again. Wouldn't that be easier than tying yourself down, Loki? At least here, it's easy to kill her, even if it's just a dream for now."

---

Loki sits up abruptly with a panicked breath, his ears seeming to have ringing in them as he clutches at his chest. His heart is beating roughly in his ribcage, and for a moment he can't even focus. Not until he feels your hands cupping his face, your eyes wide with worry and concern for him as you're mouthing his name repeatedly. His hearing slowly comes back, before he's staring at you in fear and disbelief. Without saying anything to you, he checks you all over for something, anything that would indicate that you had been hurt by him.

--- Your POV

You had woken up suddenly, overly groggy as your vision was too bleary for a moment. You try to look at the clock on the wall ahead of you, blinking a few times until you can read it properly. 2:56 AM. Why had you woken up so late at night? Or, really early in the morning? You look down as you feel why, realizing that Loki basically had you in a death grip with his arm snaked around your waist. You Carefully twist around so that you can face him, and you study his face as you know right off the bat that something is wrong.