Whumptober 2023 ~ Marvel Edition

'I Don't Need You to Help Me, I Can Handle Things Myself.' - Loki

Day 15:

"I don't need you to help me, I can handle things myself."
Makeshift Bandages | Suppressed Suffering | "I'm fine."

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A Loki whump in honor of today being the day I got to meet the man himself :D

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Loki's shoulder hurt.

He was fairly sure he had broken it in the battle, but of course he wasn't about to let anyone else be aware of that fact. His brother, Sif, and the Warrior Three already looked down upon him; he did not need to give them yet another reason to think him weak. Loki had spent centuries building his facade, and he had no intention of breaking that anytime soon. If that meant he had to pretend he did not feel like keeling over from the intense, sharp, stabbing pain in his shoulder, then so be it. All he needed to do was keep his breathing even until they returned to the castle, and then he would be golden.

A small part of Loki knew that perhaps what he was doing was stubborn and unnecessary, but he did not care. He knew how to take care of himself - he had been doing it for long enough - so what would be the point in either giving his peers another excuse to think less of him or perhaps getting his brother worked up with concern in the process.

Besides, Loki's seiðr would heal him soon enough. He knew that seeing a healer would be the quickest and least painful way to take care of his injury, but regardless of how he went about it, he knew that one way or another, he would be healed. His way might just require a little more time and a little less comfort, but he was all right with that.

The journey through the Bifrost was quite smooth, however when they landed in Himinbjorg, the slight jolt of landing on solid ground once again was enough to send another blast of sharp pain through his shoulder, and Loki had no control over the cry that escaped his mouth.

"Loki?" Thor looked to his brother with concern. "What's wrong; are you injured?"

The trickster god silently cursed the Norns for his lack of self-control and kept his gaze on the floor as he waited for the pain to dull.

"I'm fine," Loki responded breathily.

"You don't seem very fine," Fandral pointed out.

"Well, I am," Loki insisted, shooting him a glare that told him to keep his thoughts to himself, before returning his gaze to the floor.

Thor's brows furrowed in concern. How badly had his brother been hurt? And why hadn't he said anything sooner? Thor took a few steps towards Loki. "Here, let me see it."

Loki scowled, carefully grabbed a hold of his shoulder as if protecting it, and turned his shoulder away. The movement caused it to flare up once again, but Loki did a better job hiding his reaction this time around. He had to hold his breath to do so, but whatever worked, right?

"I said I am fine," Loki insisted. "Let's just get back to the castle."

"Brother, you are hurt. If you would just let me look at it, perhaps I could help you," Thor offered. If he was as injured as he seemed, riding their horses back to the castle would prove a most difficult task.

"I don't need you to help me, I can handle things myself, thank you very much."

Thor frowned, but he shook his head in defeat. "If you must insist on suffering needlessly, then fine. At least go see a healer when we return."

Loki did not say anything in response, but the look on his brother's face told Thor that his words were falling on deaf ears. Thor did not know why Loki insisted on refusing any sort of help the way he always tended to do, but the god of thunder had learned over the centuries not to question it. He would always offer his assistance, but if Loki did not want to take it, then that was on Loki, not Thor. Thor could only handle so much of his brother's stubbornness before his toleration reached its limits.

Though Loki was relieved his brother had dropped the subject, a part of him was a little hurt that he had. He knew it was stupid - after all, he had been the one pushing for it - but deep down in a part of himself he would never let see the light of day, he almost wished his brother wouldn't have given up so easily, or perhaps maybe even at all.

Without another word, the six Asgardians left Himinbjorg and set off for the castle. As expected, the bumpy ride back did not do Loki's shoulder any favors. Every step his horse took was a painful reminder of his failure in battle. He only hoped they would get back soon so that he could disappear to the confines of his personal chambers and finally give his injury the attention it deserved, away from any judgmental eyes.

When they finally arrived at the front gate, Loki's body flooded with relief. He carefully dismounted his horse and the moment he was able to, he took off from the others, into the castle and towards his chambers. The moment he stepped through the entryway, Loki closed the door behind him and let out a relieved sigh.

Now that he was alone, Loki wasn't afraid to let it show on his face just how much pain he was actually in. As long as he kept it completely still the pain was fairly tolerable, but unfortunately for him, those moments were very few and far between. Loki couldn't wait to get comfortable in his bed. Perhaps then he would finally get some relief for more than a few moments at a time.

Not wanting to deal with the consequences of trying to get his armor and clothing off himself in his current condition, Loki used his magic to take off everything above his waist and stepped in front of his mirror to finally see the damage that had been done to his shoulder.

The moment his reflection became visible, Loki's eyes widened and he let out a small, involuntary gasp. His skin was a mixture of reds, blues, and purples, and though he could not tell underneath his armor, in the mirror he could clearly see that his shoulder was quite swollen. The skin just below the swelling was torn and the blood that coated his shoulder trailed down to his bicep. The sight made Loki swallow nervously and a shaky breath escaped his lips. Perhaps he should have gone to a healer when Thor suggested it. Loki shook his eyes and averted his gaze from the mirror. He didn't need a healer; though it was slow coming, he could feel his seiðr working to fix the damage. Sure it didn't look pleasant, but he was healing. He would however definitely have to wrap up his open wound for the time being.

Looking around his room, Loki searched for something he could use to wrap his injury. His first thought was a blanket, but that would be too large for its intended purpose. His cape, of course. It was still a bit bigger than he would have hoped for, but it was his best option. He could use his magic to take away the blood stains later, if he needed to, so that was one less thing he had to worry about.

Loki summoned his cape to his hand and began gently wrapping his shoulder in the green fabric. It was long enough that with the yard or so of extra fabric, he was able to create a makeshift sling for his arm so that he could better keep it still. Content with his handiwork, Loki carefully got himself settled into his bed and for the first time in hours, he was able to relax.

Now he just hoped Thor had not decided to go off and tell their parents of his injury, because at the very least, Frigga would most definitely come to check on him, and right now he just needed to be alone.

He just wanted to be able to deal with the consequences of his weakness in peace; was that too much to ask for?