Dog Days

Chapter 75

After about two and a half hours of my phone buzzing, there's a knock on the front door and I hear Hela call out "Thor?"

I can't muster the energy to respond as she steps into the room and asks "Thor, are you alive?"

I sniffle and she sighs in relief, before she declares "There's someone here to see you."

I take in a deep breath and sigh "I don't want visitors, Hela. I want to be alone."

She gives me a soft smile "She says she's a friend of Loki's."

Natasha steps into the room in black leggings, a black jacket, and a red shirt. She carries a messenger bag across her chest and she speaks softly "Hey, Thor. Long time, no see."

I sigh and break the shell of frozen muscle I've been laying in. My joins crack as I push myself into a sitting position. I lean back, numbly, on the wall, only to ask "What are you doing here?"

Hela sighs and walks down the hallway to my study as Natasha states "I've been trying to call you."

I take a deep breath, only to state "I didn't have my phone on me."

She hums, before opening her messenger bag to pull out her laptop "We thought you were dead. With that many attempts to contact you-"

I sigh "He's dead, Natasha." She cocks an eyebrow to me and I remark "There's no reason to pick up the phone for a deadman."

I sit there, emotionlessly numb, as she asks "What have you been doing, all morning?"

I take in a deep breath and remark "Same thing I was doing when you walked in. Laying on the ground."

She sighs "So I'm guessing, by the shattered TV in your living room, you didn't watch the news, this morning?"

As she clicks around on her computer, I declare "Not a single glimpse."

She hands the computer to me as Hela walks in with my duffel and starts packing a bag. Natasha orders "Watch this."

I read the headline, immediately "The Variant crashes into America at US Mexico Border."

In confusion, I sit there, only to hear a news reporter announcing "This just in. Breaking News at US Mexico Border, this morning. He stole our hearts with his backstory, and suffering. Presumed dead, military operative, known as The Variant, comes home with a bang. That's right, folks, he crashed into a border patrol booth, shortly after eight o'clock, this morning, in Texas. Here's the video footage from the patrol booth."

It skips over to a black and white camera, and all you see is this massive rusty gas truck with no doors, barreling towards the booth. Last second, a person tucks and rolls out of the slowly moving truck. He immediately gets down on his one good knee.

The audio is grainy, but he holds his hands in the air and screams "I'm The Variant! Loki Laufeyson! The brakes were malfunctioning! I'm just trying to get home! I've been driving for four days! I need you to call your commander and get my people, here, now!"

I recognize his voice, instantly. I close the laptop and look to her "He's alive?"

She nods, before remarking "I told you that he could handle himself." I sigh and she explains "Steve was on the jet that picked him up. He's in New York, right now." I give her a confused look and she explains "We have a guy up there that works wonders in medical advancements. He's in surgery, right now. He was asking about you, so here I am."

I give her a confused look and she explains "I think he tried to call you from Steve's phone." I'm on my feet, immediately, walking out into the living room to find my phone.

As soon as I open it, I find my voicemail box is full. Banner called a couple times. Natasha called over a hundred times. And Rogers called four times."

I have two voicemails from him. As I listen to the first, it's just Steve screaming "Call me!"

The second one sends cold chills of joy through me as I hear his soft accent "Hey, Thor. It's not Steve. It's Loki. I don't know if you've seen the news, but I would assume not, because you haven't picked up. Anyway..." he sounds a little sad as he sighs "I'm not dead. I kinda spent the last four days with one hand on the steering wheel and the other pouring gas directly into the carburetor of a truck. Surprised that didn't kill me, but yeah, I'm alive... I miss you. I might not hear from you before I go under, or after... but, it would be nice to hear your voice."

The voicemail ends and I take a deep breath, before looking to Natasha "He's already in surgery?"

She gives a short nod, and I sigh, before she explains "There's a SUV waiting on us to take us to the airport. We have a jet waiting to take us to New York. Should be there when he gets out."

I stare at her for a moment, before realizing "I need to shower! I haven't showered in days!"

She sighs "Yeah, I can tell. Make it quick, Odinson. I want to be there as much as you do."

As I walk past Hela, she hands me clothes and I start to shower. I practically rip off my clothes on the way to get into the still freezing shower. As I scrub my scalp with shampoo, Hela busts through the bathroom door and I hiss "Hela! What the fuck?"

She starts throwing stuff in the bag as she speaks to herself "Medication, hairbrush, eye saline. Prosthetic storage thing. Eyepatch, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste."

I sigh "I'm going to need those last three."

She nods as I start washing my hair out in the barely warm water. She looks around for a moment, before asking "Am I forgetting something?"

She charges out of the room with the door wide open, announcing "Phone charger!"

I push the door shut through the shower curtain, only before she comes sprinting back into the bathroom "Beard trimmers! You look fine, now, but how long are you going to be there?"

As I lather my body, I hiss "Hela! A little fucking privacy?"

She rummages through my drawer and pulls out my cologne "That smells nice." She also tosses a bar of face wash in, before walking back out.

She still leaves the door wide open. I slam it through the shower curtain. Before I can even finish washing off, she opens the door, again. I sigh "What do you want, now?"

She fills a glass of water and orders "Take this, after you're done. It's your Diazepam."

She actually closes the door this time. As the water finally gets hot, I turn it off and hop out of the shower.

I quickly dry off and put on deodorant. Then, I change into new socks, underwear, jeans, and a sweater. After brushing my teeth, I down the pill and step out of the bath with the rest of my toiletries. As I toss them in my bag, Hela hands it over and whispers "I put some weed in there, too. Just in case."

I give her a soft smile as I slide my phone into my pocket "Thank you, Hela."

She smiles "Go get him, Tiger. I got your cubs until you come home." She narrows her gaze at me "You better come home."

I give her a tired smile "Hopefully, I won't be alone." As I step into my boots, I remind "Magni gets his eyes washed out three times a day. The one eye is glassed over, so there's no chance at fixing it. The other is nice and orange, so we might still be able to save some sight."

As I finish tying my boots, she remarks "I can handle it. Go get him."

I give her a soft hug, before I look to Natasha "Lead the way."