Doesn't Play Well With Tricksters

11 - Recovery

Rachael was pushing a small cart full of drinks and snacks toward the lounge when the others got back. Being the dutiful brother, Thor was already on his way to check on Loki, and beat Rachael back to the room by less than a minute.

"Loki!" His voice boomed through the room. "You're awake."

Rachael cracked a water and handed it to Loki, who eyed her for a moment before turning his attention  to the bottle. "Slowly. You're likely thirsty as hell, but gulping like that's going to make you sick."

"What happened?" Stark asked.

"I could ask the same thing." Loki coughed, his throat still very dry. "One minute I'm in that deserted city, the next I'm waking up here, feeling as if I haven't eaten in a week."

"They're calling it Storybook magic. Someone hit you with a curse literally pulled from a fairy tale." Rachael answered, taking the empty water bottle and handing him another. "Slower this time, or I'll take it from you."

"Interesting." He drawled, moving to sit up.

"Easy, brother." Thor smiled, helping him to sit up and propping pillows behind his back.

Rachael slowly inched her way toward the door, not ready to tell the others what she'd done to wake him.

"It's like you said, Rachael. He just woke up on his own." Thor beamed at her, stopping her in her tracks.

"I guess it was timed. Or maybe it was a combination of all the things we tried. Either way, he's awake now." She rambled.

"For which, I am eternally grateful."

She nodded in his direction and turned to leave.

"Sit, brother-"

"I swear, if you tell me I need to rest..." he left the threat open, leaving Thor to fill in the blanks. "There is new magic I've never encountered before being used against us. I need to find out everything I can and-"

Rachael cursed under her breath when she heard him falter. She turned to see Thor easing him into a seat again, a look of defiant determination etched across Loki's face.

She shook her head and grabbed a bowl of fruit before approaching him. "You need to take it easy for a few days. You could have died under that curse."

"Thankfully, I didn't." He accepted the bowl of fruit and popped a piece into his mouth, watching her closely.

"Give yourself a couple of days to recover and then I'll show you everything I found while you were under the spell."

He opened his mouth to protest.

"Or I can lock you out of my research, and Stark will shut you out of the computers so you can't work on it yourself, until you're given the all clear." She crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at him.

He finished the last of the fruit and set the bowl aside. "Surely my health isn't more of a concern than the welfare of the team."

"If you haven't noticed, you're a part of the team now too. And if we're going to be going against new and strange magic, chances are we're going to need someone who can wield magic." She leaned down to glare into his pretty green eyes. "Congratulations. You may have just unwillingly become our MVP."

"It's a sports metaphor." Stark answered the blank stare in Loki's eyes.

---

Two days later, Rachael stood outside the door while the team doctor looked over Loki. He'd been making progress, but was eager to get to work finding out as much as he could about the new magical threats they were facing. As the most accomplished magic weilder in all of Asgard, he was their best shot at finding out how these new strains of magic worked. And how to counter them.

She absently chewed on a nail while waiting for the doctor to give his diagnosis. On one hand, she wanted him to be free to help the team. On the other, she hoped he would be advised to stay in the tower a little longer.

It wasn't that she didn't want him at full health. She just didn't want the team at the recieving end of another strange curse.

Of course, the research she'd been doing, both while he was asleep and since he'd been in recovery, just made her even more worried.

It wasn't just Storybook magic they now needed to look out for. She'd also found rumors of biblical curses, mostly of the seven deadly sins variety, and mythical curses, the kind that turned men to stone and women to screeching demons.

She was tempted to discount some of the stories as stress induced hysteria, but with everything that had already happened, she wasn't willing to take that risk.

She needed another set of eyes. Another viewpoint. She needed someone who could see everything she did, who might be able to point out things she'd missed. She needed Loki back in commission.

She rolled her eyes and turned back toward the door just as the doctor stepped out. "News?"

"He is as stubborn as ever. Insists his Asgardian upbringing has boosted his healing in ways I couldn't possibly understand." He pinched the bridge of his nose in aggravation before continuing. "In most accounts, he's fine. His body has healed. His mind is fully functioning. He insists his command of his magic, however, is another thing entirely. He says his illusions are thin, his clones are not quite as lifelike." The doctor sighed.

"What do you mean? Are you saying you don't see the difference?"

"I'm saying there is no difference. He is fine. His magic is at full strength. He is as healthy as ever. Anything wrong with him now, is not something I can help his with." The doctor tapped his forehead meaningfully before walking away.

Rachael turned toward the door just as Loki exited, looking as downtrodden as ever.

He gave her a sad smile and started to walk past.

"Loki?" She asked hesitantly, an idea forming in her mind.

He turned and raised an eyebrow.

"I need your help with my research. Nothing too strenuous. I just need a second opinion."

He nodded and followed her toward her office.

She fiddled with the keys in her pocket, hoping her idea would work.