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sorrowslament · 1 year

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//This is a fic from an au where Maglor is Melkor's son, Melkor pretended to be Nerdanel, and got taken and raised in Angband by Melkor.

Macalaure stared at the redheaded elf sleeping on a narrow dingy cot. He eyed him curiously, there were so few elves in Angband that he was permitted to come in contact with. With a quick glance towards the workshop of that Wretch his mother was fond of Macalaure slipped into the cell, deftly weaving through the bars in his feline form. Lightly he leapt onto the bed and sniffed curiously at the elf’s face and hands. When he noticed silver eyes watching him he meowed softly and rubbed his cheek against one of the hands silently requesting to be showered with affection.

Slowly almost as though the elf expected him to transform and attack him or something, long fingers started to rub against his head and ears. Curling against his chest Macalaure started purring happily. Those fingers found just the right places and the elf, under the muck and reek of the dungeons, smelled wonderful. It was enough that he was going to demand him be left in his care once he left.

A sharp tang of metal and fire came from the hallway and the fingers froze, the elf tensing in anticipation for a moment before the wretch left. Macalaure purred smugly as he knew he’d gone unnoticed. It was a new trick he’d been toying with since his mother had been giving others more attention, seemed more worried, and now it paid off because he could continue to enjoy his elf and the attention he was getting.

Giving a small disgruntled sound he bumped the hand with his head and looked at his face curious once more. The elf looked frightened and upset, not frightened of what the Wretch could do to him but of something else and when Macalaure licked his cheek he seemed to jump.

“Sorry,” The elf murmured and Macalaure purred a little louder, enjoying his voice. It sounded nice, not loud or harsh and that alone was well worth the anger he may face when his mother learned he came here.

He went almost boneless as those lovely fingers started running through his fur again.

The elf chuckled and looked at him affectionately while he seemed to think about something. “I think I’ll call you Cana if that’s okay.”

Pleased he rubbed his head against him and the elf laughed softly, fingers curling to scratch under his chin gently. “I wouldn’t expect them to let any animals in here… but maybe you’re just special.”

Feeling a particular tug Macalaure sighed and stood getting ready to leave. The fear and worry on his elf’s face displeased him so he hopped up and rubbed his cheek against his for a moment before leaving. He made his way through the halls, easily dodging the Balrogs and others who sometimes chose to try and treat him as a pest in this form. As he neared the Throne Room he slipped back into an elven form between one torch lit area and the next before entering the room.

“I was beginning to wonder if you had gone for another distant flight, Macalaure.”

“Not at all mother, I was finding something to entertain myself with.”

“Did you succeed then?”

“Yes. I want the redhead elf.”

“Macalaure.”

“If you can keep your redhead I would like one of my own and I don’t want any of his spawn.”

A sigh and the impatient but tolerant look he’d grown somewhat used to receiving by now. It had gotten worse since mother had returned so abruptly with those glowing jewels of his, but when he squared his shoulders and met mother’s eyes he could see the amusement that overlaid the impatience and was a little thrilled to think he may get his elf without having to fight for him.

“Mairon wants him.”

“He wants and gets everything. I want that elf and I will have him.”

It was a promise, one they both heard and mother shook his head.

“He has already-”

“No. The elf is mine.”

Mother seemed very annoyed by his cutting in while he was speaking but watched him coolly.

“Mairon was promised-”

“I couldn’t care less what you promised him. You told me that when you got back I could ask for anything I wished, and now I am telling you I want that elf.”

There was a long pause then mother gave a single nod. “Very well. I hope you know what you are asking for.”

“If you are referring to his tantrum when he discovers I took his ‘toy’ then yes. If you are talking about the elf, then I suppose I will find out.”

“You will indeed. Now I called you to go survey the lands to the east, I am waiting to see if there is anything new moving around there.”

“Of course. While I am away-”

“Your pet will be cared for.”

Macalaure smiled at his mother and bowed deeply before leaving. He could already imagine the fury that the Wretch would feel learning that he lost his toy and was smugly thinking of how he would be able to learn from and care for the elf. If nothing else then he would surely be more entertaining than the orcs and Balrogs. As Macalaure stepped outside he shifted once more, growing to his dragon form and taking flight. Feeling the air around him he internally smirked thinking that here too was something that the Wretch would never understand and know, but it was something which mother knew and perhaps one day he would bring his elf here to enjoy the clear air. For now though he had a job to do and as he rose in the air Macalaure flew to the east, towards the mountain he often used for surveillance of those lands.

#legends for the future || mun's writing

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fueledbysprite · 6 years

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Chocolate for Love, Chocolate for Hate

Happy (early) Valentine’s Day ya saps! Just thought I’d share a bit of Chlonath to sweeten up this already cavity-worthy occasion, but who doesn’t love fluff?

Based off of @powerdragonmoon‘s Buzzkill AU, but much more lighthearted and aged-down.

When most people think of Valentine’s Day, what comes to mind is a sappily sweet occasion to watch awkward love blossom between cute amateurs, else a sickeningly cheesy day that was better off removed from the calendar. Kim would shudder and change the subject, and Alix would stick a finger down her throat and gag, while Rose would coo and Marinette would nervously approach Adrien, who would respond with a wholehearted hug and kiss. But some people would remember this one as something a little different...

Exactly a year since Dark Cupid humiliated the resident mean girl and six months from the day Le Grand Paris hotel shook with the wretched scream of a blonde heiress’ discovery that a foreign antique among her precious hair accessories was infested by a yellow chibi fuzzball, Hawk Moth - still bitter about the anniversary of another failure and the overall existence of the commemoration of a saint (better known as Valentine’s Day) - released his first power duo, a couple who were each thoroughly convinced of the other’s infidelity.

In any case, Chloe had never been particularly interested in Valentine’s Day. The concept that people had set aside a day to profess their affection for one another seemed farcical and generally beneath her (though she had on multiple occasions attempted to use the event to pursue her feelings for her childhood friend). All efforts proved fruitless as his heart smoothly slipped from her fingers to the clutches of the baker’s daughter, and hence Chloe had begun to despise the observance. So when she saw the news report on a pair of baddies storming the city, she considered ditching the whole operation and spending the blasted day alone in her suite with some choice romance DVDs, ignoring the annual horde of revoltingly pink cards specially addressed to her. Finally, she abandoned the 4’ screen and released herself from the hotel, hot on the woman’s trail after she left the hotel room’s windows in shards scattered all over the floor.

Queen Bee chased both villains to the Eiffel Tower, where Ladybug had finally realized that the akuma might be a bigger priority than her civilian boyfriend, and Chat Noir, too, soon discovered there wasn’t very much left for him to do. A fuming yellow-and-black-clad girl surrendered the violet butterfly that had surprisingly survived her death grip. Ladybug purified the akuma, thanked her female comrade and swooped away with a cheerful “Bug out!” Later that night, surrounded by the woes of unrequited lovers and empty boxes of truffles, it finally occurred to Chloe that this was the first time she had been able to arrive at the scene of an attack without a certain purple pest meeting her there. An appropriate dose of triumph followed this realization that she had finally shaken off that ludicrous peacock, but at the same time, she felt off, slightly shaken by the unusual shift in the custom she had grown used to over the past half-year. Chloe decided she would care more about his absence later, electing to bask in the glory of finally having championed her adversary before admitting she felt affected by the lack of his presence and the pure fun of having a competitor.

Unfortunately for her, the victory was short-lived, as was revealed to her the very next day. The school day passed by with a great deal of annoyance on her classmates’ part - apparently that emo redhead had been taking free commissions for the special occasion, and Rose, Mylene and Marinette were gushing enthusiastically over theirs. Even Kim was thanking the artist, excitedly showing his picture to Alix and Max, who smiled appreciatively. Chloe dismissed them (internally, since Pollen would have her head if she insulted them at this point) and spent the rest of school tuning out the romantic tales everyone seemed to have to tell about the previous day. It was enough to make the blonde gag, and she couldn’t have been happier when the bell finally rang and she was free from more stories about cheesy dates and rejected crushes. Of course, since her day certainly wasn’t bad enough already, guess who was waiting for her as the city’s akuma alarms blared and citizens ran every which way in desperate panic. I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t Ladybug.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t her Royal Highness. How may I serve you, oh great Queen,” he gave a mock bow before hopping back up and flashing her a smile. “Miss me?”

“You wish,” Queen Bee rolled her eyes, squaring up. Paon however, was still leaning against the wall in a stereotypical flirty way. She resisted the urge to smack that cheeky grin off his face and put her hands on her hips. “Where were you, anyways?”

“Why do you ask? Wanted to spend the day with me instead? Can’t say I blame you,” he winked and the temptation to hit him intensified.

“Whatever. I was just wondering why you turned up the opportunity to get the miraculous. I’d have thought that two villains would be the perfect chance to grab them and give them to Hawk Moth. Isn’t that what you’re trying to do?”

“Well, partly yeah. I mean, I can’t exactly keep my miraculous if I’m not following my master’s orders, can I?” he asked unconcernedly. “But also, Hawk Moth wasn’t really even trying last time.” He stepped away from the wall and closer to Chloe, blocking her view of the raging akuma behind him. “Apparently he really hates Valentine’s Day and just wanted to akumatize someone because he had nothing better to do. I was busy, anyways. Really, though, are you sure you didn’t miss me?”

“Please. I was celebrating,” she affirmed airily. “It’s so much easier being a superheroine when a moron isn’t there to distract me every single time.”

“But you were thinking about me, weren’t you,” Paon teased.

“Paon, see, Valentine’s Day is a day to spend with the people you love. So what on Earth makes you think that I’d waste it thinking about someone I hate? And what’s got you so cheery?” she asked as an afterthought; Paon was ubiquitously annoying, but he wasn’t usually this cheeky.

“Nah, I’m just really happy it’s finally over. What better way to spend the day after Valentine’s Day with your worst enemy?” he remarked.

“Uh, aren’t we supposed to be fighting right now?” Queen Bee questioned, gesturing to her combat-ready pose and fisted hands.

“I just thought I’d give you this,” he revealed a box of cheap chocolate. The discount store sticker was still stuck on the cover - a passive-aggressive way of expressing his regard for her. Well, the bee-themed superheroine decided, two can play at this game.

She snatched the box from his hands, tore it open, and selected the best truffle for herself. Paon raised an eyebrow, reaching for the second-best.

“Ah, ah, ah,” she chastised, wagging a finger in his face. “Mine.”

Paon chuckled and grabbed a handful, stuffing them into his mouth before Queen Bee held the box up high. He jumped for it, but she smiled smugly and raised herself to her tiptoes so the shorter couldn’t reach.

“I hate you so much,” he told her, still reaching for it.

“I hate you more,” she smirked as he gave up, crossing his arms and sticking out his tongue.

“Not as much as me,” he promised, punching her arm weakly.

She grinned at him through a mouthful of dark cherry cordial, and they commenced a chase from building to building for the sweets.

Ladybug and Chat Noir stood atop city hall where a de-corrupted civilian and a white butterfly ad recently vacated the area, watching the chase.

“They’ll never change,” Chat smiled, before pulling out his own box of significantly more exquisite truffles, offering them to his Lady. She accepted, popping one into her mouth and leaning into his chest as they lowered to the platform. He wrapped an arm around her waist and she sighed contentedly.

“I love you, Kitty,” she whispered.

“I love you too Bugaboo,” he murmured, and the two sat together sharing their chocolate and watching another pair of lovebirds who were still in denial of their obvious attraction, racing across the rooftops of the City of Love.

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abbeyofcyn · 8 months

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Wretched little pests AU

@wretched-little-pests-au

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt donnie #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt leo #my art #rottmnt mikey #wretched little pests au #wlp au #quick comic I made several days ago #just to get some ideas out on paper #disaster twins

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noxvee6 · 8 months

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A little something I drew for the @wretched-little-pests-au >:)

#rottmnt #rottmnt fanart #wretched little pests au #rottmnt au #rottmnt leo #rottmnt mikey #noxvee art #sept 2023 #my treasures #nox rise art

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spacemimz · 8 months

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"Pieces of Myself"

Full version under the cut (TW: blood, slight gore, depiction of wounds)

#rottmnt #rottmnt fanart #rottmnt au #rottmnt michelangelo #wretched little pests au #rottmnt wlp au #wlp au #wlp Mikey #tw blood #tw wounds #mike's art

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hymn2000 · 6 years

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Called To Be A Rock - Frostiron feat. Spiderson AU fanfic - C2

Chapter 1

Comments/reviews/questions welcome as always

Overall Desc.: Peter is staying with Tony and Loki one summer while his aunt is away working/travelling.

Chapter Desc.: Loki is getting used to having Peter around and is becoming more friendly towards him. However, bad decisions and clumsy communication leads to a bit of an incident

Ship(s) involved: Tony x Loki aka Frostiron

Verse: Personal AU

Ongoing Warnings/themes/cw mentions: violence, mild e.d., medical, illness

Chapter 2/? - In His Anger And His Shame

When Tony and Peter returned home in the evening, both feeling worn out after their long day, the house was dark. Tony switched the lights on and went to seek out his partner, who was found, as expected, in his window seat. He had his nose buried in another book and had his music playing through the speakers beside the dolphin bowl.

“Evening” Tony said, sitting down beside him. “Good book?”

“Not especially” Loki replied, setting it down. “Good day?”

“Long day. It’s been a bit full on” he nodded towards Peter. “We’re going to order a Chinese. What do you fancy? Just the usual?”

“Thank you, but I’m not hungry” As he said it, his stomach growled for everyone to hear. His cheeks flushed pink despite himself.

“Liar” Tony laughed at him. “C’mon, aren’t you ready for something to eat yet?”

Loki shook his head. “I don’t want anything”

He picked his book back up. Tony raised an eyebrow at Peter. “Alright, well, if you’re sure”

“You should order it anyway” Peter said, once they'd left Loki and were sat in the kitchen. “What does he usually have?”

“What does it matter? There’s no point buying something that’ll go to waste” Tony said, putting the takeaway menu down.

“It won’t go to waste. I’ll make him eat” Peter said determinedly. “I got him to have that hot chocolate, didn’t I?”

“I think that’s a different ball game” Tony mumbled, raising an eyebrow. “Fine, we’ll order for him too, but I think it’ll be a waste”

“I’ll make him have it, I swear”

Tony sighed. “If you manage to get him to eat, I’ll give you fifty dollars” he placed the wager, knowing his money would be safe.

Peter nodded. “Fine. Get your wallet ready”

Once the takeaway arrived, Peter took his and Loki’s order to the room with the reading nook while Tony stayed in the lounge with his laptop.

Loki was a little irritated when the door opened, and irritated more still when Peter climbed onto the window seat with him. The teen pulled open the takeaway containers, pushing a couple with a set of cutlery towards Loki.

“Here. Chicken fried rice and chow mein. Tony said that’s what you usually have”

“I said I didn’t want anything” Loki snapped. “You’re an interfering little wretch, did you know?”

“Well you’ve got it anyway, so eat it” Peter said, ignoring his scathing remark and sitting back with his own food. He gestured towards the speaker with his fork. “What are you listening to?”

“Well, maybe if you’d shut up you’d find out” he grumbled.

Peter sighed, returning to his meal for a while. Before too long, Loki’s stomach growled again, causing him to suck his breath with the pain of it. Peter moved his stuff aside and grabbed Loki’s fork and chow mein.

“I swear to God, I will feed you like a baby if you’re gonna keep being silly” he said.

“You most certainly will not!” Loki scoffed.

“Well, I’m gonna have to if you won’t do it yourself” he knelt up properly, raising the fork.

Loki grabbed his wrist quickly, and then grabbed him under the chin.

“You” he growled. “Are a pest”

He let him go and snatched the fork and container from him. He started to eat with the main intention of shutting the boy up. Peter sat back triumphantly. He’d just won himself $50.

Peter took the empty containers out to the kitchen and then went off to find Tony. When he found him, he gave him a poke.

“Right, pay up. I’ve won the bet” he said, proudly.

“You’re joking” Tony said in disbelief, looking up from his work. “How the hell..?”

Peter grinned at him. “I said I would”

Tony reached for his wallet and somewhat reluctantly handed over the promised fifty.

“You’re something else entirely”

He meant it as a compliment, and Peter took it as such.

The next day, Peter bumped into Loki in the kitchen getting himself a drink.

“Hello, you” Loki said. He was in a much better mood today. “I thought you were going out”

“Yeah, we decided against it today. Mr Stark has got a lot to do, yknow, emails and stuff”

“He never stops, that man”

“Mr Loki, sir? Can I have a look at your dagger”

Loki was a little surprised: the request seemed to be a little random. But even so, he took out his dagger and handed it over. “Don’t cut yourself”

“Woah. I didn’t realise how big it was. It’s pretty cool” he turned it over in his hand, looking carefully at all the different markings. “This is so cool”

Loki passed by him to put the juice bottle back in the fridge. He heard something out in the corridor and went to investigate. Finding it to be clear, he returned to the kitchen, deciding his mind was playing tricks on him. His presence went undetected. He went up behind the boy, who was still busy looking at the knife.

“So-”

Peter jumped violently and spun round quickly with a half-scream, arm jerking - and the dagger plunged deep into the left of Loki’s stomach.

They both stopped in shock, as if in freeze frame.

“Ok..” Loki seized the dagger, and in a moment of error, pulled it out. “Oh. I shouldn’t have done that-”

The dagger dropped to the ground with a clatter, and Loki very nearly followed it, but caught himself with the help of the breakfast bar before he could fall. With difficulty, he pulled himself up onto the stool by the counter, clutching himself. Peter broke out of his current state of shock.

“I-I-I’m so sorry Mr Loki! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I didn’t mean-” he gabbled, half screaming, looking around frantically. He grabbed a tea towel and pressed it against Loki’s stomach, trying to stem the bleed but shaking too much to do any good. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Mr Stark!! Mr Stark, help!”

“I thought we were starting to get along” Loki said. He placed both hands over Peter’s, pressing hard.

“I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Peter was now in tears, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “You made me jump, it just kind of happened!”

“I’m fine. I’ll be fine” Loki said, but he was quite obviously not. He’d started shaking worse than Peter, and had turned deathly pale.

Peter started to really panic as he felt Loki’s grip on his hand weaken and noticed his pale waxy pallor.

“MR STARK!” he screamed at the top of his voice. “MR STARK! MR STARK, PLEASE!!”

The message carried, and within moments Tony burst into the kitchen. The first thing he saw was red - the bloodied dagger on the floor, the bloody hand prints on the breakfast bar, the blood soaking Loki’s shirt and shorts.

Loki.

For what felt like an eternity, Tony didn’t move as he tried to comprehend the scene that greeted him. When he came to his senses, he sprung into action.

“What have you done!?”

“I-it was an accident!” Peter cried.

Tony pushed him out of the way and quickly clamped his own hand down over the blood-soaked tea towel against the gushing wound. Peter stood back, trembling, looking at his bloody hands.

“What were you thinking?! Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to play with knives? How could you be so stupid?!”

“T-Tony” Loki cut in. “It wasn’t his fault... I’m fine”

“No you’re not!” Tony shouted. “Why do you always say that at times when you’re so obviously not? I need to call Banner. I need to get him down here. You’re gonna be ok, you’re gonna be ok”

“Mr, Mr Stark, should I call 99-”

“Get out of here” Tony interrupted. “You’ve done more than enough”

“But Mr Stark, I-”

“I said get out! You stupid, reckless kid! You can’t help here. Get to your room: I’ll deal with you later”

Peter slammed into his room, falling back against the door once he’d closed it behind him. He slid to the floor, staring at his hands. What had he done? What had he done? He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and shout and cry. How could he have done something so horrible?

He struggled up, going to the sink and turning the taps on. He felt sick as the water turned red while he washed his hands. He scrubbed until the water ran clear again before turning the taps off. He looked round the room. Nothing felt real. He felt like he’d stumbled into a dream. It had all happened so quickly. Everything was playing over in his head: Loki’s face, the blood, the screaming (all of it his), and Mr Stark...

“You stupid, reckless kid!”

The words echoed in his head. He sunk onto the bed, head in his hands. Things were never supposed to turn out like this.

Peter woke with a start as the bedroom door opened. He sat up quickly, and the afternoons events came flooding back when he saw Tony’s face.

“Is he ok?” he asked desperately.

Tony nodded grimly. “He will be”

Peter let out a sigh of relief, but tensed again when Tony closed the door and came over to him.

“What were you thinking? You’ve done some reckless things in the past, but never anything like this. You shouldn’t have had the dagger in the first place. Why-”

“Mr Stark, it was an accident!” Peter cut in, fighting back tears. “He just made me jump, he made me jump and I spun round and I had the dagger and it just, it just happened! You can’t really think I did it on purpose!”

“I think you’re deliberately missing my point” Tony said severely.

All of a sudden he started really laying into him. Peter was shocked, having never seen him like this before. It soon became frightening and overwhelming, and he couldn’t help crying, burying his face in his hands.

After a while Tony grabbed him by the shoulders, making him put his hands down and look at him. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact.

“I need to know that you’ve understood what I’ve said”

Peter nodded. “I understand, Mr Stark...”

Tony looked into the boys tear-stained face. He sighed and pulled him close. “You’re a good kid really, I know that... But you made such a dangerous mistake. I can’t ignore that”

Peter twitched a bit, and finally returned the hug. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything else. He felt so drained, emotionally and physically. But, the hot heavy feeling in his stomach was easing.

Later that evening, Peter’s door opened again.

“Loki?! Sh-should you be here?” he asked, shocked. “I-I mean, shouldn’t you be resting or something?”

Loki left the door ajar and leant against the chest of drawers. He was still very pale and a bit shaky.

“Tony won’t be happy when he finds I’m out of bed” his voice quavered. “Are you alright? I heard him shouting at you”

Peter swallowed. “What about you? Are you ok? I’m so sorry, you don’t even know”

“Well. I’ve been better. But I’ve been worse too” he smiled at him. “It was an accident: don’t worry about it so much”

Peter stood up shakily and approached him. He hesitated for a moment, and then wrapped his arms round Loki, careful to avoid touching where he’d been hurt. Loki was a little surprised.

“I’m still sorry”

A figure appeared in the doorway.

“Loki, you shouldn’t be up” Tony said gently, coming over to them. “You were stabbed, remember? You shouldn’t be pushing yourself”

“I’m fine”

“Come on, you need to rest” he carefully detached Peter from him. “That goes for you as well”

By morning, everything from the previous day finally took its toll on all three of them. Peter was exhausted by emotion and didn’t feel like doing much. Tony felt quite the same, and he stayed with Loki, who was feeling very sore and tired. It ended up being a lazy day, and the one that followed, followed the same pattern.

Three days after the dagger incident, things started to seem a bit more normal. Everyone was up and about, and Tony and Peter made themselves busy in the workshop all morning while Loki contented himself reading.

Around midday, Peter ventured back upstairs to find something to eat. He was soon distracted from his task by a loud thump down the hall. Upon investigation, he found Loki on his knees in the bathroom. He knelt by him and rubbed his back while he was dreadfully sick. His shirt was damp with sweat. It was a very raw and pained display, and for a moment it felt it would never end. But it did, and once it had, Loki pushed Peter’s hand away.

“Do you want me to get Mr Stark?”

“I don’t need your help” Loki snapped, hauling himself to his feet and pulling the chain. He held on to the sink to support himself. “Just leave me alone”

“I don’t know, Mr Loki, you seem awful sick”

“I said I don’t need your help” his grip tightened on the sink. He could feel himself shaking, could hear his pulse in his ears, and the pain in his stomach was getting worse.

“I’m gonna get Mr Stark”

“No you’re not! I don’t need-” he gasped, clutching his stomach. His legs gave out and he crashed to the floor, breathing in gasps.

“Mr Loki! Are you ok?!” Peter asked frantically, kneeling beside him.

Loki pushed him away.

“This is bad. I’m getting Mr Stark. Stay here”

Peter burst into the workshop, startling Tony.

“Mr Stark! Mr Stark, we need your help”

Tony looked up. “Why? What have you done?”

“I haven’t done anything! But it’s Loki, he’s real sick”

“How sick?” Tony stood up, turning off the soldering iron.

“Really, really sick. He’s been really sick and he’s all sweaty and shaky and he can’t stand up properly”

Loki had managed to prop himself up against the bath. The room was spinning and he felt so cold and sick. He wasn’t happy when he received company.

“Oh sweetheart” Tony said sadly, seeing just how bad it was. He sat down beside him. “You poor thing. You’ve not had much luck recently, have you?”

Loki didn’t try to speak. He was trying not to be sick again. The room stopped spinning quite so much, and as Tony put an arm round him he started shaking violently.

“Alright lolly. I think you need to go back to bed”

Loki shook his head, pushed Tony away, and, using the edge of the bath as support, tried to pull himself to his feet. He nearly made it, but a pain like he was being stabbed all over again pierced his stomach. It was so sudden, and the shock of it knocked him back to the floor. With virtually no warning, he was sick again. He tried to cover his mouth with his hand, but it wasn’t enough. He was furious with himself for letting it happen.

Tony helped him to sit back against the bath and grabbed a flannel.

“Lets get you sorted” he said gently.

Loki continued to shake as Tony tended to him. “It’s so cold in here...”

Tony suddenly remembered Peter, who was stood in the doorway, biting his thumb. “Go and fetch the quilted blanket from his wardrobe, would you?”

Peter nodded and was back in a flash. Tony threw the flannel aside and took the blanket from Peter, wrapping Loki up in it.

“Right, lets get you up off this floor. We’ll get you settled on the sofa and then we’ll call Banner, ok?”

Loki agreed reluctantly, feeling too weak to argue. He had to lean heavily on Tony when they stood up, and even then it was a struggle, but they managed to get him to the sofa.

Loki lay down on his side, burying his face in the back of the sofa and pulling a cushion over his head. He felt truly horrible.

Banner had a bit of a journey so it was an hour before he arrived, armed with his medical bag. Loki had gone very quiet, shivering in the quilted blanket and shielding his face from the light. Tony was very relieved when Bruce finally arrived.

“I’ll do some obs but I’m pretty sure I know what’s wrong already”

He took the pillow away from Loki, who whined and tried to grab it back, flinching in the sudden light. He didn’t take kindly to being disturbed. Banner pulled back on Loki's ear and inserted his tympanic thermometer. Loki squirmed and tried to move away, with little success. The beep put him on edge and while he was relieved when it was removed, he still tried to push the doctor away.

“You need to stop moving or it’ll only take longer” Banner said, pulling Loki into an upright position and taking his wrist. “I’m just gonna take your pulse, alright?”

Loki gave in, covering his face with his arm. The light was making his head hurt. Peter noticed this, turning and pulling the curtains across so the worst of the glare was blocked.

“He needs to see what he’s doing” Tony said, frowning at him.

“There’s enough light in here” Banner said, getting out his blood pressure monitor. “Obs aren’t great so far”

Loki winced as the cuff tightened on his arm, and tried to take it off. Tony grabbed his hand to stop him. “Leave it”

Tony kept hold of him until Banner had finished. He didn’t look too happy.

“Ok, I’m just gonna look at the wound”

He pushed Loki’s shirt off and carefully peeled back the dressing.

“Gross! is it supposed to look like that?” Peter said, looking in appalled fascination at the nasty looking cut, swollen and weeping.

“No, not a bit” Banner mumbled, prodding the wound with his gloved hands.

The pain of it made Loki start, and he hit out, catching Banner’s shoulder. It was a weak hit though, and didn’t make much of an impact.

Banner stood up, turning to Tony.

“He’s got a bad infection, but it's nothing too major - as in, it's not sepsis as I originally thought. He’ll need antibiotics though”

“Can you get hold of some?”

Banner nodded, opening his bag. “I grabbed some on the way over here. I knew it would be some kind of infection when you told me on the phone. It’s IV though, so I might need your help a bit to get started”

Tony sat down on the arm of the sofa, taking Loki’s hand in his. “Just need to stick a needle in your hand, alright? It’ll make you better”

"I don't want it" Loki mumbled, pulling the quilted blanket back round himself.

"Tough" Tony said, pulling the blanket aside and grabbing Loki's hand. "It'll only hurt for a minute"

He hugged him tight, letting him bury his face in his chest. Banner nodded in appreciation and sanitised the back of Loki's hand. He was quite glad that he was too weak to try to fight him off now. Tony watched closely as Banner readied the needle, and he squeezed Loki as hard as he could without hurting him. Loki didn't take it well. As the needle pierced his skin, Loki jumped and bucked, and Tony held him tighter still, shushing his gasps as the needle was secured in his hand.

Banner hooked up the drip and patted Loki awkwardly.

“Done. You’ll have to have a couple more bags after this but with it being IV, it’ll work a lot quicker than pills. Now, I need to clean and redress your wound”

Tony helped Loki lie back down and kept hugging him while Banner got to work. Peter edged closer to see what he was doing.

“Why’s it like that?”

“I can’t say” Banner replied. “It’s not always obvious why wounds get infected. It’s always a risk, no matter how careful you are and how many precautions you take. I think it’s partly a game of luck”

Loki tried to ignore them, clinging to Tony and trying hard to fight back tears. It was very difficult - he felt worse than he ever had before, he couldn’t control his shivering, and now his hand was throbbing and having the wound cleaned hurt so much more than he ever expected it to. It wasn’t long before he lost the fight and let out a muffled sob.

“Oh sweetheart” Tony gave him a squeeze. “I know, it’s not very nice at all”

Loki was very relieved when Banner had finished with him. He was feeling too weak to move and he was still shaking quite violently, the pain making it worse. He was still whimpering quietly. Tony wrapped the quilted blanket round him, and Loki pulled it up over his face.

“I’d keep an eye on him if I were you” Banner said, putting the last of his equipment back in his bag. “He’ll probably have a bad night but you should see some improvement in the morning. Let me know if you don’t - might mean a trip to hospital is in order”

Tony didn’t look happy.

“Shouldn’t he have gone to hospital in the first place?” Peter said. “I mean, why didn’t you call an ambulance?”

“I’m not taking him to any hospital” Tony said firmly. “We’ve got all the resources we need right here”

Peter wasn’t convinced, but he sensed it wouldn’t be right to argue with him.

Once again, Tony’s work required his attention, so he was stuck pacing the corridor on the phone. Peter took it upon himself to keep an eye on Loki, even though it wasn’t really too necessary, as the God had been asleep since Banner had left. The whole situation was making him feel very odd. He couldn’t help but feel responsible, and Loki was so pale and still that he almost seemed dead. It was quite unnerving.

He was a bit startled when Loki woke up. He’d grown still while he slept, but now that he was awake, he’d started trembling again. Peter rushed to his side.

“Are you alright? How do you feel? Are you getting better?” he gabbled.

Loki looked at him. Try as he might, he couldn’t speak. So he just looked at Peter, glanced to the side, and then looked back at him.

“Oh! You want me to get Mr Stark?”

Loki blinked at him, and Peter nodded. “Ok, just a sec”

Peter managed to pull Tony away from his work and bring him back to the living room.

“Hey you” he sat down on the edge of the sofa. “How are you doing?”

Loki still couldn’t muster up any words, so he just made a vague little noise. He just about managed to take Tony’s hand. Tony stroked his cheek gently.

“Poor old lolly. Alright then, let’s get you to your room, fella” he looked over at Peter. “Help with the drip and doors, ok? He’s not up to walking so I’ll have my hands full”

Loki soon fell asleep again once he was in his room. Tony sat with him for a bit, holding his hand and silently willing him to stop shaking, while Peter stood in the doorway biting his thumb. It was starting to become a habit.

“Mr Stark?” he approached the bed hesitantly.

“It’s not your fault” he looked up at the boy. “You don’t need to be here. You’re young: you should be enjoying yourself. Why don’t you go out for a bit?”

“I don’t know. I don’t feel like I should go” Peter said.

“Go. You’ve got that $50. Go and explore”

The house sounded dreadfully empty when Peter returned. He’d stayed out a lot longer than he’d intended. It was dark now - outside and inside. It was deadly silent. He walked along the corridors cautiously, feeling oddly like a criminal. On the way to his room he noticed a dim light under Loki’s door. Without knocking, he opened the door.

“It’s gone eleven o’ clock, you know” Tony said.

“I know. I was gonna come back earlier, but I got distracted”

Tony gestured for him to come over, so he did so, climbing carefully onto the bed. Tony was sat to the centre of the bed, with Loki lying at his side. He was still shaking.

“Is he asleep?”

“Only just. He’s not doing great. His fevers worse”

Peter looked at the both of them for a moment. “You’re really worried...”

“So are you. But maybe for different reasons”

Peter wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he remained quiet. He kept watching Loki, trying to work out what he was feeling. Loki soon woke up, blinking a bit. He looked up at Tony.

“You’ve only been out for about twenty minutes” Tony said gently, resting a hand on Loki’s head and gently rubbing his cheekbone with his thumb.

Loki looked quite visibly distressed, but also rather absent.

“Why can’t he sleep?”

“Have you ever had a really bad fever?” Tony asked. Peter shook his head. “It keeps you up. Everything hurts and you’re too cold and too hot at the same time. They’re not nice to have. Sometimes they make you hallucinate”

“What, really? Has it happened to you?”

Tony nodded. “Once. I didn’t realise that was what it was until afterwards. I just remember trying to count and add things up and forgetting all of the answers, and telling myself I needed to ask the manager how many people we needed to get into the meeting room. And then there was a bit where I was tossing and turning and getting aggravated because I couldn’t get all of the cash registers out of the bed”

Peter looked at him, not sure weather to laugh or not. Tony noticed this.

“I know, it’s pretty weird. It seemed to make perfect sense at the time. It was only afterwards, when I was better again, that I realised it was some sort of illusion”

Peter nodded. “Do you think Mr Loki is hallucinating?”

Tony looked at Loki, who was still awake but didn’t seem to be paying any attention to them.

“I’m not sure. I don’t think he’s fully comprehending what’s going on right now, at any rate”

The mobile on the bedside table started buzzing. Tony sighed.

“Who the hell’s ringing at this time?” he asked himself, climbing off the bed and grabbing the phone. He squeezed Peter’s shoulder as he left the room to take the call.

Peter watched him go. He looked back at Loki, who seemed to be looking at nothing with his tired eyes. He turned his head, and noticed a book on the bedside table, with Loki’s silver snake bookmark peeking out of the top of it. He picked the book up. It wasn’t something he’d ever heard of, but nevertheless he opened it to the bookmarked page. He was relieved to find it was the start of a new chapter. He moved the bookmark aside, cleared his throat, and began to read.

After a few sentences, Loki’s eyes moved to look at him. Peter glanced up, oddly pleased to find Loki seemed to finally be focusing on something. After a couple of pages, after he’d gotten used to the writing style, Peter started to get into the story properly himself - he was very nearly enjoying it.

Tony finally finished his phone call. He was ready to flop, but he stopped in the bedroom doorway, his presence going undetected. He was surprised by what he saw: Peter sat crossed-legged reading, and Loki curled up listening. His heart swelled with love for both of them. The atmosphere in the room had completely transformed. It felt so calm. They looked so comfortable together. Loki had even stopped shaking.

Tony waited for Peter to finish the chapter before making his presence known. He squeezed Peter’s shoulder.

“That’s enough for tonight. It’s late”

Peter nodded, replacing the bookmark and setting the book back on the bedside table. He pulled the blanket up over Loki.

“Goodnight, Mr Loki”

Tony walked with him to the door, suddenly stopping him when they reached the hallway. Peter was a bit surprised, and even more surprised when he was pulled into a hug. He was eager to return it - he felt they both needed it.

“You’re a good kid” he squeezed him tight and then stood back, clearing his throat. “Now go to bed”

#my writing #marvel fanfiction #mcu fanfiction #fanfic #frostiron

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