Intertwine

69 - Happy Birthday

Hey hey hey! We got there! Excuse me being childish but I've never got to this chapter before in any book or story I've written so I'm going to be a little excited :) if you haven't voted for Alina's love interests on the previous chapter, go do it! I'll be taking into account what you guys think as you've been just as much a part of this journey as I had, and you've been watching her interactions with the other characters too and I don't know what vibes you're getting from who, so please do let me know! Anyway I hope you'll enjoy this chapter too :)

ROARA

I woke up in the middle of the night, hand scrambling to touch his body next to me for reassurance, but of course we weren't a cave and Loki wasn't sleeping beside me.

My bed was empty, soaking wet, the sheets caught up around me. I sniffed the air, and my face crumbled. I had done it again.

I carefully peeled the sheets away, putting them in my laundry basket, and with a little effort made my bed. I ran myself a bath, put a plastic bag over my leg that had the cast on, and eased myself into it. I couldn't get the images of my nightmare out of my head. Fiona's body in my arms, the wild boars charging towards me, the Ascendency agent raising the crowbar to hit Bucky, Axel laughing manically as she grabbed me by the hair, the bullet ripping through me as I collapsed in Steve's arms, the knife in my side, Loki standing against two wild boars with nothing but his knife for protection, the night my powers had first come to me as I convulsed on the ground, after I'd been shot when I'd collapsed in Maria Hill's office, the first time I'd looked in the mirror after my eye had turned white. I dipped my head under the water and screamed. Silent bubbles lifted from my mouth and popped at the surface of the water. I pulled my head back to the surface, and with shaking hands, washed my hair and body.

For some reason I still didn't feel properly clean. Like something was still clinging to me. I washed myself again, this time scrubbing harder. I still felt dirty. I looked down at my stomach, which still felt tender. I had, after all, been impaled and broken two ribs. The line across me was jagged, with bits of flesh pulled together in the healing process. I pulled myself out of the bath and dried myself. Hobbling over to the mirror to brush my teeth I caught a glimpse of my reflection. The cuts on my face were healing but around my eye was still black, blue, and brown even though it was at least less puffy. I shook my head and spat out my toothpaste.

I went back to my bed and lay down, but I couldn't sleep. I groaned and got out of bed, pulling a jumper on. I didn't want to use the wheelchair, so I grabbed my crutches and limped out of my room and down the hall.

I pushed open the kitchen door with a crutch and hobbled in, my footsteps three beats instead of two. I poured myself a glass of wine and went over to the sofa, slowly lowering myself into the plush upholstery.

"Going for a midnight snack?" I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Loki, what the fuck, don't do that to me." I put a hand over my chest. I hadn't seen him sitting in the darkness, but now I could make him out across from me. He got up and walked over. He was still in his suit from earlier, now minus the tie and with the top two buttons undone on his black shirt.

"I mean you're the one who's sneaking around." He paused and offered me his drink. Instead of taking it, I clinked against it with my own.

"I can hardly sneak with these." I kicked the crushes beside me with my good leg. "They're loud as fuck."

"You sure you don't want something stronger?" He nodded towards my wine.

I shook my head. "I'm not supposed to be drinking with my pain killers anyway." I sighed. "Normally I'd just say I'm immortal and shrug it off but..."