dahlia? (a loki fanfic)

chapter thirtysix.

Dahlia's breath staggered. Loki was stroking her back up and down, her skin felt like fire to his cold hands. He didn't know what to say. Or do. Dahlia was still crying.

She wasn't crying before he entered her room. He shouldn't have entered it. He should've left her alone. She had new friends here, didn't she? Even Thor seemed to make her happy. He didn't. Not anymore.

"Don't...Please, don't leave me." Loki whispered, still rubbing her back. Why was she so warm?

Dahlia didn't respond. Her cries were so loud. They sounded like they physically hurt to let out. Loki didn't know what to do.

Dahlia couldn't speak. She'd lost her words. It hurt. Everything hurt. It felt like she was behind pulled back to her time in captivity, the only thing anchoring her was her tight grip around Loki. And she felt hot too. It wasn't just his perception, she felt so warm. So uncomfortably warm. She was burning. It was too much. Too much, too much, too much.

"I-I-I want to go home." Dahlia's sentence was immediately followed by another loud sob. Loki was stunned. Home? Asgard? Asgard was gone. It was non-existent. The closest thing to it was New Asgard. Why would she want to go there? There was nothing for her there. Loki wasn't even sure if her uncle was alive. Home?

"Dahl, I'm not sure-"

"I-It's so warm." She pulled away from Loki, her sobs stopped but the tears were still running down her face. She was looking at him face to face now. Her eyes had life in them again, but not in the good way. The scared way. She looked terrified and confused, like a wounded animal.

"It's not warm." Loki argued, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Dahlia, it's not any warmer than its been every other day."

"I..." She looked around the room as if she was disoriented. As if she was searching for the source of the heat. "I feel like...like... I'm... burning." she whispered, one last slow tear fell before she closed her eyes.

Loki studied her. He waited for her to do something. Suddenly, she collapsed. Her body went limp and went from sitting in front of him to lying lifelessly on top of him. He caught her, her head fell back as it was not being supported. He put a hand behind her head to hold it up.

"Dahl?" He waited, no response. "Dahlia?" No response. "Dahlia?!" He was yelling now, but she was unresponsive. He got on his feet while holding her, once he was upright he picked her up, carrying her bridal style.

He carried her out of the bedroom and headed directly towards the bathroom. The bathroom had a tub. The tub had cold water. That could work. That had to work?

He passed Thor's room on the way. He wanted to stop. Ask him for help. Fuck, he wanted his help. Thor was his brother. His big brother. He was an idiot, but he was the older one. He was supposed to know what to do now that they had no parents to turn to.

Fuck. Frigga would've known exactly what to do. She always did.

Loki's eyes started watering again as he placed Dahlia's limp body in the tub. Was she breathing? Yes. She was. Good.

He looked out of the bathroom door. He'd left it open. How many people actually slept on this floor? Were they pretending to sleep? Did they not hear them?

He turned the faucet on, put it on the coldest setting possible while still holding his friend's upper body up, making sure she wouldn't drown.

He stared at her lifeless face. Her slightly parted, chapped lips. Her closed eyes with dark circles underneath. The dried tears on her face. Her braids were messed up now. In the sharp lighting of the bathroom, she looked even more sickly. Her cheeks were sunken in. Her eyes were as well. Her dark skin seemed so much paler, as if it had a grey filter over it.