Blood and Knifes

15

Trigger Warning: Mentions of abuse

The door opened, but the footsteps Loki heard were not Megan's. He groaned, and rolled onto his back, kicking off his blankets. He was not looking forward to this conversation.

"What have you done, brother?" Thor roared, shoving aside the armoire and gripping Loki swiftly by the neck, pinning him against the wall.

"Thor, I can assure you, it was all for her safety," Loki began.

"Beating her senseless was for her safety? Do not test me, brother." Thor scowled, tightening his grip. "I saw Megan today, at the market. She is covered in bruises. How could you have done this?"

"Bruises?" Loki questioned. "Where could she have gotten bruises from?" He felt worry snake through him.

"You tell me, Loki. You are the only one who has seen her for the past months." Thor squinted at him, looking pryingly into his eyes.

"Thor, I swear on our mother's stars, that I have not so much as been in the same room as her for five months."

Thor looked puzzled, yet let go of Loki. "Explain yourself." So Loki told him. How he had changed form, burnt Megan, and locked himself in the bedroom. Thor's expression remained still, brow furrowed, lips pressed thin. "This still does not explain her bruises. Who else has come over since you exiled yourself?"

Loki thought back throughout the months. To be honest, nearly nothing had happened. Then he remembered one incident. "A man met her at the door. He said his name was Sammy, and that he was our neighbor. He brought a box of cookies, and a card. She left the house afterward."

"Which house does he live in?" Thor pressed.

"He didn't say. Do you think he..."

"We have to find her. Now."

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There was no Sammy at the first house they checked, although Loki insisted on checking all the rooms, just in case. At the second house, the door was opened by a tall dark haired woman with bruises all over her face and arms.

"Is Megan here?" Loki asked quickly.

The woman hesitated, but nodded. "She's in the bedroom." Loki pushed past her, and reached for the doorknob. "Wait!" Loki glared daggers at her. "Let me go in there first," she explained. "She's not exactly... decent." She went in the room and came out a minute later, nodding at them to go in.

Loki burst in, and gasped, lowering his readied fists. Megan was sprawled on the bed, wrapped lightly in a blood-soaked blanket. She wasn't conscious. Loki bounded over to her, and placed a hand on her cheek. She groaned, shifted, and muttered something unintelligible.

"Shhh, shhh. It's okay. I'm here now," Loki whispered to her. "He can't hurt you." He slid a hand under her legs and her arm, adjusting the blanket as it threatened to fall open, and lifted her gently. A whimper tugged at his heart.

"Please," she begged, delirious, wrapping a hand around his forearm. "Not again, not now. No more. Please."

Loki could feel blood slowly soaking into his shirt, her weight pressing it against his skin. He rushed out of the room, and Thor followed, thanking the woman profusely for her help. He walked briskly across the yard, trying not to jostle Megan, and Thor pulled the door open for him. He rushed to set Megan down on the couch. The majority of the blood seemed to be coming from her back, so he rolled her onto her stomach and cut the back of the blanket open, making sure to keep her nether region covered. He was right. Her back was covered in bruises and cuts, some new, but many old. He concentrated, and pulled out some of his magic, transferring it into her skin and knitting the cuts back together. He couldn't do anything for the bruises, but he used his magic to pinpoint where else she was injured. He healed a few minor cuts on her legs and arms, but the majority of the damage was in a place he certainly would not heal without her permission. He rolled her over again, and kneeled on the floor, laid a head on her arm, closed his eyes.