The Scientist (Loki x OC)

Pt. 57: Into The Dreamscape

A/N: Ok, y'all, this gets a bit rough, I won't lie. Nothing that's not beyond-canon violence, but I'm just telling y'all beforehand. I've been planning this for a while, so we have about 50 chapters of set-up behind this. Oh, and a complete side note, the saree I based Luna's off of is on my Instagram, so if you like, you can pop over there and give it a look-see! (It's the same username as mine on here because it's my brand and I have absolutely no imagination XP)

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Filled with renewed strength from his mother's blessing, Loki spent much of the following week planning his move. He was careful at reading the room and Luna's mood, but lately, she'd been working harder at the lab and coming home late, acting all jittery and scatterbrained. Concerned and curious, Loki would ask her how her day was and how she was doing, and each time, she'd say the same vague thing.

"Oh, you know, working hard. It's exhausting."

It perturbed him, but she would always be alright after spending a quiet hour with him.

Luna was indeed working hard every day, often right through lunch and her free time, but she was purposefully secretive. The scale of her experiments got more significant the more confident she felt, and it increased tenfold each day she got to wake up and have breakfast with her love. But she was playing a dangerous game. She was using more and more the virus, and more frequently through the workday. So much so, she'd taken to keeping full syringes in the fridge, as long-term freezing was no longer needed.

Side effects were starting to show, though she wondered if they might be psychosomatic. She felt more energized during the day, slept deeper at night, and minor wounds healed within minutes. However, her body temperature fluctuated by the hour. One minute, she'd feel a deep chill down to her bones, and the next, a hot flash like none she'd had before, like the one surprising her as she rode the elevator up to her floor. The sensations worried her. Was something gravely wrong? Were antibodies finally mounting an attack against the virus? It was a little too late, but she made a mental note to search for some journal articles. There must be at least one that could tell her what was going on.

Taking a break from fanning her face, Luna opened the door and quickly locked it behind her. Loki put his book down and rushed to greet her.

"Hello," he said, taking her bag and setting it by the kitchen counter.

Luna smiled, feeling the worry drop off of her. "Hi," she greeted back and bent to pull her shoes off. Loki held her hand to help keep her balance.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Eh, you know. Hard work."

"Lots of that lately, huh?"

"Yeah," Luna chuckled breathily and picked up her bag. "I'm gonna go change, so give me a second."

"As long as you need," Loki called after her as she walked to her room. She looked back, shot him a brief smile, and retreated into her private domain.

Luna quickly stripped off her work outfit and scrambled for a handheld fan. Feet apart, she stood by the foot of her bed and fanned a cooling breeze over her exposed skin. She groaned quietly as her odd fever showed no signs of budging, so with great reluctance, she put fresh house clothes on.

In place of her usual leggings, she changed into cotton shorts and a thinner shirt. It did little to help, so she fanned herself again. During times like this at work, she'd stand in the walk-in fridge, but now, she had no such thing. She could stick her head in the freezer, but Loki would ask questions.

But wait. Loki. His hands were always cold, remarkably so. Maybe he could help.

Luna walked out and to the kitchen. Loki was standing by the sink, knife in hand, cutting an apple into a bowl.