(Reader is on her period and Loki comes to save the day)

It was a series of unfortunate events that had you in your current situation. You writhed in your bed, trying to find some position that was remotely comfortable. But everything hurt. It didn't just hurt. Hurt was too weak of a word for the aching cramps in your abdomen, the ones in your back. You felt sick, nauseous, fevered and chilled at the same time.

You shifted again in your bed, though this position was no better than the last one had been. You felt like you were laying in a pool of your own blood. That may have actually been more comfortable than the tampon that felt like a rolling pin shoved up a very uncomfortable place and the pad that felt like laying in a wet diaper.

Everything reeked and hurt and gods, you felt like you were dying. Or at least that ripping out your uterus yourself would feel less painful than what it was doing to you. It had been months since it had been this bad. The medication you were on usually kept you from even having periods most months. This month was different. You'd missed a dose of the shot while you were on a mission with the team. You'd caught up on it later, but it hadn't been enough. Plus you were due for a real period.

You groaned as you reached for the bottle of pain pills. You were going to have to take them dry. Getting up to get water was out of the question with how awful you felt.

"Miss, breakfast is ready," Jarvis announced.

That made you groan louder and curl into a tighter ball. "Fuck off, Jarvis," you grumbled as you whimpered in pain. You weren't going anywhere.

There was a pause where you could practically feel the AI's offense at your words. "Shall I tell the others you are sick?" He asked too politely. Yup, he was pissed.

Somehow, you couldn't find enough fucks to care.

Fuck.

Loki.

Loki didn't know about periods as far as you were aware. You'd been dating him for a few months now, but hadn't had to tell him about this unfortunate part of being a midgardian female. You last period had been before you'd started dating.

He was going to freak out if he found you curled in a ball in your bed unable to move.

You tried to sit up, you wouldn't have long before he came to try to find you if you didn't show up for breakfast. He worried over you during the best of times. While you were skilled enough to be on the team, you still weren't a god of Asgard. You usually bickered with him that you were perfectly capable of handling yourself, and had even handed his ass to him in the training room before, but today you knew he wouldn't listen or believe you.

You managed to get to a mostly sitting position before the pain got too bad and you fwumped back among the pillows with a whimper of pain.

There was a polite tap on your door. "Darling?" Loki asked, concern in his voice. Jarvis probably ratted on you for cussing at him. Fucking stupid AI.

Fuck. You were out of time and still had no idea how to explain.

"Loki, I-" you paused. You couldn't lie to Loki, even though a closed door he would be able to smell your lie. You sighed and laid your head back down.

"Darling? May I come in?" Loki asked more insistently when you didn't answer properly.

You groaned something in reply. Or just groaned in pain. You couldn't quite be sure which. Regardless, Loki took your groan as permission to enter and opened your room's door. You looked up at him when he came in. He was perfectly handsome as ever, even in the Midgardian clothes he'd taken to wearing after you'd finally convinced him that most people on Midgard didn't wear court clothes from Asgard. Or tunics. Despite how hot he looked in them. He'd worn sexy suits for two weeks straight after that just for spite. Today he was wearing perfectly tailored jeans and a green shirt, his raven hair was down as he usually wore it, reaching just past his shoulders.

It wasn't fair that he looked so stunning while you felt and looked like shit warmed over. Your hair was a mess, you were too pale, soaked in sweat and beyond gross as you were bundled in your bed and blankets. You felt like death and you were sure you looked just as bad.

You were extra sure about that point when Loki rushed over to your side, sitting on the edge of your bed and reaching for one of your hands. "Darling? What's wrong? Are you ill?" He asked you gently as he reached with his other hand to touch your forehead and cheeks, checking you for a fever.

You blushed at the question. Fuck. You would have to tell him. "It's that time of the month," you told him, hoping against hope that he would understand what the phrase meant. You didn't know if Asgardian women went through the same monthly woes as human women did. Loki's blank look made your heart drop and you fought not to groan, even as you curled in on yourself, whimpering in pain.

"Darling, please," Loki begged, hating seeing you in pain or hurting. He cared too much for you. This wasn't an injury or a foe he could fight and he didn't know how to help. "I don't understand,"

You sighed and looked up at him. Words fell from you in what you hoped was a coherent manner. "You get an abbreviated explanation since I feel like death," you warned him. He nodded his agreement, willing to accept whatever explanation you were willing and able to give him, any hint of how to help you. "Every month a woman bleeds from her vagina for a few days if she's not pregnant. It hurts like hell, there's a lot of blood, and cramping, and I feel like I'm dying~" you whined that last as your words became incomprehensible.

Loki squeezed your hand as he took in that information. You weren't sure if he was as squeamish as mortal men, but he definitely accepted your words. "What can I do for you?" He asked you gently. He hated seeing you like this, you saw that much in his eyes.

You didn't know where to start. You were gross and hurting and so very gross and just wanted to sleep and you couldn't. "I should bathe, and change clothes, and the sheets, and find more paint meds, and..." you trailed off, babbling again. Gods, you needed to control your tongue.

Loki gave you a gentle smile. "Then allow me to help you, my love," he told you gently. You nodded weakly, unable to do more than mew and let him care for you. He placed his hand against your forehead, the other against your abdomen where the pain was worst. His cold skin felt fantastic and you sighed in relief. His hands started glowing green with his magic and you sagged with a moan as the pain eased, the cramps eased. At least momentarily.

"I love you," you told him, not having other words for how amazing it felt to get some relief.

Loki chuckled. "And I love you, dearheart," he said warmly. That done, he carefully unbundled you from your blankets and lifted you into his arms bridal style.

"Loki?" You asked, though you didn't fight him, your arms going around his neck automatically.

"Let me take care of you, darling," he said gently instead of actually answering. He carried you into your bathroom and you saw that he had magicked you a hot bath, filled with some kind of floral herbs you couldn't recognize, but they smelled soothing and relaxing. Loki vanished your clothes before you could protest. "It isn't as if I do not know what you look like," he reminded you. You'd had plenty of sex with him. He was fantastic at it, after all, so of course he knew very well what you looked like. He set you carefully in the bath and you sighed in relief.

"This is amazing," you said in a purr as you sank back and relaxed.

"Soothing herbs from Asgard," Loki told you with a warm smile. He knelt next to the tub and slowly began to wash you. You tried to protest that you didn't need to be bathed like a child, but it felt so nice to not have to think or take care of yourself when you felt so much like shit. "Let me care for you," he repeated when you tried to protest.

You were so strong most of the time. It was hard to let your guard down, even to him, but you nodded and let him care for you. You knew he wouldn't hurt or betray you, or think any less of you for the condition you were in.

He massaged your scalp as he washed your hair and you moaned in pleasure. "You have magic hands," you told him with a purr, relaxed and putty in his hands.

Loki chuckled. "Yes, darling. I'm quite aware," he said warmly. You could tell he enjoyed this, enjoyed this simple caring. He was glad you trusted him when you were vulnerable.

You don't know how long you were in the bath. Loki left you there for a bit to relax in the hot water and let the herbs from Asgard work their magic on you. He eventually returned and helped you out of the bath. "Are you up for getting breakfast?" He asked you gently as he used magic to dry you. Soft fluffy pajamas formed around you and you sighed in relief. You were comfortable for the first time since your period had started.

You looked up at him and fought back the nausea. "I'm not sure..." you said, feeling queasy. You wrapped your arms around his waist to lean on him and let him support you. You really did feel like death and just wanted to curl up in your bed again.

"Can you try?" He asked gently, pressing a kiss to your hair. He knew perfectly well that you needed food to keep your strength up. You sighed heavily, but nodded. You couldn't deny Loki anything.

He helped you shuffle down to the common room, holding and supporting you, but not carrying you, as he knew you would hate to appear weak in front of the rest of the team. They all looked up at you when you came in and all of them were on guard when they saw you, clearly concerned. They never saw you at less than your best, even when bleeding from injuries on missions.

Yet, your own fucking body was taking you out of commission because it couldn't behave and give you a break.

You held onto Loki tighter, not wanting to explain, not wanting to deal. "She feels like death," he told the team, drawing the attention to himself. The look in his eyes clearly told them all that they weren't to question it or harass you. They would be facing his wrath if they did.

You loved him even more for that.

Loki led you to the dining room, past the team, and helped you sit down at the table there. He brought you breakfast and you laughed when you realized that it was his favorite: pancakes. Of course he thought pancakes would fix everything. They were among his favorite Midgardian food, so he thought everyone should like them as much as he did.

"Thank you," you said, cheered up by his adorable love of pancakes. You took a couple of bites before the nausea crept back up. Loki took your free hand and started telling you stories. He distracted you from the nausea so you could eat. You had a feeling a bit of magic was involved too

Somehow the pancakes were gone and you were full and happy for the first time in any period you'd ever had. Loki got you safely back past the team and to your own bed. The sheets and blankets had been magically cleaned. He slid into the bed next to you and pulled you into his arms. He held you close, stroking your hair and telling you stories until you fell asleep in his arms, feeling as good as you could, with your body turned against you.

He continued to care for you through every moment of your misery, through the pain and nausea, suffering through all your symptoms and soothing them all away, until you could finally be yourself again.

And you loved him all the more for every ounce of love and care he gave you those days.