You don't know how long you were in the trance of the song and the pack magic. How long you sat singing on the cold tiled floor of your bathroom. How long you held Loki's hand. How long you sang without pause.

There were voices behind you.

You ignored them.

A hand shook your shoulders.

You ignored it too.

All that mattered was the song and the singing.

A sigh of exasperation.

A hand clamped over your mouth, an arm around your waist, pinning your arms to your sides. Your concentration snapped, the pack magic vanished. You made a protesting noise and struggled against the person holding you securely. It wasn't a human. You could have broken a human's grip. You couldn't break free and you panicked for a moment.

"I have not hear such a lovely rendition of The Omega's Lament in centuries," Fenrir told you gently. He was the one holding you. You relaxed a little, at least no longer panicking. Fenrir was here. He could help. "It's time to let go now," he told you softly. "You have done everything you could. It is time to let go." Rachel knelt in front of you while Fenrir held you firmly, though he removed his hand from your mouth. It was Rachel who pried your fingers off of Loki's cold, unmoving hand. "Time to let go, little Omega," Fenrir's voice was still gentle and kind, too kind. "You've been through enough today." He stood, bringing you with him, both of his arms around your waist. He wisely didn't trust you to be cooperative.

"Rachel, Miss Romanoff, would you please take Y/N and get her fixed up?" Fenrir asked kindly as he passed you to Rachel. Her arms wrapped around you, steadying you and keeping you on your feet. "You should have have those wounds tended hours ago," Fenrir reminded you firmly before you could protest. Except you were needed here. You were too dazed and exhausted from playing with so much pack magic to argue, though. You weren't a mage and while pack magic wasn't magic in the same way Loki's Seidr was, it was still exhausting to channel like you had been.

You still turned, though Rachel tried to stop you. "Loki!" you croaked, your voice was no more than a hoarse whisper after singing for so long without pause. Loki was in the tub still, unmoving. You reached a hand for him. You couldn't even tell if he was breathing.

"You've done all you can," Rachel told you just as gently, as if afraid of breaking you with bad news. "Grandfather will stay with him. Come on. You're still bleeding and drenched in blood." Between Rachel and Nat, they got you up to Nat's room and in the hot bath waiting there. You didn't even care that they were helping you bathe. That should have upset you.

They didn't understand why you were crying. In your befuddled haze, the only answer you could give them when they asked was "Loki,"

Why didn't they understand?

Why were they surprised that you were crying over him?

Rachel kept insisting that you had done everything you could. That Fenrir was with him. "She's not thinking clearly," she told Nat sadly. They both seemed heartbroken at your state. "I bet she was channeling pack magic since she spoke with Fenrir at noon. She should have been stopped hoursago. It's no wonder she's in this condition, poor puppy,"

Nat sighed in exasperation the next time you whined, though. You weren't being a very cooperative patient. "Yes. We know you're worried about Loki. The sooner you behave and stop being such an annoying puppy and let us help you get cleaned up and bandaged, the sooner you can go check on him," her voice was exasperated, out of patience. She never called you an annoying puppy.

"He's still alive?" you managed to ask.

They both looked at you with shocked realization. You'd been lost to the trance of magic. You'd given everything you could (and more than you should have) to keep him alive. They hadn't let you see him properly after Fenrir broke you from the pack magic. Their words had been too unclear when they broke the trance. They had tried to be reassuring with the wrong words.

"He's alive," Nat told you firmly, clearly. "Y/N, Loki is alive."

You finally relaxed and stopped fighting them when the words sank in. "Oh. Good." You managed stupidly.

*

You had either zoned out or passed out, because the next thing you knew, you were out of the bath, in clean pajamas and sitting on Nat's bed while she finished bandaging your arm. You blinked quickly as you became aware again, trying to clear the last of the haze and fog from your mind.

"Are you back with us?" Nat asked kindly when she saw you move, her patience seemed to have returned after she realized you were being uncooperative because you hadn't known that Loki was still alive.

"Sorry about that..." you told her sheepishly.

She shrugged. "Not the strangest thing to happen around here." You couldn't help laughing at that. Nat just had the ability to go with whatever happened without question. She tied off the bandage she had been working on. "There. Done. Clint made dinner. After you've eaten, you can go back to Loki-sitting. Without singing," she told you firmly.

"He's really ok?" you asked her almost desperately. Almost.

"He's better. Whatever you did saved his life," Nat told you. She then gave you a wicked grin. "The boys were finally able to get him stable enough to get him out of the bath. Thor humbly requests that you bring pants for Loki with you when you return. None of the men want to deal with pantsless Loki," she laughed.

You rolled your eyes, laughing too. "Cowards." If Loki could be removed from the ice bath, he really was doing better, and you could relax a little. "I better get to dinner so I can rescue the poor cowards. Thanks for everything." You stood a little stiffly.

"I'll come with you. I haven't eaten yet, either," Nat said too innocently. She was making sure you actually went downstairs to eat instead of jumping back to Loki-sitting. You didn't blame her or complain. You devoured three bowls of Clint's stew before you felt nearly normal again.

"Did anyone get food for Loki?" you asked them as you took your bowl back to the kitchen. Clint took it from you to throw in the dishwasher for you.

"Not yet," he replied simply. You nodded and got a clean bowl out of the cabinet and filled it with stew for Loki.

"Thank you both so much," you told them again and kissed them both on the cheek.

"That's what family does, valchonak," Nat told you warmly. "Go save the cowards from that troublesome creature you call a boyfriend." You nodded, gave her a bright smile and headed back upstairs. You stopped by Loki's room to get the requested pair of pants as well as a shirt and underwear. You had a feeling they hadn't been brave enough for either of those garments either. Nor could they enter Loki's room without permission. You could.

When you returned to your room, Loki was on your bed, covered with a blanket up to his waist. Cowards really couldn't deal. "How's he doing?" you asked when you entered the room. Thor and Fenrir were both still there.

"Better," Thor told you warmly. "He woke while we were moving him. Told me to shut up and go away. He even managed a weak threat that he was going to stab me if I didn't put him down,"

You laughed. "That's an improvement," you agreed.

"Are you feeling better?" Fenrir asked.

You nodded. "Much. You guys can take a break. I can Loki-sit for awhile," you told them. Thor hesitated. You gave him an evil smirk and held up the pair of Loki's pants you were carrying. At least you didn't choose to display the pair of underpants you were also holding instead. "Unless you want to help?" you smirked. Thor flushed and left the room quickly, claiming he was hungry and would come check on you later.

"He will make it through the fever," Fenrir told you. "He is one of the Aesir and healing quickly. We won't know if he will turn until the full-moon, though. It has never been tested on an Asgardian that I am aware of. I do not say this to give you false hope. It just just a truth that I do not know what is to come,"

"Thank you for the warning." You still hoped that Loki would somehow be immune to the curse. He wasn't human after all. You knew it was stupid to hope. There were only two outcomes to being bitten: change or die.

Fenrir left shortly after that; he had to get to the Hudson River pack and help them reorganize after Jareth's death. He didn't feel bad leaving since Loki was doing better and told you to call him if you needed help.

You sat on the bed next to Loki and touched his forehead. He was much cooler than he'd been. He moaned softly when you touched him. You smiled and brushed his hair back from his face. "Loki? Are you awake?" you asked him softly.

His eyes fluttered open, but still had a fevered glaze to them. Still, it was an improvement. "Y/N?" his voice was a murmur, unsure, a hint of fear, and obviously unwell. You kissed his forehead.

"Yes, love, it's me," you told him gently, reassuring, soothing. He managed a small smile.

"Y/N," his voice was a loving caress that time.

You cajoled him into staying awake long enough to help you get him dressed. You bribed him with kisses and smiles and soft words to keep him awake long enough to get some stew into him. You had to hold him up and spoon feed him the stew, but you managed to get him to eat. You finally let him lie back on the bed, to return to his fevered sleep, but he wouldn't calm until you let him lay his head on your lap, until you ran your fingers through his hair. He was soothed then, and settled into a peaceful sleep while you stroked his hair. He was actually asleep now, not unconscious and his fever was much lower.

He was going to be fine.

When Thor came back to check on you, you had slumped further down among the pillows, halfway under the blanket in the chill room. Loki's head was on your shoulder, his arms wrapped around you like his favorite stuffed animal. You were more than half asleep, your fingers tangled in his hair, your lips pressed against his forehead.

"You truly are feeling better, Loki," Thor's voice was warm, caring, full of the love that Loki wouldn't admit was there. "Thank you, Lady Wolf,"

Neither of you really stirred at his words. You made a soft noise and shifted a little.

"Go 'way, Thor," Loki murmured, his arms tightening around you. Thor chuckled and tucked the blanket better around the pair of you. "Mine!" Loki growled softly at his brother, his arms firmly around you, when Thor didn't go away fast enough. Loki was extra possessive when he was upset. Injured, fevered Loki definitely counted as upset. Your fingers ran through his hair, though your eyes didn't open, and he relaxed again.

"Yes, brother, the little wolf is yours. I make no moves on your lady. Now, rest, both of you. It has been a long day for us all," Thor bid you both with his booming open joy. Loki was obviously doing much better. He turned the lights out on his way from the room, leaving the door open just a crack. The team would be stopping by to check on you both.

You were asleep with your Loki safe in your arms a moment later.