sickly • cg!loki x reader 💚🖤
Context: age regressor reader is unwell. when tony needs a break after a sleepless night, loki steps in with a few tricks up his sleeve
Characters: gn!reader, cg!loki, cg!tony
Warnings: mentions of cold/flu-like symptoms. Tony gets a little overwhelmed and calls reader a menace, the situation is resolved, though, and it isn’t done in malice.
This one’s a bit self indulgent bc im currently sick🥲
“Come on, kid, work with me…”
The desperate, hushed plea spilled from the soul-patched man’s lips like a willful incantation, his voice gruff and weak from a long lack of shuteye. The small cup of liquid medicine that had been balanced between his fingers, disappeared in a flash. Tony groaned and rubbed his face; that was the third time you’d used your powers to whisk it away.
It’s not that Tony Stark wasn’t used to staying up all night. It was basically known to everyone around the Avengers compound that he was constantly in his workspace, tinkering or toiling away at equipment and suits both old and new, trying to make them perfect. It was never perfect enough for Tony. With his workaholic tendencies and inability to keep his incredible intellect from slowing down, sleep deprivation was practically his middle name.
But, it was different for him when his lack of rest was coming directly from someone he cared about being in distress.
And you, someone he cared deeply about, were very, very distressed.
You had started showing some odd symptoms here and there, just a few days prior. They came on slow, sneaky, like a little snake crawling in the darkness of your immune system. They were so subtle, in fact, that they didn’t begin to fully hit you until the middle of a mission. Snowy mountains, and an attempt to rescue a hostage from a heavily armed Hydra base (Seriously? You would’ve thought they had finally been taken down by now….) The team had noticed your little sneezes on the Quinjet, the way you kept clearing your throat in a way that seemed to border on painful, the way you’d wince and grab your head at random intervals. Then, when the fighting started, you were easily overpowered. Which was incredibly unlike you…
“It’s fine,” you had told them. “Hay fever, probably. Probably just having an off day.”
You hid your sickness, and your shame, deep behind a thinly veiled mask. A weak smile once the mission was done, followed by you excusing yourself to your quarters rather than celebrating what should have been the final Hydra base being taken down. If you were being completely honest, you just wanted to sleep.
When Tony came to check in on you that night, you had spiraled into a complete disaster.
A coughing, sneezing, shivering mess. You felt downright dreadful; your nose was so stopped you could hardly speak, your throat had tightened, and your head was pounding… Trembling as you held to your stuffed toy, eyes glossy and full of tears- a telltale sign that your inner child had completely taken the wheel, the dam broke the moment you spotted one of your beloved carers, and you melted into wails. Tony was quick to respond with a mug of hot cocoa and a thermometer to check your temperature. You allowed the thermometer to slip under your tongue, but you vehemently refused the hot cocoa. You weren’t interested. Again, very unlike you, especially in regression.
After confirming your fever, Tony had set the hot cocoa down and silently pulled you to his lap, ready to chastise you for lying about how you were feeling. One sad, pleasing look from you was enough to seal his mouth shut like super glue.
“Aw, kid.” Tony sighed and brushed your sweaty hair from your eyes. “What are we going to do with you? Typical little kid, bringing all of your diseases everywhere.”
Joking and trying to get you to crack even the tiniest smile would only get Tony so far, though.
It had been hours of you, crying and sneezing, letting out increasingly sickly coughs, and Tony desperately trying to calm you down. He had stopped checking the clock after 2am; he knew there was no getting you to fall asleep.
Trying to coax medicine into you was a whole battle in itself. You made your disdain quite clear by sealing your own lips together with your teeth, and even used your powers to teleport the liquid nastiness right out of the room. Tony tried to explain that medicine was the only thing that was going to knock out your inability to breathe through your nose, but of course, there’s no negotiating with toddlers.
Tony had just about reached his mental limit on the crying, and was ready to give up and just fall asleep, when a knock on the door startled the both of you.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” a familiar voice presented itself, muffled from the other side of the closed door and capturing your attention. “But I couldn’t help but notice a rather different presence coming from this space. Could it be that baby Y/N has decided to grace us with their presence?”
Your head popped up from Tony’s shoulder, your eyes wide with wonder. Loki, aside from Tony and Thor, was one of the only people who knew about your little secret. It wasn’t common for Loki to play, or hang out with you. He often kept to himself, staying away in his own living quarters (which were finally off of lockdown now that he had officially deemed himself trustworthy). Yet, when he did take the time to interact, it came as natural as a fish to water. Somehow, he always knew what to say, what to do, no matter what mood or state you were in. It made Loki’s presence almost like a forbidden candy, an occasional treat for little you.
You looked up at Tony with a pleading look, begging him to let the trickster god in. The older man sighed, and took in a deep breath before looking down at his watch. Lifting his hand, he slid his finger across the screen, and a small click was heard behind you, confirming that the door was now unlocked. Another click signaled that it had been opened.
“What do you want, Frosty?” Tony groaned, eyebrows furrowing as light from the hallway flooded the room.
Loki paused at the new nickname, his eyebrows furrowing into a scowl. That godforsaken, annoying little worm. Does he ever shut up? Loki took a deep breath in to stop his train of thought, and stepped into the room, blue eyes darting around as he attempted to acclimate to the space. He finally landed his gaze on you, and your pitiful expression. His face fell slightly, his stomach dropping with a sort of worry that he still wasn’t used to. You looked pale and sickly; the tear stains on your face alerted him to the fact that you must’ve been crying for hours. The moment you locked eyes on the raven-haired man, you held your arms out for him to take you. Hold me, hold me!
“Stark, what have you done to them?” Loki spat, marching forth and opening his arms, folding your boiling hot body between them and hoisting you up with ease. You whimpered painfully, pressing your cheek against the coolness of his neck. Loki winced at the hot temperature, one hand coming up to press against your face. “Are mortals meant to be this hot to the touch?”
“Don’t start any shit with me, Reindeer Games. They’re sick, and in their ‘little kid’ mind.” Tony sat up fully on the bed, rubbing his tired eyes. “I’ve been trying to help them all night, but they’re too busy being uncomfortable to take medicine, or lay down. Sick little menace, if you ask me.”
You responded to Tony’s quip with a poke of your tongue, glowering at him with your eyes. How rude! I can’t help it!
Your eyes filled up with dejected tears, and you buried your face into Loki’s shoulder.
“Wow, Stark. We’re mean to babies, now?” Loki taunted, though his usual teasing tone was laced with venom as he gently placed one hand against your back, rubbing up and down.
Tony’s expression softened, and he heaved in a big breath before releasing it through his nose. Guilt pitting deep in his gut, he slowly approached the two of you. He had forgotten the number one rule for himself: never take his frustrations out on you.
“Hey, I’m sorry, kid.” Tony reached a hand up, fingers lacing through your hair again, cautious of the way Loki’s eyes began to protectively glow green, ready to strike at any moment. “That wasn’t nice of me, yeah? Wasn’t your fault. I guess I’m the real menace here, huh?” He tucked the strands behind your ear as you pouted at him, and he tilted his head to the side before mimicking your expression.
“Yeah? Did I hurt your feelings?” Tony reached forward again. “Was I being a big butthead?” Fingers gently connecting with your side, Tony cracked a small grin as he searched for the ticklish spot, alerted to finding it when you turned your head into Loki’s shoulder to let out a squeak, unlike your usual burst of laughter.
“Big poop head.” You uttered your first words in hours, your voice hoarse and crackly. Both men turned to glance at you, sharing the same concerned expression.
“Listen, Loki. I’m sorry to you, too. I think I’m just exhausted, and I know Y/N is, too.” As if on cue, Tony let out a yawn. “We both just need some sleep.”
“Ah, yes. Mortals needing sleep, turning into ginormous assholes, this and that.” Loki taunted again, but this time, he cracked a playful smile as he rolled his eyes. “I understand. But hurt the little one’s feelings again, and I’ll gut you like a fish.”
“Uh huh. Sounds like a good time.” Tony raised his eyebrows inquisitively. Since when was Loki so protective of you? “Bet you’d enjoy that. We should try it sometime; maybe we’d both enjoy it.”
“Oh shut up.” Loki hissed, softening when you whimpered and clung tighter to his sweater. “Listen, how about you go and get your obviously-needed rest. Doesn’t seem that Y/N will be sleeping any time soon, and I don’t need as much as humans do, so… I can look after them.”
Your head perked up, and you glanced between Tony and Loki. You let out another crackly cough, your chest rattling along with it. “Loki? Stay?” You voiced your approval on this decision, before vigorously nodding your head.
Tony rested his head in his chin, biting down on his tongue. He had a tendency to be a bit protective, not willing to give you up easily. Especially not to the trickster god. He wasn’t sure if it was sleep deprivation, or Loki himself planting shit into his head, but Tony found himself rather easily persuaded. As much as he wanted to wrap you in his arms and fall fast asleep, he knew way better than to leave you lonely and upset. Maybe just for a few hours….
“Alright, Green-Guy-Who-Isn’t-Hulk. It’s a plan. But only for a little bit. And if you need help, you can come and get me or call on FRIDAY. She knows Y/N’s needs.” Tony sighed, already half-asleep just from the thought of crawling into his bed. He turned on one heel, stumbling towards the door.
“Don’t worry, Stark. They’re safe with me.”
Tony couldn’t tell if Loki’s genuine tone soothed him, or worried him even more. Nonetheless, he finally nodded his head, before turning back around and approaching you once more. “Be good, Booger Butt. If you aren’t, I’ll steal your lunch money.” He ruffled your hair, this time bringing a genuine giggle that rumbled from your chest.
“Night night.” You reached forward and patted his head, as gently as you could muster. Tony smiled sleepily at you, before nodding at Loki and exiting the room, heading towards his own bedroom.
“Now, it appears that you’re quite unwell.” Loki emphasized his point by placing his cold hands against your red cheeks again. You agreed with a pout, sniffling and rubbing your nose with your hand, causing Loki to cringe. Gross.
“I found this outside of your bedroom.” Loki reached in his pocket, pulling out the small cold medicine bottle, along with the little cup. It was now stained with wasted red medicine. Your reaction was immediate; just as you were ready to fling the cup from Loki’s hand, a sudden, magical force blocked your attack.
“Ah, ah.” Loki tutted, shaking his head disapprovingly. “Now, little one, I’m sure it tastes as awful as it looks, but you don’t want to feel like this forever, do you?”
You shook your head no, but your eyes still filled up with tears nonetheless. “Don’t wanna.” You rubbed at your eyes sadly.
“I know, I know.” Loki hummed, opening up the bottle before starting to pour the nasty looking red stuff into the tiny cup. “Hm…. I have an idea.” A lightbulb went off in Loki’s head, and he gave a proud smile before his eyes began to glow green.
You watched in wonder as the red liquid began to transform into a brilliant rainbow of colors. Swirling and mixing, it reminded you of unicorn magic. Your eyes widened excitedly, though you coughed roughly.
“Better?” Loki held the cup out to you, eyebrows raised expectantly. “I’ll even consider a bite of something sweet if you take this.”
“Two bites.” You sniffed, taking the cup (and the bait) from Loki’s hands and bringing it to your lips.
“Fine, two. But you’re spoiled.” Loki smirked, watching you down the medicine. The Skittle colors definitely didn’t mask the taste, and you scrunched up your face in disgust. You finally swallowed, shuddering before opening your mouth to prove that it was all gone.
Loki smiled proudly. “Well done, tiny one.” He celebrated with praise, and a small kiss to your head. “I knew you could do it.”
After the ‘two bites of a sweet treat’ (ice cream) that you had been promised, Loki had finally managed to settle you back into your bed. Propping up your pillows to try and help you breathe, alongside a cup of hot tea and honey to clear your sinuses further. The medicine hadn’t quite kicked its way into your immune system, however, and you were starting to go back to square one. Fussing and crying between your achy coughs and sneezes, you clung exhaustedly to Loki.
“Don’t feel good.” You whined, flopping back and forth on your pillow in discomfort. “Don’t feel good, Loki!”
“Yes, I hear you.” Loki attempted to adjust your pillow, but ultimately settled for allowing you to wrap yourself around him. “How does a book sound? That always helps me when I’m feeling unwell.”
You reluctantly agreed, fat tears rolling down your cheeks. Loki was careful in wiping them away, before leaning down to your bedside bookshelf. His thumbs searched through the book spines, using his own green magic as a light, before he stopped on one that caught his attention. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. “Ah, this seems like a good one!” He pulled out the giant book, allowing it to flop against his free leg (the other being taken by you curling up in his lap).
Your eyes lit up. I love that book! You nodded vigorously, your thumb finding its way to your mouth, a well-known signal that you were already starting to get drowsy. You couldn’t really suck your thumb well, being unable to breathe through your nose, so you settled for simply holding it between your teeth as you rested your head against Loki’s shoulder as he flipped the book open to the first page.
“Shall we begin, darling?” Loki brushed one hand through your hair, smiling contently as he watched your heavy eyes. You nodded expectantly.
“Alright, then.” Loki adjusted himself slightly, pulling the book closer to get a better view, before starting to read. His voice was hushed and comforting, rumbling deep from his chest into your ear that was pressed against it. “Once upon a time, Winnie the Pooh lived in a forest all by himself, under the name of Sanders….”
As if Loki’s words were made of magic, your eyes automatically began to close. You tried to imagine the little yellow bear, sitting in his little treehouse, eating his honey, but your brain shut into sleep so quickly that it all became a blur. You were just so damn comfy… Despite the way you instantly began to snore, Loki continued to read through the first chapter, as if trying to lull himself to sleep as well.
“…. The End.” Loki hummed, and quietly looked down at your sleeping frame. He smiled fondly, allowing his head to lean back against the pillow. He could get used to spending time with you; he wasn’t entirely sure why he hadn’t done it sooner, or more often. It filled an odd, lonely void that he didn’t even know existed.
Closing his eyes, Loki heaved a deep, content sigh. Lifting his hand, wisps of green magic flowed between his fingers as he ran it up and down your back, attempting to keep you relaxed, and ward off nightmares. You coughed a few times as you remained in light sleep, but as you fell deeper into the pillowy clouds of dreamland, your cough settled.
“Goodnight, little one.” Loki whispered, turning his head against the pillow, just as he himself whisked away into a deep sleep, comfortingly weighted down by your warmth.
Hey guys! I don’t usually post fics, so I’m really excited to get started with this one! My inbox is open if anyone has any requests, but please keep in mind that I’m disabled, and I have an important job that takes up a lot of my time and energy, so fic updating may be kind of slow depending on the week! I’ll create a post talking about the fandoms and characters I’ll write for shortly!
See you around, lovelies!
