This time when Thor wakes up it’s to find himself shivering violently. Sweat is glistening over his skin, the evaporation making him even colder.

“O-oh g-g-god,” he chatters, clambering over his bed, when did he get to his bed, to the edge and looking down on the floor, where he had kicked off his blankets. He grabs at it desperately, stopping only in the way-too-arduous task when his stomach roils painfully.

He gags. Nothing came out but a glob of saliva, but his stomach cramped over and over again. By the end of the painful spell, Thor is shuddering in effort on top of the shivering, and he feels so drained.

Every unconscious movement hurts. It makes him wince all over again, only that movement hurts, and the cycle continues.

He doesn’t have the strength to bring the blanket up to his bed so he rolls, landing with a cut off, pained yelp in the blankets, before wrapping himself up as tight as he can in the blankets.

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There are footsteps, thudding up the stairs rapidly. Thor’s door bursts open. Thor squints at the shape. Why were his eyes so blurry? The only reason he could recognize his brother was because of the blob of impossible red that was Sean’s hair.

“Shh, shh.” Sean comes down to his knees in front of Thor. “I’m here, I’m here, you don’t need to cry.”

Thor was crying? Why the hell was he crying? He was sure he would notice the wracking sobs–

Oh. That was happening. Goddamn, no wonder why he was in so much pain, says the one part of his brain that seems to have held on to sanity.

Sean manages to gather up Thor, holding Thor close and rocking slightly. Thor hasn’t sought out this kind of hug since… he was nine, at least.

It’s nice, actually. Thor wishes that they did this before Thor felt like death itself.

“Oh God, am I dying?” The words are barely a rasp of air over his lips, chapped and burning. His body curls tighter into Sean. “I don’t wanna die.”

Sean stills, his grip tightening. “You’re not going to die.” The words are fierce. “You will not die. Do you hear me? You’re not going to die.”

“Ok.” Thor burrows in deeper to the warmth.