Loki twitched in her sleep, brow furrowed and sweat coating her forehead.
Done retching, Loki raised a shaking hand to wipe his mouth. 142 loosened her hold on his hair. Reluctantly, she spoke.
"Yeah, that shit can fuck you up." She averted her eyes from the alcohol and bile mixed in the bucket, knowing the feeling all too well. Loki laughed shakily, a feeble attempt at composure. The breath caught in his throat and his laughs quickly turned to wracking sobs.
He leaned further over the bucket, no doubt trying to maintain his dignity.
142's eyebrows knitted together. He had just spent 10 minutes vomiting into a bucket, yet tears were too much vulnerability?
Loki was shaking, hands entangling themselves in his hair. He tugged hard at the roots in hope of bringing himself to his senses. He hiccuped, only triggering another sob. Then there was a hand wrapping around his wrists, harshly yanking them away from his head. Against his better judgment, he whimpered. How pathetic.
His hands were pinned to his sides, and his breathing quickened tremendously. No no no no no no-
"Loki, look at me."
He did just that. 142 was sitting on the floor before him, holding his hands away from his head. She was tense, and there was an unfocused intensity in her eyes. He supposed it was better than pity.
"I know it sounds stupid, but just breathe."
He scowled, but attempted it anyway. It was no small feat, and breath hitched in his throat plenty, but he had stopped thrashing against 142’s grip. Soon, the world had returned itself to Loki, and the clarity was almost suffocating.
Taking invigorating breaths, he collapsed against the wall. 142’s eyes flickered up to his face before releasing his hands to his sides.
The tension slowly left his shoulders. He reached a trembling hand up and brushed the hair from his face, wiping the sweat from his forehead in the same motion.
They sat in silence for the better part of a minute before he heard 142 sigh and stand from her position, seemingly sensing that the worst of it was over.
“Lackey, do you want me to carry you to your room, or can you handle yourself?” There was sarcasm dripping from her words, but he’d be damned if the query didn’t have a genuine undertone.
Loki huffed a laugh. “I might need a shoulder to lean on.”
Loki awoke with a jolt. Her heart was beating out of her chest, and her pupils dilated.
She took a deep breath, taking in her surroundings to ground herself.
She was not on Sakaar. Valkyrie was nowhere near, and neither was he. The Grandmaster was dead. Sakaar was destroyed, and she would never have to go back there.
She was in Avengers tower. Tony Stark was passed out drunk, draped over the armchair across the room. She had a suspicion that was the only way the man ever slept. Steve Rogers was on the carpet by Clint Barton, both having given up on their card game and given into unconsciousness. Loki was sure she’d hear all about pain in their backs tomorrow morning. The only one awake seemed to be Natasha, as Banner had retired to his quarters earlier in the night.
She collapsed back onto the couch, rubbing her eyes. “Couldn’t sleep?” She asked.
Romanov spoke quietly, no discernable tone to her voice. “Wasn’t planning on turning my back to this group unarmed.”
Loki raised an eyebrow, curious. “I was under the impression that you trusted your shield-brothers.”
Natasha furrowed her brows. “Shield-brothers?- You know what, don’t explain it. I don’t want to know.” She leaned back. “But to answer your question. You can never truly trust anyone if you want to survive here. And regardless, I’m watching their backs as much as mine by remaining awake.”
Loki refrained from remarking about the apparent exception to her rule that came in the form of Agent Barton. She opted for a non-committal noise of disagreement.
“What about you?” Natasha asked. “Looked pretty shaken back there.”
Loki’s jaw clenched. “Nothing important. Just memories. Things that refuse to be forgotten.”
For the first time since she got here, she thought she saw a look of understanding on Romanov’s face. But it was gone before she could confirm it wasn’t a trick of the light.
“Yeah, that can suck.” Natasha tilted her head back on the pillow, letting her shoulders go lax.
Loki blinked. Romanov seemed.. tired? “I feel like you should sleep. I could take on your apparent job of ‘watching everyone’s backs’ if you’d like. I don’t believe I’ll be going back to sleep anytime soon.”
Natasha looked her up and down, thinking. She let out a heavy breath. “Only if you make breakfast.” She said, starting to stand up.
Loki grinned. “Oh, you can count on it.”
-:o:-
Steve woke up with an aching back. He groaned softly, eyes fluttering open. There was light coming in through the blinds, and quiet noises coming from the kitchen.
He propped himself up on a stiff elbow, glancing around the room. Then it clicked. He had slept on the floor. He laughed breathily, pushing himself into a seated position. Clint was still knocked out next to him on the carpet, and Natasha was awake on the couch. She was holding her phone, but her eyes were now trained on Steve.
“Mornin’, Nat.” He grumbled, standing up. She hummed in response. He pulled his arms over his head, stretching.
“Oh yeah, you might want to wake Tony. Loki’s making pancakes, and doesn’t know he’s allergic to blueberries.” She paused. “Or maybe she does, and she’s gonna poison him, I dunno. Just get Tony up, or I don’t think he’ll wake up at all.”
Steve laughed, turning to the armchair that Stark was draped over. He gently shook his arm. “Hey Tony, you there?”
Tony mumbled something, his eyes drifting open. He winced at the light coming through the blinds, holding a hand up to block his eyes.
Steve paused. “Hangover?” Tony just groaned.
Steve rolled his eyes, walking over to close the blinds. “Lokes is making pancakes, by the way. You might want to go tell her what ingredients you want before she accidentally poisons you.”
Tony shot up in the chair, eyes wide open. The bottle that was in his hands clattered to the floor as he stood up, swaying on his way out the door. Natasha snickered.
“You’re in a good mood,” Steve said, walking over to where Clint was sleeping. Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Don’t jinx it,” she said with a small smile.
Their conversation was cut off by a shrill scream from the kitchen, causing Barton to jump awake. Tony came running into the living room. “Holy shit, Tony, you good?” Clint asked drearily, rubbing his eyes.
He fell back onto the armchair nearest to him, panting. “Fucking hell. Which one of you told her about the anteater incident?” He asked between breaths.
Clint burst out laughing, and Tony scowled at him. “I went in there and there were like 15 anteaters staring at my face, and Loki was at the stove like it was entirely normal.”
Steve glanced around before speaking. “Do you usually hallucinate while you’re hungover?”
Tony narrowed his eyes. “No. And this was Loki’s doing, I know it. As soon as she saw me, she stifled a laugh.” Natasha rolled her eyes. “That could’ve been because you screamed like a bitch.”
Tony opened his mouth to retort, but the door swung open, and Loki came in carrying plates for each of them. “Can one of you go retrieve Banner? I had forgotten he’d retreated to his quarters.” Steve nodded, heading down the hallway to Bruce’s room.
Loki starts handing people plates. “There’s chocolate syrup in the kitchen if you’d like it.” Loki hands Tony his plate and Natasha snorts. “Don’t worry, Stark, you’ve become far too tolerable to poison.”
Tony looks at her with lidded eyes. “Uh-huh. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Soon after, Steve and Bruce enter the room. Loki hands them their plates before plopping down on the couch with her own.
Tony reaches for the maple syrup bottle before pouring a generous amount onto his stack of pancakes.
Bruce grimaced, grabbing a mug to make his tea. "I dunno how you can stomach all of that, Tony. I've always thought they were better either plain or with honey."
Clint choked. "Honey?? If anything, chocolate syrup comes in second after maple." Steve tilted his head in curiosity.
Natasha didn't look up. "You're all delusional. As long as they have chocolate chips in them, they stay plain."
Loki simply looked upon the debate, amused. Bruce shook his head, cursing himself for starting it.
-:o:-
"Hey thanks for breakfast, Reindeer games!" Tony called after her.
Loki rolled her eyes, calling back, "Careful Stark, I only tolerate your nicknames because you never use the same one twice." That earns a snicker from him.
Natasha stops her in the middle of the hallway. Loki turns to face her, eyebrows raised. “Hey, about the whole nightmare thing last night.” Loki tenses.
“I’m not typically one for giving comfort- but I am a good listener. If you ever wanted to get it off your chest.” Natasha offers. Loki relaxes her shoulders. “Maybe sometime.” She offers Natasha a small smile, avoiding her eyes.
Natasha nods, turning away towards her room. When she’s closed her door, Loki is still standing in the hallway. Loki blinks, wringing her hands together. She doubts she’ll ever talk about it, but… it’s nice to know that the opportunity is there.
Sighing, she lets her hands drop to her sides and continues down the hallway.