Chapter 2
There was something pressing uncomfortably in the dead centre of a very tender bruise on his face. The pressure would ease temporarily only to return with more force, and then whatever was causing the assault would move to swipe mercilessly across a stinging wound through his eyebrow.
It was just unpleasant enough to rouse Loki from complete insensibility, and even when he tried to turn his head from range the contact did not stop. He raised a hand to push the thing away and was thwarted by a grip at his wrist which redirected his efforts.
“You really did a number on yourself,” a voice chided from somewhere above him.
Loki winced. A trickle of water made its way over his ear and into his hairline,There was also a chilly coolness at the back of his neck He wasn’t entirely sure whether to be grateful for the relief or annoyed that it was helping to draw him towards wakefulness. He was very tired.
He had a vague impression of people moving around him and snatches of conversation taking place. The sounds had the muted quality of dreams only half understood; he felt quite removed from them.
Someone made a request of another nearby. Thanks were exchanged. Instructions given. Whether any of this pertained to himself he was quite unconcerned. That was until the insistent droning focused on him and it became apparent he was required to give a response of some kind.
“Are you with us?”
No. He most decidedly was not. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be.
There was more badgering along this vein, demanding that he open his eyes, that he wake up fully. He was persuaded finally to do so only because there was a chance it would put an end to the pestering.
He peeled his uncooperative eyelids apart with much effort and peered blearily at the ceiling above him. Bruce’s face swam into view, one of his bland little smiles pulling at his features. Loki blinked dully.
“Hi there,” Bruce said. “Welcome back.”
Loki could find neither the energy nor the will to formulate a response.
“Help me sit him up,” Bruce then said, presumably to someone else present.
Without his consent or apparently requiring any effort of his own, Loki felt his upper body being lifted and his back and shoulders braced against something soft. Hands fussed around him, propping him securely and rearranging the cold packs against his burning skin. The movement and the change in position was oddly disorienting.
Loki felt himself beginning to drift.
“Nuh-uh, nope,” Bruce said, nudging Loki on the shoulder. “Come on, you know the drill.”
Loki blinked his eyes open again.
Bruce passed him a cup of water
Once his body was satisfied, he let his hand fall back to his side and took a moment to catch his breath. It took some minutes before he was able to ascertain anything more about his surroundings or to take stock of his own condition.
He was on a bed. But it wasn’t his bed.
It was hard to think. And it was still too hot.
How did he even get here? There was something he was supposed to be doing, but he couldn’t for the life of him…
Thor.
Loki’s eyes snapped wide and he lurched entirely upright with all the urgency of that single thought, scattering cold packs and pillows as he did so.
“Oh no you don’t,” Bruce hurried to insist, his feeble attempts at restraining Loki’s forward motion surprisingly effective. He pushed Loki back down and rearranged the items disturbed by the movement with his other hand.
Loki turned his head to look at his assailant, his brows pulling together. “I have to go,” he tried to explain. Why was Bruce keeping him here?
“Not right now you don’t. Doctor’s orders.”
Loki was absolutely certain that was not true. “But I have to…” What was it he had to do? Something important. Something that couldn’t wait. He felt his attention wandering as he puzzled this out, his frown deepening.
“Tell me how you’re feeling,” Bruce said instead, leaning over slightly to reapply the adhesive sensor of the temperature monitoring equipment Loki had dislodged it was reading Loki’s temperature 103°F I can do that in a human this could be dangerous but he didn’t know anything about gods But he knew that it being that high is a bad thing.
“Warm,” Loki grumbled, perhaps unnecessarily.
“What else?”
Loki closed his eyes. “Tired.”
“Do you know where you are? What’s my name?”
Loki didn’t want to answer any more questions. He wanted to sleep.
“C’mon, Loki. Work with me here.”
Persistent, bothersome mortal.
Bruce let out a startled burst of laughter, which rather suggested Loki might have said this out loud. The fact that he had neither intended to nor noticed was more than a little alarming.
“Guess that’s my answer,” Bruce said, amused.
“You’re pretty run down,” Bruce said with a pointed look. “Not a great place to start. I’m gonna take a wild guess here that this has been coming on for a while and that you didn’t say anything, and that you haven’t been getting enough rest, which is probably what’s brought it on. Even though I distinctly remember asking you to. On more than one occasion. And don’t think I haven’t noticed the meal skipping. When was the last time you ate something substantial?”
Loki simply blinked uncomprehendingly at this, and Bruce sighed. “You’re exhibiting all the signs,” he summarised. “I’d say you’re probably already in stage two.”
“I am not Asgardian. I cannot be sick.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell ya,
LoKi started to fall asleep
“Hey. Stay awake for a bit longer, okay? I need you to talk me through a few things first.”
Ugh. The man was impossible. Sleep. Don’t sleep. Why couldn’t he make up his mind?
“So far you’re more or less textbook. But is there anything I need to know about your, uh, ancestry, that might be relevant here?”
“I do not know. I have never cared to learn.”
“Well who might?”
“The Allfather. My real father. Who knows? Although they’re both somewhat unavailable at the moment.” He laughed quietly to himself. A small voice at the back of his mind insisted he should feel mortified to be sharing any of this.
“What about your magic?” Bruce pressed. “Are there any precautions we need to take?”
“What exactly are you suggesting?”
“I just want to be prepared. We never talked about this. And Thor was enough of a handful. And it’s just when wanda got ill her magic went out-of-control and we had to put her in a special room so she didn’t destroy a whole town your magic won’t go out of control like that will it”
“ no it won’t my magic works on energy the more tired I am the more it doesn’t works so I don’t think it’ll work at all why I’m I’ll ”
A hand patted Loki on the arm. “Just try to relax and get some rest. I promise I’ll leave you alone now. And I know you already know how all of this goes, but I’m here if there’s anything you want to ask me.”
“You’re going to be fine, Loki.”
Not this again. “Save your… lies… for someone else.”
“No can do. Same treatment for everybody. Can’t be accused of playing favourites.”
Loki tsked.
“I’ll be back to check on you later.”
“Hmm.”
Bruce might well have said something more, but Loki was already succumbing to sleep, and this time he didn’t fight it.