heavy medication
Tony had just about had it. Being swallowed by a rainbow and being spat out on another planet really wasn't any of his plans. Yet, here they were, on the bridge between worlds and space and time, and he felt like he just ate a cloud or something. His insides were swimming and his head was pounding and it hurt to think.
Somehow he managed to land on his feet, although his knees wavered and he was dangerously close to throwing up all over the shiny floor.
The scientist beside him wasn't so lucky, he ended up landing face-first into the ground
Ouch.
Tony went to help him up, but Bruce shook his head, and was up on his feet the next second. His excitement didn't seem to waver at all, and the veins on his neck were only slightly greener than usual.
Somebody cleared his throat and Tony jumped at the sudden noise. He looked up to see a tall man with orange eyes and pure gold armour, holding a huge sword just staring at them. Fist of all, creepy, second of all, that is very creepy, he would like to return home now, third of all, that armour was kind of fashionable, but still, a flex.
"Midgardians."
"Uhh.." Tony blinked at him. "I'm Tony, and this is Bruce."
"You must be Heimdall, we're here to see Thor" Bruce said, just an inch away from jumping up and down and squeal from excitement.
"I am aware, this way, he's in the palace."
He pointed towards a pretty rainbow bridge with no fucking rails and Tony was pretty sure it was made out of glass or something.
"I should've brought the suit" he sighed as the black void of fucking space stared back at him from beneath his feet.
...
"Friends!" they heard the loud echoing sound from inside the palace as the guard's spears parted and Tony and Bruce were let into the beautiful building, that looked like a giant organ (like, the musical instrument, obviously). The smiling god came into view, he was waving at them and Bruce couldn't help but chuckle at Thor's cheery expression, he looked like and excited puppy.
"Hi, Thor!" Bruce greeted, looking around the palace, truly amazed by the unique design and the gold everywhere.
"Hi, Point Break, good to see you!" Tony smiled, but his voice was still shaking. Who knew a man who flies on the daily could be so afraid of heights.
The God stepped closer and clapped Tony on the back. "Is everything alright with my brother, Stark?"
Tony's lips parted but no words came out of his mouth.
"That's actually why we are here" Bruce answered instead, and he was met with Thor's worried puppy eyes again. "We found him passed out in his room this morning and I examined him, and Thor, there's something very wrong with him, but i can't see any clear physical causes. I think maybe it's an Asgardian thing? We honestly don't know, but he needs help, as soon as possible" Bruce finished. Thor's cheerful expression had vanished, his eyes visibly darkened and he pursed his lips.
"I'll call my mother, wait here."
...
Loki woke up to darkness.
A different kind of darkness, no pitch black landscape this time, just the kind of lingering greyness behind his eyelids that he was all too familiar with.
He breathed out, mind too hazy and body too tired to open his eyes.
The ringing in his ears seemed to finally fade away and he felt a soft fabric under his fingertips. He was holding onto something — strongly.
A blanket?
He carefully opened his eyes for just one second but had to shut them the next, due to the harsh light finding it's way into the room through the large window.
It wasn't dark now, his eyelids turned red and orange, warm colors dancing around his vision and Loki had the sudden urge to just groan, turn on his stomach and bury his face into the soft pillow supporting his head.
Where was he anyway? He couldn't remember how he got here, or why, for that matter, and everytime he tried his eyes threatened to pop out of his skull.
His mind was a complete blank, no coherent thoughts, just unanswered questions swimming in his head, but it was way quieter than it had ever been.
Not that he was complaining, the silence was calming, compared to the storm and thunder that would otherwise fill his mind at all times.
He touched his hand with his other one, and just out of curiosity, drived his fingernails into his forearm.
No pain.
He dug deeper.
Nothing. A slight tingling, but no pain.
"Woah there!" someone exclaimed suddenly. It felt uncomfortable not being able to tell which direction the voice was coming from, or who it belonged to.
He relaxed both of his hands, and opened his eyes for the second time — this time it felt less like someone stabbed him in the eyes — and he kept them open.
The first thing he noticed was a woman by his bedside, hair raven, eyes dark, expression kept strictly serious and professional. She seemed to be monitoring his vitals, scanning and changing the holograms every two seconds on the screen in front of her. The vibrant blue light of it made him look away.
The second thing he noticed was the white ceiling above him as he catched his breath, with the third thing being he was out of breath from turning his head sideways.
The forth thing he noticed was the owner of the voice he heard a minute ago, Jake sitting on an uncomfortable-looking plastic chair by himself just a few feet away from Loki's bed.
"What were you doing?"
"Nothin'" Loki answered and cringed at the choked sound he had just made.
"He's on heavy medication, he's not gonna be very responive" warned the lady.
Heavy medication? No medication made Loki feel like this on Asgard.
"Okay, Helen, I know that!" Jake sighed, then turned back to Loki. "The Avengers gave me the task to watch you while they are gone, so I'm-"
"No" The doctor, 'Helen' cut him off. "They gave me the task, you're just an intern. Go and do your job, and let me do mine" she said, her voice calm, tone flat, not even taking her eyes off the holograms.
"Just because you're the oldest, it doesn't mean you're the only one who-"
Helen cut him off again. "Who got you this job?" she tilted his head, and Loki knew this tone, it was the voice of someone who just won an argument, and although no smirk was visible on her face, it could be definitely heard lurking in her voice.
Jake clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. "I earned it" he straightened his back and exhaled, and she kept quiet this time. He looked back at Loki, biting his lower lip, suddenly very self aware.
Helen's watch beeped, and Loki flinched at the sudden sound. The doctor looked down at the small device, and after a long moment of staring, she turned around and walked out of the room without any explanation.
"Sorry, my sister can be... difficult" Jake said, rolling his eyes and Loki frowned.
This was so similar to something he would've said when he was younger that it almost made him laugh.
"I know" Jake waved his hand as if Loki had said something. "Our last names are different. I was adopted." Jake shrugged, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and Loki's eyebrows shot up in disbelief.
To be so carefree about something this serious — something Loki threw himself into the void because — blew his mind. To not care that you've been lied to, all your life, that they are your family, or that you're loved..
Jake saw Loki's confused expression and seemed to have took it as something else entirely, because he just nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, I know, we look alike, everyone says that. The Cho's are really great people though" he added. "I was lucky they adopted me. Helen and my other siblings can be a pain in my ass, but they're great, I really love them. She's right, she got me this, uhh, paid internship thing, too. But I bet Thor's much cooler" Jake laughed.
Loki found himself smiling distantly, and he just couldn't bring himself to shake his head and spit something like "he's not my brother" in the boy's face.
Stupid heavy medication.