Coma
April
“Hey, man, it's Peter Parker. I know you probably can't hear me, but...”
Peter really understood the situation. Loki was in a deep coma after some battle they won. He'd been no longer been breathing when they found him on the rubble after an explosion, and had the astounding amount of 46 broken bones. There was not much else they could do but wait.
Now the bones were healing, but he needed a ventilator to breathe and hadn't given any indications that he would wake up soon. Mr. Stark set up a state of the art hospital room just for him, after being saved by the god more than once, and kept hoping.
“We just managed to get Thor out of here, so he can sleep and eat and those things, but he didn't want you to be alone. I thought it would be a good place to study, you know. Quiet.”
Tuth was, it was too quiet, too somber. Peter hadn't know Loki for a long time, but he'd been a chatty guy. A bit of a show off with his magic and he really enjoyed Peter's enthisasm and energy, so he'd kept him around. It was cool to have a companion that could do actual magic, and because Peter hadn't fought they first time he was on Earth, he didn't mind Loki's presence so much.
“You look like crap, man.”
An awake would have never let himself look like that. He took pride in looking good, he was a prince for god's sakes. But now... No matter how good the care Tony had provided, he was still unmoving, pale as death, emaciated, and with that tube covering his face... It was almost scary how lifeless he looked.
“You know what, I can't study. Let me tell you about this teacher....”
May
“Hey, you know that classmate that I told you was about to figure me out? Well, it's been handled, but it was a really close call, and you know, too many people already know and that puts them in danger, it's bad, dude, it's really bad...”
There was no repsonse from Loki, as per usual. He continued to look very really bad and ofer no feedback on his problems. Peter had been rewatching videos from their previous fights, and it was heartbreaking. He had been so full of lifes, of jokes and spells and the most unimaginable things, and now...
“Maybe if you were awake you could tell me of any tricks or spells or something to make it easier for me to hide... Apparently you were pretty good at being someone else, right? Thor told me about when you were pretending to be your dad.”
There was only more silence.
“Wake up, man.”
Silence.
June
“Yo, summer holidays are upon us!”
You could tell that Loki hadn't eaten anything solid for months, his cheeks were more sunken, his arms had decreased, all the lines in his face more pronounced. Thor was finding it harder and harder to come and see his brother waste away in that bed, but Peter had no intention of stopping his visits.
“I'll be gone for a couple of weeks, but I've told my aunt to come by when she can, tell you about her life. They say that talking to people in comas is good for them, so you know, I'm gonna talk to you until I annoy you into waking up again.”
Peter wished there was at least some change, that Loki would start breathing on his own, that a finger twitched like in the movies, something. He wanted the man back, he wanted to make up for all this time lost, for all the pain, for all he had to suffer, now and before. This couldn't be the end. Loki was too grandiose for that. He deserved better.
Peter told him about his holidays and smiled.
Maybe next time.
July
“Bad news, man. Some people of Stark industries are trying to get you unplugged and there's some people out there too, some civilians who are like protesting for it. They say that you are too expensive to keep alive, and that you deserve to be left to die. Tony says no, but I'm afraid he'll be tempted with those “dignity of death” arguments. So it would be a really, really good time for you to wake up.”
Nothing, again, but silence. Loki was starting to look like a vampire, all pale and gaunt, and Thor had left to outer space to find a cure, so Peter felt that he had to compensate for his absence.
“Anyways, did you know that Wanda and Vision are together? Isn't it weird? Because he's not really human, which shouldn't be something to stop them, I guess, but....”
August
“So, Tony has written a document that says no one is allowed to unplug you, even after his death. And it's signed by like four lawyer and people like that, so you know it counts. Miss Potts would look after you if something happens, which we hope it won't, but you know. You're in safe hands, although it would be good to have you back... But you know, take as much time as you need.”
Tony had stopped coming, everyone seemed to have more important things to do. But Peter didn't forget, and kept watching videos, hearing anecdotes from Thor. He wouldn't abandon him, not now, not ever.
September
“Hey, they've told me that your brain activity has improved. Well done, man! I'm sure that you will be back with us in no time, all rested up and ready to fight. Thor.... he's not been the same since this happened to you...And I miss you too, you were there for me, you were fun, you did amazing things... You showed us that we can have a second chance in a life, or a third, or a fourth.”
But you really couldn't tell anything from the outside, Loki looked exactly the same, all bones and white-grey skin, that white machine still breathing for him.
“Remember that time you took me out of battle and we had ice cream? I miss that kind of thing, having someone a bit less heroic with me. I really do. But, new year has started, and guess what? Three new girls, and Ned is totally crushing on one....”
October
Peter was crying on Loki's bedside, and he didn't exactly know why. Things were going well for him, he got a new suit, school was great and occasionally he still saved the world. But there was something quite not right about...everything, and he'd been reminded of his parents for some reason and... He knew Loki would hear him, or at least be there.
He hadn't woken up, even if they had been hopeful. Maybe he never would. Maybe he should pay attention to all the people that told him that he should stop visiting, that he was wasting time, depressing himself only.
But he couldn't. Talking to people in comas is good, he had to keep trying.
November
Some angry aliens were tearing down Stark tower and they were getting closer. Peter has said that they should move Loki out of there, put someplace remote where he wouldn't be found, but they had told him that it wasn't a priority, that they had some other more pressing business to tend to.
And now they were going to destroy Loki's room, with all of the machines that were keeping him alive, and there was only Peter to defend him, and some tech that he'd made. Not enough against those madmen who had already thrashed all the offices in the lower floors.
Peter fought them, to the edge of his strength, but there was too many of them and they had him by the neck, and he was choking....
There was an explosion of green light, and he was free and the aliens left.
Loki's heart monitor flatlined.
“Thanks, man.” Peter said, hardly aware that he was, once again, crying. “I owe you.”
December
After the attack, and Peter's theory that it had been Loki that had saved him, Tony and the other scientist had started paying more attention to Loki, looking more closely. On the 9th of december, he started breathing again. On the 12th, he opened his eyes. By Christmas, he was speaking again, and Peter wasn't crying anymore.
It would take still some time until he could walk, and fight, but at least, when he went to visit, he wasn't met with silence anymore. Loki thanked him for staying close, even did a bit of magic despite his weakened state.
“So, this new girl you were talking about....”
It had taken a long time, but all was well again. Peter smiled at Loki, and the god smiled back.