The drugs that had affected Loki so strongly wore off quickly as promised and by the time Thor had walked him back to his room, Loki was feeling more or less like himself. He was also in a staggering amount of pain, and he carefully sat down on the bed and ignored Thor until he went away. He decided the refusal to speak was turning out to be a most effective way to get rid of his adoptive brother. Much better than trying to argue or worse yet, plead. That would not be acceptable. In any case, refusing to respond seemed to frustrate Thor so much that he left on his own in short order, leaving Loki in peace. Or at least as much peace that can be attained while his every movement caused absolute agony.
Loki resigned himself to his suffering, opting to lie as still as possible on his bed. He was not left alone long. He opened his eyes at the sound of unfamiliar steps approaching, and the shorter dark haired man came into his line of vision. Now that his mind was clear, Loki found it easier to remember the events that happened when he was under the scepter's spell. And so while he remembered that the man in his room was the one responsible for overseeing his healing process, he also remembered a large green beast. An uncontrollable force, full of power and anger hiding just under the mortal man's skin. Remembering this, Loki watched the man warily as he approached. If the beast emerged, there would be little Loki could do to defend himself in his state.
It would seem though that the man had no intention of releasing the monster within, and instead produced a small cup of water and two white beads. The mortal apologized for the events that occurred earlier that day, and explained that the beads were a medicine. Something to take away the pain.
There wasn't much to think about before he took the offered medicine. He was helpless anyways, there was little left that they could do to him. And if the little beads would take away even an iota of his pain then it would be worth the risk. Knowing all this did not stop him from watching the mortal's face carefully as he swallowed the medicine down, searching for any sign of triumph. There was none, the man only nodded once and left him alone again.
The effect of the medicine was not immediate, but eventually he felt the difference. It didn't go away entirely, but Loki could at least relax a little. And then he felt very relaxed, even as his skin throbbed with the beat of his heart. His thoughts became loose, and before long he had slipped into a half sleep.
()()()()
When he came back to himself, he became aware that Thor was in the room and that he'd been half listening to the oaf for some time. He couldn't recall if he'd spoken at all, but from Thor's forlorn expression Loki felt sure that he hadn't. The light in the room was different, and he realized dimly that it was late afternoon. If he concentrated very hard, he could remember how Thor had brought a plate with food on it, and had badgered him until he'd eaten half of its contents. He'd then taken a seat at Loki's bedside and had filled the silence with his own voice, speaking of what he considered fond memories. They were of course from Thor's perspective and Loki recalled most of the stories in a different light.
And then as his mind cleared, a half forgotten memory came to him. In it he can see Thor gesturing with Mjolnir and arguing. "So you would take the world I love as recompense for your imagined slights?" The blonde asked, and Loki knew it was a memory from when he was under another's control. It did not stop the stab of cold fury that passed through him at the words and what they implied. He held his tongue though. It would do him no good to suddenly start raging over something that Thor would never grasp.
Instead he focused more on the troubling fact that the medicine that spared him the pain of his burns also dulled his mind. It was not as bad as it had been in the morning. He could barely remember what had happened there. The last thing he recalled was watching as the short mortal did something with the tube that was attached to his arm, and then the next thing he knew he was in a bright kitchen with a bowl of soup in front of him and Thor at his side pleading with him to eat. At least this time he could vaguely remember the events that had occurred.
Thor stayed a while longer as the medicine wore of completely and the pain of his injuries made itself known as slowly and evenly as the tide. Thor, who was normally entirely oblivious to others discomfort, saw the growing tenseness of Loki's body, and correctly deduced the cause. He then produced more of the little beads of medicine. Loki did not take them. When Thor made to bring them to his mouth and Loki turned his head away, wincing at the pain the movement caused.
"Loki, please, there is no need for you to suffer like this." Thor pleaded with him, but Loki kept his lips firmly shut. Thor gave up, and left the medicine on the bedside table beside a glass of water. He left soon after that, his shoulders tense with frustration and Loki had no doubt that he was going in search of something he could pummel. Loki was left alone for the rest of the night after that. He spent it curled up on the bed, trying to ignore the waves of pain as they washed over him. Hours dragged by, and though he was exhausted he could not sleep. His arms throbbed and itched and he could feel the heat radiating from them through the bandages. A hair on his neck may as well have been a whip. The blankets on his feet felt like weighted hot coals.
In the middle of the night, when the house was silent, he reached out a bandaged arm and took the medicine from the nightstand.
()()()()
It took almost two full days before Bruce realized that Loki was only taking the painkillers at night. Though the drugs were offered and left within reach, Loki was for some reason willingly spending his days in absolute crippling agony. Thor had left that morning to visually spend time 'guarding' Jane Foster and would not be back for two days, so it was Bruce who had brought Loki some lunch to find the drugs where he'd left them in the morning. Loki was obviously in a great deal of pain, but ignored him when Bruce tried to get a response. Not to be deterred by a shy patient, Bruce went to a more direct source.
"Jarvis?"
"How may I be of service Dr. Banner?"
Despite the calm tone of the computer, Loki still flinched at the disembodied voice.
"When did Loki last take his medication?"
"Eleven forty nine last night sir."
"And before that?"
"Twelve fifty six the night before yesterday."
Bruce looked down at the suffering god on the bed. "Loki, why aren't you taking your meds?"
There was no answer.
"Loki," he said carefully, kneeling down so that Loki was forced either to look at him or close his eyes. "I know you are in a lot of pain. We can't heal you any faster, but the medication should help manage the pain you are in. Was it not working?"
Bruce knew it had to, Loki was taking it at night. Even if that meant that it was just enough to help him sleep then at least it worked a little. Loki did not answer, nor did he break his stare with the space over Bruce's left shoulder. But Bruce saw his eyes flash with something other than pain.
"What is it Loki?" he asked. When there was no response he pushed on. "We don't want to see you hurt, the reason you're even here is so that you can get better before Thor takes you home. The drugs I've given you were only meant to help with your pain levels. What you've been taking now is a less powerful dose of what I gave you a little while ago." A thought struck him then. "Loki, have you been experiencing any side effects from the medication?"
That got something of a reaction, Loki's eyes shuttered slightly.
"Loki, I want to help. If you are having an adverse effect from the medication, tell me and I will find another painkiller."
That made Loki look at him. He didn't say anything, he just stared at Bruce with a very intense look.
"It numbs my mind." he rasped quietly, wincing when the words escaped him. Bruce helped by bringing a cup of juice with a straw to him, allowing him to drink before pressing him with more questions.
"How so?" He asked when Loki was finished. "Do you black out? Like… not remember what happens while you're medicated?" Loki shook his head. "Is it more like its hard to concentrate?" this time Loki didn't answer so Bruce waited patiently.
Finally, "It dulls my thoughts, and I can not even control my own mind."
Well that certainly made sense of why Loki would opt for agony over medication. Thankfully it was something that Bruce could help with. "Ok, that I understand. I'll be right back." He stood and took the pills with him. When he returned, Loki had moved so that he was more propped up against the headboard and glared at Bruce with mistrust when he re-entered.
Nonplussed, Bruce calmly explained, "The medicine you were on is something called morphine. It's a pretty effective painkiller that's used for a lot of different kinds of ailments to moderate pain. Unfortunately it also comes with a bunch of side effects, some of which you got to experience the other day. I thought the milder dose might have helped but I guess not. This is a different drug," he held out the new pills but Loki didn't move to take them. "It's called Vicodin, I already ran a simulation against your basic body chemistry and it should moderate your pain levels even better than the morphine. The reason I didn't give this to you in the first place is that because of your metabolism, you would need three times the normal daily amount this drug is allowed. And it is highly addictive. I really didn't think you'd want to add withdrawal to your already colourful road to a clean bill of health. I've put out an order for some Percocet, which is a lot less addictive and just about as effective. We can just use this in the meantime."
Loki was staring at the while pills in the plastic cup, his expression completely blank, but then he raised an arm to take the offered pills. Bruce hesitated, pulling the cup back a fraction which made Loki look back up at him with narrowed eyes. "Loki, I need you to promise to tell me if you start to have any sort of reaction to these drugs at all. It's bad enough that we are giving human medication to someone who is literally an alien without doing drug trials… I can run the simulations down in the lab but I can't predict the effects as exactly as I would like. So for your own well being, you need to tell me if you are getting any side effects. Not just take them at night. Ok?"
The look on Loki's face was strange, like he was trying to figure out something but he nodded and Bruce willingly handed the meds over. "If I'm not around, just tell Jarvis, the uh… computer that's… the voice in the ceiling." he pointed up and Loki's eyes followed the gesture. "Jarvis can see and hear everything in this house, so if you need anyone just let him know and he'll alert us wherever we are."
Loki was clearly affected by the news that an unseen being lived within the walls of the house, but again if he had an opinion he did not share it. He only swallowed the pills with the air of someone who may as well have been taking hemlock.
()()()()
After the man named Bruce left, Loki gingerly ate the lunch that had been brought up which consisted of a small sandwich and cut up vegetables. The food sat like a stone in his stomach, but over time that feeling went away. In fact, most of his discomfort went away. And this time his mind remained as sharp as ever. Feeling relieved beyond measure, Loki got up out of the bed to test the limits of his body. He was still very stiff, his limbs felt heavy and sore but the radiating pain that came from his burns was nothing but a dull hum of discomfort.
Going into the attached bathroom, Loki made use of his increased mobility and cleaned himself as much as he could with a wet washcloth. He even managed to rinse off his hair, being careful not to get his bandages wet. Afterwards he had to admit he felt much better, but he also had to admit that with that taken care of, he'd run out of things to do. The room was as bare as it had been the day he woke up. Standing in the middle of the room, he looked up at the ceiling, trying to determine where the voice from earlier had come from.
"May I be of any service?" The voice returned, and Loki held himself very still.
"What are you?" He asked, his eyes darting about, looking for a shape, a shadow, anything. But the voice itself didn't seem to have come from any one direction.
"Just A Rather Very Intelligent System," was his answer, which really didn't explain anything. Loki's lack of response was perhaps enough to incite more of an explanation because after a moment the voice spoke up again. "I am an Artificial Intelligence created by Mr. Stark to run security and internal systems within his properties. If you require anything please do not hesitate to ask. I am installed into every room in this house. I am called Jarvis, may I inquire as to your preferred appellation?"
"Loki." was his short answer. There was no need to go into surnames, and it would do his already questionable sanity well not to dwell on the matter. "So it is your duty to ensure that I remain imprisoned? They would leave such a task to a ghost?"
"While I have been instructed to survey your movements, you will find that the door to your rooms is unlocked and has been ordered to remain so. The house and most of its amenities are free to your disposal. The only doors you will find are locked are those of Mr. Stark's personal workshop, the arsenal, and the reactor chamber. Your only other restriction is that I have been ordered to ensure that you remain within the house. This is of course for your own safety."
"No doubt." Loki muttered, mentally tucking away the information. "But otherwise I am permitted to wander freely?"
"Indeed."
Loki glanced at the door, "And no matter where I go, you will be watching."
"As I've been instructed to, yes. However I feel the need to inform you that I have been instructed only to inform Mr. Stark of your activities if you are bringing harm to yourself or others."
Loki made a dismissive sound and reached for the handle of the door. The hallway outside was as empty and quiet as the last time he ventured out.
"If I may help, you are currently on the second floor, the stairs are down the hall to your right. To the left are more bedrooms. Your brother's room is beside yours to the right."
"Thor is not my brother." Loki snapped, almost automatically.
"Acknowledged," was Jarvis' simple reply before continuing on with the verbal tour. "There is also an elevator down the hall to the right that will allow you access to most levels of the house. The lower levels contain the pool and spa facilities, the gymnasium and medical center, as well as Mr. Stark's workshop and Dr. Banner's Lab. The ground floor holds the entertainment areas, game room, library, as well as the kitchen, and dining area."
"There is a library?" Loki questioned, though he vaguely recalled Thor speaking of one.
"Yes sir, would you like me to direct you to it?"
Loki lips twitched. "Very much so."
Holy cow, I honestly did not think that comment would get so many reviews! Thank you everyone so much! I'm so happy that everyone is enjoying the story so far and that you all think everyone is in character!
I took the chance in this chapter to properly explain Loki's drugged out experience a bit more. Next chapter Tony gets a little attention (because I feel like I've been neglecting him to one liners and that wont do!) and Pepper comes to the mansion. See you all in a week!