It's still the same, pursuing pain
Isn't worth the light I've gained
We both know how this will end
But I do it again
-Fight Inside by RED

Rehabilitation. He hated the word. It was the word that those foolish nurses uttered every time they entered the room. Loki, you need to begin walking so we can begin your rehabilitation! Didn't they get it? He didn't want to be helped. He wanted to die off, but no one would let him do it! Didn't they realize that they were only prolonging his misery? Things would never get better. If he healed himself, he would only be opening himself up to more suffering.

Loki's emerald eyes stare searchingly at the ceiling. If only the inanimate could speak, perhaps there would be someone to understand him. The ceiling whose back was broken every day until it finally broke, only to be patched up to last awhile longer. Perhaps such a thing could understand how he felt. If only it could give him some semblance of comfort now.

Tony's words last night troubled him. It wasn't as if he hated the thought of living; he just hated the futility of it. It was oh so hopeless for his life ever to be improved, so hadn't he better just give up? But they were going to continue trying. They were all stupid beings, but some part of him appreciated the sentiment. Some creatures could find it in their hearts to care for him, but those that he had sought approval from never would care. Did he even want their acceptance anymore? They had done so much, yet still his childish heart wanted to feel that he was loved.

Loki didn't understand it. He refused to apologize for what he had done to Midgard and Asgard, but he still had a part of him that was begging for forgiveness. He wanted Odin to say that he had always believed in Loki and that it was a mistake, but Loki knew it would never be. Odin was a hard man and when he said no, he would never change his mind. He had nearly a millennium to change his mind, and he never had. There was no reason for him to suddenly recant now.

"Loki, are you awake?" Bruce poked his head into the room and looked over at Loki. Loki had had his nasal prongs removed a few days ago, meaning that, unfortunately, that he was on the mend. Except for the fact that he refused to stand. Bruce, being the only one with an ounce of medical experience, had tried to force Loki out of the bed ever since he had woken up. So far, he was a no show.

"If I was before, I am not now," said Loki coldly. His voice had lost its rasp and was becoming smooth like it had formerly been.

"Well, I'm glad you are awake then. Loki," Bruce's voice turned stern, like he was reprimanding a child, "you need to walk. The blood is going to clot in your legs. You're either getting up on your own or you are going to be carried out and forced to stand. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mother," he spat venomously. His hatred flooded back into him as Bruce approached. Once again with that demanding voice, it was really stupid. As long as someone was cruel, there would be a dissenter. Even if the cruelty was for the person's own good, there would be rebels.

"Good. So let's get you ready." Bruce walked over to Loki's side and began gathering the IV tethers into a single hand. Loki flinched as one of the needles tugged at his skin; he tried to not show it affected him, but Bruce noticed.

"If I do something to hurt you on accident, just tell me, Loki. I don't want to make anything hurt," Bruce said gently. Loki sent the man a glare.

He hated, repeat, hated it when people belittled him. They may have thought they were extending generosity, but Loki found it patronizing. He had had enough of people thinking he wasn't good enough or strong enough. "It didn't hurt."

"It did. I saw you flinch. Don't make this harder than it has to be, Loki." Bruce sighed and taped the tubes together.

"I didn't!" Loki insisted, hissing angrily. "Stop assuming things, you presumptuous twit!"

Bruce's hand hovered over the switch for the IV fluids and quivered there for a second. That was when Loki realized the situation he was in. Hulk could snap him in two, and he wouldn't even die. Prodding the man was probably not a wise decision. Loki's heart raced, causing the blood pressure monitor to beep radically. The sound seemed to alert Bruce to what he was doing and he took a deep breath in.

"I just want what is best for you. If you don't trust me as myself, trust me as a person who is here just for your sake. They may call me doctor, but I never studied as an internist. Over the past few days, I've been pouring over books that I've never read in my life to figure out the best course of treatment for you. I had hoped I would never have to read about viruses and brain clotting, but now I have. And I did it for you. Not everyone is out to get you," explained Bruce.

Loki didn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. No one would ever go out of their way to do something for him because they wanted to. He was just a nuisance that people had to do extra work for. Was this some kind of cruel joke? "Even if you did, which I think you don't, why would you care? It makes no sense."

Bruce walked over to the wall and unplugged the IV pole and looped the charger over the hand railing. "I care because I'm a living being. Even with the other guy in me, I'm still going to be that way, and so are you." He walked over to Loki and pressed the button to tilt up the bed. "I don't take pleasure in seeing others in pain, and so I want to help you. You may think that any 'Midgardian rules' don't apply to you, but some truths span different worlds. This is one of them. We'll all care for others that are in pain, somewhere in our hearts. No one is inherently evil, not even a frost giant."

Loki kept himself from shaking. He wasn't sure if he was shaking with relief or with anger. "Haven't you heard what they have all said? I'm a malicious murderer. I don't feel things like compassion or pity." He spat out the word; it tasted ill on his tongue. He had had enough pity in his life. It was always either pity or condescension. Pity was the worst because people actually thought he appreciated the sentiment.

"I don't believe it. Because if that was true, I'd be a murderer as well. The other guy has killed more people as you have. Don't lie to me, Loki. We kept a kill count on you. You killed less than twenty people on your own. You may have led assaults, but you never engaged directly and purposefully withdrew from combat. You can't be someone who enjoys watching people die if you flee from battle like that." Bruce offered a hand to Loki only to have it weakly swatted away.

"Don't analyze me like a textbook, doctor," said Loki lowly. "I'm not something that can be understood."

"I never presumed so," replied Bruce calmly. "But you never denied any of what I said. Is it true then?"

Loki didn't reply.

Author's Note: Back from debate and my council. Good grief, I'm glad I get to relax a bit... Kind of. I have my classes starting back up again and I'm adding two college courses onto my curriculum. It's going to be pure torture, but I'm excited for it. xD I'll try to extend my updates now that I have more time, so hopefully quality will bounce up!

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Send a review if you did? ;'D