"So, are we not going to talk about what just happened or…?"
Loki's thoughts were muddled and blurred, images and memories mingling and mixing too much to distinguish between them, sounds piercing his ears like whining static. He felt all too warm, his skin flushed with heat as he moved against what felt like bed sheets, the chill that had for so long overtaken him suddenly vanished from his veins, and he struggled to open his eyes, tickling rays of sunshine bearing down on his face.
He could recognize the feel of it, would always know its warmth, but something was off. He felt sluggish, not at all like himself, and finally managed to crack one eye open, flinching in pain as bright light assaulted him.
A voice that sounded distinctly similar to Thor's echoed through his head, but his ears began to ring fiercely, and his vision swam dizzyingly as any progress he'd made to sit up were lost and he fell back against the pillows beneath him, limbs aching. Body-shaped forms were moving in front of him, and something that looked like an arm was stretched out in his direction, but all of the colors were mashed together and his head hurt whenever he tried to concentrate on them, pulse pounding so rapidly that he could hear the flush of blood in his ears.
Moaning, he weakly threw his arm over his face to cut out the light, and instantly regretted doing so after the pain in his shoulder finally receded enough for him to gain back his breath. An unbearably hot palm was laid on his other hand and the contact lit his skin with heat as he wrenched his fingers away, panting and stifling his reaction to the pain that followed the movement, and something gently pulled the arm slung over his face to set it beside him, taking care not to hurt him, and he reluctantly opened his eyes all the way, squinting as he tried to get used to the light glaring at him from the window.
A rush of sounds fell upon his ears and he flinched, trying to adjust to the fresh noises darting in and out of his hearing range, pitches waning irritatingly.
"Close the curtains," said Jane's familiar voice, and in the next moment a great weight fell upon the bed, making the mattress dip, and Loki recognized it enough to know that Thor sat beside him, to his left, as still and silent as a statue, and the light before him vanished, the whoosh of the curtains the only sound in the room. Suddenly, Loki could see, and the soft skin against his knuckles vanished as Thor's familiar touch replaced it.
"He's burning up," Jane murmured, and he dared to marvel at the concern sneaking into her voice, wondering what exactly had happened to make the accusatory mortal so soft-hearted.
"I'm not surprised. He acted like the light was killing him, so his senses are probably hyperactive, on overload." The Black Widow's voice surprised him, and he blinked to search for her, eyes darting from place to place until he spotted her behind Jane, standing just beside Stark and the Captain.
Loki reacted, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and the mounting ache in his back, and scooted away from them, scrambling to a sitting position and shoving back the sheets to put a barrier between himself and the team, wary of their presence. He searched for the aid of his magic, ready to go down fighting, but the familiar pulse of energy was lacking, and he shook with the realization, the empty space that once was occupied, shocked to the core.
It was as if a piece of him was missing, like someone had stolen that crucial part within him that everything revolved around, a vital puzzle piece. Gasping, he flattened his palms against the bed to support his weight as he felt weak enough to collapse, and spared a glance up at Thor, who sat forlornly on the edge of the bed, frowning apologetically. Behind him, Loki figured he was in some sort of bedroom, and saw on a nearby table a framed picture of Tony's beloved, her strawberry hair frozen in the wind as she smiled at the camera. He blinked, gaze sliding to the humans beside him, and saw Jane sitting opposite Thor.
Stark looked annoyed, his dark eyes bright, and Natasha looked just about ready to flee, no doubt on the tips of her toes with anticipation. The Captain, Loki was surprised to see, seemed worn, dark circles under his eyes and irritated lines on his skin, his blonde hair disheveled.
"Loki." Thor's voice was hoarse, and Loki's head snapped in his direction wearily, a sudden exhaustion slipping into his arms, like he couldn't support his weight, sweat beading down his forehead, his heart slamming against his chest bone. Loki swallowed past the lump in his throat and stared at his brother, his limbs shaking.
"What….where is my magic?" Loki asked weakly, his voice sounding smaller than he'd ever heard it, and Thor's expression crumbled as he looked to his hands, at a loss for words. The bruises and cuts on his face were still sore, and they stood out on his tanned skin, his cheeks ruddy, and Loki stared imploringly, the utmost terror glinting in his eyes, and the look reminded Thor of when they were younger, when Loki was innocent and naïve and completely free of the burdens weighing him down now, eyes bloodshot and face gaunt, cheekbones more defined and jutting. The look scared him, and he thought for a moment that he could lie, but Loki was the master of hiding the truth and he'd no doubt catch the falsity, and Thor sighed heavily, dreading how he'd take the news.
"You died," he murmured softly, and Loki closed his mouth, nodding, eyes narrowed as if focused on something in the distance.
"I was…stabbed," Loki started slowly, the pieces clicking together in his mind as he tried to remember.
"You stabbed me. I-I don't remember…what else…"
Jane scooted ever so slightly away when she saw Thor prepare himself, taking a deep breath, and she decided that standing with the rest of the people in the room would protect her most from Loki's anger, and Thor sighed shakily, regret painting his features dark. Loki gazed at him warily, shaking.
"I didn't know, Loki. I didn't think it was really you, and I knew that I had to find a way to save you, no matter what it took. But a woman came before we could make any plans." He laughed humorlessly, the glow of memory in his eyes.
"It was a miracle, really, that someone could bring you back to life so easily, with just the touch of her fingers."
Loki stiffened, shaking his head in confusion.
"And you didn't think that it was at all suspicious that she just appeared to you, offering to conveniently give me life again, free of charge?"
He slumped atop the covers, just managing to roll his eyes at Thor's apparent lapse of judgment. Thor shook his head ever so slightly, swallowing, his mouth so suddenly dry, like he hadn't drunk a single drop of water in decades.
"It wasn't free. The price was my immortality," he murmured, rushed, and Loki blinked at him, lips parting silently.
"You…what?" "She asked for what made me other." He sighed, starting to smile humbly.
"I'm mortal now." Loki drew in a breath, staring into the man's eyes, his features, once so cold and unforgiving and hateful, softening just the slightest, his throat bobbing.
"You did that…for me?" Nodding, Thor laughed, blue eyes lively with the light shining inside them.
"Of course. You're my brother, Loki."
For the tiniest moment, Loki felt the corners of his lips begin to turn up, the oddest sensation blooming and spreading like wildfire through his chest, and he allowed himself a single moment to let the world slip away, the memories falling at his feet, the confines around him as thin as air, but there was something dark, shadowed, in Thor's overly soft gaze, and all of that went away instantly, reality settling back down around him. It was a secret, or so it looked, lurking and coiled tight in Thor's eyes, hidden and waiting and deadly, and he swallowed with apprehension, clenching his jaws together to steel himself.
"But?" Loki gritted out venomously, his muscles tensed, and Thor flinched at the word, as if it could be a tangible, harmful thing. He started to look to his hands, but decided on staring Loki in the eyes, heart pounding.
"There was another price. She took what made you other." Stonily, Loki stared back at him, blinking impassively, and confusion muddled his gaze, his limbs leaden and weak as he struggled to hold himself up, his pulse quickening dangerously, and Thor swallowed.
"You're….mortal, Loki."
There was a certain silence hanging in the air, a thick, warm tension that could be felt by all who searched for it, and, collectively, the team took a step back, eyes wide with anticipation. Loki's limbs lit with a fire he'd only ever known in passing, an inextinguishable flame igniting within him and setting his body on high alert, as close as his mortal form would ever get to superhuman, and suddenly, all of that weight and light and pain was merely a nuisance, the rush of blood in his veins burning him up from the inside as his weakness and exhaustion wilted beneath the heat's unforgiving glare, and Loki was the warmest he'd ever been in all his long life, but his voice was as icy as the chill of death.
"You…took my magic?" Thor jumped at the chance to defend his actions, struggling to make a quick plea for forgiveness, and he frowned at the man's emotionless gaze.
"Not me, the woman. She brought you back, and the price-"
Within the next breath, Loki was gone, leaping from his place on the bed to wrap his slender hands around Thor's neck, tackling him and shoving him off the edge of the bed to land roughly on the floor, his palms pressed unrelentingly against Thor's throat as his long hair fell in front of his face, his green eyes lit with rage.
"You took my MAGIC?!" He hooked his fingers behind the top of Thor's spine and lifted his head to slam it back against the hardwood floor, all but growling as he tried to choke the blonde, and the Captain started forward with concern, but Natasha put a hand out to stop him.
"They're mortal now. The worst they could do is knock each other out. Let them handle it; it's they're fight."
Reluctantly, he assented, and Tony smiled amusedly before taking a seat in a nearby chair as Jane brought a hand to her mouth when Thor kicked Loki off of him. The trickster went sailing across the room, his back making painful contact against the door, and Steve sent the spy a sideways glare when he landed.
"The worst they can do, huh?"
She shrugged and took a seat by Tony as Loki pushed himself up, cracking his back and neck, leveling his stance before he went rushing at Thor. Thor sidestepped, but Loki anticipated the move and swung his arm out in Thor's new direction, his fist slamming into the man's face, and Thor wiped blood from his lip angrily.
"This is not my fault, Loki!" Thor yelled, and Loki ignored him to kick at his shin, making him drop to the floor, and from his position Thor reached up and grabbed Loki's collar, yanking him down to the ground by the neck. Loki made a protesting noise and bit Thor's hand, and Jane flinched as she heard the sound of it, turning to glare as Tony laughed in surprise.
"We have a biter!"
Thor elbowed Loki in the chest and the impact sent him collapsing against the side of the bed and he shouted angrily as he jumped, wrapping his arms around Thor's wide shoulders and using his own momentum as he swung around and brought him to the floor. Thor took a moment to recover from the immediate loss of breath he felt, and the weakness reminded him of his mortal days directly after banishment so many months ago, that same experience coming back to him. Loki returned to his attempts at choking Thor, and the blonde threw up a hand to smash against his face, shoving him away, but Loki shoved back, futilely trying to choke Thor while suffocating himself, and he finally gave up, opting to stand and drag Thor up by the arm, aiming to punch him.
"Do you know what you've done?!" Loki screamed, eyes wild and face red as he swung his fist at Thor's face. Thor caught the punch, but Loki kneed him in the groin and elbowed his shoulder when he doubled over, finally falling back to the floor in pain. Loki's eyes darted around briefly before he stalked over to a coffee table, roughly picking up the vase sitting atop its mahogany surface, gleaming in the light hanging overhead.
"Hey, don't break that," Tony murmured, brow furrowed.
Glaring at Stark, Loki looked insane, pupils so dilated that they shrouded almost his entire iris, hair curled into his face, his flushed skin looking sickeningly warm. At the stare, Tony threw up his hands and sunk quietly back into his chair, eyes wide. The trickster's hands shook as he carried the vase over to where Thor was splayed upon the floor, wincing.
"You've taken my identity, my everything," Loki hissed, and he stopped beside Thor's head to glare menacingly down at him, raising the vase above him in preparation to smash it on his brother's face. Thor only had enough time to cover his face before Loki-
-didn't throw the vase.
A warm hand, soft palm at least a bit familiar, rested upon the hot leather of his armor, just at his wrist, and Thor gaped at Jane, standing just behind Loki with the calmest expression she could muster, her brown eyes glistening with fear. Loki stilled, slowly turning to stare at her with his shaking arms and panting breaths, eyes large and boring into hers. Her lips shook when she closed them to swallow nervously, her pulse rapid.
"He didn't do anything. Don't hurt him, please," she whispered, and Loki narrowed his eyes, lowering his arm and nodding almost imperceptibly, as she forced a smile, releasing her hold on his wrist and turning to join the others, eager to be rid of the tense sensations surrounding the former god.
Thor relaxed, smiling with relief, and Loki took a breath.
He slammed the vase as hard as he could against Thor's face, using all of his strength and energy and fire still left within him, his voice giving out as he screamed in anguish, yearning so much for the familiar pulse of magic at his fingertips, the void now lying unfilled within his chest, the empty space where the bright memory of magic once lived.
He didn't check to see if Thor was alright, and didn't care about Jane's scream or her small body flitting past him to reach his brother, or anyone else in the room.
He just looked up, staring at the curtains and the muted sunlight longing to shine past them, utterly drained, and the fire within him was snuffed out by the darkness that overcame his vision, and Loki, after feeling such strong weakness in his legs, heard the sharp sound of his body falling against the floor right before all of the pain caught up to him, throwing him into oblivion.
Please R&R! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated! ;)