Warnings: drugs, minor ableism from Tony
The world feels weird when Loki wakes up.
Weird, and...
Noisy.
It's noisy.
Somebody's talking.
Who is it that's talking?
Where is he, again?
He's...
Here.
He's here.
He's just... here.
That's nice.
It feels calm.
Comforting.
He likes here.
He'd like to stay here more often.
Is he lying on a cloud? He feels like he's lying on a cloud. He didn't know he could do that. He learns new things about himself every day.
What was he thinking about, again?
Oh.
Right.
Noises.
Not just noises, though.
Voices.
Talking.
That's what he was thinking about.
He wants to know who's talking.
"-- know what's wrong," somebody's saying. Their voice sounds familiar. Is it... Bruce? It's Bruce, he thinks.
"What's wrong is that he's scared," another voice says, almost defensively. It's Thor, he thinks. It sounds like Thor. "I told you we shouldn't have left him alone."
"He was getting anxious." It's a third voice now. Steve? "He needed to rest."
"No, he needed company," Thor says. "He needed us. And you wouldn't let me stay with him."
Steve sighs. "Fine. You're right. We should have–"
"Oh, shut up," Tony interrupts irritably. "Look, Thor, I'm sorry that your life sucks. I really am. But Loki's hanging on by a thread, and you're drunk off your ass every second of the day, and frankly, I don't trust you not to break him. So no, you're not right."
"Tony!" Steve hisses.
"Don't act like you're not thinking the same thing," Tony says. "I told you, it was too soon to get him involved. We should've at least waited until Loki could talk again."
"You shouldn't have waited at all!" Thor snaps. "He is my brother. He's the only family I have left. You can't–"
"Alright, alright." It's Natasha's voice that interrupts him, a sense of resignation in her tone. "Let's all take a breath and calm down.
"Let's all take a breath," she said.
He can do that.
He takes a long, deep breath.
In, and out.
That feels nice.
He should breathe more often.
"What happened, happened," she says. "We can't change the past. Let's focus on what to do now."
What to do now.
YOU ARE READING
What If... HYDRA Got Hold of Loki?
FanfictionTaking over Midgard was supposed to be easy. Hank Pym already killed their team of heroes. They were supposed to be undefended. Conquering the realm was supposed to be an easy boost of morale for Asgard after the murder of their beloved older prince...
