The beeping of the heart monitor skipped, faltered, and then... stopped.
A sharp, piercing tone filled the room, the sound of the flatline cutting through the air like a knife. Nova's heart plummeted, her numbness shattered in an instant, replaced by a flood of panic and terror. She shot to her feet, knocking over the chair as she rushed to Loki's side.
♫⋆。♪ ₊˚♬ ﾟSea of love\\Cat power
Nova's POV
I didn't know how much time passed with my worried and heavy heart. I was waiting with a loudly weeping Thor in corridor for Bruce to get out and give us news. Either good news or...terrible news that I didn't even want to think about.
Hel's words were echoing in my ears- the words that she told me when the only prisoner that I managed to get slightly friendly with died.
"You are a monster, Nova. And monsters don't love. They wilt their loved ones with their touches."
Was it possible that loving was an illness? A deadly, destroying, cruel illness. The one that I had to avoid in all costs, but yet I made a mistake despite everything, didn't I? Was this the price that costed me for my mistake that I made by being selfish?
I shouldn't have let Loki near, I should have protected him from me. And this was all my fault.
I watched as black dahlias started growing next to my feet. That was something that happened when I lived strong feelings. My magic would grow flowers without needing my control.
But my train of thoughts got interrupted by Bruce entering with a painfully neutral expression while I was trying to understand how Loki was by his expression alone.
"How is my brother?" Thor's overly loud voice sounded.
"The electrical impulses that once coursed through his myocardial tissue had flickered erratically, their synchronized rhythm dissipating into chaotic, uncoordinated spasms. The sinoatrial node, the heart's natural pacemaker, had faltered, sending the cardiac cycle into a state of asystole—complete electrical silence. For a moment, the ventricles ceased their mechanical contractions, leaving the systemic circulation in a state of suspension, devoid of perfusion, oxygen exchange abruptly halted. Then-" Bruce started.
"Shut your damn scientific mouth and tell me if he is alive or not!" I interrupted him yelling.
"Oh right, sorry, he is alive." Bruce said.
And I couldn't find words to describe the relief I felt. I had that sudden urge to scream at the top of my lungs or just collapse onto the floor and cry out my eyes.
However, before I could even take a breath of relief I got pulled into a bone -crashing hug by Thor and truly understood why Loki always ran away as fast as he could whenever something good happened.
"Great, I didn't need my ribs anyways!" I said trying my best to sound malicious, but failing to erase the stupid grin off of my face.
"Right, sorry." Thor said sheepishly and let me go.
I would have returned a sarcastic response, but instead of that I asked from Bruce:
"Is he awake?"
"Yeah, he is." Bruce replied.
"Can we see him?" Thor chimed in.
"Yes, you can." Bruce said.
Well apparently that was all I needed to almost run into the room Loki was in. I didn't even wait for Thor despite my already failed attempts to look nonchalant.
And when we got in, we got invited with sight of Loki lying in bed with bored expression. But, I didn't miss the way he held back a smile when he saw Thor's (definitely not mine!) worried expression.
"Really thought that would be the end, but apparently, the universe loves keeping me around." Loki said.
"It is just that death finds you too annoying." I said with a smirk. The sarcastic remarks were easier than going over and hugging him like a pathetic idiot.
"Oh, how you wound me, dear!" Loki said dramatically.
"Are you alright, brother?" Thor asked ignoring our words with tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Good as new. Did you miss me? Oh, of course you did. I am Loki after all. Who wouldn't?" Loki said with an air of arrogance.
"Does he get arrogance boost each time after visiting the other side?" I asked from Thor.
"Definitely yes. When we were kids-" Thor spoke still sobbing like a kid.
"That is enough, brother!" Loki who was uncharacteristically embarrassed interrupted him before he can continue.
"Now, I am interested." I said raising a brow.
"When are we eating that thing-what was it again? sha-warm-up?" Loki asked changing subject quickly.
"What?" I asked confused.
"Are you living memory loss?" Loki asked.
I stared at him for a good minute or two before realisation hit me.
"Guys, if we win this, shawarma is on me." I remembered Clint's words.
"Oh, you mean the Midgardian food?" I said and earned a nod from him.
"That is the first thing you remember?!" Thor who finally stopped crying said.
"What else was I going to remember?" Loki asked innocently as if he didn't live a near death experience at all.
Was this normal? Not at all. Would I do the same thing I were him? Definitely yes.
