I'm Listening

Chapter 7 - Recovery

The morning after Loki awoke, he was discharged from the hospital and escorted back to Stark's Tower, where he was given his own suite across from Thor's. It's a bit of a relief to have a place to himself now, even though he suspects that Thor will be spending more time than not with him. He's extremely weak, his body and seidr taxed to the extreme. Thankfully, no one removed his leather armor – the metal pieces were taken off, probably shortly after Thor presumably moved him from the roof – so the wounds beneath are still concealed.

Since Thor is gone with Captain Rogers and Stark to speak with the Director, Loki is alone in the Tower, except for Dr. Banner, whom he has yet to meet. From the little he's heard, Banner's alter ego is a beast, much like how Loki's true Jotun form is monstrous. The Tesseract might be a constant hum in the back of his mind, but it cannot fuel his seidr to heal him. It's external to him, and until such time as he's recovered, its power is useless to him.

Biting back a groan, Loki limps into the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror. He looks terrible, and if Thor were to see him without the glamor he's been wearing until a few minutes ago, he'd have refused to leave. Slowly and gingerly, Loki unfastens the outer layers of armor, stripping off the dirty and bloody leather and depositing it on the floor. He'll have to clean it later after checking his injuries.

He's clothed in naught but a simple green tunic, and it's with great care that he pulls off his shirt and unwinds the bandages around his torso, revealing the scarred and damaged skin across his chest and back. Loki grimaces, ignoring the deeply rooted ache. The pain has become so much of a constant that he hardly notices it anymore, but he exerted himself far too greatly when closing the portal. Some of these wounds should have closed by now, but they're still gaping, sluggishly oozing blood or infection in some places. His back is, of course, the worst, and he twists himself so he can look at it in the mirror. Thor would have a fit if he saw, but Loki doesn't know if he can bandage this alone.

He'd wrapped it roughly while still in Germany, Barton offering whatever limited assistance he could. Loki doubts the man can even remember it. His memories of his time under the mind control are likely hazy, especially since Thanos took over. Loki estimates that he has probably almost an hour before Thor will be back, so he needs to care for this now. Thankfully, JARVIS cannot reveal any personal information unless someone is in danger, so he's not too wary about asking him if there's someone who might be able to help.

He's loath to ask, but he doesn't really want it to get worse to the point where Thor will have to become involved. His seidr is still too weak and injured to do much beyond basic illusions; healing requires far more energy than he has to spend. It doesn't help that he hasn't really eaten a decent meal in months. He can see his ribs sticking out prominently and it's sickening. Thanos did all this to him, and now, he's left to gather the broken pieces of his body – mainly his mind – and put them back together. Thank the Norns that Thor is here. Loki wouldn't know how to do this alone or even where to begin.

Casting a quick glamor over himself to hide the damage, he sticks his head into the bedroom. "JARVIS, is there anyone other than Thor who might be able to help me bandage an injury?" He can't help but clench his fists as he asks. The one thing he hates more than being ignored is having to ask someone for help. Reaching out is hard if he knows he could be rejected. Thor wouldn't, of course, not now, but Loki doesn't want him to see how badly his brother was hurt.

"Certainly, Mr. Loki," the AI replies amiably. "Dr. Banner is in the Tower, and he has some medical experience. Shall I ask him to come here?"

"That's fine," Loki agrees, pausing for a moment. "Do not tell my brother about this."

"As you wish," JARVIS answers. "Dr. Banner is on his way up here."

Loki waits for a long, tense minute, and by the time that he senses Banner entering the suite – JARVIS must have let him in – he's had plenty of opportunities to question whether or not he made a mistake. Maybe he should have ignored it. Yes, the widest wound is the width of his finger, but it will heal in time. He's as hardy as any Asgardian, and his body will recover. It will only take much longer without proper care. Showing someone his condition is like revealing a weakness. He doesn't want to be looked on with pity.