Across the Stars (Loki X Reader)

As the World Turned

It wasn't long until the released me from the hospital. It wasn't like they were really going to waste the bed on someone with a few broken bones and stitches. John was nice enough to take me home to grab what remained of my apartment. I was going to stay with him while I recovered, searched for a new job, and find apartment. He had warned me that the building was a disaster and honest, I was amazed it was still standing. The elevator was the only thing still vertical. I just when you use STARK grade materials, it is bound to withstand anything. The stairs were a little wonky and some were missing large chunks, so we took the elevate which was still working. We stood there in the same silence from the car, but we gave each other shy smiles. We walked the old, dusty, carpeted hallway and finally made it back to my room. Walking in I honestly expected worse. It was still mostly trashed, but it wasn't bad.

Glass, paper, and broken tiles littered the floor. It was just like the entire battle happened in my apartment. I just stood there numb to the whole mess. I grabbed a few bags out of my closet and John helped grab my clothing out. Anything ripped beyond repair was tossed in the trash. We both threw my clothes in bags and moved through the remains of the rooms. Most of the clothes were either easy slip on clothes or scrubs, so it didn't matter how they were packed. I packed my clean clothes and toiletries while John packed the pantry. By the time we finished I was exhausted done tell him to let me do things.

"When are you going to - "John started but I cut him off.

"I am taking one now." I said grabbing a water and opened the pill bottle we had gotten from the pharmacy in the hospital. It was glorified Advil, but it helped me not feel all the pain and made him feel like I was taking care of myself.

We got everything into the bed of his pickup truck after we finished stacking, packing, and fighting about what I could and could not do. The ride to his place was longer than I had remembered it from when I came over for his house-warming party. He lived 40 minutes from the edge of the city, but it took us almost 2 hours to get there because of traffic and closed streets.

We got to his house just after 8pm and we decided to wait to unpack me. He grabbed my overnight back and helped me in the house. Packing had left me in pain and exhausted.

"I am going to order some Chinese food do you still enjoy egg rolls with your beef and broccoli?"

"Yeah thanks, that would be great." I said as my stomach growled. I couldn't remember the last time I ate really food. Chinese food had always been my go-to after a bad day.

While John called in our order, I walked to the bathroom to get a look at myself. It had been a while since I saw my face and body. I looked like shit and when I lifted my shirt. The stitches would have to come out in a week or so. They covered most of my purple, black and blue body. I looked down at my grape colored body. Seeing myself there in the mirror really hammered everything home. I shut the door and broke down. Tears streamed down my face, I let out a scream, a howl of pain and I became lost myself in grief. I held myself against the sink and just let it all out. It was all too much to keep bundled in my chest. It wasn't just the stitches, the pain, or the bruises, it was all that and the loss. I knew I was going to be fine in time but my heart broke and ached. John gently knocked on the door.

"Hey, are you alright?" I nodded and whispered that I would be out in a minute. I straightened up and wiped the tears away. I groaned as I moved to the door and threw my shirt on.

Upon leaving the bathroom, I was greeted by 3 familiar faces and the smell of Chinese food. Laura, Bill, and Nik stood there looking at me. I gave them a smile trying not to break down.

"Hey guys" I said with a bit of a hiccup. Lauren and Bill giggled and waved to me.

"Hey, how are you feeling (y/N)" Laura asked walking over and grabbing my hand. It was probably the only thing that didn't hurt completely.

"I'm fine" I said but my voice cracked which made my heart break all over again. The brave face was cracking.

"It's alright, we are here" Nik and Bill along with John came around me and held me like we used to do after a patient died or before we gave report. We were it. Once a team of 28 broken and boiled down to 5 people that barely worked together. Bill, John and Lauren all worked on the same floor with me. Nik was a OR nurse that mostly flirted with surgeons. He was more of a pickup artist than a nurse.

"Let's get you comfy and we can all eat and talk. It would be great just to be around you all like the old times." Laura said trying to stay positive but old times was last week. It wasn't all too long ago that we would have been messing with each other's coffee, stealing each other's pens, or begging for someone to take one of our patients who were driving us nuts.

I nodded and walked with her. Crunching to sit on the couch was one of the worse things I had to do. Between stitches on my back and stomach, there was no easy way to sit down comfortably. I couldn't help but wince until I finally got comfortable with my side positioned against the armrest and stitches not touching the back of the couch. Laura handed me the beef and broccoli and rice on a plate with an egg roll. I took it happily and we all giggled when my stomach growled. It was wonderful to hear everyone laugh like the world didn't just change. It made me feel I was safe again and that was an amazing feeling. Once we all had plates we ate and shared stories about everything that had happened. I couldn't remember much excepted a red metal suit, the other man in blue, and some huge and ugly turtle-snake looking thing crashing through the window. Everyone giggled as I tried to describe the ugly creature.

"So, you got to meet the famous Iron Man Tony Stark?" Bill asked.

"I guess I did but I am sure almost everyone saw him. Along with helmet head on the sky chariot with the aliens." I retorted. Those were scary as hell and I couldn't remember his real name, just the nickname Janet and I had for him.

"Helmet head? Do you mean Loki?" He asked

"Loki" I said almost breathlessly and the wholescene changed. The room grew dark and hot, like my body was on fire. There hewas, chained and sweating. Everything began to burn and couldn't help butscream. The engines of whatever he was on whined and whirled growing hotter.His raw skin burned and blistered under the heat of the machine. The visionswirled and it was hard to focus. There was so much pain, I could feel it as ifI was him. The cold feeling and then the steam and roar of the engine broke myscreams. I could feel it and whimpered. I felt his eyes roll back and we wereseparate again. The darkness helped blocked out the pain. I wanted to reach outto him and touch him. I wanted to rescue him. The vision swirled again and thescreams of him and the roar of the engines broke my vision. The last thing Isaw was a man that looked like a bejeweled version of grape jelly and a giant