Peter feels like he's in the horror version of Baywatch. He's running over the sand, as fast as he can, towards Daphne's lifeless body, but everything about it feels like he's going in slow motion. As he makes his way over the beach, the sky magically clears again. Bright stars and a full moon illuminate the shore, making the small sand crystals shimmer, leaving no trace of the impact that just happened. He slides on his knees when he's near enough and he barely has the composure to lift her limp body out of the sand. Her scar opened again and Peter stares at the blooded branches that have extended even further over her back. Some even carefully wrap around her shoulders and one ends at her left collar bone.
Peter's breath hitches in his throat. Her wounds are filled with sand and when he carefully shifts her so he can see her face, a sob escapes his mouth. Her eyes are open, but they lack Daphne's spark. They're empty. Peter places his hand in front of her mouth, trying to ignore her slacked jaw, but he can't feel her warmth. She's not breathing. He pushes his ear on her chest as his own body jolts through his sobs, squeezing his eyes shut. No heartbeat. He realizes. No heartbeat, no heartbeat, no heartbeat-
"Dove," he whines. "Wake up, dove-" He glances at the shore. The sound of waves crashing washes through his head. "Wake up, wake up-" He embraces her tightly, feeling the bloodied sand, coarse, on her back. Peter presses Daphne against him, holding her head in one of his hands. His face disappears in her hair. The mixed smell of her pomegranate shampoo, the ocean's salt and the scorched skin overwhelms him as he sobs.
"Spider." Loki appears next to him. "We need to clean her up, now." Peter angles his body away from Loki, protecting Daphne from his reach.
"No- no, no, no-" There aren't any words for what Peter's feeling right now. His entire body aches with sadness. He doesn't notice he's rocking Daphne and himself back and forth. "Don't- don't- don't-" Loki squats next to them and places a gentle hand on Peter's shoulder.
"She will come back to us, Peter." This makes the teen look up at the demi-god. He doesn't recall Loki ever calling him by his first name.
Loki stares at the boy. His eyes are red and his cheeks are puffed. His breathing is erratic and Loki can practically hear the kid's heartbeat. The entire lower half of his face is covered in tears and the only terminology he can think of is what Midgardians call "ugly crying". Loki scoffs. It's difficult for him to wrap his head around the fact that someone can love another so deeply. Loki already settled on the idea that Daphne would die a lot sooner than he would, being different species and all. The spider's heart is just... So big. It almost aches him to see Peter so distressed. Almost.
"Wha- what do you mean?" Peter's voice is slurred and he sniffs as he looks back at Daphne's face. Loki quickly closes her dulled eyes with one swift swipe of his hand, ensuring the boy won't be too caught up in the fact that yes, that is the one he loves. Dead. In his arms.
Loki sighs deeply and cocks his head as he stands up from his squatting position. He looks back at the Iron Man's Summer house and spots everyone has woken up and gathered in front of the windows. He makes eye contact with Tony, who stares at him intently. Loki frowns when he sees anger on Stark's face. Almost... Accusatory. Loki could groan. What did he do wrong this time? Loki looks back at the young hero, still clutching Daphne in his arms. He purses his lips.
"I will explain what I know when we get inside. We need to wash the dirt off her wound. And I prefer to only tell my story once." He cocks one eyebrow at Peter, who looks up at him with doe eyes. "Spider," he tries once more. "For Daphne."
The mention of her name seems to shake the boy out of it and he carefully stands up, trying not to make it any worse. Her body hangs limp in his arms and he pulls a face when his arm scratches her wounds.
"I- I can't not touch it," he mumbles. Loki places a reassuring hand on Peter's shoulder and nods.
"All will be fine. Just need to clean her up and lay her down somewhere." They slowly walk back towards Stark's house and when they're close enough they can see the stirring inside the house. Bucky's holding back Derek from running out and before Peter can walk up the last couple of stairs to the door, Loki stops him.
"What's wrong?" Peter asks worried. He can already feel Daphne's body cooling down from the brisk summer night breeze.
"I should probably explain to them that no Midgardian medical aid will actually get her back. Crowding over Daphne will not help her. Someone is going to have to wash her. Her wounds, specifically." Peter's lip twitches.
"Nat's here," he mumbles. "She's probably washed a ton of wounds."
"Ah, the other Spider."
"To an extent," Peter grumbles. He doesn't understand why Loki is stalling for time. He wants to get inside. Now. He wants to take care of Daphne, get her warm again. Bring her back.
Peter swiftly pushes past Loki and Bucky opens the door to let him in. Derek immediately rushes to his daughter but Loki puts up one hand behind Peter, stopping the distressed father in his tracks.
"She is not with us. We cannot do much right now." He turns his attention to Natasha and is happy to spot another woman, Tony's other half... What's her name again? Ah, well. "These wounds require cleaning. I suggest a shower. There is quite a bit of sand-"
"What did you do to her?" Tony growls, startling the demi-god slightly.
"What did I do to her?" Loki puts his open palm on his chest. "Do I look like I can create lightning? You must have mistaken me for my twat of a brother."
"You've been manipulating her, haven't you?!" Peter looks at Tony confused and shifts his attention back to Loki.
"Excuse me?" The demi-god replies offended.
"Don't play dumb!"
"I am not playing," Loki groans and dramatically gestures to Daphne with both hands. "If the ladies would be so kind to take care of the corpse that the boy is carrying, that would be great!" Everyone stares at Loki in disbelief. His ability to be an absolute dick is shining through once again.
"Unbelievable." Tony presses the bridge of his nose with two fingers as he turns away.
"C-corpse?" Derek stares at Loki in disbelief. "She's...?"
"Not for long."
"What do you mean 'not for long'?" Natasha frowns and nods at Daphne before raising an eyebrow at Loki.
"She will stay like this until Death brings her back to us."
"For the love of God," Tony spits out with a clenched jaw. He presses his fingers on his thumbs to emphasize every syllable. "Elaborate."
"I will tell you once those wounds are clean, it is too complicated to explain in a few words." Loki glances at the hallway that leads to the doors. "So, am I going to have to do it or-"
"Shut up," Natasha growls as she swiftly walks past Peter towards the hallway.
...
Once Natasha, Pepper and Daphne are all set in the bathroom, Peter and Loki make their way back to the living room where everyone's still waiting. Derek, who was pacing in front of the windows, immediately rushes towards them.
"Is she really-?"
"Pairs," Loki sighs, making everyone look up at him. He glances at Tony who still seems to be shooting daggers at him with his eyes. He now also notices the metal armed man in the kitchen toying with a large knife. Loki makes note of it, but he's not fazed. "I was not sure it would apply to Zephyrs too, but this explains a lot."
"Pairs?" Steve cocks his head and Loki nods, taking a breath.
"Magic requires balance." He takes a step forward and moves his hands as he speaks. "Balance requires pairs. Even numbers." He makes eye contact with Derek. "Daphne's first death was 8 years ago. It's only a few more days before it's 9 years ago. Uneven number. Cannot have that."
"That's why she's ready now?" Bruce crosses his arms, hugging himself tightly. He was still a little shaken up from the loud impact earlier, but at least the Hulk hasn't showed himself.
"It is the only logical explanation."
"And the pair-thing is also the reason why she had to die again? The same way?" Sam frowns and cocks his head. Loki looks down and nods slowly.
"Most likely." It's quiet for a second. Peter hasn't said a word so far, only looking down at his feet, still feeling the weight of Daphne's limp body against his chest.
"When will she come back?" Tony still sounds annoyed.
"Could be a few hours, could be a few days."
"Won't her body-"
"No."
"How?" Bruce steps forward and Loki instinctively shuffles backwards. He's not afraid of the small man, but his other side is intimidating to say the least. Knowing the scientist has control over when he transforms and is unkillable due to the beast's reflexes, isn't very good for Loki's composure.
"She will meet Death." Loki raises his hand to stop the Avengers from asking questions he has to answer anyways. "To keep it simple for your Midgardian minds: yes, Death is a person... To an extent. And no, Death does not visit everyone who dies. Only the ones they deem worthy of their time." He glances at the hallway, in Daphne's general direction. "Daphne really is special." He rolls his shoulders as he shifts his attention back to the group. "I do not know much of what will happen, but Daphne will speak with Death like she did when she first died."
"Wait- she already met... Death?" Derek stares at Loki wide-eyed.
"She does not remember," Loki says as he clears his throat. "Apparently, even I do not know exactly what happened back then. I thought I was the one who brought her back, but it was Death."
"The coma..." Derek mumbles, lost in thought.
"She was not in coma." Loki purses his lips. "The Echor spell I put on Daphne somehow made it seem like she was alive, but she was with Death until she woke." He chuckles. "Your hospital was taking care of a corpse, thinking it was alive."
"This is all messed up." Tony rubs his eyebrows with his thumb.
"So, she's going to be like this for days?" Steve scoffs.
"We cannot know. Once Death arrives here to have a word with her- which might take a while, since they have a busy schedule- we might know more." He sniffs. "I am still connected to Daphne, if I try hard enough I might be able to catch a few things."
"Oh-! Right, speaking of being 'connected'..." Tony clears his throat and moves towards Loki. "If there's one thing Daphne's scared of, it's being controlled by someone. You knew this, yet you still messed with her?" The question is almost posed rhetorically. Loki frowns and looks down at the small man, who is quite harmless without his armor.
"What are you implying?" His tone is threatening, but Tony doesn't back down.
"Aren't you the one haunting her dreams? Putting her on edge?" Tony accuses. Loki's eyebrows shoot up.
"I am not. Are you telling me Somm is already in her head?"
"We don't know who's in her head," Bucky finally speaks from the kitchen. "But we know someone is."
Peter frowns. Daphne did call out for Loki a lot in her dreams. But also for Peter... His eyes go wide when he realizes...
"It's not Loki," he mutters. Peter hasn't spoken since he walked in, so hearing his small voice startles the room. Peter looks at Loki. "We all know Loki would never do anything Daphne doesn't want him to do."
"Then who do you think is in her head?" Tony asks. Peter stares at the spot on the couch where Daphne sat earlier that evening.
"I've spent pretty much every night with her the past few months to wake her up when she had nightmares." Peter speaks fast, a blank look on his face. "She called out for us, mostly." He glances at Loki and clears his throat. "But one night it took a lot to wake her up, thought she was stuck. I nearly broke her arm." Loki takes a step closer to Peter, looking down at the teen with a dark expression.
"Who did she call out for?" Loki's voice is low and Peter swallows. He steals a glance at Tony and his voice is shaky when he speaks again.
"Ravir."
...
Daphne is carefully placed on her side on the white couch, ensuring she's not resting on the wounds that are no longer bleeding. The situation is strange to say the least. Daphne's body is now cold, but she's not stiff. She's not breathing. F.R.I.D.A.Y. was ordered to keep an eye on her and to notify the people present of any changes in her vitals. For now though, there aren't any vitals to read. No heartbeat. No brain activity. She is really, truly, dead. Her wound is not bleeding anymore, but it's not healing either. Loki sits down on the floor next to her and Tony hates to admit that the scene looks... Right, somehow. Loki's hand ghosts over Daphne's forehead and ends up resting on her temple. It took the sorcerer a lot of self-control to remain calm when Peter told him of Ravir. He quietly hissed and informed the others that "he would pay the golden sorceress a visit she would not live to remember."
It's awkward in the living space. Quiet. Everyone stares at the two at the couch, not wanting to leave, but also not wanting to wait and watch for however long this could take. No one dares to say a word. Sam is about to break the silence with a joke to lighten up the mood, when suddenly a cold shiver washes over everyone. Loki's eyes immediately sparkle and he shuffles even closer to Daphne.
"What was that?" Natasha asks with a frown. She hugs herself to keep warm, as do a few of the others. Loki's voice is coated with wonder when he replies.
"Death is here."
Some of the people in the room look around, trying to see if there is actually a person among them, but there's no one there. At least, to most. Peter stares at a corner of the living space, eyes stuck on a weird dark shadow. Without noticing, he stops breathing.
"Child," Loki says quietly, slightly tilting his head to Peter and following the teen's gaze. "You sense them?"
"Don't you?" Peter whispers. A small smile flashes on Loki's face, intrigued by the fact that a Midgardian child with insanely heightened sensitivity can feel Death like only a proficient sorcerer could. Peter slowly nods in the direction he's staring at. His voice shakes. "It's there-" Suddenly, the shadow shifts. It moves carefully in Peter's direction. His wide eyes have to look up to where the shadow's face should be. It's right on front of him and Peter could swear he can feel the being's cool breath on his face.
"Breathe, Peter..." Loki orders gently. Peter's muscles tense when he realizes he's blocking Death's path to Daphne. He can't get himself to take in air. "And move." Peter steps aside, feeling the dull, icy presence move past him. Peter's body twitches involuntarily. When Death reaches Daphne, Loki lets go of her and before anyone can say a word, the summer night warmth returns. Peter stares at Daphne's body, barely believing he just saw Death literally go through her. He finally gasps for air and falls backwards into the arm chair, clutching his chest.
"Yo," Sam mutters. "That was some intense crap." Loki barely contains a snort and turns to Peter, raising his eyebrows at the teen.
"How are you, Peter?" Peter's slightly taken aback by the question and everyone in the room shuffles. It's somehow less comfortable when the demi-god uses their names rather than the nicknames he has for them. Only Daphne used to have the privilege of hearing her name from him. Peter's still panting slightly and his face contorts.
"That..." His hand pushes through his hair and his eyebrows go up. "...Was so cool." He looks at Loki with wide eyes. "Was that actually Death? Did I actually see Death?" Loki chuckles at the child's sudden excitement and nods. Everyone else in the room is still uncomfortable. Especially now that Peter's emotional state is all over the place.
"Daphne will see their true form in her mind, but yes, what just occurred can definitely be considered a meeting with Death." Peter looks up at the ceiling and rubs his chest again.
"So cold..." He mutters. He then frowns. "I wonder what they look like."
"Daphne will see them, but it is likely she will not remember meeting Death, like last time." Peter looks at Daphne's peaceful face. Whatever Death did, Peter feels less scared, somehow.
"Why do I feel different?" Peter asks, still staring at his dead girlfriend's face.
"Death is more comforting than one would think." Loki plays with Daphne's hair. "Quite literally." Peter leans forward slightly.
"Weird..."
"It-" Loki interrupts himself. His brows curl up into a frown and he stares intently at Daphne's features. His hand once again cups her face. "They've met-" he mumbles.
"Can you hear them?" Tony asks, internally not admitting he's actually really intrigued.
"Just... Parts..." Loki focuses on Daphne. His eyes flick over her face, like he's trying to read her like a book. "Hm."
"Hm?" Tony cocks an eyebrow.
"Daphne has to pass some sort of test," Loki mumbles. "Reconciling with people she knew who died?" Loki turns to look at Derek. "Do you know if she has any grudges against people who died? Or other unresolved feelings?" Derek rubs his chin and sighs deep.
"There's only one I can think of, to be honest."
"Who?" Tony asks before Loki can.
"Amélie," he sighs. "But Daphne didn't know her personally."
"Who's Amélie?" Peter frowns. He feels like he's heard that name sometime before, but he can't place it.
"Amélie was Madame Touha's daughter."