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“Give me the Tesseract,” Thanos demands, Thor’s head in his hand, Loki standing in front of Thanos, surrounded by the dead bodies of his people.
“We don’t have the Tesseract!” Thor exclaims, breathing hard.
Thanos just smirks.
“The Tesseract, or your brother’s head. I'm sure you have a preference,” He slyly states, knowing Loki’s weakness.
“Oh I do. Kill away,” Loki says, crossing his arms.
Thor gives him an ‘are you serious’ look and Thanos starts squeezing his head, his thumb going into Thor’s other eye. Loki hears his brother’s pained cry, making him wince. This goes on for what feels like centuries, Loki’s eyes slightly watering.
“ALRIGHT! ENOUGH!” He booms, hands dropping to his sides.
Thanos stops and looks back at Loki
“The Tesseract.”
“I told you! We don't have the Tesseract! It was destroyed in Asgard," Thor starts, but Loki sighs and puts his hand up by his head.
A glow appears and the Tesseract appears in his hand as he takes a step forward.
“You really are the worse brother,” Thor grumbles, looking at Loki.
“I assure you brother, the sun will shine on us again,” Loki reassures, looking at Thor.
“Your optimism is misplaced you Asgardian,” Thanos darkly chuckles.
“Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian. And for another, we have the Hulk,” Loki counters, smirking.
The Hulk comes flying and slams into Thanos as Loki jumps to his brother, the Tesseract falling aside.
He pushes Thor and away. He his so caught up in protecting Thor, that he doesn't even realize the green glow going over Thor, who is under him.
“Go! Hide brother,” Loki hisses, getting off of him.
“I'm not going to leave you brother,” Thor protests as a loud crash is heard.
The two look over and see Hulk on the ground.
“I'm not asking you Thor. Go!” Loki snaps, seeing Thanos walking back over to the two.
Thor stares at Loki for a few seconds longer and then disappears into the ship. He looks back at Thanos and his minions and he gets up, a small dagger appearing in his hand. Loki takes a few steps forward before the dagger goes flying out of his hand and he gets pushed to his knees. Metal parts wrap around him, making sure he doesn't go anywhere. Loki tries to get out, grunting.
“You know, if you wanted to have me at your mercy, you could've just asked,” He jokes and Thanos’ minion just rolls his eyes and makes a metal part clamp around Loki’s mouth.
Thanos picks up the abandoned Tesseract and crushes it. He blows away the access around the stone and picks it up. Thanos puts the stone on his glove and he surges with new power.
“Two stones, only three left. Two are on Earth. Go and retrieve them,” He commands, looking at his minions.
“As you wish,” They state and four of them leave.
“Now with two of the five stones, I am the most powerful person in this universe,” Thanos starts, looking down at his glove.
Thor steps out from the shadows and Loki and Thanos look over.
“I, Thor, King of Asgard, Odinson,” Thor starts, taking a step.
He looks down and over at Loki, then back to Thanos, a bolt of lightning forming in his hand. Loki’s eyes widen, realizing what his brother is about to do.
“Thor!” He yells, but it's muffled because of the metal around his mouth.
“Do hearby pledge to you, my undying fidelity,” Thor finishes, a step away from Thanos.
Thanos just smirks and Thor’s hand goes flying up to Thanos’ face, the bolt of lightning a few inches from his face.
“I would choose your words wisely,” He lowly states, the lighting bolt flying out the ship.
Thanos wraps his hand around Thor’s neck and lifts him up off the ground.
“NOOO!!!!” Loki screams, seeing Thor’s struggle.
Thor struggles to get air, clawing at Thanos’ hand, feet kicking.
“You,” Thor gasps out, losing air quickly.
He takes in a few more gasps.
“Will,” He continues, darkness creeping into his eyesight.
“Never,” Thor gasps, turning purple.
“Be a god,” He finishes, blood dripping out of his mouth.
The white in his eyes turn red and his head tips back and his eyes close. Thanos turns to face Loki, Thor limp in his hand. Loki lets out a heartbreaking cry, a tear falling. Thanos just drops Thor’s body in front of Loki and turns away, walking to his head minion.
“Let's go,” He states and the purple stone glows.
The ship gets engulfed with purple flames and Thanos and his minion disappear. Loki breaks free from his restraints and crawls over to Thor.
“Brother! Please! We have to get off this ship! It's going to explode!” Loki exclaims, grabbing Thor’s arm.
He tries to ignore the fact that his chest isn't moving and his eyes don't have their brightness in them. His grip tightens when Thor doesn't respond and his body slumps against his brother’s unmoving body. Loki’s head falls to his chest, letting out a sob.
“BROTHER!!!!” He cries, sobbing uncontrollably now.
The ship explodes into many pieces as Loki holds onto Thor, darkness enveloping him.
\\\
“Wake,” An voice commands in his head and Loki’s eyes snap open and he gasps.
Loki sits up, on an unfamiliar ship with people he doesn't know. His eyes scan for something, someone, and he finds him.
“Thor,” Loki whispers, getting off the table and over to his brother.
“Uuhh… should we tell him?” Someone asks quietly and then a smack is heard.
“Shut up Rocket!” Another hisses.
Loki kneels down to his brother’s side, taking his, now cold, hand. A tear falls on to his armor as familiar words drift through his head,
“You think you know pain?”
‘Now I do.’ Loki thinks, another tear falling.
It feels like someone is twisting a knife in his heart while they rip out his heart and crush it. It's like he's numb, his body shutting down.
Death doesn't discriminate
between the
Sinners
and the
Saints.
It takes,
And it takes,
And it takes,
And we keep living anyway.
We rise, and we fall,
and we break, and we make our mistakes.
And if there’s a reason I’m still alive,
When everyone who loves me has died,
I’m willing to wait for it.
“Hey man-" A voice starts but Loki makes a knife appear in his hand.
He points it at the person beside him, looking up at him.
“Don’t speak to me!” Loki yells, blind with tears.
“Hey! Put the knife down Shakespeare,” Quill demands, pointing his gun at the dark haired guy on the ground.
“I am Loki, Prince of Asgard, Odinson, the rightful king of Jötunheim, and God of Mischief! You will not speak unless spoken to!” Loki snaps, getting up and backing the guy against the wall of the ship, putting the knife to his throat.
“Very well then,” Quill states, giving Loki a glare.
The green glow returns, going around Thor’s unmoving body, only one person noticing, Mantis. A needle is stuck into Loki’s neck, making him wince. Loki looks at his neck, seeing a sleeping dart in his neck. He takes it out and turns around, seeing girl with green skin and brown hair with pink ends. Before Loki is able to say something, his head drops and his body drops as well, going into a dreamless slumber.
\\\
“Wait what? You're saying that this guy is still alive?! How!” Rocket asks, flabbergasted.
“He wasn't breathing when he got him and, assumingly, his brother, from our windshield,” Quill states, looking at Mantis.
“There was this green glow that went around his body and that might have something to do with him being alive,” Mantis explains, looking down, curiously at Thor.
“A green glow? What is this? Magic?” Rocket scoffs, rolling his eyes.
“There’s only one way to find out,” Gamora states, gesturing the man on the table.
“Wake him up,” She tells Mantis.
Mantis puts her hands on either side of his head and whispers,
“Wake.”
Thor gasps awake, sitting up. They all back up, seeing him get off the table, and take in ragged breaths. Thor holds himself up by holding a metal bar above his head, blinking a few times. He looks around, realizing this isn't the ship he was originally on. Thor turns around, seeing a group of people standing there.
“Who the hell are you guys?” He asks, voice hoarse and rough.
“We are the Guardians of the Galaxy. My name is Peter Quill, or, Star-Lord,” Quill introduces, taking a cautious step towards the man with one eye.
“Where am I? What happened to Asgard?” Thor asks, looking around.
“You are aboard my ship, and I have no clue what that place even is,” Quill states.
Thor sees a familiar head of black hair and he walks over to him.
“Loki… Brother,” He sighs, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Oh so you do know this guy,” Gamora states.
“Loki is my brother. He saved my life,” Thor explains, looking up at the girl who just spoke.
“And you are?” Drax asks.
“My name is Thor, God of Thunder, King of Asgard, well… was…,” He trails off, looking down at the ground, letting go of Loki’s shoulder.
“What happened?” Mantis asks, gently.
“Our planet was destroyed and my people were killed because of Thanos,” Thor states, making Gamora’s eyes widen.
“Yikes,” Rocket says.
Thor walks across from Loki, hearing the group quietly talking. Loki slowly opens his eyes and blinks a few times, groggy. He runs his eyes and his vision clears up, remembering where he is. He turns over and sees his brother, alive, standing across from him. Loki gasps and sits up, eyes widening. Thor turns around, hearing a gasp and he sees Loki, awake and sitting up.
“Hello brother,” He greets with a warm smile.
Loki stands up and takes a few steps towards him.
“Y-You’re alive?! H-How?!” He stammers, tears welling in his eyes.
“I’m here now brother,” Thor states, walking over to him and giving him a hug.
Loki wraps his arms tightly around Thor, never wanting to let him go.
“How?” He quietly asks.
“Your magic Loki. The illusion of me died,” Thor murmurs.
Loki just smiles, head buried in the crook of Thor’s neck. A tear falls as Thor whispers,
“I promised you that the sun will shine on us again, brother.”
“Indeed you did.”