Title: The End
Author: l_anaki/hohlagh; aka Lord Anaki
Rating: PG-13/T
Genre: Hurt/Comfort; Angst; Tragedy.
Disclaimer: All characters you may recognize belong to Marvel Comics, Stan Lee, and everyone else who made The Avengers/Thor possible. I am also making no money from the posting of this fanfic.
Warning: Torture. Character Death
He was dying.
He never expected the pain.
He had always thought that death was a peaceful thing.
Each breath burned no matter how shallow or tattered.
His whole body ached.
He was dying and there was nothing he could do to stop it…
Ooo0ooO
He could remember landing on their world clearly. He had been in agony from his fall through the Void. The darkness had ripped his body and mind apart. He was broken and it hurt. But the Chitauri helped. They took him in and treated his wounds. Loki, being foolish and naïve, actually believed that they were helping him… Nothing could be further from the truth though. They had never seen anyone like him before and they were curious. They forced him to drink something that tasted like acid as soon as he was well enough to endure their tests. He reacted automatically, his opinion on them changing in an instant, and he reached for his Magic only to drop to his knees in pain.
His eyes widened for a moment. They chortled to themselves and began to chatter excitedly, but Loki didn't understand them. He had no desire to. The poison was just the beginning…
Ooo0ooO
It took a lot of effort to keep breathing.
He could hear the air whistle in his lungs and catch in his throat.
The cough that followed shook him badly.
A trickle of blood escaped his cracked lips.
He felt his Magic react again.
It tried so hard to soothe him.
Loki couldn't even scream if he had wanted to.
Every nerve was on fire.
The pain was hard to ignore.
He was cold… so very cold…
Ooo0ooO
When Thanos came things went from bad to worse.
"Break him." He said without emotion and Loki understood.
He screamed when the whips came down. They flayed him. The pain increased tenfold as his Magic reacted automatically and he desperately wished that he knew how to turn it off. He might have blacked out at some point because the next thing he remembered was Thanos breaking into his mind. He felt a foreign presence there, pushing against his mental barriers, and Loki fought back violently. He shoved with all of his might and Thanos retreated. Then the demon laughed and a red finger stroked his cheek, leaving behind an angry welt.
"This will be more interesting than I thought."
Loki was always on his guard from that moment on. He would die to protect his sanity. He would not break.
Ooo0ooO
A huge snake encircled him and squeezed tighter with every breath that Loki dared to take. He could feel his ribs cracking under the pressure. He tried to escape, but he couldn't. The creature was too strong and he was too weak. Loki stared up at the triangular head as the jaw worked open until he was able to see the fangs inside. They were easily as large as a sword. A drop of venom fell onto him and burned his skin. The smell of sizzling flesh greeted him then. Loki closed his eyes and prayed for death.
Drip, drip, drip…
It ate away at his skin until it reached muscle. He tossed his head back and screamed as the snake squeezed him harder for the racket that he made. He both felt and heard a rib snap. His eyes rolled for a moment. He was stuck in a loop of agony. His Magic tried to heal the damage even though Loki refused to call on it willingly due to the poison they had given him. It only caused him more pain in the end.
Drip, drip, drip…
It reached his sternum. Loki thrashed despite the crushing embrace. Another rib snapped.
Drip, drip, drip…
Very soon it would get to his heart. He wondered if the venom would kill him; if it would make everything stop... Please, God, make it end.
He felt Thanos reaching into his mind again and Loki held himself steady through it all. He would not give up his sanity. He ignored his body as it began to convulse when the first drop of venom hit his heart. His back arched and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Thanos continued to push. Loki gathered himself and, for the first time, actively called on his Magic. He didn't expect it to work. The devil laughed at the attempt.
It was the last thing Loki remembered after that particular session…
Ooo0ooO
Loki.
…
Loki… brother…
Thor?
I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I – I would have…
What are you doing here?
I came for you, Loki. Stay with me… Please stay with me.
Am I dreaming?
Loki… No… Thor's voice cracked. I cannot bear to lose you again. Just hold on a little longer.
Ooo0ooO
This time Loki was ready when he stood face to face with the giant snake. The wound that it had left on his chest was now but a distant memory. His Magic had already healed it despite the pain that such an act had caused. Loki was prepared to be encircled and squeezed to death. He prepped himself for the steady drip of venom over his heart. He was therefore surprised when the snake struck him. The venom was quick and deadly.
He fell to his knees and gasped for air.
The Chitauri came and began to torture him again. He barely even felt the whips lash him because all he could focus on was the pain. He was stuck in the loop again. It was a never-ending cycle of abuse and agony; of attempting to heal the injuries (or at least soothe them), only to make it worse. They pushed him a bit too far that day.
Thanos came and he relented, allowing the red demon inside his mind. The presence felt foreign and intrusive and it bore nothing but ill will towards him; however, Loki had no more strength left. He was tired of fighting. He was so very tired. He felt defeated when he sensed Thanos retreating and he could see the self-satisfied smirk despite the fact that his eyes were closed. One of the Chitauri heaved him up and pressed another vial against his lips. The antidote slid down his throat.
He felt the venom pause in its destructive nature and the pain ebbed away for a moment of blissful release only to come crashing back down. The pressure was too much as Loki's eyes rolled. Thanos demanded to know what was happening, but none of the Chitauri could give him a proper response. Loki reached for his Magic and he pulled on it with all of his might; with everything that he had. It would kill him. He could end it all before they had the chance to use him… He wasn't going to allow himself to become a puppet.
He welcomed death. He prayed and begged for it to take him. Loki attacked his own body. He had no other choice.
Ooo0ooO
He was cold.
He was so very cold.
His breath was but a shallow whisper.
He couldn't feel anything anymore.
The pain was gone.
He was cold… he was so very cold...
His breath shuddered in his throat.
He wondered if death was supposed to be this peaceful.
Loki.
Thor.
Please…
Leave me.
Loki… I cannot. I love you.
He wearily closed his eyes.
He could barely hear his heart beat.
The blood flowing through his veins felt sluggish and slow.
Time was wasting away.
So many things were left unsaid.
Thor…
I am here, my brother.
I… I'm sorry.
Shh…
Loki must have imagined a hand stroking his hair.
There was no way that Thor could be here.
He felt his breath stutter a bit.
So many things left unsaid…
Loki...?
…
Loki, no, please no…
The God of Thunder gave a cry of such grief and sorrow that the whole world heard him. He did not care. Let the Chitauri come. They would pay. They would pay for what they had done.