INFINITY WAR SPOILERS.
Here's a oneshot about how I thought Loki should have died in Infinity War, if he had to. The title is based off of the chapter in the novel Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman. Please enjoy! -LowTide1322 (Warning, you might cry...)
(Disclaimer)
He was just so tired.
Raging battle after raging battle and then slaughter after slaughter... it took a toll on him. He suspected that his newfound allies felt the same way.
Another creature pounced on him, going for the kill, only to earn itself a dagger in the throat. No matter how many wretched things he was able to defeat, though, it seemed like five more appeared in its place. How could they ever expect to win against odds like this?
He didn't. At least, not until the vibrant colors of the Bifrost blinded everyone on the battlefield. A smirk found its way onto his lips as he heard the battle cry of the god of Thunder. Before it might have struck fear into his own heart, but now he couldn't help the swell of pride that overcame him. The trip to Nidavellir with the so-called rabbit and tree had been successful, and in Mjolnir's stead was the fabled Stormbreaker: the most formidable weapon known to all the nine realms.
With a newfound surge of energy, he cut down his enemies one by one. If the mad titan thought that the spirit of Asgard could be squashed so easily, he was sorely mistaken.
The Avengers thought that they'd seen him at his most dangerous. The attack on New York wasn't so easily forgotten, but their need for help overpowered their held grudges. They saw in between their own strikes his trail of felled creatures behind him and the ferocity with which he fought those in front of him. Yes, it would have been a mistake to refuse his help, and the Avengers were glad they'd listened to him.
They were winning, and yet a feeling of dread settled in him. His loose attachment to the mind stone had long since been forgotten, but it tugged at his consciousness now. He clutched his head at the intensity of the feeling, dropping to his knees for a moment. The creatures eagerly ran to finish him off, but were stopped short by Stormbreaker. They fell dead on the spot.
A strong hand hefted him up from where he knelt, and he looked to see the piercing blue eyes of his brother. Concern was etched on his brother's face as he studied him. He shrugged out of his grip, not wanting to draw further attention to himself.
"The mind stone. Something's happened."
"But what of the creatures?" his brother gestured with Stormbreaker to the ships still landing on Wakandan soil.
"Deal with them, I'll find the stone."
The two nodded at each other, and took off in opposite directions.
The Vision and the Captain had been dealing with Glaive when he arrived. The Witch arrived when he did, and both looked to the Vision to see what had happened to the stone.
The stone was deemed safe, but the eerie voice of the mind stone's owner sent chills down his spine.
"He's here."
For what felt like centuries, he was under the mad titan's thumb. At some point, he'd broken and let himself be manipulated by the fiend. Why resist when it only brought him pain and suffering? His family had never come for him, and he was a king stripped of his kingdom.
It wasn't until after he lost on Midgard that he realized the titan's plans. He was angry, vengeful even, but never had he wanted innocents to die. Perhaps for a time he'd wanted to be their ruler, but genocide at random? That wasn't what he was raised to believe in; that wasn't conquering. That was demonic.
Even still, he'd spent the rest of his life in fear of his old leader. His time away from home helped him realize that Asgard was in fact his home. He never wished ill upon his mother, and yet because of his foolishness she fell. Because of his jealousy his father faded away. Because of his incompetence, Thor had been hurt. What if Thanos decided to rip away what little happiness he had left?
He wasn't the same cowering boy he'd been when he fell from the Bifrost, nor was he the conniving snake that posed as Odin for years. He was the prince of Asgard, Thor's brother, the rightful king of Jotunheim, and the god of Mischief. No more would he run away from the fight. No more would he seek to rule.
He just wanted his family to survive.
Surprisingly enough, the Avengers had somehow managed to include themselves on his list of those to protect. What frightened him the most was the Scarlet Witch's place in his heart. After the little time they'd spent together, he found that he would kill whoever would dare hurt the girl. Maybe it was their connection to the mind stone or perhaps that she reminded him of what would happen if he lost Thor… either way, there was an unspoken camaraderie between them. Now, with the mad titan approaching, he vowed to her that he'd keep her safe.
The words tumbled from his lips so easily it almost scared him… almost. "Do what you must, but know that I will protect you with my last breath, understand?" He mumbled to himself but she heard it too, "I will not let him take anyone else today."
She gave a teary nod and she turned back towards her lover, the Vision.
The titan had fought his way through Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and the god of Mischief was the only one left standing between him and his goal.
"Child, we've done this once before. Do you truly think you can hope to stop me?" the fiend's voice sent chills down his spine and he wished so badly that his brother were here to help back him up. He looked to the sky, hoping to see the flash of white hot lightning, but was only greeted with the warmth of the sun. The titan only chuckled at this. "You are a coward, Laufeyson. You could have been one of my children, and one of the strongest at that. You could have conquered worlds and been loved and feared by those who served under you. But you betrayed me, and for what?"
Maybe that's what he used to want, but he didn't anymore. He'd found a new purpose, a brighter purpose. He'd found his way back to his brother.
"It's Odinson," he snarled at the titan. "And my brother will kill you before you reach your goal. That is, if I don't kill you first."
Thanos's smirk fell from his face. He didn't expect that response.
From behind him, Wanda had begun to destroy the mind stone inside the Vision's head. She sobbed as she did so, knowing that the only happiness she'd ever known after her brother died was going to be thrown away. She couldn't give up, though. The universe counted on her unhappiness, after all.
The titan roared and lunged for the Witch but never made it to his target. Even with five infinity stones, the god of Mischief was able to hold his own against the fiend. He'd once wielded two of them a few years back, so he knew their power and their tendencies. Of course, two was nothing compared to five, and he wasn't sure how long he could survive this encounter.
His magic poured out of him, letting all of his raw power go after Thanos. There couldn't be any salvaging of power, because what would be the point of having any left if the titan wasn't dead?
The battle wasn't seen by anyone, and Wanda could barely hear it over her own sobs. The youngest Odinson's battle against his oppressor wouldn't be told for generations in the warm halls of Asgard, for Asgard was gone. Those of Midgard wouldn't know that in the end, their definition of evil personified was also their savior. Such was the tragedy of Loki Odinson.
He'd lost track of time; the fight could have been going on for hours or minutes for all he knew. His strength was waning, but Wanda was almost complete with her mission. If he could just keep the titan contained a little longer…
As soon as he glanced at Wanda, Thanos took it as an opportunity to land a strike with the power stone to the god's head. He flew backwards, colliding into a tree. He scrambled back to his feet, not letting the titan see any weakness. He was too transparent thought, because Thanos only laughed.
"You pretend you have strength when you are simply weak...a runt. Born to die! Your existence has been a waste, Asgardian! I was thinking of sparing you to see the glory of the world I will build, but you are not worthy."
Loki spat blood at the titan's feet. "Well, technically, I'm not Asgardian."
All of the god's magic was focused on releasing his Jotun heritage. For a moment, Thanos was caught off guard as ice shoved him away from Loki and Wanda. That moment was all they needed as the mind stone exploded and the Vision was no more. Both the Scarlet Witch and Odinson collapsed to the ground, and his Jotun appearance faded away, leaving him as a completely and utterly spent Asgardian.
He gave a look of sorrow towards Wanda, and she choked back another sob. They'd succeeded, in one respect at least.
Thanos had broken free from his frozen prison, using the space stone to phase out of it. Loki rose to his feet, standing in front of an exhausted Wanda. The mad titan wiped a drop of his blood from the corner of his own mouth. It gave Loki great pleasure to see him wounded, even if only barely.
"You've run out of time" he sneered.
The titan's unsettling smirk was plastered on his face again. "You forget, as far as I'm concerned, there is no time at all." The green infinity stone glowed in the gauntlet, and panic festered in the god's chest. He went to conjure two knives, but only one would appear; his magic was spent. He kept it from the titan's view, and could only come up with one other plan.
He narrowed his eyes at the fiend, feigned surrender. Thanos chuckled, and approached Loki. "See? You are a coward. Your brother should spit on the ground on which you stand. You're not worthy, Laufeyson."
Loki grit his teeth, tears pooling in his eyes. He'd told Thor he wasn't going to leave him again, but that would turn out to be a lie. Just another trick the Liesmith had created to torment Thor. He'd wanted to be better, to prove himself to his brother, but either way he would fail. But maybe...if this worked…
With the last drop of strength Loki had left, he thrust his knife towards the titan's neck, hoping for a killing blow.
But of course, the titan saw it coming.
The god's arm was stopped short of his target, constrained by the energy of the space stone. He looked the titan in the eye with utter hatred, but also acceptance.
"You will never be a god," he said with such certainty, such conviction, the mad titan seemed to believe it too.
Thanos grimaced in annoyance, and with one swift motion he ripped the blade out of Loki's hand and delved it deep in his sternum. Loki gasped, staggering backwards and sinking down to his knees. Thanos twisted the blade, sending another wave of pain through him, and he wailed.
"No!" Wanda yelped, but Thanos only tossed her aside as well.
"No resurrections this time," the titan said with an equal amount of certainty.
Thanos removed the blade, and blood began to seep through Loki's Asgardian garb. He sank to his knees, hands absentmindedly trying to put pressure on the wound, but he knew a fatal blow when he saw one.
Little did the three of them know, as Thor had destroyed the last Outrider carrier, he heard his little brother's wail as clear as day, and zeroed in on the clearing in the forest where Thanos had arrived. He didn't see the titan turn back time and recreate Vision, or pull the mind stone from his head. He only focused on killing Thanos and making him suffer. It was no doubt the titan who had hurt his brother.
He threw Stormbreaker with all of his might at the evil titan, and eventually the power of the Bifrost overcame that of the Infinity Gauntlet. The Asgardian weapon was buried deep in Thanos's chest, and Thor pushed it in further.
"I told you, you'd die for that," he said coldly.
"Y-you should've….y-you….you should have gone for the head!" And in one horrifying moment, Thanos snapped his fingers and the death of half the universe was set in motion. Too shocked to do anything, Thor could only scream.
"What did you do!? Where's my brother, what did you do!?"
Thanos smirked and escaped in a portal made by the space stone. The fiend was gone.
"...Thor," came a small voice beside him.
Everything was happening so fast. One moment, Thor had felt pleasure in making the titan suffer, the next he felt like a total failure, and then the next moment he was running to his brother's side on the forest floor.
"No, no, not again, Loki…" he murmured as he rested his brother upright against his chest.
"I tried, brother. I'm sorry I failed you—"
"You did not fail me, Loki. Don't say that. Stop jesting. I've played this game twice before, I don't want to do it a third time. Just-just stand up, brother, please."
Loki shook his head. "I'm not jesting. I'm-I'm not trying to hurt you, please, please believe me…" He didn't know how else he could get Thor to believe that this wasn't a joke to get back at his brother, that it was for real, and that they were actually going to have to say goodbye.
The thought of leaving Thor so soon after reconciling with him was shoved to the back of Loki's mind during his impossible fight against Thanos. He knew he would lose, it was inevitable. He never thought far enough ahead about what he would say to Thor, though.
It made him feel sick.
Another wave of agony washed over him, and he realized that it was Thor who was now putting pressure on his wound. His strength was ten times that of what Loki's was, and did it hurt.
He tried to suppress another wail, but wasn't successful. Wanda looked over at him, and gave a look of gratitude before she began to turn to dust. A tear rolled down Loki's cheek; they'd lost. He'd failed.
"I couldn't-I couldn't stop him, I'm sorry Thor." The pain of watching half the universe turn to dust and the pain in his chest combined to let more tears tumble down his cheeks. Thanos was right; even in death, he was still so weak…
"Neither could I, brother. It's okay." This situation felt too similar to when Loki had suffered greatly at the hands of the Kursed, but this time, it didn't look like Loki was ready. That's what made Thor feel like someone wrenched a knife in his heart. He actually wanted to live. He hadn't seen his brother fight for someone like this in ages, and of course just when Loki was returned to him, he would lose him again.
"I fought for Midgard, for you, please know that. This isn't—I'm not…" Pain threatened to swallow him whole, and his vision darkened at the edges.
"No! Don't give up. You're strong, come on brother, please." Thor shook his brother's head, bringing his bloodied hand to cup Loki's face in both hands. "Loki!" Loki's eyes shot open at the release of pressure. In his heart, Thor knew that his brother wouldn't hold on much longer, but couldn't admit that to himself. He kept looking for some sign, anything that would prove Loki was simply pranking him again.
"I-I'm not ready this time brother. Isn't that tragic? I suppose it's what I deserve…"
"Shut up, Loki. You've never deserved to die. I don't care what Odin or Thanos ever said. You were born to be my brother. You are going to continue to be my brother, you hear me?" Thor pressed a kiss to his brother's forehead, and even he was shocked that he did so. He and Loki weren't affectionate siblings, but this only proved that their time was running out.
(Thor once vowed to his mother that he'd never give Loki a kiss unless one of them were dying. Oh, how foolish a boy he had been.)
"I'm sorry it took me until now to-to realize…" Loki's vision clouded over once more, but he fought it has hard as he could, "...Asgard has always been my home, and you were always my brother. I've always been Loki Odinson."
More of their comrades turned to dust around them, but the ones still standing looked on in sorrow of their lost friends, but also with pity for Thor. The god had lost almost everything it seemed, and now he was going to lose it all.
Loki let out a strangled gasp as blood tumbled past his lips. Thor held back a sob and wiped the blood from his brother's face. "You are an Odinson," he confirmed, his voice wavering.
A genuine smile formed on the younger god's face, the one that Thor had missed so much. "I assure you, brother, someday, the sun will shine on us again." He brought a hand up to Thor's face, trying to wipe away his brother's tears. His smile faded, and his eyes looked on, unseeing.
"No, no, don't go, please, please…" Thor begged his brother to come back. He shook him he didn't know how many times, but the god of Mischief did not stir. He shouted his name yelling at him for tricking him yet again, cursing him for leaving him behind, but none of this got his brother to wake.
The last times that Thor lost Loki, he'd yelled in agony. He thought he'd known then how much he'd loved his brother, but he couldn't have been more ignorant.
"No, Loki…" he collapsed on the ground, his face buried in his brother's chest, and he wept silently. He thought he'd lost everything, but now he was barren. He truly was without a family.
He never noticed the rabbit sit next to him, sharing tears over their lost loved ones. He didn't pay any mind to Bruce putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, or Natasha rubbing his back to comfort him. As far as he was concerned, all was lost. Half the universe, and his brother, were gone.
Thanos would pay, eventually. But the god of Thunder was so broken that even as the strongest Avenger couldn't put himself together.
"Oh, God," Steve Rogers spoke, saying what was on all of their minds. They just lost.
The Avengers just lost.
Yeah that turned out to be really heavy... Anyways, please review to let me know what you thought!