Loki died.
He was sure of it.
The strange thing was he wasn't surrounded by flames or the pain that would belong to one who landed in Hel. If anything, he felt…relaxed.
He first noticed the smell of blood. Or better yet, the lack of. Thanos reeked of it, the ground was stained with it, but it was gone. The second things was the bright light. The sinister glow of blue was gone and Thanos's cruel smile was no longer there.
The smile while he broke Loki's neck.
Loki shuttered, and his head cocks to the side in confusion. His movement was painless, which is wrong. He died. He knew it. He knew he would not survive out of this but he couldn't let Thor die. Not Thor-
Wait, where was Thor?
"My son. My poor, poor son."
His body freezes.
She appeared out of literally nowhere. There was no other way to explain it. One second he was surrounded in white, the next, she was there, like an angel. She smiled down at him as she used to when she was alive, her fingers touch his cheek with a feather light caress. She was gowned in the same dress he had seen on her when she last visited him.
The day she died.
"Mom?" He whispered. She was mother in public, she was mother when he wanted to act royal like he was raised, but she would always be mom when it was just them.
He reaches out in turn to touch his smiling cheek, feels the single tear brush down her eye and land gently on his fingertips.
She was alive?
"I would never usually say this," Frigga chided smoothly, her hand never leaving his face. "But I wish you weren't here so early."
"I had to save him." Loki whispered. No need for sly remarks or halfhearted lies, this was his mom. "I couldn't have him die."
"I know." Frigga whispered understandingly. "I know. He would have done the exact same thing for you."
She moved her hands down to his arms and pulled him against her, hand fingers moving to smooth his hair down and he wastes no time holding on to her. But he still can't get it out of his head; that Thor is alone.
"You will have to go back." She said.
Loki snapped his head up.
"I can?"
"I have a few influences here." Frigga smiles knowingly and Loki doesn't bother to ask.
Loki lets out a sigh of relief. Thank the Norns. That miserable, thick-headed, loving oaf would get killed quickly without Loki there. He would have died if not for Loki just a few moments ago. But leaving would mean-
"I have to leave you again." Loki comprehends. Understanding filling his heart and he feels like it may crack.
Frigga nods, her smiling fading slightly. "We've already gone through so much time for him. Time is…different here."
Loki wants to question her, but having her here is something he needed. Things to ask; where were they, where was Odin, was it a mistake that he didn't end up in Hel? So many things he wanted to say, to take back, to beg from her.
"Oh darling," She laughs lightly. "You have nothing to apologize for; I never held anger for you."
"But I should have done better by you." He whispered, not questioning how she knew what he was thinking.
"You have." Frigga enunciated firmly, no doubt that she meant it. "You always will."
Loki wants to say more, but he knows Thor is out there, alone, having lost everyone. Well, as long as he was around, he wasn't going to leave Thor alone. His stupid hero of brother needed to be saved, after all.
But he would be back with Thor. Not soon, but one day. They could be a family once again.
But first?
He needed to save that idiot.
Hello. It me. I watched it and I want to weep and then die. Bring us back our boy.