Bonds
Bonds are not so easily broken...
It felt like shattering glass. Sharp shards that were slashing, cutting, mangling at the insides of Thor's mind, not leaving a piece untouched as it made its exit.
It ripped away, so far away, and it was sure to never return; not after the distance it had traveled. Down, down, down...
And then it was gone.
Far away, perhaps, it could be found, but not near him, like he had grown accustomed to. Not right there. If he needed it, it could not be of assistance.
Because a bond without a second party was no bond at all.
It was a thread, cut too soon. A thread, that had reached so far in its time, and then to be cut, just like that. The emptiness. The echoing emptiness inside the confines of his mind, that little place where the bond had lived, that little crevice, now dark and damp and empty.
He was gone. His brother, once lively and powerful, now sunk deep, deep, deep down into the depths of space, past the stars and constellations and planets and into a place no one wanted to go.
Because death was never inviting; even to one who had welcomed it.
But why the one who had meant the most had welcomed such a darkness, welcomed a darkness to himself and to those who loved him, Thor could not fathom. How could one sink so far, and yet sink farther and farther, until he perishes from life altogether, without even so much as a warning –
But yet, Thor knew, there had been warnings. Warnings, signs, ignored invitations for help. He had missed them. They flew right by him, as if they were part of the wind itself, not quite silent but disregarded all the same.
After all, one thinks nothing of the wind until they do not feel it.
Numbness took over his body, his senses, his very being; he felt nothing. It was over. Everything ended, if only for a moment, and he could understand why someone would welcome such a darkness as death. A sadness so strong, that one thinks death itself would be better, happier, easier. Perhaps he was feeling what Loki felt, in the last moment of his life – a feeling so strong that he gave up, having been unable to feel it anymore.
Thor felt that. It was as if he himself was not feeling it, but it was being passed to him, by way of his brother's passing. Perhaps Loki's part of their bond had been passed to Thor, and the elder brother now felt what his brother had.
The very same darkness that had welcomed his brother beckoned him, now. He need only take a step, a leap, a jump, and he could join his brother, and reattach the bond that had been broken.
But the bond, that little thread, was so thin now, that if handled, it would sever completely. And Thor couldn't comprehend what it must be like to not even hold dear the remnants of what once was.
Remnants of memories, remnants of Loki. Remnants of what once was, of what the thunderer could not have back:
His baby brother.
His baby brother was dead, gone, perished.
And he vowed, from that moment of his life and for all the future years of it, that he would never let that one little thread go. Not ever, not completely. He would treasure it and keep it safe, making sure that even the smallest piece of his brother stayed intact, intact and with him.
But living as half of a broken bond is no way to live at all.
A/N: Well, that wasn't sad at all, now was it? Okay, okay, I know. It was super depressing. But I love it, if I'm being honest - I believe I did rather well, especially considering I finished this in under an hour and I usually don't write in this style. But, critique is always welcome, so PLEASE review! :D I love you all, by the way. Just saying.