Something as Sweet as Pain

“I, Loki, prince of Asgard…..” Loki gazes at Thor, hoping his brother could see the unconditional love in his eyes. “Odinson, the rightful king of Jotunheim, God of Mischief…” a dagger materializes in his hand, and Loki watches as confusion fills his brother’s eyes.

Then realization, more confusion, then finally, horror.

“….do hereby pledge to to you, my undying fidelity….”

Loki bows his head, biting his lip to keep it from shaking. His hands tremble with nerves. He clutches the dagger tightly in his hand, taking a deep, shuddering breath and letting it out slowly.

Then he attacks.

Or, at least, he tries; the blue smoky magic of the Space Stone stop him in his tracks. His whole body is frozen, he can’t move and he can barely breathe.

“Undying,” Thanos murmurs. “You should have chosen your words more carefully, princeling.”

Loki holds his breath, waiting for Thanos to kill him.

But it doesn’t happen.

Instead, with a cruel smirk on his face, Thanos turns —

Towards Thor.

Thor. He’s going to hurt Thor.

With those thoughts running through his mind like a mantra, he launches himself towards his big brother, screaming, “NO!”

But he’s too late, Thanos whips around and raises the gauntlet and the Space Stone glows. And suddenly Loki is flung backwards, his back hitting the other wall and all his breath whooshes from his lungs. Hecan'tbreathe—hecan'tbreathe! —

Thanos picks his brother up by the throat, choking him —

"NO! —"

A piece of metal clamps over his mouth, muffling him. Loki jerks and struggles, irrational panic and fear swallowing him alive. Thorthorthorthorthorthor —

His brother gurgles and gasps, his mouth opening and his single blue eye bulging from its socket. Thor sucks in a ragged breath, and with a wide eye, looks at Loki with so much love and devotion that it makes Loki’s eyes tear up.

“N-never doubt tthat I—,” Thor gasps. His older brother sucks in another shuddering breath. “l-love you.” he finishes.

His tears are flowing freely now.

With a sickening crack, Thor’s body becomes limp, blood seeping from his lips and pale blue veins popping out on his forehead.

Loki sobs, a bloodcurdling cry escaping his mouth. His vision blurs with tears that roll mercilessly down his face.

“Y-you will d-die for t-that!” Loki screams.

Thanos smirks, his beady eyes shining with smugness. “I’d like to see you try, ice runt.” he scoffs. He walks over to Loki, firmly grabbing Loki’s chin in his hand.

Loki growls, glaring at the Mad Titan with pure hatred and rage.

Thanos laughs. “Remember what I told you, jotun prince? I’ll make you long for something as sweet as pain.”

And with that, Thanos raises the gauntlet again — and Loki does not flinch — and what’s left of the Statesman catches alight with purple fire, Thanos disappearing with a cloud of blue smoke.

The metal scraps holding Loki to the wall fall away, Loki collapsing with them. He falls to the ground with a thump.

Thor. I need to get Thor.

A dead, grey eye stares at him, lifeless and cold. Loki sobs, dropping to his hands and knees and crawling to his brother. Once he reached Thor, he collapses onto his departed brother’s chest.

“Thor,” he croaks, burying his nose in his brother’s still-warm chest. The heartbeat that Loki usually hears when he hugs his brother is no longer there.

He’s dead.

“Thor, oh Norns, Thor….” Loki whimpers. “Brother, I’m so sorry.” he cries.

He feeling the Power Stones’s purple flames burn his skin, but he doesn’t move. Instead, he lays his head on his brother’s chest and tightens his arms around Thor’s abdomen.

The ship explodes.

But Loki doesn’t let go of Thor.

While he floats in space, his brother floats with him.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Thor. Please forgive me, I’m sorry —

Then the darkness comes.

“He is not a dude. You are a dude. This, this is a man. A handsome, beautiful man. . .”

Loki hears voices, both male and female. He tries to pry his eyes open, but there just too heavy. In all honesty, Loki doesn’t want to wake up. Not ever. But fate has different plans.

He hears footsteps coming closer to him, and raw panic blossoms in his chest. He tries to jerk away when someone gently touches his face, but he can’t move.

“He is afraid. Angry. He feels tremendous lost and guilt.” a woman says, and the the gentle touch is gone. Loki feels himself relax a bit.

“It’s like a witch had a baby with an angel,” the male voice from the beginning says.

He feels another hand trace the scars on his arm, and the panic quickly takes its place back in his chest.

“He looks….familiar, somehow. It’s like I’ve met him before.”

Gamora. Daughter of Thanos.

The panic turns into rage and anger.

“Wake him up.” a different male voice says, less deep and manly than the other voice.

And then with a soft touch on his forehead and a low voice whispering, “Wake,” and Loki feels all his muscles unfreezing.

He shoots up like bullet, a cry escaping his lips. He stumbles away, his chest heaving with breath he desperately needed. After he caught his breath, he turned sharply, his eyes finding his target.

Gamora.

Rage runs through his body like lightning, and Loki briefly wonders if this is what Thor felt like when he was angry. He shakes away the thoughts of his brother, his narrowing at the green assassin.

“You.” he hissed. “Your wretched father killed my brother! You will pay.”

“Your brother?” Gamora asks, her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Don’t play coy with me, you beast! Thanos killed my brother, Thor!” he growls. He’s up in her face now, his chest heaving with anger.

Her eyes widen with realization. “You’re Loki? The prince of Asgard? The jotun Thanos tortured?”

Loki ignored that last part. “Yes.”

“Wait just a second, you know Gamora?” The mortal looking man asks, looking strangely out of place.

“Yes. Her and her robotic sister tortured me.”

“That’s rough.” the raccoon says.

Loki’s eyebrows pull together.“Yes, it is, but—“

“Even his voice is handsome.” The muscular man with red patterns along their body says.

“Uh, I don’t —“

“I am Groot.”