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Thanos held Loki’s head in his hand, tightly in a fist. Thor has never seen his brother’s face so blue, the only time prior had been without Loki’s knowledge with Loki freezing himself to see him in his Jotunn form. Thor’s eyes weld up with tears. Loki pledged his undying fidelity: to him. And for that, he is being choked to death. He knows his brother, his former nemesis, the only thing left of his broken family, will not come back alive.
Snap!
“No more resurrections.” Thanos says, smiling at the crying Thor. Thor blanks out, he can’t hear, he can’t breathe. He can only see Loki, or rather the remains of him. His face was still blue, from his forehead to his once pink lips. His eyes faced Thor, filled with fear and loss and hopelessness. Thor’s ears rung with an empty pitch. Everything, everyone he had loved was gone. He crawled to the corpse, and held it. He held it as he held the screaming baby Frida gave him when he wa just a child. He held it as he had held the boy in green he had fought too roughly with. He held it as he held his lover, awkwardly moving between limbs and the former labels they had. It was cold...so cold.
This wasn’t another illusion.
He was gone.
Gone.
They floated through space like this. Thor holding the corpse, growing bluer by the minute, his eyes growing white and muscles becoming stiff.
Far from the ship Thor heard a voice.
“Thor!” It called to him.
He couldn’t breathe again.
“Thor you dumb Oaf! Listen to me for once! Thor!” Loki. Loki was calling to him.
“Brother? Where…” he looked at the corpse. Still decomposing.
“This is my last illusion. This is our last conversation Thor. Stay alive, please let go.”
Thor hesitated.
“No...I can’t, I can’t!” Thor sobbed.
“You must. Stay alive for me. Please. That’s my last wish.” His voice was broken, distant.
“No please- please no Loki. I- I…”
“Thor…”
His mind filled with new scenery, feet on the ground.
Asgard.
The fields.
His hair, golden once again.
Long.
Thor turned around, and there stood Loki, looking exhausted and drained.
“Thor, I am dead. But you are still alive, you must stop thanos.”
“I’m so afraid.” Thor cried.
Loki walked towards him, and cupped his cheek.
“Thor. No look at me, Thor. The sun will rise upon us again. We may fear the night, but you must stay alive. You were my only friend, after all this time, my only true love, my last hope. If you die, the memories we have die too. There’s a ship incoming. Let my corpse go. Let it all go. Stop Thanos, before he can get the rest of the stones. If possible, find the time stone, and we can fix this mess.” Loki was sobbing now.
“Go back to our simple lives as royalty. Stop me from going to Jotunheim, kill me if necessary”
“Loki I can’t.” Thor said, broken.
“You must. I love you. I can’t hold on much longer.”
“No no! Loki-“ Thor cried.
Loki brought Thor’s face closer, and Thor could feel his heat.
Loki’s soft lips pressed against Thor’s, tears streaming between them, and suddenly Thor opened his eyes.
Space.
A ship.
The corpse was gone.
And he must go on.
He must stay alive.
For him.