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Loki knew what he had to do. He had the tesseract in his pocket dimension, and only he could access it. So, what was the one way to seal it off by killing himself? He hated the idea of dying for real this time; it was so easy the first time, but now he had everything he ever wanted, and it was going to be taken away. He looked Thanos in the eye, stuck out his hand, and summoned a knife, driving straight into his neck. “NO!” Thor screamed, but Thanos was enraged, yelling, “Don’t let him die. If he does, the tesseract is out of my grasp.” Ebony speeded to follow orders, trying to stop the bleeding, whispering in Loki’s ear, “You will regret you were ever born.” The rest rushed around to try and find medical, yet of course, why would they have healers?

Thanos dragged Thor onto his ship. Thor constantly fought, but he was no match. “Your brother made a great inconvenience for me.” Thanos's voice bellowed from the depths of his throat. “Fuck you,” Thor spat out, trying not to choke on blood. He threw Thor into one of the cells and walked off.

Loki was bleeding out, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Ebony had no magic that healed but could sense Loki’s Sedor dying. Suddenly, his heart began again. Loki tried to stop it, wanting to avoid every horror that awaited his now living body. “You little bitch, this all could have been avoided, but you couldn’t just listen, but you will like you did before,” Ebony yelled in his ears. He regretted living the second he could hear. He knew that his Sedir would refuse to give up. “Father, he is living again but weak. He hit a major artery, but I will force his Sedir to fix him,” Ebony called to his father. “You did well, Ebony; bring him into the ship and make sure he can not escape to death.” Thanos's voice rang in Loki’s ears. Ebony was beaming. He had pleased his father. Loki had done the same if it would appease Odin, and it disgusted him.

Thor sat there trembling. He was stuck. Loki was dying and left at the mercy of Thanos until he heard the doors open and saw Loki get dragged in by Ebony. “Don’t worry, your brother will live for now.” Dropping him on the floor and leaving. Thor dragged himself over to Loki, trying to see if Loki was breathing, and sadly, he felt a hot breath brush his finger. “Loki, it’s me. I know you are in pain.” Loki heard Thor’s voice in his ear, and a single tear passed down his cheek. Thor held Loki to his chest, trying to make this easier. A groan escaped Loki’s lips when the door slipped open “So heartwarming, it seems like the little whore will live.” Ebony breathed a quiet wince of pain, which was heard from Loki. “Good,” Ebony moved towards them both. “Back away from him,” Thor yelled. Ebony flicked his wrist, throwing off Thor, grabbing Loki by the wrist, and dragged him out. Loki mustered his strength to free his wrist and tried to crawl away. Then, two Chitahuri came and dragged him to Thanos’s throne.

Proxima Midnight came to grab Thor only a few minutes later, but as she reached to grab him. Lightning hit her and pushed her into the wall, and then Corvus knocked him out and dragged him in. When he woke up, he saw Thanos sitting there holding something, but no one was in his hand. It was Loki dangling, then dropped, and he fell straight onto the floor. A shout of pain echoed across the room. “Perfect,” he sounded like Thanos was whispering yet yelling, “You evil son of a bitch, you’ll kill him,” Thor shouted.
“You should have stayed silent,” Thanos said, marching over. “No,” Loki whispered. “Oh, the little whore can talk again,” Ebony said, walking over to Loki and touching his head. Loki collapsed onto the floor. “Now take him to the Room back to you, Thor. Your little brother has made a grave error not giving me that stone, and when he does, it will be a show to behold,” Thanos said. A scream echoed through the halls. Thor winced at the volume until he saw Thanos grin and realized that the scream belonged to Loki. Before Thor can react, Ebony knocks him out.

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When he wakes, he sees a battered and bruised Loki sitting in a pool of his blood. “Oh, Loki, what happened to you,” Thor exclaimed, grabbing Loki and smoothing back his hair. There was a loud yell of pain as Thor noticed there was an injury on his head similar to the one the power stone had left on his head, realizing that this was torture to make him give them the tesseract. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Thor said, wiping the blood off Loki’s hair. “it’s okay; I’ll heal. I need a minute,” Loki whispered, trying to shift out of Thor’s grip. “No, don’t try to move. You're pretty broken,” Thor tried to comfort him. “You haven’t been awake too long, have you.” Loki whispered with a hint of anger, “No, why? How long has it been.” Thor considered he was out longer than he thought. “2 days I’ve been awake for two days while you are sleeping. Lucky you.” Loki was mad now. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help you.” Thor was sympathetic. He didn’t want Loki to suffer, but they were stuck. “I’ve been in this position before,” Loki said, making himself smaller, almost quivering, pushing himself into the corner. “Hello, again, have you decided to give us the stone yet, little whore.” Thanos said, towering over Loki, “Never, I’d rather die than give you it.” Loki spat out a bit of blood. “Once I get the mind stone, you’ll listen again, but while we get to earth, we’ll see if you break again,” Thanos said, grabbing Loki’s arm and almost popping it out of its socket. “Again?” Thor muttered, “I also found out that you know the location of the soul stone, the last living person who knows where it is. Interesting, isn’t it?” Thanos knew one of Loki’s weaknesses, and now he would use his brother instead. Loki's eyes widened as he pulled Loki out of the room. Loki mouthed something as he disappeared out of the room.

Thor didn’t have Loki's magic to find anyone, nor Heimdal to see him. He looked down and noticed that he was barely clothed and only in ripped pants. When he thought about it, Loki was also only in ripped pants. What happened to his clothes? How was he going to get out if he could barely see straight? But Loki needed for him to escape, and he had to. He pushed himself up and moved to the door, seeing that it only opened on the outside. He started banging on the door, trying to alert anyone, but nothing. He tried to summon all his lightning to break the lock, but the door opened, and Ebony stood. He touched Thor’s head, and Thor was out.

Loki struggled to move as he heard footsteps. “The other left imprints in your mind. They can be used again, correct?” a voice whispered. Loki’s hearing sounded as if he was underwater, but he knew something was about to happen. “Not yet, Ebony. Without the mindstone, it would risk too much. We are almost at Earth. We will be there in a few hours.” Thanos moaned out. Loki could not hear anything but felt something hot dripping down his ear. “Tisk tisk, you can’t hear too bad,” Ebony said, but Loki could only watch his lips as a gag was placed on his lips, and his eyes went black. He could not hear, see, speak, or even move. He was under their mercy, which was the most terrifying thing ever. He felt a hot poker touch his skin as he recoiled his body. It burned. He wasn’t sure if he was showing it, but the pain he felt was unbelievable. Sounds entered his ears, but they were incoherent. The discomfort went through his body repeatedly until it stopped. It stopped, and nothing was silent for minutes, hours, or seconds. He couldn’t tell until he could hear again, but all he heard was the ship's metal scraping together. At one point, he went into comatose, unable to do anything until he heard himself scream. He didn’t know why or how, but he just called no pain, no noise, just screaming. Maybe he was alone for too long, but he didn’t know, just screaming. “Will you shut up? the muzzle should make it impossible for it to be this loud.” Something spoke swiftly, moving, “but I could just take your ability to speak if you wish that to happen.” It spoke such disdain in his voice that the muzzle clipped off, but nothing came out. Then he could see there was blood, only blood. He could only look down, but blood was everywhere. “See, no more screaming or talking either, silver-tongue.” He knew the voice but couldn’t place it. A groan was all that came out of Loki’s mouth. “Perfect silence. Nothing comes out. Father will be so pleased.” It was ebony. He knew it. What had he done? He couldn’t remember a spell that could do that. “Ebony, what happened to our guest? Did you remember not to kill him?” Thanos bellowed, “Yes, Father, I even silenced him. Isn’t it perfect?” Ebony’s voice was like a child looking for praise. This was so much like him and Odin years ago. “Quite eventually, he’ll have to talk for now, though the screaming has stopped sadly. He’ll break his vocal cords if he keeps it up.” Thanos knew how Loki worked from before. A stronger groan came out. Loki’s body tried to heal him but continually failed as everything hit him like a train. “Make sure he doesn’t get infected or die; otherwise, have your way.” The door closed. A large grin appeared on Ebony’s face.

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Thor was kneeling in front of a throne bound when he woke up. No one sat there. It was empty except for a Chutari speaking something. He only could make out some words. “---like------brother---------break---------soon------------make-----------finish,” the monster said as a whip hit his back like fire. Blood streamed down as Thor tried to hold back a scream, not knowing how long this had been happening. Then footsteps came closer to Thor. “Awake, are you now? The Chutari have done well, which will leave a scar. We will be on Earth in a matter of hours. You will be our tool when we get there because no one likes your brother, right? It’s so perfect he never told you how he knew me.” Thanos circled him as Thor’s mind whirled. What was he talking about? How did Loki know him? Why did no one say his name? The whip hit again as Thor released his scream, he couldn’t hold it back “good to know you’ll break too.” Thanos tainted and the whip hit again “get the other one” as something scurried off and it stopped. However, only for a second, it hit again. Still, it stunted his whole body this time, causing Thor to scream Louder. It crashed again and again and again until “stop! We must take it slow; he can’t handle it like his brother.” They scurried off. The only sound was blood dripping onto the floor. “This takes me back around six years, almost exactly. The sounds are so familiar. I want to make you guess until you finally figure it out. Oh, how will it be perfect?” Thanos laughed as he spoke, “Why?” Thor slipped out. “WHY? What a smart question! Your brother is nothing but an unwanted toy for all he meets. He’s perfect for molding when you know nothing but pain, you don’t fight back, or you shouldn’t. He’s so complicated, so many problems, so much pain. I gave him the option to stop it now. He was anything but willing but would be better than he was with you, but not so selfish. He could never listen; he had to make it hard. That silver tongue never did him good, but now he won’t have that problem we solved.” Thanos said, fear crossing Thor's face. How did they ‘solve’ that problem? “What did you do?” it came out as a whisper. “I took it away. No more talk back. He’s perfect. I need him to listen, and then he will be perfect again! Would you like to see it? Oh, of course you would.” Thanos said as he summoned a chutari to come in.

They were dragging in something, and a groan was heard from Thor’s position. “Perfect, isn’t he? Oh wait, you can’t see.” Thanos pulled Thor’s head up, and he could see a broken, bleeding Loki slumped on the ground facing the ground. Blood dripped from his head as he just sat there. He looked much worse than Thor. “he’s my best work yet, just perfect.” Thanos grabbed his arm as Loki just slumped. “Speak,” Thanos commanded. Loki groaned as blood came from his lip. Thor could see tears and blood drop onto the ground. “See,” a hiccup of sobs came from Loki, and tears hit the ground fast. “Oh, aren’t you tired of crying already?” Loki didn’t care. He just kept crying. His face was covered in darkness, and he just cried. He couldn’t stop. He was so weak now, even in front of Thor, the one person he tried to be strong in front of. Thanos slapped his head onto the floor when he wouldn’t stop, but the crying slowed. His face was covered in tears, but he wanted to avoid pain as much as he could. His body hurt, and his mind broke. He wished he was dead; anything would be better than this. Thor was sorry for Loki. It hurt his heart to see him this way.

“Lord Thanos, we have arrived on earth,” a guard said. Thanos dropped Loki, leaving him and Thor bound, and Thor was gagged now with Loki unable to speak. It was Torture. He couldn’t comfort Loki, but Loki had so much worse just when Thor looked at him. His eyes were so full of sadness Loki started to hiccup with sobs, slowly letting tears drop down his face. “Little Crybaby, if you want to lose the ability to do that too that can be arranged,” Ebony spoke coldly. The sob slowly stopped again as Loki tried to move, but he could not. It seemed Ebony took that away, too, as he touched Loki’s Head, and he started to bleed. Thor didn’t know from where because he couldn’t see. A strained breath came out of Loki as he tried to pull away. “s---t---o---p,” Loki stuttered. Thor was astonished that Loki could talk, and so was Ebony. “Oh, you little bitch you’re not supposed to be able to talk,” Ebony said as he hit Loki onto the floor. Loki winced. He knew he made a mistake. “Seems your spell has broken. Were you not trying enough.” Thanos bellowed. Odin said the same to Loki when he was young. “I am sorry, Father, it seems he still holds a semblance of magic.” Ebony pleaded, “It seems these heroes are scattered, and we may get the mind stone sooner than expected. I need you to get the time stone from a sorcerer on earth, so we might have to leave these ‘brothers’ to their devices.” Thanos announced Ebony, and Thanos left as the brothers sat in silence. Loki just sat there. Thor tried to talk, but he was muzzled and unable to speak. Loki made no effort to move or talk, just slumped on the floor. Until somehow, the muzzle slipped off Thor’s mouth. “Loki, what happened? Are you alright?” Thor couldn’t move still. Loki still didn’t move or talk just sat there. “Can you talk or move, please, Loki? Answer me.” Nothing, not a movement or anything, just silence. “Please, Loki, answer me. I need to know you, okay?” Thor pleaded. Loki shifted. “We’re---------doomed.” Loki said slowly, still struggling to speak, “It’s good to hear you speak again, but what do you mean?” Thor questioned. Loki coughed blood onto the floor, still trying to speak, but it obviously hurt him. Loki tried to move himself but was stuck to the floor, completely bound. As he struggled to move, a little green shone from behind him, and then Proxima knocked him onto the floor. “don’t try that again for now. This will work,” grabbed his hair and she gagged him again. “Give us the tesseract now, and this will all go better before the mind stone is involved.” Proxima was done with this charade. He didn’t move or use his magic; he just sat there facing the floor again. “I wish this could have gone better,” she said, grabbing something from a table in the Room. She then walked over to Thor, gagged him again, and dragged him to the wall, hanging him onto a hook. She called a chutari in as she grabbed Loki, making him watch as they whipped Thor. Over and over again, because he didn’t scream, they made it more aggressive. Grabbing a different tool, a knife, they craved something into Thor’s skin. Thor didn’t have Loki’s healing, but they didn’t care. They only needed Loki alive.

When they broke his skin, he screamed. This knife was laced with poison. They kept etching something until they stopped. When they stepped back, they left it in a language only Loki knew, not Thor. YOUR FAULT in the chutari language Loki learned it the first time in this horrible situation. Then they left, and not a word was spoken. Thor got taken off the hook and onto the floor; his shirt was stained with blood, now, if you could call it a shirt. He still looked at Loki as if he didn’t get craved with a knife. Loki wanted to throw up. It was his fault. Then Thanos stepped in. “what happened here?” Thanos taunted Loki, who knew that Thanos had ordered this. “Are you ready to give me the stone, or does this have to get harder,” Thanos said. Loki shook his head. “That’s disappointing. I really wished this was going to work better.” Thanos grabbed Loki’s chains, dragging him out of the room.

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Thor worked on his chuffs as blood dripped down his shirt. He grunted as they rattled to the floor, finally ‘free’ he needed to get out of this hell before Thanos got more of the stones, but he required Loki. He had 2 of the stones, but if he got the Avengers, then he could get Loki out. If they would help, but how he was bleeding out. Trying to put pressure on this craving was impossible. With nothing to press it with, he tried to push on it, but the blood kept coming out. This craving spelled something, but he couldn’t read it, not just because he didn’t know the language but because his vision blurred. He heard an explosion as he passed out.

“Watch as this planet falls under my control.” Thanos forced Loki’s head up, but that didn’t mean he could see well enough to watch them land on this planet. The force hit him back, throwing him back onto the floor. Thanos laughed at Loki's weakness until he heard an explosion from the ship's side. Loki was grabbed, and his chains were attached above his head to the wall in the room. He left him there bleeding from hitting the floor so hard. He was so tired he wanted to sleep but knew it wasn’t safe to rest here.

“Hey, someone’s in here and looks really bad, like dripping blood right now, bad,” a voice said, stepping closer to Loki. He tried to shift away from the voice, but he was stuck. “WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO YOU” Loki knew that voice of all the people in the universe. He didn’t want to see Stark was low on that list. Loki groaned, not out of annoyance, but if I can’t talk, moron. “Dude, not the time. Look at the guy. He's super bad right now.” This voice was defending him, surprisingly. “THAT’S MOTHERING FUCKING LOKI!” Anthony shouted like a drama queen, “Stop yelling. You’ll alert the space lizards.” Space lizards, what an understatement, but still Loki winced at the fact that he could barely see, but his head was dripping blood onto his face and the ground. “Where’s Thor?” as he removed the muzzle, Loki could barely talk but knew nothing. His mind was a mess “he—re,” Loki stuttered out. It still hurts to talk. “I already fucking knew that. I mean, where.” Tony was anything but amused, smashing Loki into the wall. “Come on, Tony, he didn’t know that.” The voice said again, “he knew Bucky, you know that.” So, this voice was Bucky’s. Loki didn’t know a bucky or couldn’t remember one. “So—r---ry.” For some reason, Loki apologized, even though it wasn’t his fault. Bucky walked over and pulled him onto the floor. “It’s fine. You seem pretty hurt. Is there anything we can do?” Loki didn’t understand why anyone was helping him. “Buck, why are you asking him anything? We need Thor.” Tony was annoyed at Loki at this point. If Bucky weren’t there, Tony would probably kill him. “He---is----in----the----roo---m,” Loki stuttered. He didn’t know if they knew what the Room was, but he tried at least. “For fucks sake, finally!” Tony stomped out of the room, going somewhere while Bucky stayed with Loki. “I have a few yes or no questions. Can you answer them?” Bucky asked. Loki nodded. “First, does it hurt to talk?” Loki reluctantly nodded again. “Ok, try not to talk then. Next question: are you helping Thanos.” Bucky asked Loki, shaking his head. “Great,” Bucky said. Loki nodded his head. “Great, um, last one, can you walk.” Loki shrugged his shoulders as Bucky grabbed his shoulder and made him rely his weight on Bucky. “So, um, where is the room you are talking about?" Tony questioned as Bucky and Loki walked out.

Bucky glared, but he also had that question. “I---can’t----remember,” Loki slurred out, wiping the blood off his bleeding lip. “Ok, that’s useless. I can’t believe the minister is taking over the earth. Is weak enough to need us.” Tony taunted, “First, you’re a dick second, you aren’t helping.” Bucky questioned. “Ang—ry,” Loki coughed out. “Still have your humor, don’t you?” that line sounded much like ebony’s. It shook him to the core. He had to take breaths to calm down. “So how do we find him?” Bucky asked, “I don’t know. Ask your new best friend.” Tony threw out, “Don’t be bitter, Tony.” Bucky is still hoisting Loki up. Loki closed his eyes. He didn’t see a lot, only the ground, so why have his eyes open? “don’t go dying now after all that work.” Loki knew that voice. It made him stop, but it wasn’t in front or behind him. It was inside his mind. “Fu—ck,” Loki said almost steadily. “what’s wrong?” bucky asked calmly. “he’s here?” Loki’s voice was getting stronger the more he needed it. He knew his magic was finally healing him, “Who’s here, Lokes.” Tony asked, “in this hallway, I know it,” Loki announced. “You sound much better. That’s good, right?” Bucky asked, concerned this was an act. “it’s from my magic, but I can sense him,” Loki said. “Ok, I’ll do a scan. Friday scan for life forms.” Calling an unknown voice, “Found him,” Tony announced happily, opening the door to a bleeding-out Thor. Loki’s heart stopped as he looked at a bleeding and beaten Thor. Yeah, Loki looked worse, but it still turned his stomach. He pushed himself onto his 2 feet so he could walk over to Thor but only made it to the doorway till he had to stop for a minute. Bucky rushed over. “I’m fine,” Loki assured. “Thor, are you conscious?” Loki questioned. Thor groaned for a change. “Perfect, you’re awake.” Loki kept his wit on him. “Ok, up you go,” Loki said as he heaved Thor onto his shoulder. “Wow, you care?” Tony’s sarcasm shone brightly. “Not the time stark.” He walked to the door, holding Thor up as their blood framed their forms. “What’s happening” Thor questioned, “we’re getting the fuck out of here. I expect we can’t leave through your exit, hm?” Loki asked Bucky and Tony. “I don’t think so,” Bucky said. “We’re doomed,” Tony said, sarcasm dripping from him. “Well, I always have a backup. You need to tell me if a single soul comes, got it?” Loki looked between the two before summoning the tesseract into his hands. “Where do you want to go?” Loki asked, “Avengers headquarters in upstate New York. “Tony said, “Are you ready?” Loki asked them, already preparing Thor. “Yes,” Bucky said as the blue surrounded all 4, changing the desolate ship into the front of a giant building. “Ta-da,” Loki said, holding Thor close to his chest, disappearing the tesseract. “I did my best with little time,” Loki said. “Well, this is perfect. You saved us,” Bucky exclaimed, “you're both covered with blood. You need to clean up.” Stark remarked as a yellow portal appeared behind him.

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“Loki,” Doctor Strange glared at Loki, “Doctor Strange, I wish no harm to your ‘planet.’ I had no choice, or Thor would die.” Loki was right, and he knew. “Still, you are a hostile force on this planet,” Strange said, starting to move his hands “In case you didn’t notice, dipshit, there’s a spaceship in the sky the size of New York Loki is the least of our worries,” Tony said, was Tony Stark defending him. “I see Thor needs medical help, but Loki is and was charged and sentenced with a crime.” Doctor Strange said condescendingly, “So you want to waste your time on me and not Thanos? What a productive use of time.” Loki said, “Strange, postpone this little petty fight for now. We have bigger things to worry about.” Bucky said, gesturing for Loki to walk inside, and Loki obliged. When he walked in, all eyes turned to him and Thor. Bucky rushed in. “he's on our side. Ok, they both need medical attention. No fighting each other, got it.” Bucky said, putting himself before the brothers, “I thought you both were dead after I got sent to Earth. Well, I just thought, you know, yeah.” Banner said Loki was struggling to stand. He lost a little bit too much blood. “If we could hold the pleasantries for a bit.” Loki said, adjusting his footing to keep Thor from falling. “Yeah, you look like you're about to fall over.” Bucky said, guiding them to the medical room.

“What the absolute fuck just happened.” Natasha said, “Was that Loki like the New York Loki.” Peter said, “Yes, that was.” Vision said Tony came in with Dr. Strange, “so I think the cat is out of the bag.” Tony said, “As you can tell, Loki is on earth again, but due to our dire situation and his knowledge, we have to deal with him for the time being.” Dr. Strange said as everyone started to argue.

“It seems my presence has caused quite the commotion,” Loki said, dropping Thor onto the medical bed. “They just need to get over themselves,” Bucky said. Loki walked over, sitting on the side. “You must not know why they hate me so much.” Loki said, “Oh, I know of your attempt to take over the earth. I don’t care.” Bucky said, attaching an IV to Thor's arm and grabbing some anti-septic wipes to get the blood off, but instead, Loki flicked his wrist, and no blood remained. “Maybe don’t use that too much. You run out, right?” Bucky said, “I don’t run out, but if I don’t have the strength or am too injured, I can’t use it, but I never run out; I just don’t use it.” Loki said, cleaning the blood off himself. “So, what’s the plan for you,” Bucky asked Loki, throwing out the wipe. “To be honest, I don’t have one, and to be really honest, I thought I was going to die,” Loki said, but in his mind, he knew he would eventually. Thor bolted awake. “Loki,” Thor said, grabbing at his arm. “Calm, Thor. Calm, it’s ok. We’re at the Avenger’s campus.” Loki said, grabbing Thor’s hands to keep him from hurting himself, “But that means you're not safe.” Thor said, trying to yank his hands out. Thor could usually overpower Loki easily, but he was too weak. “Shhh, it’s ok. You need to calm down. You’re going to make yourself pass out.” Loki said, keeping a firm grip, but his voice was gentle. Thor was hyperventilating. Loki was right. If he kept going, he would pass out. Black was appearing in Thor's vision. “Thor, breathe with me. Okay, do you understand?” Loki said, moving Thor’s hands to Loki’s chest. Loki breathed slowly, waiting for Thor to do the same. Then Thor's breathing slowed, matching Loki's. They stayed that way for a while. Thor kept his eyes on Loki’s hands. Keeping track of Loki’s breathing, Bucky watched this. He could not believe this was the man who tried to take over New York. He seemed so calm, so kind, not evil and cruel. Then, a knock at the door made all three’s eyes snap up. Thor took his hands off Loki. “Loki, why are you here.” Nick Fury said, marching up to the gods. “Fury--.” Thor started, but Loki cut him off. “Director Fury, I mean no harm to this planet, but Thor needs medical attention. If I had any other option, I assure you I would not be on this planet.” Loki said, holding his hands up. “If Thor truly is your only reason, then why is there a giant spaceship in the sky.” Nick Fury said, “You can not be blaming him for that.” Bucky said, watching Fury blaming him was uncalled for. “It’s not Loki’s fault that Thanos is here. It’s because of the stones.” Thor said. Loki glared at Thor, and then Thor remembered that they didn’t know who Thanos was or why he was there.

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“You are going to tell me exactly who this Thanos is right now, or so help me.” Nick Fury said Loki scoffed as if he was going to be ordered around. “You are not my boss,” Loki replied. He may not look his best, but he would never listen to some human who decided they got the authority to order Loki around. Bucky knew this wouldn’t turn out well. “You are on my planet and under my gestation, so yes, I am the boss around here. You are going to do exactly what I say.” Nick Fury said Loki considered this for a minute before replying, “And what do I get out of it?” Loki said Nick Fury seemed taken aback by this answer, “You won’t go to jail for your long list of crimes. I’m being generous right now by not throwing you in a cell, so are you going to cooperate.” Nick Fury asked Loki to consider the options he could take to beat the Avengers in a good state, but he was far from anything good. Also, being a good guy for a bit wouldn’t hurt and would most definitely lift Thor’s spirit “Fine.” Loki replied. A huge smile grew on Thor's face, and he hugged Loki very tight. “I’m so proud of you,” Thor muttered into Loki’s shoulder. “The second you, well, you are going to explain everything you know about this.” Nick Fury said, walking out of the room, “Welcome to the club.” Bucky said, clapping Loki on the shoulder and walking out. Now they were alone, the brothers and the camera in the corner, which Loki had noticed the second they walked in. He knew they were watching and wasn’t too enthused about that idea but breaking the camera might not send the best image; the only way that Loki would sleep was if he knew that it was safe, but for the moment, he needed to make sure Thor was fine he came second. Soon enough, Thor was asleep lying on Loki.

Loki mostly sat there and decided to sit there and come up with a plan for what he should do: The mind, time, and space stones all remained on Earth. Thanos had the power stone, and the soul stone was on Vormir. And the reality stone was with the collector. So, which stone would Thanos go for first? He mentioned the Mind stone and the time stone, so he doesn’t know where the reality or soul stone is, and Loki knew where every stone was. Having one in his possession, he had the advantage. All he had to do was get some help to enact his plan. Maybe they could win this war after all; soon after, he drifted to a dreamless sleep from the lack of energy and will to remain awake.

“So what is our game plan?” Steve asked. Tony was still avoiding him like the plague, but they couldn’t be sitting ducks. “We need Loki's information. He seems to know more about this than we do.” Natasha said, “he’s out right now, and so is Thor, and until they have enough energy to help, we need to rely on our own resources. Vision, do you know anything about the stones.” Tony said, glancing at Vision, “I know very little about the stones, but I do know that six exist and that there are three in this building at the moment.” Vision announced; Wanda watched him. She was wary of him doing this. “Which are they?” Tony asked Doctor Strange and replied, “The mind stone, space stone, and the time stone; I have the time stone in the eye of Agamotto, Vision has the Mind stone in his head, and Loki has the space stone somewhere.” Everyone considered this answer: “And how many does this Thanos have.” Steve asked. No one seemed to reply until Bruce spoke up. He had been mostly quiet since he arrived on earth. “Thanos has the power stone, at least as I saw,” Bruce said. “We have great odds then, 3 to 1; we have the advantage now. Where the other two are, the question is whether we can get to them first. He has no chance of beating, right?” Tony said, “We’ve gotten to the point where we have to stop for today because until the gods wake up, we won’t be able to do anything else.” Natasha said. Everyone seemed to agree, to nod, “ok, you heard her. Everyone has a good night’s rest because we get this show on the road tomorrow.” Tony said he walked over to the kid, asking him if he wanted to leave, but Peter was adamant that he needed to be there if the Avengers were going to war. Bruce walked over to the med bay to check on the brothers. Thor was asleep on Loki's lap as Loki was sleeping, leaning on the pillow. They seemed a little worse for ware, but Bruce walked out to his room peacefully. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

Chapter Text

When Loki woke up, it was an early morning and extremely sunny, blinding Loki. As he rubbed his eyes, Thor was snoring very loudly. It annoyed him quite a bit. Thor had moved to his own bed throughout the night. Loki wanted to change, though this ripped outfit was really not him. There was a bathroom attached to the med-bay. Loki tried to walk, but his body didn’t seem up to carry Loki’s weight. This made Loki so mad. After all this, his body couldn’t fail him now, so he just stumbled to the bathroom, forcing his body to walk through the pain. He knew it was a terrible idea, but it didn’t matter. Once he saw himself in the mirror, he felt bile come up in his throat. He looked like a corpse. He was so pale, and his bones stuck out of his skin. He hadn’t looked this bad since Last Time he conjured an outfit for himself. It was more casual than usual, but he didn’t think his body could handle 30 pounds of leather and metal at the moment. He settled for a light outfit but hid most of his skin and injuries. Using a simple illusion, he made himself look ordinary. If anyone asked, he could say he was a fast healer. It wouldn’t be a complete lie. He just needed more time to return to normal, but he doesn’t have time right now.

He didn’t want to wake Thor, but with his very obvious problem with walking, he wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. However, the camera must have noticed he was awake because he had heard people enter the room. Loki decided to leave the bathroom before anyone thought he had disappeared. Everyone’s head snapped to where Loki was standing. “Hello, Avengers,” Loki said. He leaned on the doorframe, not wanting to appear weak. “You're awake,” Tony said. Loki stared at him. “Yes, I thought I made that quite obvious,” Loki said as he shifted his weight. He felt fragile. “where did you find those clothes.” Steve asked, inquiring about Loki's outfit since no other clothes were in the room “Magic.” Loki answered very straightforwardly. “why isn’t Thor awake?” Natasha asked what was with these questions. Loki had just woken up. “look, I just woke up 10 minutes ago, and let’s just say Thor is a very heavy sleeper.” Loki said, “And if you are so concerned, why don’t you wake him up.” Loki asked what they expected from him. Tony walked over to interrupt a still-sleeping Thor, who awoke, jumping straight out of bed. “What’s going on,” Thor said, glancing around the room. “Welcome to the party,” Loki said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “why are you in here,” Thor asked, glancing between the 5 Avengers and Loki. “Jarvis saw Loki wake up, and we came to check on him,” Tony said. Loki scoffed as if they cared about him. “You thought I escaped, didn’t you?” Loki said he didn’t believe a word they said. No one wanted to admit that’s what they thought, but no one had to say anything to make it accurate. “I didn’t expect much else, but that’s beside the point. We’re all up now, so we should probably get planning.” Loki said, not wanting to dwell on such a topic for much longer, “Yes, when you two are ready, come out to the meeting room. You know where that is, Thor.” Tony said, and they ushered out

“would you like something to wear?” Loki asked. He hadn’t moved an inch. Thor noticed that. “Are you okay?” Thor asked, avoiding Loki's question altogether. “What a silly question, of course I am,” Loki said far too fast. “If you say so, please tell me if you need any help,” Thor said. Loki looked down. Thor walked over to Loki and handed him a new outfit. Thor walked into the bathroom, shutting the door. How was Loki supposed to do anything without people noticing? He limped to his bed, examining his legs and trying to see what was ailing him. It seemed that the growth plate on his left leg was fractured. It would usually have healed right now, but his magic was being stretched, trying to recover everything wrong in his body. He tried to focus his magic on that one spot, but he made him feel so weak he could barely keep himself up and decided that maybe he could try and hide it. No, that wouldn’t work at all. Thor walked out of the bathroom. The outfit fitted him well, more than Loki had expected. “Thor, can I tell you something?” Loki asked. He didn’t want to ask for help, but he didn’t have a choice: “Yes, anything.” Thor replied, “There’s a chance I broke my growth plate, causing me to have a severe limp that wouldn’t heal for a few days due to the amount of injuries I have, and I don’t want to appear weak in front of people I’ll put it simply want me dead.” Loki confessed this surprised Thor. Loki usually kept him in the dark, only telling him things if necessary. “Loki, you're not weak; with what we’ve gone through, I don’t think anyone will notice,” Thor said, squeezing Loki's shoulder. “I can barely walk, Thor, and you think they wouldn’t notice,” Loki said, looking at Thor. Loki stood up, barely able to stand. Thor noticed the problem. He honestly thought it was a slight limp, but this was awful. Thor had a lot of injuries, but that hadn’t affected his movement since Thanos kept to his chest. However, it seemed like Loki was injured everywhere. “It will only take a few days to heal.” Thor tried to calm Loki down. “I know that Thor, but until then, I will be useless in any situation.” Loki said, “But we aren’t going to fight for a few days.” Thor said, “And how do you know that.” Loki said, “Loki, there is nothing either of us can do to fix this, so obsessing over it wouldn’t help anything.” Thor said he was getting fed up with Loki. It had been a long few days. “so get over yourself and just accept that we have to take down Thanos, and if you really want to focus on yourself, then fine, but I’m going to do something that matters.” Thor said, getting up to leave. Loki grabbed him by the shoulder. “You're right, I’m sorry. Can you please help me? I don’t think I’ll be able to walk very far.” Loki said Thor knew Loki just needed a push. Thor offered an arm, and Loki took it. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Chapter Text

Loki did his best to walk but wouldn’t have made it far without Thor’s help. Once they reached the meeting room, Loki pushed himself off Thor. Thor walked to a seat, and Loki followed behind. To his credit, the limp was almost invisible. It hurt putting his weight on the broken bone, but Loki thought it was worth it. Once he sat down, the meeting seemed to start. People glanced at him to avoid staring. Most had never seen Loki before, but everyone knew him, “so we’ve all been waiting for you two to wake up since you’d have the most insight on this stuff.”

Tony said, opening up the floor to them. “I never really was a book person; I only know the basics. Loki would know a lot more than I would.” Thor said, pushing all the burden on Loki. “Thank you for that. As you know, there are six infinity stones: space, time, mind, soul, power, and reality, three of which are in this room, giving us the advantage. He has one. We have 3.” Loki explained, “Which stone is he going for next.” Steve asked. “I wouldn’t know the exacts, but if I had to guess, I would say the reality stone there won’t be too much of a fight due to the fact the collector has it,” Loki said. “The collector, why does that lunatic have an infinity stone.” Thor said, “Because I thought that would be the best place to put it at the time.”Loki said,

“But why not have kept it on Asgard.” Thor asked, “So, have two infinity stones in the place that got blown up if you have forgotten.” Loki deafened his decision, not that it did much, “but if he’s here, why not take the three that are on earth.” Bucky asked, “Because it seems Humans put up a good fight, and the collector is one person alone in the middle of space.” Loki answered, “So he’s leaving then?” It seemed very simple to him. Natasha asked, “No, he has many ships, so one of them will leave to find the reality stone.” Loki said, “Where is the soul stone? It’s the only one you haven’t mentioned.” Sam asked, “The soul stone has been ‘lost to time.’ No one knows where it is except one.” Thor said, “Who is this one who knows? Sounds really creepy.” Tony said, “You're in luck because I was the one entrusted with this knowledge.” Loki said, “Are you serious? You were the one trusted with that kind of knowledge. What else do you know.” Doctor Strange said, “I don’t show my cards until I play them.” Loki answered that Loki might be on their side, but he was still very mysterious. “Where is it?” Steve said, avoiding that comment, “Vormir.” Loki answered very matter-of-factly, “Is that in space.” Peter said,

"Yes, it is, so you’ll need to find some way to get there.” Loki said, “Can’t you teleport there.” Thor said, “The soul stone comes with a price; you must sacrifice one which you love, a soul for a soul.” Loki said everyone went silent. “What are the conditions.” Natasha said, “You need to sacrifice something you love. You need to care for it with all of your soul.” Loki said, “So, does it have to be a person, or can it be an object.” Steve said, “As long as the stone decides you have sacrificed enough.” Loki said, “Can you give an example.” Natasha said, “No, I cannot because I have never tried to gain the soul stone, nor have I seen people try it.” Loki said, “So Thanos does not know where it is or how to get it.” Tony said. Loki flinched at the name.

“not to my knowledge.” Loki said, “We should send some people to go and get the reality stone, and the rest will defend Earth. No one goes for the soul stone, at least not yet.” Steve said, announcing, “Who will find the reality stone.” Natasha asked. “Since almost none of us have been to space, I suggest either Loki or Thor should go since you both have been there, but sending you alone isn’t an amazing idea.” Tony said, “We’d be fine by ourselves.” Thor said it’d be much easier for Loki to relax without being swarmed by Avengers. “but if you get into battle, the two of you may be strong, but you can't defeat them.” Steve said Thor's behavior was weird, but it’s been an odd few years. “I must agree,” Loki said. He might not like it, but they were right. “Ok, Vision and Strange should stay here since they have infinity stones. Loki, I know you have one, but I know you aren’t going to give it to anyone. Only super-enhanced people should go since they’ll have a better chance at survival.” Steve said, “I’ll go.” Bucky said Steve looked shocked that Bucky would go. “I’ll go as well,” Bruce said that made sense. “Ok, that’s a good team. We’ll get a ship, and then you four are going to space.” Natasha said.

Everyone nodded, and with that, the meeting was over. Tony walked over to them. They were still sitting and chatting. “You two should move out of the med bay. Thor already has a room, but we can find one for you.” Tony said, directing at Loki, “No, there’s enough space in my room.” Thor said, “There’s one bed in your room. Where am I going to sleep on the floor.” Loki said, “We could share a bed.” Thor responded, “No way in hell.” Loki said he wasn’t a child and was sincerely not sharing a bed with his brother. They would never both fit. “I’ll find you a room,” Tony said, walking away. “I want you to share a room with me.” Thor said, “And I don’t; I’m an adult; I need my own space.” Loki said, “I need to keep you safe.” Thor said, “I am safe, Thor, but you are so clingy, it’s driving me insane.” Loki said, “I’m trying to help you.” Thor said, “With what? There’s nothing you can do for me.” Loki said. “You not ok.” Thor whispered. “there is nothing you or I can do about it, so just give me my space.” Loki said. “Fine, if you want to be alone, then be alone,” Thor said, storming out, leaving Loki alone. Something else was happening, but what?

Chapter Text

Loki had been escorted to his room with no help from Thor. His limp was noticeable, but no one commented. The second the door closed behind him, he sunk to the floor, his legs giving out. How would he ever be able to live an everyday life again? Not that his life was very ordinary, to begin with, but being on Thor's bad side never seemed to improve anything. But he was irrational. Thor was circling Loki constantly, and he couldn’t stand it. Loki dragged himself over to the bed. The room was plain with grey walls and some paintings scattered around, but at least it had a private bathroom and no cameras watching his every move. No one trusted him, but he was okay with that, and they didn’t deem him a threat or, as Fury had suggested, he would be in a cell. Loki wanted to remain peaceful until needed otherwise. Surprisingly, there was a knock on the door. Loki limped to the door, opening it to reveal Natasha Romanoff standing at his door. “I want to warn you that Clint is coming tonight and doesn’t know you’re here,” Natasha said, looking Loki in the eyes. “I feel as if you should have warned him before he was arriving.” Loki said, “Let’s call it a surprise, and if you even try and threaten him, I’ll kill you.” Natasha said there goes being peaceful: “Do I look in the mood for a fight.” Loki dulled. Natasha glared at him. “We’re having a bit of a get-together party in the living room if you want to come,” Natasha said, walking back down the hall.

He should go to just to become more of a friendly figure instead of the intimidating and insane god of mischief. But then again, Thor would be there, possibly causing unrest, but Thor and he would have to get over this if they had to spend days on a spaceship together. Loki washed his face and decided to go and see whether Thor was there or not. He walked down the hall towards where the sound was coming from. It seemed Clint hadn’t arrived yet, but Thor was there and had noticed Loi. The second he was in eyesight, Thor walked over. “Do you need any help, Loki? I’m sorry about my outburst earlier.” Thor asked, standing next to Loki. His actions confused him. One moment, he was mad, and now he was fine. “no, I’m fine.” Loki said, “Then come in. Don’t just stand there.” Thor said, dragging Loki into the living room. Everyone’s eyes were on him momentarily, and then they returned to their conversation. You could sense the atmosphere changed, but they acted as if nothing was wrong. Loki just sat there awkwardly, being silent. No one talked to him, and he didn’t speak to anyone until he heard someone walk in. There were none other than Hawkeye or Clint Barton. He didn’t notice Loki at first; he stood there engaging, and then he looked up. When he saw Loki, his face went pale, and he lost all of the color in his face. “You,” Clint yelled, charging at Loki. He remained at ease as Clint grabbed his shirt, pulling him up. “What in the fuck are you doing here,” Clint yelled in his face. Loki looked bored because he was, “I would have thought someone would have told you.” Loki responded. Thor stood up. “Clint, stand down.” Steve said, “he’s tricked you somehow. You would never work with this piece of shit in a million years.” Clint said, releasing Loki’s shirt. “There was no trick, only alliance out of necessity.” Loki said, “I don’t want to hear your answer; I want to hear his.” Clint said, “Loki is accurate. As you’ve heard, Thanos is here for their infinity stones, and Loki knows more about it than any of us, and we need to deal with him until he is no longer needed.” Steve said.

This offended Loki to no bounds what would happen when he was no longer needed. Clint swept in before Loki could interject. “So he’s only temporary. What happens when you don’t need him anymore?” Clint asked Loki the same question: “We get rid of him one way or another.” Steve said Loki would no longer tolerate such things being said about him. “Excuse me, I am standing right here, and what I’m hearing is that you all want me dead, and the second that I’m not helpful, you're going to kill me. What benefit does it provide me to help you to prolong my own death.” Loki snapped, “Yes, I agree because from what I’ve been told, there has been no mention of aggression towards Loki, and suddenly, you seem to want Loki dead, and if you think I will allow such behavior, you are mistaken.” Thor said, “can everyone just calm down we just need to weigh what is worth more a fellow avenger or some super villain.” Tony said “so what you expect me to react well to this news to just sit back waiting for my death and if you think there is any way I’m going to help you ever again that’s so naïve.” Loki snapped back. Thor started to get mad because you could see lightning dancing around his fingers. “sorry I have to ask when did we decide this because I know I would never have let this happen.” Bruce said, speaking up, “Bruce, can you not dance around the issue about Loki? You should have seen this coming.” Tony said. “No, actually, I think it is insanely wrong to just lie to someone about something as important as this,” Bruce said. Steve sighed. “So you side with him over us? We are your friends; he's a murderer.” Tony yelled, “Did you know that I was actually on a spaceship with Loki for six months, and he’s gotten to know me more than any of you ever tried to, and he’s actually a pretty great person and at least is open about his problems not trying to pretend to be perfect like the rest of you.” Bruce yelled, “Bruce, are you seriously saying you like him more than us.” Natasha said Loki was trying to calm himself down. He could sense his magic trying to protect him, and you could see Sedior encircle him. His magic could feel the power and hostility in the room. Loki attempted to push the magic back, but it didn’t work. “I am just going to warn you right now that I’m holding back, and the fact I thought that you, of all people, would have my best interest at heart.” Loki snapped everyone's gaze on him, noticing the magic around him, and this is when Strange started to act. “Loki, you're going to need to calm down,” Strange said. There was no way he could contain the magic in Loki’s clamber. “why should I? I’m being threatened. My magic knows that. And you can’t stop me even if you wanted.” Loki said, “Loki, you need to go before something bad happens.” Thor whispered. Loki nodded, disappearing in a circle of green. Now that Loki was gone, what would happen?

Chapter Text

“When were you intending to tell me about this scheme? Or would he mysteriously disappear one day?” Thor's voice boomed when it came to his brother. Thor didn’t mess around with threats like this. “Thor, you had to know that it was coming.” Tony defended his actions when Thor was mad. He was unreasonable and would do whatever he deemed necessary. “when did you come up with this plan.” Thor asked, his voice containing so much betrayal and hatred. “It’s been our plan if Loki ever came back to earth.” A voice said, appearing from the shadows. It was none other than Nick Fury. “When did we discuss this.” Thor said, “During the Sokavia accords, Loki was always a thought in those proceedings due to the fact his appearance on earth caused the Avengers to be fully formed due to the fact you were off-world, you were not informed of these things neither of you was, and yes we should have mentioned those details when you arrived, but due to the fact Loki is unpredictable and insane from what has been seen risking damage to the facilities and people would have been contour productive, we have seen your power Thor, and it is immense we haven’t seen much of Loki’s power, but if it is even close to yours it’s too much to risk on a loose cannon.” Nick Fury announced. Most in the room nodded. Some looked uneasy, but Bruce was mad. Over the last few months, he got to know Bruce very well, and he was so much more than what his power was, but the Avengers didn’t see that all they saw was the Hulk, a crazed beast, not the kind, intelligent man he was. “Thor, we should leave. This is not a safe place for either of us,” Bruce said, seeing people getting into their battle stance. Thor nodded. He waved his hand, alerting Loki to teleport him. They both disappeared in a flash of green, leaving the remaining people in the room shocked by the outcome. No one expected them to side with Loki over them. “They’ll see when he betrays them. They’ll learn we were right.” Nick said, dismissing the Avengers back to their quarters.

They appeared in a field still on Earth. “didn’t side with you, did they.” Loki whispered he knew that would be the result. “Why are we still on earth.” Thor asked, “I’m not healed enough to teleport multiple people off-world at the moment.” Loki was turned from them, standing in the vast darkness of the night sky. “What are we going to do then,” Thor asked Loki, but he didn’t answer. It might be the one question he had no response to: “We have the tesseract, which means we can go anywhere, right?” Bruce asked if he was correct: "Why don’t we go to the collector and get the stone before Thanos ever leaves this god-forsaken planet.” Thor said, “We could, but what if he’s there? What will we do then.” Loki said, “So what, we become sitting ducks until something happens? Come on, Loki, let’s do this.” Thor said, “Fine, let’s do it.” Loki said, summoning the tesseract into his hand and opening a portal, which Loki walked through, followed by Bruce and Thor. They arrived Nowhere in the mining colony. “Here we are in this Shithole again; let’s go find the collector,” Loki said. Everything seemed in check, and with no signs of battle, he walked to where he knew the collector's building was. “This place is a mess,” Bruce whispered to Thor. The streets were packed as they rushed to chase after Loki. “It’s a very lawless place like Sakar. The Collector is an elder of the universe and the brother of the Grandmaster, so they are both a bit weird but leave everything to Loki. He knows how to do this kind of thing.” Thor said, dragging Bruce along. “Will he know who we are?” Bruce asked as they caught up to Loki. “Maybe he will know Loki, but no, me, I’ve never met the man, but from Loki’s description, he’s not the best person,” Thor said. Loki hit him on the arm. “You doult don’t speak ill of him in a planet run by him,” Loki said, stopping at a building. “We’re here,” Loki said, buzzing the com outside the building. A woman responded, “May I ask who this is?” she said, “I’m Loki; Odin is keeping something here for safekeeping. I would like to remove it.” Loki said into the intercom. “what is it you are keeping with the Collector.” The woman asked, “The aether we put in the collection five years ago.” Loki said a noise was heard from the woman on the intercom. “Come in. The Collector will see you now and your guests.” The woman said as the door opened.

Loki gestured for them to follow. Loki would do the talking, not them. When they walked in, a pink woman greeted them. She was delighted it seemed “Welcome follow me to the Collector. He will be very pleased to see you.” The woman said, guiding them through the corridors. Many things were decorating the walls: flora and fauna, objects and beings of many kinds. When they finally stopped, they were in a very open room. It was empty, and there no one was inside. The woman left, and they were left waiting. They stood there for a few moments before a door opened, and a group of people came in. “Who are you.” A man asked, “Where’s the Collector? We’re looking for him.” A voice he knew said, “Gamora.” Loki said, “Loki.” Two people said at once, coming into the light, that Nebula and Gamora were standing there, “You're not here with Thanos, are you?” Nebula asked, “No way in hell; how are you two intact after all these years.” Loki asked, “That’s a real mystery; I would have thought Thanos would kill you after you lost two infinity stones.” Gamora said, “he tried, but I’m not easy to kill. What’s happened with you two in the last five years.” Loki said, “We made a team, the Guardians of the Galaxy. What about you.” Gamora said, “Here and there, became the king of Asgard for a bit, then almost got killed a few times, now stopping Thanos from collecting the infinity stones.” Loki said, “I guess we should introduce you to our friends. These are Rocket, Groot, Drax, Mantis, and Peter Quill.” Gamora said, Gesturing to each person, “This is Thor, my brother, and Bruce.” Loki said, “What are you doing here?” Peter Quill said, “Here to get the Reality stone back.” Thor stated Peter walked forward. “Well, where is it,” Peter asked. They were inches apart. Loki and Gamora exchanged looks. “That’s our question.” Thor said, “Where is the Collector? Is the better question.” Mantis said. At that moment, a door opened, revealing The Collector. “Sorry for my delayed presence. I was quite busy. You both are here for the Aether, Correct.” The Collector said, “Yes, and I would like to obtain it due to the fact it seems this universe is getting quite dangerous.” Loki said, “It’s because of the mad titan. He’s trying to get all the infinity stones.” The Collector said, “It is. You must know the danger we are in.” Loki said, “I do to beings like yourselves who are on his bad side. I’d advise disappearing until this blows over.” The Collector said, “I just need the Reality stone, and we’ll be on our way.” Loki said something was off, and he knew it. “I can’t give it to you.” The Collector said, of course, “Why can’t you.” As red ripped over everything, Loki said, revealing its broken state, “We need to go.” Thor said, grabbing Loki's hand. Loki pulled out the tesseract, rushing everyone through the portal. Just as he turned, he saw Thanos looming behind him. Closing the portal quickly, they landed hard on the ground. Loki had no time to pick where they would go. They were on earth again since there was little else to pick from. “He has two stones now,” Loki said

Chapter Text

“Have we determined if we will be allowed to interfere according to the Sokivia Accords?” Steve asked, “Most countries have agreed by a majority to allow us to act when the time comes, but without knowledge, we can’t do very much.” Nick Fury responded. Strange huffed,
“I’m very well versed in these matters,” Strange said he knew most about mystic beings, but the infinity stones were different, only myths until very recently. “Then tell us where the space stone is. If you're so smart.” Tony snapped back, “It’s with Loki.” Strange responded,
“But where is it being hidden?” Tony said Strange was, for most times, the most knowledgeable about magic in the world, but now that they had seen Loki’s ability to explain these things, Strange was the bottom of the barrel and all they had. “I don’t know that.” Strange said, “Yeah, duh, you don’t know that; the only person who knows is Loki.” Tony said,
“Yes, that is the problem, letting someone like that live. if they have all that knowledge, they can use it against us.” Nick Fury said, “Wouldn’t it have been easier if we let Loki die? Then the Tesseract would be stuck wherever Loki has it, Damn Bucky.” Tony said he whispered that the last part
“So you are saying Thanos can’t win if Loki dies.” Nick Fury said everyone sat silently for a few minutes. “I’m not sure that would work, and it’s not like we can ask.” Tony said, “We shouldn't try. At least we fail because it won't go well if it doesn’t work.” Steve said, “We need to find them before something happens.” Nick Fury said.

In the middle of the woods on earth
“He has two stones now,” Loki whispered, pulling himself from the mess of people on the ground. What do we do now?” Drax asked, “Did he see us?” Nebula said, ignoring Drax’s question. “Yes, he was right behind me as we got through the portal, but he made no effort to stop us.” Loki said. Thor rushed to Loki’s side, checking Loki over for injuries after hearing that “he wants a fight. He’ll return to earth to take us out and get the last three, and then he needs to find the soul stone.” Gamora said, “and I know where it is.” Loki said. Gamora nodded. “What chance do we have,” Peter Quill said. “We need to use the stones to defeat him,” Thor said, backing from Loki after being shooed away. “We need to go back to the Avengers.” Bruce said, “Sadly, yes, we do.” Loki agreed solemnly, “Who are the Avengers.” Mantis asked, “Earth’s mightiest heroes but the most annoying group of people you can find, no offense.” Loki said, “None taken. They have gotten worse over the years and are being really secretive.” Bruce said. “We don’t have time to wait to agree if Thanos is coming. We need to come together to take him down.” Nebula said she was right and no one could deny it.

Chapter Text

A quin jet landed next to the group. They all jumped into their battle positions. Bruce just stood behind. Loki had assured him that he didn’t need to fight. Out of the quin jet stepped Natasha, Tony, and Steve. Clint was absent, probably because the man had no restraint upon seeing that there were some new additions to the group. They seemed taken aback by the possibility that they could find other people who were not the Avengers to help them.
“We just want to talk.” Steve said Loki scoffed, “as if we believe a word that comes out of your mouths.” Thor replied that he was hurt that they didn’t tell him and that he would disagree with them in the first place. Loki was his brother, and Family mattered more than friends, especially when he only had one person left. “Are these the Avengers?” Gamora asked. Loki nodded. “I expected better, to be honest,” Nebula remarked. Natasha muttered “rude” under her breath, “If it’s any consolation, the reality stone is in Thanos’s hands now. We just came from Knowhere.” Thor said
if they had only gotten there sooner. “if we don’t want the rest of the stones to fall into his hands, we should come together again.” Natasha said, “Let’s weigh the odds here. There are 10 of you and, let’s say, 20 of us, so I suggest you come with us, and we work together, not killing anyone; I think that’s the best you will get.” Tony said, cutting through Natasha's statement.
She glared at him, but he simply ignored her. Thor and Loki looked at each other for a moment and nodded. “We’ll come on the condition that there are no attempts on anyone’s life.” Thor said, “That works for you too.” Tony said, “Fine.” Thor said.
They walked up the ramp into the ship. Loki had concealed his daggers inside his sleeves just in case of aggressive behavior. The ride over was not uncomfortable; no one felt like talking about much of anything. “So how long will Thanos travel to get back here from Knowhere.” Steve asked the question was directed at Loki “around 2-3 days or so.” Thor answered, not that Loki would say it, but his throat still hurt from the ‘incident’ and talking aggravated it. Loki could swear he felt like it was bleeding. But that was for another time.
He occasionally exchanged looks with the sisters sitting across from him. They couldn’t talk openly, not in front of them. “can I just say that there’s a chance we jumped the gun a bit.” Tony said, walking in front of Loki, “just a little.” Tony said again quickly as he saw Loki glaring, but he did not move to get up. “You mean trying to kill me,” Loki said, his voice dripping with disdain.
“You have to honestly understand that you are still a threat rock of ages,” Tony said, waving his hand in Loki’s face. Loki got up, grabbing Tony’s hand. “My name is Loki. Use it,” Loki said, releasing his hand as he saw Natasha unhook her gun, not that it would do much. “Touchy, aren’t you,” Tony said. Did this man have a death wish or something? “I’m growing quite tired of you.” Loki remarked, “That’s really too bad because you stuck with me.” Tony said, walking away. Loki motioned to sit down again. Thor glanced at Loki for a minute. Something was wrong. He could feel it.
The last few weeks had been honestly terrible, and neither spoke a thing about it, but it was apparent Loki took the brunt of it. Thor knew Loki was covering up with magic, but the way he was carrying himself, it looked as if he was being crushed by something Thor knew outright asking Loki would never work it never had before.
Thor moved closer to Loki, a subtle gesture Loki would have to notice. Loki didn’t so much as look at him. Bruce had been quiet ever since Knowhere. He felt confused and betrayed. All he knew had been turned on its head. The people he thought he knew and trusted were lying to him and so cold towards him, and the person he thought he would hate til the end of his days was actually quite a pleasant person.
Learning the Avengers had broken up and that no one could trust anyone anymore was hard to cope with. He could only imagine the same for Thor; he truly wanted to get to know Loki more, but he was very secretive. He understood he had no idea how bad his life had been. What he did know was Loki was bright and powerful—but also damaged from what he’d seen. He had never been able to have more than five conversations before someone would barge in, and Loki would disappear within those six months. Loki had avoided almost everyone, but that was fair from what Bruce had seen. The people of Asgard didn’t like Loki very much. They spoke about him behind closed doors often and occasionally to his face. From what Bruce had heard was that Loki was ‘unmanly’ by Asgardian standards, but from what Bruce had gathered, Loki seemed to change his gender most of the time, not that Bruce had ever seen it himself. Also, some of the talks were that Loki was never tied down for very long as he seemed to date all genders, not that it was ever spoken of with real examples, and always had hate tied with it. Bruce never asked if this was true. He felt that Loki would be offended if it weren’t that, but Loki wasn’t stupid. He must have known people said these things.
Gamora and Nebula were over the moon that Loki was alive years ago. They had made a bet that Loki was dead, but neither had collected on the bet after they found out. They really wanted to have a conversation with Loki, but sadly, there was no time for that kind of thing. No matter what happens, Thanos will be dead by the end since they learned about Xandar.
Groot didn’t care what was happening, but Rocket was cautious about these people. He had heard of Loki before, but these Avengers sounded like bad news, at least from what he’d heard. Mantis could feel Loki’s atmosphere around him was a mix of emotions, and she wanted to touch him and soothe the feelings, but that would obviously end badly since Loki seemed closed off. His brother, on the other hand, seemed very hopeful she liked him; he was pretty handsome, and she hadn’t spoken to him there was very little time.
Drax thought the pirate angel was manly and powerful. The black-haired one was known to Gamora and Nebula. They seemed to be friends, which meant he was probably a good person to be around if he was friends with both sisters. Peter didn’t like either of them showing up out of nowhere. This Loki person was strange. He seemed to be really friendly with Gamora. They obviously had known each other for a long time now. His brother was also bizarre. He could feel a sort of power radiating off both of them, but he couldn’t place what it was.
Tony liked to tic Loki off; it felt like sweet revenge for throwing him out of his own window. Now that Loki was apparently a good guy to an extent, in Tony’s opinion, Loki should be either on the ground or in a cell somewhere, not able to walk around free. Obviously, Asgardian justice wasn’t very long-lasting, especially after what he did to Clint.
After the last few years, Steve really had to resist throwing Loki out of the Quin jet. Sometimes, he thanked Loki for making the Avengers form. Now, though, ever since they broke up, Steve really wished Loki had never come to earth in the first place. Maybe he could have just lived a normal life instead of being on the run. But at least Tony and him were able to be in the same room; they still were not on speaking terms.
Natasha just felt rage, having to deal with Loki after everything. This was all Loki’s fault. If only he had never come back, maybe things could have gone better than they were going. But Bruce was back, and so was Thor. She had thought they were both dead and was relieved that they were both still breathing, but she hadn’t had a proper conversation with either since they had gotten back.
Loki was honestly tiptoeing on his breaking point at any moment. He felt like he might break and fall into the void and never come back out again. Trying to juggle everything just made it worse. His body hurt. It really hurt. Everything ached, and scars littered his body. His mental health had gone to hell. And his body always felt like it was in danger because it was. He was being hunted down by a titan while dealing with the Avengers, and dealing with the Avengers. Thor was treating him like glass. Bruce was awkward around him. Everyone was watching him all of the time. The guardians of the galaxy seemed cautious around him, except for Gamora and Nebula, of course. The mind stone had been prodding him since he saw it again. The tesseract was pushing on his magic every time he used it. All he wanted to do was collapse and not get up again. His mind was racing, trying to plan a way to win without dying. He wanted to die and not come back this time.

Chapter Text

As they landed, it was a different terrain than the large concert jungle that the Avengers campus was. They had arrived at a field that had sparse buildings in the distance. “Where are we.” Bruce asked “We’re in Wakanda. We thought that if there was going to be a fight, it shouldn’t be around so many people.” Steve said, “Wakanda?” Bruce said, glancing at Thor to see if he knew, but neither of them had any idea. “It was a hidden nation until about two years ago. It is the most advanced nation in the world, and that’s why it could hide for over 5000 years.” Natasha responded that everyone was quite surprised by that. “Let’s get going then,” Tony said, walking out of the jet.

When everyone walked into the field, they were met with soldiers and some avengers scattered. Loki recognized that most of this was due to his presence, and Loki became very cautious. “T’Challa, it’s great to see you,” Steve said, greeting the man. “Good evening, Steve Rogers. All your requests have been met, and your ‘guest’ will be well-suited here.” T’Challa said they spoke in low voices, not quite whispering, but very close to it; Loki has super hearing, though, so… these comments were obviously made about him and were concerning, but that would be stored for later.

Thor was standing very close to Loki, so close that he could hear Loki breathe. Thor was very suspicious of how these people were speaking. This guest was obviously Loki. They weren’t accounting for the fact that, as gods, they had much better hearing. “Thanos should be here in 2 days,” Natasha said more as a blank statement to alert everyone in the vicinity. “We will prepare for his arrival should we expect a fight.” T’Challa said, “Unless you want half the universe to die.” Tony remarked, “Should we make efforts for the soul stone.” Natasha asked, “Let’s pause these chats until we are behind closed doors.” Steve said, ushering the group to go into the building. Everyone started their ascent to the building.

Inside the building, they walked into a conference room. It was more significant to accommodate the number of people that would be squeezing into the room. “So not everyone is here yet, so let’s just get this on the table; we need to get the soul stone,” Tony said, and Loki scoffed. And why is that?” Loki said, “There’s a chance Thanos knows where it is, so we should get it before he can.” Natasha said Loki felt uneasy about that idea. The fact that you have to sacrifice someone to get it was too much of a risk. “and how do you intend on getting there.” Loki said there was no way he would go not a chance “you would be happy to help wouldn’t you.” Tony said he was being snarky. Loki was getting sick of this man “and who would you intend to send on this mission.’ Thor asked, “That’s where it gets tricky.” Tony said, “Because you know someone will not come back.” Loki stated there was a long moment of silence. They didn’t want to suggest anyone to have to die. “They need to have a strong connection to the person, right.” Gamora said, “Yes,” Loki said, “Is this the only way to keep the stone from Thanos.” Nebula asked Loki, who didn’t like where this conversation was going.

“Is there anyone Thanos cares about enough to get the stone?” Peter asked, “It depends on what the stone thinks if it believes you have sacrificed enough to justify obtaining the stones.” Loki answered. The stone’s rules were very vague. Gamora looked at Loki for a moment, and he instantly knew what she was thinking: “It has to be a mutual relationship; one party can not hate the other.” Loki rushed to say. There was an audible sigh of relief. “Thanos has no one then.” Nebula said, “This is all I have been taught of the rules about the stone. There must be a loophole, and then no one has to die.” Loki said, pondering everything he could remember about the stone. “Should we send a group to get the stone to ensure we get there first?” Steve said, “Who is fit to die? Because this is a suicide mission,” Loki said, “we can send a group to investigate and then a backup in case Thanos gets there first.” Steve said, “So send people to see if we can avoid death, and then when worse comes to come because it will then someone will not be coming back.” Loki said he was being very matter-of-fact because it was true “If you want to put it so crudely, yes.” Steve said, “So what two people are we going to put up for one to die.” Loki said people had been drifting into the room throughout the conversation, but now it was full eyes turned on a few groups of people: Gamora and Nebula, Steve and Bucky, and Loki and Thor. The latter was the most looked at in all the groups that had been opposing at points, but down to the bone, they had a strong connection. None by blood, but honestly, that didn’t matter. But now they had to decide who was going to die potentially… Who should die?

Chapter Text

“there’s no chance in hell that I’m going,” Nebula said flat out. Gamora nodded her head in agreement. “That’s entirely fair. Now it leaves you 4.” Natasha said Thor was not going. Loki had decided that. There was no chance, but that left the super soldiers. Surprisingly, Loki felt terrible that he and Thor had been brothers for the last 1,000 years, but they had only been friends for a century. Sure, he didn’t like Steve much, but that didn’t mean he wished death upon him. This did not guarantee that someone would die, but there was a chance, and everyone knew how much a chance mattered. If Loki were more selfless, he would volunteer, but after almost dying three times, he wasn’t too keen on a fourth.

“We’ll go,” Steve said. That made sense. Steve was a hero through and through and would sacrifice himself to save half of the universe. Bucky didn’t say a word or show any emotion, but they both decided that. “OK, remember that this doesn’t mean that someone is going to die. There’s just a chance of it.” Natasha said, but she didn’t like the decision. “So, who will be on the team now? Loki, Steve and Bucky, you're already going, but if Thanos is there first, we need people to be there to fight.” Tony said, “And people need to be here to fight. There will be two infinity stones here.” T’Challa Said, “Unless you intend to give up the space stone.” Stephen said it was directed at the younger god. Loki shook his head.

“Thanos has a large army, and he needs to get the infinity stones, so he will send as many as he can until he gets the stones,” Loki said, preparing them for the amount of fighting it would need to win this “are there any special people or tools we need to be aware of.” Tony said, “There are mindless creatures such as the chutari and the outriders that work as a hive mind, then the black order, the more powerful people such as Ebony maw, Corvus glaive, Proxima midnight, and cull obsidian. They all have their own abilities that revolve around battle. They have weapons and lots of them, but nothing you haven’t seen before.” Loki said, assuming that they had most of these weapons themselves. “Could you explain the Black Order in greater detail so we know what to expect.” Natasha said, “we can explain the Black Order.” Gamora said, “you should start the journey to Vomir before Thanos can get there first,” Nebula said Loki agreed.

Loki walked out of the room to prepare for space travel. Thor ran up behind. “Can we talk?” Thor Pleaded Loki considered denying him briefly, but considering this could be the last time they saw each other, he wasn’t risking it. “Make it quick, Thor,” Loki said, avoiding Thor’s gaze. “I love you,” Thor said, grabbing Loki's attention. “I’ve made some mistakes over the years, but I just can’t let you leave not telling you that.” Thor whispered, “Thor, I Love you, and after all this, the sun will shine on us again. We’ll find a new normal, I promise.” Loki responded sadly. Loki was lying. He knew there was no way he would be getting out of this, but Thor needed that hope to fight. “Goodbye, I’ll see you soon.” Thor said before going back into the room, “Hopefully.” Loki muttered before leaning on the wall, waiting for the other two to come out. This was a terrible situation Loki had got himself into, and it was all his fault. If only he hadn’t let go all those years ago, none of this would have happened. But Loki then got mad at himself because it wouldn’t have gone well either way. If he hadn’t let go, maybe Thor would have let him go instead. That memory was muddled after the mind stone had rifled in his brain. Certain memories weren’t clear anymore.

Steve and Bucky walked out after 15 minutes and started walking in a different direction, not even noticing Loki. Loki caught up to them not very long after they started walking. They were discussing something Loki had no desire to listen to. Loki was planning their route to Vomir, which would take the shortest amount of time so they could be back before Thanos got back from Nowhere. They had walked into a launching bay, but they needed a ship that could survive jump points 4, to be exact and guessing that these two had never been to space before, this was going to be fun. It should only take two days for the round-trip.

“Obviously, you’ll be flying,” Steve said it was directed to Loki. “I would assume so unless either of you knows how to fly in space,” Loki said, “not something they taught in school. At least when we were in school.” Bucky said with a chuckle. They should probably be on good terms if they were to spend the next two days together. “my school didn’t teach me either, but I needed certain skills being Asgard’s prince.” Loki said solemnly. There was a chance he wasn’t entirely truthful. No, he was never taught in the learning halls how to pilot ships, but he learned because he wanted to be like Thor. Thor could fly anything, and Odin was so proud of that. As always, Loki thought if he were like Thor, Odin might be proud of him, too. If it was any surprise, no, Odin didn’t care that Loki could fly better than Thor because there was always a reason Thor was better, but that was not something to think about at the moment.

Once everyone had climbed aboard the ship, Loki decided it seemed sturdy enough to handle space and started studying the controls. “How old are you exactly anyway?” Steve asked, “I could ask you the same question.” Loki said, “I asked first.” Steve responded hm, well, that’s fair. “1323 years old,” Loki responded after a minute. He was born in 695; he and Thor were born only months apart, and Loki honestly had no idea how he hadn’t realized sooner, “How are you even alive.” Steve asked, surprised by
what he had just said. He knew Thor was over a thousand years old, but not the exact age. “most species in the Nine realms live to an average age of 5000 years, but Odin was quite older than that. Thor and I are only months apart, but we were told we were twins. Thor was but minutes older,” Loki said, sitting in the pilot chair. “How close in age are you?” Bucky asked for Loki. These questions were a waste of time, but who cares? “Thor was born in April, and I was born in December, so 8 months or so apart,” Loki said it was hard to remember his Name day. Loki could only remember his own because it was always the winter solstice on his birthday, another thing for a therapist. “how old are you two, if you don’t mind me asking.” Loki asked, “I’m 101, it’s old here.” Bucky said, “And I’m 96.” Steve said. “you two are friends, right?” Loki questioned, his back turned to them, testing the controls. Steve and Bucky talked over each other for a minute. Both had a bright blush on their faces. “It’s complicated.” Bucky spat out. “I don’t mind whatever your relationship status is. I’m not a prude.” Loki said they obviously had something going on. “From what I’ve heard, Asgard isn’t the most accepting place,” Steve said. Thor had spoken of some relationships as unholy and unacceptable before, so it wouldn’t surprise him if Loki shared those sentiments. “no, it isn’t. It doesn’t love when you aren’t binary or normal by their standards. Believe me, I know.” Loki said from experience, he knew how toxic Asgard could become. “Are you speaking from experience?” Bucky questioned. Loki suddenly got very quiet, and they sat in silence for a few minutes. “Yes, I do not fit into boxes very well,” Loki said quietly, “so I’m guessing that Asgard wasn’t very welcoming to a prince like that.” Steve responded, “You have no idea,” Loki said, and that’s where the conversation ended.

They had started up the ship, getting ready to leave the atmosphere. “I hope you handle motion sickness well,” Loki said. Ever since that conversation ended, Loki had become more reserved. Steve and Bucky both realized the high possibility that Loki was queer now in what way? That’s not something you would ever ask someone, especially how Loki reacted to the question. As they left the atmosphere, the ship started to shake violently, but once they had left Earth, ultimately, space was more beautiful than it looked on Earth—space lit up with colours they had never seen before. “it’s amazing.” Bucky said the ship started to move closer to an opening in the empty void of space until they reached a jump point. Shooting through it, they entered another piece of space over the top of a very green planet, with water littered around the land. They circled the planet before arriving in front of another jump point. Before pushing through again, it felt like minutes moved like hours or maybe the other way around. As they went through the second jump point, Loki got out of his seat after setting the ship onto autopilot. “it will take a few hours until we get to the third jump point.” Loki said, knowing they would want to know why he had gotten up. Loki started to walk around, looking through the ship. It had a kitchen, bathroom and only two bedrooms, which seemed to answer Loki’s question about their relationship. Loki asked which bedroom they preferred. They had no preference, and Loki claimed one of the bedrooms, locking it with magic, falling into the bed, and drifting to sleep.

Chapter Text

Loki woke up to a gruff voice. But Loki knew the door was locked, so this had to be a dream. Here we go now. Where was this dream going to be placed? “The Grandmaster requests you in his presence.” The thing said. His dreams can be very vivid at times and almost like real life; the only difference is that he knows what will happen. Loki was on a plush bed but in minimal clothing, which was nothing he would wear of his own volition. But this was the Grandmaster’s planet, and he was an elder of the universe, and Loki would do anything to get out of this Hellhole. “get up, you slut.” The thing said, pulling Loki up before he could hold his weight; Loki felt drunk. He had drunk too much the night before or had been given too much to drink after he went comatose. “I feel sick,” Loki muttered, trying to push off of this slimy thing holding him but failing to do so, being dragged over to the Grandmaster’s chamber.

At that point, Loki started to fight more. He had no desire to live through this memory again. But that only made the thing tighten its grip; the thing used its other hand to open the door and push Loki in, but since Loki’s body was weak at the moment, he crumpled to the floor. “Be careful with him. He’s fragile.” Loki heard a voice he remembered saying. This was about to get a whole lot worse; the thing pulled Loki up by the Hair, which Loki was very unhappy with and was clawing at the Thing to put him down. But the thing just carried him over to the Grandmaster’s feet, dropping him on the ground before exiting. “My, my, you look like a-a mess.” The Grandmaster said while Loki rushed to get to his feet. Loki was unable to stand fully and could only stay on his knees, being kept down by the Grandmaster’s hand.

“Where are you trying to go, Lo-Lo?” The Grandmaster said Loki felt trapped, utterly trapped. “Nowhere, Grandmaster.” Loki hadn’t even raised his head to look at the Grandmaster until the Grandmaster’s hand pushed his chin up, and then their gazes met. Loki was trying to figure out what was going to happen next but couldn’t remember anything that was like this. “It’s-s fun to see your mind trying to figure out which memory this is.” The Grandmaster said, making Loki's eyes widen. He had never said that before. “Well, fun fact: this isn’t a memory. Now, you're not actually here. You're in the middle of space, and I’m somewhere else, but I-I just missed you.” The Grandmaster said, what was going on? How was he in Loki’s head? Loki pushed himself off the Grandmaster, starting to back up.

“Get out of my head,” Loki said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. “What is this sudden hostility? You never acted this way before.” The Grandmaster seemed like he was almost mad. “I have no time for your games today, and you have no control over my body anymore, so get out of my head,” Loki said. The Grandmaster’s playful expression started to become more concentrated as if he were calculating what his next move would be, and then his expression turned sour. Loki had actually managed to piss him off, not that Loki was glad about It. “how dare you? You’re nothing, just a small spec in the universe. You know how grateful some people would be if they even got a scrap of the attention I gave you; you are so ungrateful; I-I shouldn’t be wasting my time on something as broken and useless as you. But since I’ve wasted so much time, I-I should get something in return.” The grandmaster said, his voice rising with every word. Stepping closer to Loki, he backed away until he hit the wall. He was cornered. The grandmaster grabbed his shirt. Before anything could go any further, Loki felt the need to make his feelings known: “I don’t love you; I honestly don’t even like you and before you do anything else, I think you deserve to know that no one actually likes you they all just scared of you.” Loki said, and the Grandmaster looked shocked and let go of Loki for a second. In that second, Loki ran a bit farther from him. “I will find you, and when I do, you aren’t going to be so high and mighty anymore.” The Grandmaster said.

Loki shot up in bed, looking down. His clothes were back to normal. He rushed out of the room before anything could happen. The two love birds were sitting at the table that was placed in the kitchen. “Are you ok? You look sick.” Seeing Loki’s state, Bucky asked, “Yes, I'm just going to check on how close we are to the next jump point.” Loki said, walking past them to the cockpit. Loki was bothered by how the Grandmaster had said that; did that mean that he was looking for him? If he could get in his head, why not just find where he is? Wait…... is the Grandmaster on Thanos’ side and finding Loki so he can? Loki can’t even think about it anymore and notices them encroaching on the 3rd jump point.

The 4th was not far away from the 3rd, and they would be at Vomir in a few hours. “we’ll be at the 3rd jump point in a matter of minutes. Be prepared.” Loki shouted for the others to hear. They came up to get strapped in for the next jump point. It wasn’t as rough as the other, and the 4th was very close. As they went through the fourth, Loki saw Vomir, a dark planet almost invisible compared to the black ink of space, with only the outline of the soul-harvesting area preceding through the sky. They pressed through the harsh atmosphere, arriving at the sand dunes of Vomir. “Why are we stopping here and not at the top of the stone place?” Steve asked. “it is a trek you must take on foot. It is apparent on that front.” Loki said, getting up, “But that’s a far walk.” Bucky said, “It only looks that way.” Loki said, exiting the ship. They trail behind, and when they start to walk the Soul Mountain, it gets closer and closer until they are at the mountain. In a matter of seconds, they begin to make the ascent up the mountain.

It wasn’t a challenging trek, but it had changed since the last time he had climbed. Once they had reached the summit, a man, the gatekeeper, stood there floating in a long black cloak. “I am Loki, the keeper of the knowledge of the soul stone. I have come to claim it.” Loki stated to the gatekeeper. “you have shared the sacred knowledge not to sacrifice yourself for the stone but for others.” The gatekeeper said what he said was confusing at best: “No, we wish to claim the stone without the need for blood to be spilled.” Loki said, “There is no possibility of finding a loophole in the rules trickster.” The gatekeeper turned to face the group. The gatekeeper had changed. It seemed another soul that had succumbed to the power of the stones. “Johann Schmidt!” Steve said, running up to the gatekeeper, but when he went to hit, his hand went right through. “At one point, I was known by that name, but no longer. My soul guards the stone until the stone has been claimed.” Johann said, “What happened to the gatekeeper before you.” Loki asked, “They moved on, and I took their place after I was consumed into the space stone.” He spoke, “Is there any possible way we can not spill blood on this day.” Loki said, “There is no way to change the rules. It is a soul for a soul; in order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love.” Johann answered.

Loki pondered momentarily, “What if you were to give a soul that had already passed on.” Loki said, “A non-living vessel will be adequate as long as it is loved.” Johann said, “I have a person I loved with all my soul, someone who had passed on. I wish to over my love for them as a tribute to the stone.” Loki said. Bucky grabbed his shoulder. “What are you doing.” Bucky said, “I loved my mother dearly, but she has died, and I wish to offer my love for her the part of my soul that I have loved her with as an exchange for the stone.” Loki announced. Johann looked shocked momentarily, realizing that would work and no blood would be spilled that day. “Approach the mountain's edge and sacrifice one which you love for the rest of eternity,” Johann said. Loki walked to the mountain edge. He gave up all hope that Frigga would ever return. He offered all of the love he had for her and all the love she had for him, showing the connection they had at the end; he saw Frigga standing across from him. He gasped seeing her after so long. She smiled. “I will always love you, my son. I will be waiting for you in Valhalla.” Frigga spoke before Loki could say a word to her. She had disappeared, and they were at the bottom of the mountain once more. The sky shone red and then became black again, showing that the stone had been obtained. Loki opened his hand to reveal the stone shining. In his hand, “You did it!” Bucky shouted, hugging Loki with all his might. “It’s nothing. I just didn’t want anyone to have to die.” Loki said there were tears in Loki’s eyes. “great job.” Steve said, patting Loki on the back as they returned to the ship. Loki put the stone in his pocket and got into the pilot seat only to see a flashing red message pop up. It started to play: “Thanos is here. You need to get back here now.”

Chapter Text

There was no time for the flight back, so using the Tesseract was an obvious solution. Loki created a portal that consumed the ship, teleporting them straight onto the landing pad in Wakanda. They could hear the sounds of battle from the ship. Steve touched his earpiece. “What’s happening down there.” Steve said, “You finally showed up, Captain. We need your help down here.” Tony said, grunting. You could hear shots being fired. “We need to get down there,” Bucky said. Loki opened a portal to the middle of the battle. They ran out into the battle. The Outriders were swarming everyone. The battle Threshers were broken on the ground. You could see scorch marks on the ground from Thor’s lightning. “Loki, were you able to get the Soul stone,” Natasha asked. Loki touched his earpiece. “yes, we were able to obtain the Soul stone. No causalities to report.” Loki said, launching a dagger into the heart of an outrider that tried to pounce on the group. Everyone got into their battle stance.

“Loki, can you go over to Vision? We are trying to take out the mind stone to destroy it. That way, there is no chance Thanos can snap.” T’Challa said, “I’ll go over it. Good luck to you both.” Loki said before teleporting to the Vision, seeing the android on the table and the individual wires being taken off the stone; Dr. Strange was also in the room helping with the process. “Oh, you’re back,” Strange said, barely glancing at Loki. “What do you need help with,” Loki asked, walking to where they were working. “Just to make sure we don’t pull the wrong wire, and since the doctor has been very unhelpful so far, I thought you could help.” Princess Shuri said Loki had to resist the urge to laugh at the fact that Dr. Strange wasn’t the most educated person in the room. “I can do that,” Loki said, doing a magic scan over the Vision and checking that everything was in the proper order; they were doing a good job: “Everything seems to be in working order,” Loki said. “How long will it take to extract the stone,” Shuri asked while pulling out more wires. “2-3 hours at best, but I don’t think we’ll get that long before Thanos arrives,” Loki said, watching the battle below. “I could freeze time until we finished.” Dr. Strange said, “And it would only be us active during the time freeze, correct.” Loki asked, “Correct.” Dr. Strange said, “Then do it.” Shuri and Loki said together. Dr. Strange pulled open the time stone, freezing time while Shuri watched in amazement. Dr. Strange had a smug grin on his face. The man was infuriating. “now, let’s get to work.” Shuri said, working at ten times the speed to extract the mind stone; vision lay motionless, waiting for the stone to be removed from his head. “will this be able to withstand another stone's energy.” Loki asked, watching the frozen sky. “The only stone that could affect it would be the reality stone, but if its wieldier is frozen, the stone will not be active.” Dr Strange responded.

Loki was getting bored after just watching an android for a while. They were very close to being finished when a crash was heard outside. “Time is still frozen, right?” Loki asked. Everyone seemed very concerned. “It should be unless the reality stone has been activated.” Dr. Strange said. Just as the sounds of battle started again, Loki heard something coming down the hallway, launching a shield across the entrance as Corvus Glaive crashed into it. “So much for freezing time,” Loki said, trying to keep up the shield while Corvus slammed into it, trying to break through it. “I need some help here,” Loki said. Dr. Strange started another shield. But more Thanos’s soldiers came to where 4 of the stones were. “We need backup up here,” Shuri shouted into her earpiece. “What’s happening up there,” Steve asked. “We have four stones in the same place. Everyone is coming to us.” Dr. Strange said both magic users used all their power to keep up the shield. Usually, this would be easy for Loki, but keeping two infinity stones in his pocket dimension was sucking his power to keep them inside the pocket dimension. They were begging to be with the rest of the stones. And the fact the mind stone was still prodding at his mind, trying to retake control of Loki, was having the worst day ever. “how close are we to extracting the stone.” Loki asked. No one had arrived to relieve the pressure, and now half of Thanos’s army was trying to get to them. “Just hang on for a few minutes,” Shuri said, rushing to take off the wires. “a few minutes, I can do that,” Loki said, “Wanda, you need to get up here to destroy the stone.” D. Strange said to no response, “The coms have been cut; damn, that’s a smart idea.” Loki said, “We’re on our own here.” Vision said they were so close, but neither could hold the shield for very much longer. “we’ve got it!” Shuri shouted, running over to grab the stone out of Vision’s head. “Give it to me. I’ll get it to Wanda.” Loki said Shuri handed the stone to him. In turn, he stored it in his pocket dimension. “I’ll teleport them out of here.” Dr. Strange said, taking the others through a portal. Loki now had three stones he needed to leave before the shield.

Loki teleported out of the room back down to the battlefield, now to find Wanda. Without coms. And trying not to die. Great... he looked for the red magic but couldn’t see it anywhere until he saw a blast of it inside the forest rushing over there, killing some outriders on the way. He ran into Proxima Midnight: “Have come with stones for Father.” She asked, looming over him. He summoned his daggers, and his magical reserves dissipated by the second. If they got too low, the infinity stones would exit the pocket dimension whether he liked it or not. “Proxima, I know this probably will not get through to you, but Thanos does not love you. You are just a toy for him; you don’t have to do this.” He spoke with all sincerity. Proxima looked surprised for a few seconds, but then a voice seemed to speak in her ear, and she started to attack. He almost got to her, but either Thanos or Ebony had her back under control. Her spear went right past his head, cutting his check she had never missed. Ever.

He easily tripped her, keeping her down and putting a shield over her so she couldn’t get back up, then rushed to the forest. Once he reached the forest, he saw many Avengers strung around the place. Thanos had passed through and had defeated the Avengers. Loki hadn’t seen Thor yet, and that worried him greatly. “Loki.” Wanda said, “Just the person I was looking for. You need to destroy the stone now.” Loki said, helping Wanda up off the ground, “Is Vision...” Wanda didn’t want to finish the sentence, “he’s safe, but it is now or never. My power will not be able to keep the stones at bay for much longer.” Loki said. Wanda nodded. He pulled out the mind stone, and she aimed all her power at it. The stone started to break. They were winning, but the more energy poured into the Mind stone, the more power the stones began to emit, trying to get out of the pocket dimension and get to the Mind stone. Then Thanos emerged from the trees, and Loki put up a shield with the last of his strength. The weakened Avengers put up an honest fight, doing their best to stop Thanos, but now he had the Time, Power and Reality stone. Because Loki had no more power to keep the stones at bay, they had exited the pocket dimension sitting in front of him. Wanda was draining the rest of her energy to destroy the stone. Finally, the mind stone gave way and shattered. The Mindstone energy pushed back all of the forest, eradicating the shield. Wanda fell into Loki’s arms, her power gone, but Thanos just smiled, holding up the gauntlet. “This effort has been in not.” Thanos bellowed. The green stone glowed, and time reversed. The mind stone was remade. Thanos walked forward, destroying the weak shield and picking up the Mind stone. Loki and Wanda started to attack him with their magic, but with the reality stone, Wanda disappeared. Thanos picked up the remaining stones. No matter how hard Loki tried to fight him, it was useless. Loki was too weak to fight anymore. Thanos showed his completed gauntlet, but before snapping, he grabbed Loki by the neck, lifting him into the air. Thanos' grip on his neck tightened. The Avengers looked horrified. They all saw Thanos wanted to kill Loki before snapping half the universe. “I didn’t want to do this, but you left me no choice, Laufeyson,” Thanos said with a smirk visible on his face. Loki was clawing at the gloved hand, not sure what he was trying to do, but he wanted more air, which was being deprived of his lungs until a loud sound of thunder was heard. And Thor came from the sky, throwing Thanos back. Loki fell flat onto the ground, trying to catch his breath. Bruises were blooming around his throat. Thor takes Thanos down single-handedly and stabs him right through the chest. “I told you were going to die for that,” Thor said, catching his breath and slurring his words. Thanos said, “You should have gone for the head.” Raising the gauntlet and snapping, everyone was shocked for a minute. “WHAT DID YOU DO,” Thor yelled. Thanos only activated the space stone, disappearing.

Chapter Text

Loki watched in shock as Thanos snapped the stones. This had all been in vain; none of this mattered. They still lost. It didn’t even matter…. Loki watched as people started to crumble into dust. Thor ran over to Loki. “Are you ok?” Thor pleaded, checking Loki's entire body for signs of dusting. Loki didn’t feel anything, just dreading. “I’m ok.” Loki choked out. His throat was ruined for the time being until, to his utter horror, he saw dust coming off Thor. Loki grabbed onto Thor, using the scraps of his magic to keep Thor here. He hugged Thor tightly before Thor could realize why. “don’t leave me, please.” Loki said, crying into Thor’s shoulder. He knew he couldn’t keep Thor there forever, but he had to try. “I’m sorry, Loki. I’m so sorry.” Thor said his magic couldn’t keep him solid anymore. “I love you,” Loki said, watching as the dust was taking his brother away from him. “Avenge me,” Thor said, and with that, Thor was gone, leaving Loki on the ground surrounded by grieving Avengers.

Everyone was speechless. Loki looked around to see who remained. Natasha was gripping her vest and looking at the scene in front of her. Steve was looking down at a pile of ashes that used to be Bucky, Steve barely holding it together. The Scarlett witch was lying next to Loki, unconscious. Loki glanced at the battle, seeing dust floating into the air. Loki couldn’t bear to look anymore and let out the most grief-consumed scream he could muster. Everyone’s attention now was on Loki. It was so loud that he wished even Thanos could hear the grief he felt, but that didn’t matter anymore. He was alone in this universe. How dare Thanos not see the lives he had destroyed? Loki sobbed, letting out all of his emotions.

Thanos walked to a house in the Garden, a planet he had chosen to rest on after his great quest had been completed; he sat on a chair on the porch, and then he heard a sound of pure grief. He knew exactly who that scream belonged to and knew exactly what caused it: the forgotten prince. Sad that he couldn’t just accept that this had to happen to save the universe, but it did bring a smile to Thanos’s face after all the trouble that the Little God had caused him had been in vain all because he couldn’t accept the truth that some things needed to happen. Thanos had won, and now he could rest watching a universe that was made right.

Everyone had gone inside hours ago after collecting themselves to find out if their loved ones still lived. Loki couldn’t move from the spot. Bruce had come out to try to convince Loki to come inside; he pleaded, “Loki, come inside. We’ll see if we can bring them back.” Loki hadn’t even looked at him, unmoving; his expression was blank. He stared into the void of space. Bruce looked so sad. Loki was really the last one who knew Bruce. But now Loki was in pain, more pain than anyone could ever understand. Bruce eventually gave up and walked inside. Loki didn’t even know how to continue living. He didn’t see a point anymore. This was all his fault. He should have just died, then Thor wouldn’t be dead when he thought that his sobs started, and new tears dripping down his face.

Loki eventually came inside. He hadn’t said a word since that day. He knew everyone blamed him for half the universe dying. Bruce kept trying to talk to Loki, “Please just say something.” Bruce pleaded that he had come into Loki’s room after Loki hadn’t come outside his room for two days, and Bruce wanted to make sure he was still alive. “I know you’re grieving. We all are, but I need to know you're still alive.” Bruce said they sat silently for at least an hour before Bruce got some food for Loki and then left the room. After a few weeks since that day, Bruce came into Loki’s room, surprised to see Loki sitting and watching Wakanda move along. “Loki, I have someone who wants to see you,” Bruce said excitedly. Loki didn’t move his eyes from the window. Bruce didn’t let that take away from his happiness. “Come in,” Bruce said, opening the door. “Hey, Lackey,” Val said as she walked over with an annoyed expression on her face. “What happened to you,” Val said. Bruce glanced at her warily. He thought she knew since it had been a day since she arrived. “Where’s Thor? He’s not as much of a buzzkill as you are.” Val said Loki's vision snapped to her the first time he had looked at anyone since that day, and “he’s gone.” Loki coughed out. His throat hadn’t healed fully yet. “that’s not funny, Loki. Now, where is he.” Val said her voice was firm. Loki just dropped back onto the beach and turned away from her. She grabbed his shoulder, shocked to see the tears dripping down his face. Bruce walked up to her, “Thor g-got snapped. I’m sorry.” Bruce said. Val crumpled upon hearing that the disbelieve was gone. “It’s your fault. If you hadn’t brought the tesseract, this wouldn’t have happened. They are all dead because of you. Thor is dead because of you selfish asshole. No wonder everyone hates you.” Val said before storming out of the room. Loki just sat there as Bruce went to catch Val. Val was right. He was selfish. This was his fault. Loki felt the urge to run and run far away, somewhere no one could ever find him, but then he felt a stronger need for revenge. He needed to kill Thanos even if he died trying.