Wind and snow whistled around the brothers as they stood, finally nearing the top of the long mountain which they had climbed. Unsure of where to go, they had walked the treacherous journey up the rocks instead of opting to flying with Mjolnir. Being a frost giant, the cold conditions didn’t affect Loki, yet the ground was increasingly slippery and unstable. The jagged rocks they stood on were uneven; the view was stretching seemingly forever, the ground far beneath them.
A sound behind them made the brothers turn around, a hovering figure surrounded swaying black fabrics, face invisible under the hood. The brothers looked at the person with apprehension.
“Welcome,” the figure’s echoey voice said.
The brothers stared at the figure, Loki conjuring his dagger and Thor raising Mjolnir threateningly. This however gained no reaction from the figure, who carried on talking.
“Loki, child of Laufey,” the figure addressed the younger brother, “Thor, son of Frigga,” looking towards the older.
The brothers gave each other a glance of surprise. This mysterious person knew about them – knew their names, knew their parents. They weren’t sure if this meant that the floating figure could be trusted, should be feared, or both.
Thor and Loki edged slowly towards the figure; weapons raised. The figure didn’t move.
“Who are you?” Loki demanded coolly, sounding more relaxed than he felt.
“To you, a guide, your way to the soul stone.”
There was a pause, where the two gods simultaneously considered there options, and what to do.
“Well, guide away…” Loki said dryly. The figure moved, and his face was now visible, showing his face, the dark red skin dry, tight and taught across his unnatural skeleton. His bones stuck out, hollowing the rest of his face. It was scary to look at.
“If only it were that easy…” the figure said ominously, before turning and floating up to the top of the hill, the black fabrics billowing out around him in the wind. The floating man moved slowly. The brothers followed behind him, not lowering there weapons for a second. They arrived at the top of the hill, on a flat stone floor that glistened with frost and snow. Red Skull walked to the edge of the cliff, looking down. The brothers looked too, and saw nothing but a huge drop, the floor distant beneath them.
“What you seek lies in front of you,” he said, “as does what you fear.”
“The stone is down there?” Thor asked, voice low and gravelly. Loki glanced at his brother, who had been unusually quiet for most the trip.
“For one of you.”
“One? Why can’t we both just… fly down there?” Loki asked, still keeping up his sarcastic dryness.
“No, Laufeyson. In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange,” a realisation of horror dawned on the two gods, “a soul for a soul.” Red Skull looked at them and stayed silent as the words settled in.
The brothers turned to each other.
“What do we do?” Thor asked. Surely quick-witted Loki would know.
“I don’t know,” Loki answered, mind whirring for a way around this, there was surely some loophole, some way to do this, some way to trick the system.
He’d faked his own death before. Many times. Surely he could trick the figure into it too…? Or he could kill the floating person and get the stone himself. Or he could lose a literal object which he loved. Or, or, or… no. Somehow he knew, none of that would work.
One of them would have to jump.
Thor looked at him in desperation. “He might be making it up,” Thor suggested, to be cut off by Loki shaking his head.
“No, there’s no way around this one. Thanos left here without his daughter. When Thanos was torturing me in 2012, he’d talk about Gamora. He… he wouldn’t think of a way without death for he’s blinded by his greed, but she would’ve, and he did love her. I know about infinity stones, there won’t be a way around it.”
“But-“
“No,” Loki said softly but decidedly.
Thor gulped. “If we don’t get that stone, Loki, trillions will stay dead.”
“I know.”
Thor clenched his jaw in anger, crying out in rage and throwing his hammer into the sky out of anger. Loki stayed eerily calm, waiting until his brother calmed too.
When Thor had stopped yelling at the top of his lungs, he turned to his younger brother.
“I guess, this is it then,” Thor said softly, his voice gravelly.
“I guess so.” Loki swallowed.
“So, one of us will need to…”
“Yes.”
The brothers moved together, talking in low voices.
“I hope you know, Loki, I do love you. I think the world of you, and I’m sorry for all I’ve done. Every time I fought you out of anger, I’m sorry. Every time I mocked you or spited you, I’m sorry. Every time I distrusted you, I’m sorry.” Thor looked at Loki in the eye. “I understand you more than ever now and I know how incredible you are, and I treasure all the time we’ve spent together. You really are the best brother.”
“Likewise,” said Loki, the brothers now in a hug, “I’ve betrayed you over and over, and I never say, but Thor, I loved you through it all, through my grief, and wars, through my pain, and jealousy, and I may have had ill intent, but I never stopped aspiring, never stopped looking up to you, never stopped loving you, brother.”
They hugged for a while, embracing each other’s bodies, sadness washing over the pair.
“I have to do this,” Thor’s low voice whispered.
“Oh brother, even after I’ve tried to kill you multiple times, a life without you would be not a life worth living, for anyone. Go back to Midgard, to New Asgard, be a king like you were born to be.”
They shared a solemn look. They stood squeezing together, taking in the other person in desperation. Without warning, Loki stabbed upwards, plunging a conjured dagger into his Thor’s thigh. Thor stumbled and fell to the floor as Loki sprinted to the edge, trying to get there and jump before his brother could get up again. Red Skull just watched.
Suddenly he saw Thor’s hammer whistle past him. The hammer slowed in front of him and subsequently turning around to return to its owner. Loki’s eyes widened in dread. Loki was directly in Mjolnir’s path, and had no time to dodge out of the way.
The hammer hit him in the chest with full force, pulling him backwards towards Thor, breath knocked out of the Jotunn’s chest. Thor caught Mjolnir and Loki fell to the floor, winded. Loki stared up at his brother whilst laying gasping on the floor. Thor stood up, tall above him. Thor pulled the dagger out of his leg and looked at him.
“Goodbye Loki,” said Thor, placing the hammer over Loki’s chest, preventing him from moving. Loki struggled as Thor ran towards the cliff.
Loki had to think fast.
And that he could do. The God of Mischief summoned his magic, teleporting out from under the hammer, appearing in front of Thor as he was starting to jump. Thor instantly stopped moving, which was Loki’s intention, as Loki appeared inches in front of him and half off the drop. Thor grabbed Loki’s arm, holding him from falling. He couldn’t lose his brother again; he couldn’t go through that. The rainbow bridge and the dark world had both broken Thor.
The brothers teetered on the edge, Thor pulling Loki onto the land as Loki tried to get out of Thor’s grip. Thor’s larger weight pulled the both of them onto the rocky floor. Loki lay on top of his brother as they lay panting, both in pain.
Seconds passed.
Another dagger appeared in Loki’s hand. He tried to smash the hilt of the weapon into his brother’s head, only to be blocked by an equally fast and expert hand. Still laying on top of each other, they began to have a sort of fight.
Thor went to punch Loki, but Loki caught the hand and twisted it around painfully. Loki swung with another dagger in the other hand, yet was blocked, before Thor backhanded him across his face. Thor grabbed around the younger brother’s neck and rolled over to be on top of Loki, punching his head over and over, and preventing him breathing.
One hand was crushing Loki’s windpipe and the other smashing into his face, causing blood to drip down over Loki’s pained expression. Thor needed Loki to get to sleep. As long as Loki was conscious, he could easily teleport, shapeshift or use his magic to make sure that Thor did not die.
Loki was temporarily stunned from the unexpected hits, but once he had his senses somewhat back, he realised he would be unconscious too soon if he let Thor continue to strangle and punch him.
He looked up at Thor, grimacing in pain. Thor kept punching him, and Loki felt dizzy. It took a lot to knock out a frost giant, but he didn’t know how much longer he could stay. Loki squirmed beneath his brother’s grasp unsuccessfully, trying to breathe in or speak but the grip was too firm. He held his hand in front of his face in protection, but it was futile. Loki felt numb to the pain of being repeatedly hit, but he felt his face bleeding and bruising, and his vision blurred. He was too weak to use any magic, whilst his main thought was I need air.
Thor still kept at it. He felt bad but was also saving his brother’s life. He got silently hopeful when Loki’s eyes started to stop focusing on his own, and he stopped writhing around as much, his movements getting weaker. Loki’s face was going red with the lack of oxygen, and he was bleeding from Thor’s hits. Just a little more. Thor could see Loki struggle to keep his eyes fixed on him and open. His movements were barely any now, life draining from his body as he tried to stay awake.
Under Thor’s grasp, Loki was getting increasingly dazed. One last ditch effort, he was sure as Hel he was not letting his brother die. Unaware to Thor, he held his dagger firmly with his free hand. He stabbed blindly into Thor’s forearm, causing his grip to falter and allowing Loki to escape from the chokehold. Loki took a large gasp of air, still woozy but not in so much pain. Thor went to punch Loki again, but Loki dodged and used the momentum to roll them over again so that he was on top.
Loki heard a familiar noise and glanced up to see Mjolnir coming towards Thor’s outstretched hand. He quickly rolled off of Thor, knowing that they were barely a couple metres away from the edge, and if he were winded by the hammer again he would unlikely stay awake.
Thor grasped the hammer and went to swing where Loki was lying next to him. He raised the hammer, and swung it down onto Loki’s ribs, knowing it would give him time to jump off the cliff without killing Loki.
However, the hammer didn’t connect, and instead went straight through the illusion of him. Damn him – Loki had mustered all his strength and teleported when he had rolled off of Thor, leaving an illusion. Mjolnir smashed into the ground, the illusion of Loki shimmering green and disappearing.
“You didn’t think I hadn’t thought this through, do you?” Loki asked. Thor looked up in panic and confusion, seeing Loki smile sadly from where he stood swaying, still dizzy, at the edge of the huge drop.
Thor looked in horror from where he was, knowing he was too late.
He had his usual glint back in his eyes, yet they flashed with sadness. Blood dripped down his face from his forehead, as well as his nose and mouth were dripping crimson. The deep red contrasted against his pale skin. There were bruises already forming on his throat and face. Why was the last image of Loki alive Thor would see of him completely broken and half dead already? Because of him, Thor thought. Thor did this to his younger brother and felt distraught.
Loki laughed softly. Thor looked in horror from where he was, knowing he was too late.
Time stood still.
“Goodbye. For real this time.”
Loki stepped off backwards off the cliff.
“Loki!!” Thor screamed. Thor dived to the edge of the cliff and stared over the edge, watching his younger brother - his best friend, his enemy, his partner in crime, his world - fall.
As he plummeted to the ground, black hair whipped around Loki’s calm face, a soft smile etched onto it, and his body stayed in a star, no struggle or movement as wind whistled past him. His daggers remained in his hands the whole time. His clothes billowed around him, and he looked at perfect peace with everything.
Loki knew this was the end yet felt completely calm with that. Of all the lengths he’d been to in order to stay alive, it seemed fitting how his genuine death was a way he could have potentially survived. He could shapeshift, or teleport away and be done with it, let someone else make this sacrifice for him. But no. It was time.
Loki made last eye contact with Thor.
He prepared himself to hit the stone.
The small 5 seconds that he was falling felt like an eternity.
He hit the ground.
Loki felt nothing. He never would anymore. It all was just black.
Thor saw his brother’s distant body hit into the floor. A terrible thud echoed up the cliff. Loki’s head was thrown to the side, his body lifeless as it smashed into the rock. Blood pooled around the God’s head, seeping out over the stone.
Loki lay on the ground, arms by his side, his legs splayed in an unnatural position, head looking up at nothing. Loki no longer had the calm and mischievous grin on his face. His eyes, once bright and twinkling, stared out inertly. His hair fanned out onto the floor beneath him, framing his face. The daggers he’d been holding had been flung out of his limp hands.
It couldn’t be real. How could his brother, always so cool and collected, end up like this? Through the swirling snow and clouds, Loki was distant, yet Thor cold see every small detail too clearly and couldn’t look away.
“NOO!!”
Thor screamed in rage, in fury, in despair. He’d lost his brother again – but this time it was so real. The unnatural pose, the cold dead stare. Thor couldn’t tear his eyes off his brother’s broken body, looking into his eyes for any life, any hope. There was nothing: Loki didn’t return Thor’s desperate look. More blood pooled around Loki. His skin started greying, blue appearing once again on the frost giant in some places.
Electricity crackled and thunder boomed as Thor punched the ground hard. Tears streamed down his face as he kept screaming. Damn Loki, damn his intelligence, damn his wit. Loki had to go and beat him, had to go and sacrifice his life.
Thor lay on his stomach, not feeling the wounds he had, only feeling empty.
A flash. Everything was plunged into darkness.
***
Thor woke, surrounded by water. The cold lapped against his body, his head clearing slowly as he opened his eyes. He slowly sat up, looking around his surroundings. His breath clouded in the cold, still air, refining his senses and clearing the fog in his head.
There was a warm pressure on his hand. He lifted it out of the water, to see a glowing orange stone in his palm. The soul stone. He was holding an infinity stone. They could bring back half he universe. They’d done it. Him and Loki. Loki.
Loki who’d jumped. Loki who he would never see again. Loki who’s body was cold and limp and out of reach, whose face will never burst into a playful smile, who would never crack a sarcastic joke.
The fact that he had the stone meant that Loki really had died this time. Had there been any chance Loki was alive, the stone would not be in his palm.
Thor’s hand shook with blinding, blinding rage. Rage at Red Skull, rage at the avengers for sending them here, rage at Thanos, rage at the planet, rage at Loki for being too fucking clever for his own good.
Maybe Loki had been right all those years. Maybe Thor was a stupid oaf. Good for nothing. He’d let his little brother fall to his death.
He’d been so close to him jumping too. Thor could win in combat against him, but Loki always outsmarted him, this time no exception. If he hadn’t let go when Loki had stabbed his arm, Loki would’ve been powerless to stop him jumping. Or would he? Thor didn’t know at this point. What had been planned, what was just his light-speed wit? So many questions would go unanswered.
The last time he ever felt Loki’s warmth, his body, was when Thor was strangling him and punching the life out of him. Thor thought of his face dripping blood and full of pain. And that was the last feeling Loki would’ve felt. Pain. That made it so much fucking worse, if it could get any worse than it already was.
He smashed his fist into the ground, splashing water up around him. He and Loki had finally been on good terms, had been since Ragnarök; they drew closer during the blip. They’d been a team, joined at the hip and indestructible. Until now.
Thor was empty. He could only think of Loki. The image of his body stayed scarred in his vision. If he closed his eyes, all he could see was Loki falling. All he could hear was the thud of his brother being killed too early, the crack of his bones as they shattered against the stone.
Gods, his poor brother deserved none of that. All he could wish was that Loki took up a happy place in Valhalla or Folkvangr, until he could see him again. Loki had died in combat against him, Red Skull and Thanos all at once – surely that credited for a valiant place in the afterlife.
He summoned Mjolnir. He travelled back through time to the avengers. He would have to explain what happened, why his brother – who had become surprisingly liked on the team – was not there. He’d have to live the rest of his life without the presence of Loki. He’d mourned for his brother before, yes, but now he was truly overwhelmed with fury and anguish.
He arrived in his suit on the glass floor next to all the other avengers, who had it seemed successfully returned with the other stones.
Everyone looked around at each other, before eyes fell on Thor’s grimy and tear-streaked face.
“Thor… where’s reindeer games?” Tony asked in confusion.
Thor looked at the floor.
“He’s not coming.”