Loki, my darling

XVII

(In Wakanda)

Suddenly, mid-battle, a big alien stepped out from nowhere, he had a golden glove on, on which I recognized the infinity stones. He had five of them - all but the one that we were protecting here. This was Thanos. I blasted all the aliens around me with the earth and decided to go right for him. He was walking straight towards Vision, who was no longer in the lab but still had the stone, which meant they failed to remove it in time. I stopped him, putting up a powerful air-wall around the two of us. He turned his head to me then instead. Obviously, he wasn't in such a hurry and was enjoying me creating barriers because I knew he could use the stones to escape it easily. Instead, he looked at me and said "So you're the protectress I've heard so much about. Loki's girlfriend as well, was it?" How could he possibly know that?! He broke my focus and tore down the walls I had created in my head to avoid thinking about Loki. Where was he? Too cowardly to face me? Thanos noticed the look on my face, proving he had gotten it right, and although my air walls had gotten weaker and he could have broken through them even without the stones, it seemed like he was going to "have some fun" before that. "He sent his best wishes by the way, and asked me to tell you he loved you," he said, obviously speaking of Loki "Where is he?" I now asked, getting scared of where this could lead to. "He's on the other side," said Thanos and I was begging inside that it didn't mean what it sounded like. I'd any day prefer him being on the wrong side and safe to him being... No, he couldn't be... "I gave him a choice, you know," Thanos went on, walking towards me as I was falling onto my knees, "I gave him a choice of life if he would sacrifice you. He didn't even think about it, made me promise that you'd be safe, and chose death. Weak." "No, no, no, I don't believe you, it can't be, he, no.." I felt myself falling apart on the inside. It felt worse than death could ever feel. I'd honestly rather die than lose him. I still tried to convince myself that he was lying, that he wanted me to be weaker so he could destroy me, but then he made a portal appear. "See for yourself," he said. And there he was, my Loki, lying on the ground with Strange doing something over his chest. His green-blue eyes were open, facing me, but there was no life in them anymore. The home I had found in them had been washed away. I felt heavy tears filling my eyes as I fell to the ground. He had really loved me. So much that he had died for me without a doubt. I knew I'd do the same for him but that was of no use now. Strange helping him meant he also hadn't really betrayed us, betrayed me. And I hadn't trusted him. How could I have not trusted him!? I looked at Thanos, barely seeing him through the tears, "Make it stop.... please.... please make it stop.." I begged through the tears and he took away the portal. That wasn't what I had meant and he knew it, but he didn't care. "You know, I might be a killer, but I am a man of my words, so you'll survive, appreciate that." He lowered his hand to pat my shoulder. As if he could know what I felt. He had just taken EVERYTHING from me. I felt anger rise in me, replacing the sadness for at least a while. He had crushed my dreams so now it was my turn to crush his. I rose and made the walls stronger while making the air right around him keep him still, completely unable to move. That meant he now couldn't use the stones either. I flew up so I could see his face as I'd get my revenge. For Loki. For everyone else he had hurt and killed. I started burning him from the inside out until he was barely alive. Then I wrapped some air around the stones on his glove, making them float away from him and towards me. He could now see he had just lost, but the look in his eyes was still not giving out even a quarter of the pain I was feeling. He didn't have enough of a heart, a soul to care, to know what real love was. He only knew obsession. I watched as his barely alive body fell into the ground I had opened up until he disappeared into the lava down there. The stones were now floating above my palm as I landed. The stones had connected to me through the power that kept them floating. I could feel the power starting to slowly take over my body, starting from the palm they were getting closer to landing on. I could feel that the power would destroy me, no body was strong enough to hold an infinity stone with a bare hand, let alone five. But I didn't care and focused on my powers as they combined with the powers of the stones for just these few moments. The power had now taken most of my body, leaving just my head and my other arm. I couldn't feel the rest of me, I didn't even know if it was still there, as I held my eyes shut, keeping them open only distracted me. I focused on the stones, with which, though I had no clue how to use them, I managed to create a portal to the planet Strange and the others were trapped on. I knew that, because although I couldn't see, I felt everything around me, I felt it all. "Take him home! ...Just please,... take him home and do everything you can,... keep him alive,.... I'm begging you!" I yelled at Strange, after which he carried Loki's body through the portal with him. I forced it to stay open until everyone was through, but they were immediately attacked by the aliens, who hadn't stopped even after Thanos's death. I barely felt the tips of my fingers and it felt like my whole body didn't exist while also being blown up over and over again every millisecond. But I needed to give Loki a chance, and I couldn't let the aliens hurt anyone else who didn't deserve it, even if it was the last thing I'd do. It probably would be. I screamed, which didn't come out because my face had been taken over by the stones already, and forced my powers to fly out through whatever parts of me they could, freezing and blowing up every single alien who was in the battle. I could feel them all and now they were all gone. The universe was safe. I had done it. That was my last thought before my brain was completely swallowed up and it all went blank.