Healing Each Other (Loki Fanfiction)

Chapter 59

ELIZA'S POV

I see it the moment it happens. Thanos vanishes all of Stephen's clones and uses the gauntlet to pull him closer. I can save him, I know it. I'm just about there. Stephen sees me coming and his sharp eyes widen with panic. Instead of protecting himself and the Time Stone like he should, he uses some sort of red magic to push me away. I land on the ground as Thanos grabs Stephen by the throat. The doctor tries to pry his hand off, but it's no use. I let out a strangled scream.

"You're full of tricks, wizard." He reaches for the necklace.

"No!" Stephen shouts hopelessly as the titan plucks it from his chest.

"Yet you never used your greatest weapon." He crushes the medallion easily. "A fake." He throws Stephen with such a force that he immediately passes out as he hits stone. Red and gold nanotech appears on Thanos' hand, causing him to keep his hand open.

"You throw another moon at me, and I'm gonna lose it."

"Stark," Thanos says, drawing out the word and eyeing Iron Man with mild interest.

"You know me?" Tony asks, keeping his attention as I crawl over to Stephen. He's out cold. I let my helmet retract and get to work, placing my fingers gently on his temple. He'll need a lot of my energy, probably more than I have to give, but Tony needs help. Stephen almost brought Thanos down by himself. Together, the two should be able to do it.

"I do. You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."

Tony doesn't flinch. "My only curse is you." Rockets come out of the Iron Man suit and launch at Thanos, who braces himself. I frantically try to heal him faster, ignoring the skirmish going on behind me. Where's Peter? Or literally anyone else who would be helpful right now?

"Stephen, come on, you need to wake up!" Summoning the golden light with a deep breath, I push my magic like never before, faster and harder. "Wake up wake up wake up!" My head throbs and black spots dance around my vision, but nothing stops my  extreme concentration until I hear a sound I never wanted to hear.

The pained gasp of Tony Stark, stabbed through the stomach with his own weapon.

"NO!" I scream, forcing myself to stand and go after him. Maybe it's not too late. I can still save him. But deep inside, I know my magic is greatly diminished. I won't be fast enough, and I have nothing left to give. "TONY!" Not him too. Tears sting the corners of my eyes as I watch the man stumble backward. He gives me an anguished look. Blood trickles from his mouth and a cut of his head. The Titan moves him back, pushing him into a sitting position as Tony tries not to die. But it's coming. If nature doesn't take care of him, Thanos will.

"You have my respect, Stark," Thanos says, nodding his head. "When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you." With a flick of his wrist, Thanos sends me to my knees, buckling in pain and screaming. I have no idea which stone can do that, but it hurts. What little energy I have left leaves my body.

This is worse than the Raft. Worse than electrocution, than gunfire, than the experiment. Every cell in my body screams in agony. As the pain overwhelms me, I cry out, praying to fall unconscious or even die. Anything would be better than this. I breathe heavily, gripping tightly to the emerald ring on my finger. I never got to see him again.

"Stop!" Everyone, even Thanos, looks over to see Stephen struggling to sit up. He takes a deep breath. "Spare their lives, and I will give you the Stone."

"No tricks," Thanos says, pointing the gauntlet at him instead of Tony or me.

"Stephen- no!" I whisper hoarsely, still in major pain. "Don't!"

Slowly, Stephen reaches into the sky. A glowing green stone appears. He plucks it out of the air and closely stares at it for one moment before letting it float over to Thanos. He takes the stone and drops it in the gauntlet, wincing at the new energy level.

"One to go," he mutters, but he barely sounds satisfied. One to go. Vision. Loki. No. Quill comes randomly out of the air, violently trying to shoot at Thanos, who just steps in a portal and disappears, not even dignifying Starlord with a fight.

"Where is he?" Quill asks fearfully, bending to help me up. It works for a second, but I'm too weak to stand and I just fall again. I wipe blood from my face and let Quill support me as we slowly walk towards Stephen. Tony does his best to patch up his wound with his suit. "Did we just lose?"

Tony turns to face Stephen, who is staring regretfully into nothingness. "Why did you do that?"

"We're in the Endgame now."

WE ARE IN THE ENDGAME FOLKS!

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