"You will never be . . . a god."

Raspy, harsh, ragged, shallow breaths force their way out of the crushed throat of the scrawny-in-comparison god. The enormous hand that currently has his brother ensnared tightens.

Thor's scream is muffled by the metal covering him. The world moves so slowly as he feels his anguish boil over.

NO! NO! LOKI! YOU'RE ALL I HAVE LEFT!

Power rips through Thor suddenly. He screams—it's loud, rough, and the god of thunder tastes blood in the back of his throat—and his eye explodes in a flash of lightning. The metal trapping the god is blown away.

This earns Thanos' attention, and the Titan shields his eyes briefly, loosening his death grip on Loki's throat. The god of mischief inhales in a deep, shuddering gasp, tears running down his face, the pressure on his windpipe suddenly lessened.

Thor is still screaming, his body engulfed in such a blinding show of blue, his hands raising at his sides. Hatred boils up in the god's breast; all the anger, loss, regret, and the undying urge to protect his brother no matter what breaks through.

Thor doesn't know how he's doing this. Just minutes ago, he'd had one of the most powerful items in the universe pressed to his head, killing him. Just minutes ago, he'd been beaten black and blue by Thanos before he'd taken over their ship. He imagined the power was coming from somewhere deep inside of him—maybe it was the spirits of the Allfathers giving him strength to save the only thing he had left in the universe.

"DO NOT TOUCH MY BROTHER!"

Thor leaps up, body crackling with lightning, and Thanos drops Loki to the floor. The smaller god goes limp and remains still.

Thanos puts his hands up, ready to smash Thor into dust, but the blast of lightning strikes him much more quickly than he anticipated. Thanos' children scatter as the wave of hot energy rebounds across the center of the ship, searing what's left of the room.

Thanos snarls at Thor, the Asguardian now standing in the spot where the Titan had been just moments before. Cull Obsidian steps forward, weapon in hand, ready to split the furious god in two. Ebony Maw sends a flurry of sharp metal towards Thor, but he is ready and destroys it with a cascade of lightning before it can even get close to him.

"You think you can beat me?" Thanos snaps, teeth bared. Then he almost laughs, a smirk crossing his face. "Hardly. I have what I need, none the less."

"I will kill you!" Thor roars, chest heaving. He throws his arms up and then slams his hands down on the floor, sending a shockwave of raw sparks at the mad Titan. Thanos holds up the hand with the gauntlet and closes his fist. A wash of purple covers the room, stopping the lightning sent at him, and the ship begins to shake terribly, the entire vessel tearing apart at the seams.

"Do not run away, coward!" Thor threatens with absolute venom in his voice. Thanos' children step forward to guard the Titan and engage Thor, but Thanos stops them with a wave of his hand.

"I won't see you around," Thanos says, and with a blue flash, a portal opens behind them, and they're gone.

Thor's fury dies down, exhaustion drowning him suddenly. The crackling lightning fades into sputters and sparks, and the god sags to his knees. He's spent completely; he has nothing left whatsoever after that display, and part of him is relieved Thanos went away. The thought of the space stone sends a jolt through Thor, and he desperately looks around, eye wide. He spots the unmoving figure splayed on the crumbling floor.

"Loki! Loki, brother!" Thor cries out, scrambling towards him on hands and knees. He pushes Loki onto his back and takes his face in his hands. "No, Loki . . ." Tears run down the thunder god's face as he looks into his brother's. "Please, gods, you can't be gone! Loki!" Thor holds the god of mischief's limp body close to him, beginning to cry into him as the ship nears exploding. The noise is deafening.

". . . Thor, you're very . . . very loud," Thor hears. His head shoots up, and he looks into Loki's now opened green eyes. They're bloodshot, teary, and tired, but they're open.

"Loki! Brother, you're alive-!" Thor nearly sobs, cradling the broken god in weary arms. Loki trembles in the grip, but nods and exhales raggedly.

"Not for long. We need to . . . to get out of here." Loki's voice is rough, quiet, and he struggles to talk. He touches Thor's arm, mouth contorted in a wince.

"I don't—Loki, there is no way out," Thor whispers, and he feels another tear run down his face. He has to lean down to even hear Loki's voice at all. The smaller god inhales shakily; it's hard to even attempt to sit up, let alone actually do it. He lets Thor continue to hold him closely, giving up trying.

"The sun will shine again, brother," Loki murmurs. His eyelids flutter dangerously, and Thor begins to panic.

"No, no, Loki, we will be okay! Loki, stay, stay . . ."

The ship explodes in a rush of purple.

A/N:

Hello, Random here! If you have just found this story, welcome! For those who have been following me for a while now, give me a second.

Anyway, this idea popped into my head after seeing Infinity War. SOMEONE NEEDS TO PROTECT LOKI PLEASE

This will basically be Infinity War with Loki actually living for more than FIVE MINUTES. I'm not sure exactly how it'll go, but bear with me. This is a very short start, but I wrote this late and really wanted to upload it before I forgot and gave up posting for the first time in like two years. :v

For returning followers: I'm sorry it's been so long. XD I lost everything online inspiration-wise, but maybe I'm back? Give me some feedback if you're curious about other stories (and this one). I need it. TwT I've been busy with other fandom projects, school, intense depression, etc. *thumbs up* But Infinity War has sparked some much needed ideas and thoughts, so I should be more active soon.