In Plain Sight (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 30

Thor stretched a hand to reach Loki. His silhouette was painted golden against the blue sky and even back then Loki noticed how he looked up at his brother from his place in the shadow, and he wanted to cry. He'd fallen into the pit since early morning, and despite his yelling, no one had come. His magic wasn't strong enough to be of help yet, and he was too small to reach the edge on his own. But Thor found him. Thor always found him.

Loki was running on instinct, and everything was a blur. He landed punches right and left, and it wasn't long before he got hold of a Chitauri sword. After that, everything was easier. Messier.

They had spent weeks tracking the bilgesnipe, but only after they'd found it did they realize they had no chance against it. Loki's spells and knives and Thor's blows bounced right off its hide, and even when Thor summoned a thunderbolt it slipped over it harmlessly. The beast pawed them around like a kitten playing with its catch.

They hid beneath a rocky step and wordlessly agreed that they had to escape. But they were tired and weak, and they had told no one about their idiotic quest.

They were on their own.

He hacked off limbs and knifed chests, this time maiming rather than killing on purpose.

When the bilgesnipe ripped the rock off, they dared another look at each other. Perhaps their last.

In the end, Thor managed to hold it still for enough time for Loki to land a spell on its open eye. Odin had nearly killed them himself when they got back, but he let them hang the bilgesnipe skin on the royal family chambers and Loki caught him looking proudly at it from time to time.

He didn't know how many remained. He didn't know how many he'd killed. He'd felt the bite of a thirst in his gut and it was nowhere near quenched.

Thor.

The word was a fire in his chest that translated into wordless, enraged yells. He was vaguely aware of the others shooting and kicking around him. Banner was nowhere to be seen. He'd probably stayed in the chamber, fighting the beast down. It wasn't of importance. They didn't need him.

This time, even being two men down, the situation was drastically different. For each alien they downed, the rest slowed down, for their connection made the injuries of a few the burden of many. They grew slower by the moment and their beastly eyes widened in fear when they caught sight of him.

He sensed an attack coming forward, aimed at his face, and crouched to thrust a punch. It went through the alien's ribcage. The blood splashed on his face, warm and steely, and prompted a bark of laughter off him.

They'd come here to get him, but they'd made the most elemental of mistakes; If anyone was ever going to kill Thor, it had to be him.

Tony looked at his side just in time to see the manic, bloody-faced laughter.

He lost it.

His thoughts were strangely clear, as if everything else was moving way slower than him. He caught the red flash of Natasha's hair, and moved towards her. The woman had little need of his help, breaking necks and spines as easily as twigs, but he went anyway, because the Chitauri seemed to be focusing on her and she should lend him some of her toys. The thought made him smile.

Perhaps we've all lost it.

A roar echoed from within the cave, along with a crack, and his grin grew wider.

We've all definitively lost it

It didn't take long for Hulk to break into the scene, smashing enemies with a makeshift club consisting of a headless Chitauri corpse. Huh.