Brotherhood - Loki & Thor ♡

30. stood with our backs to the sun

There was an ambush - an unexpectedly vile attack that torn down the whole Avengers facility. Everything happened in an instance that Thor couldn't rescue either his brother or his lover in time, and so the destruction had resulted in Loki and Doctor Jane Foster trapping in the burning building together, being the last two that hadn't made it out to safety while the rest already escaped.

When the smoke settled there was only one person walking out of it alive.

Thor felt as though his world suddenly crumbled down.

///

They were in despair, all of them (well, all of them except for the two whose destinies remained unknown for the time being) as they watched the place they once called home collapsing to the ground. Though if there was anyone who probable suffered the most it was Thor; both Loki and Jane were in there. Thor couldn't save them in time. In fact, Thor could almost save Jane. When it happened Jane was right by his side, and he reached for her, the tips of their fingers touched when the impact of the explosion and the strong heat sent her backward, away from Thor's grip. The sound of her crying his name echoed in his head.

Then he saw Loki. Loki reflectively shielded Jane's small body with his own body, sheltering her from the debris falling down from the ceiling. Loki didn't really care much about his brother's girlfriend, but he knew Thor loved her, and so the God of Mischief took it as his duty to protect her when his brother couldn't.

"Loki!" Thor shouted. Probably to order him to save Jane. Loki knew what he had to do without having to be told.

The next second the floor beneath them gave out, out of instinct Thor jumped backward to safety. Loki could have, would have jumped away, too, if he wasn't too busy making sure Jane was okay.

The last Thor saw of his brother and lover was them falling into the burning flames. He didn't even get to jump after them, to save them; a pair of strong arms wrapped around him from behind, dragging him out of the building, and Thor was simply too shocked to fight.

Next thing he knew he was gasping on the grass under the moonlight outside the burning building. It was Captain Rogers who saved him, yet the first thing Thor did the second he was able to catch his breath was to try to lung back toward the fire. This time both Tony and Steve quickly grabbed him, stopping him from killing himself.

"Let me go!" Thor snarled, trying to pry the hands away but he was too weak, having breathed in too much carbon dioxide that he felt so damn dizzy.

"There's nothing you can do," Steve said bitterly and harshly, but then his voice got softer, more of a whisper, "there's nothing we can do,"

When they were sure Thor wasn't going to run into the fire they let him go eventually, and when they let him go Thor dropped on his knees, watching the flames as it engulfed everything it touched.

~~~

Second felt like eternity. Thor waited and waited for them to walk through the blaze, but all he could see was smoke. There was no sign of life. Nothing.

Until he saw a figure walking out through the smoke; there was still too much distance and, even already settled down, the smoke was still thick enough to blur out most of the detail. For now it was just a shadowy figure stumbled away from those debris, trying to steady their steps and not to collapse.

And here was the problem; there was only one person out of two. Just one walking out of it. It should be two. It should be two people carrying each other toward safety. Toward Thor's arms.

It was until the next 15 seconds that the figure became clear enough for the Avengers, for Thor, to tell who it was. And the second Thor saw who it was, that made it out alive, Thor was torn between howling and running into what was left to find those hands to hold.