A/N The first 10 minutes of Infinity War broke me. It was the first time I have cried in a movie in years, and even then only that scene actually brought tears. Peter's death came close, but didn't affect me as much as Loki's, and I'm 99% sure Peter will come back. I'm hopeful but not completely convinced that Loki will.

So, here will be thoughts that ran through my head during the movie, and directly after. I know that i have Clever Serpent Little Fox in the works, and school preceding that, but I had to write at least one of my ideas before I have an emotional break-down.

As said, this work will stay complete, and I will only add chapters as I finish them, as all will be one-shots with no continuing stories. I have six ideas so far, all of which have a small note so I don't forget them, but I don't think I will write anymore until the middle of November when my school exams end. Like my other story, there may be other chapters written and posted in the holidays, but it just depends on how much work I have to do then.

Final point before the first chapter. The title of the whole work is 'Like Magic' because all these one-shots will be linked in some way to Loki's magic. I've noticed that in all the movies, we see so little, even though we've been told he can shape shift in movie canon, and can do so much more in the comics. Especially in this movie and Ragnarok, it's like it has been forgotten that he even has magic except for three minor instances (illusory selves, memories of Valkyrie, and summoning the Tesseract). I hope to fix that, and in the process, also hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1 - A Jotun...

His arm was frozen with the knife held, unwavering, inches from Thanos' throat. He couldn't move it forward to achieve the kill he had aimed for, nor backward in retreat. He was powerless when faced with an Infinity Stone, much less two, and it was impossible for Loki to overcome the force that kept him in place.

But he didn't have to. Loki had known he stood little chance of killing Thanos as easily as some words and a knife. If he had succeeded, wonderful, but he was not one to rely on chance.

Before Loki had crept forward with a false offer of loyalty, he had desperately searched though a way to keep himself and Thor alive. There were precious few. His magic was almost depleted from protecting the Ark as it journeyed through the Devil's Anus to Asgard, fighting on the Bifrost, and finally warning as many as he could of his people to flee from the ship in escape pods when Thanos first arrived. There had not been enough time to regain much at all.

Only one action was left, as it used virtually nothing. A skill he had mastered centuries ago, from the day he was born, in fact. He just needed to be closer, much closer.

Thanos had only prevented his arm from moving, so Loki could have said something heroic, chilling, or threatening if he had wanted to. He didn't, not yet.

His head dropped instead, and he broke his gaze with Thanos. The Titan laughed, thinking it was in fear, in defeat, or subservience as a final plea to live. It was none of these things.

It was disgust.

Although Loki knew it was necessary, he did not want to see the evidence of what he would do next.

Thanos reached a hand towards Loki's neck, and began to squeeze, slowly, as painfully as possible. Only then did he release Loki from the power of the gauntlet that held him immobile.

He expected the natural reaction of any being in response to being choked; flailing, grasping – a futile struggle that only increased the terror. None of these happened. Instead, the only reaction Thanos received was a sudden chill in the air, and a crackle of frost that confused all present.

Loki's hair obscured his face, which hid the telling change of his pale skin turning blue, a moment before his hand held in the air did too.

Thanos had not even lifted him from the ground when a blade of ice formed around Loki's hand and extended from the tips of his fingers, straight into the Titan's throat and further, up into his brain as Loki finally moved.

The purple hand unclenched, and Loki dropped, gasping a little, but landing on his feet. Thanos fell backward, with black burns on one hand, and red blood gushing from the fatal wound. The stones were useless as his gauntleted fist was now the one that couldn't move. He landed with a crash against the metal floor of the Arc.

The Black Order was shocked at the end of their previously most-powerful master. Taking inspiration from his elder sister, Loki formed ice spikes from the ground that impaled each of them through the head or chest. Ebony Maw wasn't fast enough to begin threatening Thor's life before he was struck, and the others were too far to attack or defend themselves either.

Now that the five hostiles were dead, Loki delivered mocking words to his former tormentors. His voice cracked. He didn't care.

"I did warn you that I wasn't Aesir."

He turned his back on the gruesome scene and walked to Thor. He kept his hands out of his sight, and did not look up from where the Thunderer's bindings met the floor.

Loki touched the bands that were not in contact with Thor's skin, and again lowered his natural temperature until the metal turned brittle, and he snapped them away. A few more, and he stepped backwards so Thor could tear himself out of the rest.

Not a word was spoken from either of the gods.

Loki startled when he felt a calloused hand hovering gently at the back of his neck that was already forming dark blue and purple bruises. He finally looked up at Thor as he was drawn into an embrace.

There was none of the revulsion that he had feared on the Thunderer's face. Only love, gratefulness, and awe.

In his now strained, rough voice, the Trickster spoke. "You would hug a Jotun?"

"I hug my brother."