Again with this same bullshit. Tony spared a glance for Loki's kneeling figure in the dim light of the bedroom. He could not do this right now. Shower first.
The shower didn't change anything, unfortunately. When he returned Loki was still there, kneeling, still, silent. Tony considered him. It was the same every night since Thor had dropped him at Tony's feet ten days ago. He was no closer to understanding Loki's behavior, although he had figured out that the gem-studded metal collar around his neck had a lot to do with it. Apart from the collar, Loki was only wearing the tight boxers that Tony had given him. He had given him other clothes too, and he wore them during the day, but each evening he slipped away and presented himself stripped and submissive in Tony's bedroom. Tony had talked to him, yelled at him, ordered him not to, and one night locked him out of the room. The only thing that accomplished was to move the submissive display to the hallway. Each time Tony sent him away Loki looked worse, his limbs shaking under pale skin as he ghosted from the room. Loki never spoke, rarely even nodded or shook his head, and would look up from the floor only if he thought Tony was not watching. Tony had no clue what to do.
Thor had said Loki was a thrall, whatever that was. The gems on the collar glowed and faded in incomprehensible patterns. When Tony yelled at Loki in frustration they glowed brighter. Tony had stopped, gut churning, when he realized Loki waen
s shaking with pain, the golden glow of the gems highlighting the sickly pallor of his face. He had not raised his voice since then, but he was no closer to understanding what triggered the punishments and how to stop it. Once, Jarvis had shown Tony footage of Loki fumbling and breaking a plate in the kitchen. The gems had pulsed in a complex pattern and Loki dropped to the floor and convulsed for at least a minute. When the gems faded and he struggled to his feet to clean up the mess, tears streaming down his face.
Tony sat on the bed. "You know this would be a lot easier if you would talk to me." He didn't expect a reply and he didn't get one. Loki's chest fluttered with his rapid breathing, his tight grip on his hands behind his back could not hide the trembling. His long hair was arrayed in loose curls around his downturned face. It wasn't like Tony didn't get it. There was only one reason he would be practically naked kneeling next to Tony's bed. Every day he got paler, thinner. He barely slept, barely ate. Tony wasn't about to try the obvious solution. If nothing else, Thor would likely kill him. This couldn't go on though, and Tony had no idea what to do.
"Go to your bedroom, Loki" he said.
Loki tried to stand but fell, the collar glowing bright. Tony watched horrified as Loki's back arched and his whole body shook. It looked like electric shocks, the gems pulsing in time.
"Enough!" Tony yelled, grabbing Loki's shoulders to steady him. To his shock the punishment stopped immediately. Loki forced his eyes open and struggled back to his knees, pressing his hands and forehead to the floor. Tony wracked his brain. He couldn't send Loki away without torturing him, and he was absolutely not going to rape him. Loki was even less a willing participant in this sick game then Tony himself was. But what to do?
"What the fuck is this, Thor?" He muttered to himself. He absently petted Loki's hair as he searched for options. Loki did not react, it was doubtful he would dare pull away even if he wanted to. Tony caught himself and stopped his hand mid-pet. If Loki was not going to tell him no he had to keep enough boundaries for both of them.
He was tired, they were both tired. Nothing was going to get resolved tonight. Tony pulled a pillow and blanket off his bed and tossed them into a corner. "You're going to sleep there," he said in his best commanding voice. The gems began to glow faintly, so he added "In case I want you in the night." The glow lessened. Interesting.
"Crawl." he added, and as Loki dropped back to his hands and knees the glow vanished entirely.
Loki obediently crawled to the corner and curled up on the blanket. He was asleep almost immediately, hair falling over his face. He looked almost peaceful, much more so than when tossed and turned in the guest bedroom that Tony had given him. Tony grabbed another blanket and draped it over his too thin body. He needed to think about this. He had promised Thor he would take care of his brother, although at the time he had been thinking more of a cell and less of a spot in the corner of his own bedroom. Thor had been frantic, panicked, gripping Tony's shoulders and staring into his eyes as he extracted his promise. He had given him too little to go on. He had stolen Loki away from his punishment, he had to return almost immediately to quell the conflict he had started by doing so. Before leaving, eyes filled with fear and regret he had told Loki 'You are Tony Stark's thrall now." Loki had not replied, merely hunched closer into himself and stared at the ground as his brother gave him away.
Tony he would be dammed if he would be chased out of his own bedroom, so he got into bed himself and turned his back on Loki's slumbering form. "Wake me up if he does anything, J," he mumbled before falling asleep himself.