A/N: I meant to update this earlier this week but it turned out I hadn't finished the last part, lol. But anyway, here it is, I hope you guys like it. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers, and especially CandyassGoth because, girl, your reviews always make my day. XD Love you all.

Warnings this chapter: not really anything... except I think my characters are swearing more and more with each update. ;D

Hollow Skies - Chapter 14

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit and fuck and what the fuck are they doing here?!

Tony watched Loki faint right in front of him.

"O-kay," was all Stark could manage at the sight of the god passing out.

Unfortunately for Loki, Barton - isn't he a spy, shouldn't his reflexes be better? - failed to catch him. His body hit the floor as both Avengers winced.

"What the hell, Bird Brain?" Stark all but yelled, too surprised to know what to do.

Barton quickly recovered. "What the hell to you first! How did you-" and suddenly, his body tensed up a fraction, as if he just saw an enemy appear before him. Stark looked behind him for a moment, then back- Oh wait... Me?

"What's wrong, Angry Bird, you look like you've never seen a billionaire wandering the halls before."

Don't look at him, don't look at him. It wasn't working, he couldn't help but glance at the unconscious god.

Clint was already bending down to check Loki. "Hey, Loki? You okay? Dammit."

"Uh," Stark started sheepishly, "he okay?" Shit, I can't deal with this right now!

"Uh, no," Barton hissed through his teeth as he stood up. "What the fuck are you doing here, Stark?! I barely even got him here as it is - he's not going anywhere if you're here." He flicked an annoyed arm in Tony's direction, dismissively shaking his head.

"Nice to see you, too; mind if I do something here while you keep not making sense?" Always with the sarcasm. Smooth, Stark. Well, his brain sure thought so. Not always appropriate, though.

The archer shrugged as he bent down to check on the god again.

Right. Now to integrate JARVIS...

A rough shaking abruptly woke Loki, just as a strangled whimper escaped and he bolted upright.

"Woah, woah!" said a voice. "You're okay- just breath, okay, just breathe."

Suddenly coming back to himself, Loki's shoulders rode up as he hugged his knees, recognizing the form of Barton hovering beside him on one knee. Loki did as instructed, though, and breathed. A deep inhale, slow exhale. And again, and again.

"Good, that's it," Barton instructed. "Just keep breathing, everything's fine."

But everything wasn't fine, was it? The image of...of Stark standing - Loki couldn't stop himself as he vomited to his left side, away from Barton.

"Oh, fuck," whispered the agent, although, to his credit, he quickly responded with, "that's fine, uh, you're...okay..." He sounded less certain now, but Loki appreciated his constant presence next to him; lingering but not touching. He didn't know if he could handle touching right now.

Suddenly, a new voice: "What the hell was that noise-"

Stark. Stark had just walked around one of the square machines. Close. So close.

"...Oh. Uh." Stark.

Loki couldn't form thoughts.

"Loki?" Barton.

Hand on his shoulder.

Lights blinking on panels.

Square things and dark floors and Stark Stark Stark...

Loki gasped and scrambled backward on hands and knees until he hit a wall. He couldn't stop the keening distressed noise from exiting his throat because Stark, Stark, Stark is here- I can't- no, I...no no no nonononono... Someone was speaking to him but all Loki could do was try and hide further into himself, to hope that his prostration pleased Stark- please no no, please don't- I don't- can't- can't- can't-

"Fuck- hell?!" Stark barely heard the squeaky words escape his own lips because he was too busy trying to remember to breathe.

Barton was kneeling next to Loki, trying to - do something... Tony honestly didn't know because what the fuck do you do with that? He couldn't even imagine.

If Tony didn't know better, it looked like Loki was trying his damnedest to hide inside himself. And, despite everything in him telling him not to, when he walked a few steps closer to the two, he could swear he heard the weirdest sound, what the hell is that? It was like a high-pitched... He didn't know what the sound was, he had never heard anyone make that noise before - much less from a guy like Loki.

He remembered- of course Tony remembered what Natasha had told him, but he didn't want to believe it, couldn't. It was too outrageous, too insane, too... just too much.

Clearly, the god held a similar sentiment.

When Tony almost took another step closer - mostly out of curiosity - Barton held up a hand and all but yelled: "Fuck, Stark! Give 'im a little space, huh?"

Too freaked out to do anything else, he nodded and took a few steps back.

Still, this close up Tony could hear exactly what he quickly wished he couldn't hear. Loki whispering under his breath, repeating, over and over and over, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." and it made Tony cringe. The god trembled fiercely and yelped every time Barton tried to touch him. Helplessly, Clint glanced at Tony, not that he was exactly asking for Tony's help, and he was glad. Like I know what to do with this? He barely knew what to do with anything lately, not even what to do with himself.

Tony jumped when Loki vomited on the floor again, although he apparently wouldn't have lifted his head enough to keep it from splashing his face unless Barton had pulled him back a little.

Seeing the puddle a little ways away, Stark was struck with the knowledge that this guy just threw up because of me. Me. He- he vomited twice because of me. The revelation felt like a stab to his heart and he stumbled a little backward and braced his hand against one of the servers.

"Oh...okay. Just...need a..." Tony half-mumbled as he tried to control his breathing. He kept his eyes trained on the floor as he concentrated on breathing. Just breathe, that's right, just breathe. And suddenly he realized it was exactly what Barton was murmuring to Loki at the same time. "Okay. Damn," he said to himself as he slid slowly the floor.

"Fuck, Stark, I already got enough with him puking his guts out, don't you start, too."

Tony glared halfheartedly at the archer, who had barely any expression on his face. But there was something in Clint's face... Panic? No. That wasn't right; concern, maybe, worry over the two in the room who he felt helpless to help.

Clint moved Loki a little ways, just enough to stop him from wallowing in his own vomit- Aaand there it is. Stark suddenly felt like vomiting, himself. Control yourself, you idiot.

"Sir."

What the fuck? Oh right. "JARVIS? You up?" Tony lurched to his feet unsteadily, Barton hissed an admonishment for making he and Loki jump.

"Indeed, sir. The helicarrier's systems have been updated since last I was here; please give me a moment to adapt."

"Right, sure. No hurry there, it's not like we have a ship full of insane agents running around or anything."

"Thank you, sir."

Damned snarky AI. Did I really program him to-

"JARVIS?" exclaimed Barton. "Really, Tony? Is that what you're doing here?"

Tony turned his head toward the archer. "Yep. Didn't think the helicarrier's systems would agree with me so I used JARVIS to negotiate with them. You know how diplomatic he can be." That's right, just keep talking. No need to think on things going on around him.

Barton rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Are you...sure you're okay?" he asked, apparently worried. Or is he? There was something in those eyes that almost looked...wary.

"Uh, yeah. Fine. What about..." Reindeer Games. "...Loki? He okay?"

The god hadn't moved very much - unless shaking like a leaf could be considered moving. Barton shrugged uncertainly, saying nothing.

Tony stared. "Right. Jarv?"

"Integration complete. However, I must point out that your own modifications to my code may interfere in the future."

"Wait, what?" Stark stammered. "What modifications?"

"Mister Odinson is not permitted outside of the mansion. I'm afraid I will be forced to confine him to areas where you are present."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Stark all but yelled to the ceiling, as if he could see JARVIS. He moved a few steps and started tapping on the panel against a wall as it lit up. "J, where the hell are ya," he mumbled.

"Here, sir," intoned the AI smoothly as Tony found JARVIS' core programming code.

"This is too much to look through - just show me the most recent changes." Tony's eyes widened when he saw the unfamiliar changes to his AI's code. "What the fuck!" he screeched, not caring who heard. "This is hard-coded! Why would I-?"

He paused. Hand frozen in a half-point against the panel, Tony turned slowly toward the god still cowering against the floor.

Barton spoke up, quietly, "Guess you didn't want him getting out, huh?"

"Indeed," interjected JARVIS.

"Shut up, JARVIS," Tony's voice wavered, barely a whisper. His throat suddenly felt like it was being closed in a vise. Voice barely a whisper, he asked, "Uh, J...how long would it take to remove the...modifications?"

"They are extensive, sir. An hour, at least."

Tony nodded, already expecting that answer.

"What does that mean?" asked Barton.

"It means," Tony cleared his throat, not really succeeding. "It means Rudol- uh, Loki, is going to have to, uh, stay wherever I am...I guess..."

"Of course," intoned the archer sardonically, "it's not like this whole thing isn't insane enough."

Yeah. Understatement.

"Sir?"

"What, JARVIS?" Tony said tiredly.

"I believe you have visitors coming from entrance D-7."

"Shit," hissed Barton.

Couldn't've said it better myself.

There was some sort of commotion going on around Loki but he didn't care to look. He backed up, away from the noise and the moving bodies and...Stark...

His back hit the wall as he remained curled on himself.

The voice of Barton floated toward him from some distance away. "Watch Loki!" he screamed.

Next came a voice Loki's mind couldn't process. "What're you kidding me?! Don't you need help-"

"Just watch him!"

Loki's back finally found a corner as he rested his side against it, wishing he could find a smaller space to crawl into. He kept his head low even though he knew he should look up, should see what danger might approach. But he was too shaken and too frightened and too...just too much of everything all at once!

He sensed someone nearby, lurking. No, not lurking. Just standing there. And if Loki could also sense body language he would have seen the way the man nervously looked about and toward him.

"Shit," he heard the man mumble. "You sure you don't need help!" he yelled away from their little alcove.

"Shut up, Stark!" yelled Barton in return.

Cries echoed through the room and the thuds of bodies hitting something made Loki flinch and curl up further.

"Uh, look," said the man nearby. "It's...gonna be fine. Sure. Uh, Barton's...good at this kind of thing..."

Loki sniffled and briefly looked up, suddenly lost and wondering where he was, and who was talking to him. No...I can't! He choked on a sob at the sight before him, then hid his face under his arms.

"No, no no no..." he mumbled frantically under his breath. No it's not real.

"Uh, yeah, I'm...not gonna do anything to you. Honest."

Loki shook his head fervently, shoulders shaking and teeth chattering. He felt cold with all the blood rushing out of his head.

"Please don't pass out again- Man, I can't handle this." A heavy sigh and shoes shifting.

Someone cried out from far off as Barton's voice yelled toward them once more. "Stark!"

"Um. I'll be back in a sec."

Stark - Stark. No it can't be, can't be - ran off, out of sight around one of the machines that blocked Loki's view of the room. Suddenly alone, Loki looked up cautiously, certain Stark would round the corner any moment and do... Do what? What had Bruce Banner said about him? That he was...that he had been influenced by...by...

He shook his head, he couldn't remember! He drew in a deep breath and exhaled after a moment as his mind cleared.

The Tesseract. That's what it was. But was it true? Could it be? Would it even matter? What did any of it mean? It was too much to think on. All he knew was that he couldn't be near Stark, he didn't - couldn't care about any of it right now; he only knew his fear and that was more real than anything else surrounding him.

A rush of wind and a body nearly hitting the wall near Loki made him jump back and hit his head. Stark!

"Oh, sorry," said Stark. He had apparently run himself into the wall getting back to this point, his breath heavy and his manner frantic. "Uh, look, we have to- shit, fuck, I really can't handle this."

Loki didn't dare look up, draw any more attention to himself, even if he knew that was foolish; Stark obviously had his full attention on him. Loki whimpered and wondered what he should do. He didn't understand what this was anymore, how he should act around Stark.

The mortal, apparently, held a similar sentiment.

"Look, you don't have to...do that," said Stark. Loki didn't understand his meaning. And when Stark neared, the god couldn't help his noises of distress. Stark still continued, bending down slightly. "I...I don't really- uh. Just...we can't stay here." Loki suddenly noticed how quiet the room had become. "Barton's..." What about Barton? Loki wondered. "He's gone," Stark finished bluntly. Loki's head jerked up a moment, heart catching in his throat, although he looked back down just as quickly. He's left me! "Just...don't panic. He's not...he's just outside. I mean the door. There's way too many crazy blue-eyed agents on this level now; he had to go help out..." he trailed off.

Loki's chest felt suddenly constricted, not enough air and not enough space to move and nothing but Stark. He heard a cry escape his lips that he couldn't stop.

"It's okay, it's okay! Not gonna do anything," said Stark, slightly panicked, but Loki didn't hear him.

I have no fucking idea what to fucking do here! Stark's mind raced as he tried to calm down the panicking god. Loki was making an odd keening noise and barely breathing- this can't be good.

"Hey, hey, hey," said Stark, wondering if he should get closer or get away. "Just...you gotta breathe." He grimaced at the sight, lost on what to do. Where the fuck is Thor?! Loki either wasn't listening or couldn't. He was wheezing now, straining for breath and clawing at the floor. And I thought I had problems...

Muffled gunshots reverberated through the walls as Stark looked around, wondering what he should do. Should he wait for Clint here or should they go to a better room? Was there a better room? And how could he get Loki there if he couldn't even hear him? From what JARVIS had said, Loki would have to stay with Stark or...what? He wasn't sure what would happen; just how much control did the AI have on the helicarrier now? He suddenly wished he hadn't integrated JARVIS at all.

Damn you, evil me.

But first, Loki. What to do with Loki.

Tony took a big breath and knelt, closer to the god than before. Loki immediately made more strange noises, scooting backward - if that were even possible anymore, he was practically living in the wall now.

"Please, please, please..." Loki repeated in nearly a whisper against the floor, refusing to look up.

Stark ran a hand through his own hair, trying to make a decision. Loki wasn't getting enough air and he definitely would pass out if he kept it up; or so Stark assumed. He didn't know much about the god's physiology. Not important right now, idiot. He pointedly ignored the collar and chain still attached around the god's neck. I still can't believe I don't remember the code.

"Uh, Loki. You really need to calm down." Need to calm down. Really? He didn't want to acknowledge it, or even think about it, but he knew what Loki had gone through - had gone through because of him. It didn't matter to the trickster that Stark didn't remember any of it. So how was he to approach this? How could he, given what he knew about Loki's torture? He suddenly understood there probably wasn't any easy way, any right way to do this, especially since they didn't have the time. Whatever was going on wasn't going to stop for a therapy session.

Making a decision, Tony clenched his fists and leaned down further, whispering. "Loki..."

The god flinched but didn't respond.

"Hey, Loki?" Stark tried again.

A moment passed before he heard a quiet mumble of, "Please, no, please, please," the word repeating in a harsh whisper.

"We have to go now." Tony tried to sound convincing.

Loki shook his head frantically.

"I'm really, really sorry," said Stark, peeking around the servers to make sure no one was approaching, "but we have to go now. We can't stay here." He looked back at Loki.

"Thor will come for me," the god said, almost to himself. "He'll come, he'll come...he'll come for me."

Tony sighed. "I'm sure he would if he could, but we have to go."

A crash right outside the door and screams of men and women echoed from right outside. Oh fuck, we really do need to go.

"Can you get up for me?"

Loki seemed to be ignoring him so he put a hand on the god's back - which turned out to be a bad fucking idea. Immediately, Loki screamed and reared up, cracking his head against the wall, then grabbed a fistful of hair in each hand and pulled, all the while making an ungodly half-growl, half-screeching noise that Stark couldn't put a name to.

"Uh-um, okay," Stark blurted out in a nervous voice, jerking back his hand and jumping back.

Loki continued hitting his body against the wall and pulling at his hair, eyes wide and nearly feral, tears pouring as his teeth were clenched tightly shut.

"Hey, hey, stop!" But Loki wasn't stopping. Worried and frantic and shit, I don't have time for this! Stark grabbed the first thing that flashed in his mind and suddenly the god stilled, the abrupt lack of noise filling the air with a heavy silence. Loki's body slumped with a small whimper, although he didn't go to the floor this time, he just sat, shaking and hunched over, as if waiting.

Blinking rapidly, Stark looked down, then realized what he had in his hand. As if the thing were on fire, he dropped it - the sound of the chain falling on the floor banging as loudly as gunshots next to his ear.

Looking up, Stark saw Loki's eyes turn slowly toward him, wet and fearful, but suddenly calm.

Damn, what did I do?

A/N: Is this...a cliffhanger? Sorry if it is! Fortunately, once again, I have most of the next chapter already written, let's hope it's not too long until I update again. ;)