A/N: Thanks for all your reviews and comments! Love you guys. ;3

Hollow Skies - Chapter 16

The painful thing was, Tony knew what Loki was saying. He understood, somehow so quickly, just why the god had wanted such a thing, such a ridiculous thing, but for all of Tony's incredulity and distaste at doing such a thing, he couldn't bring himself to be snide with the poor god. Hold his leash? Was he serious? Sadly, yes. And for no other reason than what so many people struggled with...

Loki wanted direction.

He thought Tony could provide.

Well, thought Tony, I can't help you, buddy, because even I don't fucking know what I'm doing!

There was fear there, for Loki, fear from the beginning - of Tony, no less, but the god also feared himself, that he would do something wrong.

Look at me, getting inside someone else's head and understanding them; Pepper would be proud.

Three rooms later and Tony still hadn't said anything further to Loki. He wasn't going to hold his leash - his fucking leash! Still can't believe it - because he was pretty sure Loki would probably pass out and he couldn't even imagine what Thor would do to him if he found him doing that, and Tony himself... Well, he didn't need things jumping into his head right now-

"I kept them out..." said Loki's distinct but distant voice, "You'll be happy."

Tony shook his head and suppressed a shiver, determined to ignore every memory that popped up as they walked swiftly from room to room. Honestly, he wasn't even sure where the hell he was going anymore, he just had to move, he couldn't stop now, not now. They had to get away.

A door barred their way. A very secure looking metal door at the end of a short corridor. Licking his lips, Tony examined the access panel next to it. "JARVIS? This door is sealed electronically, can you open it?"

"I'm afraid not, sir. There seems to be a malfunction."

"Shit." He looked back at Loki, whose gaze remained, as ever, down. He doubted even the god's strength could open this door.

JARVIS' voice broke though, suddenly. "May I ask what your destination is?"

Tony blinked. "Uh..." He didn't have an answer. There was a door here and he wanted through it.

"This door leads to the science labs; is that your destination, sir?"

Again, Tony didn't have an answer. He breathed in and out, louder than he knew he should, but he didn't really understand what he was doing. He looked back at Loki. "I don't suppose you can figure a way through this door?"

The god cocked his head to the side, thinking. He glanced at the door, scrutinized it for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and scooted toward it. His fingers ran along the seam that ran down the center as he whispered, "Here."

Tony leaned down and squinted. "Uh. What? You think you can open it with just that crack?" The door was, indeed, just slightly ajar, if only by a hair.

Grabbing a long piece of metal that was narrow at its end, Loki hurried back to the door and jammed it in, as if he were in some kind of hurry.

"Woah," said Tony, "slow down there. The world's not gonna end if-" But the door was moving, groaning under the strain of Loki's efforts. Somehow, the god's obvious eagerness unnerved Tony. It was suddenly so clear why, though; Loki had something to do, had an order to follow. Shit. Not what I meant. So again, Tony tried to get him to let up as he stepped closer. "That's, uh...that's good, but-"

Suddenly, the door burst open and Loki...

God in heaven, what the fuck is this?!

The second the door slid open Loki couldn't catch himself. Couldn't catch himself because he had been leaning forward - Stark wants this door open Stark wants this door open - and there was simply nothing there. There was darkness, and emptiness, and a sharp fall that made Loki cry out as his body lurched forward into the terrible maw that waited.

Stark cried out, too. His voice frantic, hissing and desperate and confused from somewhere above.

But Loki wasn't falling. He felt himself choking, though, as if there was no air in this abyss, this void, no I can't it's so dark too dark, I don't want to be here- where's Thor?! But the lack of air wasn't because there wasn't air, but because Loki was choking on his metal collar, pulled taut by the weight of his dangling body.

What's happening? I don't understand. Where's brother? The dark was all around him, seeping in. Bleeding as it always did when Loki tried to open his eyes and saw nothing but the endless gaping hole of the emptiness of-

"Just hang on!" someone's strained voice broke through his falling thoughts. "I got you, I got you!"

Stark?

The mortal grunted and strained to breathe just as Loki did, although Loki couldn't even manage to cough, his throat so constricted. He flailed about, suddenly realizing he wasn't in some abyss, no, nothing like it, I'm not there anymore, never there again... But he couldn't control his sudden need to get away, to find some way out.

"Pl-" he tried, but he only choked more. His eyes swelled with tears as he tried to kick his feet, to find something to stand on, anything! But there was nothing.

The mortal cursed continuously but Loki barely heard him.

There were noises in his ears, a pounding in his head.

"There you are...do you like my game?"

Loki tried to jerk away from the voice suddenly near his ear but couldn't move in the dark, his silent tears the only thing real except for the boom, boom, boom that echoed all around.

No please...

He scratched at his throat, trying to get free but also trying to feel something other than the oppressive nothingness surrounding him.

There was something he should do, something a strained voice above him was telling him to do but he couldn't bring himself back, couldn't sense his own body anymore.

Lost here forever...forever. Will it ever end?

Then a tug.

No, I can't.

And a tug. Moving upward.

Brightness flashed overhead.

Coldness was seeping in through his clothes, up his limbs.

Another tug.

"...You'll never get away..."

Boom, boom, boom.

"Let us try a new game."

Then the light above engulfed him.

Thor's hammer finally crashed through the debris blocking the doorway as he burst through, suddenly convinced his brother was on the other side. Because of course Loki would be there, although he wasn't sure why.

Then he saw it, what haunted his nightmares and burned, ripped through his mind like a wildfire stayed put by the begging eyes of his little brother-

Tony Stark was holding his brother's leash. Tony Stark was touching him.

And although he should have seen, should have seen the way Stark panted and lay on the ground, apparently having over-exerted himself, and the way his brother lay beside him, next to the open doorway that led to a room that had fallen through thanks to the Hulk and Thor's earlier fight, because it was all-too obvious what had truly happened - but Thor didn't see.

All he saw was red.

"How dare you!" Thor screamed as he grabbed for the mortal and hoisted him up by his neck, lifting him off his feet.

Loki coughed and choked and cried as he half-lay on the ground, his neck red and bleeding, and Thor could see nothing but that- hear nothing but his little brother in distress and he couldn't control himself any longer.

My vow, my vow...

He swore to protect Loki, and he failed...

But he had another vow, didn't he? Had he not promised he wouldn't hurt-

"He hurt him...he hurt him...Don't you want to hurt him, too?"

Thor shook his head and tightened his grip on the mortal as his face turned colors.

Then, suddenly, a choked voice broke through, even with its frailty, "Thor- stop!"

I can't, I can't. I swore it and he's hurt you-

"Brother," several coughs, "you'll kill him. He was- he was helping me..."

Thor tore his face away, to look at the green orbs of his brother, so wide and pleading that Thor, all at once, let go.

The moment Stark's feet hit the floor Loki didn't know what to do. His instincts told him to check on the mortal, to make certain he was well because that's what Stark would want him to do - but the other part of him wanted nothing more than to jump into Thor's arms, leave all of this behind because brother's here, here, here, not going anywhere no more no more, no more darkness to fill me up to scratch me eat me.

He curled in on himself. But Stark saved me, took me from the darkness- such darkness. Did he truly care for Loki? Or did he save him for his own ends, so that he could one day claim him again, use him as he had so many times before?

No no no no... not that Stark anymore, not anymore.

"...Brother?" The word, spoken with that voice, broke through Loki's mind as he suddenly realized he was staring at the other, bright blue eyes staring back, so intensely Loki shuddered at the sight.

Brother. Brother, yes.

A groan and a mumble escaped Stark as he stumbled to his feet, off-balance as if with too much drink - a humorously familiar sight, if still unnerving to Loki.

"Step away from him," growled Thor, stepping toward the mortal with his hammer clutched tightly in warning.

Tony frowned and coughed several times, then attempted to speak, although his voice was rough. "What the...what the fuck, Thor?" He coughed several more times. "You- you tryin' to kill me?"

"If needs be..." he stepped forward again, eyes burning and dangerous.

On instinct, Loki was suddenly in his path. "Brother-"

"Loki, move."

Loki blinked rapidly then moved to step away, but when Thor, once again, moved toward Stark, he couldn't help but block his way again.

Thor frowned, hissing in annoyance. "I will not tell you again-"

"Brother, please," began Loki, moving forward and laying his head on his brother's shoulder. "I...I want to..." What? What do I want? "Please...stop. I just want to go home." But where was home? He didn't have an answer, but that didn't make the need any less true at the moment.

Still, Thor seemed determined, his hammer aloft and pointed at Tony, who stepped back, hands up in nervous surrender. "Look, uh, Thor, I just wanna say-"

"Be silent!" roared Thor as he moved as if to strike the mortal.

Without thinking, Loki jumped in front of Tony. What am I doing?

"Must I tell you to move again, brother?" said Thor, incensed.

"W-why are you doing this?" stuttered Loki, although he didn't understand his own words. He just wanted to go home with Thor; why was he provoking him? Protecting Stark? "He- he's your friend, is he not? Why are you so angry with him?"

Because he hurt you, was what Loki was expecting but the thunderer's next words caught him off-guard. "You would prefer him to me, your own brother?"

Loki blinked, eyes wide. What..? Ludicrous. Thor should know better.

This is insane, thought Tony. Insane, insane, but he didn't say it aloud. When an angry - which was an understatement - thunder god was flashing his giant hammer in your face - that so doesn't sound right - it was probably best to stay quiet and let the other god - who you may have hurt in unspeakable ways - talk said thunder god out of caving in your skull.

Yep. Insane. But what was he to do?

And then...it got worse.

"You would prefer him to me, your own brother?"

What the fuck?

Insane really wasn't quite covering it now.

Loki shifted, obviously taken aback as much as Tony. "N-no, brother. I would never-"

"Then step away from him," said Thor in a low voice that made Tony shiver.

"But...are you...going to harm him?"

"Why would you care, after what he did to you?"

And really, even if Tony didn't really want to- shouldn't want to for the sake of his own safety, he was wondering the same thing.

Loki, voice shaky, answered, "Because he...because..." He looked down, then back up. "It was not him." The trickster god glanced back at Tony. "I still... I cannot stop fearing him, but," his eyes looked around, searching for answers, "but I know it was not him, even if I cannot bring myself to fully embrace that thought-"

"Then you do care for him more than I," stated the older god, still seething.

"What-?" Loki blurted out, shoulders beginning to shake. More like: what the fuck? thought Tony.

"You care for this mortal more than your own brother?" continued Thor, anger barely ebbing. "I should have known," his eyes narrowed dangerously, teeth bared. "You always were a little whore."

At that Loki made a noise of distress that made Tony's heart clench as the god pitched forward and grabbed desperately at Thor's chest with both hands, face hiding against the elder. "No no no no," he sobbed, suddenly, "I'm sorry- I'm sorry, please, brother, I'm so sorry-"

Tony, needless to say, couldn't hold it in anymore. "What the fuck, man?!" he burst out. "What the hell is wrong with you? Did the Hulk fuck up your brain or something because you did not just call your brother that."

Thor glared at him but said nothing as Loki continued to mumble against his chest, "I love you, I love you, I love you," as if the end of the worlds would come and those words alone could hold the inevitable at bay. One of the thunder god's hands went to the nape of Loki's bowed neck, avoiding the collar, as the other hand, in a knuckle-white grip, held tightly to his hammer's haft.

"It is alright, brother," said the blonde god, suddenly calm, his hand never leaving the back of his brother's neck. "I am here."

The way he said that, for some reason, sent a shiver up Tony's spine. He stared, agape, uncertain what to do or say. Because just what the hell was happening here? Had Thor always been that cruel to his brother? In Tony's mind, despite Loki being their enemy for so long, Thor had always been as protective of Loki as any older brother, even as he chastised his acts of mischief. The thought that that guy, who still defended his villainous brother, even after everything, could be so cruel...

Was this real?

"I didn't mean it," whispered Loki with a trembling voice. "Please, I didn't-"

"Hush," said Thor as the younger settled against his chest. "Be silent, now." Loki nodded and sniffled. Thor petted his raven hair and despite the gesture, in any other circumstance, perhaps seeming affectionate, it just screamed of possessiveness to Tony right now. And the way he glared at Tony while doing it? Just...creepy.

"Look, Thor," began Tony, "maybe...maybe we should all just, uh, settle down before, um..." Before what, exactly? For now, this area was safe since the way they came in was blocked by JARVIS and every other path was blocked by debris - except the way Thor had come through, of course. But how safe was that direction when the thunder god had all but crashed through the door to get here?

Thor gave him a look that said, Shut up, in big bold letters, but... Well. Whoever said Tony was cautious?

"I'm sure the rest of the 'carrier could use your help with, uh, all the fucking insanity that's-"

A sharp blow sent Tony flying across the room and into a wall. He grunted at the impact and slid to the floor, wind knocked out of him and...hopefully not more. That's gonna hurt in the morning...

"Thor!" exclaimed Loki.

Even through the darkness seeping in at the edges of his vision, Tony saw Thor give Loki a look and then the trickster's subsequent cowering and repeated apologies as he curled against his brother once again, as if starved for his affection.

Damn that thunder god...goin' all creepy-ass on me.

Thor moved Loki - still with a hand on the other's neck - to a barred door down another short hallway perpendicular to this one. Not gonna do. That led to nowhere. That led to a long drop, then outside. Nice, open air.

The sudden voice of JARVIS filtered through his failing thoughts. "I cannot permit the prisoner out of Mister Stark's presence. Please remain here. I will not open-"

But the AI was cut off when Thor, without even a glance back at Tony, crashed through the metal door and dragged his brother along with him, disappearing out of sight.

Ah, fuck. Forgot about the d-damned ham-hammer...

Sleep suddenly never looked so good.

A/N: Soooo, some of you guessed there was something strange going on with Thor...

Very sorry to anyone who was waiting for The Unopened Door to be updated. I realized, belatedly, that I'm missing a huge chunk of something I was supposed to put in the next chapter so I haven't quite finished it yet. Kind of hectic around here, lately, not sure when I'll be able to update.