A/N: So is anyone still reading this fic? I hope so! I haven't gone anywhere, just too busy to be writing a lot lately.

I can't remember if I mentioned this earlier, but I won't be putting specific warnings for chapters anymore. Warnings can be spoiler-y. If you made it this far you're probably fine with whatever I write. ;) If anyone has a specific objection, though, I'll add them again.

Hollow Skies - Chapter 19

Loki's eyes slowly, ever so slowly, blinked open. His first thought was that he was so comfortable, that the softness beneath him was so right and the breath ghosting over his neck was exactly what it should be, warm and familiar, but most of all safe.

With a slight frown of confusion, because he suddenly realized this wasn't right, he turned his head to the side.

Thor. Thor is here.

His thoughts weren't forming, they're slow and nestled in the softness of the blankets surrounding him and his brother.

The blond head moved and Thor mumbled as he shifted, blue eyes slowly opening as well. He hummed and smiled sleepily, "Loki," he sighed. The sound of his own name passing through his brother's lips matched the air, fit in perfectly, like a slot being filled, the moment basking in the stillness of one so familiar.

Loki smiled back. "Thor." He couldn't say the name with as much love, but it didn't seem to matter to the thunderer.

Thor sobered all-too suddenly, staring intently. "Are you well?"

"Well enough..." Loki pursed his lips, uncertain. He was also uncertain why he couldn't remember much of the last few days...or had it been weeks? Why wouldn't his thoughts line up? And where were they?

He looked about. Thor's quarters - Thor's quarters on the helicarrier. It didn't seem right, though, he couldn't pinpoint why.

His elder brother sat up, sighed contentedly, then turned to look at him. "Now that you're better, the others have been asking for you."

"O-others?" Loki stuttered, caught off-guard suddenly.

"The other Avengers. They worry for you." He smiled again then stood up, stretching.

Loki nodded but still felt confused. The Avengers...they worry for me? He couldn't decide why, but that seemed odd as well. Of course they had visited him on occasion, but... His eyes widened, thoughts flooding in. He suddenly remembered. "Thor." His voice was too small, nearly a whisper. The other didn't hear. "Brother- Thor!" He moved as if to scramble from the bed, but Thor had heard him and moved back before he could stand.

"What is it? What's the matter?"

Loki's eyes were wide; he felt suddenly so frightened, disoriented. "Th-the Tesseract- the Tesseract. Where is- What happened? Did-did we-"

Calloused hands cupped his face and Loki inhaled a sharp, shaking breath as his brother's eyes fell steadily on him. "It is alright - be calm. Peace, brother. It is gone. Gone."

The trickster blinked several times, disbelieving of his ears. It can't be... "What?" he whispered.

"It is gone. Destroyed."

Loki shook his head. "No...no, it-it can't be that easy, I-" Unconsciously, he rubbed at his neck, suddenly aware of how bare it felt.

"You destroyed it, brother, with your magic." Thor's hands ran through Loki's hair, gently skimmed across his face. "All is well now. You need not worry."

"But..." Loki didn't know what to think; could it be that simple?

Thor pulled Loki to him, then held him tightly to his chest until he could feel the thundering of Thor's heart. His grasp was almost too much, but Loki, eventually, melded into the embrace, even if he couldn't quite be comfortable yet.

"I am so proud of you, brother," Thor mumbled into the top of Loki's head. "But it's all over now, you can rest. I will watch over you, do not fret. Hm?" he pulled back and lifted Loki's chin with a finger as a small smile formed. "I love you."

Loki's face warmed as he felt his own smile forming. "Th-thank you."

Thor frowned in amusement. "Thank you?"

"I...I mean, I love you, too," Loki amended, biting his lip. He still felt...out of sorts, but Thor's presence, at least, was still as soothing as ever, and... Looking directly into Thor's eyes, he was suddenly overcome by a strange feeling. Even stranger, Thor stared back; wide, blue orbs almost shining in the artificial light.

Nodding calmly, Thor leaned in and kissed Loki on the cheek. "You have been through much," he murmured against his skin, not moving away just yet.

"I...I know-"

Thor sighed, his breath fleeting but warm on Loki's face. "I fear losing you again."

Loki swallowed. "I'm not going anywhere, brother."

Thor then moved to Loki's forehead, kissed there, then moved to his other cheek. His beard tickled and Loki tried to pull away to frown at him and tease him about it, but Thor only pulled him closer.

"Brother..." Loki began to playfully protest, but he couldn't pull away as Thor's hands were gripping his upper arms. "Thor," Loki's voice deepened with warning, "you're hurting me." He tried to lean away but, again, Thor kept him close. Then...then Thor moved to Loki's neck, and - although Loki was certain he imagined it - he thought he felt moist lips moving along his throat.

Startled, Loki struggled anew, trying to pull away. "Thor! Let me go! - What in the All-father's name are you doing?"

"Just relax, brother." Thor's voice was muffled against Loki's skin. "Isn't this what you've always wanted?"

"No- no! What are you doing? Stop!" Loki tried to scream the words but they caught in his throat, as if Thor's proximity were pushing them down. He tried to free himself but Thor, as always, was too strong.

The thunder god's lips lingered, and Loki was certain a hot tongue had licked him at some point, but it was the sudden hand gripping at the back of his hair that made him stop moving.

"Thor," Loki pleaded, "Thor, stop. This isn't you, it-it's the Tesseract, it's still-"

"I told you," Thor slowly, almost too slowly, pulled back, hand still holding Loki's hair. His eyes were half-lidded, staring and unblinking. "I told you the Tesseract is gone."

Loki tried to shake his head but the hand only held tighter, twisting painfully, as his other hand whispered along Loki's skin until it came to rest around his throat. Thor's head tilted ever so slightly as he stared at the trickster. All of a sudden he pulled Loki sharply toward him, faces almost touching. The thunderer's right hand continued to hold Loki's hair by the roots, but his other hand moved to caress Loki's blanched face in an unnervingly gentle manner. Tears pricked at Loki's eyes and he didn't know what to do.

"This is what you've wanted," Thor stated in a low growl.

What do I do? Loki wondered. Should he call for help? But what use would it be; could the humans even subdue Thor?

"You're pathetic and weak," Thor continued. "You wanted my protection and love. Isn't that right?"

Stark and the Hulk together might be able to stop him...

Thor forced a sloppy kiss on him as Loki's mumbled protests were lost. Thor pulled back a little further and stared straight at the trickster. "You've always wanted this, haven't you?" It wasn't really a question but Loki couldn't help but respond.

"No. No... You're my brother; I never wanted this. Not this." He knew that look. He knew that look. He'd seen it far too many times - far too many times but never could he have imagined to see it on his beloved brother's face. "Please don't, brother." Hot tears fell down his face as he unsuccessfully tried to pull away. "Please don't..."

Again, Thor's head tilted as he stared at him, as if some interesting puzzle lay before him. Then, the corner of his lip quivered up, as if he were trying to suppress a smile.

All at once Loki knew what was about to happen. He had been in shock, he hadn't been able to process it properly, but now he knew. Thor suddenly freed him - as Loki knew he would - as he tried to maneuver the trickster into a more desirable position, tried to push him onto the bed, but Loki, with everything in him, darted off the bed - practically fell off it - and ran for the door. He didn't let himself stumble then, he didn't allow his feet to trip him. He made for the door and didn't hesitate.

He didn't hear Thor following him until - No!

A large hand grabbed his foot and Loki crashed to the floor, his forehead hitting the metal door. "No!" he screamed. "Somebody help me! Help me, please!"

Thor scrambled to hold him down and sit atop him at the same time, but Loki wasn't giving up. He managed to get a foot free and he kicked at the thunder god's head with all his might. Grunting, Thor abruptly let go. The momentary distraction was enough for Loki to break free and move for the door.

It opened and Loki ran out, although he again couldn't bring himself to look back. He didn't hear Thor's footsteps but that could simply mean that he'd gone for Mjolnir and was now flying toward him.

Panicked and frantic, Loki ran to the end of the corridor and turned left for the nearest-

There were agents in the corridor, but they...but they... Loki wanted to run passed, to ignore them but they were...

They were all smiling at him. Big, wide smiles. The woman to his left smiled as she walked by, and the security guard to his right. Loki looked on in horror. What in all the Nine Realms?

He tried to move on, tried to remember that Thor was coming, but what was happening? He couldn't form thoughts. I..I've lost my mind. It seemed the only explanation. He had lost Thor and now he'd lost his mind. The SHIELD agents seemed to be going about their business, but their faces...

Smiling, smiling, smiling.

Something crashed into him from behind and tackled him to the floor. What a fool he was! Loki tried to get free as before, but Thor immediately held him down, grabbed his wrists and pinioned them above his head.

"What are you doing?!" Loki screamed at the agents still milling about. "Help me! Do something - what is wrong with all of you?!" He tried screaming more at them but they only continued smiling back, never stopping for him.

Thor's breath fell over him as he leaned down. "Not that easy, trickster," he murmured into his face. "Why do you run?"

Loki looked around frantically, tried to understand why, but none of it could even begin to make sense. "Why aren't you helping me?" His voice broke, barely whispered. His tears fell again and he didn't understand.

I've lost my mind, then. It was all over. Thor was gone; he was gone. This was probably all in his mind. He was dead. Thor was probably dead, too. The Tesseract had killed them and this was his eternal punishment for all that he'd done, all the lives he'd taken. The visage of his brother would torture and violate him for the rest of eternity, over and over. This was all that was left.

Thor flipped him over and Loki didn't fight. He cried but he didn't fight. What was there to fight for?

The agents walked by and smiled, eyes wide without blinking. Loki didn't see them anymore. Didn't care to.

The sound of ripping clothing did not make Loki stir. He didn't listen when Thor murmured something warm and wet in his ear.

He only cried and wished he could die all over again.

When Thor's warmth pushed against him there was a sudden rumbling in the floor, and a violent crash as if something large had hit the side of the helicarrier. Everybody lurched on their feet except for Thor, although he paused.

"What-"

At least Thor had stopped. But what did it matter? Nothing mattered now. At the end of his despair, Loki laid his head against the cold floor, deciding not to care.

A sound like thunder reverberated through the floor. All of a sudden, Loki heard the distinctive sound of Mjolnir flying over his head. Although he was curious, he simply assumed Thor had called his hammer for some reason... perhaps to lay on Loki incase he decided to fight back again-

Cold. It was cold and Loki realized Thor was no longer near him. Startled, Loki dared to look behind him.

"By the Norns, what are you?" Thor asked, but...

But there was another Thor. Another, identical Thor standing beside his doppelganger. Except they were wearing different clothes. One Thor wore his night-clothes, the other wore his armor. Then, the night-clothes-wearing Thor looked down at himself, smiled widely, just as his appearance shifted in a flurry of pale blue light and his usual armor appeared on him, identical to the other Thor's.

"That's better," he stated, then looked at Loki.

His eyes scared Loki so he pushed against the floor and tried to back away.

"Brother?" the other Thor finally seemed to notice him. And when he tried to move to Loki, concern in his eyes, the other one blocked his path.

"Ah, ah," he held up a finger. "He's mine-"

Without warning, the new Thor struck the other with Mjolnir and rushed toward Loki. "Brother, what has happened? Who is that...other me?"

Loki stared at him. Stared at him and feared him, but... But he also saw the worry and the slight panic, the fear of not knowing, of being lost and confused, just as Loki was.

Two Thors. Two. But there was only one Thor. But there are two now. If there are two then one must not be Thor, and the other...

"Brother?" Loki whispered cautiously.

A commotion behind Thor - the true Thor, it must be - drew their attention.

"That damned hammer," false-Thor rose to his feet and hissed. Then, almost immediately he smiled. He smiled along with the agents who now stood around them, motionless as statues. He walked through them, still smiling. "And here I thought I would have so much fun with the trickster. He's such a little whore, I thought we could have fun fuckin-"

Thor immediately threw Mjolnir at the doppelganger's head. It swung back around and returned to him.

The other one laughed and clutched at his face. "Damn. That hurt." But he was still smiling, unfazed.

"It was meant to," Thor seethed, fire in his eyes. He helped Loki to stand, helped him and held him close with one arm around his back. Loki held back tightly. This was Thor, there was no denying it.

"Oh," fake-Thor scrunched his face in mock hurt, "you wound me, thunderer. We almost had such a delightful time in that cave..." He cracked his jaw and spit blood. "But you're just so damned stubborn. Must be that bit of Odin in you," he mused out loud.

Thor ignored his comments. "What are you, imposter? Is this some sort of sorcery? Loki?" He looked to Loki.

"I...I don't know," Loki murmured. He was still so overwhelmed. Confused. Relieved. Confused. But also grateful; grateful beyond words that that wasn't his brother, that he - that they weren't dead. This wasn't his eternal, horrible punishment for his misdeeds. But...what was this then?

The other Thor laughed and leaned over with a hand on his thigh. He stopped abruptly and looked at the other two with a sinister grin. "You wouldn't know, would you, little Jotun? I heard you, all this time." He lifted his arms and waved them about daintily, his voice high, "'I'm so weak and I don't know who I am.'" He was... Was he mocking? It was so strange since he looked like Thor. He continued in the uncharacteristically high voice, "'I can't remember anything because my mind is broken, and I wish Big Brother would keep me, forever and ever and ever and maybe he'll even give me a wet, juicy kiss-'"

Thor lifted Mjolnir threateningly. "Be silent or I will silence you!"

The other one lifted his hands, as if to block the hammer, but he was laughing so hard. "But you have to admit - he's just so pathetic. It's amusing." He sobered so suddenly and stared at Loki that the trickster whimpered and shrunk against Thor. "Isn't that right, Loki?"

Loki could feel Thor's pulse run through him, like the lightning he so easily gathered. It made his hairs stand on end, but somehow, the familiarity of it made him feel less nervous, reminded him that Thor was still here.

Thor again brandished his hammer. "Do not speak again-"

"Or what?" the other bared his smiling teeth and leaned - deliberately - forward.

"Or I will kill you."

He laughed again. Laughed and didn't stop. The agents still surrounding them laughed with him, joined in a chorus of terrifying unity. Then, once again, the laughter stopped abruptly. The doppelganger's smile stretched slowly as his arms spread wide. "Give it your best shot."

X - X

The light surrounding him was so blinding. Loki blinked and tried to shield his eyes, but there was something heavy on top of him and he could barely move.

It was a person, a person on top of him. The person grunted and shifted.

Thor. It was Thor. He would know his voice anywhere, even the noises he made. Loki tried to speak but hard metal was pushing against his face and he couldn't...

He blinked again. What? There was nobody on top of him. Thor was gone. His cheek felt warm where the metal of Thor's armor had been, even the thunderer's scent still lingered. Loki's eyes hurt but he managed to sit up. The chain of his leash clanked about as he moved and he adjusted it out of the way, mindful not to touch it too much.

"Thor?" he called. He rubbed at his eyes and was relieved that the light was subsiding-

His breath caught in his throat.

No.

No.

no no nono no no nonono

A tiny sound escaped him and Loki jumped off the floor as if burned. He was...he was...

No please please-

He was in Stark's home. Stark's home. The long glass window and the couch and the great piano and the stairs and elevator-

Loki coughed, retched, he had to turn over, get on his knees because he couldn't- he was about to- he vomited on the floor and watched the yellow spread across the floor. His tears dropped into the puddle as he watched and trembled, retched several more times.

Stark walked in from the kitchen. "Loki, I thought I told you to..."

Teary eyes wide, Loki could do nothing but sit up on his knees and stare. The brown eyes met his.

"What the fuck. Did I tell you to fuck up my floor or did you decide to do a little redecorating yourself?"

Loki continued to stare. He felt bile rising again but he couldn't move, frozen to the spot.

Stark tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow. "Uh, hello?" He walked a few steps forward. "Do we need a another lesson?"

"Ow...ow, ow, ow."

"What the hell is wrong now, Stark?" Barton asked as he looked back at Tony from the cockpit of the quinjet.

"It's my fucking head, that's what's wrong," Tony answered. "And could I get a little compassion here, if it's not too much trouble? Yeah, thanks."

Clint rolled his eyes and returned to his piloting. Natasha shook her head at him.

The truth was, Tony's head was splitting. He hissed and sat back, then made a mental note to make the suit more comfortable with future upgrades. Really. Why hadn't he done that before? And he would build in an aspirin dispenser.

Steve walked to him, shining shield in hand. "You don't look so great, Tony."

"Again, thanks. Your concern is touching."

"I'm being serious." He sat on his heels in front of the billionaire and Tony couldn't help but flinch back. He didn't really want to be close to anybody right now. And when the captain reached in to check on him, Tony flinched again, but more obviously this time.

"Tony..."

Bruce walked over. Great, thought Tony. He didn't need a doctor - even if Bruce wasn't really that kind of doctor. Still.

"Is something wrong?" Bruce asked, although he didn't invade his personal space like Thor-Junior here was. Bruce knew him better than that and Tony was suddenly, overwhelmingly grateful.

The inventor managed a smile at his friend, humorless though it was. "Just fine, Brucie, I was just checking if something hadn't exploded in my brain recently. Although clearly something has because ow, dammit!" He gritted his teeth and leaned over as he clutched his head.

Now his friend did move forward, as Steve got out of the way, although he lingered.

"What the hell is wrong with me?!" Tony yelled to the floor beneath his feet.

"You really want us to answer that?" Barton called from the front.

Tony suddenly didn't have the strength to answer. He could only breathe. But why was breathing suddenly so difficult. He felt as though he were suffocating, even with air surrounding him. The voices of his friends faded, their distant murmuring sounding as though coming from beneath water. He tried to blink the effect away, but it wasn't working. Nothing was working. And why was he suddenly so afraid?

Something loud popped in his head as Tony fell unconscious.

A/N: So you're probably very confused now. Don't worry, it's not you. Not sure how many more chapters this will go, but two more at least.