- I'll Always Come For You - Chapter 2
Trying to keep himself calm, for Kaleb's sake, was a lot harder to do than Tony would have thought. His heart was racing, and he knew he his actions were bordering on frantic. JARVIS had the bottle prepared by the time Tony got to the kitchen, a fussy baby in his arms.
"JARVIS, you are the perfect nanny. You sure you can't babysit? I could program you for diaper duty."
"That sounds thrilling, sir, but I think I will pass."
Tony smirked, grabbed the milk and brought it and the baby back to the nursery. It took a while, but the dim lights and Kaleb's contented sighs as he drank soothed Tony enough that he was able to stop the panicky feeling that had gripped his stomach. Maybe Loki had gone for a walk? Sure he hadn't ever done that in the middle of the night before, but who's to say he wouldn't? Loki had never been what Tony would call predictable.
The first time Tony saw him in person, Loki surprised him. After putting on quite the show for the Germans, and nearly beating Steve to a pulp, the horned god gave up quite easily. Tony doubted it was due to the blast he had just given him from his repulsors. That hardly seemed to phase him. Yet there he was, raising his hands in an easy surrender. Tony was used to men and women alike falling down at his feet, but something told him that this guy wasn't the type to do that. Surprising. As his fancy armor and helmet faded from view, Tony was also a little surprised at the pang of disappointment that flared inside him. He was not about to admit to himself that he kind of liked the helmet. No way.
On the plane, heading back to the helicarrier with prisoner in tow, Tony, a self-proclaimed master of feigning disinterest, watched Loki with feigned disinterest. He bantered half-heartedly with Steve, but he was more annoyed by the other man than he should have been. Glancing back at Loki, strapped to the seat, staring blankly at the air in front of him, Tony wondered. What made this guy tick? That's what he really wanted to know.
A sudden lightning storm flared outside in the night sky. Thunder crashed, rattling the jet even above the vibrations of the engines. Loki looked around, genuine fear etched on his features. Tony was about to say something when Steve piped up.
"What's the matter, afraid of a little lightning?" taunted Steve.
"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki answered in a voice like silk. Like melted chocolate. Sinful. Poisonous. Divine. Damnit Stark, get a grip on yourself! That was the first time he'd heard Loki speak. Up until then, the god had been silent, ignoring both Tony's and Steve's attempts to talk with him. If that's what his voice sounded like...well Tony didn't know if he wanted Loki to recite Shakespeare or whisper dirty things to him in his ear. Or neither, for the love of God. He did not need to be wanting either of those things.
A loud crash made everyone in the jet jump. Tony snapped out of his stupor and sprung into action, donning his mask and opening the cargo doors to check the exterior of the jet for damage. Before he could take a step toward the exit, a man jumped in, wearing a now familiar style of armor, but with a red cape instead of green. This must be Thor, Loki's brother. Tony knew he could deal with this guy, no problem. He raised his hand, readying his repulsor beam, but found himself knocked to the other side of the plane like a rag doll. Okay, that hurt, Tony grimaced, trying to breathe again. As he struggled to get up to his feet, he watched the blond guy grab Loki, pull him easily out of the restraints and jump out the back of the plane. Seeing Loki disappear, he felt a pang in his heart that he tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to convince himself was just the lingering effect of the mythical hammer he just took to the chest.
With barely a word to Steve because he was reacting on pure instinct, which screamed in his ear to get Loki back, Tony jumped out and flew after the brothers. It took him a while, but he found them and again, without even thinking he flew right into Thor, knocking him off the hillside he stood on. They crash landed on the forest floor, rolling a few times.
Getting to his feet, Thor grunted, "Do not touch me again."
"Then don't take my stuff." Tony retorted, not for the first time wondering why his brain sent words out of his mouth before he had a chance to review them for possible unintended revelations. My stuff? Tony rolled his eyes at himself and spit out some snark at Thor, hoping he wouldn't think anything of his first comment. His attempt at distraction turned into a fight, not surprisingly. Tony was impressed at how well Thor held his own, but he never lost sight of the fact that Loki was sitting up there on that ledge, watching the whole thing. No, it did not make him show off. No one could ever prove that. Tony Stark was all about showing off, but he did that for anyone. Anytime. Who could say that he was doing it now just to give Loki something to notice? No one, that's who.
With a shake of his head, Tony dragged himself out of his memories. Kaleb was fast asleep once again, which must have happened while Tony was lost in his thoughts. Quickly, but carefully, Tony laid his son back in the crib and exited the room, clicking the door shut quietly behind him.
"JARVIS, when and how did Loki leave?" Tony wasted no time, stopping at the kitchen to drop the empty bottle into the sink, and then heading over to a portable computer tablet laying on a table in the living room.
"At 3:54am this morning, Loki walked out of your bedroom, traveled down the elevator and met up with two people just outside the entrance." came JARVIS' calm and collected answer.
"Pull up the footage of him leaving. Everything you have." It only took a few seconds for the video to be loaded onto the tablet. Tony scanned it closely. There were no cameras in their bedroom, for obvious reasons, though Tony often threatened Loki that he'd install them just for fun. The footage started as the black-haired man left the room, leaving the door wide open behind him. He moved as if in a daze. Sleepwalking, Tony thought? Though it was not something Loki had ever done before, and Tony didn't even know if he was capable of it. He had always slept like the dead, with little to no moving in his sleep. He wore only his favorite loose cotton pajama pants, his pale torso gleaming in the video's enhanced lighting. The screen switched to the elevator camera, showing the top and side of Loki's head. Tony's brow furrowed. Something was definitely off. After pushing the button for the lobby, Loki stood stock still, arms straight at his side, eyes staring straight ahead.
The tablet switched again, this time to the lobby cameras. Only the small group of security guards were there, and they barely glanced up as Loki walked by. They were used to seeing him by now. Didn't they notice he wasn't dressed? Tony thought angrily. They were so fired! Loki walked without incident to the doors of the building, pushed them open and stepped into the cool night air. It was early October, so the air wasn't cold, but certainly Loki would have felt chilled going out there with no shirt and only thin pants. Tony shook his head, completely confused. And more than a little worried.
Camera coverage outside his building was sparse, covering only the entrances and exits. Loki had just about stepped out of sight when it appeared that two people, dressed in what looked like heavy coats - cloaks? - grabbed his arms and pulled him from view.
"Damn!" Tony cursed, his heart racing. So someone did take him!
"Are there any other cameras nearby, J? Find out and get me their data." Tony barked. "And get the team here!"
"Already done, sir. I've called everyone and alerted them."
"Great. Call Pepper too. Have her fire the security guards on her way up" Tony knew no one, besides his fathers, loved Kaleb as much as Pepper did. She'd be more than happy to stay with him.
"Yes, sir"
Tony watched as a few different video feeds pop up on the screen. He chose the first one and could just barely make out the two figures grabbing Loki and putting him into a dark sedan. Loki didn't even put up a struggle. What the hell? Tony cursed to himself. Was Loki expecting this? Why didn't he fight? Was he drugged? None of the other cameras showed anything of use, unmarked car, disguised figures, nothing to indicate who they were or where they might have taken Loki.
Tony sat back and ran his hands through his hair. He wanted to pull it out by the roots, but instead he just gripped it tightly, closed his eyes, and tried to calm his breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Looking down, he realized he was also still dressed for bed, wearing only boxers and a gray tank top. He hopped up and went to throw some clothes on before everyone got there. He'd quickly show them the video footage, then he'd be in the suit, canvassing the city.
No sooner as he reentered the living room, now dressed appropriately, than JARVIS alerted him to the others heading up the elevator. They spilled out in a group, Steve, Thor, Bruce, Clint and Natasha, everyone talking at once, demanding to know why they had been woken up at such an unreasonable hour.
"Guys! Shut up for a second, will you?" Tony shouted, effectively silencing them. "Loki's been kidnapped."
Thank you all so much for the reviews and the favorites/follows! I am so glad you're all liking the story so far! Hopefully this chapter shed a bit more light on what's happening, as well as a little more about what happened to get us to this point. More will be revealed soon, I promise! Next chapter up soon!