"Loki, where are you going?"
Steve's question earned him an annoyed glare from the god, who had just stood from his spot on the couch.
"Am I not allowed to even stand up anymore without announcing my intentions?"
Loki's snapped reply cause an almost imperceptible shift in the lazy atmosphere that had suffused the room. Although Clint's eyes remained fixed on the TV and Natasha's head remained buried in her book, their shoulder's tensed. The others were affected more noticeably; Thor, Bruce, Sif, Jane, and Darcy all turned their heads. Tony made as to stand but stopped as Pepper put a hand on his shoulder.
As the tension settled upon the group, Loki sighed, adopting a neutral expression. When he spoke again his voice had lost all hints of anger.
"I suppose I'm going to bed. It just so happens that I am slightly tired and cleaning up the tower did nothing to diminish that."
"Oh…right, of course."
Steve nodded hastily but Loki hesitated for another moment longer before turning his back on the group and heading towards the elevator.
The doors closed behind Loki as he sighed heavily, releasing the knot of tension in his chest.
"Tiptoeing around me as if I might explode…ridiculous…"
Loki ran a hand through his hair, but scowled as his irritation at their reactions lingered. Each face seemed imprinted upon his vision. They were probably sitting down there, discussing him as soon as the elevator doors closed.
"Ridiculous."
His annoyance grew until the walls seemed to press down upon him and his body screamed for fresh air. He had to get out, his previous exhaustion suppressed under this need. Loki had to get out now but he knew Jarvis would report anything he did.
The only places in the building that weren't under surveillance were the elevators and his floor was coming up quickly. It took Loki a few moments to conjure a projection of himself and then he was gone.
00000
The sounds of cars honking filled Loki's ears as he let out a relieved sigh. In the back of his mind Loki directed the projection back at the tower to his room, laying it down in his bed before turning his attention fully to his current surroundings.
A river ran under the bridge he had appeared on. Loki watched it for a moment, dark waters reflecting the city lights, before moving his eyes to the buildings. In plain view from where he stood, glowed the Eiffel Tower. Paris had been a place of intrigue to Loki for some time. He had visited the place many times, most before his fall from the Bifrost. He had stayed for weeks, amused as the Midgardians toiled over building a little metal spire, although he now appreciated it somewhat more. He had gone to countless parties with all kinds, eccentrics, snobs, royals, and common folk.
"Midgard…ever changing."
Loki contemplated the water once more, leaning heavily against the bridge. His thoughts flicked briefly back to New York, the Avenger's Tower, its inhabitants unaware that one of their own was currently an ocean away from them. That thought alone made Loki grin, suffusing him with spiteful mirth.
"Where are you going, Loki? Let me do that, Loki. Don't get out of our sight you might go crazy, Loki."
Loki laughed bitterly as he mocked them, anger growing once more.
Who were they to say anything; they hadn't been tortured and humiliated by a man whom they despised within the last week. They hadn't been betrayed by a person whom they, once upon a time, loved.
Loki's anger continued to build and energy crackled at his finger tips. He pointed to the nearest streetlight, laughing coldly as its light broke and went out. He pointed to another, and another, and another, cruel laughter bubbling out of his mouth like a spigot. At the height of his euphoria he directed his attention towards the Eiffel Tower and reveled as its glowing lights burst all at once. He could practically hear the cries of confusion from all the artists and photographers who adored capturing its image.
"Don't strain yourself, Loki. Let's treat you like a child, Loki. Don't do anything we don't tell you to, Loki. Ha!"
He doubled over, cut off from his spiteful mocking by wracking laughter. Another light near him burst, this time not of his own direction. Loki laughed at them, at the world, at every realm, until tears ran down his face. He was sure someone passing had noticed the madman breaking lights and laughing until he was on his knees. He had probably already been reported to the authorities.
That thought gave him enough calm for another change in scenery. Loki had no desire to be apprehended or get on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar as of now. In the heat of the moment, Loki closed his eyes and allowed his energy to direct him wherever it desired. When he opened them his mirth ceased.
Desolate mountaintops stretched out all around him, wind whistling past him, whipping his hair into a frenzy. Loki was sure the cold would have been unbearable to most Midgardians. The air seemed thin as his breath seemed to take more of a toll on his body that usual. He was sure too, that it was unbearable for Midgardians.
"Where…?"
Loki's confusion lasted only a few moments longer, before he turned to the sheer rock wall beside him. A long crack ran along it, seemingly wide enough for a single person to fit into. Loki recognized the spot as it hit him like the wind billowing around him.
"Oh…even my own mind likes to mock me, I see."
The crack, one of the many passages between realms, tugged at his magic; calling him forward. He knew where this one led, one of the many that led to that realm. It seemed only fitting that his energies would place him as close to Jotunheim as they could get within Midgard. Ironically, to the least stable of all passages between the realms.
Loki's anger at the universe spiked again and he grinned cruelly. His energy reacted, sending jets of colored light past him with the wind, illuminating the mountainside for a split second.
"You want to go home, body, I get it. Then fine; I'll take you home."
As Loki stepped towards the cliff he felt the projection in the tower fade away, as his mind began to merge with the other realm. The ground shook as the unstable passage opened up, parts of the mountain side crumbled behind Loki. Then darkness engulfed him.
00000
"Sir, you directed me to inform you if any irregularities occurred."
Jarvis's voice made everyone present jump. Tony sat up, a pit of worry involuntarily forming in his stomach.
"What happened?"
"Sir, Loki is no longer in the building."
"What!?"
Everyone jumped up at once, any weariness forgotten. The room filled with voices as everyone began to talk at once. This continued for a few moments before a deafening clap of thunder silenced the group.
Thor, having earned all attention, spoke to Jarvis.
"What happened to my brother?"
"I shall display the security footage on the screen."
As everyone turned to the TV screen, the video changed to the tower's standard security feed. They watched as the elevator doors opened and Loki walked to his room, going directly to his bed and laying down. The timestamp jumped about 40 minutes, he was still lying down. Then, he disappeared without a flash or sound.
The feed stopped and everyone was silent for a moment. Natasha whipped out her phone and dialed S.H.I.E.L.D. She looked to the group and spoke before the phone picked up.
"Where ever he is we need to let them know he's gone. If anything unusual happens we can be willing to bet it might be him."
Then she turned back in on herself and began speaking to whoever was on the line. Steve began speaking after that, reassuring words that sounded a bit too hollow to really help. But Tony continued to stare at the security feed. The empty room was motionless all except for the tapestry above Loki's bed. The tapestry.
"Hel! Loki's kids!"
Tony shot towards the elevator, joined a moment later by Thor and Sif, who had figured out what he meant a second after he had blurted it. By the time he reached the elevator, everyone had begun to follow him, including Jane, Darcy, and Pepper. They piled into the elevator, more than a little uncomfortable; even in the relatively roomy model.
"Mind explaining whatever you said about Loki having kids to those of us uninformed?"
Darcy's voice carried above Natasha and Clint's, both of who were now on the phone with S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony took a deep breath, impatiently watching the floor number change.
"Loki's got this tapestry in his room. Don't ask me how it works but you can talk to his kids that way. They might know something, if they're feeling chatty this is…and not…murderous."
"Loki has kids."
"Yes, Darcy, Loki has kids."
Before the conversation could continue the elevator doors opened and everyone burst out. They were in Loki's room in a second, flipping the light switch on. But after that Tony hesitated, remembering the last time he had interacted with the figures depicted on the tapestry. He glanced to Thor and Sif.
"Er…you want to give it a try?"
Thor simply shook his head.
"You are the only one of us whom they have chosen to speak with before. I am genuinely not sure how they would react to me; it was my father who condemned them to their places, after all."
"Great…just great. I'm going to get mentally torn apart by a giant snake or a moody goddess. Ok, er…Hel, you there?"
Everyone watched silently as the cloth in the tapestry shifted, giving the impression of a humanoid figure climbing towards the middle of it, standing beside the snake. A cold voice sounded in Tony head.
Anthony Stark, what is it you want?
"Er…we were looking for Loki, do you have any idea what happened to him? He was here just a bit ago."
A sense of disdain radiated from the presence in Tony's mind and he flinched.
My father has not been in here all night.
"Wha-but no he was in here, he lay down on the bed!"
Tony felt the presence probing at his mind and suppressed the urge to run.
What lay in my father's bed less than an hour ago had no presence, it was not him. I suspect that is was a mere projection of his own making.
"I-but…why?"
Tony's mind raced. If Loki hadn't even entered the room then he had been gone for a while now.
How should I know? He must have a reason it probably revolves around you and your friends. I am sure he will return eventually, once he calms down.
Hel's presence withdrew from Tony's mind, taking her cold power with it. Tony stumbled back. Everyone watched him intently.
"They don't know, it was just a projection. I think he's been gone since he stepped into the elevator."
A cold sense of dread settled firmly upon them. Then Natasha spoke up from her place by the door, a dark look on her face.
"Someone reported a freak electrical outage in parts of Paris about 30 minutes ago and S.H.I.E.L.D. just got reports from a research base in the Himalayas of an abnormal lights show and seismic spikes from a remote area. Both of those could be him."
Her words only further imposed the dark mood. Everyone exchanged looks; Tony put his head in his hands.
AN: Hey whoa look at that I actually updated this thing. I've been really museless lately, but the urge to write struck me out of nowhere and you got this. Hopefully that will happen more often as I have no intention of just letting this fic die, I'm not that cruel. Leave a review if you want. They are nice to read. Hopefully I won't do this to you all again.