A/N: Slight warning for very slightly and minor attempted non-con (?) if that's what it is called? Well just letting you know towards the middle-endish there's a very brief mention.
They flew down a few states before stopping for the night as Pepper decided she wanted to partake in one meeting via skype. Loki enjoyed resting in the hotel room for the night even though Pepper had made him sleep on the floor while she and Happy took the bed. It was still better than sleeping on the jet and the floor wasn't too bad considering it was a five star hotel.
They had landed in an open field nearby a town in Tennessee the next day. Thankfully the field was just full of wildflowers that wouldn't be missed as opposed to the crops of a farmer. Pepper watched as Loki prepared himself to get out and drop the first hint of his location. This would definitely expose him though and Pepper was very nervous with whatever action Loki was going to take.
He wasn't specific in telling her what he was going to do. All he said was that he must draw enough attention to himself and do something drastic enough for it to end up on the national news. But he also needed a place where the town was spread out and the authorities would take a while to reach him. Plus, it was likely the town only had a couple of cops given the population size. Good. That meant he could get way.
"I am going to need a gun," Loki said as he slipped one of Pepper's pink hoodies over his head. He had a small messenger bag strapped around his shoulder. He was about ready to go.
"No," Pepper said. "I'm not giving you a loaded weapon! You can't murder anyone, Loki!"
"I do not plan on it. I need bait not a body," he replied calmly. "I need a prop. And of course, a means of self defense."
Pepper exhaled sharply, closing her eyes to calm herself. "Promise me."
"Oooh, I do not believe you will trust any promises I make." He smirked playfully.
"You're right, I won't." She sighed before moving towards the cockpit to ask Happy for one. She returned with a simple revolver, handing it over to him gingerly before shrinking away from it. "Just...please don't kill anyone. I swear, if you do, I'm leaving you in the middle of this field so help me! And don't do anything illegal, please."
He only laughed. "Fine mother."
He left with a simple nod, pocketing the gun in his bag before running all the way over to the town. It took about five minutes for him to reach a store and he felt refreshed from the exercise he did. In fact, he felt pumped, though he was slightly out of shape from sitting all around the tower. He was sure going to burn that off.
He entered a small convenient store with rusted walls and a wooden sign with the words "Food Mart" written on it in sharpie. There were only a couple of customers already there, both simply milling around as if they had nothing better to do. Loki walked straight up to the checkout counter where a single employee leaned against the hard surface. It was an older lady with graying blonde hair and a bandana. She was chewing on a sunflower seed and spat it right out on the floor as Loki approached her.
The frost giant wrinkled his nose in disgust. How uncultured.
"Excuse me, Lady Marge," he said in his sweetest voice, glancing at her name tag to address her.
"How may I help you, sir?" she asked in the thickest southern voice he ever heard, looking him over and wrinkled her nose at him.
"Does this store contain surveillance cameras?"
She pointed to two behind her and one in the opposite corner of the store. Marge gave him a questioning look. He smoothly pulled out his gun and pointed it at her. She jumped back with a screech.
The other customers jumped up in alarm and Loki was quick to point his weapon towards them in turn before back at Marge. "I am not sure how this 'robbing a store' thing works but know this: my name is Loki. The same Loki that lay New York to ruins. Tell your leaders that."
He shot a few rounds at the ceiling before swiping a few bags of gummy worms. "I have robbed you Midgardian! Ha tell your authorities of my crimes!" He started backing away and stared pointedly at the camera. He waved at it.
Behind him he heard a few clicks and turned to see the customers had guns of their own. Well...shit. He had not been expecting that. They started screaming at him that he had brought his alien ass to the wrong place and he agreed. He turned heel and ran as fast as he could from the store. Behind him he could hear them chase after him, but he was much faster. He ran all the way back to the plane and didn't hesitate to jump in.
Tony was a wreck. He really was.
After he discovered Loki's disappearance, he ran around the tower and grabbed all the hidden alcohol and liquor he could find. He gathered it up, locked himself in his lab, and got wasted.
He woke up spewing and with a nasty hangover. The iron man felt miserable and empty, similar to what he felt when Pepper had left. Bruce and Steve were distraught over Loki's disappearance, but even more concerned for Tony's health. They tried to reach him but JARVIS was under order to keep him locked in. They finally saw him when he resurfaced two days after the discovery. But that was when the inventor had donned his suit, drunk out of his mind, and had done some embarrassing things in public.
Tony would barely talk to them.
He simply sat in front of the television in his room surrounded by bottles and tubs of ice cream. The iron man also had JARVIS search nonstop for any mention of Loki, but so far, nothing. Nothing at all.
He had just flipped to the news when JARVIS interrupted. "Sir, I believe Thor is on the balcony."
"Bastard," Tony growled, feeling a surge of anger. He was the reason Loki had left. Tony jumped to his feet and headed out to the common room to meet him. "Get the suit ready, I want to blast his fucking Asgardian balls off. Where is he?"
"I believe he is on the balcony, sir."
The television was on. Tony paused to turn it to the news and sat down on the couch to wait. He snapped his bracelets on just as Thor knocked politely on the newly fixed glass door before walking calmly in. Well that was quite the change.
The blond stopped in front of the iron man with a stony expression.
Tony rolled his eyes before beginning. "So where the fuck is the usual glass breaking and screaming you do goldilocks?"
"My brother is not here." Thor said, almost calmly. It was weirding Tony out because he wanted Thor to be loud and obnoxious so he could yell at him.
"How the fuck do you know that?" he snapped. "And congrats big boy, he left because you wouldn't stop stalking him!"
"He left me a letter. It states, 'catch me if you can' so I assume he is beginning a game of his." Thor raised the piece of paper in his hand. "Do you know where he went off to?"
"WHY WOULD I TELL YOU?!" Tony exploded, throwing a bottle at the Asgardian's head. Thor simply swatted at it before it could hit him and it shattered on the floor. That just infuriated Tony more. "Can you just leave him alone?! You were the one who made it clear you wanted nothing to do with him, why the hell do you want him back?"
Thor just stared at him, a shadow falling across his face. The blond looked very just then, as if he were thousands of years old. And he probably was. With a sad smile he gave a dry chuckle before frowning.
"You do not know how sorry I feel, friend Stark. I let my anger get the best of me and I shall never earn forgiveness for it. I don't deserve forgiveness for the pain I've caused my brother. I do not know how to show him how much I care in a way he understands."
Tony watched as Thor sat down next to him, looking him in the eye. "You don't know at all, you son of a bitch."
"Do notinsult my mother. Not after her - ahem. But please, I'm not entirely to blame here. Don't forget how many times I've tried to repair everything, even before his fall. I've always called him brother but he never accepted that." He folded his hands together. "And he has committed many acts in the past that are in no way good natured. But you've forgiven him for that."
Thor tilted his head slightly as if to say, so why won't you forgive me and why am I painted the bad guy?
Tony didn't say anything as his anger dissipated. Man, all this brotherly shit and emotional crap was getting annoying. He tuned in to the news to try to escape it. On screen was grainy footage of a security camera clearing showing a figure he knew well.
"-and it appears that 'Loki' is back in action once again! The alien villain has been spotted in New Leaf, Tennessee. He has robbed a convenient store by gunpoint but only took a couple packs of gummy worms-"
"Shit!" Tony yelled and jumped to his feet. He had a lead! He turned to Thor but the god was already running out to the balcony. He swung his hammer and flew away.
Pepper had given him an earful after seeing the news report online about his robbery. Loki had responded with a grin and threw a pack of gummies at her feet. She refused to eat anything stolen.
They had landed in Kansas the next day in another wide open field. It was nighttime and Loki was wondering what to do now. SHIELD was definitely on his trail now, along with Thor, and every authority figure in the country. Thankfully no one knew about his connection with Pepper. That was a plus.
He shuffled around a much larger town than the one before, not sure what exactly to do. His bag was filled with supplies, namely his gun, duct tape, and a knife which was his weapon of choice.
This town was much more populated. In the very center was a tall marble statue of what he presumed to be the mayor while a ring of different stores surrounded the area. There was even a club nearby that Loki decided to mill around.
He was getting bored just standing by the entrance when a young woman was shoved out from the building by a young man. He started slapping her which caused alarm from Loki. She fought against him but he grabbed her wrists. The two went to a nearby alley and Loki moved from his spot to follow. He knew what to do.
"Leave her alone," he said sharply as he approached them, the guy pressing her against the wall. Loki raised his gun at him and the man obliged.
"You should go ma'am," Loki said to the woman who thanked him profusely before running away. Turning back to the man, he lead him out to the statue and taped his whole body to it. Finishing off by making a thin slice in the man's cheek, Loki smiled and admired his work.
"When they find you, tell them Loki did this to you."
With the arrival of the second incident of Loki, Tony wasn't sure what to think. Did Loki run away from home to turn to a life of petty and kind of lame crime? What in the world was going on?
He chuckled darkly to himself before donning his suit. Either way, he was heading out to find Loki and bring him back. There's no way he could expect him not to follow, not after all they went through.
He was just about to leave the tower when Steve called after him.
"Hey! Tony wait up," Steve called, running out to the balcony donned in his own suit and shield.
"No, no, Stevie you can't come with!" Tony said.
"Please I have to! He's my friend and plus this pretty crime needs to stop. It's a little annoying after all we've taught him."
"What about Bruce?"
"He's going to watch over the tower."
"Fine," Tony allowed it. "I could use the extra pair of hands."
They had landed at an airport in a nice city in Colorado. It was a miracle no one recognized Loki, but then again, they had gone through their own privacy that only big money could buy. Pepper and Happy had headed off to do some business leaving Loki around four hours of time to do whatever he pleased.
Loki was milling around the local mall, scanning through throngs of people for his next victim. He had a pretty good idea in mind involving tying someone up and sending them down an escalator. He spotted a nice sized elder man walking by too who would make the perfect target. But as he took a step forward to approach him, he was interrupted by a breath on his neck and a familiar voice in his ear.
"Policemen watching you and there's five of them. Two behind us, two by the entrance to Forever 21, and one ahead of us mingled with the crowd. Turn around and hold my hand. We'll walk into the Victoria's Secret."
Oh yes, he knew who's voice that was and chills went down his back. He wasn't going to listen to her at first but after a glance at the crowd ahead of him he obliged. Spinning around with a fake flirtatious smile, he gave the red head a peck on the cheek, and grabbed her hand.
"There you are sweetheart! Come on, let's go look at," Loki paused a second to glance over at the store dubbed 'Victoria's Secret' and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "lingerie. It appears thongs are on sale today. Let me buy you some for our time together later tonight."
She responded with a giggle behind a hand, sweeping her gaze around as if she hoped no one heard that. The policemen were looking away, faces slightly pink. Good.
The two sauntered into the store and she walked Loki deep into the world of bras and thongs. Finally, they were alone in a position where they could speak. Loki sighed in relief. "Thank you, Lady Romanoff. I owe you a favor in return."
"Strange seeing your face around here," Natasha said smoothly. "And on the news every night."
"Are you going to have me arrested, agent?" Loki asked. "You have me in a corner. SHIELD would be proud."
"No," Natasha shrugged. "I don't feel like it. The game you started is too fun. Fury is having a shitstorm trying to find you and it is quite amusing."
"You are jesting."
"No, I'm on my day off."
"No you're not." Loki narrowed his eyes. "You would not be out in the middle of the country on your day off."
"Fine. You caught me. I'm currently waiting for my target to arrive," Natasha crossed her arms and leaned on a clothes rack. "I have about four hours to kill before he shows up so I decided to use that time to do some shopping. Only, while I was trying to pick out a nice pair of heels, I happen to glance up and see a familiar man walking by."
Loki looked away. She smirked before going on, "And guess what? Right behind him were two policemen trailing him. They thought you looked a lot like the same Loki who destroyed New York, robbed a convenience store, and taped that man to a statue."
"In my defense, I only took a few bags of gummy worms from that store and the man was trying to rape a woman."
"You're getting really sloppy," Natasha chided him, shaking her head. "At least put on a pair of sunglasses or wear a hat or something. You're wearing the same thing you were in when you robbed that store!"
"Well I do not have any more clothes to wear. I left them at home!"
"Home?"
"Stark Towers."
Natasha gave him a funny look then before wiping all expression from her face. Loki bit his lip in slight irritation. Pepper had a similar reaction to him when he said that. "What? Do not do that to me."
"Why did you leave Stark?" she said softly. "Last I checked you two were pretty cozy together. Did you breakup?"
"We were never in a relationship." Loki raised a brow. Did she think they were a couple back then? Either way, he wasn't entirely comfortable with where the conversation was headed. He tried to fight the slight flush that came to his cheeks and suddenly became interested in his nails. Normally he would be able to keep his cool in a situation like this, but for some odd reason, the spy had that certain quality about her where it was too difficult not to squirm under her scrutiny.
"Do you like him?" A small smile formed on her lips.
"No," Loki said, voice cracking towards the end, meeting her gaze determinedly. He repeated much more firmly and with a straight face, "No. I do not harbor any feelings for that idiot nor will I ever. He is simply a resource that I no longer can utilize which is why I made my departure. Besides that he is unworthy of a partner as he is way too inferior to my greatness."
That only caused Natasha's eyes to sparkle and her smile widen.
"I knew you did! Well, he definitely likes you so you have a chance," she said, a strangely playful tone Loki was surprised to hear. His face was definitely red now and played with his nails again. Did she really mean that?
"I do not believe I will ever see him again," he said sadly. "But enough on this subject!"
"Why did you leave him?" she asked again. At this point Loki figured, why not!
"For his safety. Thor is hunting me down for reasons unknown and it was becoming a threat to Tony's wellbeing."
"So now you're luring him away," she said, connecting the dots. "Putting down bread crumbs."
"Precisely."
"But you've chosen to expose yourself in the process. Why?"
"Fun," Loki shrugged. "I know he will reach me eventually so I figured I might as well have fun with it."
"You know Stark is following you too, right?" she had that strange smile on her face again. "You running away hasn't solved the problem of your boyfriend."
"Please let us not discuss my personal problems." Loki sighed. "Or my feelings."
"You need to discuss them with someone."
"No I do not," he snapped. "If you are so keen on talking about it, you have to tell me all the lovely gossip about your relationship with Barton."
"I'm not with Clint." she stated firmly.
"But you want to be," Loki insisted. "Or at least he wants you to be more for him. It was something he mentioned during my debut to Midgard."
"Don't talk about the mind control because I was just warming up to you," she warned, slight growl in her voice before it reverted back to the firm tone she had before. "But I don't know about Clint. We're partners at work and he's funny, but I just don't see him that way. But Steve on the other hand..."
Loki just stared at her, eyes widening in shock. Shit, had he stumbled into some sort of love triangle? "No way."
She just gave him that small funny little smile and chuckled. He shook his head, "No way!"
"Yes."
"Really now? Steve Rogers? You fancy the captain?"
The spy openly laughed at that before grabbing his hand and leading them out of the store. "Come on! We're going shopping. I need to grab a new pair of heels, get my nails done, and grab a dress. And you need a couple of outfits to carry you over."
Loki followed, keeping pace with the red-haired woman. Did he just...befriend the spy? That could work well towards his advantage. Plus it meant he had one less enemy to worry about.
A/N: Here have this long ass chapter because school is starting up again and I know it's gonna delay my updates!
So yeah I know this isn't too realistic. Just go with it, it's fiction. It's not unrealistic to the point where cats are suddenly mooing and taking over the planet with radioactive goo so we should be fine.
Keep in mind that I usually write at 2am when I'm half asleep and won't remember anything I write the next morning. ;u;
I love every character. Loki is going to commit more petty crimes and SHIELD will catch up with him I promise. So will Thor. And Tony. And every citizen that recognizes him. This isn't going to end well.
I may have stolen some ideas from Captain America 2. I just found it too tempting to ignore. And I ship Steve/Natasha AND Clint/Natasha and didn't know which pairing to go with for here. Uhmm I'm probs going to go with the former, sorry Clint.
We have Loki kind of admit he feels a little for Tony? I don't know.
I don't know what I'm saying here. I don't know what I'm doing half the time. Happy Easter. I wish it was Halloween.
Thank you so much for the reviews! They literally made me so happy and motivated. You all are too kind and I'm so glad you enjoy this train wreck of a story that is slowly reaching the climax. (:
Anyway I hope you enjoyed this!