Chapter 10 - Gone

Loki woke up in Tony's bed, still in pain, and still alone. Tony hadn't stopped walking the night before when Loki had admitted his feelings, and the only reason he could logically assume Tony had done that was because he didn't feel the same. He closed his eyes a moment longer before reaching for the suitcase he'd seen Tony bring in the night before. He opened it and felt his chest tighten at the sight of the snow globe, and he picked it up, setting it on the bed beside him before reaching for the box. He opened the box, pulling out his old cloak and armour, standing so he could pull it on. Dressed again in his colours, he turned to look at the mirror, feeling separate again from the human race. He lifted his weapon, attaching it to his person. He looked back at the bed, at the snow globe, and unable to help himself he slipped it into his pocket. Then he closed his eyes, and disappeared.

Tony went back to see Loki just before noon, and found the bed empty. Not yet knowing to panic, he moved towards the bathroom, but the door was wide open and empty. He glanced back around, noticing the suitcase was open, but instead of clothes being gone it was the separate box that had been emptied, the weapon gone. The panic began to build, but he pushed it down, there was no way Loki would have left without a word, not with what he'd said the night before, but Tony couldn't help but think that was exactly what had happened. Panic set in, and he called for Pepper. He had to try and find him. He needed to find him.

Six months passed. Loki had left earth almost immediately, but he had managed to make sure Tony was alright. He was worried about him, but he also knew that his keeper had left earth the moment he had. That was the most important thing. He wandered through the icy plains of the planet he'd chosen, and reached into his pocket to touch the snow globe. It was a tiny action he repeated a thousand times a day, but one he couldn't stop repeating. He lifted it from his pocket, shaking the snow and looking inside, seeing Tony in the curved glass. He was dressed in his Iron Man suit, flying over New York city, furious as he seemed to normally be. Yet he found himself tuning in on Tony's words; worried more by them than he had been in a while.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., give me everything that S.H.I.E.L.D. Has on Thor."

The idea that Thor would be visiting earth had Loki's pulse stuttering. Thor was dangerous, especially if he was coming for a purpose.

"He comes from another planet, Asgard, but the agents at S.H.E.I.L.D. have him registered as non threatening, sir."

"Then why is he coming here?"

"It seems he is searching for something sir."

"Yeah and tearing things up to find it. But he needs to get in line."

There was a crack of thunder in the globe and Loki jolted.

"What are you doing brother?"

"J.A.R.V.I.S., what about the Chitauri. Found anything on them yet?"

"Not yet sir. Even the S.H.E.I.L.D. Databases don't hold anything on them."

Tony cursed, going silent before asking the dreaded question. "And Loki?"

"Still nothing sir."

There was another clap of thunder, and then a whirring noise that had Loki's pulse dancing again. Suddenly Tony was knocked out of the sky, another figure grappling with him, but the view in the globe was too small for him to see. Standing he began to pace, his free hand pushing through his hair, his whole body releasing panic. But the next voice that came through the globe had him freezing, that panic turning to icy terror.

"WHERE IS THE GOD?"