Apologies for the length of this one. I really wanted it to be longer, but I couldn't think of what to add, and my flawless beta said it was fine. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's read so far, I hope you're all enjoying it. I promise the next chapter (which I already have written) will be better.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, they all belong to Marvel. Only the plot line and content is my own.

"Morning Sunshine," Tony mumbled, noticing Loki standing against the counter in the kitchen. The god said nothing, but coughed, glaring at Tony.

"Someone's grumpy," the genius muttered darkly, making himself a cup of coffee. "Want some?" he asked, gesturing at the high-tech machine.

Loki just nodded, sniffing.

"I thought I gave you tissues last night," Tony said, puzzled. What with the several drinks and overall confusion, half of last night's details were a bit fuzzy to him.

"You did. I used them all."

"Jarvis, order more tissues. And make sure they're delivered as soon as possible. I don't need Reindeer germs."

"Right away, sir."

Tony handed Loki a steaming mug of coffee and sipped his own.

Personally, Loki found the drink to be rather bitter, but he drunk it anyway. Tony examined first the surfaces, then the cupboards, looking for food.

"Aha! Donuts," he exclaimed, pulling out a box of the sugary treats.

"Help yourself," he pushed the box towards Loki, before picking up a chocolate frosted one.

Loki chose a cinnamon one, and eyed it suspiciously before taking a hesitant bite. It was quite unlike anything he'd tasted on Asgard, but after taking another bite, he decided he rather liked these 'donuts'.

"So, we'll probably have these tissues for you in about 20 minutes. I'm going down to my workshop. If you need me, let Jarvis know and he'll tell me," Tony picked up his coffee, and several more donuts, walking away.

Loki stared at the spot where Tony had disappeared round the corner, feeling an unusual twinge of annoyance. It wasn't as if he'd been expecting Stark to drop everything just to be in his company. No, that would be ludicrous. But he couldn't help feeling slightly irritated about Stark's easy dismissal.

Down in his workshop, Tony was continuing where he'd left off last night, fiddling with a part of his helmet.

"Sir, Doctor Banner is attempting to contact you," Jarvis' voice rang out, breaking Tony's concentration.

"Tell him I'm busy," he orderd.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. He's insisting that he must speak to you and that it's urgent.

"Put him through then," Tony sighed, setting down his tools.

A pixelated image of Bruce appeared on the screen closest to Tony, and the genius immediately noticed how ill his friend looked. He felt a surge of pity for the guy.

"Sup, Bruce?"

"We need to know if you've heard from Loki recently," Bruce said bluntly.

Tony's heart stopped for a second, and he was inwardly grateful that Bruce couldn't see him up close.

"Loki? Not since last month. Why?" he lied, hating himself slightly.

"Last night, Thor had a dream. He didn't see much, all he knew was that Loki was weak. That means he's I'm trouble."

"Look, I don't care what kind of shit the guy's got himself into. Not our problem. And why are we suddenly going off what Thor's seen in a goddamn dream?"

"Tony, this is serious. If something or somebody has weakened Loki, they must be pretty strong. That can only mean bad news for us. And Thor's dreams aren't just normal dreams. They're premonitions."

Tony sighed again. Mentally, he made a list of pros and cons. He didn't want to tell his so-called team, but he also didn't want them rushing off, looking for someone who was safely hidden away in his own tower. Then again, if he came clean, he'd get lectures from everyone, and Fury would probably kick his ass all the way to Asgard.

"Listen Bruce, Loki's fine. And I know that because he's here. With me," Tony decided for once, he'd be a team player. "Last night, he came to me with a cold, wanting some help."

Bruce was temporarily speechless. "You've got Loki staying in your tower? As in the same Loki who's attacked Manhattan so many times I've lost count, and threw you out a window?"

"That's the one," Tony confirmed grimly.

"Right. Holy shit, Tony," Bruce ran a hand through his hair, looking troubled. "I guess I'll tell everyone it's a false alarm, and explain what's happening."

"Don't mention a thing to Fury. Or else I personally make sure I'm the reason you next Hulk out. I'm thinking of maybe trashing your lab."

"You wouldn't dare. I won't say anything to Fury, but if I find one thing out of place in my lab, you're dead," Bruce warned, before disconnecting.

"Ahh shit," Tony groaned, his head falling against the desk.

3 hours later, he was awoken by Jarvis notifying him that he had 13 new messages. 8 of them were from Clint. They ranged from "What the fuck are you doing? You've got a fucking criminal living in your house," to "I'm coming round. I can't miss out on a chance to see the reindeer all sick and weak."

Next was Natasha, and Tony groaned when he heard her humongous lecture on what an idiot he was, and how Loki was likely to kill him, if Fury didn't do it first.

There was even a message from Thor, who Tony didn't even know could use a phone. That one was a highly uncomfortable 5 minute thank you from the God.

Tony knew that there'd be messages from Steve, and probably Pepper, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with shit from everyone.

"Jesus Christ," Tony ran his hands through his hair again, feeling a headache coming on fast.