2

'This is not your tower, Man of Iron, your name is not on it. It belongs to Calatrava.'

Cala-who? Tony just stands there blinking for several seconds before he cottons on to Loki's alien logic. 'I can see why it might look that way to an outter space dude; you flew to Stark Tower, where Tony Stark lives, so you assume that's how its done. Sound logic and that does kind of happen, but with houses, Rudolph, and I do so own this tower. Plus the couple next to it too, because you'd really pity the man who's mammy christianed 'The Nexus Next Door' at birth.'

The god of mischief seems unwilling to take him at his word, however. Or even move. 'I've been enjoying this vista for a fortnight and have never seen you before,' he mutters, and his voice sounds downright accusing.

Jesus, has Reindeer Games been prancing around the balconies of New York lofts for half a month without SHIELD's notice? How many people had he already killed? Shiftily Tony's eyes begins to measure the fastest route back to the suit as his mouth continued on auto-pilot.

'I like to keep a spare house lying around, just in case some crazy-assed alien god tries to blow up my tower again. So, sorry to break it to you pal, but you're the squatter here.'

There's this split second between them, where adrenaline washes into Tony's bloodstream and he's absolutely certain that the Loki is actively thinking of throwing him off the tower – but then the God's eyes flicker; luminescent even in the darkness, and although he doesn't so much as move an inch there is just the slightest shift in the way the air feels around Tony, like a high beam laser that's just been powered down.

'I suppose the quiet would not have stayed unbroken long,' Loki finally grunts with no small amount of resignation in his voice, adding, 'If it's all the same to you, I should like to admire the night for some moments longer without resorting to bloodshed.'

And Tony is left with his mouth hanging open as Loki dismisses him with a look and turns back to stare at the sky, completely ignoring him.

For some reason, his brains or maybe his ego's not happy about that. Not one bit, so Tony clears his throat. 'Soooo I think you just stole my line. And you're also much crazier than previously imagined if you think I'm going to let you out of sight, Gargamel, after what you did on your first visit.'

Its added proof that the god must truly be in some kind of State, because instead of threatening him with six kinds of violence or just skipping the talk for even more effective violence he merely sighs and leans back against the balustrade with his eyes closed.

'Suit yourself Stark, but do it afterwards.'

Tony frowns at this. Shuffles. Purses his lips in a manly way, and finds himself still ignored by a god: one who doesn't seem overly concerned about the arch-nemesis standing about a foot away, possibly with backup and suits and tasers; whilst Loki himself is perched in (relative) precariousness.

Okaaaaay.

Something was just not adding up. For starters, Loki's current frame of mind defies categorization under Foaming-Homicide or Monologing-Evil-Overlord; which Tony has pegged down as his only two default setting. Neither does he seem to be toting the usual Asgardian armour, and he hasn't once asked Tony to bow.

Most telling of all, Tony's own self-protecting mechanism isn't urging him to run screaming away; at the most it just occasionally whimpers the tiniest bit; and intuition is the most valuable thing Tony has and the only reason for his repeated feats of- well, everything.

Discreetly he checks himself to see if he's being mind-controlled (alien-gods insult list check. Passwords to favourite porn sites check). Ok, not in immediate danger then, and a Tony that isn't in immediate danger has a tendency of wanting to get closer to it.

He leans over a little more, attempting to see what little he can of the god's still features and ready to shove him over at a moments notice. Loki's eyes are closed, and Tony's brain just kind of freezes for a moment because he appears for lack of a word, to be letting the wind flow through his face and hair, tilting his jaw in subtle directions. It's such an innocent motion that it leaves Tony confused and even more suspicious, but also feeling very much like an intruder. Which is rich considering who he is, and furthermore this being his city/planet ect – but then Loki does look kind of wretched, not that Tony feels remotely sorry.

Still. Given what he knows of the god's towering pride, it would take getting past a certain breaking point to be uncaring of a foe's presence behind you. That, and a great deal of numbness.

So maybe Tony can afford to be kind for one night. Even magnanimous, because seriously, he's beginning to feel like Scar about to pry Muffasa's paws off the ledge. Or Scrooge about to bah-humbug Fred.

'If you'd cease polluting the air with overloud-thoughts, I shall finish my meditation and be gone in but a moment,' Loki suddenly says with his eyes still closed, and really it's just getting a wee bit offensive, the way he seems to act like Tony's more mother hen than mighty ninja. Why does the whole world think Tony Stark is harmless out of his suit?

'You look terrible, Prancer. What's eating ya?'

Again that genteel snort. 'Your unwanted presence, to begin with.'

'You can be nice. I'm just being a good Samaritan, making sure you know that no matter how many boo boos you make, you can always make amends if you're really sorry and there's no need to jump.'

'My heart does thrill at your concern, Man of Iron. Now do go away.'

No way he's going to let a mad god capper around his balcony without supervision. He could be planning to set the building on fire for all Tony knew.

'Come on, Reindeer Games, you know bloody well I can't unsee you now; superhero duty and all that, so why don't you just come in and l-'

Tony draws back, suddenly finding a very sharp knife at his throat and dam his intuition because he's never trusting it again.

'IF you attempt to take me hostage,' the tired voice turns deadly in the split second it takes for Loki's dagger to reach his throat and oh hello there because the god is suddenly on his feet and they're standing nose to nose. 'I shall kill you before your suit breaks through that flimsy pane of glass. Do not test me, Man of Iron.'

'Ok no test. Ok? I know what it feels like to want to take a time out, so, go right ahead. I just recalled owing you a drink, is all.'

'A drink,' the god of mischief echoes flatly, and whilst he doesn't withdraw his dagger he does allows Tony to shift away in gradual degrees, which is maybe but not quite the same thing.

'Yes, drink. Comes in a glass and makes you happy. There's one with your name on it inside, if you promise to play nice and not blow anyone up. Deal?'

'You propose a truce.'

Did he just do that with earth's most reviled super villain? Yeah, maybe he did. Tony shrugs. Two brow-beaten bros recovering from the blows of life. Tony's been there before. He can be nice.

So even though all his senses are screaming at him to get into the suit right now Tony forces himself to turn his back and stroll back to the glass doors casually as you please.

'Come on, Rudolph, we're both of us pretty high on somebody's shit list and everyone can use a break from normality. I'll call a truce for tonight, if you will.'

The look Loki gives him is both alien and inscrutable. Then the god shrugs.

'Very well, Man of Iron. Lead the way.'

Magnanimous Tony Stark, he can live with that