"Are you sure you can't fly back tonight? There are some urgent matters for you to attend to."
Pepper's feminine snort was cute even over the loudspeaker system. "I'm sure you can attend to those urgent matters with your right hand tonight, Tony. You're a big boy, I know you can take care of yourself."
Tony Stark shifted on his leather chair before his array of computer readouts floating just above the desk. "Ya, but the big guy is gettin' really tired of my sweaty palm."
"So give him a date with your left hand instead? Listen you're the one who made me CEO. I have responsibilities to take care of and you know it." Her chiding tone took on something softer as she added, "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"You're lucky you're worth the wait," Tony groaned.
"Am I now?" Pepper wondered, a slightly accusing tone in her voice before she hung up on him. He let out a long-suffering sigh and moved to stand, maybe order in some burgers and beers, when a loud thunderous clamor resounded through the Malibu house. He tensed as his gaze jerked up to the ceiling, though he was several floors down in his lab.
"Jarvis?" he wondered as his feet instantly took him toward the array of Iron Man suits.
The computer's voice rang clear and calm, "An abnormally large lightning bolt seems to have struck the building. Rooftop sensors are currently overloaded."
"Fantastic." Tony stepped into the latest suit, metal quickly encasing his body. The moment the helmet enclosed his head, he flipped the visor down and blasted off the ground and up the flight ramp out of the house.
"Is this not a little extreme for home maintenance?" Jarvis wondered in his ear.
"Let's hope that's all it is."
As soon as he was out of the house, he did a quick back flip, looping around and facing the roof. Nothing seemed wrong. No holes, no damage, nothing picked up on sensors. He came down for a smooth landing on the flat rooftop, thrusters turning off as he looked from left to right. He was beginning to feel a little foolish and jumpy. There's no way any Asgardian would return to Earth, to his house, just a week after-
A groan sounded from behind him and he spun around, sensors on his readouts flashing red as body heat was detected and a glowing circle highlighted a slumped body on his roof. The dark hair was a dead giveaway, along with the form fitting green and black jacket. "Loki," he snarled as he stepped toward the collapsed man. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he be under Thor's care? Locked up forever in some atrocious animal hide-covered Viking prison? He stopped just before the downed man and roughly nudged him with his boot. There was an instant cry of pain as Loki rolled over onto his back, coughing and moaning, eyes closed and looking a fucking mess. There was something off about the man. He looked… paler, if that was possible.
"What are you doing here?" rang Tony's voice through the helmet.
Loki could barely open his eyes to look up at him. It seemed to take all his strength. Tony's hard features softened just a little at the vulnerable flash in Loki's eyes. "I… I need… help."
"Well that's fucking obvious," Tony snapped as he nudged the man again with his boot, "But why are you here? Where the hell is Thor?"
Loki made to answer him but whatever was ailing the bastard of a demigod overtook him and his eyes rolled back, swiftly passing out in front of Tony. Tony glared down at the unconscious man.
"Oh ya this is just what my day needed."