HUD: More new things! Enjoy!
Loki had been in the game for awhile, now, some five years or so. He'd seen them all, from snooty businessmen that seemed to draw energy from buying all Loki had to offer and flaunt their fortunes like Loki really gave a fuck, to more humble persons that perhaps bought a few hundred units because that's all the budget could afford. Those Loki preferred the most - doing the best for their companies and employees and guests versus how well the purchase looked as a write-off at the end of the year.
As is the environmental game, day in and day out, but at least the company Loki worked for was worth a damn at the end of the day.
Unfortunately, Loki's next client showing was at Stark Industries, a previous weapons manufacturing mogul turned clean energy and technology to benefit all of mankind instead of just the owner and shareholder's bank accounts. Loki was looking forward to the challenge (not a single other rep for Norse Life had even spoken to the head PA, let alone scheduled a meeting), but Loki had a weird feeling. Something felt odd as he walked into the spacious lobby, all lined in dark wood and sleek stainless steel, was handed a visitor badge and directed to take the elevator to 'my left, your right, hall right behind me, Mr. Laufey'. Loki couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Regardless, minutes later he was sitting outside of Mr. Stark's office with his briefcase by his ankles and messenger bag on the plush couch beside him. He drummed his fingers on his knee in time to a subtle rock beat behind the door to Stark's office, now verging on four minutes. It was familiar (maybe Foreigner? KISS? Whatever.) but Loki couldn't put his finger on it until a woman in a pinstriped pants suit with strawberry blonde hair and a tight lipped smile clicked by him. She turned only to nod and her smile turned somewhat apologetic as she continued, waving her smart watch over a black pad against the wall by the double doors. One door clicked and opened a few inches, revealing the music within. It was AC/DC, and hell was it loud.
"Tony!" She snapped, closing the door behind her. Loki subtly hid his grin behind his palm under the pretense of pushing his glasses a little further up his nose. A moment later and the music stopped, a deafening silence in its wake. Loki heard the woman's voice and a slightly muffled male answer before silence. Loki was beginning to wonder if this was a bad time before the door opened again.
"Hi there," the woman greeted warmly, her hand still on the handle. "I'd like to apologize for your wait. My name is Pepper; I believe we spoke on the phone?"
"Indeed we did," Loki answered, taking the hint for what it was. He quickly slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and took up his briefcase. A few seconds later and he was accepting the hand Pepper held out. "I am Loki Laufey."
"Thanks for coming. How was your flight?" She asked, opening the door to allow Loki to come in.
"Well, thank you," he said. "I always enjoy coming to New York, business or not."
"I'm glad to hear! The city has a lot to offer during your stay, too, so make sure you see a museum or two," Pepper continued. Once Loki was inside, she shut the office door and lead him to a small table to the left. "Pardon us just one another minute; Tony is gathering a few more things. Would you like something to drink?"
"Ah, water, please. Thank you," Loki answered, deciding to use the few extra minutes to set up his display. It really was just an SI tablet from the Sleek line, nearly wafer thin but with the highest specs on the market. It was his own personal device, much preferred than the ancient piece of shit his brother used on his own presentations.
Pepper set a cool glass with a bottle of water within reach for Loki but didn't interfere. After Loki had his tablet and samples fanned out, he took the bottle and unscrewed the cap. Just as he took a sip, ignoring the glass, Tony Stark walked in with a Sleek Steele of his own in red and gold. Loki gulped a little harsher than he intended.
Sure he had seen magazine covers of the young CEO but damn those photos did absolutely no fucking justice. His hair was artfully styled in a slight bedhead way that complimented the sharp lines of his mustache and goatee. Even right down to his smart dress shoes that matched his black-and-gold tie, he was perfectly put together. Stark's honey eyes brightened with mirth as Loki hastily screwed the cap back on his bottle and took the CEO's proffered hand in a firm handshake. The man's smile was blinding.
"You must be Loki!" Stark said, pumping his elbow. Loki nodded and reminded himself to keep his handshake firm and his knees to stop shaking.
"I am, yes. Loki Laufey," Loki answered. "Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Stark. It is an honour to meet you."
"Tony, just Tony," Tony offered. Loki nodded, making the man's smile brighten just a tad further. It reminded Loki of something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
"Shall we get started, gentlemen?" Pepper said pleasantly. Loki realized he was still holding Tony's hand and pulled back quickly.
"Absolutely," he agreed, turning to his display. He waited until Tony and Pepper took a seat before diving into his presentation.
"I believe, with Stark Industries' new outlook on clean energy and technology, that a partnership with Norse Life would be highly beneficial. For your particular brand, I feel that our Flavour line would be exactly the type of refreshment to carry in your break rooms, employee recreational rooms, as well as your entertainment venues and charity galas." Loki took up his tablet and swiped on his video, passing it to Pepper's open hand when Tony didn't take it. Odd.
"As you can see, we carry many bottle designs and colours to fit whatever motif you may require, right down to the Stark Industries logo across the entire label." On cue, the bottle Loki had designed on the flight over faded in. Pepper gave an impressed nod, inclining the picture for Tony to see. Loki continued: "Despite the customizable label, our real brand is in the product. All our juices are one hundred percent natural. It does bode for a low shelf life, but we continue to stay true to who we are by not using unnatural preservatives and making small batches at a time. The Flavour line consists of ten different flavours, ranging from strawberry-kiwi-banana-kale to blueberry-raspberry-pineapple. All flavours are as delicious and bold as the last, with a sure favourite for everyone." Loki waved a hand at the other portion of his display, all ten flavours in a rainbowed row before them.
"Pepper, do you see a Flavour you'd care to taste?" Loki offered with his best smile. Pepper set Loki's tablet aside and smiled back, shifting from one bottle to the next.
"Could you recommend something without berries, please? I'm allergic to strawberry and don't care for the rest of them as a result," she asked. Loki nodded and took the glass Pepper had set down earlier for him. He pointed out one of his own favourites.
"This is called Chill, a mix of watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, and a hint of cucumber. It's quite refreshing," Loki explained. Pepper's eyes lit up, so he smiled and held his finger up for a moment. He turned to his messenger bag and pulled out his instant chiller, cracking it before dropping the bottle of choice inside. He shook the bottle to his side before twisting off the cap and pouring a generous portion into her glass and sliding it over.
"Please tell me what you - "
"Hold up." Loki paused, both he and Pepper looking now at Tony. The man held his chin on his palm, holding out his hand in a 'gimme, now' motion. "I want that."
Loki looked at his hand and passed the bottle over. "Did you want another Flavour?"
"Nope!" Tony chirped, almost snatching the bottle from Loki's hand. He removed the bottle all together and eyed the semi-hard container the bottle had been in. "What do you call this?"
Loki swallowed, feeling out of his element. "I, ah, call it nothing, really. Just an instant chiller."
"Interesting," Tony muttered, turning the little cup holder over and over, peering inside of it and looking at the bottom. "Where'd you get this?"
Loki felt heat steal up his neck. "I made it."
Suddenly Tony's eyes were on him. "You made this?"
Loki shifted his weight. "Yes."
"What the hell are you doing selling organic fruit juice when you have this little gem?" Tony demanded. Pepper elbowed him.
"Tony, you're being rude; try the juice and shut up," she hissed. Loki would have found it incredibly hilarious any other time but right then - no; he was under Tony Stark's infamous scrutiny and he couldn't tell if it was good or bad.
Probably bad, if the slight quirk in Tony's eyebrow was anything to go on. Maybe he should just answer and find out.
"It's a hobby," Loki answered. Take it in stride. "I work on ideas to make my job easier, and the juice is much better cold. A cooler is far too cumbersome, so I fixed my own problem."
"How does it work?" Tony asked, holding the device back out. Pepper just sighed.
"Well, at the bottom here," Loki began, turning the cup holder upside down. "There's a pressure point, similar to those heating gel pads that you crack a metal coin inside and it solidifies. Same concept, just with a cooling agent like inside liquid ice packs. It thaws in its own time without a need to boil."
"Remarkable," Tony muttered. He looked up at Loki. "Do you have more?"
"Just this one on me," Loki answered. "It's the last prototype; I've a few more back in London that aren't as refined."
"Pepper, buy all you want of this, but on the contract mark Loki Laufey as our sole consultant. That'll ensure he gets a hefty commission for this before resigning," the CEO said, startling Pepper from where she'd been enjoying her drink. He stood up as abruptly as he'd spoken, grabbing Loki by the wrist and dragging him further into his office. "After that, you'll work with me personally starting tomorrow for Stark Research and Development - "
"Pardon me, what?" Loki snapped, snatching his wrist back from Tony's whirlwind of a tirade. "You're insinuating that I quit my job for you? How can I possibly be listed as your only consultant when I'll be working here?"
"Good point," Tony paused, shoving his hands into his suit pockets. "Pep, buy a lifetime supply of Flavour or whatever."
Loki felt the wind get knocked out of him. What the hell was this twat's problem? "No, I'm not working for you."
"Why?" Tony demanded. "Clearly you have a higher calling with little pieces like that. Why wouldn't you want to be a part of something bigger, something that makes an impact?"
"Norse Life does make an impact, on the environment and people more than a fool like you would understand," Loki hissed. The room fell silent, Loki's words echoing for only a moment. He swallowed, realizing that he'd probably just cost himself and the company he believed in their largest contract yet. Except, perhaps he hadn't.
Tony's eyebrows rose, a small smirk playing on his lips. "What do you want, then? I'll have you, anyway it takes."
Something in the way Stark spoke pulled at Loki, at a memory he couldn't quite recall. "I won't work for you, not this way. Do things properly and buy whatever you'd like, a case or truck loads for all your international and domestic offices," Loki answered. "But do not stand there and demand like you are owed. We all play our parts, and so you shall as well."
Tony nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "As you wish."
Loki paused, feeling as if the breath had left him. "Ah, what?"
"Pepper, see Mr. Laufey out, get him a car," the man said, turning his back to Loki. "We'll be in touch."
The next few minutes were a blur - Pepper ushered him to the door and elevator with briefcase and messenger bag in hand and another apologetic smile, taking his visitor badge in the process. Then he was again in the stainless steel wooden lobby with a car already waiting to take him to his hotel at the curb. It wasn't until Loki was standing before his hotel when it hit him:
That bastard still had his bloody tablet. Loki just groaned and took yet another elevator to his room. No fucking way was he leaving for anything short of the apocalypse before his flight tomorrow morning.
Whatever deities that hated Loki decided to give it a go once more that evening, when a call from the front desk had Loki trudging downstairs for a package. It had Stark's logo in the upper left, something Loki absolutely did not want to see. He took it back up to his room and settled against the headboard, sighing and pulling the box onto his lap. He ripped the brown paper off and tossed it to the floor, lifting the lid with a relieved sigh.
His tablet was there, beneath a folded note with his full name across it. Loki unfolded the page and skimmed it, his jaw slowly dropped as he continued.
"That fuckwad," Loki hissed. "How did that happen so fast?" Well, money certainly talked, and Tony Stark at a lot of it.
Stark Industries not only bought enough Norse Life juice for every worldwide office hundreds of times over, but they actually fucking bought Norse Life. All of it, every piece of stock. Which most likely skyrocketed with the addition of the Stark name, the company's first venture into organics, which made Loki a virtual millionaire thanks to his commission.
But now also an employee of Stark Industries.
Below his tablet was a black polo trimmed in silver with the Stark logo on the left breast, Loki Laufey, Lead R&D below it. Loki scoffed, pulling the shirt out. Of course Stark magically knew his size, because why the hell not? The man was a bloody genius and ruthless businessman to boot. He certainly didn't take no for an answer.
Loki looked back at the letter, picking up where he left off. You start tomorrow, eight A.M. Please text the number below for how you prefer your tea. Sure, okay. Did he get the President's number, too, or was it just Pepper? Regardless: I look forward to working with you, Loki.
Loki blinked; the letter wasn't signed. At the top, it did read From the Office of Anthony E. Stark, CEO Stark Industries, Head R&D, but below, where one would usually sign a letter, it only stated As You Wish. An odd way to end a professional letter, Loki decided. Still, there was something strange about the whole thing: Tony's entire demeanor before, during, and after Loki's presentation, their conversation, Tony claiming he would have Loki anyway it took...
Wait. Woah. Woah.
Loki stared at the top of the letter, at the bottom, at his SI polo, then back to the top. Anthony Stark. Loki remembered coming to America and going to an MIT funded science fair summer camp. He met a boy there, around his age but actually attending college. They were both lonely and Loki was going to be in the state for at least a few weeks if not more because of his father's law firm; he remembered them becoming fast friends and something a little more. That Anthony had been his first kiss, his first science fair partner, and his first boyfriend and love.
Could that Anthony and this Anthony be the same?
He is, Loki decided, suddenly grinning broadly. He always said the same thing to me, said he heard it in a silly movie. Loki had long ago seen the film and was able to reminisce happily of his youth, wondering what had happened to his own Wesley when he watched from time to time. Now he knew.
His Wesley spent his time as the Dread CEO of SI, trying to make a difference however he could. Through reaching out to a leading organic company, one that Loki just so happened to work for and was heading to America to help further. Loki's name was as organic as the company he worked for, after all.
It was a wonder that Anthony had grown to be such a handsome man after all those years; his angles shaped well and he wasn't quite so thin anymore. Still, Loki should have known once he saw that grin and those eyes. Somethings never changed, and Loki was willing to bet the same on Anthony's wonderful laugh.
Loki pulled his tablet to his lap and unlocked it, opening an old file he'd kept around because something told him it might come in handy someday. Who knew it actually would and in such a spectacular way. Loki couldn't wait to see the look on Anthony's face when he set up their old hover board prototype with updated schematics and a working digital 3D test model.
Loki suddenly couldn't wait to start at Stark Industries Research and Development at eight tomorrow, steaming cup of green tea with cream and honey waiting for him; to see the mirth again dancing in his rediscovered love's honey eyes.
As you wish, Anthony.
A/N: The Princess Bride! :) Now, same drill as before. Name some lines you want to see!
