"Something's bothering you."

"I'm starting to worry you can read my mind. What am I thinking right now?" He tried to keep things playful, hoping he could keep the seriousness of his thoughts from Pepper. But if there was one thing she was good at, it was figuring Tony out. She always seemed to know how he was truly feeling, and he both loved and hated her for that. The blond gave Tony a skeptical smile before sipping her drink, and frowning at the taste.

"This is awful Tony."

"Well, if certain someone was here to make it for me then it wouldn't taste so bad, would it?"

"Don't be melodramatic; it doesn't look good on you." Pepper brushed her hair over one shoulder, and perched her elbows on the marble island. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Lots of things, but I think we should start in order significance. I have not had sex in almost four months…"

"Tony."

"And you have no idea, well you can probably guess, but you have no idea what that feels like…"

"Tony."

"You know, it's even been a long time since I masturbated…."

"It's about Loki, isn't it?"

That shut him up, and relatively quickly too. The playboy ran his tongue along the inside of his cheeks, un-amused by Pepper's giggle of victory, and looked away. Damn that woman.

"So, what is it? Did he get into your not-so-secret alcohol stash?"

"I am not stashing anything. I am a sober man."

"You're a bad liar Tony, that's what you are. So what is it?"

He didn't know what to say. Correction: he didn't know how to say it. It was well known fact that everyone and their grandmother still resented Loki, though it seemed that after his confinement with SHIELD, it had worn down considerably. When once everyone would shoot nasty glares at the trickster they would now avert their gazes almost ashamed. Tony ran a calloused hand through his hair in thought, his mind racing before he pulled some words together.

"I think I might, quite possibly have feeling for him."

"Oh my God Tony."

"Now hear me out." Tony held a finger to silence Pepper and the woman, out of sheer curiosity, remained quiet. She looked at her friend and waited for him to speak, though she knew he wasn't going to like what he said. She usually didn't.

"I know it sounds wrong, but this is different. Lately he's been like a completely different person. You know how much I used to complain about him hiding my things? It would take me weeks to find my phone or my lap-top."

"I remember."

"Over the past couple of weeks, he's barely left his room. At first I thought he was doing something awful in there. Probably finding a way to communicate with some alien forces through the toilet or something." Pepper snorted despite her efforts to remain serious, and quickly covered her mouth to hide a smile.

"And what was he doing Tony?"

The playboy nibbled on the inside of his lip for a moment then glanced at Loki's room before speaking. "Can you swear to me that under no circumstances will you tell Loki about this?"

It must be serious. Truly serious.

"Tony what's wrong?"

"Swear to me Pep."

"I swear, I swear. Now what is it?"

She wasn't sure what to think. She watched several minutes of the surveillance Tony showed her, and wasn't sure what disturbed her most; the fact that Loki was waking up in a fit of tears and screams or the fact that she felt bad for him.

"I think I've seen enough."

"That's what's wrong, by the way."

"I guess you weren't kidding." Pepper sighed and looked down in thought. She took a seat beside Tony, and let her thoughts wonder. What was so horrible that it could wake Loki like that? The former god of Mischief and Lies, the same man that had come so close to destroying her world.

"I'm guessing he hasn't told you anything."

"Not willingly. I really had to pull it out of him, and I'll be covered in bruises for a while." Tony fidgeted with his hands for a moment, his brows furrowed. "Pep, I've never been this worried about anyone."

"I know. And I'm worried that you're worried. And who you're worried about."

"Something is really wrong with him. And these nightmares started about the same time he started acting different. What if he's going through some kind of PTSD because of what he went through with SHIELD?"

"And what are you going to do about it Tony?" The woman looked at Tony with judging eyes. "Are you going to befriend the same man who, let's not forget, killed an agent? Tony, really listen to me this time, and don't just pretend to listen either."

"I always listen Pep. I don't always do what you tell me to do, but I always listen."

"If there's ever going to be a time when you do what I say, make it now. He is the god of lying. You've heard about what he did to his own family, and you saw what he did here. This could very well be another ploy to get us reeled in. Just imagine everything he could do with your technology Tony."

"If he's playing us, then why did he punch me for looking at the footage?"

"To make you curious! God, you can be so dense sometimes." She knew Tony wasn't an idiot, for as hard as he tried to be one. But sometimes, Pepper worried that he believed his own act. The blond stood and ran a hand over her face before speaking again. "Don't fall for this Tony."