Loki was surprised that the billionaire had called back so soon. He wasn't even sure if he was going to call. He wasn't even planning on talking to him until Stark had found his personal phone number. Luckily for Stark, Loki had just finished his meeting, was in a rather good mood, and was heading home when the man on the phone had caught his attention. More precisely, the man on the other side of the line.

"Would it help if I told you I was Tony Stark?" The employee furrowed his brow about to deny this statement.

Loki tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "Patch him into my personal phone. I'll deal with him."

The employee nods, looking grateful and quickly complies. "I'm sorry for the wait, sir. I'll patch you in."

Loki smiled at the man, then left the building. He pulled out his phone just as Stark came on. "Mr. Stark," He greeted. "I wasn't expecting you so soon."

"Enough of the formalities. What's with the whole 'business card to a company I don't apparently work for'?" The man was obviously irritated.

Loki chuckled, "I don't."

"Don't what?" Stark practically yelled.

"I don't work for them, Mr. Stark."

"Then why would you give me that card?" Suddenly, his voice had calmed down, "Also, you can call me Tony."

"Well, Tony," Loki made sure to emphasize the man's name, "I believe I wrote down my number on the back," he paused, smiling to himself. He had given Tony the card to give him a challenge, a puzzle of sorts. If Tony really wanted to talk to him, he was going to have to work for it. Plus, he had to prove that he was worth talking to. There wasn't a number on the back of any of his cards, but Tony didn't know that, and he was the God of lies after all. "Unless, I gave you the wrong one. I'm dreadfully sorry."

"You knew what you gave me." There was a pause. "If you don't work for them, why did you have their business card?" Stark was getting more inquisitive, before he hadn't asked as many questions. Loki was determined to answer these questions as vaguely and unhelpful as possible.

"Because, it's my business card."

"How can it be your business card if you don't work there?" Loki didn't respond. Surely, Tony would figure it out.

"Fine, don't answer that. How about you tell me why you don't work there, but the employee's can patch you in?" He seemed very frustrated and Loki was amused at how worked up he was.

"I was in a meeting," He paused when he reached his house, it was only a few blocks away from his work and he didn't mind the walk. "How about we meet up again later?" Tony had been about to say something, but Loki had cut him off. "I have to go, but you have my number now. See you at the same place tomorrow? You're paying." He hung up. Obviously Stark really wanted to know what Loki did for a living. Maybe he was hoping to get some money from him, or to promote his company further. Maybe he wanted to get his company inside Loki's. Stark looked like a man who had everyone under his boot, and if he saw someone with power, he needed them under him as well. What Tony didn't seem to realize as that Loki had an even bigger boot, and Tony was an ant in comparison.

Loki wondered how long it would take before he realized that Loki was not a mere mortal. He wondered if Tony would figure out that he helped his brother form a company, but wasn't really involved in it and only took money from it. Sure, he had to attend some meetings here and there, but that was it. No one even knew that he and Thor were brothers. They shared the same name and that's where the similarities stopped. Loki supposed he could have changed his name to Laufeyson, but it was long and people couldn't pronounce it right most of the time. He wondered if Tony would figure out that Loki was thousands of years old, that he lived in space. He wondered how he would react when he found out. He wondered why he cared.

With a sigh, he opened his door and stepped inside his flat. The comforting forest green walls and black leather couches greeted him. Gold framed paintings flashed as he closed the door behind him. A vase of flowers on the glass coffee table filled the room with a sweet scent. It was quiet and peaceful; He'd put up a silencing charm to keep out the noise of the city.

He desperately needed a shower. The day had been hot and he hated sweat. But, first, he needed to eat. He hadn't had anything since the confrontation with Stark and his stomach was protesting. He searched his cabinet and fridge for something to eat, eventually deciding to have some leftover food from a couple of nights back. He settled down to eat and turned the TV on. His phone rang. He ignored it, hoping the person would give up; It kept ringing. He'd been ready to relax a bit and now this person wanted his attention. With a frustrated groan, he got up and looked at the caller. It was Thor; Of course it was. What did he want now? Begrudgingly, he answered.

Before he could say anything, Thor's boisterous voice blasted into his ear. He pulled it away so the noise wouldn't burst an eardrum. "Brother!"

"Yes, Thor?" Loki made sure his tone was quiet and calm, hoping that would remind his adopted brother to be quiet as well.

"Father is coming to Midgard!" Usually, Thor could never surprise Loki. Loki has always been more attentive than him and has always been able to make an accurate guess as to an outcome. But, this statement had caught him completely off guard.

"What?" He spluttered. Thor must have misspoken. Or maybe the signal was weak and Loki had missed something Thor had said. Odin wanted Loki and Thor to return from Midgard. That must have been what Thor had said.

"Father is visiting us! Isn't this great, brother?"

"The...the Allfather," Loki couldn't breathe, "is coming here?"

"Yes! Can you not hear me, brother? I will speak louder if you need me too." Loki didn't answer. He was too busy panicking.

He loved Midgard. One of the reasons for this love was that it was Odin free. His so-called father was the bane of his existence. He wished that Thor wouldn't be here either, but he could deal with Thor from a distance, so he tolerated it. Odin never liked Loki and didn't trust him either, so when Loki asked to go to Midgard, he had sent Thor with him. Loki hadn't done anything to hurt the people of Midgard. Sure, he only served himself, but he never intentionally sought out others' pain. But, it was the same thing over and over. Odin never trusted him and Loki tried to get away from him. It didn't help that Odin had hidden Loki's true parentage from him. It didn't help that Odin had only taken him in because he was to be a pawn.

He'd been so much happier without the Allfather around. For the first time in a long while he'd been content, happy to be himself and no one else. And now Odin was going to ruin it all again. What if Odin made Loki go back to Asgard? Just thinking about it made Loki feel claustrophobic. Gilded statues and columns keeping him inside, holding him back. The aristocracy glaring at him, eyes never leaving him, burning a hole into his skin. The whispers behind his back, insults thrown in his direction. Being labeled as argr just because he was good at magic and disliked fighting.

"Loki?" Thor cut into Loki's spiraling thoughts. Quickly, Loki tried to compose himself. His heart was still beating and dread still filled his whole being, but he was able to keep his voice from trembling.

"Odin hasn't been on Midgard since the war with the Jötnar. Why is he coming here now?"

"The Allfather doesn't need a reason to visit his sons." For some reason this comment made Loki mad. Thor never stopped insisting that Loki was his brother and that Odin was his father. Loki had gotten used to that. It still hurt, but not as much as it used to. And even then, Loki had been mad at Odin, not Thor. But this statement made Loki hate Thor. Rage filled him, pushing aside his dread.

"No, Thor. He is here to visit you. He would never come to visit me unless he wanted to make sure I was behaving."

Thor, noticing the rage in Loki's voice, tried to calm the situation down. "He specifically requested that both of us meet with him. If it were not so, I would not have disturbed you."

Loki realized that Thor was only desperately trying to keep his family together; Despite the fact that he was naive and didn't know exactly what to do. Thor was aware of Loki and Odin's relationship and was only try to act as the mediator. Loki took a deep breath in and released it, letting his anger fade away.

"When is he coming?"

"In a week."

"Okay. Thank you, for informing me, Thor. I will be there." Not wanting to hear anything else that Thor could say, he hung up.