A/N: Again, sorry for the wait! Another short chapter, but only because I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer! As always, thanks for reading, and enjoy!
Chapter Six
The two men got into the elevator and rode up to the penthouse suite. Tony put his hands up in the air and shook his head as he spoke. "Nope, you'll hear no whining from me; besides, I don't think I own any bad movies, well, unless they're Pepper's and then there might be some bad ones," he said with a chuckle. Shrugging, he continued. "Like I said, you're a smart guy, I have confidence that you'll pick a good one. Oh, one more thing, the movies should be in alphabetical order by the way, please make sure that they stay that way." The elevator doors opened and Tony strode out. He really didn't doubt that Loki would pick a good movie for the two of them to watch. "I'm gonna go make some pop-corn, the one thing I actually can cook without burning," the billionaire said with a grin. "When you find the movie you want, just take it out of the box, press down on the center piece and once it's open, place it plain side down in that." Tony pointed over to the PS4 BlueRay player that was sitting on a shelf on his entertainment center.
Loki just stared at him blankly.
Loki watched as Stark walked off towards the kitchen to go and make pop-corn, 'Whatever that is,' he thought. Stepping out into the open, he strode across to the living room where the movies were located on a vast shelf and began looking through the titles one by one. Every now and then one movie would catch his eye; he'd take it out, read the back, and put it back exactly where he found it. Stark had his quirks, just as Loki had his. 'The mortal's as anal about his object placement as I am with my potions and herbs,' he thought, smirking slightly at the thought. The more he stuck around the mortal, the more he discovered they had in common. Finally settling on a movie titled 'The Princess Bride', he did as Stark had instructed and placed the shiny disk into the black box's slot. He watched as the television screen flickered to life and jumped slightly at the loud sound that followed. "By Odin's beard, Stark, must you have this wretched thing so loud?!"
"Sorry, must have been Clint; he likes watching the action movies as loud as they go. Just tell JARVIS to lower the volume," Tony yelled from the kitchen over the obnoxious sound.
Loki sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "JARVIS, lower the volume so I can once again hear myself think," he stated, placing a hand to his forehead.
Tony popped his head around the corner and looked at the god. "If you're gonna be here, you're gonna have to learn that Jarv pretty much does anything and everything in this house. As long as it's not on a secure server or confidential, you can ask Jarv anything." He went back to watching the pop-corn, making sure it popped evenly and didn't burn, and started melting butter in a separate pot.
Loki walked over and sat down on the couch where Stark had been earlier. "Is he always like this?" he asked the AI as he looked up at the ceiling, feeling somewhat foolish as he did so.
"I'm not quite sure in what manner you speak of Mr..." The AI didn't quite know whether to call Loki Mr. Odinson or Mr. Laufeyson, as he had earlier. "I am sorry Sir, but before I can proceed I would wish to know in what manner you would like to be addressed: Mr. Odinson, Mr. Laufeyson, or something different altogether. I am aware that I had addressed you as Mr. Laufeyson earlier this afternoon, but that was rather presumptuous of me."
Slightly surprised, Loki raised his eyebrows before speaking. "Mr. Laufeyson will suffice. As to the manner in which I was speaking about Mr. Stark, I suppose 'excitable' around guests would be the best way to put it?"
"In that case, Mr. Laufeyson, he behaves that way only to those that he likes. You would know if he did not like his guest. You gave him something to learn from and a project to work on, which places you in a very positive light in his mind. Is the volume sufficient now, Sir?"
The smirk that spread across his face surprised even himself. Shaking it off mentally, he nodded. "Yes, JARVIS. Thank you." Loki put his arms behind his head, crossing them to make a bit of a pillow as he leaned back into the couch more. He could not believe he had just had a conversation with the AI about Stark. The smell of the popcorn wafted into the room, causing Loki to crinkle his nose. It smelled appealing, though he wasn't used to the scent.
Tony finished up the pop-corn and headed out with a large bowl on a tray, complete with different shaker toppings from toffee to three different flavors of cheese. He had also grabbed drinks and ice for them both.
Loki couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Stark carrying the tray with the popcorn, drinks, and flavorings into the room. "I'd ask if you require assistance but I see that you have it covered," he said as he sat upright on the couch.
The genius smiled. "Alright you, the pop-corn is already buttered, but you can add different flavors using these things here," he explained, pointing to the flavored pop-corn salts. "Jarv start the movie, lights to 5%." Sitting down and setting everything on the coffee table before him, he turned to Loki who was on the other side of the couch. "So, what did you pick?"
"I chose a movie called 'The Princess Bride'; it seemed interesting enough," he said with a shrug.
Tony grinned, "You know I don't admit this to many people, but I love that movie. Pep hates it. Go figure..."
"Well it seems that I have been pleasing you all day with my choices, haven't I?"
Tony shrugged it off, "I guess great minds just think alike."
Loki reached forward and picked up a single piece of popcorn and sniffed it before putting it in his mouth. The taste was expected but the texture was not. He ate it with a pleasant crunch and reached forward for more, taking a handful and eating it piece by piece. "This food is unlike anything I've ever had before; we do not have this 'pop-corn' on Asgard."
"Wait, you're telling me that you don't have corn on Asgard?" Tony was shocked. He took a smaller bowl from behind the large one and filled it with some popcorn, adding just a bit of salt without flavoring.
"Corn does grow on Asgard, but this variety is non-existent. Our corn is all different colors, and juicy when eaten, not fluffy and crunchy like this corn."
Tony had to grin; he wasn't sure how to explain the origins of pop-corn without offending his guest. "Well, it's kind of different, we have colored corn as well, and this one I guess is no different than most corns. I don't get into the whole corn genetics thing, but I know it's bred to be pop-corn. In reality though any corn can suffice in a pinch. What you do is dry the corn so that it's nice and hard, then you take it off the cob. Then it can be popped by placing oil or butter or something like it in a pot that is covered, heated, and it just pops and this… this is the result." Tony took a piece and threw it up into the air, catching it in his mouth with ease.
Loki watched him as he spoke, munching on pieces as he listened. "Fascinating, really," he decided on saying, turning away as the previews ended and the movie began. They got about ten minutes into the movie before Loki spoke up. "Stark, I'm not overstaying my unannounced welcome, am I?" he asked, looking over at Tony.
"Huh? No, not really. You really aren't used to being welcomed into homes and staying welcomed, are you?"
"I have a track record and a reputation that precedes me," Loki stated calmly, looking down into his lap.
A/N: Please comment/review! 3