A/N: Funny thing is, I stayed with my aunt for a few days, and she has a thin black cat with green(ish) eyes (ironically named Tony). She was a cute little demon who would meow after everything I said and slam the blinds against the window in the middle of the night to get me to pet her. Between her and my own demon cat (whom I adore), I've had plenty of inspiration! ;)

Home, Sweet Home

The next day, Loki called upon his magic, but it was still too depleted to do anything more than stir feebly. The Horseman was a leech, living off of the life forces of other creatures and, in this case, their store of magic. Loki's magic would return to him with time, but at this rate, he would have to wait for days, maybe even weeks for his magic to build up enough for him to turn back and to have a reserve to defend himself from any further assault.

For the moment, Loki channeled what little magic he had into healing the burnt and decaying flesh of his arm – well, foreleg, technically. He wondered what cats did for food in the city, and balked at the idea of chasing rodents back into their dens.

He would save that problem for later. Right now, he found that he was terribly thirsty.

There was a bit of rainwater pooled at the base of one of the mansion's gutters. Loki eyed it distrustfully before crouching to lap at its contents. The water felt good against his parched throat, good enough for him to ignore, for a moment, just how degrading this whole situation was.

The click of heels on pavement alerted him to a human presence nearby. It was early, barely dawn, and Loki had thought that he might be able to sulk in silence for a few more hours at least. But then he turned, ears flat against his skull to lock eyes with Pepper Potts. Dressed in sharp business attire, the woman held a styrofoam cup of coffee in one hand and a pad and pen in the other. The steady click of her heels slowed to a stop a few feet from where Loki crouched, and it was bit strange, craning his head back to stare up, up at her.

Pepper's lips curled up into a soft smile, and slowly, so slowly, she bent to place her coffee, pad and pen on the ground beside her. "Hello, there, little kitty!" she greeted Loki with annoying, babying tones.

She reached for him, slowly still, and Loki growled in the back of his throat. He was used to instilling fear in the hearts of mortals at first glance, not this sort of childish... glee?

"It's all right," she cooed. "I won't hurt you."

Loki eyed her distrustfully but allowed the pads of her fingers to brush back the fur on his head. In his mind, the gears started to churn. Humans kept cats for pets, didn't they? Perhaps if he acted pathetic enough, he could mooch off of Pepper for a while and make off with some information on the Avengers or at least Tony Stark.

Yes... this could work.

Loki did what he did best and turned on the charm. When Pepper reached to scratch behind his ears, Loki leaned into the touch, hesitantly at first before nuzzling directly into her hand. Her nails did feel good scratching lightly over his scalp, then his shoulders and back. She paused suddenly and gingerly lifted his injured hand – paw, his injured paw.

"Poor little guy," she murmured. Loki allowed the touch for a moment and then backed away a step. This was starting to get nauseating.

Pepper glanced over her shoulder for a moment, biting her lip, before picking up Loki in one swift motion. Loki's stomach lurched as she rose to her full height, and he resisted the urge to dig his claws into her eyes. He was somewhat appeased when she scratched under his chin.

"I think I know just what to do with you," she said, and her smirk was devious enough to give even the god of mischief pause.

"What is that?"

"It's a cat, Mr. Stark."

Tony rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes, I see that. But what's it doing here?"

Loki was currently trying his best to be nauseatingly cute. Clean and dry, his leg newly bandaged, he was curled up in Pepper's lap, arching into the light touch of her fingers along his spine and purring. Sitting in a high-backed chair and petting the cat in her lap, Pepper looked like an evil empress.

Apparently that comparison had flashed through Tony's mind because he was favoring her with a sideways look. Pepper returned the stare for a long moment before giggling. Loki could feel it through her stomach as he eyed Tony Stark imperiously.

"I found him outside the door," she said, smiling fondly down at Loki. "I made a ton of calls, but no one is looking for a missing cat of this description in the New York area. It is almost your birthday, and I thought you could use a friend." She smiled innocently at her boss.

Tony stared at her, mouth open like fish. Loki was used to seeing him with a mask obscuring his features, and it was rather fun, watching the raw, naked expressions pass over his face. Tony closed his eyes and groaned.

"Pepper," he said, his tone tired and long-suffering, "we've been over this. I don't need a pet!"

"I know," she wheedled, hugging Loki in a way that would earn her a slap later, "but he's just so cute!"

"Then why don't you take him home?"

"My boyfriend's allergic."

Tony crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Pepper in a way that he probably thought was commanding. Even Loki knew that he'd be giving in to her demands soon enough.

"Oh, come on!" Pepper said. "You don't want to send him to the pound, do you?"

Tony's scowl wavered. "I am not getting a cat."

"I have a cat."

Tony said the words like they were a prison sentence. He sat at the table and stared back at the cat sitting on the table.

"So now what? Do you do tricks like a dog or something?"

Loki stared back at the human, wryly amused at the discomfort in his expression and stance. His eyes narrowed in a sort of cat-smile. Disguising himself as Tony Stark's cat was even better than being Pepper's – oh, the mischief he would cause! – but also more dangerous, should one of the other Avengers recognize him. Ah well... the danger was half the fun.

Tony sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Suppose I should come up with a name for you, huh?"

Yes, good luck with that, mortal.

"Pepper wants to name you 'Sprinkles'."

Loki's ears flattened back against his head.

"Yeah, I don't like it, either," Tony chuckled. Tony studied him for a long moment and smirked. "Thin with black fur and green eyes." He scratched a finger under Loki's chin. It tickled a bit, and Loki's tail twitched. "And prissy. You're like a cat version of Loki."

Loki froze, tensing to bolt. Did the human suspect...?

Tony huffed and stroked his fingers gently down Loki's spine. His dark eyes were soft, almost affectionate, and Loki forced himself to relax. Perhaps their recent battle had merely put Loki at the forefront of his mind?

Tony chuckled wickedly. "Yes, I think 'Loki' suits you. What do you think, cat?"

Loki stared at the human for a long moment, trying to find any hint of suspicion there. When he found none, he nuzzled against Tony's hand to let him know that, yes, he approved of the name.

"Loki it is then. Guess I'll need to get you a litter box and stuff, huh?"

Loki would have furrowed his brow if he could. What was a litter box?