A/N:
1) I apologize if Tony is OOC in this chapter - I cannot decide whether or not he is, but I feel I'm pushing the limits of what Tony Stark might actually do. On the other hand, it does not seem likely that he would leave his cat un-named when he has named everyone else in his life (and in some cases re-named them), and I cannot think of any other name appropriate so this is where we wind up. Don't worry, I am actually not going to routinely push the limits of believability for characters, so if this is a big fail, it at least will not be intentionaly repeated.
2) I mean no offense to anyone's culture or beliefs or whatever else, I'm just sayin - some words in other languages sound really bad in english, and just beg for some sort of wisecrack.
3) To those not in the know, guano is bat-doo, or sea-bird-doo depending on what location you're in.
...
...
JARVIS had given Tony a life expectancy of three weeks, or optimistically eight weeks if he consumed enough of a chlorophyll-antioxidant blend that JARVIS had designed, and stayed in otherwise good health, so Loki finds himself extremely concerned when three days after the terrible revelation – to which Tony's reaction was inscrutable, even to him – Tony sits down with a bottle of scotch, the consumption of which clearly is not conductive to health.
It is his turn to be chiding Tony out of concern, but in his cat form, all it comes out as is an aggravated meow, and though he gets Tony's attention, it is clearly not enough to make Tony reconsider his drink.
He is about to give up, but looking at Tony, he can see the emotional and physical weariness dragging the mortal down, like invisible chains pulling him under the surface of dark waters – and Loki decides that an intervention is necessary.
Deciding that his best course of action is a trick, he jumps up to Tony's side and sniffs at the filled glass. As expected, Tony puts the glass – and the bottle - on the coffee table and tries to scoop Loki up, gently chiding:
"Uh-uh, none of that now."
But it is the move Loki had been expecting and he twists out of the mortal's reach, pouncing onto the coffee table and sending both bottle and glass crashing to the floor before jumping onto Tony's lap.
Of the two possible reactions, Tony opts for amusement instead of anger, and he cups Loki's face between his palms, chuckling as he said:
"You're a born trickster, huh…"
Loki padded closer, purring with satisfaction as Tony continued: "… and the world's smartest cat…. I think you need a name."
At that last statement, Loki's purr dies abruptly in the face of the possibility that he might get stuck with a moniker like sour-patch, though he feels somewhat appeased when Tony cradles him closer and regards him seriously saying: "I gotta say though, it's hard to find one that fits."
JARVIS chimes in: "Would you like me to compile a list of common male cat names, sir?"
Tony shakes his head, still looking Loki in the eye very seriously, and replies, addressing his computer:
"There is nothing ordinary about this cat…Ah, how about something unusual then…. JARVIS, what are some mythological names of male personifications of mischief?"
Seconds later, JARVIS rattles off a list
"Puk, Set, Gauna, Loki, Hermes, Tengu…"
To Loki's relief, Tony balks at the first three, exclaiming in mock horror: "Puke, set, and guano – oh, what were they thinking?", then he smiles slightly and turns back to Loki saying:
"How does Loki sound?"
Loki is so shocked that Tony had actually nailed his name that he cracks up laughing hysterically, and being a cat, it comes out as a loud purr. Taking this as a sign of approval, Tony said:
"Then it's settled, Loki."
At that moment, Pepper walks in, and deadpans: "Loki? You named a cat after some mythological figure? Nobody does that." – and Loki finds himself laughing – purring really – again as Tony's only response is a wide grin that clearly says 'all the more reason for me to do it then'.
As he watches Tony smiling, despite the terrible truth that hangs overhead like a dark cloud, Loki realizes for the first time that the chance to bring even a fleeting happiness to another is one of life's greater gifts.
...
...