Back in the park, Pepper was having trouble piecing together a decent sentence, and Frost was tiring of the ring of people still surrounding the two of them, so he wrapped an arm around her waist and teleported them back to her apartment. Once Pepper was steady on her feet in her living room, Loki released her and shifted back into his Asgardian form.

Finally she burst out, "What the heck was that?!"

"A ploy at getting attention," Loki answered, surprised that she hadn't realized that, considering how much he assumed she had dealt with the media as a company's CEO.

"Why?!"

Loki shrugged, saying evenly, "Because I can."

"No!" Pepper screamed back at him. "No, you cannot! You cannot march around town as a block of ice, blasting bad guys! You cannot get me mixed into crap like this!"

"I never asked for your assistance, Flare," he pointed out.

She continued her tirade as if he hadn't even spoken, adding vehemently, "And you are most certainly not allowed to kiss me! Ever! I will kick you out!"

"But you need me just as much as I need you," Loki reminded her evenly.

"And how's that?!"

"Because of this," he replied, putting his hands on waist and watching her expression as her flames receded into nothingness.

She huffed, flushing and pushing his hands away as she turned away from him, muttering, "You still majorly overstepped your bounds."

"And for that I apologize," Loki said, attempting to follow after her, but nearly running her over when she stopped in her tracks and whirled to face him.

"Do you now? Or is an apology just another way to keep me calmed down because you don't want to live with an angry fire breather as your roommate?"

"Pepper-"

"Do not call me that!"

"I'm sorry," he apologized again, taking a step back. "Please, calm down!"

"I've already told you not to tell me to calm down! Do not tell an angry woman to calm down!

"Alright! I'm sorry!" He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. It wouldn't do for both of them to be angry. And then he smirked as a thought suddenly hit him and he said, "Do you realize how many times I've apologized since meeting you? I never apologize; that must speak rather highly of your, ah… nursemaid abilities like you exercised with Stark."

Pepper raised her eyebrows incredulously, unimpressed before she snorted and turned away to continue down the hallway, throwing over her shoulder, "The only thing it proves is how many stupid things you've done since coming here."

"I've done stupid things?" Loki inquired in surprise, calling after her, "Do you recall that little conversation we had Saturday about how many ways I could kill you? And yet the only thing you've done is infuriate me!"

She stopped again, then came back down the hallway to stand before him, saying testily, "Really? 'Infuriate' you? I assumed you'd choose a word more like 'amuse' you."

"That too," he nodded, his smirk growing.

She growled in annoyance and turned to walk away a third time, but he grabbed her forearm and she glared at him as he asked, smirk losing a bit of its carelessness, "Was it really that horrible?"

"What?" He raised his eyebrows and then she realized what he meant, saying sharply, "Being kissed? No. Being kissed on live television? Yes!"

"Hm," was all Loki said, surprised at the first part of her answer – brought on by the thoughtlessness that came with her still-simmering anger – as he decided that her opinion of him wasn't going to be able to get any lower today, so why not?

He cupped the back of her head in one hand, leaning forward and kissing her while wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to him. This wasn't just the quick, chaste kiss he'd given her while in the park, and this time, when given actual time to do so, she kissed him back.

It took Pepper a few more seconds to realize what she was doing, but when she did, Loki wasn't at all surprised when she gasped and shoved him away, yelping, "What was that?"

"A kiss," Loki answered sweetly. "A rather enjoyable one, if I may say so myself."

"You may not!"

"I thought you wouldn't mind, since we're not in front of a television crew." He cocked his head to the side, the mischief that he was so well-known for lighting in his eyes as he asked, "That is what you said, isn't it?"

Pepper opened her mouth, eyes blowing wide as she turned a highly amusing number of shades of red, yet she seemed to have become speechless.

"Virginia?" he asked, arching one eyebrow.

She closed her mouth, then opened it again, gaping until she finally managed a squeak of indignation and then a huff as she turned on her heel and actually made it all the way down the hallway this time, slamming her bedroom door resoundingly behind herself as she left him to his own devices. Loki couldn't help it; his smirk grew until he very nearly laughed. Ms. Virginia Potts really was an entirely entertaining woman when she was flustered, and lucky for them both, he seemed to be good at knocking her off kilter.

Or maybe that wasn't such a good thing for him all the time, he realized, because it was past noon and he was hungry, and thus he would normally require Pepper to prepare him something to eat. At least this time, she'd made something in advance and put it in the refrigeration unit in anticipation of her still being at work through lunch. So he pulled out the plastic wrapped sandwich and set it on the table, grabbing a can of what Pepper, or Virginia – but Stark was right in that respect, she really didn't look like a Virginia – called soda and sat down to eat his meager meal.

A few bites in, he heard her bedroom door down the hallway open and she padded down the hall and into the kitchen. He glanced at her as if in greeting and she glared back to tell him that she was still angry with him while he took in her changed appearance. In stark contrast to the business attire she had been wearing when they got back to the apartment, she was now dressed in a baggy, obviously well-loved New York Yankees t-shirt and cut-off shorts, the look made complete by her bare feet and red hair being swept into a careless bun.

"You look… pretty," he complemented, surprised to find that he meant it.

But he was even more surprised when she slapped him sharply across the back of the head.