So...Tony's reaction had caught Loki off guard. Really. Loki had no clue Stark was such a ball of pent up burning rage and that he would explode. Though he could justify most of the anger toward Pepper, the rest was questionable. Nevertheless though, he had tried to calm the man down, it worked, and he was able to run away. The frost giant figured it was the perfect time to stay low, especially with another avenger in the towers.

Steve Rogers. Captain America.

He would admit he was surprised with the selection Pepper had made to watch his every move. But at the same time, who else could be there? Bruce Banner was a near perfect choice with a steely calm, but the hulk was another deal. It was too much of a risk for Pepper, so she moved on to the next. Clint Barton? Natasha Romanov? They both were part of SHIELD. That was a definite no.

There was Thor...Loki mentally cringed. His ex-brother wouldn't have accepted the invitation if he found out Loki was at the towers. Their fight was still fresh and the big oaf would want to avoid any additional stress. On top of that he had no time to watch over a mortal and make sure he wasn't drunk while Loki took advantage of that. Not saying Loki would, but everyone silently believed he would make that move. No, Thor had to help manage Asgard.

So that left one more person which was Steve. The supersoldier was strong enough to keep Loki at bay if needed; he had exhibited that skill many times before. From what Loki could guess the captain was also a calm guy, well, if not angered like Bruce. Steve didn't have a hulk though.

But his presence still uneased him. Just like Tony, Steve was a prior enemy of his, and Loki was expecting the soldier to try to get revenge. Stark may not have beaten him to a pulp yet, but would Rogers? What exactly was the man's full personality anyway? He didn't know, and that bothered him. What was under the surface? Was he really just an all-around, good, pure intent guy?

Loki had locked his door and pushed a spare chair in front of it. With that he sunk down in it, pulling his knees to his chest and taking a breath. He looked around his room warily. It had become somewhat comfortable over his stay, but it still felt foreign to him. But he rather be in it that outside at the moment. People were dropping their shit.

He wanted to know what had happened in the span of time that he left. What exactly went down between Pepper and Tony and when did the latter become so bitter? He had noticed the iron man to have a bit darker heart. Of course he would pick up on that. It wasn't just the fact that it was early either. Something just wasn't working and Stark was falling apart from it.

"JARVIS," Loki asked the ceiling, "Is there any way for you to serve food in here?"

"Yes sir, but I don't advise it. Be social."

"I don't believe that's safe, sir."

Steve had settled himself on the couch, balancing a sketchpad on his lap, a pencil in hand. Pepper had left hours ago; it was now past one o'clock. Tony had retreated to his workshop after getting into another argument with Steve. The captain could hear the faint hum of music, still hard and jarring. The iron man obviously wasn't done with his tantrum and the captain let out a heavy sigh.

Couldn't they just get along? What was Tony's problem with him?

Ever since they met things had been rocky between the two. Of course at the attack they eventually calmed down to a neutral to get the job done. They stayed in a pretty safe zone the couple of times they had to work together right until the time Pepper left Tony. Things just got ugly between them again; in truth it got ugly with everyone. Tony was just not the same without Pepper keeping his life fully balanced. Stark became a lot more irritable, distant, and really didn't care too much about most things.

It had bothered everyone on board the team, and Fury even made a plan to intervene. But after a couple of battles where the iron man was fighting a bit aggressively probably to let off some steam or to get the job done faster so he could go home, Fury stayed quiet. It was more "efficient" but Steve really wasn't surprised Fury wasn't into Tony's actual well-being.

Steve slowly sketched out the skyline, something he did quite often. He was getting better at his art, and he wished he could show someone. He really wanted to draw for a friend, anything, but he didn't really have any. He felt alone most of the days, surrounded by many acquaintances, but barely close. Even though he was usually complimented on his kindness and manners, he didn;t have anyone. He was still out of touch both socially and time wise. He missed the old days, his old friends, Peggy, everything. He'd trade anything to be able to go back in time and not feel so foreign in his own country.

He repositioned his track of thought over to Loki. The Asgardian had looked so different to him. The bulky armor was gone, yes, his hair was longer, of course, but that wasn't all. He had a completely different posture, one that didn't scream arrogance. No, he positioned himself humbly and kept his gaze down. And he was skittish, Steve had watched him jump and shiver as the air rippled with tension. Loki had ran back to his room and locked the door.

Something was off about him. Steve was halfway ready to believe something horrible did happen to Loki to make him act that way. Something bad would only bring a man like him to his knees. But the other half of his reasoning stopped him from getting his guard down. After all, that was how Loki attacked them the first time.

A/N: A lot better. No screaming OOC goodness. Enjoy.