Starting Over - Loki (COMPLETE)

13) Earning his keep

Given that Loki was incapable of getting drunk by the means of mortal beverages and didn't delight in being inebriated anyhow, the next morning he'd decided to get a head start on helping Tony with ideas. Both Rhodey and Tony were still in bed and would be till way past lunchtime if six bottles of wine were anything to go by. So Loki got to work.

Tony's previous medical products had been very good but the issue had been that he hadn't actually really questioned medical professionals about them. Most people upon meeting Tony would say whatever he wanted them to say. Unlike them, Loki was more than willing to give his honest opinion. Promptly hacking into Tony's ideas database with little more than a spark of magic, he had a quick skim through his most recent ideas and then even older ones. After that he, painstakingly, began from the very beginning of Tony's tenure at Stark Industries, writing down decent ideas and crossing out the technical and practical problems with the technology involved.

When Tony finally emerged at half-past three, Loki was immersed in work. While originally starting out in the lab, Loki had then taken all of his scribbled notes and set up camp at the kitchen's island counter, a cup of coffee helpfully positioned next to his right hand and a pen furiously scribbling in his left.

"And what, may I ask," drawled Tony, "Is this?"

To Loki's credit, he didn't spill his coffee. He twitched slightly at the interruption and then turned to face Tony before wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Hangovers don't treat you well," he commented.

Tony laughed, running a hand through his bird's nest of hair. To Loki's dismay, it just caused the hair to stand up even more.

"Girls have told me that the effect is good - is that not the case?" The billionaire asked, ambling over to Loki.

"Definitely not," Loki muttered, twisting back round in his chair.

"You're not on the payroll yet," Tony joked. "There's no need to be working. I always say that, if the boss isn't up yet, you're safe."

"One," said Loki dispassionately, "I'm also the boss. Two, you're never awake. I don't count coffee as awake."

"Shame," Tony yawned, sipping some of Loki's coffee, "That means we're both asleep. I might go back to bed anyway - there's a rhino charging about in my skull."

"If I, too, am asleep, then I'm a bigger genius than I originally thought," Loki stated, pleased at his handiwork.

Tony rubbed at his eyes, eventually stopped squinting and slumped into a chair next to him.

"So you hacked into my systems," he said after a while, "Did a load of reading and then decided to improve everything I've ever created in one day?"

Loki looked at his colleague, waiting for his response.

"Alden, I'm - I'm bloody impressed. Just like at that interview all those years ago you're keeping me on my toes."

The other man yawned again.

"This must be a dream," Tony said, bewildered. "But, in case it's not, keep going because that's motherfucking amazing and, if you need me, I'll be in bed."

"Noted," Loki grinned, receiving a large smile in return. "Enjoy your dreams."

*