Archive of Our Own

It doesn't take long until Pepper notices it. It's in the brief glances and lingering touches, and the look in those green eyes when she makes him take a step back just by entering the room. Not flustered and not guilty, but disgruntled in a way that has nothing to do with mere dislike. That look disappears again almost immediately, and he is always polite to her. He is very good at being polite even when he doesn't feel like it – that's one thing they have in common, at least.

It's so obvious that she is pretty sure that everyone else in the tower already knows. Well, except the man this problem is revolving around, which is, as so often, her boyfriend. She’s not complaining; she knew what she was getting into, after all.

Loki is in love. Tony is oblivious, either because he's actually clueless or because he wants to be. But the latter would border on being cruel, and Tony is many things but cruel isn't one of them, so Pepper thinks that he really just has no fucking clue what's going on.

Pepper isn't a jealous person. She isn't. She trusts Tony implicitly, because he may be a chaotic mess but he's her chaotic mess, and he is not a cheater. He loves her. If he finds Loki attractive as well – which he does, obviously, Loki is exactly his type – he'll ignore it, and if Loki tries to make a move, Tony will tell him off. Pepper doesn't doubt that, so no, she isn't jealous, but -

But she can't stop thinking about how good they would be together.

It's way past midnight when Tony crawls into bed. Pepper is still awake, but he hasn't noticed yet and tries to be quiet, even the kiss he presses to her temple before he lies down is feathery light. Pepper turns her head; it's dark in the room, but she knows that he's giving her an apologetic grin.

"Sorry, honey," he whispers. "Go back to sleep."

"I wasn't sleeping," she whispers back. "Did you get them done?"

She knows that he's been working on the first prototype of nanites for a while – of course she knows, he doesn’t talk about anything else these days. It's exhausting sometimes, because she can't quite keep up with his excited explanations, but that doesn't matter when he laughs like he does now, that giddy laugh that's reserved for when he had a breakthrough in the workshop. 

"Almost. Loki's been helping a hell of a lot, he has the best ideas. He's brilliant, Pep."

He's still wide awake, she realizes, and promptly wonders why he came up to the penthouse. "You could have kept working."

"No, it's fine. Tomorrow. I didn't see you all day, didn't want to work the night through again."

Pepper tucks herself against his chest and puts her head on his shoulder. The arc reactor is a soft blue light under his shirt. "Did you miss me, Mr. Stark?"

"Don't read too much into it, Miss Potts. Go to sleep."

She tries, but she can't. She's never in the workshop when Tony works – she visits sometimes, of course, and makes sure that he doesn't forget that his genius brain lives in a human body that needs to eat and sleep, but she doesn't spend any actual time with him down there. When he's buried in work, she isn't really of any use to him; he just wants to work in peace and gets frustrated when she doesn't let him, and then she gets frustrated because dealing with him when he’s frustrated isn’t a lot of fun and then they’re both miserable.

With Loki, it's different. He fits into the workshop like he is meant to be there. He has his own desk by now, his own corner, and they bounce ideas off each other as if they've been doing it their entire lives. Loki doesn't complain when Tony spends hours upon hours in the workshop, he doesn't feel left out, and he doesn't appreciate Tony's genius only in an abstract way – he understands it, he really, actually understands it. 

Pepper doesn't. It's not like she's too stupid – she is anything but stupid, thank you very much – but her own brain simply isn't wired that way, she is no inventor and no tinkerer. She loves Tony's brilliance, she hears Tony's ideas and is more often than not in awe of them, but the systematics behind them are beyond her. She is proud of the results, but doesn't fit into the process. Tony's tunnel vision only frustrates her, it scares her, whereas Loki –

Well, he's in the same tunnel.

She listens to Tony's even, quiet breaths. He is playing with her hair, not asleep, probably still inventing in his head. She doesn't want to keep him from his work, but she worries about him, she worries about him so much, and also she wants a part of him that is hers and hers alone. Yes, she knew what she was getting into, she knew that she would always share him with his workshop and she’s fine with it, made her peace with it.

But she wasn't prepared to share him with another person.

*

Tony and Loki aren't always in the workshop. Sometimes they are in the gym, sparring, and sometimes they are in the penthouse, chatting on the sofa for hours on end. That is where Pepper finds them after a long day of meetings and paperwork, and she is so used to seeing the two of them together that she isn’t even surprised.

Loki never looks as relaxed as he does when he and Tony are alone; that Pepper knows only because Loki’s reaction is immediate whenever someone else walks in. It’s the most prominent when it’s her. His shoulders tense, his back straightens, and if he can bring some distance between himself and Tony without making it look suspicious, he does. 

He’s doing that right now, too; he shifts on the sofa under the pretense of making himself more comfortable and subtly moves away from Tony. Loki is good at doing things subtly, but unfortunately for him, Pepper is just as good at noticing subtle things. Tony, however, seems none the wiser, but then again he’s too busy beaming at Pepper to notice anything else.

“Pepper, light of my life, what is your honest opinion about –”

“If it doesn’t have anything to do with dinner, wine or a hot bath, my opinion about it is really low,” she interrupts him, but she leans down to kiss him hello. His smile feels soft and warm against her lips, and she’s still surprised by how much she misses him even when they are only apart for a few hours. 

“Aquariums,” he finishes when she pulls back, because of course he doesn’t give up this easily. “Because I really want one. I’ve been thinking about turning that entire wall right there into -”

“No,” she says while slipping out of her heels. He pouts, which gives her a second to give Loki a smile. “Hi, Loki.”

“Miss Potts,” he replies, polite as ever. “Did you have a nice day?”

He doesn’t care at all about what kind of day she had or didn’t have, his tone is so amicable that it almost sounds mocking, but she isn’t about to call him out on it. She sits down on Tony’s other side; there isn’t enough space between them. “Yes, thank you.”

“They’re supposed to be really relaxing, though,” Tony says.

“But someone has to feed the fish,” Loki says, sounding like it isn’t the first time he mentions it. “And clean the aquarium. An entire wall would be –”

“I can figure something out,” Tony says, also sounding like it isn’t the first time he mentions it. “I figured out a way to keep the rest of the penthouse clean, too, right, Pep?”

“Right.” It’s true; the penthouse is indeed kept clean by a couple of robots he invented, because maids are obviously for normal, less paranoid billionaires.

“And I can build an aquarium that feeds the fish itself,” Tony adds. When Pepper leans against the armrest of the sofa, draws her knees up and places his feet in his lap, he automatically puts his hands on her ankles.

“Can you?” Loki asks, taking a sip of his tea.

Tony narrows his eyes at him. “Now you’re just trying to challenge me into doing it. Do you think I can’t take care of some fish?”

“Well, you can’t take care of potted plants.”

“I can!”

“The plant I brought you from Alfheimr would disagree.”

“Well, that’s a magical plant, it’s not my fault that it –”

“How about we start with a small one?” Pepper cuts in, because she knows that it’s very difficult to get them to stop once they get going. "You can build a normal-sized one. One that doesn't make this place look like Seaworld, please."

"Fine," Tony says. He smirks at her in a way that makes her believe that he doesn't see anything wrong with making the penthouse look like Seaworld. "You wanted dinner? I haven't eaten in years."

Pepper raises a brow at Loki, who empties his teacup and shakes his head. "I made him eat lunch."

"Oh, was that today?" Tony asks, sincerely surprised.

"Yes." Loki puts the cup on the table and stood up. "Well, I'll take my leave, then. Enjoy your dinner. I will see you tomorrow?"

There is a hope in the question that tugs at Pepper’s heart. Loki’s gaze briefly flickers to her before it focuses on Tony again. She is sure that if Tony said no, Loki would smile and accept it easily, but she wonders what he would think. That’s something she wonders pretty often, because most of the time it’s difficult to tell what is going in Loki’s head. She figured out that he is jealous at times, but is he planning to do something about it? Or has he decided to wait and hope that they will break up someday? She doesn’t know him well enough to take a guess. It hurts to watch either way, especially because Tony doesn’t seem to notice. He just grins and says yes, they’ll see each other tomorrow, and Loki smiles like that’s enough.

He wishes them a good night and turns to leave, and Pepper doesn’t know what she’s doing until she has finished speaking. “Did you eat already?”

Loki pauses and looks at her, wary. “No. I was planning to eat downstairs.”

“You can stay if you want,” she says, glancing at Tony. He’s no help, though, he just stares at her like she is suddenly speaking a different language, and not one of the ten or so he speaks fluently. She clears his throat. “I thought we could order sushi, but if you prefer something else –”

“No, he likes sushi,” Tony says quickly. “Right? Loki?”

Loki looks at him, helpless. “Yes.”

“Great.” Pepper smiles at them both and stands up. “I’ll be right back, I just want to get out of these clothes.”

She leaves them there and goes to the bedroom to change, because she really wants to be wearing something more comfortable, but also because she thinks that Tony needs a moment to convince Loki to stay. 

What she doesn’t expect is that Tony appears in the doorway to their closet while she is still putting far too much effort in deciding what to wear. She pauses when she sees him, silently contrite because god, maybe she shouldn’t have left them alone.

“Did he leave? I just wanted –”

“No, he’s still there,” Tony says, coming over to her. He’s frowning. “You didn’t have to – do that.”

Oh, it’s this conversation. She turns back to the rack of shirts in front of her. “Why not?”

“I know you don’t like him. You shouldn’t feel –” He waves his hand. “Obligated, you know?”

“I don’t,” she says. He looks skeptical. “I don’t, promise. And it’s not that I don’t like him, it’s just –” That he likes you too much. She sighs and impatiently rifles through her clothes; she’s starting to get cold. “I barely know him. And he’s your friend, so I thought it could be nice. He doesn’t have to stay if he doesn’t want to, of course.”

“Why wouldn’t he want to?”

“Because he barely even talks to anyone who isn’t you?” 

“He talks to Thor when he annoys him enough. What’re you looking for?”

“Where is your MIT sweatshirt?”

“Uh, probably not in between your blouses.”

“It’s cold. I want it.”

Tony snorts and goes to look in his part of the big room. He quickly returns with the sweatshirt and gives it to her. “Very casual for a dinner party, Potts.”

She pulls the shirt over her head. “It’s not a dinner party. Also he’s seen me in pajamas.”

“When did he see you in pajamas?” Tony asks, watching appreciatively as she takes off her skirt to change into more comfortable pants. 

“Every time he dropped you off in the penthouse in the middle of the night after you’d worked for four days straight.”

“Oh, right. You really want to get to know him?”

And there’s hope in that question, too. Pepper suppresses a sigh; it’s likely that she wouldn’t survive saying it, but both of them are oddly adorable sometimes. “Yes. He cares about you, and I don’t –” She has to be very careful about what she says here. “I don’t want him to feel like he can only be around you when I’m not. How do I look?"

"Horrible," he says, straight-faced until she rolls his eyes at him, then he grins and wraps his arms around her middle. He kisses her cheek. "You're a wonder, Pep."

"I invited him to dinner," she says, but puts his arms around his neck in return and can't keep from smiling. "I didn't ask him to move in."

And she honestly hopes that it won’t come to that, but well. She’s aware that if she wasn’t there, if Tony lived in the penthouse alone, Loki would most likely stay overnight a few times a week. Hell, he probably would have moved in already.

When they return to the living room, Loki is sitting on the sofa again, looking a little lost. JARVIS already ordered food, and while they wait Loki barely says a word. But Tony does what he does best; he talks and talks and talks, and Loki softens while he listens. It’s nice to see that, because if there’s one thing Pepper knows, it’s that Loki can’t possibly be as cold and aloof as he likes to act, otherwise Tony wouldn’t like him so much.

Loki leaves quickly after dinner, and even though he didn’t talk much, even though he avoided looking at Pepper, she thinks that it could have gone a lot worse. At any rate inviting Loki was worth it just because Tony is in an excellent mood after - they go to bed early and fall asleep late.

*

Tony is lying on the ground in the living room when she comes in, and she walks over to him immediately and crouches next to his head. “Tony?”

“Mh hm.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Hm? Nothing. Just thinking.”

Pepper pats his hand, relieved. She’s used to finding Tony in unusual positions – most of the time he’s physically incapable of sitting somewhere like a normal person – but since there is a literal hole in his chest, she worries somewhat easily. Also she wouldn’t put it past him to run around in circles like an excited toddler, stumble over his own feet and hit his head on the sofa table.

“Did you eat?”

“Uh, no. Loki’s cooking, though.”

Pepper has to do a double take. “Loki is doing what?”

“Cooking,” Tony repeats. “In the kitchen. I know we order a lot of takeout, honey, but did you really forget what cooking is?”

“Did you forget what sofas are? Chairs?”

“Yep. Enlighten me.”

“Look it up online,” she tells him, standing up to go to the kitchen.

Sure enough, Loki is standing at the counter. He looks over his shoulder when she enters the room, but turns back to the stove again immediately. “Good evening, Miss Potts.”

“I told you to call me Pepper,” she says – kindly, she hopes.

“I’m not fond of nicknames,” he replies, aloof. 

He likes to keep some distance between them, and Pepper doesn’t blame him. She doesn’t want him to like her, she just wants them to get along well enough that Tony doesn’t feel like he has to choose between them. And Pepper thinks they’re on a good way, because by now Loki stays for dinner at least somewhat regularly. She isn’t sure if it’s because he’s actually enjoying himself or because he simply can’t say no to Tony, but either way, it’s a start.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” she says, walking up to the counter. She peers inside the pot on the stove; he’s cooking noodles, and there is another pot with a sauce that smells fantastic. “This looks really good.”

“I’m glad you approve.” Loki hesitates briefly, but then he continues speaking without looking away from the stove. “I wouldn’t say I can cook, but I am capable of following a recipe.”

“Well, that’s more than Tony can handle,” she says dryly, and it earns her the twitch of a smirk. “Can I do anything?”

He shakes his head. “It won’t take long anymore. Feel free to join Anthony.”

She realizes that he’s trying to kick her out of the kitchen, but given that this is her kitchen, she leans against the counter and stays. “He’s busy thinking.”

“Ah.”

She hums. “Did he drink something?”

“If you wish to control him, you should ask him yourself.”

She raises a brow at him. This is the first thing he’s said to her that can be considered openly hostile, or at least rude. Almost relieved, she bends down to take off her heels. “I will. It’s just that his anxiety goes through the roof sometimes when he drinks too much, then it’s hard to tell if he’s just sprawled out on the floor for fun or panicking and not telling anyone.”

Loki pauses. He doesn’t look at her. Finally, he keeps stirring the sauce. “Half a glass of scotch earlier. I believe he is just thinking about his nanites.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you.”

“What happened to your feet?”

“Hm? My feet?”

Loki glances down at them. “They look terrible.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be charming?” she says dryly. She loves high heels – if it was different, not even the small-minded assholes who consider the lack of heels unprofessional could make her wear them – but her feet still haven't gotten the memo yet. Every time she buys a new pair or wears one she hasn't worn in some time, her feet are covered in reddened patches and blisters. It's not pleasant, but it'll pass in a few days.

Loki looks suspiciously innocent. “I’m merely worried about your wellbeing, Miss Potts."

"Sure. If you'd worn heels before you wouldn't ask that question."

"Oh, that's not it. I have worn heels before." He shakes his head, frowning. "The fragility of you mortals just astounds me again and again."

She blinks at him. “Wait, you've worn heels?”

Smirking, he turns off the stove and sets the cooking spoon aside. “Shoes like yours might not be common in Asgard, but I have been in Midgard a couple of times when I was younger.”

“And you walked around in heels?”

“Now and then.” He seems to notice that she’s still nonplussed and adds, “I liked the way they looked."

"And you just –" Pepper looks him up and down briefly. He has taken to wearing earthly clothes, but she certainly hasn't seen him wear heels before. "I mean, they'd look good with your suits."

A brief look of surprise scurries over his face. "Yes, I suppose they would. I usually shifted and wore them with dresses, back then."

"Shifted?"

"I am a shapeshifter." He glances at her. "I'm surprised Anthony hasn't mentioned it, he asked me to demonstrate my skills about a hundred times.”

Pepper can’t tell whether that is supposed to be a dig at her or not. But well, if he hopes to unsettle her by showing her that Tony doesn’t tell her everything, he needs to remember who he’s talking to. “No, he did mention something like that, I think. I just forgot about it." She pauses. "And you don't get blisters? At all?"

"My feet wouldn't dare."

"You have no idea how jealous I am right now."

He looks away and, suddenly, smiles, a small thing that looks surprisingly warm. He doesn't say anything, though, so Pepper arches a brow.

"What?"

He shakes his head again. "Others have reacted much worse to my shapeshifting, is all. It's not a well regarded skill, I'm afraid." Before she can say anything to that, he adds, "You really shouldn't wear these if they do this to your feet."

"But they look so good."

"I agree wholeheartedly, but still."

"Yeah, Tony says that, too."

"Well, he does have clever ideas sometimes, doesn't he?"

"Absolutely. He has yet to invent a pair of heels that doesn't give me blisters, though."

Loki takes plates out of the cupboard. "Did he try?"

"Oh, yes. I can show you them some time, I promise they're the ugliest shoes you've ever seen."

Loki snorts. He wants to reply, but in that moment Tony decides to shout something through the entire penthouse, like the lunatic he is.

"Guys, are you fucking on the kitchen table?"

"Yes!" they shout back at the same time, and then they frown at each other.

"Okay," Tony calls, a little more quietly.

Pepper clears her throat. Loki silently prepares their plates.

*

Pepper, being the CEO of Stark Industries, has a lot of business to attend to every day, and since that business takes place on an international stage, she travels a lot. She spends a lot of time in Los Angeles, since that's still where SI is headquartered, and when she flies from New York to Malibu, Tony usually comes with her. 

Which is why she didn't expect him to look this hesitant.

They are in their bed, heads on the same pillow, their legs entangled. She looks at him, at the reluctance in his eyes and the distant, not all too sincere smile tugging at his mouth.

"You don't want to?" she asks, trying not to sound disappointed.

"No, I do, it's just," and she knows what he'll say before he says it, "I think I'll miss him. Is that weird? That's weird, right?"

She puts her hand on his bare chest, traces the scars around the reactor. "No, it's not weird. He's your friend. You're practically inseparable these days."

Tony is quiet for a while. His hand is warm on her lower back. "You never complain about that," he says, tone perfectly even. "Not even once."

"He's good for you," she says, like it's simple. Like there isn't that uncomfortable feeling in this stomach that makes her wonder what the hell she is doing. She props herself up on his elbow and looks down at him, and not for the first time she thinks that if she could keep him here, in their bed, forever, she would. That's not how it works, though.

"I know I don't really get you," she says. "And I'm just glad that you finally found someone who does."

He looks at her and she can't really make sense of the expression in his eyes. "Pepper, you know me better than everyone else."

"And we still fight about you staying in your workshop for days five times a month."

"Only once this month, and June is almost over."

"That's not the point I'm trying to make."

"Honey, I'm trying to get better at it, but I can't just -"

"There is nothing you have to get better at," she interrupts. "Okay? I'm just scared you'll work yourself to death down there."

"I know. I won't."

The way he says it it's not just a statement, it's a promise, and Pepper knows he means it. He can't help it, of course, he's been having trouble sleeping since New York and his workshop is the only place where he can still feel calm and in control, and the last thing she wants is to take that away from him. Still, she fears he'll get lost in it some day, that he gets hurt, that he won't come back to her.

"It's gotten better since Loki is around," she says, and it's true.

He reaches up to brush her hair out of her face, tuck it behind her ear. "Better?"

"Yes. He's crazy enough to let you blow things up without being worried sick."

Tony laughs. "He likes blowing things up, too."

"Obviously." She sighs. "But I know he also makes sure you don't get hurt. I feel better knowing that you're not alone when you're working."

"I don't need a babysitter, you know."

"No, just someone who has some common sense."

"Did you just imply that Loki has common sense? The same Loki who thought it was a good idea to tell the Hulk that he was an inconsequential, weak little ant? That Loki?"

"He still has more common sense than you," she says primly. But then she really thinks about what he just said. "He really did that?"

"Oh, yup. During the battle last week. Our green friend chased him through Hell's Kitchen for about an hour."

Great. Now Pepper is thinking about the dent Loki left in the penthouse floor way back when and is overcome by a very familiar feeling – the urge to whack someone over the head and yell at them for pushing their luck.

Usually, that's directed at Tony. 

She lies back down and runs a hand through her hair to keep it out of her eyes. "Well, anyway, at least he makes you eat something now and then. That's more than I can manage most of the time."

That makes Tony frown. "That's not true, Pep. You manage that well enough."

"Anyway," she says again, because she doesn't want to talk about this. How she has to physically drag Tony out of his workshop at times just to get him to eat a sandwich while Loki can just place a plate close to Tony's hands and he'll eat it while they discuss their newest project. "You should ask him to come along."

Tony raises a brow at her. "Really?"

"Yes, really. He can have the guestroom." She pauses briefly. "He's barely seen anything other than New York since he's on Earth. Maybe he'd like the change of scenery."

"Midgard," Tony corrects, making air quotes. He even imitates Loki's accent, causing her to laugh. He grins at her. "You wouldn't mind?"

She shakes her head. "I'll be working most of the time anyway."

"I'd hoped we could spend a lot of time in bed, though."

"Oh?"

"And in the pool."

"Of course."

"Maybe the beach –"

"The beach would be nice."

"Right? Point is, he might not be into that. His ears are pretty good, you know."

"Get him some earplugs and he'll be fine," she says, and then she kisses him because they've been talking about this for long enough and she hasn't forgotten that he promised her a second round earlier.

*

Loki comes with them. He sits in the jet and reads while Pepper gets some work done and Tony alternates between making it impossible for Loki to read and impossible for Pepper to work. Neither of them really minds. When Tony is talking to Loki, their easy banter turns into a pleasant background noise.

Pepper made sure that the guest room would be ready for Loki when they arrive. She shows him the way, returns his polite smile and then leaves them alone to drive to LA and work, hoping that the house will still stand when she returns.

*

It's their sixth night in Malibu and Pepper cannot sleep. Tony is next to her, snoring softly in the way he only does when his sleep is dreamless, and it's funny, really. For a change it's not him who can't get his mind to calm down, it's her.

It's a little past one in the morning when she leaves the bed to make her way to the kitchen and drink something. She stands there sipping water and notices that the door that leads to the big balcony is open. Given that Tony is sleeping upstairs, that can only be Loki sitting there all alone in the middle of the night, and Pepper hesitates a moment before she goes outside, the ground cold against her bare feet.

"Loki?"

"Miss Potts," he replies at once. He doesn't sound surprised; he probably heard her coming.

She looks at him – at what little he can see of him, there is no light except that coming from the kitchen. He is sitting there with his feet perched on the low table and something cradled in his hands, knowing him it's probably a cup of tea. It's a warm night and the view is nice, of course, but she can still think of more comfortable places to be.

"Couldn't sleep, either?"

"I would not be here otherwise."

He can't be feeling that horrible when he can still be snarky, she thinks, but she still sits down on the chair next to him, ignoring the less than pleased look he gives her. She draws her knees up and puts his feet on the table next to his, looking up at the sky. It’s a clear night, and it’s dark enough in the area that most of the stars are visible. She can hear the waves. In the beginning it astounded her that Tony picked a place where you could feel so fully alone, but by now she doesn’t find it surprising anymore.

“You don’t have to stay,” she says, trying to keep her tone light. “Here in Malibu, I mean. If you don’t – if you are in any way uncomfortable, you can –”

“I’m aware.” Loki shifts a little. “I’m not uncomfortable.”

She can’t tell whether that’s a lie or not, but she guesses that he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want to. According to Tony, Loki rarely does things he doesn’t want. They can barely get him to join Avengers missions even though that’s the deal he made with Odin.

“You’re okay, then?”

“Why do you want to know?”

Like pulling teeth. Thankfully, Pepper is used to it. “Tony always says I’m too curious for my own good, but I really think he’s just projecting there.”

“Possibly,” Loki agrees, vaguely amused. “I’m fine. Thank you so much for asking.”

“Are you trying to set a new world record in faking politeness?"

It startles a quiet laugh out of him, one that makes her smirk in return. "I wasn't aware there was such a thing."

"There isn't."

"Well, if there was it would probably have been set by you."

"Me? I don't know where you even got that idea, I –"

"Oh, don't even try," he says, dryly. He turns his face toward her, the kitchen light bathing his hair in warm light. "I heard you speaking on the phone earlier. You, Miss Potts, have a tongue that's almost as sharp as mine."

“I’m taking that as a compliment.”

“As you should.”

"And you should really call me Pepper. Every time you call me 'Miss Potts' I feel like I'm in a business meeting."

Loki blinks. "Anthony calls you that, too."

"He doesn't mean it, though."

He makes a face and turns back to the sea. "I don't see why I should call you Pepper."

"Everybody calls me that. It's Tony's fault."

"Of course. Well, regardless of what you may think, I don't wish to insult you."

No, he just wants to unsettle her. Not always, not maliciously, but she feels like it would provide him with a fleeting sort of satisfaction to make her feel uncertain. Right now he's positively docile, though - in fact, he has been very amicable since they're in Malibu, so Pepper thinks that maybe this whole thing might actually work.

"Insult me?" she asks, unsure if she's amused or just confused. "You don't think Pepper is an insult, do you?"

"It's a nickname." He scoffs. "Because of your hair and freckles, I assume. There's no reason to make fun of it."

"Nobody is making fun of me, it's just –"

"I know," Loki interrupts, annoyed. "Anthony explained it to me dozens of times, but well, habits are difficult to get rid of."

"Habits?"

He draws his knees up against his chest. He scowls at the horizon for some time - he probably intends to look intimidating and mysterious, but Pepper just thinks it's kind of adorable. Not like she would ever tell him that.

"In Asgard," he says finally, voice a little pinched, "warriors might earn honorifics in battles, but apart from that, you call people you respect by their names. If someone is not respected, they are given nicknames."

Thankfully, Pepper is very good at reading between lines. "How many did they give you?"

The corner of his mouth twitches. "Too many to count."

He's so sad, Pepper, Tony said once, shortly after Loki arrived in the tower and they had started being around each other more often. Sad. Back then, Pepper thought that it was a strange word to describe the god who had tried to conquer Earth. It's fitting, though, she knows that now.

"You can be the only one who calls me by my real name, then," she says. "That'll be a nice change."

"Virginia," he says, as if he wants to try out how it feels on his tongue. After a long moment, he sighs. "Fine. If you insist."

"Insist on what?"

Pepper turns her head and sees Tony standing in the doorway to the balcony. His brows are almost reaching his hairline.

"Having a midnight chat, huh? Should I be jealous?"

"Yes," Pepper says, giving him a bright smile. "We're planning to elope to Las Vegas."

Tony grins back at her. "Really? Do you want to take one of the cars?"

"I wanted to skywalk, actually," Loki says. "We're just so impatient."

Pepper is surprised that he's playing along, but she's not about to let him notice that. He avoids looking at her, anyway.

"Yeah, I'd be impatient, too," Tony says and sits down next to Loki; it's the only spot that's free. "Can I be the flower girl?"

Pepper laughs, Loki looks a little confused. "The flower girl?"

"At weddings there's usually a small girl running around throwing flowers."

Loki frowns at Tony. "You're not a girl."

"I can throw flowers, though."

Loki mulls that over, then nods. "You're short enough. I think if you moved around on your knees, nobody would be able to tell the difference."

"You keep making jokes about how short I am," Tony complains. "Pepper, he keeps making jokes about how short I am."

"What am I supposed to do about it?"

"Tell him to stop. You have to defend my honor –"

"What honor?" Loki asks, for which Tony reaches out and flicks Loki's forehead. Loki's expression turns blank and long-suffering. "How dare you."

"How dare you. Hey, did you tell Pepper the story about the snake?"

Loki frowns. "No. I doubt she is interested, it's hardly –"

"Are you kidding? Of course she's interested. Right, honey?"

"Right," Pepper says, even though she has no idea what they're even talking about. "I'm dying to know."

"It's why he likes sitting out here staring at," he gestures up at the sky, "you know? The stars. He made a constellation when he was a kid."

Loki looks a little uncomfortable and Pepper would do something about it, but at the moment she is too distracted by what Tony just said. "Sorry, you made a constellation?"

"I did, yes."

"You can't just make constellations."

"That's what I said, too," Tony says. "Loki, come on. Please?"

Loki can't say no to him, of course. Tony's excitement makes him smile, and in moments like this Pepper knows what Tony sees in him. When Loki isn't cold and distant, when he lets his guard down, there is a warmth in his eyes that's very nearly addictive. It's because it's so sincere, she thinks; when Loki looks at Tony like he does now, there's nothing fake about it. Just raw, blatant fondness that reminds Pepper of the way Tony looks at her . They do have a lot in common, the two of them. 

Loki tells a story that sounds too otherworldly to be real, and somehow that turns into another story and then another one, and suddenly the sun is rising. Loki talks with his hands a lot, and he has a way of making them laugh before they even realize that what he just said was funny. His grins are contagious. 

"You like him," Tony says, later, in a hushed tone of voice just seconds after Loki left them alone to cool off in the pool. It's still early in the morning, but already much too hot.

"You know, I think I do," she replies, her whisper a little exaggerated to tease him for his secretiveness. 

"I kinda thought you were just…"

"Just what?"

"I don't know. Just putting up with him, I guess. For me."

"I told you I didn't mind having him around."

"But not minding isn't the same as wanting him around, right?"

Pepper blinks. Wanting him around? Does she want Loki around? Or is she still just, well, not minding? She isn't sure where the difference is herself, can't quite see the line, let alone on which side of it she is standing at the moment. It's hard to dislike Loki right now, or even to think about how much less complicated everything would be if he just poofed out of existence, and she doesn't see him as a rival or anything, not really - but she doesn't trust him, either. 

"He's nice company," she says after a moment, frowning a little. "When he wants to be, at least."

"No, he's nice company unless he doesn't want to be."

"Which is often."

"When other people are around, yeah."

She needs a moment to realize that she, apparently, isn't other people anymore.

*

Tony is in the workshop when she comes home from work. He's alone, which is odd, because he isn't usually alone. She briefly considers using the chance to get Tony out of his clothes, but Tony is so engulfed in his work that he barely even notices when she comes in, so sex is off the table until he's fixed whatever he is fixing.

"Did you eat?" she asks and only gets a noncommittal grunt in response. She sighs. "Where's Loki?"

At that, Tony looks up from his work for a second, glancing at the sofa that has become Loki's spot in the last two weeks. "Oh. He was there a moment ago, I swear."

"Mr. Laufeyson is currently in the pool," JARVIS tells them, helpful as always. "He has been in it for five hours, in fact."

"A moment ago, hm?" Pepper says.

Tony gives her a crooked grin, but it's clear he is elsewhere with his thoughts. Pepper leaves him to his work and goes upstairs to change into something more comfortable before she goes out to the pool.

Loki isn't floating around the pool on an air mattress with a drink in his hand like Pepper thought he might be. Instead he's sitting at the edge of the pool, on the benches in the water that are very good for sitting on and doing nothing. He dragged a parasol from the loungers to the pool, so he's in the shade. The water reaches Loki's neck, he is slouching more than sitting, really. He blinks at her, eyes slow and bleary, when she sits down on the edge of the pool next to him, her pants rolled up so that she can let her feet into the water.

"How was work?" he asks, his voice quiet and a little rough, he probably hasn't spoken in a while. He clears his throat.

"Fine."

"Did you tell Peterson that -"

"No, I did not tell him what you suggested I tell him, because then he wouldn't do any business with us at all."

Loki makes an indignant noise. "I'll have you know that all those insults were very expertly crafted. I thought about them all night."

"They wouldn't have helped, though. He is -"

"A dimwitted, quaking toad in dire need of a boot to be squashed under?"

Pepper snorts a laugh. They talked about this last night already, and he was entirely unimpressed by the stories she told about the businessmen she was currently trying to make a deal with. In the morning, he had told her all about the creative insults he had come up with, but not only that – as it turned out, he's very good at that sort of tactical thinking that's necessary to run a successful business, and he had thought of a few tips that were actually helpful.

"Something like that," Pepper says. Her smile is fading already, though. "Are you alright?"

Loki's expression closes off. He leans his head against the edge of the pool and closes his eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you look like you're about to pass out."

"I do not."

"You do." Pepper hesitates only for a second, then she puts her hand on Loki's forehead. He flinches and grabs her wrist. Pepper sighs. "Oh, please. I just want to check something."

"There is nothing you need to check."

"Let go of my hand and we'll see about that."

He scowls at her, but she remains unimpressed, and after a moment he huffs and lets his own hand sink. She touches the back of her hand to his forehead again, frowning. 

"Loki."

"Virginia."

"Do you have a fever?"

Loki sighs and sits up a little straighter, not looking at her. "I am simply… overheating."

"Yes, that's a fever. Are you sick? Do you -"

"I don't do well with the heat." He gives her a sour look. "It clashes with my nature, so to say."

Pepper has no idea what that means, but judging by the way he's looking at her, it's better not to comment on it. "Don't tell me you've been sitting here the whole day."

Loki doesn't say anything, which is answer enough.

"What about the AC in the house? Wouldn't you be more comfortable inside?"

"I like it here," Loki says stiffly.

"Everything about you screams heat stroke."

"So?"

One day, Pepper would strangle a grown up genius who doesn't know how to take care of himself. She's not sure which one it will be, though.

For now, she just pins Loki with a glare that usually makes Tony think twice about what to say next. "Does Tony know about this?" 

Loki also seems to think twice about what to say next. Or maybe he doesn't feel well enough to think clearly, which - god. 

"There is nothing he needs to know," Loki says finally.

"Oh, right, I see. And of course he didn't figure it out himself because he's blind. Get out of the pool."

"It's not his fault."

"Because he's busy working and you used the chance to wallow in your misery. No, you're right, it's not his fault. It's my fault for leaving you two idiots alone. Get out of the pool, I said."

Loki mutters something in a language that's definitely not English, but he climbs out of the pool. His movements are too slow, almost sluggish, and Pepper considers wrapping an arm around his middle to help him, but in the end she doesn't dare. Loki would probably be gravely insulted and possibly embarrassed, and also he's very… pale. Yes. Lots of pale, wet skin that Pepper hasn't really thought about until now. She's not being squeamish or prude here, thank you very much, it's just – this is Loki. Best friend of her boyfriend, in love with her boyfriend. She doesn't need to make the situation any more complicated by finding him attractive. 

God forbid.

She still watches as Loki uses a shimmer of green magic to dry himself, and she needs a second too long to look back at Loki's face. Loki noticed – she knows immediately that he noticed, because there is a curious spark in his eyes, mingled with confusion. More magic, then he's dressed. Thankfully.

"You're not going to pass out or anything, are you?"

"Of course not," Loki says, but he doesn't sound convinced himself.

Pepper wouldn't be surprised if he did pass out - he looks terrible. His skin is red and blotchy all over and his expression is set in stone, jaws clenched. If this really is a heat stroke, he probably feels nauseous, and she wants him to lie down in a cool room as soon as possible.

"I didn't know gods could get sick," she says, just to fill the silence while they make their way inside.

"Of course gods can get sick." Loki's voice is tight. "But this is no illness, just – I will feel better in a few hours." He sighs when she follows him up the stairs. "You don't need to follow me around."

"I absolutely do need to."

He resigns himself to his fate, or maybe he just feels too sick to argue. Even when she enters his room right after him, he doesn't protest. Pepper tells JARVIS to adjust the temperature in the room and then turns to Loki, who sat down on the bed and still looks like misery personified.

"Do you need anything?" she asks, feeling awkward.

"Privacy would be nice."

Well, it can't be that bad when he can still snark at her. Still, she doesn't leave just yet, instead she crosses her arms and looks at him, frowning.

"What?" he asks, annoyed.

"You don't have to stay here, you know," she says. "You've been here a while, he wouldn't be offended or anything."

He throws a pointed glance at the door, which she ignores.

"He'll probably throw you out himself when he learns about this."

That gets his attention. His eyes are sharp, his mouth a straight line. “Do not tell him.”

And suddenly, it clicks. Pepper understands. She feels her expression soften, and something in her chest aches for him. “Loki. He wouldn’t actually throw you out.”

Loki doesn’t look at her. He grabs the book from his nightstand and sits down on the bed, leaning against the headboard. 

Throw him out? Pepper thinks. No. Tony would never. Tell him to leave, though? To go somewhere colder, somewhere he could get better? Of course.

“You could return to New York,” she says carefully. “It’s not quite this hot there. And we – he’ll be back in a few days, a week at the most. He always comes back, you know.”

“To you, maybe,” Loki says. Quiet, defeated. Not meant for her ears, surely.

He doesn’t know, then. He doesn’t know that he is the only thing Tony talks about these days. Tony adores him, wanted him to come along on a trip to Malibu that Pepper intended to be just the two of them, because he didn’t want to be apart from Loki even for just a week or two. And Loki has no idea.

“God, you’re both blind,” Pepper says, stunned, and then she leaves the room and closes the door behind herself.

She walks down the stairs, seething for a reason she doesn’t really understand. It’s not jealousy. It doesn’t feel like jealousy, anyway, it’s just exasperation. What is she supposed to do?

She makes tea, in the end, because Loki is sick, and Loki likes tea. 

*

Two days later, they sit in a jet back to New York. Loki looks a little better, and Tony sits with him the whole flight, because he feels horrible that he was too engrossed in his work to notice that Loki was hiding a heat stroke from him. Or an alien version of a heat stroke, anyway. Hell if Pepper knows.

Loki keeps looking at her. Which is fair, probably, since she keeps looking at him, too.

*

The bar is comfortably dark and not at all crowded, the drinks are excellent and the people mind their own business. All in all, it's one of those places Natasha seems to be good at finding.

"He really hasn't noticed?" she asks, sounding a little disappointed. "It's so obvious."

Pepper nods, her eyes wide, while she sucks at the straw of her drink. "Right? Just, the way Loki looks at him – and Tony's the only one he is nice to. And –"

"That's not true."

"Hm?"

"Loki is nice to you, too."

Pepper pauses. "Well, yes. But only because he knows Tony wouldn't like it if he wasn't."

Natasha hums and leans back in her chair. "So, what do you want to do?"

"God, I have no idea." Pepper takes another sip of her drink. "I should probably talk to Tony about it –"

"Probably."

"Probably. But he'd either think I'm being crazy or, even worse, he'd figure out I'm right and think I'm jealous and stop spending time with Loki altogether. And then he'd be miserable and I'd be miserable and everyone would be miserable."

"You're drunk," Natasha says.

"Tipsy," Pepper corrects.

"So, that would be worse?"

"Hm?"

Natasha raises a brow. "You don't want them to stop spending time together. You think that would be worse than Tony thinking you're crazy and laughing the whole thing off."

"Oh. Yes, I guess."

"And you're not jealous?"

Pepper shakes her head. "Not really." She pauses. "Do you think I should be?"

Natasha thinks about that for a moment, then she says, "Depends. Tony adores you, and he's not the cheating type. I don't think he'll leave you for Loki, either. He's very happy with you."

"I know."

"But he adores Loki, too."

Pepper looks into her almost empty glass. "He does, doesn't he?"

"That would make most people jealous," Natasha says. "So why aren't you?"

"I didn't say I wasn't jealous. I said 'not really'. Of course I'm a little – like, a tiny bit jealous, I mean – it's Tony."

Her Tony.

"You know," she says quietly, “Tony can't stand it when I'm in the workshop. He's never thrown me out, but he – he gets antsy. He probably thinks I'm controlling him or something, or just – I don't know. He doesn't like it, and we've some sort of agreement."

Natasha nods. "He doesn't work himself to death, you don't try to drag him out of his workshop all the time. I know."

"How do you know?"

"You've told me before."

"Oh. Yes, okay."

Natasha is watching her closely. Since it's Natasha, she probably sees about a million things Pepper doesn't really want her to see. "Loki is in Tony's workshop all the time."

Pepper fiddles around with the straw of her drink. "He has his own corner and everything. His own desk and a computer Tony built for him –"

"We all have things Tony built for us."

"– and his things are everywhere in the shop. Books and magical stuff I don't understand. At this point it's not Tony's workshop, it's theirs."

"And that bothers you."

Pepper shakes her head. "No. Yes. I don't know. I'm – I'm happy that Tony found someone who really gets him. And Loki is – he's chaotic, but he takes care of Tony, too, he's good for him. They're good for each other."

Natasha leans forward. "You're good for Tony, too, Pepper."

"Yes, but maybe Loki is better."

Natasha doesn't say anything. Pepper looks at her and swallows, fear stuck in her throat. That's what it all boils down to, isn't it? Maybe Loki is better. Maybe Tony loves him, loves him more. And Pepper –

God, she only wants her Tony to be happy.

"Do you like him?"

Pepper blinks.

"Loki," Natasha clarifies. "Do you like him?"

Pepper doesn't need to think about it. "Yes. Even though he's a mess."

"So, your type."

"My type isn't," she waves her hand, "messy guys."

Natasha makes her "that's bullshit" face.

"Tony is an exception," Pepper says, scowling.

"Maybe Loki is another exception."

Pepper keeps scowling at her. "But Tony and I –"

"Tony and you will stay together because you're good together," Natasha interrupts. "I'm just saying, maybe Loki would be a nice addition."

Pepper looks at her. 

Natasha was about to take a sip of her drink, but she pauses. "Oh, you've thought about that."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Pepper declares, and because Natasha is amazing, she changes the topic without missing a beat.

*

When Pepper comes home some time after midnight, Tony is already in bed. Not sleeping, no, he's leaning against the headboard, balancing his laptop on his thighs. Working, always working. He watches, amused, as she kicks her shoes through the room and shuffles into the bathroom to brush her teeth, which is more difficult than she remembers. 

"Drink some water," Tony calls from the bedroom.

That's probably a good idea. Pepper drinks some water straight from the tap, and then she goes to find one of Tony's shirts to sleep in. By the time she collapses next to Tony, he has closed his laptop and set it aside.

"Had a nice night out, huh?"

Pepper hides her face in the pillow and grunts.

"You'll be unbearable tomorrow." Tony runs a hand through her hair. "It's always fun when our roles are reversed. For me, anyway."

"I'm sleeping," Pepper tells him.

"Sure, honey."

He starts talking about his work. Pepper doesn't understand any of it, but his voice is the best lullaby she could ask for, and she falls asleep thinking that sharing him would be so much better than not having him at all.

*

It's Saturday and Pepper isn't working for a change, except she's on the sofa in the penthouse with her laptop and answering emails. That doesn't count as work, really. Tony always says that it totally does, but for him answering emails – in a serious, professional way – is like getting up at 5am to attend a 6am meeting that lasts four hours. Pepper, however, doesn't mind answering emails that much, what she does mind is knowing they're sitting in her inbox, unanswered, so she'll just take care of them and then have a bit of free time. 

She's still frowning at her laptop by the time a loud crash pulls her out of her concentration. She lifts her head, eyes wide. 

"JARVIS –"

"All is well, Miss Potts," the AI says at once. "It's just –"

Another crash.

"Mr. Odinson and Mr. Liesmith having a discussion," JARVIS says, somewhat tiredly.

"A discussion. Yes, no, that sounds like a discussion. Where are they, on their floor?”

“Yes. So far they have broken the TV and the coffee table. Oh, and there are some cracks in the windows.”

“God.” Pepper checks the time. “Tony’s still in DC?”

“He and Mr. Rogers are preparing to leave. I’ve been told to inform you that you don’t have to take care of dinner, Sir is planning to get takeout on the way home. Also, Mr. Liesmith has just entered the elevator and is on his way to the penthouse.”

“To the – oh. Okay. That’s fine.” Pepper blinks at the laptop screen. “Wait, does he know that Tony is –”

The elevator opens and Loki marches into the penthouse, face dark, shoulders stiff. He stops in the middle of the room when he sees Pepper sitting on the sofa. 

“Hi,” Pepper says, trying not to sound like she has not the slightest idea what to say. 

Loki looks at her, but his gaze flickers away again quickly. “I didn’t mean to –”

“It’s okay,” Pepper says quickly. “Tony is in DC, though. He’s on his way back, but it’ll be another two hours or so.”

“I know.” Loki rubs his temple. “Thor broke our TV.”

Pepper smiles at him. “He breaks something every other week. Just last Tuesday he tore off one of the showers in the gym.”

"Yes," Loki says, and that's it. He looks completely lost, and Pepper takes pity on him after a bit.

"There's a guest room, you know. You can use it whenever you need."

Loki clears his throat. "Yes, Anthony has offered."

"Oh, okay. I mean, good. You've never stayed before, though, have you?"

"No, I – I didn't want to impose."

Pepper raises a brow at him, because honestly. Loki likes imposing. He likes raising people's hackles and seeing how they react. Thing is, he also likes Tony – so very much – and Pepper doesn't think she's being arrogant when she believes that Loki likes her, too. So maybe he's being honest.

"You're not," she says. "Do you want to watch a movie or something? Tony's getting dinner on his way back."

Loki looks floored. Which is weird, because it's not like they haven't watched movies together before, they do that all the time. Probably because Loki is in the penthouse all the time these days. Fine, usually Tony is there, too, but Pepper doesn't – well, she likes having Loki around.

"Well," Loki says finally, a little awkward. "Yes, I don't see why not."

"You can choose." Pepper nods at the remote on the table. "I know you have good taste, so don't disappoint me."

"I wouldn't dare," Loki says, tone dry, and sits down on the sofa with more than enough space between them. He takes the remote and glances at Pepper's laptop, frowning. "Are you working?"

"I am not."

"You should know better than lying to me," Loki says. Maybe it would sound threatening if he wasn't frowning at the remote like he was trying to remember how to use it. He figures it out quickly enough, a satisfied expression settling on his face when the Netflix logo appears on the screen. He's a lot better at handling technology than his brother, but well, he's still an alien.

It's kind of endearing. Pepper smiles. "Okay, fine. Maybe I'm working a little."

"My, Virginia. Don't you always tell Anthony to stick to reasonable hours?" Before she can say anything, he gives her a look and adds, "I know that you do, because both of you complain to me about it on a regular basis."

"I don't," Pepper says. It earns her another look, and she realizes that oh, wait, maybe she does. 

Huh.

Loki smirks. "This looks terrible."

Pepper glances at the TV. It's a movie she has seen before. "It is terrible."

Loki nods, proud of himself, and starts the movie. She rolls her eyes, and he is even prouder. They bicker while they watch the movie – if there's one thing Loki is good at, it's bickering – until Pepper convinces Loki to get up and make popcorn, which involves a few more small and, according to Loki, totally harmless explosions than necessary. The popcorn tastes excellent, though. 

“No, forget it,” she says after the movie is over and Loki reaches for the remote again. “It’s my turn.”

Loki pouts, but lets her choose the movie. She has seen it before, so she’s paying more attention to Loki than to the screen. He seems to like it. He is actually watching, silent except for the occasional question. Pepper looks at him out of the corner of her eye, the way he frowns at the TV in concentration, sometimes quirking a brow, sometimes a smile. 

“I’m told you watch movies by looking at the TV.”

Pepper blinks. “Hm?”

Loki turns his head toward her, one corner of his mouth curling up into a smirk. “I wouldn’t know, of course, since I am but a being from outer space, but I don’t think you can follow the movie by staring at my face.”

“Your face is more interesting,” she says, because if he thinks he can intimidate her with his snark, he should think again. 

He shifts a little, as if to get a better look at her. “Is it now.”

There is that spark in his eyes again. Curiosity. She smiles. “At least more interesting than the movie.”

He just hums. His eyes frighten her sometimes. They’re a lovely color, but she feels like they don’t quite fit into his young face. They reveal too much of his age, give her the impression that he’s always one or two or five steps ahead of everyone else, and she’s seen that cruel satisfaction when his words cut straight to the bone. She has also seen a lot of warm fondness, though,  and she figures that curiosity is one step in the right direction. Despite that, though, he just looks tired right now.

“Tony will be home soon,” she says, softly.

“Is that supposed to be reassurance?” Loki asks. “Or warning?”

His voice is soft, deep, and she can’t help but think that it’s really very nice to listen to. She likes the way he always knows exactly what he’s saying, picking his words quickly but precisely, never not hitting the mark. If his words hurt, you’ll at least know that it was entirely on purpose. She thinks that’s easier to deal with than thoughtlessness.

“I don’t think you need a warning,” she says, and because she’s familiar with taking risks by now, she lets her gaze flicker briefly from his eyes to his lips and back. “Or do you?”

There is a bit of color on his usually so pale cheeks, she thinks. Interesting.

“You’re really quite odd,” he says after a moment. “Do you know that?”

“Yes.”

He smiles, sharp, and looks back at the TV. “Well, as long as you’re self-aware.”

Getting there, she thinks. How about you?

Tony finds them like that when he comes home, and he smiles and sits down next to Pepper, throwing his legs over her lap so that his feet are resting on Loki’s thighs. And it's easy. 

It doesn’t stop being easy.

Loki sleeps in the guest room now and then. He's polite about it, even does the dishes sometimes – he only needs to snap his fingers for that, of course, but Pepper guesses it still counts. She grows used to having him around and stops feeling awkward when he sees her in pyjamas, or when he comes upstairs tense and fuming and frighteningly unhappy. Tony is good at making him happier, of course. Loki relaxes and softens as soon as Tony is in the room, and in turn Tony brightens like the sun came out. It hurts to watch, except it also doesn’t, because Tony brightens just as much when he sees Pepper. And sometimes, when Loki is in one of his moods, he’ll find Pepper in her office or the penthouse, and he’ll sit somewhere close by and read, and when she asks what Thor did this time, he won’t look up from his book, but he’ll talk. He talks to her a lot these days, in general. Without her prompting him, even. He smiles at her, and lowers his voice to tell jokes that are meant for her ears only. Once, he hides in her office after playing a prank on Steve, grinning like a madman when he sits down in one of the chairs and places his feet on her desk, and she thinks, oh. 

She figures out why Tony likes Loki so much. It’s impossible not to, what with how charming and fun Loki is now that he’s comfortable around her. He is a mess, of course. Sometimes there’s a mean glitter in his eyes and even Tony tells him off. Some of his pranks go way too far. He’s moody and unpredictable, but he can be kind, too, and surprisingly – staggeringly – loyal.

So, shit.

Maybe she does have a type.

*

JARVIS informs her that Tony isn’t doing so well, which could mean a big number of things, so she leaves work and rides up to the penthouse. The living room is empty, but she hears noises from the bedroom. When she gets closer, she quickly realizes - not noises, but voices. 

“-- no reason for that, Anthony. I’ve suffered much worse.”

Pepper stops in the hallway in front of the bedroom. The door is ajar. Tony’s reply is quiet and slurred. Drunk, then. 

“No,” Loki says, like he’s dealing with an unreasonable toddler and losing his patience. Pepper knows the feeling, but somehow it also sounds like the toddler went and hurt Loki’s feelings. “Just lie down, would you? I won’t help you get back in if you fall out of bed.”

“M’not gonna fall. We should, uhh.”

“Yes, indeed.” There is a bit of grunting and shuffling, then, “Your other foot, please. I’m not letting you sleep with your shoes on.”

“Talk,” Tony says, victorious. “We should talk. M’good at talking. About – uh. Feelings, n’stuff.”

“Yes, your skills are unparalleled. Stop squirming.”

“Tickles.”

“I’m not even touching you. Lie down.”

“Loki – look, I – is just, I’m sorry.”

“I know. Lie down.”

More shuffling. Tony sighs. “Fuck. This is – terrible. I didn’t mean to -”

“Yes, I know. Are you going to be sick?”

A thoughtful pause. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

“No. Pants –”

“I am not helping you out of your pants.”

“Ugh.”

“Go to sleep,” Loki says. “I’ll put a bucket next to the bed.”

“Don’t wanna sleep.”

“You’ll be surprised to find that I don’t care.”

“That’s mean. Loki –”

“No. We can talk when you’re sober. Until then, I – I will be downstairs.”

“Okay,” Tony says, defeated. “Fine, then. If you want.”

“Tell JARVIS if you need something.”

A faint click, and the light in the bedroom goes out. Tony doesn’t say anything else. There are steps on the other side of the door, and after a second Loki appears and carefully closes the door behind himself. 

He doesn’t seem surprised to see her. The look on his face shocks her, though. She hasn’t seen him look this grim in quite a while.

“What happened?” she asks, stunned. 

“Nothing happened,” he snaps and walks past her. “Nothing at all, I assure you.”

“Loki, hey –” She reaches out and grabs his arm. “You can tell me. What’s wrong? Did you fight?”

“Yes,” Loki says, freeing himself out of her grip. He deflates. “No. It hardly matters. I’ll be downstairs, should he have need of me. Or you, for that matter.”

His tone makes her frown. “You’re still coming for dinner tonight, though, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

She lets him go. 

In the bedroom, she finds Tony passed out and snoring on the bed. There is an empty glass on the nightstand, so Loki gave him something to drink, that’s good. Pepper doesn’t wake him, but she does go over to the bed to run a hand through his hair and tug at the blanket until it’s exactly how she knows he likes it. It’s been a while since he got this drunk, and she has a feeling about what might have caused it and that they’ll have to talk about it, but first he needs to sleep it off.

Unsurprisingly, Tony doesn’t want to talk about it when he wakes up. He assures her that it’s fine, nothing really happened, they just had a disagreement over something. 

Unsurprisingly, Loki doesn’t join them for dinner.

*

In the next few days, Tony barely leaves his workshop, and Pepper doesn’t see Loki at all. That wouldn’t be unusual, per se, but according to JARVIS, Loki isn’t in the workshop with Tony, so they aren’t working on a project together. Fine, Tony has a lot of other projects, and Loki still likes to stay in his bedroom downstairs now and then, but – well, usually they still eat together or watch a movie or just sit and talk, even if it’s just for a short while before Tony’s work draws him back in and Loki follows him. Tony himself has been making so much of an effort to spend as much time with her – with them – as possible. And this? God, this reminds Pepper of the time after the wormhole.

She’s almost glad when the battle happens. Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t last long, because Tony manages to get trapped in a collapsing building. That's a classic. He gets trapped in a collapsing building about five times a month. But usually he manages to get out without any major injuries, and this time? Well, this time he isn't quite so lucky.

Pepper hurries through the med bay of the tower. She bumps into Steve, who assures her that Tony will be fine, and she bumps into Bruce and Natasha, who both tell her the same thing, and then, finally, she bumps into Loki.

"Oh, god," she breathes out, her hand already on the handle of the door Loki just closed behind himself. She lets go of it and touches him instead, pulling him into a hug that he endures rather than returns. She pulls back and looks at him – still in his armour, but without the helmet. His face is dirty and tired-looking, like he hasn't slept in a week or two. But he’s okay, that’s what matters. "Loki. Are you – is he –"

"He will be perfectly fine," he says, and she knows that if he says that, she doesn't need to worry at all. He wouldn't lie to her, not about this, not even to make her feel better.

"Okay," she says, a lot calmer already. "What about you? Are you okay?"

"Yes." 

He sounds dismissive. He doesn't want to talk to her, she thinks, and he confirms that suspicion by moving to walk past her without even looking at her. He's tense all over, unhappy, and Pepper doesn't like it.

"Loki –" She reaches for him, grabs his wrist. "You got him out of there, didn't you? JARVIS told me."

He frees himself out of her grip easily, still not meeting her gaze. "It was nothing."

"No, you – JARVIS said you got there just in time."

"So?"

"I just wanted –" She takes a breath. "I don't know what happened between him and you, but I know you haven't been talking, so it's not – I don't take it for granted, that's all. So. Thank you."

His blank mask breaks and reveals something cold and furious she hasn't seen in his eyes before, or at least not in ages, not since he was new at the tower and cruel to everyone.

"How dare you thank me," he hisses. "Do you think I would let him die out of pettiness? Or jealousy? You know – and I know that you do – that I would do everything in my power to keep him safe. Everything."

"I just meant –"

"I don't care what you meant." He straightens, and his mask returns, leaving his face cold and blank. "I do not require gratitude, least of all yours. Good night."

He vanishes.

Oh, fucking magic. Pepper glares at the spot where Loki was two seconds ago, but after a moment she decides that it doesn't matter, at least not right now. She enters the room they put Tony in, and is relieved to find that he is actually resting. Asleep, even.

She sits on the edge of the bed and carefully takes his hand in both of hers, lifting it to her lips. She spots a few bruises and scratches, but nothing more. According to JARVIS, Loki healed Tony's more severe injuries before they even left the battlefield. He'll be fine, completely fine, he just needs to rest; apparently, magical healing sessions are exhausting. 

It takes a while, but eventually, Tony stirs. He looks at her out of bleary, half-lidded eyes, and the corner of his mouth quirks up.

"Hi," he croaks. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

She gives him a smile. "You promised you wouldn't scare me like this anymore."

"Ah, right." He closes his eyes. "No reason to be scared, Pep. M'okay."

"Thanks to Loki, yes."

"Mhh. Where'd he go to, anyway?"

"Upstairs. To take a shower."

"Oh. Okay?”

“Yes, he’s fine. Go back to sleep.”

For once in his life, he obeys.

*

Pepper steps out of the elevator and goes to look for Loki. She passes Thor in the living room – Thor, who looks a little worried and a little confused, but tells her where Loki is, anyway. Not much later, she knocks on the door of Loki's bedroom. 

She waits for a moment, but doesn't hear anything, so she sighs and just goes in. Loki is sitting on his bed, reading, and doesn't look at her.

"I would prefer to be alone, thank you."

"You're welcome," Pepper says, closing the door behind her. "I won't stay long. I just wanted to check on you."

“Well, as you can see, I am well.”

He doesn’t look well. His immortal body should have recovered from his injuries since yesterday, but he still looks almost as bad as Tony. Dark shadows under red-rimmed eyes. Pepper wonders if he’s been crying and somehow, that terrifies her. 

She sits down on the edge of the bed. “Loki.”

“Yes.”

“What happened the other day?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

She raises a brow. “Do you really want to play that game with me?”

He looks at her for a moment, then back down to the book. His thumb fiddles with the corner of the page. “Virginia –”

“No, please. I want to know.”

He sighs. It takes a while. Finally, though, he says, “I tried to kiss him.”

Pepper nods. She expected something like that, so it’s not a surprise, but her stomach still sinks. What hurts the most is that Tony didn’t tell her.

“He didn’t let me,” Loki says, quickly. “He wasn’t – it was my mistake. He didn’t do anything. Nothing else happened.”

Pepper nods again. This is – it’s okay. She can deal with it. The thought itself doesn’t even bother her, and that’s a relief. “And then you fought?”

Loki lifts his shoulders. “He made it clear that nothing of this sort will happen between him and me. I have decided it’s better to bring some distance between us, so I haven’t –”

“So you’ve been avoiding us, yes, I get that. It’s idiotic, but I get it.”

“Excuse me –”

“No, wait, give me a moment.” She takes a breath and brushes her hair out of her face. “Alright. Okay, look. He got wasted immediately after that, you know that, right? And he didn’t tell me –”

“It was my fault, not his. There is no need for him to feel guilty –”

“He feels guilty,” Pepper cuts him off, “because he wants you, too. Of course he feels guilty.”

Loki scoffs. “He doesn’t –”

“He does! Are you blind? If it wasn’t for me, he would –” She stops. It’s true, and it hurts. “He’d have kissed you himself ages ago if he wasn’t with me.”

“But he is with you.” Loki finally puts his book aside and leans forward. “I got carried away, that is all. It will not happen again, and I will leave both of you alone from now on –”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” she says, sharper than intended. “I don’t want you to leave us alone, I want – I like having you around. Don’t give me that look, I do. I missed you in the last few days, and Tony? God, he’s been a mess, he’s so scared of losing you. And I don’t want him to lose you. Okay? Is that clear?”

“I’m not sure what you want from me.” Loki starts sounding annoyed, too, and well, Pepper can’t blame him. “I would gladly be his friend, but I doubt it is possible at this point.”

Because it hurts him too much. Pepper gets that. Loki has no idea what she’s saying, though. “Loki, I’m not asking you to just be his friend. I’m giving you permission to be more.”

Loki stares at her. He blinks slowly. “You – I’m sorry?”

“I’m fine with it,” she says. “I can’t speak for him, of course, I don’t know if he wants – but I would be fine with it. If the two of you were more than friends.”

“I see.” Loki’s expression hardens. “And you think that will silence me, yes? One or two nights with him to get it out of our system, and then –”

“No. Not just sex. The whole thing. He loves you, you know, he’s been asking for you, and it hurts him so much that you’re not there with him – you should have stayed, you idiot. You should have been there with us when he woke up, I can’t stand that you weren’t there.”

“Virginia –”

“No, shut up. I want you to go to the med bay, right now, and tell him that you’re not going to run for the hills, you’re staying right here with us. Is that clear?”

“But how would that even –”

“Loki, go.”

He rolls his eyes, but gets out of bed. “You really are a slave driver, do you know that?”

She laughs. It sounds a little wet, and he pauses, looking at her. His shoulders sag. “I do not wish to hurt you.”

It’s probably the most honest thing he has ever said to her. She nods. “No, I know, it’s okay. I’m not mad. We’ll see each other tonight.”

“Or else?” he mutters, but when she gives him a look, he lifts his hands and leaves the room.

A minute later, Thor knocks and pokes his head in. He looks at her for a moment, frowning. Then he says, very carefully, “There is ice cream in the fridge?”

“That would be nice,” she says, and he beams like a puppy who just got praised for learning a trick.

Jane trained him well.

*

She isn’t sure what she expected. In her mind, the ideal outcome includes Tony coming to the penthouse and talking to her before spending the night with Loki, and maybe then breakfast together in the morning. The worst outcome ends with her being thrown out of the penthouse and Loki moving in, but she pushes that thought far, far away. All in all, she expected Tony to be happy, relieved, thankful.

She did not expect him to be fucking furious.

“Oh, don’t you fucking dare,” is the first thing she hears when the door of the elevator opens in the hallway. “You’re coming with me, you’re not getting out of this anymore. Move.”

Pepper swallows. That is Tony’s I am not amused and will not take any shit tone, the one he uses when he is done playing and snarking. He barely ever used it on her before, but she heard it in action several times, and the people who he used it on never got out of the conversation unscathed. 

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Tony marches into the living room of the penthouse. He spots Pepper on the sofa and immediately his eyes narrow. He still looks pale and like he should be in a bed, but without Loki’s intervention yesterday, he probably wouldn’t even be able to walk.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he says, but it doesn’t sound very sweet. “Just a quick question, have you lost your fucking mind?”

“Anthony –”

Tony holds up a hand. “Shut up and sit down. I said sit down.”

Behind him, Loki looks at Pepper out of wide eyes, but he slowly sits down on the sofa as well. Tony plants himself in front of them with his arms crossed.

“Okay,” he says, his tone so bright it sounds menacing. “Just so I get this right. For weeks, you two have somehow known that you,” he gives Loki a pointed look, “like me. None of you talked to me about it, which is fine, I get it, awkward as hell, I know. But you,” he nods at Pepper, “have made the decision in your pretty head that you’re okay with him and me fucking each other silly whenever we want, right, and instead of talking to me about it, you talked to him about it, so he came to me and tried to kiss me again, so of course I told him off again, only to listen to him explaining that he’s been given permission – what am I, by the way, an high school toilet? Do people need a hall pass to sleep with me? So I don’t believe a word he says, obviously, and accuse him of lying and almost make him cry –”

“I didn’t cry –”

“Oh, shut up. And then I ask JARVIS ‘hey, buddy, is this true?’ and he goes ‘yes, Sir, would you like to see the footage?’ and I say ‘fuck no, but thanks’ and now I’m here and I can’t fucking believe that of the three of us – I mean it, guys, you have an amount of emotional intelligence I can’t even dream of and you have been out and about for a thousand years, so why am I the one who has to make us talk about this like, you know, reasonable adults? Because I’m definitely not a reasonable adult. I’m a fucking mess. Just as far as that rundown goes, everything correct? Did I miss anything?”

“You didn’t tell me about the kiss,” Pepper says.

“It wasn’t a proper kiss,” Loki says.

“Right! That, yes. You’re right, I’m sorry about that, but I had to get my thoughts in order first, because you like me.” Tony throws his hands up, staring at Loki. “When the fuck did that happen, anyway?”

“Tony,” Pepper says, gently. “It’s been –”

“Don’t tell me it was obvious. I know, but don’t tell me, or I swear to god –” He takes a ragged breath and crosses his arms again. “Alright, so. Enlighten me, guys. What’s the plan?”

They both look at him blankly.

Tony raises a brow. “What? You must’ve had some sort of idea  – let’s put down some rules, maybe you can have Tony on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, but then I get him on Christmas – nothing like that? No?”

“It’s not like that,” Pepper says. “Tony, I just wanted – I know you love him –”

“So what?” Lovely, now he’s shouting. “I’m your boyfriend! I want to be your husband, for fuck’s sake! Do you think I’d fuck him just because he says that you told him you’re okay with it? Simple as that, right, good plan, where’s the lube? Pepper, honey –”

Loki clears his throat and stands up. “Perhaps I should –”

“If you leave right now, I will throw you off this building.”

Loki slowly sits back down again.

“Great, thanks,” Tony says. “And, just for the record, yes, I do. I should have told you before, Pepper, I know, but I couldn’t, because – fuck. I’ve fallen in love with someone else but I haven’t fallen out of love with you, and it’s confusing as hell! I don’t get it! It’s never happened to me before! God, I think I’m going to pass out.”

They quickly make room between them on the sofa so that he can sit down as well. He just breathes for a moment, stone-faced and tense. 

“I’m sorry,” Pepper says finally. “I – we,” she looks at Loki, who nods, “didn’t want to make you feel overlooked, or somehow handled – I just thought it would be easier if you heard it from him.”

“Easier for who?”

She frowns. “I’m not sure. Just, it’s really none of my business –”

“Since when are you the idiot in our relationship?” he says sharply. “Why isn’t it me, as usual? Of course it’s your business. If I’m in love with someone else, of course it’s your business. Do you think I can just – what, have two separate relationships at the same time? I can’t. I can’t do that, and I don’t want to.”

“Would you like to decide?” Loki asks evenly.

Tony pales even more. “What? No. Are you insane? I’m not breaking up with Pepper –”

Loki nods and, again, moves to stand up. “Then I will -”

“No.” Tony grabs Loki’s arm. “Loki, no. I don’t want to lose you, either, I meant what I said. The love thing. That. You know?”

Loki sighs. Despite the tension, there is fondness in his eyes. “I appreciate it, Anthony.”

“You – don’t tell me you appreciate it, I didn’t say I bought your favorite tea.”

“I don’t know what else I can say. You have to understand that I can not continue as we have before.” Loki glances at Pepper. “Believe me, I wish you the very best, and I do not want to see you two part.”

“Stay,” Tony says. “Sit down. Please.”

Loki sits down again. He looks at Pepper, helpless, and she feels much the same.

“I want both of you,” Tony says, not looking at either of them. “Alright? At the same time. Together. And if that’s not something you – either of you – want, that’s fine, I get it. I haven’t tried it before, either. But I – shit. We’re so good together, aren’t we? Don’t you think it could work?” Tony looks at Pepper. “I know you like him a lot. And he’s hot, right? You think that, too, I’ve seen your face when you look at him.”

“He is still here, in case you have forgotten,” Loki says.

Tony jerks his thumb at him. “Look at how cute he is when he’s blushing. I mean, come on, can you even blame me?”

“I don’t,” Pepper says earnestly. “I meant what I said, I’m fine with it. I like seeing you together, and I like being together with the two of you.”

Tony looks at her. “Wait – why do you not sound like you’re freaking out?”

“Well, I –”
“Oh my god. You’ve thought about this, haven’t you? Being a – shit, what is it even called? A throuple?”

Pepper’s mouth twitches. “Maybe I have, yes.”

“Oh, thank god.” Tony lets out a breath and leans his head back against the sofa. “Okay. That’s good. I thought I was going crazy.”

"I feel like you should talk about this in private," Loki says stiffly.

"Probably," Tony agrees. "There's so much talking we need to do and I'm tired just thinking about it. Can we hit pause? Just for tonight? Because I almost died yesterday and I just want to have you near me. Both of you. Is that okay? Can we do that?"

Pepper doesn't have to think about it. "From my side, yes."

"Yes," Loki says. His voice is unusually small. 

"Great!" Tony stands up. "I'm gonna take a shower. I still reek like hospital." He waggles his eyebrows. "Wanna come with?"

"Too soon," Pepper tells him dryly, but can’t keep from smiling. "Do you need help?"

"Uh, no, I can just about manage a shower without causing myself fatal injury, thanks. I'll meet you in the bedroom in seventeen minutes."

He leaves them alone. They both look after him for a second, then at each other.

"Is it too much?" Pepper asks. "You can say if it's too much."

Loki shakes his head, but he does look a little dumbstruck. "I never would have thought…"

Pepper smiles at him. "He's right, you know. You're cute when you blush."

The blush intensifies. It comes with a scowl. Pepper grins and stands up, taking his hand. He lets her drag him off the sofa and in the direction of the bedroom. His hand is cold in hers and he's still tense, but he doesn't take his hand away.

"He's right about something else, too," she says.

"Oh?"

"This really could work."

Loki just hums. In the bedroom, they can hear Tony shower next door, and Loki lingers in the doorway. Pepper gives him a nudge.

"I'll change into something comfortable, alright? You should, too."

Loki sighs but nods, and when she returns a few minutes later, he's standing in front of the window in his version of pyjamas. In the bathroom, the shower has stopped. Tony shuffles out of the bathroom with a shower wrapped around his hips and grins at them both before he disappears into their walk-in closet. It doesn't escape Pepper's attention that Loki pointedly looks away. She is ninety-eight percent sure that Loki has seen Tony naked, or at least mostly naked, before of course this isn't quite the same as crossing ways in the locker room after a sparring session.

"It's really handy that you can change without actually needing to change," Pepper says, really just to say something, and sits down on the bed. "I wish I could do that before last-second emergency meetings. Would you like to come over here?"

Loki looks at her and then, after a moment, walks over to the bed and sits down next to her.

"You look really –" She searches the right word. "Overwhelmed."

"This is a surprise," he says.

"Good or bad?"

Loki smiles in a way that says it's the former, but he doesn't get the chance to reply because in that moment Tony comes in – now in a loose t-shirt and boxer shorts – and crawls right into bed.

"Get your asses over here," he says, tugging at the blanket until Loki has to stand up to let him move it. Tony flops down and raises a hand, wriggling his fingers. “Please?”

Pepper reaches for Tony’s hand automatically, letting him pull her down. Loki lingers by the edge of the bed, but then Tony huffs and raises his other hand. Pepper watches Loki reach for it, unusually careful, entwining his pale fingers with Tony’s. Tony pulls, and at first Loki doesn’t move an inch, but then he melts and joins them in the bed. Pepper rolls onto her side to watch him lie down, and while he’s busy folding his long limbs into place somewhere they don’t bother anyone, she looks at the way his odd Asgardian tunic ruck up slightly around his waist. It’s a very nice waist, lean; for all his height and obvious strength, his armor makes him look bigger than he is. Tony’s shoulders might even be broader. 

Pepper looks at Tony and finds him already watching her. She raises a brow. Pretty, isn’t he? He nods firmly. Pretty as fuck, yeah, glad we agree. Pepper flicks a look at Loki and Tony nods again, moving closer to Loki so that he can rest his head on Loki’s shoulder. Loki stills, but after a moment relaxes, his expression softening. He looks at Pepper hesitantly, and she smiles at him before tucking herself against Tony’s back, wrapping an arm around his middle. He puts his hand on her forearm.

They lie in silence for a while. Soon, Tony’s breaths even out, his hand going slack on Pepper’s arm. 

She smiles. “Is he asleep already?”

She hears a slight rustling as Loki moves, probably to check. “I think so. He shouldn’t have been out of bed at all, the healing yesterday wore him out.”

“Keeping him in bed is pretty difficult.”

“And here I thought the entire playboy persona meant it was difficult to make him get out of bed.”

It startles her into laughing. “Well, maybe you’ll find out which one’s true.”

“Cheeky, Miss Potts.”

She grins against the back of Tony’s neck. “You’ll have to get used to it.”

Loki chuckles, but sobers quickly enough. “Have you truly been thinking about this?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.”

“You haven’t?”

Loki hums. “I didn’t realize it was an option. I have grown a lot fonder of you than I expected.”

Pepper is aware it’s not a gushing declaration of love, but it’s not like she expected or hoped for that. She’s not in love with him, either. It’s a sort of mutual respect, she thinks, and, at least on her part, a growing amount of attraction. Fine, maybe it’s a crush. He really is very pretty, and she loves seeing them with Tony, and not only because they are good for each other. They look good together. 

“We’ll figure it out,” she says, closing her eyes. 

She moves her hand blindly to whatever she can reach of Loki, which turns out to be his stomach. She pats it, and Loki huffs and takes her hand, entwining their fingers. His hand is cold, but warms up quickly to her touch.