"Is this it?" Were the first words out of Stark's despicable mouth upon stepping foot in Loki's basic apartment.

"It was... sufficient," Loki replied, his mouth twisting in a way that could be described as annoyance.

The other man did actually seem to recognise the tone and apologised.

"Sorry, it's just..."

"You're used to better things," Loki finished for him with obvious sarcasm.

As was he, Loki thought to himself. A golden palace and huge halls... This apartment didn't quite live up to his standards either. But, as he'd said, it'd been sufficient as living quarters. Loki had spent a few months imprisoned by elves; he knew what it was like to live in squalor. 

"Anyway, I don't have much to pack," Loki said, before he could drift off into his own thoughts. "You can grab a seat and help yourself to a book if you want."

Surprisingly, Stark actually did as he was told, taking a tome on medicine and cracking it open on his lap. After twenty minutes, when Loki had finished packing, Stark spoke.

"Meaty stuff, huh?" He commented, looking at a page filled with a diagram of the heart and a list of heart conditions.

"It's fairly interesting once you get into all that," Loki replied casually.

The other man gave him a look.

"I do make medical products, you know - no need to sound so disapproving."

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to offend you," Loki said, sounding genuinely apologetic for once in his life. "It was merely an allusion to those aforementioned products. As you know from my comments on it, you still have quite a bit of research to do, most especially in the heart department."

"Alright, alright - noted," Stark raised his hands in surrender although he no longer sounded annoyed, just amused. "But I have your expertise now, Doctor-not-Doctor-Walker."

Loki had the grace to appear humoured.

"I admit it wasn't kind of me to falsify my records. But medical school is so very long."

Stark laughed and Loki had to admit, if only to himself, that it was pleasing to make the man laugh.

"Now," Stark said, getting up and stowing the book in a box, "Any other stops?"

*

Loki had decided that paying Jane a visit was a good idea. He'd visited her a few times during his tenure as a doctor, although they had communicated frequently via email and text. Both of them had almost always been busy when the other was not. However, despite the lack of visits, Loki and Jane had grown to be good friends. Loki still knew that Jane found him attractive but it no longer bothered him; now he just ignored it.

"So, who is this woman?" Stark asked as he drove recklessly through the streets of New Mexico.

Loki wondered, briefly, why the man had waited until the end of their journey to ask.

"An astrophysicist and astronomer," he replied sparsely.

"Why the interest in her? Your area of expertise isn't exactly in either of those fields."

Loki shrugged.

"I became interested in astronomy at university and astrophysics seemed fairly similar so I took up that too. They became two of my hobbies."

"Similar as black and white," Stark muttered but Loki ignored him.

*

"Alden!" Jane said excitedly when she opened the door. "I thought you were working!"

She caught sight of Stark and paused.

"Nice to see you again, Jane," Loki smiled. "This is Tony Stark."

It looked like Jane was close to saying 'I knew that' but decided against it.

"Good to meet you," she said weakly, shaking his hand.

"Walker here is going to be my business partner," Stark declared, patting Loki on the back.

Jane's mouth dropped open.

"But_ but_ you're a doctor!"

"Mid-life crisis?" Stark offered, grinning.

Loki promptly glared at him.

"We're the same age, Stark."

"Although of course Walker here acts like he's been around for centuries," the irksome man commented to Jane.

Loki almost smirked but stopped himself. Stark didn't know how right he was.

"Anyway," he said, turning to face Jane himself, "I decided it was time to move on. I invested a little in Stark's company a while back."

"He gave me lots of 'constructive' criticism on my medical products," Stark translated when Jane looked like she was about to ask. "I figured that it'd just be easier to hire him."

"CEO is a bit far-fetched, though," Loki pointed out fairly. 

"No take-backs!" Stark cried. "As if anyone would turn down that sort of offer."

Loki glared at him again. He wasn't just anyone and he would do what he liked.

"Jeez!" Stark exclaimed. "Calm down already!"

"Do you, perhaps, want a cup of tea? Coffee?" Jane asked gingerly.

"Coffee would be wonderful, thank you," Loki answered at the same time as Stark said, "Coffee for me, thanks."

They looked at each other. Stark laughed.

"Not so dissimilar after all."

"We worked that out years ago."

"Stop acting like you hate me then."

"Maybe I do."

"I think you don't."

The two men stared at each other. Jane had moved into the kitchen and could be heard fetching mugs from the cupboard.

"We're gonna be business partners, Walker," Stark said seriously. "The people I dislike end up in lawsuits. Lawsuits which are then won by me."

Loki had to bite his tongue before he accidentally said 'the people I hate end up dead'.

"Fine," he said instead. "A truce."

"Well, I'm an optimist," Stark declared. "I reckon we'll be friends by the end of the week."

Loki snorted.

"Pessimist," Stark muttered but there was a small grin on his face.

Jane came back with the drinks.

"Thank you very much, pretty lady," Stark said when he took his, causing Jane to almost drop the two remaining mugs in her hands.

Loki rolled his eyes.

"I guess this is what I have to get used to," he said to her, resigned to his fate.

"Yeah," she said, not taking her eyes of the petulant and perpetually cheerful billionaire.

Loki sighed. This - this annoying, childish playboy of a man - was the person he had to get on with for the foreseeable future. Loki didn't think he could last one week with Stark, let alone learn to like him. But, then again, Loki wasn't always right.

*****

A.N. Loki isn't quite sure whether he likes Tony yet, if that explains the hostility. Thank you for reading!