Lunch Date With Disaster

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Did you partake? When you were in New York." Tony spoke up from across the infirmary desk, having been mostly occupied with his own journal. "Food, that is. Not wanton mayhem."

True to his cavalier word, Tony had been consistent with his follow ups for part-medical/part-cosmetic/entirely-snoopy visits with Loki, who was still repaying his debts to society. They ended up settling on lunchtime (or breakfast in Tony's case, depending on what he got up to the night before) to do the "procedure" and "enjoy" an "amiable" back and forth. Today had been rather unremarkable--a few jabs, but a lot of quiet time in between.

Maybe it was desensitization to Loki's presence, but Tony's countenance was unremarkable. Vigilant, but passively so. In an odd way, the trickster's focus on his work had a mirroring effect that prompted Tony to focus on his own. None of that excepted some "polite" conversation, however, especially over food. Pleasing Thor had become a priority, whether he wanted to put it that way or not. Consuming genuine sustenance and playing nice with the little brother simultaneously was just efficiently used time.

Comments

[st_ratagem]

"If you figure it out, do tell me." Stark's animosity made much more sense than Thor's endless flow of affection and second-and-on chances. Loki loved his brother and always had; Thor might have been the only person he'd be able to say that about without hedging.

But that didn't mean he understood it or knew what Thor saw. At all.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Well. Now that you're presumably out of your world-domination little phase, you are kind of charming. In an off-beat, weaselly, cauldron-brewing way." Tony was thinking out loud, sipping down the ice water that had been just pushed their way.

[st_ratagem]

"I thank you." It wasn't worth pointing out that potions and such were rarely part of Loki's modus operandi, that part felt more like internal consistency to other remarks from Stark. Which had not been complimentary, so much. That was fine, Loki was at home with barbs. "I am in fact one for two on world domination, so I wouldn't say the phase is over so much as advanced."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

'Then you die saving your big brother's life.' Tony crunched on an ice cube. That secret still didn't bring him the pleasure he thought it would. Or any at all. He kept his eyes forward.

"Where do I fit into your scheme? Not the world conquering one. Your fishbowl prison scheme."

[st_ratagem]

"You don't." Loki didn't bother to gesture, but his water turned into a cup of tea. "I'd honestly assumed we'd each pretend the other didn't exist."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Yeah, that wouldn't have worked for me." Tony mimicked a beat with his palms tapping the table.

[st_ratagem]

"Clearly." Loki sipped his tea. "In that case, I'll tell you what I told Thor. Whatever he wants from me, whoever he thinks his puppy eyes will turn me into? I'm not, and it won't. The whole 'honest, noble, forthright' thing? Utter garbage." Another sip of tea. "I'm sure you're already aware of all of that, of course."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Aware? Yeah. Convinced? Eh." Craning his neck, Tony tried to see past the double doors into the kitchen before casting a brief smile at the man beside him.

[st_ratagem]

"Good! Now you can't say I didn't warn you." Not that people generally complained about not being warned, of course. Mostly they just wondered why they hadn't dealt with him earlier.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"So that's it?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're gonna prove me right. Just like that."

[st_ratagem]

"Just like that." And if it could be done with a conversation, so easily and without any particular action, there had been virtually no chance of the reverse option in the first place. Not that that came as any particular surprise. "I don't care about your opinion, Stark. I'll do as I please without reference to it and without losing any sleep." Within the boundaries of what he'd already promised Thor, but there was no need to hedge, here.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Huh." Tony cast one more sideways glance at Loki. The smell of food was permeating the air.

"Sounds...pretty miserable."

[st_ratagem]

Loki shrugged. "Free to act is better than chained to a post. I'll make do as always."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony took a deep breath and let the moment pass them by. There was no arguing the point--not that he was about to play life coach to this particular individual. Or anyone.

"Thanks, by the way."

[st_ratagem]

"For what? I haven't done anything." Loki took another sip of tea, and added, "You can't prove I did," for the sheer joy of being contrary. "Other assorted protestations!"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"For keeping me company." Just for a moment, Tony let himself relive the first few nights at the hotel. In the cave. The sheer lows.

"I don't particularly care why you did it. But it kept me sane. And I know you know it."

[st_ratagem]

"Oh." Contrary: less fun now. Damn. "It was nothing. I'm quite good at being imprisoned, but it is easier to bear when it's not solitary."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"It was everything." And it was gone, now. But that was fine. Tony had made a few connections that kept his feet on solid ground since.

"And now that you've said that, I feel empowered in my decision to sublimate my aggression into continued gestures of goodwill."

[st_ratagem]

"Please don't. They're exhausting." They weren't, but it seemed like the thing to say.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"You liiiiiiiiiike it." Tony cracked his first grin in awhile, smacking the table with his palm when the staff emerged with their food.

[st_ratagem]

"Oh, good. Childishness. That's exactly what we were missing here." Loki considered and dismissed several annoying possible pranks involving ice water, salt and pepper shakers, and the utility of forks as stabbing weapons. Had anyone else known, he'd have just said that Stark had already filled the childishness quota. In reality, messing with the man's food or physical well-being now would only result in Thor sad faces. Those were annoying.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"You like it." Tony was clearly convinced, unraveling his silverware. The egg dish--in its cream sauce (breaking his dairy rule yet again) and dash of scallions and the tender biscuits--consumed every ounce of his attention.

"If you don't like this, well, then there really is no hope for us."

[st_ratagem]

“Aww, you think there’s hope in the first place.” Useless to point out, again, that he wasn’t the one whose problem was disliking food. Neutrality wasn’t dislike.

But Stark was making an effort for himself in addition. Another reason to let it pass, and a reminder as he retrieved his own silverware. “I’m reminded and in the mood to warn you: don’t let Thor try to cook for you if you can avoid it.”

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"The boat's sailed on that one." Tony kept as focused on his current food as he could, smiling distantly. The breakfast he had been prepared in bed was what he could only describe as out of this world.

[st_ratagem]

"Another warning you can't say I didn't give you, then." True to his habit, Loki paid virtually no attention to his food even while he was eating it. It didn't require any forcing to keep down, at all, which was always pleasant, at least. "Even if it was too late to save you. Woe."