Tony Stark walked into the coffee shop at two forty-five sharp. Sure, he could have had coffee brought to him in his office or to the lab, but he liked to get out and breathe the air outside every once in a while. Especially since he would often forget what time it was when he was holed up in his lab. He had to wait in a long line today and loosened his tie because it was practically strangling him. He hated when Pepper scheduled meetings for him. He hated when Pepper forced him to wear a suit. He hated when Pepper made him do anything that involved him leaving the sanctity of his lab.

He put in his order for a black coffee and moved off to the side to grab a stirrer and two packets of sugar, and waited. He made a mental note to be careful; if he got any stains on the silver gray three-piece suit Pepper had laid out for him, she would cut his head off. He was laughing silently at the image of a red-faced Pepper coming at him, pliers in hand, aimed at his head, as he glanced out towards the street.

And saw him.

Tony did a double take and thought maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. But there he was. Sitting alone at a table by the window, nose buried in a book, as usual; and headphones in, probably playing Bach or Chopin. Tony would have recognized those raven locks, shorter than he had ever seen them; and that pale skin anywhere—even nearly a decade after the last time he had set eyes on him. His heartbeat sped up a little as he stared and he jolted a little when he heard the barista call his name.

He picked up his grande drink and moved toward the door, aiming to head back to the tower. Then his feet were moving of their own will and he was walking in the direction of the small circular table. He rapped his knuckles against the tabletop then sat without invitation.

"Come here often?" Green eyes lifted to his chocolate brown ones, irritation melting into recognition. He hadn't aged much, Tony thought as he studied the face that sometimes still haunted his dreams. The emerald eyes were still striking, bright. And held so much behind them. "Hey."

Loki Odinson removed the headphones, stopped his music, and dog-eared his page in his book. "Hello," he said in that soft slightly accented voice that was music to Tony's ears.

"Still refuse to use a bookmark, huh?" He removed the lid of his cup, stirred in the sugar, jutting his chin toward the hardbound blue book in his hand. A book of poetry, no less, Tony thought with a chuckle.

Loki shrugged a shoulder. "It only gets in my way." A soft smile curved his lips as his eyes settled on Tony, even more handsome at thirty-four than he was at twenty-one, when Loki had first met the young genius. His hair was dark and spiky and sprinkled lightly with stray silver and gray hairs that only added to his appeal. The lines around his eyes and mouth were deeper, but he still had the good looks to keep up his playboy repuation. "How are you, Anthony?"

"Ooh, no one's called me that in awhile," Tony said with a smile after testing his coffee. "Jeez, let's see. Overworked, underfed, and filthy rich," he added with a charming smile, all white teeth surrounded by a perfectly groomed goatee. "You know—the usual." Loki grinned back and Tony had a sudden memory of the last time he saw him. His smile dimmed. "What are you doing here?"

Loki didn't seem to notice the change in Tony's demeanor and finished the last of his cooling tea. "I had time for break between meetings, so..."

Tony sipped, swallowed, and shook his head. "No. I mean here, in New York. Thought you were off teaching underprivileged village kids how to read in Africa or some shit like that."

Loki's lips curved in that familiar smirk Tony had always favored, because it used to make his belly do a flip. Apparently, it still had that affect. "Yes, I was in Africa, the Philippines and some other places. I've only just returned to the States and I've only been in New York for a little over a week." He paused briefly. "I was offered a teaching position at NYU for the year."

"Really?" Loki nodded. "Teaching what?" Tony glanced down at the table when Loki's cell phone, sitting by the abandoned book, lit up. Loki peeked at it briefly then pressed a button to make it go dark again.

"Creative Writing and Advanced French."

"Wow. Congratulations. That's great. Or as they say in French, c'est magnifique," Tony said with a wave of his hand and a silly face. He discreetly rolled his eyes at himself. He was nervous—why? He didn't know—and it was making him say and do stupid things.

Loki chuckled softly. "Well done. And thank you."

Tony drank more of his coffee. "I heard about your dad; I'm sorry."

Loki lowered his eyes to the table, his black lashes fanning out like half-moons across his sharp-boned cheeks. He nodded solemnly. "At least the last part of his life, things between him and I were going well. Still, I think Thor took it harder than I."

Tony's lips almost curved. "He always was the golden child, though, wasn't he?" He smiled when Loki chuckled again. "I would have gone to the funeral, but I was kind of...detained." Those memories made him tense and his fingers curled into themselves before he remembered he was safe now and forced himself to relax.

Loki shook his head and frowned a little. The headlines of the foreign newspapers flashed through his mind and he remembered how much he had wanted to come back then, after Tony had been returned safely home. Just to see with his own eyes that he was safe. He had so many questions about the entire situation that he never thought he'd be able to get answers to. Maybe now he would. "Don't concern yourself. My father never quite warmed to you anyway," he added with a sly smirk.

"Bullshit!" Tony exclaimed, making Loki's eyes snap up to him, and they both smiled. "That man loved me. After he got to know me," he added with a smile as he drank again. "I still say I was the favorite over Jane." His smile widened when Loki laughed. Loki knew it was true, too. "Speaking of the golden child, I hear he's doing well, showing people up in DC. Finally won that election, or so I read."

Loki nodded. "Hmm, Jane hates it. She says ever since he became senator he's never home enough. It's déjà vu. His children are reliving our childhood."

Tony hummed in agreement then frowned. "I forget. How many kids do they have now?"

"Three. Two boys and a girl; she's in the middle."

"Oh. Nice." His fingers tapped impatiently on the table as he watched Loki. Should he? He asked himself. Should he give in to temptation and ask the question that could turn this genial meeting into one that might just ruin his day? "What about you?" he finally blurted out.

Loki's eyes met his again. Tony saw something flick across his face but it was too quick for him to define. "What about me?"

Tony shrugged, attempting to—and failing at—trying to look casual and uninterested. "Do you, you know…are you married?"

His lips curved, his shoulders lifted, following Tony's lead in the casualness. "Not at present, but…I did come close once."

Something similar to jealousy made Tony grit his teeth. "You'll have to tell me about that sometime." Loki's brows drew together slowly. "Are you seeing someone now?"

His face relaxed, he looked down at the table, and his lips curved just a bit. "No."

"Good." Loki's eyes shot up to Tony's and Tony shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I don't mean good, I mean—whatever. You know what I mean."

Loki stifled a laugh. "And you, Anthony?" It was silly question. If Tony Stark had gotten married, there wasn't a person in the world who wouldn't have known about it.

"What, marriage? Me?" He shook his head, pursing his lips, and drank more of his coffee. "Way too busy once I took over the company, and I just…" He shrugged, chuckled. "I don't know. I guess I haven't found anyone worth spending more than a night with."

"Hmm. Back to your old habits, then?"

Tony glanced up at Loki through his eyelashes and saw the way his red lips pressed together in a tight line, but he still grinned. He laughed at Loki's quasi-disapproval, louder than he meant to. "Yeah, well…" He sat forward with his elbows resting on the table, his hands cupped around his coffee. "You want to know the truth?"

Loki's eyes flicked up to his. "Yes, of course."

Tony waited a beat, holding Loki's gaze, making sure he had his full attention. "I haven't been in a serious relationship since you." Loki's lashes fluttered once but he never dropped his gaze. Tony lowered his eyes to his coffee and his voice to a murmur. "I haven't been with another man since you either." He lifted his gaze once more and caught the bob of Loki's Adam's apple as the other man swallowed.

Loki's lips parted but he couldn't seem to form any words. He tried to think of something to say, maybe something quippy to break the tension. But just as he was about to speak Tony's phone gave a short trill. Tony swore, pulled it out from the inside pocket of his suit vest and punched a few buttons.

"Sorry. That was my assistant."

Ah, an escape. "Do you need to go? I should be heading out myself." Loki picked up his own phone and started to rise.

"No, don't go!" Tony chuckled uneasily and released Loki's wrist, which he had grabbed in an attempt to stop him from leaving. "Sorry. I didn't mean to…it's just a stupid meeting with Japan. I've got a few more minutes." Loki settled back in the chair. "Could you just—?" he sighed in frustration. "Do you have any response to what I just said?"

Damn. Loki sighed. "Nothing…" Tony sat back, looking almost defeated. "Except…neither have I. On both counts—mostly," he added when Tony lifted his brows in question.

Tony's lips curved ever so slightly. "I'm glad you're back, Loki."

"For the school year…at least," he clarified. He slipped his book and iPod into his book bag so he had something to do with his hands. Both of their phones went off again in unison. Loki tipped his up, glanced at it, and grinned softly.

"Damn it." Tony didn't bother reading his this time.

Loki cocked a brow. "Are you sure you don't need to go? Should you keep Japan waiting?"

Tony chuckled. "Yeah, Pe—um, my assistant can handle it for a little longer." A loud knock on the window made both of them turn their heads. Tony hissed in a breath through his teeth. "…Or not."

A redhead that Loki recognized from all those years ago, stood outside the window, glaring at Tony and tapping a finger pointedly to her watch. She spared a glance to the man he was with and jerked her head back, blinking several times. "Still not a fan of mine, is she?" Loki finally looked back at Tony after Pepper Potts stormed off. Tony got to his feet, picked up his cup, and grinned.

"Well. You did steal me from her."

Loki got to his feet as well and slung his bag over his shoulder. Tony had almost forgotten how tall he was and tipped his head back just a bit to look at Loki's face. "You cannot steal something that never belonged to someone in the first place. Nor can you say I stole anything when you came willingly. And that was fifteen years ago; she should get over it. Besides, you and I have not been together for the majority of those fifteen years."

"Yeah, I know," Tony said on a sigh, his tone laced with regret. He snapped his fingers and aimed a finger at Loki before the taller man had a chance to react to Tony's statement. "Hey, are you busy tonight?"

Loki let out a breathless laugh, shaking his head and walked around Tony. He had forgotten how quickly Tony's mind and mouth worked. "I'm not so sure it is a good idea for me to answer that question, Anthony."

Tony followed as Loki made his way outside and stopped him before he could turn the corner in the opposite direction he needed to go. "No, wait—it's not what you think. I'm hosting something tonight. One of those do-gooder things like my dad used to do. It's going to be held at the Met. Why don't you come? Some of the old gang could be there. They're always invited at least."

"And will Pepper be there?"

Tony sucked in a breath through his teeth again. "Well, she is my assistant, but don't worry. She'll be hanging out behind the scenes, making sure everything is running smoothly."

"Anthony, I don't know—"

"Oh, stop it, come on. It'll be a great way for you to meet new people. And, you know, there'll be so many people there, I might not even get to see you." Tony's name was shouted and they both turned their heads to see Pepper waiting, face in an angry pout, in the backseat of a black sedan. He ignored her once again. "I'll add your name to the list at the door."

"I will, um, I will think about it. You had better go. She might just come over and drag you back by the hair if you do not hurry. I know how sensitive you are about your hair."

Tony grinned. It felt way too nice talking to Loki again. "Are you going to come?"

"I just said I would think about it, Anthony," he answered on a laugh. "But I have yet to fully unpack. I have classes I need to plan and I am—" Pepper called for him again and Loki huffed out an irritated breath. "Would you go already? She might kill me for keeping you."

"Say you'll come tonight. I'll leave if you say you'll come," Tony said before Loki could respond.

He laughed. "If there is a possibility that you may not see me, how will you even know I am there?"

Tony's smile was small, but it held so much. "I'll know."

Loki's laughter died away. Tony went still and he sucked in a breath, held it, when Loki lifted his hands to his suit vest and tightened his tie for him. "I knew moving here there was a chance I would run into you," he murmured so only Tony could hear. He patted his chest and stepped back. "I suppose I had not expected it to be so soon."

Tony's eyes narrowed playfully. "Is that a good thing or bad thing?"

Loki's head tilted to the side, his lips curved. "I've not yet decided."

Tony smiled again. "Tonight at the Met. Seven o'clock. Dress nice—suit and tie. Don't be late." He started to walk backwards to the sedan, pulled open the door. "Don't even think about standing me up, Loki. I know where you work now." He smiled, winked, and slipped inside the sedan.

Loki watched the black car drive off, toward the building with Tony's surname plastered across it in big bold letters that, at night, shone a bright light over the city. He blew out a breath, clucked his tongue, and pulled out his cell phone. "This is not good," he said to himself.

He answered the last two texts he received and hailed a taxi because he didnt like making the short walk back to the NYU campu. He slid across the backseat and, on the drive, watched New York drift by his window, welcoming the sights of restaurants, clothing stores, and ethnic shops. He had spent the better part of the last decade living in tents, cabins, and hostels in parts of the world most people never knew about much less set eyes upon.

But the experience did what he needed it to do. Escape the memory of one Anthony Edward Stark.

Loki had gone to Berkley and finished the graduate program a year earlier than anyone expected him to and whizzed through the credential program. He had loved the work, yes, but what nobody knew was that he had piled on the schoolwork and took extra classes just to keep himself occupied. With no friends nearby—the closest being Natasha and Clint several hours away in LA—and Loki being his antisocial self, worse after the breakup, he couldn't spend too much time just sitting quietly.

Sitting quietly would lead to thinking. Thinking would lead to thoughts about Tony. Thoughts about Tony would lead Loki to days of deep depression and nonstop crying. So he had gone to extremes to rid his life of memories of his former love. He never returned to Washington D.C. once he had left. Not even for holidays. He had forced Odin, Frigga, Thor, and sometimes Jane, to fly out to California or he skipped the holiday all together. Frigga had always been the most concerned, though Odin and Thor voiced their own as well. She had not liked that Loki—already a very slim man—seemed to be wasting away to skin and bones, and had dark circles constantly forming beneath his eyes. She had voiced her worries once and Loki assured her he was fine.

But Loki was, and always had been, a gifted liar. The Liesmith had woven fantastic tales of campus life and a busy social life to his family—mostly to keep them off his back. Thor had once asked if he was dating again and Loki made up a story about a beautiful blonde he had started seeing. Thor had seen right through it, but he let Loki carry on with the lie because he knew his little brother was still very brokenhearted over Tony.

Loki seemed to get more and more depressed as graduation came closer and closer. He had no plans for what he would do with his degrees and he didn't particularly feel like going into teaching high-schoolers just yet. So when the opportunity for teaching English in different parts of the world had been offered to him, Loki immediately took it. Frigga and Odin were not very keen on their youngest going gods knew where doing gods knew what, but, as it was Loki, he did what he wanted.

He had gone to different parts of China first, then across Russia, and back down to Indonesia, along with other countries. Between traveling for the teaching program, he would stop at various places just to decompress and take time to concentrate on his own writing. Most of his writing involved his relationship with Tony, without actually naming him, and to earn money, he wrote articles and short stories for magazines, travel websites, and other various publications. It was on one of those vacationing trips, in Venice, that Loki took the first step in moving on from Tony and began dating a young Italian woman. It was a fleeting relationship, but it was enough for Loki to know he was able to move on—with women, at least. For some reason he hadn't felt like analyzing very thoroughly, he wasn't finding himself attracted to men anymore. So he stuck to women and had a few romances across Europe, the most serious of which was with a woman from Norway on vacation in the south of France. Loki nearly married her—which would have delighted Frigga, since by this time Thor had graced her with a daughter-in-law and a grandson—but ultimately, they never made it to the altar.

After that, romance took a backseat in Loki's life. He had been on his own for quite some time now and thought he was okay with it. Until he saw Tony again. Suddenly he missed having someone to come home to, someone to curl up with under the covers. Suddenly he missed Tony.

This was definitely not good.

Loki undid his tie one more time and once again began to redo it. And one more time, asked himself why he was going to this…thing, whatever it was. He should not be going to a party hosted by Tony Stark. He should have never let Tony sit down at the coffee table. He should have never stayed there and talked to the man. Because now all he could do was reminisce. And wonder.

He remembered how it had taken him far too long to get over Tony. And the memory of Tony had a knack for sneaking up on him just when he thought he was finally past everything. It had been years since he had one of his little breakdowns over memories and wistful recollections of him and Tony. And he thought when he finally did run into Tony again he would be able to give him a smile and walk away without it hurting.

Today had started off that way, but it quickly turned on Loki. Hours later, and he still wasn't sure how to deal with the fact that Tony had not been with any other men since they had been together. In one sense, he was flattered. In another—well, he had to force himself not to think those thoughts, lest he get his hopes up.

But clearly Tony Stark still had some pull on him. For there he was, dressed up and walking up the steps into the Metropolitan Museum. Tony had been true to his word; Loki's name was on the list at the entrance and he walked right in, mingled with the crowd; a massed group of dignitaries, high New York society, and media. Of course media, Loki thought with a smirk. No one ever called a Stark man shy.

He wandered around alone for a bit. Despite what Tony said, he hadn't seen one face he recognized. He was standing in front of a particularly impressive statue of someone who may have been important thousands of years ago when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He went to pull it out just as a waiter appeared before him, offering his tray with just one single drink on it. Loki apologized before he turned away and brought the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sexy," a voice Loki recognized said on the other line.

Still, Loki frowned, and instinctively looked up and around. "Anthony?"

"Take the drink. It's a gin and tonic—that's what you like, right?"

Loki turned to the waiter and plucked the drink from the tray, lifting it in thanks. "Yes, it is. I'm surprised you remembered that. How did you get this number?"

"I'm Tony Stark, Loki. I have my ways. Drink it."

"Have you had it poisoned?" He drawled before he sipped at it, as Tony chuckled into the phone. He hummed in appreciation and drank again.

"Is it good?"

"Of course it is. It's probably the most expensive gin being used." Loki glanced around again, looking amongst the crowd for dark hair and a goatee. "Are we playing hide and seek? Or are you just hiding from your assistant?" Tony made a noise that was partly a short laugh and partly a contented sigh. "I can hear your breathing, Anthony. You're making me feel as if I am in a horror film."

"What's your favorite scary movie, Loki?" A low growl asked over the line.

Loki rolled his eyes but grinned, and continued to search. "I am not playing this game with you, Anthony. Tell me where you are."

"I'm around." Loki sighed, almost irritably. "You can't see me, but I can see you."

"That's a comforting thought," Loki said dryly. Tony chuckled again. Loki found an empty wall and leaned back against it. "Why did you invite me here tonight? Are you showing off for me?"

Tony scoffed. "Why should I? Even when I was flat broke you made me feel like a millionaire, Loki." Loki smiled softly. "Not only do I not need to do show off for you, but I also happen to know it would mean absolutely nothing to you even if I did."

"You've never been flat broke, Anthony," he pointed out.

Tony laughed deeply. "Good point. Are you having fun yet?"

"I am standing in a corner, talking to you on the phone as you hide yourself from the party, sipping from a very nicely made gin and tonic. While enjoyable, that is not my definition of fun." Loki chuckled along with Tony, pausing when he caught sight of a familiar set of blue eyes. "Anthony?"

"What?"

Loki pushed up from the wall, straightened himself. "Did you tell anyone I was coming tonight?"

Tony made some odd noise on the other line. "No. Why? Was I supposed—? Shit. Did she spot you?"

"She is heading my way." Loki heard the line cut off and slipped his phone back into his pocket. He drank from his glass again, dropping it to his side, as Pepper stormed up to him.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Loki smiled politely and bowed his head. "Hello, Ms. Potts. It's lovely to see you again."

Pepper glared at him. "This event is invite-only. I'm afraid if you can't produce an invitation I will be forced to have you escorted off the premises."

Loki angled his head, biting his tongue from saying something he would regret. "You know very well I am not in possession of an invitation."

Pepper grinned smugly and pressed a finger to her ear. "Security, I need someone escorted out. My location is—" She jumped when Tony moved her hand and spoke into the mouthpiece taped discreetly to her cheek.

"Back down, boys, it's just a false alarm."

"Tony—"

"I invited him, Pepper, so don't get your panties in a twist. I put his name on the list and forgot to tell you." He looked at Loki and winked before turning back to Pepper. "Sorry." Loki pressed his lips together and wished he had stayed home after all. He lifted his drink and emptied the glass, then held it against his chest.

"Tony," Pepper muttered between her teeth, glaring at Loki before setting those blazing blue eyes on Tony. "He can't be here."

"Why? I explained the situation. Now go see if anyone needs a crème puff." Tony turned his back to her, effectively giving her the brush off. Pepper breathed huffily then stomped away, muttering something about not being a waitress, leaving Loki and Tony alone. "Cheers." Tony tapped his glass against Loki's.

"Anthony…" Loki started.

"Oh, don't use that tone on me. It just slipped my mind."

"It did not. I had better go." Loki set the glass down on the nearest empty space and started forward. Tony pressed his hand against his chest and pushed him back a few steps.

"No, don't. We haven't caught up yet."

Loki stepped back further so Tony's hand dropped away from his body. "Is that not what we did earlier today in the coffee shop?"

"I haven't heard everything you've been up to, have I? And I want to hear about this almost-married business you had going on." Loki opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a throat being cleared. He stopped, wanted to groan at another interruption from Pepper.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark, but they're ready for your speech."

Tony ignored Pepper's formality and groaned at the prospect of making his speech. "Damn it. Okay, wait here. I'll be back in ten." He joined Pepper then turned back. "Start thinking of things to tell me about!"

Loki watched him go and glanced around again. Once he was sure the pair were out of sight, he quietly slipped out.