The frozen water droplets continuously hit Tony's burning skin, which refused to cool down like a thousand miniature knives. Normally, Tony would've stood in the corner of the shower until the water warmed, but tonight, he welcomed the liquid ice pouring on him and had purposefully left the setting on cold.

After 30 minutes of his temperature still spiked, Tony relented and cut the water off and blindly reached for a towel. Tony wrapped the white towel around his waist and swabbed the mist that had grown over the once spotless mirrors. He studied his reflection with almost desperation. His face was relatively normal, except for a few new scars that appeared as small cracks running along his neck He was used to those. Those were now a part of him, as they had been for the past week or so. He didn't remember and quite frankly didn't want to admit that there was something wrong with him and have Pepper be right for her reason on breaking up. Just like the arc reactor, this was his fight, and whatever it was he would handle.

After what seemed like forever, Tony finally emerged from the bathroom but didn't make any noticeable effort to put some clothes on when Pepper walked in on the phone. His skin still felt like a thousand suns were shinning only on him. She nearly dropped her blackberry when she got a look at Tony.

"I'm going to have to call you back; my boss has decided to go native. You're strolling around in nothing but a towel because..?" Pepper carefully weeded her way around the couch, out of Tony's grasp.

Tony meandered over to the ever-ready bar stocked at Tony's whim and twirled out two flattened glasses. "Oh you know, thought I'd drive with the top down."

Pepper forced a laugh, but actually meant it, "Is that what I'm supposed to tell the press, because that was who I was talking to when you jumped me."

She plated herself on the couch facing the window and sighed." What am I supposed to say for you, Tony?" She said cynically, "You're back at last year's point. You've been deemed unstable," She added, "Not that you're stable anyway."

"Maybe unstable is what we need." Tony insisted while bringing over the two drinks filled with dark liquid. He was now wearing the pair of dark jeans he'd found stowed in the bottom cabinet of the bar.

She glanced over in his direction and sternly said, "I'm not drinking. This is work."

That didn't stop him from wrapping her fingers around the condensing glass. "Yes you are," He answered as-a-matter-of-factly and sat across from her. Although he had a drink in hand, he didn't sample the alcohol, "It doesn't mean it isn't still work, ."

There was obvious discomfort in the way she eyed Tony in his shirtless form. "I'm leaving tonight." She said quietly, "I'd thought we'd gone over this nights ago, but apparently I wasn't clear. This isn't working. Us. This whole thing. I'll work for you but you need to take some time to think."

The engineer sighed, shit. She was turning this into a soap oprah. "What, I can't be that bad? I refuse to play the part of the guy that gets on his knees and begs for forgiveness with tears down his face."

Pepper set the cup on the table, not even touched and alighted from the couch. She silently came to him and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. There were no tears, but the sadness held in her voice was enough."Tony, good bye."

With that, she mustered all of the strength she had and tore away from him and slipped out of the maze that was the couch and down the elevator. From Tony's position on the couch, he could faintly make out the strained expression on Pepper's face that resembled crying.

As soon as the elevator doors had shut, Tony ran a hand across his eyes, now alone and given time to think. It 's not fair, Tony thought bitterly. Why did he have to deal with this? What the actual fuck did he do now? He didn't take a massive Iron crap with the IronMan suit over the city of New York.

The silence was getting to him, twisting his stomach into knots, and screwing up his head.

With a shaky hand, Tony grabbed the two glasses loaded with Rum Rogers and downed them. That was was a step in the right direction. He mused, feeling the smooth liquid sting his throat temporarily before dripping down his throat and getting that fizzing rush that alcohol usually nabbed at him. The alcohol was already working, clouding up his mind and steadying his hands as the sweet poison coursed through his veins.

That was when he saw him. Loki. Or thought he saw him. The damn trickster that attempted to plunge Earth into his own hellhole not two months ago. He was clear as day, standing in the corner of the house just skirting the windows. His ebony hair slicked back with god knows what and dressed in his usual ridiculous armor, black and green Shakespeare outfit matching Thor,his eyes burning with a strange intensity, studying every inch of Tony's appearance. Then, as soon as he'd seen him, he smirked and vanished.

A lump formed in the back of Tony's throat. The alcohol did nothing now. He sprung from the couch and came over to the very spot he'd seen him, coincidentally in the exact area he'd tossed Tony through the glass windows with. But nothing was there. Only the midnight sky lined with constellations. It was as if he never showed up, a figment of his imagination.

Tony's head was beginning to pound violently.

"Damn you Loki." He cursed under his breath.

Without thinking, Tony grabbed one of his many cell phones and dialed Nick Fury's number. After three rings an ill-tempered Fury picked up but didn't say a word.

"Nicky I know you're there." Tony called out, clumsily picking up the now falling phones from the floor.

Fury growled at the nickname and immediately lit into Tony. " But you aren't. What's your excuse for cutting the meetings at S.h.e.i.l.d? This isn't high school."

Now he remembered why he'd stopped attending the meetings. He was tired of being treated like he was some sort of bomb that might go off. "I didn't cut. I simply chose not to attend in my visible state." Which technically was true. He'd flown by in the suit just to get Pepper off his case. He didn't tell her about the window he'd accidentally smashed, making him all the more subtle when he'd passed the building.

Nick Fury glowered at Tony with so much intensity he thought lasers were going to shoot out any minute. " Thats the same thing Mr. Stark. The next meeting is tonight, 8'o clock sharp. Miss this and you'll be grounded."

Tony suddenly looked bored. "I'll look my father with both my eyes and say that to him." Ouch. Even though that was towards Fury, it still burned him. Fury gave one last piercing stare before hanging up.

Tony took a look at his watch. 7:45 fuck. He swore for what seemed like the millionth time he'd either cursed or thought it and ran off to his bedroom to grab a t-shirt.

Loki sat at the very end of the extended table while the rest of S.h.i.e.l.d's members bantered and joked with one another. Sighing, Loki skimmed over some of the sheets of paper sprawled along the table. This felt like his own personal hell. People were not his thing. Unless they were kneeling or serving him.

Just as Tony walked in the room, he looked up and immediately was shocked to see Stark slipping in and setting the clock back ten minutes, then without looking at him, chose a chair next Loki.

"Man Of Iron. I thought you ran frightened." Loki said bluntly. This was an unexpected turn of events. Stark was not supposed to be here.

Stark finally got a look at Loki and Loki could swear he saw a conflicted bout of emotion. " I didn't run Reindeer Games. I chose not to attend Avenger preschool. And why are you even here? Last time I checked people who try to become supreme overlords of Earth aren't admitted to the Avenger's Inititive."

"I do not wish to join Fury's band of misfits club." His tone had tinge of annoyance to it "Your, leader, is it? Director Fury has detained me and forced me to endure these tedious meetings. I'm sure its to lead me against attempting to rule Midgard, but I highly doubt kindergarden tactics will suffice."

Tony chuckled softly, rolling his eyes and took notice of everyone sitting around the table."Ever hear of the term 'remorse'? Its this thing where you-"

"I know the definition Anthony. Do not insult my intelligence and yours will remain intact." Damn, Loki thought. Stark should've just stayed home. This would've been so much easier to bear. He leaned forward, close to Stark with a quirky smile, "So, do tell me, what's your real reason for not coming?"

Loki could feel Tony's body go rigid with the proximity change. This was truly marvelous. Loki had found his weak spot. "I-" Tony cleared his throat, "I told you, I didn't want to deal with this."

"What's not to deal with?" He answered softly. That little movement was reassuring. Getting Tony into bed would be no challenge.

Nick Fury had finally entered the room. Of course no one noticed, but he noticed Stark and Laufeyson in very close quarters. Loki better not be controlling Stark.

He cleared his throat and little by little conversation slowly was cut off. All except the unsuspecting engineer and the god. "Stark. Laufeyson. Keep your eyes off eachother. This is not time to make goo-goo eyes at eachother."

Oh yes, Fury, bait Stark. Loki thought. He was enjoying seeing Stark in his nervous state. Bait the mindless human, powerless in so many ways. He wanted to see Stark suffer before he won his bet with Thor.

Loki leaned back his chair and casually slid a piece of notebook paper to Stark. "My apologies, Director." His words came out slick. He kept an eye on Stark. his face had gone paper white, like he'd seen a ghost, or worse, his worst enemy. Loki smirked and winked at him when Fury had begun his usual history speech. He'd better watch out.

Aha, finally done with this chapter. Next one, here I come.