Tony was never an early morning person.
Unless he was basically dragged out of bed, usually by Pepper or one of his teammates, he likely wouldn't be out of bed until 11am at the earliest.
If he ever managed to get up earlier, he'd make a beeline for the lab, allowing him some precious tinkering time before someone promptly dragged him out of that.
Regardless, every good day—if it was to be a good day at all—started with Tony making a good cup of pure caffeine with sugar and a touch of cream on the side. This morning was no different.
He made his way to the kitchen, mentally noting that he needed to find some way to sneakily install a coffee maker in his lab, when he paused at the sight of a dark-haired woman.
She sat on the couch, holding a copy of Shakespeare's Hamlet and a cup of tea. Her curly raven hair was up in a disheveled ponytail, and she wore a forest green tunic.
While it took a second, Tony had spent enough time with them to recognize mannerisms and odd attachment to one specific color that Loki had.
"Stark," she greeted simply. There was the holier-than-thou accent, albeit said in a slightly higher pitch.
"Reindeer Games," he greeted back. "Nice... hair," he added after a moment.
Loki simply hummed in acknowledgment, likely too deep into her book to say 'thank you' or even notice his odd behavior. If he (she?) did, she didn't show it.
Tony nodded to himself, mug of coffee now in hand. "Cool," he mumbled to himself before taking a sip. The first hit of caffeine for the day helped snap his brain back into inventor mode. With a few more larger sips just for good measure, he made a beeline for the elevator. "Well, see you later, Elphaba!" he called on his way past. The nickname managed to get a slight reaction, the mage's eyes deviating for the book for just a moment before returning as if it never happened.
In the end, Tony really didn't care. He had a lot larger and more interesting projects to work on besides learning about Asgardian sociology and gender roles. The kid probably knew and cared more about it than he did.
YOU ARE READING
Because I Felt Like it
FanficVarious character's reactions to the goddess of mischief appearing for the first time. Artwork by: peterokii (Instagram, deviantart)