Tony Stark (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
withmoreme) wrote2012-10-07 03:10 am
withmoreme) wrote2012-10-07 03:10 am
RP log - Visit to Asgard - Part 9/9
What: RP log - Thor was nervous about going back to Asgard to speak at Loki's trial. Tony made the suggestion that the team go with him, for moral support. Their first team field trip ensues.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9/9: In which the team has a meeting, Clint and Natasha have (more) quality time, and the team packs up.
Tony smiled again, at that, though the expression was hidden by the helmet, now. "You're welcome, Thor," he returned, and then did push himself forward off the end of the spire, thrusters and stabilizers catching him once he was clear of the structure. He hesitated a moment, shooting a glance toward the spire where Clint and Natasha had been. It was empty, now, and he turned, heading back for the balcony he had been using to take off from that was closer to their rooms. "Hey, anyone listening in, assemble, or whatever. Team meeting time."
"We already are," Natasha answered. Steve and Bruce had come back shortly after she and Clint had, dinner presumably over, and they'd all been idling around the room, as if waiting for something. Probably for this.
That figured, really. "Someday, I will get the drop on you, Agent Romanov," he promised lightly as he angled toward the balcony, coming in to land, and it wasn't long after that that he was back in their common room.
"Good luck," she offered, a hint of a smile in her tone. She did, however, look at least marginally surprised when he entered the room without Thor. "I'm going to guess he didn't throw you off the roof, so ... "
That meant that either this meeting was to discuss Thor, himself, or the demigod had promised to catch up with them. She wasn't sure which way she was leaning -- or if Thor would show up, if it was a case of the latter -- but she supposed she'd find out one way or the other soon enough.
"He's on his way," Tony returned, standing still for a moment once he was inside the room to let the armor retract back into the briefcase. "Or he said he would be."
Nodding, she moved around the table to take a seat almost through force of habit. Fury had a conference room with a table big enough for the S.H.I.E.L.D. higher ups that he conducted his meetings at when he called them, and it seemed the best place for theirs, here and now. "Are we waiting for him?"
"It's a team meeting," Steve returned. "We'll wait for him."
Tony shot him an approving look as he bent to pick up the suitcase, then moving to take a seat at the table himself.
Natasha shared Tony's approval, though hers was more subtle, and sooner rather than later, Thor was landing on the balcony, apparently having decided to fly rather than make his way through the palace. He looked more composed than he had during his chat with Tony, if not just as tired, and dropped Mjolnir just inside the room as he made his way to the table. "I apologize for my tardiness."
"Pull up a chair," Clint told him from his own spot at the table.
Once everyone was settled, Steve looked between Tony and Thor. "What did you need to talk about?"
"When we should return to Midgard," Thor answered, casting a quick glance in Tony's direction. "You are welcome here as long as you like, my father wished for you to know that, but he would understand if we chose to leave earlier than we had planned to."
"Sooner might be better," Tony put in, glancing to Thor, too. "We don't know that Loki didn't go back to Earth, since he knew we were all here."
"How soon is too soon, though?" Natasha asked, frowning faintly. She didn't want to look ungrateful to the King, nor did she want the people of Asgard to suspect they had something more to do with Loki's escape than simply being unable to catch him before he disappeared. She didn't want to give someone other than Loki an excuse to find a way to come to Earth and start making trouble.
"My father announces Loki's escape before the court tomorrow," he said. "He will expect me to be there, if not all of us. After that, I do not think he will need us for anything else."
"What do you think, Thor?" Steve asked, after a moment. "You know better than we do about how the court will react to your father's announcement and whether we're needed here."
Thor fisted his hands under his chin and rested it on them, thinking.
"They will not blame you for Loki's escape," he said after a moment. He'd worried about it earlier, yes, but actually thinking about it now, his father's noblemen would blame Aelif, Malekith and Loki himself, albeit for less than pure reasons. Loki was well known for being able to weasel his way out of trouble and the court still held onto the outdated idea that mortals were no match for Asgardians, Dark Elves and Jotun bastards. "Nor will they assume we had any involvement in it in the first place. They will not be happy, but I doubt anyone affected by my brother's escape is, and there will be no reason for us to stay, afterwards. They will expect me to leave, I think, to find him and there will be no great chaos beyond that."
Steve nodded to that. "Then we'll leave after your father's announcement?" he proposed, glancing to the others, as well.
Once they seemed agreed, Thor lowered his hands back to the table. "I will arrange for your things to be taken to the ruins of the Bifrost tomorrow morning, and we will leave from there."
"Hooray, we have a plan," Tony put in.
"You are coming with us," Steve checked, looking back to Thor, and it wasn't really a question. He just wanted to confirm.
Thor nodded. "I would be no where else but with at your sides."
"Good," Steve returned seriously, offering Thor an honest smile. He'd wondered about whether or not Thor would come back with them, during all this.
Thor smiled, the expression just as relieved, as grateful as it had been when Tony had said they wouldn't leave without him, and when the moment he took afterwards passed, glanced towards the door. "Is there anything else we must discuss? If not, I should see to making our travel arrangements."
"That's all I had," Tony returned.
"I don't have anything," Steve agreed, looking to the others. "We should probably get our things packed up." Not that most of them had all that much, or that they'd had all that much time to spread out, but it had been a long day for all of them, and, though he doubted the demigod would get any sleep, he didn't want to keep him any longer than he needed to.
Thor doubted he'd manage much in the way of sleep tonight, either -- he doubted many of them would -- but still, as he got to his feet, he said, "My father will likely call for us early in the morning. I suggest you see to your beds after you have finished gathering your things."
"It's been a long day," Steve said by way of agreement. "We'll see you in the morning."
"You will." Thor held up a hand, calling Mjolnir to him as he moved towards the door, and glanced back over his shoulder as he reached it. "Sleep well, friends." And then he had disappeared from the room.
Once Thor was gone, Steve pushed back from the table and stood, looking back to Clint when the other man spoke. "Show of hands," he began, holding up one of his own. "Who's going to get in a great study of their room's ceiling, tonight?" He was clearly only about half-joking, and Tony snorted softly as he, too, got back to his feet.
"I did some of that last night. It's a nice ceiling for it."
"Today has been crazy," Steve said again. "Just try." He might not have the same in on how people were sleeping in the Tower as Tony did with JARVIS, but that didn't mean he didn't realize most of the team didn't have the occasional fight with insomnia. He definitely did, after all.
Huffing out a sigh of a laugh, Bruce held up a hand. It wasn't as though he got a lot of sleep as it was, or that he didn't need it, still exhausted despite his nap earlier while everyone got ready for the feast, but he doubted his thoughts would slow down long enough for him to manage it, regardless. Perils of being a parttime super hero, he supposed. If you could consider the Hulk a super hero, anyway. He still wasn't quite sure he did, depsite the fact that Tony swore they were making action figures of the Other Guy.
Natasha, too, made a small, amused noise, and raised a hand as she got up from the table. She tilted her head slightly in Clint's direction, questioning -- did he need someone to count ceiling tiles with, tonight? -- and meandered towards her own room, keeping her eyes on him as long as she dared.
Clint caught the look as he got to his feet and paused for a moment before raising both eyebrows. He wasn't going to say no, really. Maybe having her there would mean he'd actually get some sleep.
She smiled, the expression more in her eyes than on her face, and slipped into her room briefly to pack what little she kept out of her bags and to put on something more comfortable than her catsuit and bracers. When she stepped back out into the common room, it was empty, though she could hear Tony and Bruce's voices coming from one of the other rooms, and Steve moving around in his, and she dropped her bag by the door, figuring they'd all have to move their things somewhere the servants could get at them eventually, then moved for Clint's room.
It hadn't taken Clint long to pack, either, his duffel bag sitting against the wall, his quiver propped up against it. He had already changed for the night, too, and he was just closing his bow's case when she entered. "Hey," he offered, setting the case with the rest of his luggage.
She cast a quick glance in the direction of his luggage. "All packed?"
"Yeah," he returned. "Unlike Stark, I didn't bring half the Tower with me. You?"
One corner of her mouth quirked upwards into a crooked smile. "I'm not Stark, either. My bag's by the door."
Clint turned to sit down on the edge of the bed, smirking back at her. "I'd make some comments about girls and luggage, but I'd rather not get smacked."
Natasha glanced at his pile of luggage again. "Considering I think I packed lighter than you did? Probably a good idea."
"You and Banner packed lighter than all of us," he admitted. Of course, it had something to do with the fact that the rest of them had bulkier weapons to deal with, but that was beside the point, really.
"Banner's used to leaving everything he owns behind when he needs to run," she answered softly, coolly, as she moved to sit next to him on the bed. "I'm used to picking up anything I might need when I get where I'm going."
Clint paused for a moment at that, expression going more serious. "You ever..." he began, and then stopped, trying to find the words he wanted. They seemed to be escaping him, though, and he finally just let out a long breath. "Impressive as this place is... kinda missing Stark's big ugly skyscraper."
She took a minute to consider that, herself, and when it passed, she shook her head. "I am, too, actually. It's ... strange."
"That you actually want to spend time around Tony?" he teased lightly, grinning faintly again.
At that, Natasha actually laughed. "I wouldn't go that far ... "
Clint chuckled, too. "Good," he returned after a moment. "Because there's still that whole 'dueling for your favor' thing out there."
"On second thought, maybe I do want to spend more time around Stark," she teased, as if she expected him to run off right that second and challenge him to a fight.
He squinted at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Yeah, no, I don't buy it. Unless you've caught some strange disease while we've been here."
"Worth a shot." She popped her eyebrows in equivalent of a shrug, and leaned back on the bed, sobering slowly in the silence that followed. When she spoke again, it was lowly, eyes fixed on the door, as if she expected someone to be waiting outside, listening in, and slowly. "I've never really had a place I liked to call home. Growing up ... "
Well, she didn't need to get into that; he already knew.
"And even after S.H.I.E.L.D., we were on the move so much, it didn't really matter. But with what Stark's doing with the Tower ... maybe."
Clint shifted as she did, looking back at her as she settled back. For a few moments after she spoke, he was quiet, thinking, and then finally returned, "The circus was the closest I had." And that had ended after Barney left, but that was something she already knew. "And I've never missed it." And he had already admitted that he was starting to miss the Tower. It felt safe, in a way the circus never had after his brother left, and it didn't hurt to know Stark was redesigning the place with all of them in mind.
"But you miss the Tower," he'd said as much, even if he'd been more than a little flippant about it. "Well. At least it's not just me."
He chuckled again, though there wasn't much actual humor behind it. "Considering most of us don't make a habit of staying in more than one place for all that long, and considering all of us are still hanging around going on three months? It's pretty definitely not just you. Or just me."
"Point." She offered him a wan smile. "Stark's island of Misfit Toys."
"It's kind of fitting," he agreed. "As long as I'm not the elf who wanted to be a dentist."
"I don't know, Clint," she started, her seriousness fading again. "I think that's kind of fitting."
"But who'd want to be a dentist when you could be hanging out with Santa all day?" he returned immediately, apparently seriously.
"Working for Santa," Natasha corrected. "There's a difference."
"Point," he admitted. "Though I guess you could be a dentist and still work for Santa, considering all those cookies and candy canes."
She studied him for a moment, resolving to get him a book on dentistry for Christmas as sort of a gag gift, and then just shook her head. A pause followed, true silence along with it as it seemed Tony and Bruce had broken up their meeting of the genius club for the evening, and in it, she sobered again slowly. "You should try to get some rest. From what I hear, dentists have hellish hours."
Clint grew more serious, too, noticing the silence in the rest of their rooms for the first time. "It's a rough gig," he returned, though any humor he might have meant to include fell flat, and he looked back at her again. "You heading back, or....?" He thought he would probably be okay without her there, but he also wasn't going to throw her out. The odds that he was going to get much sleep either way weren't that great, anyway.
"Up to you." She'd planned on staying the night -- it was what she had really been asking when she'd given Clint that look, before they'd all retreated to their rooms -- but if he decided he didn't want or need her company, that was his choice. Otherwise, she keep an eye on him, whether or not he managed to sleep.
"Stay?" he returned, and even though he already knew she would, it came out a question.
Nodding, she scooted back on the bed, stretching out on it, and raised her eyebrows, expecting Clint to do the same.
After she settled, Clint followed, scooting back and laying down next to her.
She shifted onto her side, watching him with a quietly thoughtful look on her face, and then slowly but without hesitation, she draped one arm over him. "Get some sleep," she reaffirmed softly. "I'll take watch."
Not that she expected anything would happen, not now, not here, not after Loki had already gotten what he wanted, but she wanted him to know that she'd make sure nothing did happen if he managed to doze off.
Part of him wanted to argue that she needed the sleep, too, but another part of him was actually tired, between the fight earlier and then the tension of trying to find Loki and the disappointment that he had gotten away. He still didn't know how much sleep he would actually get, but her presence - and the fact that she was one of a very small number of people he trusted completely - meant the chances he would fall asleep were higher than they might have been otherwise. "Wake me up if you need to," he returned just as softly, because it was a standard response, and let his eyes slip closed, settling against her.
"I will," Natasha promised, threading the fingers of the hand not at his waist through her hair gently. So what if she was using a cheap trick to get him to sleep?
Cheap, maybe, and he grumbled at her softly. His heart wasn't really in it, though, and he let out a long breath a moment later as he relaxed more, some of the tension easing out of him.
She made a tiny, approving sound, no more than a hitching of her breath at the back of her throat, and carded her fingers through his hair slowly, her mind wandering, albeit not far, wondering if she should hum to him, if that would help him sleep, if that would be over the top. Eventually, she thought better of it -- too childish, she figured, too sacchrine sweet, and altogether not for her, even if she was trying to lull him to sleep -- and contented herself to watching him quietly, her hand still moving through his hair.
It wasn't as though Clint would have minded her humming, though it also wasn't anything he would have expected, from her. It didn't seem to be needed, at any rate, considering Clint continued to relax, settling more heavily against her as his breathing slowed and evened out. And for a time, it looked like his worries over not getting sleep might be needless.
Then, though, Clint shifted faintly and made a soft, almost pained noise of his own, his pulse picking up pace from the rate it had dropped into.
"Clint," she said, softly but firmly, hoping to reassure him in his sleep rather than wake him from it. Her fingers stirred lightly in his hair from where they'd slowed and then stilled as he'd fallen asleep, in hopes that if her voice didn't help, touch would.
Clint shifted again, but it was closer to her, to drape an arm over her to pull her close to him - or himself closer to her, one or the other - and to drop his head to her shoulder. He still seemed to be asleep, but some of the tension was back, now, and didn't ease as much, even when his breath and pulse slowed again.
Staying close, she moved her hand from his hair to his shoulders, gently kneading at them in an effort to get the tension to release again. "I'm right here," she told him, keeping her voice low, as before. "I've got you."
For a few long moments, he held onto her, still potentially on the verge of waking again. Then, finally, either because of her voice, touch, or, more likely some combination of the two, he let out a long breath, tension easing under her hand as he let go of the half-formed dream.
Hand flattening against the space between his shoulder blades, she held him aganst her, and tilted her head to rest against his. A moment of silence followed, and then softly, even moreso than she had when she'd talked to him, she began to hum some melody she'd long since forgotten the name of or where she'd picked it up. If he woke, she'd stop and deny she'd ever done more than just lay there, holding him.
Clint had spent so much time after Barney left the circus convincing himself that he was better off on his own that getting used to working with a partner was something that had taken some time, even when he finally found the right partner in a mission that was, at its heart, a failure. These days, though, even before Loki had gotten the better of him, there was no way he would even try to deny that he didn't know what he would do without her. The fact that it wasn't that long after she began humming that he settled again, the rest of the tension sliding off his face, arm resting over her more heavily again, was likely a more than effective demonstration.
She didn't stop for some time, regardless of how much he seemed to relax -- she'd done the same just before he'd started sinking into nightmare and look how well that had gone -- or how the chance of him waking to her humming had the potential to grow, the longer she went on. Eventually, though, when she felt he was dreaming pleasantly or at least sleeping dreamlessly, she let the soft, wandering melody taper off and again settled into watching him, this time from the corners of her eyes, not daring to move her head from his.
This time, Clint stayed asleep as time passed, his breath coming steady and even against her shoulder. When he did finally stir again, breathing giving away that he was waking up, it was after his usual handful of hours. For a moment, he stayed still beyond moving his hand to gently brush his knuckles over the back of her shoulder, wary of waking her up if she had fallen asleep.
Though she had closed her eyes at some point, seeing no real point in staring at his silhouette the entire time, she hadn't fallen asleep, and so when he touched her shoulder, she didn't tense, long since prepared for his waking by the sounds of him slowly slipping out of sleep. "Morning."
Never mind the fact that it wasn't. Not quite.
"Morning," he returned quietly, pulling back from her enough that they could talk but staying close enough to keep his arm over her. "Did you sleep any?" He was going to guess she hadn't, all things considered.
"I told you I'd keep watch, didn't I?" That would have been a no.
It was what he was expecting, and he smiled crookedly at her, most of the edge that had been in his eyes the evening before gone, now. "Yeah, you did," he returned softly, in volume and tone both, running his hand over her shoulder again. "Want me to take a turn?" He didn't know how long they had before Thor would be coming to get them, but it still felt early.
She didn't need more than a second to debate that. She was exhausted, both from staying awake as long as she had and from the fight earlier, and while she'd functioned with far less sleep than this, she wasn't sure she wanted to. Not when she didn't know what kind of day they had in front of them beyond the king's announcement and a trip home. "Until you hear Banner get up."
He was generally an early riser, despite how little sleep he'd gotten the night before, if he'd been to bed at all.
And not when there was no point in her staying up, now. "Get some sleep, Nat," he returned, shifting back toward her a little.
Nodding, she shifted a bit in an effort to get comfortable, and when she'd managed, let her eyes slide closed again. It didn't take long before her breathing slowed, long hours and stress catching up with her quickly once she stopped running from it, and she slept dreamlessly if not lightly, if the fact that she was already stirring when the sounds of movement in another room started up an hour or two later.
As she had for him, Clint held her as she slept, letting his thoughts drift as the remaining hours passed. When he caught the sounds of movement from the others, he stayed still, though, letting her wake herself up once he was sure she was headed that way.
Absently, as she came around, she reached up to rub at one of her eyes with the heel of her hand. When she'd managed to clear the sleep from it, she dropped her hand back to his shoulder and looked up at him, a little groggy but not obviously so. "Sounds like it's time to get up."
"Yeah, they started getting noisy a few minutes ago," he returned, running his hand over her back. "You ready to get up?"
"I will be in a minute." She rubbed briefly at her other eye, stretching at she did -- if the momentary press of her shoulders into his hand was intentional, she pretended to ignore it -- and took a deep breath, chasing the clinging fog of sleep away. When she let the breath out, she looked decidedly more awake, though she made no motion to pull away just yet. "Okay. Now I'm ready."
Her ignoring it didn't stop Clint from running his hand over her shoulders as she stretched. When she settled again, he didn't make to move, either. "We should get up. Or we could pretend we're Stark and not." Not that he didn't know Tony slept - or didn't sleep - as much as the rest of them, but blaming being late on him was always handy.
A moment later, though, Tony's voice joined the noises from the common room, and Clint sighed. "Damn."
"So much for that idea," she answered, a touch of amusement in her voice. A moment of silence followed, and then she was pulling away from him, albeit slowly. "Guess we'd better get out there."
Clint sighed heavily, again, pulling away from her, too, just as slowly. "I vote we tell Fury we need another leave." He sat up, yawning before he went on. "Lingering... something from... something or other."
"Interplanetary jet lag," Natasha supplied matter-of-factly. She held out a hand to help him out of bed once she'd gotten her own feet under her. "Which, speaking of ... you didn't tell Fury we were coming here, did you?"
"We'll go with that," Clint returned, taking her hand and letting her help him up. Once he was standing, he looked back at her. "I thought you did."
"I didn't think about it." She paused, pressing her lips into a thin line, and then shrugged. "Well, at least we're prepared for a talking to when we get back."
Clint nodded, moving to pick up the shirt he'd left there, pulling it on over the tanktop he'd slept in. "If our phones don't blow up from the messages as soon as we turn them back on."
Natasha glanced back at the door. She'd left an outfit out of her bag to wear today, but hadn't thought to bring it in with her, despite the fact that she knew she'd likely be spending the night; she'd have to go get changed before too long. "Maybe Stark has some blast-resistant glass we can put them under down in the lab."
"Might be for the best," Clint agreed, looking back at her. "Or we could just get him to delete them all, considering this is likely the one time Fury'd actually believe we didn't get his messages. Even if there is a moonbase, still pretty sure our coverage doesn't include 'other planets'."
"Probably not," she agreed. She paused briefly, the silence more than enough for them to indicate a change in subject, and then, "I'm going to go get changed."
"You mean you weren't going to wear that to meet the king?" he returned lightly, smirking at her. "I'll be out in a second," he added more seriously, moving to his other luggage.
"Somehow, I don't think he'd approve of yoga pants and a tanktop," she shot back as she slid out the door.
"I always approve of yoga pants and tanktops," Tony offered from his seat at the table in the common room. "But I get the feeling you weren't asking me."
Natasha offered him a wan smile and barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Just a gut feeling, huh?"
"That, and I am frequently assured no one's ever asking me," he returned, grinning at her, though there was a tired edge to the smile. "You and Barton sleep any?" It was hard to tell if he was seriously concerned or if there was a euphemism waiting under there somewhere.
She studied him with sharp eyes for a moment, then shrugged, drifting towards her room. "A couple of hours. It's enough for us."
Tony just nodded to that, offering her another slight smile before he looked back down at his phone, reaching with his other hand for the mug on the table in front of him.
She allowed him one last hard look, and then slipped into her room. When she returned several minutes later, it was in something more formal but nevertheless comfortable, just in case, and she crossed the common area to where she'd set her bag the night before to put what she'd slept in and a few randomly toiletries she'd kept out back into it. She smoothed a hand over her hair, just to make sure it was in order and in spite of the fact that she'd just brushed it, then moved to the table.
Despite his reputation, Tony was clearly more or less ready. His suitcase and two briefcases were sitting just outside the door to his room. He was wearing most of another suit, still having skipped the tie, his jacket draped over the back of the empty chair next to him. When she reemerged from her room, he looked up again, offering her another faint smile and setting his phone down again.
"Has anyone seen Thor yet this morning?" she asked, stretching a little. Despite her nap and the bath the night before, she was still feeling the fight with the Warriors and Sif now.
"I haven't," Tony returned. "Steve was up before me, but he didn't mention seeing him."
That had more or less been the answer she'd been expecting, and so she nodded. "I take it he's getting ready?"
"Think so. Didn't want to ruin the spangly outfit, you know." Tony was kidding again. Things were calm enough now, but he couldn't help but feel like there was still plenty of tension in the air. The joking was his attempt to break it up a little.
"Of course not." She understood why Tony was making jokes, couldn't really blame him -- Clint would likely be trying to do the same, if he'd made it to the table by this point -- and was more than willing to snark back. That in mind, a tiny smile on her lips, she offered, "Which, speaking of ridiculous outfits, I'm surprised you're ready."
Tony let out a breath of a laugh, at that. "Woke up too early and couldn't get back to sleep," he admitted. He'd had trouble getting to sleep in the first place and then hadn't stayed that way long. He didn't need that much either, though.
She nodded, not bothering to tell him she doubted he was the only one, and glanced towards Bruce as he meandered into the room, his things in his hands. He offered them both thin smiles and a mumbled, "Uh, hey," as he edged around the table to set his things alongside Natasha's in what was apparently becoming where they were putting their things.
"Morning," Tony offered, returning the smile.
"Everyone ready?" Steve asked in the next moment as he stepped out of his room, adding his things to the pile, nodding to Clint as the other man joined them, too.
"Looks that way," Natasha answered, slipping out of her chair.
Bruce looked to the door. "Anyone know if we're supposed to wait for someone to come get us, or ... ?"
"I was assuming Thor would come get us when they were ready for us," Tony offered, reaching back to pick up his jacket, to get it out of the way if anyone needed the chair.
"That's what I figured," Bruce replied, as he turned back to the group. Briefly, he considered taking up the chair Tony had vacated; he seemed to think better of it before too long.
It seemed, however, that he wouldn't be left standing for long -- and that Tony had the right idea in getting up -- as no sooner than he had decided, there was a heavy knock on the door. Thor entered a moment later, as dressed down as anyone had ever seen him, cape and scaled sleeves missing from his armor, and looked them over. "You are ready. Good."
Tony shrugged back into his jacket, dropping his phone into its inside pocket and buttoning it as Thor entered the room. "Ready when you are," he confirmed, looking to the others briefly to double check that everyone was.
Thor took another look at each of them for the same reasons as Tony, and when he was satisfied, turned to lead the way out of the room. He glanced back at them once, only for a second, as if he planned on saying something, but whatever it was never came, his jaw steeling as if whatever had crossed his mind was something that had offended even him and that was why he hadn't put words to it. He was silent beyond that, and sooner rather than later, they stood before the doors to the great hall.
"You will stand with me as my father addresses the court."
The others fell in behind him as he led the way back to the hall. At the order, Steve nodded. "Lead the way."
Pushing open the doors, Thor lead them into the room. All of the tables that had taken up the bulk of it had been cleared, save one, stretched out across the width of the room and pulled up closer to the throne and where Odin sat upon it, and the nobles of Asgard had seated themselves behind it and were whispering amongst themselves like children before class often did. Thor ignored them, slipping up towards the throne, and knelt briefly before his father, one hand pressed to his shoulder, before taking up position beside him, standing. He nodded slightly, bidding his Midgardian companions to do the same.
Again, the others followed behind him, taking a moment to kneel, as well, before Steve led them up to stand at Thor's side. Tony, at Steve's side, couldn't help but think of the senate hearings - and wonder which side of the room would be which, back on Earth.
Odin stood as they settled, Gungnir in one hand, and banged the shaft of it on the ground once, the sound cutting through the conversation the nobles had been having sharply, stopping it. When all eyes in the room had been turned to the king, he was silent for a moment, gathering his words, and only when he was sure he had found the right ones did he begin.
"I know there have been whisperings as to going ons around my palace since last night, I know this is what you and your companions have been discussing here, now, as you waited for these proceedings to begin, and I know that it is my duty to inform you all that you are largely right." There had been, of course, some ridiculous rumors floating around, his favorite among them that Loki had escaped on the back of a dragon, which was why he had said largely and not entirely, but still. "Loki has escaped."
There was immediately a low murmur from the nobles and Odin silenced them again, this time with a sharp look. "My son and his companions attempted to stop him, but we have reason to believe Malekith was involved and we did not know this until too late. It is because of that that I call this meeting; it is because of that I must urge caution. It is likely that Loki has returned to Midgard -- and my son and his companions depart to search for him after we ajourn -- but his allies may still be on Asgard."
Odin paused here, looking down the line at the Avengers, as if silently asking if they had anything to add. The nobles, meanwhile, didn't look particularly fazed -- angry, perhaps, that Loki had escaped, but not surprised nor ready to place the blame on Thor's friends or frightened. If anything, they looked as if this was something that happened every day or at least often, though probably only because most of them had been alive when Asgard had been at war with Jotunheim.
The lack of reaction on the part of the nobles was still something of a relief, considering the noise they could have made, but then, Thor had told them there wasn't likely to be much of one. Steve followed the glance to the rest of the team. He didn't have anything to add, and it didn't look like any of the others did, either.
Odin turned back to the assembly of nobles, the expression on his face the same as it had been when he looked at Thor and the team. When no one stood up, forgetting their place for the moment to speak their passion, he nodded. "Since it seems no one has anything to add, we will adjourn. My son and his companions must be away and there are safeguards you all must take the time to put in place where your families are concerned."
There were sounds of agreement all around and almost simultaneously, the nobles got up from their places at the table to make for the door.
Once the nobles were gone, Steve looked to Thor, not sure what their next step toward leaving was, now that this part seemed to be over.
Thor glanced in turn to his father, who had retaken his seat, looking worn. Still, however, he managed to summon up a smile for them. "I will not keep you, but I do wish you a safe journey and that the circumstances of our meeting are happier ones, next you return to Asgard."
"We hope so, too," Steve returned. "Thank you, for having us."
"And thank you for your help," Tony added. Yeah, he and Bruce probably could have found something on Earth to use for the holodeck's walls and to reinforce the rest of the Tower, but Thor's offer had made it all much easier.
Nodding, Odin's smile brightened for a moment, then faded, like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds on an otherwise dark day.
Thor moved to stand before him, leaning down to hug him briefly but fiercely, as he had when they'd first met with the king. "I will return," he told him softly as he pulled away. When he turned back to the group, he nodded towards the door. "We return the same way we arrived. At the Bifrost."
Steve gestured for Thor to lead the way again, the rest of the team falling in behind the demigod. "So, horses again," Steve put in dryly once they were out of the hall.
"It wasn't that bad," Natasha shot back, making a tiny face at him.
"You should try it without the reins," Clint added, shooting Steve a grin.
"Only if you didn't want us to get anywhere anytime soon," Steve returned.
Natasha, too, looked amused by the prospect. "Maybe when we get back and everything's settled, Clint and I can give you lessons."
Clint looked to Tony. "I bet Stark and Banner could set it up on the holodeck."
"We hadn't gotten around to setting up the pony ride scenario yet, but it could probably happen," Tony agreed, sounding just as amused.
"I'm not sure if I should be for this idea or against it," Bruce said, looking thoughtful.
"It'll be fun," Natasha replied. "And you never know when it'll come in handy."
"Me, neither," Tony said, looking to Bruce. "I'm all for trying to set it up, but I'm also pretty sure it'll just end in tears."
"Natasha does have a point, though," Steve admitted. "We might not have had the same need as the boys in the first world war, but there were still mounted units on both sides. And there's a reason there were a dozen songs about the cavalry."
"I did not think your armies fought on horseback anymore," Thor said as they approached the stables. He paused, detaching from the group to arrange for their travel -- something he hadn't thought to do the night before, but wouldn't take too long, if the fact that the horses were already saddled was any indication -- and, when he returned, picked up the conversation again as if he had never left it. "Before I understood Midgardian methods of travel, I found it hard to acquire a horse."
"They don't, these days," Tony returned once Thor rejoined them. "It's all Jeeps and tanks, these days. That's kind of a recent thing, though."
Steve nodded. "We were pretty well-supplied for the part of the war I was involved in, but I saw some mounted units on both sides of the fighting. World War One had a lot more people on horseback, though, and there were just twenty years between the end of one and the start of the second." He wasn't sure how much of Earth's history Thor actually knew, but he figured he would ask if he needed anything expanded on.
Thor knew more than they might expect. While reading had been more Loki's strong suit than his own, he'd made a point of trying to at least get passingly aquainted with Midgardian history the last time he'd been there, after the battle for Mahattan was over and done with. It seemed important to have some familarity with a people he'd sworn himself to protect.
That in mind, and having read at least a handful of articles on the two Great Wars of Earth, he nodded mutely.
"We are kinda short on horses, these days, though," Tony added when Thor didn't say anything. "Other than pony rides and the ones with the carriages in the park."
"So I have seen," Thor answered, frowning ever-so-faintly. "It is something of a shame."
Natasha looked ready to say something but stopped when the stablehand appeared behind Thor, guiding their horses behind him. She glanced to Steve, then let her eyes drift to the rest of the group, each in turn. "Same partners as last time?"
"I'm fine with that," Steve returned, looking to the others, and to Thor.
Thor nodded, already moving to get himself into the saddle of the horse he'd chosen. Natasha moved to do likewise, holding out a hand for Steve once she'd gotten settled.
Tony followed Thor over to his horse. Clint nodded to Bruce before turning to the last horse and getting set in the saddle before reaching a hand down to him.
As they had for the trip into the city, Steve climbed up behind Natasha and took a moment to get as comfortable as he could before resting an arm around her waist, still somewhat awkwardly.
"Good, Cap?" she asked over her shoulder as everyone else got themselves and their partners settled on their horses.
"I'm good," he returned, looking to the other pairs to make sure everyone else was settled.
Thor did likewise, and once he was satisfied, turned his horse to lead the way back out through the city and to the Bifrost at the same pace he had set coming in. When they arrived, and as promised, their things waited for them near the ruined edge of the bridge, albeit with one addition -- a canvas colored bag roughly large enough to carry a painting in balanced atop the molehill of luggage the Avenger's bags made. Thor did not seem surprised by its presence, however, and largely ignored it as he dismounted and helped Tony do the same.
"Yep, definitely gonna end in tears," Tony repeated once he had his feet back on the ground. He did shoot a look to the bag, then, and then looked back to Thor. "If I assume that's what I think it is, am I going to prove the saying right?"
"Saying?" he asked, glancing back over his shoulder, a vaguely puzzled look on his face.
Right, cultural differences. He opened his mouth to explain, but Clint's voice cut over him.
"To assume something is to make an ass out of you and me," Clint said over his shoulder after he helped Bruce down, and Tony waved a hand at him.
"That saying."
Thor looked briefly, tiredly amused. "I would not think you an ass, if you were to guess at the contents of the bag -- particularly since you would most likely be right. It is the metals you requested." He paused, only now looking to the bag, and then by way of explanation, he added, "The bag has been spelled so that it will travel with us easily. It would not be practical, otherwise."
Tony grinned. "You were not kidding about them being quick."
"They are good at what they do."
"They are also notorious drunkards," Heimdall put in from somewhere behind them. Surprisingly, though, he did not sound disapproving. "They will likely spend the day at the bottom of the Allfather's reserves in celebration."
Tony turned to look at Heimdall when the watchman spoke, chuckling. "It does go along with the whole dwarf thing."
Heimdall only nodded.
Thor briefly considered asking if he had any news as to Loki or Malekith's whereabouts, then decided against it -- if he knew something, he wouldn't be commenting on what his father's craftsmen did on their days off -- turning back to the group instead. The amulet he'd used to bring them there seemed to have simply appeared on its chain around his wrist in the last few seconds. "We will go opposite the order we arrived in," he announced, gesturing Natasha over.
"If you interrupt any wild parties Pepper decided to throw while we were gone, tell her to carry on and we'll be there shortly," Tony put in as he found his three cases in the pile of luggage, setting them off to the side and getting out of the others' way.
Natasha grabbed her things out of the pile and moved to stand by Thor, rolling her eyes at Tony as she did so. "Don't get your hopes up."
There was a pause as Thor asked if she was ready, and when she nodded, they vanished in a shimmer of blue light. Thor reappeared moments later much the same way, and moved through the group in reverse order -- Natasha, Clint, Tony, Bruce and finally Steve -- as promised. By the time he'd finished, he looked just as exhausted as he had when they'd come, if not more so. He would likely sleep well tonight if only because his body would allow nothing else.
"You alright?" Steve asked Thor once they were back on Stark Tower's roof and his own disorientation had passed. It had occurred to him to ask if the demigod had needed to take a break from going back and forth, considering Steve had an idea as to how much more tired Thor had been at the beginning, this time, but he also thought Thor would have said something if he had needed one.
"I will endure," he promised, tucking the amulet back under one of his vambraces.
Steve looked at him for another moment before he nodded and turned away to watch as Tony adjusted the grip he had on his luggage and headed over to kick at the closed door into the Tower. "Knock knock, sweetheart," he told the door. "We're home." A moment later, there was a click, and the door swung open. "You need a hand getting that stuff inside?" he asked Thor, nodding to the canvas bag as he leaned back against the door to hold it open.
Thor considered this for a moment and then shook his head. "I am alright to carry it, if you will let me know where I am to take it."
"Uh..." Tony began, looking back over his shoulder into the Tower. "The penthouse, for now?" he said after a moment. It had the most open space, and he could spread things out and see what he was dealing with, there.
He nodded. "I will take them up to your chambers, and then I think I may retire for the evening. Loki can wait for another few hours and I .. " He hesitated, looking sideways at Steve, and then forced himself to continue. " ... am in no condition to face him, even if we were to find him here and now."
"Get some sleep," Steve returned immediately and over anything Tony might have been going to say, though it might have been the same thing, from how he nodded to that. "We can take care of things."
"Until tomorrow," Thor said in response as he brushed past Tony to head down the stairs.
Bruce watched him go, trying to keep himself from stating the obvious -- Thor looked like hell -- and when he'd managed, when that initial impulse faded, he looked to Steve. "So, uh ... what now?"
"I should let Pepper know we're back." Tony wasn't sure if she was home at the moment or not, considering he hadn't paid much attention to what was on her schedule while he thought they were going to be off-planet.
"We should probably check in with Fury," Clint added, looking to Natasha. If they were going to get an earful for forgetting to let the director know they would be gone, better to give it over with - and to let him know what had happened with Loki. If anyone knew if the demigod had returned to Earth and started making waves, it would likely be S.H.I.E.L.D., anyway.
"Tell us if they've heard anything," Steve told him, and Clint nodded.
Natasha caught the look and nodded slightly before moving to head towards the door. "We'll let you know."
Again, Bruce waited until she and Clint were presumably out of earshot before shrugging, though for no discernable reason this time. "I guess I'll head down to the lab for a little while."
"I guess I'll get unpacked and change." He had gone with the uniform again for their meeting with the king, today, but it really wasn't the most practical thing to just be hanging around in.
"Well, the whole 'mi tower es su tower' thing hasn't changed," Tony pointed out. "I'm going to go find my girlfriend." He stood back to let them into the Tower, letting the door close behind them once everyone was inside.
"Have fun storming the castle, boys," Bruce mumbled when they got down the flight of stairs that lead to the roof and were about to start breaking off in their seperate directions.
Steve just looked confused, but Tony laughed, at that. "Hopefully nothing today will take a miracle," he returned.
"Movie?" Steve asked them, and Tony nodded.
"Movie. We'll catch you up, Cap, promise."
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9/9: In which the team has a meeting, Clint and Natasha have (more) quality time, and the team packs up.
Tony smiled again, at that, though the expression was hidden by the helmet, now. "You're welcome, Thor," he returned, and then did push himself forward off the end of the spire, thrusters and stabilizers catching him once he was clear of the structure. He hesitated a moment, shooting a glance toward the spire where Clint and Natasha had been. It was empty, now, and he turned, heading back for the balcony he had been using to take off from that was closer to their rooms. "Hey, anyone listening in, assemble, or whatever. Team meeting time."
"We already are," Natasha answered. Steve and Bruce had come back shortly after she and Clint had, dinner presumably over, and they'd all been idling around the room, as if waiting for something. Probably for this.
That figured, really. "Someday, I will get the drop on you, Agent Romanov," he promised lightly as he angled toward the balcony, coming in to land, and it wasn't long after that that he was back in their common room.
"Good luck," she offered, a hint of a smile in her tone. She did, however, look at least marginally surprised when he entered the room without Thor. "I'm going to guess he didn't throw you off the roof, so ... "
That meant that either this meeting was to discuss Thor, himself, or the demigod had promised to catch up with them. She wasn't sure which way she was leaning -- or if Thor would show up, if it was a case of the latter -- but she supposed she'd find out one way or the other soon enough.
"He's on his way," Tony returned, standing still for a moment once he was inside the room to let the armor retract back into the briefcase. "Or he said he would be."
Nodding, she moved around the table to take a seat almost through force of habit. Fury had a conference room with a table big enough for the S.H.I.E.L.D. higher ups that he conducted his meetings at when he called them, and it seemed the best place for theirs, here and now. "Are we waiting for him?"
"It's a team meeting," Steve returned. "We'll wait for him."
Tony shot him an approving look as he bent to pick up the suitcase, then moving to take a seat at the table himself.
Natasha shared Tony's approval, though hers was more subtle, and sooner rather than later, Thor was landing on the balcony, apparently having decided to fly rather than make his way through the palace. He looked more composed than he had during his chat with Tony, if not just as tired, and dropped Mjolnir just inside the room as he made his way to the table. "I apologize for my tardiness."
"Pull up a chair," Clint told him from his own spot at the table.
Once everyone was settled, Steve looked between Tony and Thor. "What did you need to talk about?"
"When we should return to Midgard," Thor answered, casting a quick glance in Tony's direction. "You are welcome here as long as you like, my father wished for you to know that, but he would understand if we chose to leave earlier than we had planned to."
"Sooner might be better," Tony put in, glancing to Thor, too. "We don't know that Loki didn't go back to Earth, since he knew we were all here."
"How soon is too soon, though?" Natasha asked, frowning faintly. She didn't want to look ungrateful to the King, nor did she want the people of Asgard to suspect they had something more to do with Loki's escape than simply being unable to catch him before he disappeared. She didn't want to give someone other than Loki an excuse to find a way to come to Earth and start making trouble.
"My father announces Loki's escape before the court tomorrow," he said. "He will expect me to be there, if not all of us. After that, I do not think he will need us for anything else."
"What do you think, Thor?" Steve asked, after a moment. "You know better than we do about how the court will react to your father's announcement and whether we're needed here."
Thor fisted his hands under his chin and rested it on them, thinking.
"They will not blame you for Loki's escape," he said after a moment. He'd worried about it earlier, yes, but actually thinking about it now, his father's noblemen would blame Aelif, Malekith and Loki himself, albeit for less than pure reasons. Loki was well known for being able to weasel his way out of trouble and the court still held onto the outdated idea that mortals were no match for Asgardians, Dark Elves and Jotun bastards. "Nor will they assume we had any involvement in it in the first place. They will not be happy, but I doubt anyone affected by my brother's escape is, and there will be no reason for us to stay, afterwards. They will expect me to leave, I think, to find him and there will be no great chaos beyond that."
Steve nodded to that. "Then we'll leave after your father's announcement?" he proposed, glancing to the others, as well.
Once they seemed agreed, Thor lowered his hands back to the table. "I will arrange for your things to be taken to the ruins of the Bifrost tomorrow morning, and we will leave from there."
"Hooray, we have a plan," Tony put in.
"You are coming with us," Steve checked, looking back to Thor, and it wasn't really a question. He just wanted to confirm.
Thor nodded. "I would be no where else but with at your sides."
"Good," Steve returned seriously, offering Thor an honest smile. He'd wondered about whether or not Thor would come back with them, during all this.
Thor smiled, the expression just as relieved, as grateful as it had been when Tony had said they wouldn't leave without him, and when the moment he took afterwards passed, glanced towards the door. "Is there anything else we must discuss? If not, I should see to making our travel arrangements."
"That's all I had," Tony returned.
"I don't have anything," Steve agreed, looking to the others. "We should probably get our things packed up." Not that most of them had all that much, or that they'd had all that much time to spread out, but it had been a long day for all of them, and, though he doubted the demigod would get any sleep, he didn't want to keep him any longer than he needed to.
Thor doubted he'd manage much in the way of sleep tonight, either -- he doubted many of them would -- but still, as he got to his feet, he said, "My father will likely call for us early in the morning. I suggest you see to your beds after you have finished gathering your things."
"It's been a long day," Steve said by way of agreement. "We'll see you in the morning."
"You will." Thor held up a hand, calling Mjolnir to him as he moved towards the door, and glanced back over his shoulder as he reached it. "Sleep well, friends." And then he had disappeared from the room.
Once Thor was gone, Steve pushed back from the table and stood, looking back to Clint when the other man spoke. "Show of hands," he began, holding up one of his own. "Who's going to get in a great study of their room's ceiling, tonight?" He was clearly only about half-joking, and Tony snorted softly as he, too, got back to his feet.
"I did some of that last night. It's a nice ceiling for it."
"Today has been crazy," Steve said again. "Just try." He might not have the same in on how people were sleeping in the Tower as Tony did with JARVIS, but that didn't mean he didn't realize most of the team didn't have the occasional fight with insomnia. He definitely did, after all.
Huffing out a sigh of a laugh, Bruce held up a hand. It wasn't as though he got a lot of sleep as it was, or that he didn't need it, still exhausted despite his nap earlier while everyone got ready for the feast, but he doubted his thoughts would slow down long enough for him to manage it, regardless. Perils of being a parttime super hero, he supposed. If you could consider the Hulk a super hero, anyway. He still wasn't quite sure he did, depsite the fact that Tony swore they were making action figures of the Other Guy.
Natasha, too, made a small, amused noise, and raised a hand as she got up from the table. She tilted her head slightly in Clint's direction, questioning -- did he need someone to count ceiling tiles with, tonight? -- and meandered towards her own room, keeping her eyes on him as long as she dared.
Clint caught the look as he got to his feet and paused for a moment before raising both eyebrows. He wasn't going to say no, really. Maybe having her there would mean he'd actually get some sleep.
She smiled, the expression more in her eyes than on her face, and slipped into her room briefly to pack what little she kept out of her bags and to put on something more comfortable than her catsuit and bracers. When she stepped back out into the common room, it was empty, though she could hear Tony and Bruce's voices coming from one of the other rooms, and Steve moving around in his, and she dropped her bag by the door, figuring they'd all have to move their things somewhere the servants could get at them eventually, then moved for Clint's room.
It hadn't taken Clint long to pack, either, his duffel bag sitting against the wall, his quiver propped up against it. He had already changed for the night, too, and he was just closing his bow's case when she entered. "Hey," he offered, setting the case with the rest of his luggage.
She cast a quick glance in the direction of his luggage. "All packed?"
"Yeah," he returned. "Unlike Stark, I didn't bring half the Tower with me. You?"
One corner of her mouth quirked upwards into a crooked smile. "I'm not Stark, either. My bag's by the door."
Clint turned to sit down on the edge of the bed, smirking back at her. "I'd make some comments about girls and luggage, but I'd rather not get smacked."
Natasha glanced at his pile of luggage again. "Considering I think I packed lighter than you did? Probably a good idea."
"You and Banner packed lighter than all of us," he admitted. Of course, it had something to do with the fact that the rest of them had bulkier weapons to deal with, but that was beside the point, really.
"Banner's used to leaving everything he owns behind when he needs to run," she answered softly, coolly, as she moved to sit next to him on the bed. "I'm used to picking up anything I might need when I get where I'm going."
Clint paused for a moment at that, expression going more serious. "You ever..." he began, and then stopped, trying to find the words he wanted. They seemed to be escaping him, though, and he finally just let out a long breath. "Impressive as this place is... kinda missing Stark's big ugly skyscraper."
She took a minute to consider that, herself, and when it passed, she shook her head. "I am, too, actually. It's ... strange."
"That you actually want to spend time around Tony?" he teased lightly, grinning faintly again.
At that, Natasha actually laughed. "I wouldn't go that far ... "
Clint chuckled, too. "Good," he returned after a moment. "Because there's still that whole 'dueling for your favor' thing out there."
"On second thought, maybe I do want to spend more time around Stark," she teased, as if she expected him to run off right that second and challenge him to a fight.
He squinted at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Yeah, no, I don't buy it. Unless you've caught some strange disease while we've been here."
"Worth a shot." She popped her eyebrows in equivalent of a shrug, and leaned back on the bed, sobering slowly in the silence that followed. When she spoke again, it was lowly, eyes fixed on the door, as if she expected someone to be waiting outside, listening in, and slowly. "I've never really had a place I liked to call home. Growing up ... "
Well, she didn't need to get into that; he already knew.
"And even after S.H.I.E.L.D., we were on the move so much, it didn't really matter. But with what Stark's doing with the Tower ... maybe."
Clint shifted as she did, looking back at her as she settled back. For a few moments after she spoke, he was quiet, thinking, and then finally returned, "The circus was the closest I had." And that had ended after Barney left, but that was something she already knew. "And I've never missed it." And he had already admitted that he was starting to miss the Tower. It felt safe, in a way the circus never had after his brother left, and it didn't hurt to know Stark was redesigning the place with all of them in mind.
"But you miss the Tower," he'd said as much, even if he'd been more than a little flippant about it. "Well. At least it's not just me."
He chuckled again, though there wasn't much actual humor behind it. "Considering most of us don't make a habit of staying in more than one place for all that long, and considering all of us are still hanging around going on three months? It's pretty definitely not just you. Or just me."
"Point." She offered him a wan smile. "Stark's island of Misfit Toys."
"It's kind of fitting," he agreed. "As long as I'm not the elf who wanted to be a dentist."
"I don't know, Clint," she started, her seriousness fading again. "I think that's kind of fitting."
"But who'd want to be a dentist when you could be hanging out with Santa all day?" he returned immediately, apparently seriously.
"Working for Santa," Natasha corrected. "There's a difference."
"Point," he admitted. "Though I guess you could be a dentist and still work for Santa, considering all those cookies and candy canes."
She studied him for a moment, resolving to get him a book on dentistry for Christmas as sort of a gag gift, and then just shook her head. A pause followed, true silence along with it as it seemed Tony and Bruce had broken up their meeting of the genius club for the evening, and in it, she sobered again slowly. "You should try to get some rest. From what I hear, dentists have hellish hours."
Clint grew more serious, too, noticing the silence in the rest of their rooms for the first time. "It's a rough gig," he returned, though any humor he might have meant to include fell flat, and he looked back at her again. "You heading back, or....?" He thought he would probably be okay without her there, but he also wasn't going to throw her out. The odds that he was going to get much sleep either way weren't that great, anyway.
"Up to you." She'd planned on staying the night -- it was what she had really been asking when she'd given Clint that look, before they'd all retreated to their rooms -- but if he decided he didn't want or need her company, that was his choice. Otherwise, she keep an eye on him, whether or not he managed to sleep.
"Stay?" he returned, and even though he already knew she would, it came out a question.
Nodding, she scooted back on the bed, stretching out on it, and raised her eyebrows, expecting Clint to do the same.
After she settled, Clint followed, scooting back and laying down next to her.
She shifted onto her side, watching him with a quietly thoughtful look on her face, and then slowly but without hesitation, she draped one arm over him. "Get some sleep," she reaffirmed softly. "I'll take watch."
Not that she expected anything would happen, not now, not here, not after Loki had already gotten what he wanted, but she wanted him to know that she'd make sure nothing did happen if he managed to doze off.
Part of him wanted to argue that she needed the sleep, too, but another part of him was actually tired, between the fight earlier and then the tension of trying to find Loki and the disappointment that he had gotten away. He still didn't know how much sleep he would actually get, but her presence - and the fact that she was one of a very small number of people he trusted completely - meant the chances he would fall asleep were higher than they might have been otherwise. "Wake me up if you need to," he returned just as softly, because it was a standard response, and let his eyes slip closed, settling against her.
"I will," Natasha promised, threading the fingers of the hand not at his waist through her hair gently. So what if she was using a cheap trick to get him to sleep?
Cheap, maybe, and he grumbled at her softly. His heart wasn't really in it, though, and he let out a long breath a moment later as he relaxed more, some of the tension easing out of him.
She made a tiny, approving sound, no more than a hitching of her breath at the back of her throat, and carded her fingers through his hair slowly, her mind wandering, albeit not far, wondering if she should hum to him, if that would help him sleep, if that would be over the top. Eventually, she thought better of it -- too childish, she figured, too sacchrine sweet, and altogether not for her, even if she was trying to lull him to sleep -- and contented herself to watching him quietly, her hand still moving through his hair.
It wasn't as though Clint would have minded her humming, though it also wasn't anything he would have expected, from her. It didn't seem to be needed, at any rate, considering Clint continued to relax, settling more heavily against her as his breathing slowed and evened out. And for a time, it looked like his worries over not getting sleep might be needless.
Then, though, Clint shifted faintly and made a soft, almost pained noise of his own, his pulse picking up pace from the rate it had dropped into.
"Clint," she said, softly but firmly, hoping to reassure him in his sleep rather than wake him from it. Her fingers stirred lightly in his hair from where they'd slowed and then stilled as he'd fallen asleep, in hopes that if her voice didn't help, touch would.
Clint shifted again, but it was closer to her, to drape an arm over her to pull her close to him - or himself closer to her, one or the other - and to drop his head to her shoulder. He still seemed to be asleep, but some of the tension was back, now, and didn't ease as much, even when his breath and pulse slowed again.
Staying close, she moved her hand from his hair to his shoulders, gently kneading at them in an effort to get the tension to release again. "I'm right here," she told him, keeping her voice low, as before. "I've got you."
For a few long moments, he held onto her, still potentially on the verge of waking again. Then, finally, either because of her voice, touch, or, more likely some combination of the two, he let out a long breath, tension easing under her hand as he let go of the half-formed dream.
Hand flattening against the space between his shoulder blades, she held him aganst her, and tilted her head to rest against his. A moment of silence followed, and then softly, even moreso than she had when she'd talked to him, she began to hum some melody she'd long since forgotten the name of or where she'd picked it up. If he woke, she'd stop and deny she'd ever done more than just lay there, holding him.
Clint had spent so much time after Barney left the circus convincing himself that he was better off on his own that getting used to working with a partner was something that had taken some time, even when he finally found the right partner in a mission that was, at its heart, a failure. These days, though, even before Loki had gotten the better of him, there was no way he would even try to deny that he didn't know what he would do without her. The fact that it wasn't that long after she began humming that he settled again, the rest of the tension sliding off his face, arm resting over her more heavily again, was likely a more than effective demonstration.
She didn't stop for some time, regardless of how much he seemed to relax -- she'd done the same just before he'd started sinking into nightmare and look how well that had gone -- or how the chance of him waking to her humming had the potential to grow, the longer she went on. Eventually, though, when she felt he was dreaming pleasantly or at least sleeping dreamlessly, she let the soft, wandering melody taper off and again settled into watching him, this time from the corners of her eyes, not daring to move her head from his.
This time, Clint stayed asleep as time passed, his breath coming steady and even against her shoulder. When he did finally stir again, breathing giving away that he was waking up, it was after his usual handful of hours. For a moment, he stayed still beyond moving his hand to gently brush his knuckles over the back of her shoulder, wary of waking her up if she had fallen asleep.
Though she had closed her eyes at some point, seeing no real point in staring at his silhouette the entire time, she hadn't fallen asleep, and so when he touched her shoulder, she didn't tense, long since prepared for his waking by the sounds of him slowly slipping out of sleep. "Morning."
Never mind the fact that it wasn't. Not quite.
"Morning," he returned quietly, pulling back from her enough that they could talk but staying close enough to keep his arm over her. "Did you sleep any?" He was going to guess she hadn't, all things considered.
"I told you I'd keep watch, didn't I?" That would have been a no.
It was what he was expecting, and he smiled crookedly at her, most of the edge that had been in his eyes the evening before gone, now. "Yeah, you did," he returned softly, in volume and tone both, running his hand over her shoulder again. "Want me to take a turn?" He didn't know how long they had before Thor would be coming to get them, but it still felt early.
She didn't need more than a second to debate that. She was exhausted, both from staying awake as long as she had and from the fight earlier, and while she'd functioned with far less sleep than this, she wasn't sure she wanted to. Not when she didn't know what kind of day they had in front of them beyond the king's announcement and a trip home. "Until you hear Banner get up."
He was generally an early riser, despite how little sleep he'd gotten the night before, if he'd been to bed at all.
And not when there was no point in her staying up, now. "Get some sleep, Nat," he returned, shifting back toward her a little.
Nodding, she shifted a bit in an effort to get comfortable, and when she'd managed, let her eyes slide closed again. It didn't take long before her breathing slowed, long hours and stress catching up with her quickly once she stopped running from it, and she slept dreamlessly if not lightly, if the fact that she was already stirring when the sounds of movement in another room started up an hour or two later.
As she had for him, Clint held her as she slept, letting his thoughts drift as the remaining hours passed. When he caught the sounds of movement from the others, he stayed still, though, letting her wake herself up once he was sure she was headed that way.
Absently, as she came around, she reached up to rub at one of her eyes with the heel of her hand. When she'd managed to clear the sleep from it, she dropped her hand back to his shoulder and looked up at him, a little groggy but not obviously so. "Sounds like it's time to get up."
"Yeah, they started getting noisy a few minutes ago," he returned, running his hand over her back. "You ready to get up?"
"I will be in a minute." She rubbed briefly at her other eye, stretching at she did -- if the momentary press of her shoulders into his hand was intentional, she pretended to ignore it -- and took a deep breath, chasing the clinging fog of sleep away. When she let the breath out, she looked decidedly more awake, though she made no motion to pull away just yet. "Okay. Now I'm ready."
Her ignoring it didn't stop Clint from running his hand over her shoulders as she stretched. When she settled again, he didn't make to move, either. "We should get up. Or we could pretend we're Stark and not." Not that he didn't know Tony slept - or didn't sleep - as much as the rest of them, but blaming being late on him was always handy.
A moment later, though, Tony's voice joined the noises from the common room, and Clint sighed. "Damn."
"So much for that idea," she answered, a touch of amusement in her voice. A moment of silence followed, and then she was pulling away from him, albeit slowly. "Guess we'd better get out there."
Clint sighed heavily, again, pulling away from her, too, just as slowly. "I vote we tell Fury we need another leave." He sat up, yawning before he went on. "Lingering... something from... something or other."
"Interplanetary jet lag," Natasha supplied matter-of-factly. She held out a hand to help him out of bed once she'd gotten her own feet under her. "Which, speaking of ... you didn't tell Fury we were coming here, did you?"
"We'll go with that," Clint returned, taking her hand and letting her help him up. Once he was standing, he looked back at her. "I thought you did."
"I didn't think about it." She paused, pressing her lips into a thin line, and then shrugged. "Well, at least we're prepared for a talking to when we get back."
Clint nodded, moving to pick up the shirt he'd left there, pulling it on over the tanktop he'd slept in. "If our phones don't blow up from the messages as soon as we turn them back on."
Natasha glanced back at the door. She'd left an outfit out of her bag to wear today, but hadn't thought to bring it in with her, despite the fact that she knew she'd likely be spending the night; she'd have to go get changed before too long. "Maybe Stark has some blast-resistant glass we can put them under down in the lab."
"Might be for the best," Clint agreed, looking back at her. "Or we could just get him to delete them all, considering this is likely the one time Fury'd actually believe we didn't get his messages. Even if there is a moonbase, still pretty sure our coverage doesn't include 'other planets'."
"Probably not," she agreed. She paused briefly, the silence more than enough for them to indicate a change in subject, and then, "I'm going to go get changed."
"You mean you weren't going to wear that to meet the king?" he returned lightly, smirking at her. "I'll be out in a second," he added more seriously, moving to his other luggage.
"Somehow, I don't think he'd approve of yoga pants and a tanktop," she shot back as she slid out the door.
"I always approve of yoga pants and tanktops," Tony offered from his seat at the table in the common room. "But I get the feeling you weren't asking me."
Natasha offered him a wan smile and barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Just a gut feeling, huh?"
"That, and I am frequently assured no one's ever asking me," he returned, grinning at her, though there was a tired edge to the smile. "You and Barton sleep any?" It was hard to tell if he was seriously concerned or if there was a euphemism waiting under there somewhere.
She studied him with sharp eyes for a moment, then shrugged, drifting towards her room. "A couple of hours. It's enough for us."
Tony just nodded to that, offering her another slight smile before he looked back down at his phone, reaching with his other hand for the mug on the table in front of him.
She allowed him one last hard look, and then slipped into her room. When she returned several minutes later, it was in something more formal but nevertheless comfortable, just in case, and she crossed the common area to where she'd set her bag the night before to put what she'd slept in and a few randomly toiletries she'd kept out back into it. She smoothed a hand over her hair, just to make sure it was in order and in spite of the fact that she'd just brushed it, then moved to the table.
Despite his reputation, Tony was clearly more or less ready. His suitcase and two briefcases were sitting just outside the door to his room. He was wearing most of another suit, still having skipped the tie, his jacket draped over the back of the empty chair next to him. When she reemerged from her room, he looked up again, offering her another faint smile and setting his phone down again.
"Has anyone seen Thor yet this morning?" she asked, stretching a little. Despite her nap and the bath the night before, she was still feeling the fight with the Warriors and Sif now.
"I haven't," Tony returned. "Steve was up before me, but he didn't mention seeing him."
That had more or less been the answer she'd been expecting, and so she nodded. "I take it he's getting ready?"
"Think so. Didn't want to ruin the spangly outfit, you know." Tony was kidding again. Things were calm enough now, but he couldn't help but feel like there was still plenty of tension in the air. The joking was his attempt to break it up a little.
"Of course not." She understood why Tony was making jokes, couldn't really blame him -- Clint would likely be trying to do the same, if he'd made it to the table by this point -- and was more than willing to snark back. That in mind, a tiny smile on her lips, she offered, "Which, speaking of ridiculous outfits, I'm surprised you're ready."
Tony let out a breath of a laugh, at that. "Woke up too early and couldn't get back to sleep," he admitted. He'd had trouble getting to sleep in the first place and then hadn't stayed that way long. He didn't need that much either, though.
She nodded, not bothering to tell him she doubted he was the only one, and glanced towards Bruce as he meandered into the room, his things in his hands. He offered them both thin smiles and a mumbled, "Uh, hey," as he edged around the table to set his things alongside Natasha's in what was apparently becoming where they were putting their things.
"Morning," Tony offered, returning the smile.
"Everyone ready?" Steve asked in the next moment as he stepped out of his room, adding his things to the pile, nodding to Clint as the other man joined them, too.
"Looks that way," Natasha answered, slipping out of her chair.
Bruce looked to the door. "Anyone know if we're supposed to wait for someone to come get us, or ... ?"
"I was assuming Thor would come get us when they were ready for us," Tony offered, reaching back to pick up his jacket, to get it out of the way if anyone needed the chair.
"That's what I figured," Bruce replied, as he turned back to the group. Briefly, he considered taking up the chair Tony had vacated; he seemed to think better of it before too long.
It seemed, however, that he wouldn't be left standing for long -- and that Tony had the right idea in getting up -- as no sooner than he had decided, there was a heavy knock on the door. Thor entered a moment later, as dressed down as anyone had ever seen him, cape and scaled sleeves missing from his armor, and looked them over. "You are ready. Good."
Tony shrugged back into his jacket, dropping his phone into its inside pocket and buttoning it as Thor entered the room. "Ready when you are," he confirmed, looking to the others briefly to double check that everyone was.
Thor took another look at each of them for the same reasons as Tony, and when he was satisfied, turned to lead the way out of the room. He glanced back at them once, only for a second, as if he planned on saying something, but whatever it was never came, his jaw steeling as if whatever had crossed his mind was something that had offended even him and that was why he hadn't put words to it. He was silent beyond that, and sooner rather than later, they stood before the doors to the great hall.
"You will stand with me as my father addresses the court."
The others fell in behind him as he led the way back to the hall. At the order, Steve nodded. "Lead the way."
Pushing open the doors, Thor lead them into the room. All of the tables that had taken up the bulk of it had been cleared, save one, stretched out across the width of the room and pulled up closer to the throne and where Odin sat upon it, and the nobles of Asgard had seated themselves behind it and were whispering amongst themselves like children before class often did. Thor ignored them, slipping up towards the throne, and knelt briefly before his father, one hand pressed to his shoulder, before taking up position beside him, standing. He nodded slightly, bidding his Midgardian companions to do the same.
Again, the others followed behind him, taking a moment to kneel, as well, before Steve led them up to stand at Thor's side. Tony, at Steve's side, couldn't help but think of the senate hearings - and wonder which side of the room would be which, back on Earth.
Odin stood as they settled, Gungnir in one hand, and banged the shaft of it on the ground once, the sound cutting through the conversation the nobles had been having sharply, stopping it. When all eyes in the room had been turned to the king, he was silent for a moment, gathering his words, and only when he was sure he had found the right ones did he begin.
"I know there have been whisperings as to going ons around my palace since last night, I know this is what you and your companions have been discussing here, now, as you waited for these proceedings to begin, and I know that it is my duty to inform you all that you are largely right." There had been, of course, some ridiculous rumors floating around, his favorite among them that Loki had escaped on the back of a dragon, which was why he had said largely and not entirely, but still. "Loki has escaped."
There was immediately a low murmur from the nobles and Odin silenced them again, this time with a sharp look. "My son and his companions attempted to stop him, but we have reason to believe Malekith was involved and we did not know this until too late. It is because of that that I call this meeting; it is because of that I must urge caution. It is likely that Loki has returned to Midgard -- and my son and his companions depart to search for him after we ajourn -- but his allies may still be on Asgard."
Odin paused here, looking down the line at the Avengers, as if silently asking if they had anything to add. The nobles, meanwhile, didn't look particularly fazed -- angry, perhaps, that Loki had escaped, but not surprised nor ready to place the blame on Thor's friends or frightened. If anything, they looked as if this was something that happened every day or at least often, though probably only because most of them had been alive when Asgard had been at war with Jotunheim.
The lack of reaction on the part of the nobles was still something of a relief, considering the noise they could have made, but then, Thor had told them there wasn't likely to be much of one. Steve followed the glance to the rest of the team. He didn't have anything to add, and it didn't look like any of the others did, either.
Odin turned back to the assembly of nobles, the expression on his face the same as it had been when he looked at Thor and the team. When no one stood up, forgetting their place for the moment to speak their passion, he nodded. "Since it seems no one has anything to add, we will adjourn. My son and his companions must be away and there are safeguards you all must take the time to put in place where your families are concerned."
There were sounds of agreement all around and almost simultaneously, the nobles got up from their places at the table to make for the door.
Once the nobles were gone, Steve looked to Thor, not sure what their next step toward leaving was, now that this part seemed to be over.
Thor glanced in turn to his father, who had retaken his seat, looking worn. Still, however, he managed to summon up a smile for them. "I will not keep you, but I do wish you a safe journey and that the circumstances of our meeting are happier ones, next you return to Asgard."
"We hope so, too," Steve returned. "Thank you, for having us."
"And thank you for your help," Tony added. Yeah, he and Bruce probably could have found something on Earth to use for the holodeck's walls and to reinforce the rest of the Tower, but Thor's offer had made it all much easier.
Nodding, Odin's smile brightened for a moment, then faded, like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds on an otherwise dark day.
Thor moved to stand before him, leaning down to hug him briefly but fiercely, as he had when they'd first met with the king. "I will return," he told him softly as he pulled away. When he turned back to the group, he nodded towards the door. "We return the same way we arrived. At the Bifrost."
Steve gestured for Thor to lead the way again, the rest of the team falling in behind the demigod. "So, horses again," Steve put in dryly once they were out of the hall.
"It wasn't that bad," Natasha shot back, making a tiny face at him.
"You should try it without the reins," Clint added, shooting Steve a grin.
"Only if you didn't want us to get anywhere anytime soon," Steve returned.
Natasha, too, looked amused by the prospect. "Maybe when we get back and everything's settled, Clint and I can give you lessons."
Clint looked to Tony. "I bet Stark and Banner could set it up on the holodeck."
"We hadn't gotten around to setting up the pony ride scenario yet, but it could probably happen," Tony agreed, sounding just as amused.
"I'm not sure if I should be for this idea or against it," Bruce said, looking thoughtful.
"It'll be fun," Natasha replied. "And you never know when it'll come in handy."
"Me, neither," Tony said, looking to Bruce. "I'm all for trying to set it up, but I'm also pretty sure it'll just end in tears."
"Natasha does have a point, though," Steve admitted. "We might not have had the same need as the boys in the first world war, but there were still mounted units on both sides. And there's a reason there were a dozen songs about the cavalry."
"I did not think your armies fought on horseback anymore," Thor said as they approached the stables. He paused, detaching from the group to arrange for their travel -- something he hadn't thought to do the night before, but wouldn't take too long, if the fact that the horses were already saddled was any indication -- and, when he returned, picked up the conversation again as if he had never left it. "Before I understood Midgardian methods of travel, I found it hard to acquire a horse."
"They don't, these days," Tony returned once Thor rejoined them. "It's all Jeeps and tanks, these days. That's kind of a recent thing, though."
Steve nodded. "We were pretty well-supplied for the part of the war I was involved in, but I saw some mounted units on both sides of the fighting. World War One had a lot more people on horseback, though, and there were just twenty years between the end of one and the start of the second." He wasn't sure how much of Earth's history Thor actually knew, but he figured he would ask if he needed anything expanded on.
Thor knew more than they might expect. While reading had been more Loki's strong suit than his own, he'd made a point of trying to at least get passingly aquainted with Midgardian history the last time he'd been there, after the battle for Mahattan was over and done with. It seemed important to have some familarity with a people he'd sworn himself to protect.
That in mind, and having read at least a handful of articles on the two Great Wars of Earth, he nodded mutely.
"We are kinda short on horses, these days, though," Tony added when Thor didn't say anything. "Other than pony rides and the ones with the carriages in the park."
"So I have seen," Thor answered, frowning ever-so-faintly. "It is something of a shame."
Natasha looked ready to say something but stopped when the stablehand appeared behind Thor, guiding their horses behind him. She glanced to Steve, then let her eyes drift to the rest of the group, each in turn. "Same partners as last time?"
"I'm fine with that," Steve returned, looking to the others, and to Thor.
Thor nodded, already moving to get himself into the saddle of the horse he'd chosen. Natasha moved to do likewise, holding out a hand for Steve once she'd gotten settled.
Tony followed Thor over to his horse. Clint nodded to Bruce before turning to the last horse and getting set in the saddle before reaching a hand down to him.
As they had for the trip into the city, Steve climbed up behind Natasha and took a moment to get as comfortable as he could before resting an arm around her waist, still somewhat awkwardly.
"Good, Cap?" she asked over her shoulder as everyone else got themselves and their partners settled on their horses.
"I'm good," he returned, looking to the other pairs to make sure everyone else was settled.
Thor did likewise, and once he was satisfied, turned his horse to lead the way back out through the city and to the Bifrost at the same pace he had set coming in. When they arrived, and as promised, their things waited for them near the ruined edge of the bridge, albeit with one addition -- a canvas colored bag roughly large enough to carry a painting in balanced atop the molehill of luggage the Avenger's bags made. Thor did not seem surprised by its presence, however, and largely ignored it as he dismounted and helped Tony do the same.
"Yep, definitely gonna end in tears," Tony repeated once he had his feet back on the ground. He did shoot a look to the bag, then, and then looked back to Thor. "If I assume that's what I think it is, am I going to prove the saying right?"
"Saying?" he asked, glancing back over his shoulder, a vaguely puzzled look on his face.
Right, cultural differences. He opened his mouth to explain, but Clint's voice cut over him.
"To assume something is to make an ass out of you and me," Clint said over his shoulder after he helped Bruce down, and Tony waved a hand at him.
"That saying."
Thor looked briefly, tiredly amused. "I would not think you an ass, if you were to guess at the contents of the bag -- particularly since you would most likely be right. It is the metals you requested." He paused, only now looking to the bag, and then by way of explanation, he added, "The bag has been spelled so that it will travel with us easily. It would not be practical, otherwise."
Tony grinned. "You were not kidding about them being quick."
"They are good at what they do."
"They are also notorious drunkards," Heimdall put in from somewhere behind them. Surprisingly, though, he did not sound disapproving. "They will likely spend the day at the bottom of the Allfather's reserves in celebration."
Tony turned to look at Heimdall when the watchman spoke, chuckling. "It does go along with the whole dwarf thing."
Heimdall only nodded.
Thor briefly considered asking if he had any news as to Loki or Malekith's whereabouts, then decided against it -- if he knew something, he wouldn't be commenting on what his father's craftsmen did on their days off -- turning back to the group instead. The amulet he'd used to bring them there seemed to have simply appeared on its chain around his wrist in the last few seconds. "We will go opposite the order we arrived in," he announced, gesturing Natasha over.
"If you interrupt any wild parties Pepper decided to throw while we were gone, tell her to carry on and we'll be there shortly," Tony put in as he found his three cases in the pile of luggage, setting them off to the side and getting out of the others' way.
Natasha grabbed her things out of the pile and moved to stand by Thor, rolling her eyes at Tony as she did so. "Don't get your hopes up."
There was a pause as Thor asked if she was ready, and when she nodded, they vanished in a shimmer of blue light. Thor reappeared moments later much the same way, and moved through the group in reverse order -- Natasha, Clint, Tony, Bruce and finally Steve -- as promised. By the time he'd finished, he looked just as exhausted as he had when they'd come, if not more so. He would likely sleep well tonight if only because his body would allow nothing else.
"You alright?" Steve asked Thor once they were back on Stark Tower's roof and his own disorientation had passed. It had occurred to him to ask if the demigod had needed to take a break from going back and forth, considering Steve had an idea as to how much more tired Thor had been at the beginning, this time, but he also thought Thor would have said something if he had needed one.
"I will endure," he promised, tucking the amulet back under one of his vambraces.
Steve looked at him for another moment before he nodded and turned away to watch as Tony adjusted the grip he had on his luggage and headed over to kick at the closed door into the Tower. "Knock knock, sweetheart," he told the door. "We're home." A moment later, there was a click, and the door swung open. "You need a hand getting that stuff inside?" he asked Thor, nodding to the canvas bag as he leaned back against the door to hold it open.
Thor considered this for a moment and then shook his head. "I am alright to carry it, if you will let me know where I am to take it."
"Uh..." Tony began, looking back over his shoulder into the Tower. "The penthouse, for now?" he said after a moment. It had the most open space, and he could spread things out and see what he was dealing with, there.
He nodded. "I will take them up to your chambers, and then I think I may retire for the evening. Loki can wait for another few hours and I .. " He hesitated, looking sideways at Steve, and then forced himself to continue. " ... am in no condition to face him, even if we were to find him here and now."
"Get some sleep," Steve returned immediately and over anything Tony might have been going to say, though it might have been the same thing, from how he nodded to that. "We can take care of things."
"Until tomorrow," Thor said in response as he brushed past Tony to head down the stairs.
Bruce watched him go, trying to keep himself from stating the obvious -- Thor looked like hell -- and when he'd managed, when that initial impulse faded, he looked to Steve. "So, uh ... what now?"
"I should let Pepper know we're back." Tony wasn't sure if she was home at the moment or not, considering he hadn't paid much attention to what was on her schedule while he thought they were going to be off-planet.
"We should probably check in with Fury," Clint added, looking to Natasha. If they were going to get an earful for forgetting to let the director know they would be gone, better to give it over with - and to let him know what had happened with Loki. If anyone knew if the demigod had returned to Earth and started making waves, it would likely be S.H.I.E.L.D., anyway.
"Tell us if they've heard anything," Steve told him, and Clint nodded.
Natasha caught the look and nodded slightly before moving to head towards the door. "We'll let you know."
Again, Bruce waited until she and Clint were presumably out of earshot before shrugging, though for no discernable reason this time. "I guess I'll head down to the lab for a little while."
"I guess I'll get unpacked and change." He had gone with the uniform again for their meeting with the king, today, but it really wasn't the most practical thing to just be hanging around in.
"Well, the whole 'mi tower es su tower' thing hasn't changed," Tony pointed out. "I'm going to go find my girlfriend." He stood back to let them into the Tower, letting the door close behind them once everyone was inside.
"Have fun storming the castle, boys," Bruce mumbled when they got down the flight of stairs that lead to the roof and were about to start breaking off in their seperate directions.
Steve just looked confused, but Tony laughed, at that. "Hopefully nothing today will take a miracle," he returned.
"Movie?" Steve asked them, and Tony nodded.
"Movie. We'll catch you up, Cap, promise."