From the couch came something that sounded suspiciously like a giggle-snort of suppressed laughter.

"Oh great," Tony drawled from where he stood in the bar, "The world is ending."

"How is it that you know this Friend Tony?" Thor asked, looking confused.

"Natasha just laughed," Tony informed him, pouring a glass of something that was probably very hard liquor, "If ever there was going to be a sign that Ragnarök was approaching, that would be it."

Thor looked borderline horrified by this announcement, and Bruce took this moment to calm him down and assure him that no, the world was not actually ending.

"What is she watching that made her laugh?" Steve asked impassively, seated on a stool.

"She's reading," Clint announced, looking slightly sick.

"Reading what exactly?" Tony queried.

"Fanfiction," he replied, and Tony's mouth fell open.

"Seriously?"

"Mhmm."

"So why do you look like you're about to throw up?" asked Bruce looking confused, "It's just fan-stories, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but Tasha likes to read the ones that either involve bodily harm, mutilation or lots and lots of gay porn, and none of the above give me any particularly warm feelings."

"It's quite enjoyable, actually," Natasha informed them, having slunk over while they discussed.

"And what fandom are you fangasming over today, Miss Fangirl?" asks Tony with a smirk.

"Avengers," she said simply, and Steve blanched.

"There's stories about us on there?"

"Oh yes. My favourite pairing at the moment is FrostIron."

Now it was time for Tony to pale; "I'm obviously the Iron part of that, but I really don't think I want to know-"

"Loki is the Frost."

Tony whimpered and started gulping down the rest of his drink.

"There are stories of Loki and Friend Tony?" asked Thor, looking intrigued.

"Oh yes, doing all kinds of things to each other. Some of them are even kind of cute."

Tony poured himself another glass and started drinking that too.

"Remind me to invent brain bleach," he said to them, before picking up the bottle and heading for his lab.

"Should we really be letting him go into his lab with that bottle?" asked Clint as he tried to edge away from Natasha.

"Tony works surprisingly well under the influence," Bruce replied with an unconcerned shrug, "It'll probably make him invent something amazing and then he'll get over the horror."

"Why is a story about my brother and Friend Tony so abhorrent?" asked Thor, looking genuinely confused.

"Some of them come from some... twisted minds, Thor," Clint warned him, "And by pairing they mean- well- coupling."

Thor paled and his eyes darted to where Tony had scampered off, "They are fiction, correct?"

"Tony is completely faithful to Pepper, you know that Thor," Bruce said disapprovingly, and Thor looked apologetic.

"Here, I'll show you one of the stories," Natasha said, grabbing Thor's phone and typing something in. Thor settled on the couch and the two of them sat and read, side by side, until Thor screamed at something that had happened and flung his phone across the room.

"Uh, Thor...?" Steve asked from where he was trying to watch baseball, "Are you okay?"

"EUREKA!" Tony's voice floated over the intercom, "Bruce, get down here, I have to show you this!"

"Told you," Bruce sighed, rising to go to his friend.

"YOU ARE NEVER TO GO NEAR MY BROTHER AGAIN, STARK!" Thor yelled at the ceiling, obviously talking to the intercom, "NEVER AGAIN!"

"I'm just... going to go for a run or something," Steve mumbled, turning off the TV and making his way to the stairs, "Try not to kill anyone while I'm gone."

"I'm coming too!" Clint yelped, rising, "We can race around Central Park or something; les go!"