Bruce was making dinner for the rest of the Avengers. He decided to make scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and ham. He had slaved in the kitchen for a few hours, wanting all of this to be perfect.

It was Thor's birthday, and he wanted this meal to be special. When Natasha or Pepper offered to help him out, he politely declined. If he was going to plan a dinner, he would prefer to do it himself.

Contrary to popular belief, Bruce had his own selfish moments too. And sometimes the only way to get things done right was to do it yourself.

He knew the dinner would be perfect. The ham was just about finished. It was nice and juicy, and cooked with a bit of pineapple for flavor.

Thor was visiting Jane and should be back anytime soon. He left the day before to fly and see her, spending yesterday, and today with her.

Little did he know, Bruce wanted a day to spend with him as well.

Out of everyone in the tower, Bruce got along best with Thor and Tony. He would work in the lab with Tony, and they would talk and help each other out with whatever projects they happened to be working on. Bruce knew nothing of mechanics, and Tony knew a little bit of chemistry, so most of their partnerships ended up in failure. But it was still nice to have someone to chat with in the lab.

Thor, on the other hand... they got along very well; even when he was the Hulk. Bruce was glad that he could handle him when the monster appeared. It gave him ease, knowing that someone were there to stop him from hurting anyone else.

He wanted to thank Thor for his friendship, his companionship...

Bruce bit his lip, hoping that Thor would come home soon.

Tony stepped into the kitchen, drinknig very rudely out of a water bottle. He was just working out with Steve. "So, is dinner ready yet? I'm starved."

Bruce shook his head, "No, not yet."

Normally, he'd say something along the lines of 'does it look like it's ready? Hold your horses Tony, it'll be finished soon.' But he just wasn't in the mood.

Tony tilted his head, "Why are you such a Debbie Downer all of a sudden?"

The doctor opened the oven and took another look at the ham, "Because I'm worried Thor won't be home in time for dinner."

Tony wiped a bead of sweat away from his face, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure if you call him on his transmitter, and mention food, he'd be home right away." He smiled, patting the scientist on the back, "I'm gonna go shower. It'll be ready when I'm finished, right?"

Bruce nodded, "...Yeah."

"Good," Tony said as he walked away, "And I wanna see you smile when I get back too!"

Bruce nodded again, and decided to busy himself by putting more cheese on the potatoes.

One can never have too much cheese...

XXX

Everyone sat down at the dinner table; Tony (who had smelled too much of cologne and hair gel), Steve (who had taken a shower as well, his hair still a little damp), Pepper (who was crinkling her nose due to Tony's excessive smell), Natasha (who was looking at Bruce from across the table, giving him a sad look), and Hawkeye (who had taken more than his fair share of food on his plate.)

Bruce looked at his food, not wanting to eat. He looked up at Natasha.

"Eat, Bruce. He'll be here soon."

The doctor lifted his fork and took a bite out of the ham.

Hmm... he might have cooked it too long waiting for Thor to return.

He sat his fork down on his plate and sat back in his chair, "No, I messed up the ham. It's too rough."

Hawkeye shrugged, "I like it."

Steve nodded, "Me too."

Tony decided to take a bite out of it to voice his own opinion, "Yeah, it's fine. Don't worry about it."

Pepper reached over the table and took the doctor by the hand, "We'll just save extra for him. It's no biggie, he eats leftovers anyway."

Bruce nodded and ate his dinner very slowly. He had asked Jarvis to call Thor and tell him to come home a while ago, before he even started cooking. He got no reply back, and was starting to get worried.

Everyone finished their dinner and thanked him for the meal. Tony and Pepper went upstairs to their room to do who knows what. Steve, Hawkeye, and Natasha returned to the living room to watch a movie.

Bruce wanted to watch a movie with them, but he wasn't in the mood.

What if Thor got stuck in a tornado?

No, he's a god. That's impossible. The man can /make/ tornadoes if he really tried.

What if he got his message but forgot about it?

Bruce didn't want to think of the possibilities. He sat up from the dinner table, his food still on his plate, and took the elevator to the rooftop.

The curly haired brunette looked out over the balcony, looking out to the city. He bit his lower lip in worry, his eyes were on the skies.

He could feel his heart-rate quickening. Maybe if he wasn't himself for a moment.. he would forget about all his troubles.

He focused on releasing the beast inside him, his eyes turning green as he purposefully jumped off Stark Tower.

Bruce felt the wind through his hair, his shirt hitting against his skin as he felt the beginnings of his transformation occurring.

But then something gold, silver, and red jolted by, catching him.

It was Thor.

Bruce looked up at the god, smiling softly at him as they flew through the air. He would be happier if he wasn't so ashamed of his recent actions.

Thor landed on the top of Stark Tower, still holding Bruce. He looked down at him, the doctor's eyes returning back to normal.

Thor and Betty were the only people he knew that could calm him down so quickly.

"Banner, might I ask why you were falling from the tower?" His voice was stern, worried.

Bruce looked away from the golden haired god, "I..."

Thor didn't let him finish, "Did Man of Iron upset you again?"

The doctor chuckled, "No. I was worried about you. You didn't say when or if you were coming back today."

The thunder god walked to the elevator, still holding Bruce, "Of course I would go home to all my dear friends on my birthday! Though I apologize for making you worry."

Bruce nodded, "It's fine."

"No it is not," Thor responded quickly, "I made you worry to the point of you wanting to change form. I saw it in your eyes when I caught you."

Bruce looked away, feeling even more embarrassed, "It's ok now. You're home, that's all that matters."

Thor laughed as he walked into the elevator, Bruce still in hand, "Yes. I heard you have made me a feast. Did I miss it?"

"Yes, actually," Bruce said as the metal doors closed.

"Ah, that is a shame," Thor said softly, lowering his head.

"Yes, but I didn't eat yet," Bruce smiled, looking up at him. "Well, I did a little, but I wanted to wait for you."

"You didn't have to wait for me, Banner."

"Well, I wanted to."

Thor smiled as the elevator doors opened. He walked to the dining room table, and sat Bruce down, taking the man's plate and putting it in the microwave. He piled two plates with whatever was left of the dinner and warmed it up as well.

The two of them sat at the table and talked about what eacother missed throughout the past two days while Thor was away. Bruce told him stories of Tony and him in the lab; Tony and Steve suddenly having an interest in workout sessions (Bruce thinks that Tony is starting to feel a little old, and wants to compete with Steve since he was technically the oldest, excluding Thor), and Hawkeye and Natasha having arguments like an old married couple, but that wasn't knew.

Thor told him how Jane was doing, and how her research was coming along. He told Bruce stories of them going to an ice cream parlor, and Thor had ice cream for the first time. "I believe it was called 'Moose Track' ice cream. It was delicious." Thor said with a mouthful.

Bruce nodded, glad to hear he had a good time.

Thor swallowed, his blue eyes widening, "Banner! We must get some of this delicious frozen cow's milk! How about for dessert?"

Bruce chuckled and smiled, "Yeah, sounds good to me."