Stiles likes it in the Avengers' Mansion. He still doesn't understand how something the size of a small spaceship, with most of it going lengthwise, qualifies as a mansion, but he likes it.
Possibly because underneath the skin this is still Stark Tower, and the man's mark defines the place.
It's pretty much anti-SHIELD. They let you wear jeans if you want. And actively discourage the uniform. It's not that Stiles doesn't like the uniform (he doesn't) it's just confusing. They are supposed to be a spy agency, right? Doesn't having an easily identifiable marker of identity and allegiance kind of defeats the purpose?
Coulson's face got really tight and he said something about the Helicarrier, and military vessels, and need for authority hierarchy. Which reminded Stiles of another thing he was puzzling over - shouldn't an Air Force crew of some sort do the actual running of the carrier? Until they are in the water and then it'd probably be better for the Navy to take over?
So Stiles spends a lot of time in the Mansion now.
He chooses to believe that it's because he gave a lot of valuable input and Coulson just needs some alone time to put it all together.
He explains it all to Pepper, before he knows she's Pepper. He doesn't bother articulating that little horrifying moment to people anymore. It wasn't his FAULT!
But, on the bright side, there are cookies now. And she warns him about the top five floors. Useful fucking data.
Mostly he likes the Mansion because it's not regimented. SHIELD is busy, all the time. There's always something to deal with. But it's a bureaucracy, there are rules and systems and schedules. So inevitably there's a lot of 'hurry up and wait' moments.
Those are bad. Those are when you start thinking and worrying and hating yourself for both and trying not to think and eventually you go crazy and commit an ugly suicide by Fury, or something.
In the Mansion there's also always something to do. But, unlike the rest of Stark's Empire, the place is only 50/50 under Pepper's control (12/88, in fact, according to some arcane calculation that she finds hilarious for some reason) and so it's 50% (88%?) pure anarchy and perennial countdown to another explosion.
It's a lot harder for the his head to find the moments in there, to stop and *think* and drag him back to Beacon Hills, to give rein to the habit of years to play Daddy to what seems like an entire town.
He tries not to think about the idea that he likes the Mansion because it reminds him of the Hills, but now the grownups are actually in charge.
Even if they do set the top floors of the place on fire with metronomically alarming regularity.