"…everything comes to its own.. And the fact that you've been able to help me process-"
Bruce jumped awake at the sound of his glasses dropping, and the realization that he had dozed off on Tony venting to him about everything that had happened over the last couple of weeks.
"Are you actively napping?" Ahh, there was that Tony Stark sarcasm that everyone on the team had been missing. Despite repeatedly telling Tony that Bruce was in fact not that kind of doctor, Tony still seemed insistent upon his best friend helping him through everything he had gone through.
"You know, Bruce, as hard of a time as I give you, I really couldn't have gotten through that all without you. Without any of you, really," Tony said, completely sincerely, which was a rarity that few got to see.
"It's what friends… No, it's what brothers are for," Bruce said, smiling back at the man that he was proud to call his best friend.
It had been a tough first week or so, but after Tony had contacted Pepper through his Iron Man suit, Ari had been able to work with Bruce on tracking the signal. That, in combination with the additional explosions, it was easy to find a track to follow. From there, they let Tony work everything out, while still maintaining a watchful eye and ensuring that their partner would make it home safely. There had been a few close calls with the whole Extremis situation, and there were times that they were ready to jump into battle to save Tony and Pepper. But Fury insisted that they not risk the entire team, and Tony would make it out ok in the end. And once again, the man with only one eye had better vision for what was going on than the rest of the team combined.
"Banner. Bruce! Come on man, don't keep spacing out on me like that," Tony said, standing up and making his way towards the elevator. "Come on. Let's go grab a bite to eat and talk with the rest of the team. We have a lot of debriefing to do."
As they sat around the lunch table, the entire team (sans Thor) seemed incredibly grateful to have the group back together. Though there was a rare silence amongst them, it was a comfortable one. One marking how much they were simply enjoying not having to run off and save the world at that moment. Instead, they were able to just sit, and revel in each other's presence.
"So, wait. You could have removed the arc reactor all this time, and you just now got around to doing it? How does that work?" Ariadne questioned, breaking the silence and asking the one question she had been dying to know.
"No, miss sassy pants, I couldn't have removed it 'all this time.' The procedure became available just in this past year, and the doctors said that I looked promising. There was still some risk to it, though, so Pepper and I chose to wait. However, after all of the risk that we just went through, I figured it was time to stop waiting and start planning a future where I won't be slowly poisoning myself, and will have more time focusing on what is important." Tony responded, placing his hand on Pepper's and smiling down at the woman he loved, but had almost lost. The recent events had truly changed Tony for the better, and had given him a better understanding of what it meant to "save the world." For him, Pepper was his world, and it had taken him too long to realize it.
"So what's next, Stark? Are you planning on heading back west? Continuing Stark Industries?" Clint asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Well, I'm actually glad you asked that. I think that Pepper and I could use a change of scenery after everything. I'm not sure I'm up for moving back to a city that has repeatedly tried to kill me,"
"Stark, the city can't kill you. The people can kill you, but not the city. And if you're worried about the people trying to kill you, then are you planning to build your own rocketship to live on? Cause I'm pretty sure you're going to have a hard time living around other people and not end up having one of them wanting to kill you," Natasha interrupted, earning a chuckle from Clint, and a solid glare from Tony.
"Very funny, Black Soul, but as I was saying, Pepper and I don't feel like L.A. is home for us anymore. We were thinking about taking some time, and moving back out here to Avengers Tower. After all, we do have a whole floor here, and I do pay for it. Might as well get my money's worth," Tony responded, shrugging it off like it was nothing.
"Aww, you missed us!" Ariadne cooed at Tony, as she continued to help Steve clear the plates from the table.
"I just figure that after seeing everything that I just saw, there's a lot more out there that we are going to have to be prepared for. And it would be easier to prepare for it if we do it together," Tony said, moving from the dining room to the more comfortable lounge area, with the rest of the group joining him.
"What sort of stuff are you talking about, Stark?" Steve asked, walking into the room with his arms folded.
"Well, take Extremis for instance. They were experimenting with the human body. Trying to recreate you, Capsicle. But, just like Banner, that didn't exactly go as planned… They weren't the first to try this sort of genetic mutation, and they certainly won't be the last. There are always going to be more people trying to become extraordinary, and will do it by any means necessary. And I think it's up to us to try and stop them," Tony explained.
"I'm getting really tired of people trying to play God and experiment with things that they shouldn't experiment with," Steve sighed, sliding down to sit next to Ari on her cushion on the floor.
"Well, Cap, whether we like it or not, Stark's right. New things are gonna be heading our way, and we've gotta be prepared for it," Clint chimed in from his seat on the sofa next to Nat. As they spoke, Bruce's phone went off, alerting him to incoming news.
"Speaking of new things, I think we might want to check this out…" He told the rest of the team. "JARVIS, please turn the TV onto CNN."
"Right away, Dr. Banner."
"Just moments ago we received confirmation that the hero and god known as Thor has in fact returned to Earth. Last seen in London, Thor seems to be battling some sort of extraterrestrial being. Nothing is too clear in the details right now, but we suspect that it is somehow connected to the recent ramblings of renowned Dr. Erik Selvig and his study on the Convergence with Dr. Jane Foster. We will keep you updated as this story unfolds."
"Well, I guess the whole gang is back…" Ari says from the floor, as they all wonder how each time their partner returns, he is somehow destroying another major city.
"Man, does it look like he's been working out? I think he must be on some sort of Asgardian prince regiment," Tony laughed, earning an annoyed, yet endeared eye roll from the rest of his team as they remembered how much they fought to get him back.
There you have it, folks! We are definitely moving forward in the MCU timeline! Pretty soon here, we will be finding and staying in Winter Soldier for a little while. As usual, I'd love to hear any thoughts you have, so please leave a review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will have something new for you lovelies very soon!
-C.