Natasha stared blankly through the glass as Thor waved at the two. It was quite a sight to behold; behind him lightning flashed through the darkening clouds, with the wind tossing his blonde hair about wildly. The archer was laughing hysterically behind her; she snapped at him to shut up before he woke Pepper.
"Jarvis," she eventually recovered enough from her shock to ask as she searched over the thick glass, "Do these windows open?"
They do not, Agent Romanoff.
"Wonderful," the woman muttered. She pointed to Thor, who grinned at her, and then down to the ground. The Asgardian nodded enthusiastically before dropping out of sight. Grabbing Clint by the arm and tugging him along behind her, the spy took the elevator down into the lobby of Stark tower. Once down there they found a delighted Asgardian God of Thunder surveying the space, and several of Stark's workers looking very, very concerned. Tasha was quick to seize Thor and pull him away. With an amused god on one arm and a disgruntled archer on the other, she dragged them over to the elevators, stubbornly ignoring the twinges of pain coming from her just-healed shoulder.
"Season's greetings my dear friends!" Thor's voice boomed over them. "Is this not the Midgardian season for merriment and wonder? I have brought with me Asgardian mead, I believe you will all enjoy it thoroughly!"
"Season's greetings, Thor." Clint grinned, not noticing as she winced before returning the smile.
Thor, though not the most observant of people, was not stupid. "Natasha! You are in pain."
She looked momentarily surprised before nodding slowly. "Uh, yeah...It's fine, though." She said uncertainly. "I was...bested in combat?"
"That is a shame. You are a great fighter," Thor commented before they lapsed into silence. The archer was giving his partner one of those looks; the kind where he was silently telling her she was an idiot and why hadn't she told him it still hurt and honestly Tasha don't you trust me? His look and silent question went unanswered by her and the silence persisted. When the elevator doors opened, they were in the main living area, where the current CEO of Stark Industries was still snoring away on a couch. Tasha motioned for Thor to take a seat and get comfortable as he and Clint struck up conversation over the current state of Asgard. The redhead moved away from the two, looking vaguely up towards the ceiling and asking Jarvis to get Tony and Steve to come from the labs.
The two men arrived in a stony silence, occasionally shooting each other foul looks from across the room when they stood as far apart as possible. Tony was elated to see Thor, clapping him on the back and grinning ecstatically. Thor didn't quite share the man's enthusiasm, but was pleased to see him nonetheless.
"Captain!" Thor held out a hand to Steve, who shook it with a small smile. The Asgardian always put him in better spirits. As the two men and Clint continued their conversation, Tony wandered over to the couch where Pepper still slept, apparently undisturbed by the entrance of the Avengers.
He prodded her awake gently. "Pepper?"
"Mm...Tony? What is it?" She sat up sleepily, pulling her phone out to check the time. Tony helped her up, leaving her cold coffee on the table where it sat. "Did I really sleep for an hour?"
"Come on." Tony didn't answer her question, instead pulling her from the room quietly as Thor entertained everyone with a tale of the Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. "It's no good sleeping there, it's uncomfortable as hell. Remind me to invest in some less painful furniture."
"No, Tony, I've got to-"
He shushed her as he gently pushed her into the elevator. "You're exhausted, Pep. Go upstairs and have a proper sleep. It's no good being the acting CEO of Stark Industries if you're going to fall asleep in the middle of every business meeting."
Somewhat unwillingly, the woman took his advice. With a quick peck to her cheek before the doors closed, Tony stepped backwards and half-turned back towards the group before changing his mind. "Jarvis, where's Bruce?"
Dr Banner is currently in his quarters, sir.
"Is there a reason he's not coming downstairs?"
He has stated he wishes to be left alone.
Tony huffed quietly before shrugging and returning to his friends, who were in uproarious laughter. Clint was supporting Natasha as she struggled to breathe, wiping a tear from her eye, though he himself was having some difficulty in staying upright. Steve's earlier bad mood seemed to be all but gone and he offered a smile to Tony. The man returned it, all traces of their previous fight forgotten. "What did I miss?"
"Thor was just...telling us...oh, god, I'm going to die I'm laughing so hard," Clint struggled briefly before he managed to get a handle on his amusement. "Oh, Thor, go ahead and tell it again."
The god, who had deposited Mjolnir on a nearby bench, shrugged and grinned. "I do not know if it will be as humorous the second time, Barton."
"Just tell in anyway," Tasha said with a grin.
Thor cleared his throat and, once more, regaled them with the story. By the end of it Tony was laughing twice as hard as anyone else; he elbowed Steve in the side until the man cracked a smile, having not found as funny as before. Soon they were lounging about in various spaces - the floor, the couch, Clint even perched himself on the top of the table like some kind of predatory bird - and swapping stories like teenage girls at a slumber party, laughing all the while. Eventually though Tony decided it was time to get serious, or at least as serious as he ever got.
"So, Thor," he asked, "What brings you to down to Earth?"
"It is the Midgardian season of cheer, is it not? The time one spends with their family and friends. I wished to spend it with my friends." Thor gave him a steady smile and gestured in the direction of Mjolnir. It seemed odd, to him at least, the god would want to spend the 'season of cheer' with his friends as opposed to family. But once he thought about it he realised that Asgard must not have been entirely pleasant after the whole brother-being-a-mass-murdering-war-criminal thing. Shaking his head, his gaze followed Thor's. Now that he looked, Tony could see the hammer was not alone on the table. "I brought with me some of the mead I told you of. It is the finest in all the realms."
"That's debateable." He hoped Thor would rise up to the unspoken challenge in the words.
"Do you doubt me, Tony Stark?"
"Well," Tony shrugged, "There's only one way to-"
"Absolutely not," Bruce interrupted from the doorway. Arms folded, he gave Tony a sharp look before he smiled at the god. "Hello, Thor. It's good to see you."
Tony muttered that the physicist ruined all his fun before receiving a sharp poke to his ribs from said physicist. Bruce turned away from the inventor and took Thor's hand in his, clapping the other up to the man's shoulder. He dropped down beside Tony and settled in, ignoring the concerned look he was receiving off both assassins. They knew he had been in his room for days, and while he was definitely improved from when Pepper had seen him earlier, he still appeared slightly sickly. It wasn't even that he appeared unwell - there was just a general vibe the man gave that they felt was off from the shy, self-assured Dr Banner they all knew and loved. "So," he asked, looking over the group. "What did I miss?"
Natasha leaned forward, resting her head on her hands and grinning. "Go on, Thor. Tell it again."