For the purpose of this story everything up to (and including) Captain America: Winter Soldier has happened, apart from Thor: Dark World.
Some main points before we start:
1. This is written in place of Age of Ultron and focuses mainly on the original 6 Avengers (with a healthy dose of Pepper), although there will be a few other familiar faces popping up.
2. Natasha Romanoff deserves the world.
3. Tony x Pepper is the only explicitly established couple, there is a small hint of Clint's family but you can choose to ignore that as the reference is vague.
4. Everyone needs a hug.
5. I do not own Marvel/MCU - I just love them all.
6. Some minor language.
The tower was quiet at this time of night; everyone gone home, or to bed. The tech lab, however, was fully alive with robots whizzing about the room, machines whirring, and holograms being restructured and discarded.
Tony Stark was at the centre of all the activity; his black hair mussed from all the times he had distractedly ran his hands through it in frustration.
Tony was restless.
It was nothing new to find him lost in his work long after his body had started crying out for sleep. Trouble was he could never switch off his brain; there was always a new design or modification or regret pecking at him until he had to get up and start tinkering.
Currently he was knee deep in his new project – designing a program that could enable him to put a suit of armour around the whole world. The idea of this next level protection had been plaguing him since New York.
Aliens.
It had been unexpected, almost catastrophic when those armoured monsters had broken through the atmosphere and rained chaos upon the city, until their costumed band of misfits had come and saved the day. Despite their victory, however, Tony was conscious that one day the Avengers would not be there to save the world, or maybe they would be there but not enough to defeat whatever was thrown their way.
Tony couldn't sit around waiting for that to happen. So, he worked.
He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't hear the lab door admitting someone else to his safe- haven.
"Thought I might find you here".
Tony looked up from the monitor to find Captain Steve Rogers hovering uncertainly near a bank of gadgets that Tony had never gotten around to finishing.
"Isn't it past your bedtime, Grandpa?" The good captain ignored the jibe.
"I didn't mean to intrude. Couldn't sleep and Jarvis mentioned that you were still pottering about down here –"
"Traitor", Tony huffed under his breath.
"-and I thought you might like some company".
Tony could see instantly that Rogers was regretting his attempt at camaraderie. Between the new-fangled tech whirring around his head and the less than warm welcome from his teammate he was clearly wishing he'd hit the gym instead.
Tony sighed and sat back in his chair. Although the pair hadn't got off to a good start, they had been trying to mend their differences since the battle and watching the captain squirm like a lost puppy wasn't as fun for the genius as it once might have been.
"I'm about finished here anyway – coffee?"
Steve's face brightened a little and he stepped quickly to the lab door, holding it open as Tony ambled through it heading for the elevator.
After the battle of New York, Tony had blocked off the upper floors of Stark Tower and made them into a safe space for the Avengers to lick their wounds, or even live, if they wanted to.
Tony had kept the penthouse suite for himself and Pepper. I am the one paying the bills.
The floor below was reserved for Thor, God of Thunder. Thor was usually off-planet so it was rare that the floor was utilised, meaning Tony and Pepper were mostly free to enjoy the peace and quiet.
The floor below him had originally been meant for a certain master assassin, however she'd complained that Thor's stomping would keep her awake, so she'd made Barton switch with her ("he's deaf anyway, it'll make no difference to him").
Barton was another one who was frequently absent. The archer was suspiciously tight-lipped about where he disappeared to and none of Stark's needling had convinced him to spill his secrets – classified, my ass.
Romanoff was a surprisingly regular housemate. Tony had thought that she'd be the hardest to convince about the arrangement, but she'd shown up a few weeks after the renovations were complete and had only left for missions and occasionally on one of Barton's secret trips. Stark had wondered many times about the nature of their relationship but, apparently, that was classified too.
Steve's floor was next, and it had been empty for some time before the captain was forced to accept Tony's hospitality after the fall of Shield. Steve had been reluctant to give up his privacy and free time but, after realising his own apartment was compromised, he had decided to bite the bullet. He had turned up after his fruitless search for his old pal Bucky Barnes and he had been staying at the tower exclusively ever since.
Banner was on the last floor above the common area. Bruce had been another permanent resident since Tony had first made the suggestion and the pair had grown closer bonding over their shared love of science and debunking conspiracy theories.
As well as the living quarters and the lab, the tower also boasted a fully equipped gym (suitable for humans and gods), a hospital wing (mostly used by Strike Team Delta), a home cinema room, an Olympic style swimming pool, a private spa, a shooting range and the common area comprising of a large kitchen and living room. Slowly, as they became more accustomed to one another, this had become the most visited floor in the tower, and it was here that Steve and Tony exited the elevator.
They'd made the short trip in silence and Tony took the time to take in the captain's appearance; grey jogging bottoms and an honest-to-goodness Black Widow t-shirt.
"Did you lose a bet to Red?" Tony asked as they reached the kitchen.
"Huh?" Steve had clearly been in a world of his own – Tony had never seen him less alert. He gestured to the form-fitting black t-shirt with the red hourglass emblazoned on it. Steve laughed out loud when he realised what Tony was referring to.
"Not exactly," he answered, whilst self-consciously scratching the back of his head. "She started stealing my hoodies and t-shirts when we were working together on missions. I complained that my wardrobe was practically empty as a result, so she bought be some new clothes - mostly Avenger-themed. I also have Hulk underpants, but I'm not ready to wear those just yet".
"Wait," Tony stopped halfway through pouring the coffee, "she stole your underpants?"
Steve blushed to the tips of is ears.
"Uh…just the once".
Tony filed that away for a later date, his mind was too foggy with lack of sleep to come up with a suitably witty remark and, besides, it would be more fun to taunt the super soldier if they had an audience present.
The pair settled on the blue couch that took up half of the floor. Tony sighed in relief as he sank back into the soft cushions, unaware until then how tense his body must have been all night.
"Wanna talk about it?" Steve asked.
"Just one of those days, Cap. Just one of those days".
Steve didn't push, for which Tony was grateful. He wasn't sure he could explain even if he wanted to. He always made a good job of covering his fears and insecurities with sarcasm and showmanship; only Pepper, and occasionally Bruce, got to experience the delights of his tormented psyche. He was too tired today to try to bullshit his way out of this one though so he merely rested his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes as Steve started telling him about the last time he'd visited his buddy Sam at one of his VA meetings...
Tony jerked awake suddenly.
He was flat on his back, laid out on the couch with a blanket over him. Cap was nowhere to be seen. He wasn't sure what had awoken him until a flash of lightning lit up the common room. A heavy crack of thunder followed almost immediately afterwards.
The storm was close.
Very close.
And then it was over.
Tony had 0.3 seconds to realise what that meant before a large fist banged on the window, making his heart jump in his throat. Thor Odinson stood on the balcony, blonde hair blowing in the wind, red cape billowing behind him and Mjolnir in-hand. How is this my life now?
Tony stood to let him in, his back clicking ominously in three places. And then cracking all the way down his spine as the Asgardian pulled him in to a bone-crushing hug.
"Man of Iron!" Thor boomed. "It has been too long!"
"It's been exactly four days," Tony wheezed against the god's armoured chest, "and you may want to speak a little louder for my hard-of-hearing friends in Minnesota".
"I should like to meet these friends someday. Maybe they could attend your next party!"
Tony sighed in relief as Thor finally released him.
"So, what brings you here at this time of night, big guy? Booty call gone south and need a place to crash?"
"Booty…call? Sorry, I have told you many times, metal man, that I do not possess a telephone".
Tony could feel a headache building behind his eyes. He loved Thor, really he did, and he respected the guy wildly, but very occasionally his lack of understanding of basic human concepts made Tony need a long lie down in a very dark room. Maybe he'd feel the same way about me if I ever visited Asgard.
"Seriously buddy, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but you were meant to be off-planet for another two weeks".
"Ah, yes, well…something has come up that may require all of our attentions".
Tony felt his heart stutter in his chest.
"More aliens? What are we dealing with? How long do we have?"
Thor, for once, looked somewhat abashed.
"Um…"
"Thor", Tony warned, "tell me. Now".
"Loki…may have…escaped".
"WHAT?!" Tony was livid. "The only reason that that bastard was allowed to go with you was because you said that you had tech that was light years ahead of ours that could imprison him indefinitely!"
"That was not a lie," Thor insisted earnestly (almost proudly).
"So then how in the hell did this happen?! You have three seconds to explain. Go."
Tony crossed his arms, teeth grinding together, waiting for the god to dig himself deeper in to a hole.
"Well…at the time of his most unfortunate escape…he maybe, very possibly, had been released from his cage to assist with some minor trouble we were having with another tribe".
Tony could feel his blood pressure climbing. He took a deep breath to calm himself, but the rage he felt at the blatant stupidity of the Asgardians was hard to quell. Thor remained uncharacteristically cowed and quiet, for which Tony was grateful; another word out of the blonde's mouth and Tony may have been tempted to punch him in his chiselled face -and break my hand in the process.
"Jarvis," Tony's voice shook with the effort of keeping his anger under control.
"Yes, Mr Stark?" answered a polite, disembodied, British voice.
"Wake the others; I want them here. Now."
"Right away, Mr Stark".
Tony could see Thor out of the corner of his eye inching his way towards the kitchen area.
"Just help yourself, Thor," he sighed, resignedly.
The relief was clear on Thor's face as he raced to the breakfast cupboard.
"I wouldn't normally wish to impose" – you totally would – "but amidst all the panic I'm afraid I only managed the first three courses of dinner".
Tony rolled his eyes behind the Asgardian's back as Thor pulled out a full box of poptarts, popping four into the toaster and biting in to the other two cold. Tony grimaced at the sight whilst sending a silent prayer of thanks that their godly friend had finally mastered the toaster settings; Pepper would kill him if yet another kitchen appliance lost a battle with Mjolnir.
The other Avengers arrived en-masse – Steve, leading the way, was still sporting his Black Widow fan-gear. Bruce followed behind him looking dazed in his tartan pyjama bottoms and a baggy grey t-shirt that had seen better days. The two assassins entered in full uniform, strapping guns and knives to various limbs.
"Who're we fighting?" Clint looked almost giddy at the prospect of a surprise fight in the middle of the night.
"Oh, nothing to worry about, guys", Tony feigned nonchalance whilst his insides were still twisting and churning uncomfortably, "only our Nordic buddy, here, has lost his little brother and would like us to put some pictures out on milk cartons and lamp posts to help find him".
Tony watched as each of his comrades reacted to the news, their faces showing the emotions that had hit him earlier. Apart from Natasha, who looked exactly as angry as when she'd walked in. Man, she really doesn't like people interrupting her sleep.
Thor sheepishly ceased his gorging when he realised that all his colleagues were glaring at him.
"Care to explain?" Tony was impressed with how calm Rogers sounded, although he noticed that the captain's jaw had developed a most telling twitch.
"Well ", Thor began, all false bravado that may have been charming on any other occasion. "As I was telling my good friend here –" Tony felt his eyes roll heavenward once again "- Loki disappeared during a very short excursion and, unfortunately, he has not yet been found. Although I can assure you that I have all of my most talented scouts and warriors looking for him".
All of the Avengers starting barraging Thor with questions and insults leaving the god looking decidedly bewildered. Tony almost felt sorry for the guy. Almost.
"Enough!"
Six heads whipped around to the door where Virginia 'Pepper' Potts stood with her arms folded, and her face sporting an expression that usually resulted in Tony grovelling for a few days. Thankfully, for him, her ire was not reserved solely for the genius on this occasion.
"Does someone want to tell me that in the hell is going on here?"
The group all turned to look at Tony, clearly volunteering him for the task.
"Cowards", he threw at them, before bringing Pepper up to speed.
As Tony outlined the facts to Pepper, he became aware that the others had split in to two groups: Steve, Bruce and Clint were clustered together, strategising, if their intense, whispered voices were anything to go by. Romanoff, on the other hand, had Thor cornered by the fridge. Tony allowed himself a small smirk imagining all the ways the assassin could be threatening Thor's manhood. He almost choked, therefore, when he witnessed the former Shield agent lay a gentle hand on Thor's ridiculously large bicep, and Thor's answering smile of gratitude. Clearly, he would need to have a chat with Agent Romanoff about rewarding bad behaviour. Or maybe I'll get Pepper to do it.