Disclaimer - Again, I own nothing.

Chapter 2 - Kyn

At that moment Bruce Banner couldn't look any less Hulk-like, ensconced in crisp white sheets with cheeks sunken from exhaustion. He was underweight and pale beneath his weathered tan that hinted at long periods of time spent outdoors. Not even a trace of green, or a movement at all and for a moment Tony, standing in the doorway of the bedroom, wanted nothing more than to provoke the monster to climb out of his hiding place in Banner's head and unleash the full power of his rage against the world. It would be a demonstration at least that Bruce was still alive, he reasoned, better than…this. He shook those thoughts clear from his head, chastising himself for being so selfish. The doctors had declared Bruce to be severely sleep deprived and malnourished, sedating him for the time being to allow him time to rest while administering much needed nutrients through an IV drip, and ending his current state would be completely detrimental to his recovery. Tony, for all his childish wants and needs, could not bear to see a friend suffer.

That was another thing, he mused as he sank into a chair next to Banner's bed. A friend. He hadn't always had many of those, when he was young other children were often driven away by his quirky nature or hated him for his rich parents, at MIT he was resented for being there at such a young age, and as an adult…well he'd gone so long without real friends that he didn't really see the need for them, did he? He had Rhodey and Pepper and…JARVIS? He sighed, now he had the Avengers and he knew that they were who he had been waiting for his whole life. Steve, a man he couldn't help but respect and even admire and whose clear and unwavering morals he missed when he could feel himself losing his way. Thor, a god of all things, indulged the side of him that would always be an adolescent and had proved to be a very willing partner in crime. All other members of the team could attest to that. Natasha had barely tolerated him in the beginning, but now even she smiled at his jokes and had even laughed once which, according to Hawkeye, was a major step forward. Then there was Clint himself, the man who saw everything, a confidante and a presence that made him feel safe. Finally Bruce, who possessed an intelligence equal to his that ignited his imagination and whose quiet voice of reason had often pulled him away from whatever precipice he was hanging off (once even literally, but that's a story for another day).

The soldier, the archer, the killer, the god, the hulk. Mia familia. If he even allowed himself to entertain that thought, but it had been so long since most of them had actually had any real family that they weren't entirely sure how it was meant to feel. In fact, Thor was the only one who had had family into adulthood and sometimes Tony wasn't sure that he was the best role model for them on this front.

He sighed again and rubbed his hand over his face, trying to rub tired from his eyes as his mind drifted to the last time they had all been together. 5 months ago, Steve's birthday and there had been a massive row over what age he was – 26 or 92? Tony had obviously pushed for 92 but in the end they had compromised with a cake that said 92 but had 26 candles. Everyone had been there that day; even Fury had made a guest appearance and sang happy birthday in what had to be one of the strangest moments of Tony's life. He chuckled a little to himself at that memory, such a good time before…this.

'Glad you're enjoying yourself Stark.'

That voice, he knew that voice! He turned in his chair to see Natasha Romanoff leaning against the doorframe. She didn't even wait for a greeting before she had slipped into a chair beside him. Together they watched the subtle rise and fall of Banner's chest, even when asleep he tried to be as inconspicuous as possible. Tony broke the silence first.

'Glad you're back,' he said shortly.

'Hawk said you would be. Said that you're driving yourself crazy here alone. Where is Pepper by the way?'

'Business trip to San Francisco, she'll be back in a couple of days. So if you're asking…'

'I'm not.' She rolled her eyes, but secretly glad that he was at least keeping up appearances of normalcy.

'Well if you ever do…'

'I won't.' the smallest of smiles and she knew he had seen it and his objective had been achieved.

'Did Katniss brief you on…things yet?' he asked, suddenly wondering where Barton had gone.

'You know he really hates that nickname. One day you're going to say it and find an arrow sticking out of your foot. On second thoughts, keep using it, please. And yes he has.'

'I wish he would wake up and tell us what he meant.'

'I hope he knows what he meant.'

Tony grimaced, 'Well yeah, that too. What made you come back?'

She shrugged and he noticed her hair had grown again, it was over her shoulders. When had that happened? 'I hadn't had any assignments for a while and I felt it was time. That and Thor.'

'Thor?' he turned to look at her in confusion. 'What about Thor? He didn't even send me a card for my birthday.' He pouted, incredulous.

'Exactly – there's been nothing from him in months. SHIELD keeps track of everyone, and even if they didn't Steve sends us his postcards and Bruce emails and you're never off the front page of the tabloids – '

'Yes I am!'

'No you're not. Thor checks in at least with Jane Foster when he can, but I spoke to her and she's heard nothing either. You and I also know that he would have composed and sung an epic poem for your birthday like he did at Steve's,' they both winced at the memory, 'given half the chance, and would have been rehearsing it for weeks beforehand.'

'No one else was here, maybe he just wanted to save it for a bigger audience than myself and Pepper…'

'No, you know Thor. He would have done it for the two of you and then given you a cuddly toy Mjolnir as a parting gift. So where was he? And where is he now?'

Tony Stark, always full of comebacks and witty retorts, a man never lost for words, had no reply.

He cursed himself for not noticing sooner, or at least not paying attention to what had been staring him in the face. He cursed that something was happening that he could not understand in a world far out of his reach. He gritted his teeth and gnawed at the inside of his cheek as he tried desperately to find connecting strands between Thor's absence, Bruce's weighted words and the feelings of anticipation that he knew they all felt. He felt so hopelessly out of his depth, something he couldn't often say about himself.

Well, he thought to himself, at least there were four of them there now. Four out of six isn't too bad.

At that moment, the door was flung open to reveal Steve Rogers, Captain America himself, completely drenched from the New York rain, hair plastered to his forehead, dripping water all over the floor, breathless and spent.

Well, damn. Make that five.

Thank you so much to all of you who read and reviewed and alerted, etc! I was really surprised and gratified by the number of you who did! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please please let me know what you're liking!

Also, 'Knýjum, knýjum' comes from and old Norse battlecry and means 'press on, press on'.