A/N: 03/14/2015 I deeply apologize (yet again) for taking so long to update this. BUT, I DO have a reason! I've been really mobile these past few weeks (I don't think I've gone so many places in so little amount of time in my life) I've recently gotten a new laptop (that I've wasted hours setting up) I've been working overtime trying to get a friend's birthday present ready (a painting that took well over 3 days to complete) AND I've been really bad sick for about a week and a half (my nose was super stuffed and I could hardly breathe, and when I finally did sneeze, I sneezed so hard blood came out of my nose).

So yes, I've been really, really, REALLY busy T_T But my new laptop is finally up and running now (I'm using it to type this, actually) so updates should be far more frequent. And even if they're not, I PROMISE to at LEAST update this once a month. I'm just glad that people still bother to read this, really. So thank you for sticking around; it means the world! ^^

Hyne: Yeah, I know. It's always a while for updates on this thing. I really hope to put an end to that, though :/ Yep, Natasha's in the know now. I completely agree with all of your points for Tony, Bruce, Clint, and Steve, too; no one else could assist Thor but Natasha :) I hope you enjoy this party chapter! :D

Luxraylover: Aww! Thank you! I'm really glad you enjoy this story ^^ And yeah, I know. Updates are scarce. But I hope to change that. And it's really no bother, I love seeing new reviews, even if they are just to push me to update faster (it works, really). Feel free to PM me! :) I'm really glad you like my 'Thor talk', lol. It's really smart of you to take a memo of this story, I've been heartbroken at finding some of my favorite fanfics have been deleted in the past, so it's good to know that you're taking the necessary precautions. I would never delete this, of course, but you never know about FF. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope I don't disappoint you with this one! It's really fun in my opinion, so I hope you feel the same. Enjoy! :)

aliceindeepdarkwonderland: Thank you! I'm glad this is one of those stories that you're constantly hoping for an update on. I hope you enjoy this chapter (I think you're really going to like the chaos that happens at the party) :)

Reading time: about 20-25 mins? Maybe more.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers.

Chapter nine: Call~

'Number 8. Call him more regularly. Don't call him every day and talk to him for hours, but don't be afraid to take that next step and get to know him better, either. Calling him is a sign that you're serious about getting to know the real him.'

Thor walked purposefully beside Natasha as they followed Tony and the others - led by Pepper - to the front door of the Tower, listening intently to her words.

"Now, I'm gonna be gone for the whole day," Pepper said, emphasizing her words as though she were speaking to toddlers. "And while I'm gone, I don't want any of my rules broken. Understand?"

"Understood," they simultaneously answered, though Thor was absolutely lost.

"I apologize, Lady Pepper," the Asgardian said, speaking up to the vehemence of the others. "But would you kindly repeat your instructions?"

Pepper smiled. "Of course, Thor."

The others groaned in protest, but she continued as though she couldn't hear them.

"Rule number one: NO cooking. The only one allowed in the kitchen is Bruce, and that's because he's the only one that actually knows how to use it."

Tony and Natasha glared at the scientist, who smiled kindly yet smugly at them, giving them a little wave as Pepper continued.

"Rule number two: NO horror movie marathons. I don't want to see Steve wandering around the Tower in the middle of the night again just because Tony recommended Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

Tony raised his hand, smiling from ear to ear, proud of himself. "Guilty as charged."

"And rule number three - and keep in mind, this is the most important one of all - NO PARTIES! I mean it, guys! I DON'T want to come home to a trashed house, loud music and exotic dancers."

She looked pointedly at Tony, who placed one hand behind his back and the other over his heart and gave a slight bow. "You have my word, Pepper..."

Thor noticed that the fingers on the hand behind Stark's back were crossed, and though he found it odd, he didn't think it needed to be brought to attention.

Pepper squinted her eyes and made a suspicious face at him, but nevertheless, she had a plane to catch, so she turned around, briefly nodded to the others, and walked out the door to the waiting limousine.

"...To party the partiest party this place has ever partied," Tony finished, smirking when the limo pulled out of the driveway.

Natasha smirked and joined in with the others' celebratory whoops of approval, but Thor merely cocked his head in confusion.

"But...did Lady Pepper not just instruct us to withhold festivities within the Tower?"

"Yeah, I agree with Thor," Bruce spoke up, and the other's smiles dropped.

"Shut up, Bruce," Clint said, pointing at him. "We all know you're just trying to keep up the appearance of Teacher's Pet, so spare us the lecture, okay?"

The archer looked to Natasha, and the two exchanged smiles and rolled their eyes.

"Oh-kay..." Bruce said, quietly removing himself from the situation. "Well, I clearly don't have to tell you just how bad of an idea this is, so, if you need me-

"We won't," Tony clarified, waving him off.

"But if you do," he said, backing away. "I'll be in my room."

The green Avenger exited the room, and Tony stepped forward to confront the naive Thunder god.

"This is my house," he clarified, gesturing the walls and floor. "And therefore, I make the rules. Pepper is an assistant. My assistant. And though I pay her to look out for my best interests and make sure I don't get sued, she also doesn't know what's best for me 24/7. Besides, I'm sure if she knew just how awesome this party was gonna be, she'd be all over it."

"I am not so certain..." Thor said hesitantly, slowly shaking his head.

"Here, lemme put it this way," the billionaire said, reaching up to place a hand on his shoulder. "To err is human. People are screw-ups, it's what we do! Do you really want to suppress our nature as a species? Stop us from doing what we do?"

Thor looked down at him, unsure. "...I do not-"

"Look," Tony said, cutting him off. "Pepper's gonna be gone all day. She's off to catch a plane to Tennessee or South Carolina or somewhere for a business deal. She'll be lucky if she gets back tomorrow, let alone today. Do you really wanna keep us from having fun over something she'll never even know about?"

"I...suppose not..." He agreed, though in the back of his mind he knew it to be wrong.

"Great." Tony patted his shoulder and turned to face the others.

"Now, here are my rules-"

"Oh, boy..." Natasha chuckled, crossing her arms.

"Oh yeah. Prepare yourself for the wildest night of your life, sister." Tony winked, and the S.H.I.E.L.D agent rolled her eyes. "Anyway, rule number one: Party."

Natasha raised her fist. "Woo!"

"Rule number two: Party some more."

"Oh, jeez," Steve smiled, crossing his arms. "I can guess where this is going."

"And rule number three - now keep in mind, guys, this is the most important one of all - PARTY."

Everyone except Thor shouted in approval. "Yeah!"

Tony clapped his hands together, looking between the four Avengers. "Now, if you have any questions, I suggest you raise your hand-"

Thor raised his hand immediately, and Tony slowly pointed a finger at him.

"And place it over your mouth."

Thor lowered his hand to look quizzically at it, and Natasha lifted a hand to draw his arm down before he actually obeyed Tony's request.

"Alright, guys," Tony announced. "Operation: Par-Tay is now commencing! Disperse."

Natasha saluted him. "Yes, sir."

The others gradually parted ways, and the red-head took Thor by the arm and led him into one of the nearby hallways.

"What is the meaning of this?" Thor asked once they were alone. "I thought-"

"Look," she said, cutting him off. "I think Pepper likes you. And I know you might not think so, but I do. And what better way to find out if that's true than to do something she specifically said not to?"

"I...do not follow," he admitted, confused.

She rolled her eyes. "Look, generally speaking people don't like it when other people go against their wishes. Do you agree?"

"I suppose so, yes," he said. She continued.

"But if that person likes the other person that's doing something they don't want them to, then they'll go easier on them. It's an easy way to tell if they're sweet on them or not."

Thor cocked his head to the side in thought, deciding whether or not her notion made any sense.

"Trust me," she said, smirking. "This whole 'party' idea Tony's got going? It'll be a sure-fire way for us to see Pepper's feelings, or 'affections', as you call them."

Thor drew the corner of his mouth in to express his doubt, but found that, ultimately, the little woman made sense.

"Very well, Lady Natasha," he ammended, nodding his agreeance. "I believe you are right."

"Hmph," the woman smirked. "Please. You know I am."

Not two Earth hours later, Thor found himself surrounded by countless humans (none of which he knew), pounding music, and blinding lights.

If this was something that was supposed to be enjoyable, he feared he would never grow used to Earthlings and their strange customs. He spotted Natasha on the other side of the room, and she gave him a knowing wink before she was blocked from view by none other than Tony Stark.

"Hey, Thor," the billionaire greeted, leaning casually against the table he was seated at, lifting a cup of foul-smelling liquid to his lips. "How's it hangin'?"

"Pardon?" Thor asked, pinching his eyebrows in confusion.

"Never mind," he said, waving his words away nonchalantly and taking another sip of his drink.

The Tower's phone rang, then, and just as Thor was trying to comprehend how a listening device could fit into such a small package, Tony picked it up and answered.

"Mario's pizzeria and abortion clinic, your loss is our sauce. How may I help you?"

Thor watched as his smug expression instantly disappeared, and the Iron Avenger quickly searched for a way out of his predicament. "Shit. Uhhhhh it's for you."

He handed the phone to Thor, and, before the Thunder god could question him about it, disappeared into the dancing crowd and thundrous music.

Thor awkwardly held the phone in his hand, not knowing exactly what he was supposed to do. Thankfully, Natasha appeared out of the crowd to come and help him, and he felt his nerves ease at her presence. She grabbed a notebook off the table and took out a pen from her pocket, quickly scribbling something down before turning it around so he could see.

'SAY HELLO', it said.

Thor squinted his eyes at her sloppy writing, but nevertheless obeyed.

"Uhm...hello?" He asked, hesitant.

Pepper's voice came from the other end of the phone, though he was barely able to hear her over the continuous pounding of the music playing within the Tower.

"Thor?! Is that you?"

He looked to the red-head in front of him, desperate for help, and Natasha quickly scribbled something else in place of her previous message.

'SAY WHO YOU ARE'

"Um...this is Thor of Asgard, yes," he said into the phone, and Natasha face-palmed.

Pepper replied almost instantly, overlooking his awkwardness completely as she said, "Okay, great, because I honestly don't think I could trust anyone else to talk to right now."

"I...I thought you to be on a plane to a meeting?" He asked, curious as to why she was calling so soon. Tony said that she wouldn't be back until tomorrow...

"Ugh, don't get me started," She said, though he knew that it was already too late for that. "It went terribly, the guy didn't even show up! So after waiting for an hour I just said 'forget it' and hopped back onto the nearest plane back home. Of course, it doesn't help that I'm probably just going to have more work to do once I get there. So tell me: was that Tony that just answered the phone?"

Before he could respond, Natasha wrote down something on another page of her notebook and insistently pointed at it, ushering for him to read.

'whatever it is, TELL THE TRUTH.'

"Y...yes," he said finally, squinting at her terrible writing. "Yes, it- it was, Lady Pepper."

Pepper cursed on the other end of the phone. "Dammit! I knew he wouldn't listen to me! Is he throwing a party? What's all that noise?"

Thor unconsciously tightened his grip on the phone, briefly looking around himself as one would do when they knew they were in trouble, and answered, "I...I am afraid so, Lady Pepper."

She seethed on the other end of the line, and he almost felt as though he could feel her livid breath fanning against his face as he held the phone to his ear. But of course, that was ridiculous.

"I am truly sorry," he said, apologizing with all the sincerity in his heart. "I should have done something to stop-"

"No, no," she said, cutting him off. She sighed. "It's my fault. I knew what would happen the second I stepped out that door, but I did it anyways. Trust me, nothing here is your fault. Okay?"

He nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Very well, Lady Pepper. As you wish."

"Okay. Um, well I don't wanna keep you, so-"

"Oh, no, Lady Pepper! Believe me when I say that you are not keeping me from performing any important duties."

Her tone softened. "Ohh, no. It's fine. I know you probably have plenty of other things you'd rather be doing than standing there talking to me, so, go right ahead and do what you wanna do. I'm almost home anyway, so it's really not necessary to keep you. Thank you for talking with me, though. I really appreciate it."

He smiled, and Natasha perked up at the change, zeroing in on him like a hawk as she waited anxiously at his side for the details that were sure to come later.

"You are most welcome, Lady Pepper. I would converse with you any time of the day."

She laughed. "Ha! Good to know. Goodbye, Thor."

"Farewell," he replied, and a moment later he heard a faint 'click' followed by silence.

Thor held the phone away from his head, unsure of what to do now that their conversation had ended. Sensing his confusion, Natasha reached over and took the device from him, hanging it up back in its place on the wall beside him before bombarding him with questions.

"Well?!" She asked, shouting over the pounding music as she tapped her foot impatiently. "What did she say?!"

Thor was swift to reply. "She informed me that her meeting did not go as planned, and that she is nearly home! And that she is very angry with Sir Stark!"

Natasha pinched her eyebrows together, drawing in the corner of her mouth and crossing her arms. She seemed to be working something out in her head, and he could just imagine the proverbial cogs turning in her brain.

"Hmm...well, I don't think-"

The words died on her lips as the pounding music came to a halt and the lights suddenly came on, and the countless members of the crowd 'booed' and 'awwed' in disappointment. Thor and Natasha both looked curiously around them, trying to find the source of the change, and as the crowd parted their eyes fell upon a very angry Pepper Potts.

Tony walked gingerly up to them, swaying his drink in his hand as though he were some kind of Playboy...which, he kind of was. "Hey, guys. The hell's up with the lights?" When he received no reply from either the agent or the Asgardian, he followed their gazes to the fuming red-head just yards away. "Shit."

Pepper's gaze landed on them (particularly on Tony) and she began furiously stalking towards them with all the impending doom of a hurricane, the heels of her shoes clacking loudly against the hard floors. "WHAT is WRONG with you! I specifically told you! NO parties!"

Tony, being the easygoing billionaire that he was, kept his cool and held his ground as she neared. "Well you see, with the way that you said them I felt like they were more like guidelines than actual rules, so..."

"URGH! I cannot BELIEVE you! I've told you time and time again, and STILL you disobey me! It's like I'm caring for a toddler! Life is just one big party for you, isn't it?!"

"Do I have to fight? For my right? To party?"

Pepper gaped at him, mouth hanging open as she stared at him with eyes as wide as dinner plates, and at that moment the DJ on the far end of the room plugged the speakers back in and blared the aptly named song 'Fight For Your Right (To Party)'. The lights switched back off and the crowd immediately went back to dancing and breaking things, and Tony merely smirked as Pepper angrily stomped out of the room and down the stairs to the basement.

"Uh-oh..." Natasha said, shifting closer to Thor in growing alarm.

The blond Avenger turned his head to face her, brows pinching curiously. "What?"

She began slowly shaking her head. "This is not gonna end well..."

He followed her gaze and stared after the stairwell Pepper had disappeared to, still unable to make the connection between Natasha's uneasiness and Pepper's angry departure.

"Come on," the agent said, still staring at the stairs as she grabbed hold of his arm. "We should get outta here..."

"Why?" Thor asked, oblivious as could be as she ushered him out of the room.

"...She just went to the basement," she said, giving him a look that clearly meant her statement should have explained everything. "Tony's workshop is down there!"

"And...?"

She opened her mouth to explain further, but words failed her as their ears were filled with heavy, metallic footsteps and her gaze snapped to the glimmering figure at the foot of the stairs. Thor's gaze followed suit, his eyes bulging when he recognized Pepper wearing one of Tony's suits, her head the only thing visible amongst the red and gold metal.

"That's what," Natasha said, flinging an arm up to gesture to the fuming Iron Woman.

Pepper's suit shimmered in the darkness, beams from the overhead strobe lights bouncing off of her in a million different shades and colors. Thor moved to talk to her and maybe calm her down, but Natasha held her vice-like grip on his arm and dragged him away to safety at the other end of the room. Pepper's mask slid over her head, and as the suit powered up and the slits guarding her eyes glowed and came to life, both the Thunder god and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent knew that they were all in for a rude awakening.

She raised her right hand, fingers spread as the suit's power directed itself to the center of her palm, and within nanoseconds the ridiculously expensive turntable the DJ was using was blown to smithereens.

The music stopped, and with the noisemaking piece of equipment destroyed, the crowd threw themselves into a panic to get out of the building.

Tony emerged from the sea of bodies, calm as ever as he tried to defuse the situation. "Aww, come on, honey. Let's not go to bed angry."

It only took Pepper a second to raise her palm and blast a shot of electric-blue plasma at her boss, to which Tony swiftly (and luckily) dodged. Ignoring her missed target, she activated the jets in her hands and flew about the room, stopping to destroy whatever party-related object she could find as Tony got up and dusted himself off.

"Well!" He exclaimed, straightening his tie as though offended as he moved to join Natasha and Thor on the other side of the room. "That's the last time I give her a raise."

"Tell me about it, Stark," Hawkeye said, walking over to join them. "Tell me about it."

"Wow," Steve said, joining his fellow Avengers on the sidelines as he watched Pepper vent her anger.

"Wow is right," Hawkeye agreed, taking a sip of his drink. "Tony really did a number this time."

"Hey!" Tony protested, quieting when the others turned to stare at him with unenthused looks. "...Yeah, right, whatever."

They all watched, side by side as Pepper continued to trash the place, pulling sockets out of walls and ripping lights and streamers from the ceiling, stomping beer cans and countless red solo cups into the ground.

"Well," Bruce said, sipping from his coffee mug as he came out from the hallway. He turned slightly towards Tony. "Who could have foreseen this terrible-"

"Can it."

"Okay, she definitely did this one."

Natasha pointed to one of the notes in Thor's notebook as they lay side by side on the bed in his room, their feet hanging childishly off the edge of the mattress as they went over each of the points he'd made from Pepper's magazine.

'Don't keep him on the phone for a long time; he might have other things to do. Always maintain a little mystery about yourself. You want him to get to know you, but you also want to leave him curious about learning even more.'

"I do not think that applies to this particular situation," Thor said honestly, knowing full well that the writer of that article had no intention whatsoever of relating something as absurd as women in iron suits and over the top parties to simple phone calls.

It had been hours since Pepper's 'breakdown' as Tony had called it, and she had long since retired to her bedroom to be alone and cool down. He thought of going to her room to see if she was alright, but the images of her rage flashed quickly through his mind in warning, and he ultimately decided against it.

The Black Widow was unfazed. "Okay. Well what about this one?"

She pointed to another note, and he turned his head down a fraction to read it.

'Exchange information and perspectives. This is your chance to get to know him, and his chance to get to know you. Talking on the phone can be enjoyable for men if they feel funny and interesting doing it, so make sure to laugh at his jokes and sound excited.'

He pinched his eyebrows. "What does that have to do with-"

"I heard her laugh," she said sternly, and he could tell by her tone that she would stick to her opinion until the day that she died.

"I am not so sure..." He said, unable to hide his uncertainty.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Well what about what I said earlier? You went along with Tony's stupid party idea and she didn't get mad at you, did she?"

Thor's mouth hung open as he struggled to come up with a decent reply, but didn't get the chance to as a knock sounded at the door. They both turned to look behind them at the sleek door separating the bedroom from the hallway outside, and Natasha bounded off the bed and slid beneath it, taking the notebook with her as Thor rose to greet whoever was on the other side. He opened it, and was both pleasantly surprised and tensely fearful as his eyes landed on a smiling Pepper. She looked much better compared to how furious she was before, and he only hoped that he wouldn't do anything to spark that anger again.

"Lady Pepper!" He exclaimed, brows rising as he greeted her. "What a pleasant surprise! Come, come in!"

Pepper smiled shyly and looked down as she stepped inside his room, thanking him politely. "Thanks, Thor. I...have to say, I...really just came by to apologize. I feel really bad for what happened, and, well, I wanted to make it up to you."

Thor said nothing, working things out in his own mind as he made the connections between Pepper's positive attitude towards him and Natasha's insistent badgering, but Pepper mistakenly took it as uncertainty and hastily continued.

"I- I've already apologized to the others. Well, except for Natasha. I can't seem to find her anywhere." He awkwardly glanced downwards to the floor beneath his bed where he knew Natasha to be hiding, but she didn't seem to take notice. "...Anyway, I was hoping that we could do something together. Just the two of us."

Thor stuttered, unsure of what to say. "U-uh..."

If he said no, he feared that she might take offense to his refusal and inadvertently cause further destruction of Sir Stark's home. But if he said yes, she might assume that he was only agreeing to appease her, and then she would still get mad. Oh, decisions, decisions...

Feeling sweat begin to accumulate at the back of his neck from the mounting pressure, Thor nervously swallowed and smiled as he said, "Of course, Lady Pepper. I would enjoy that very much."

Pepper beamed, releasing the breath she'd been holding. "Oh, good! I was afraid you'd say no because you thought I was some kind of psycho or something!"

"Never, Lady Pepper!" He argued. "I would never hold you in a negative regard simply because you let your temper get the better of you. You are a fine Earth woman, and would make any Asgardian man proud with your earlier show of strength."

She blushed, the red in her hair making her heated cheeks stand out more. "Thanks, Thor. You know, sometimes I feel like you're the only one who really gets me."

She stepped forward and rested her hand on his shoulder, standing on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. She pulled away and stepped back, smiling, and Thor did the same.

Under any other circumstances he wouldn't have thought twice about it, but with Natasha's persistent nagging and the mounting evidence of Pepper's affections pointing towards him, he felt less than easy about the action. It was a simple thing with simple meaning, yet never had such a simple show of appreciation sent his mind spiraling into a thousand different directions.

Thor struggled to keep his smile, but Pepper didn't seem to take notice as she turned around and walked out of his room and back into the hallway, turning to look back at him one last time before closing the door.

"I'll take you out tomorrow, okay?" She asked, brows raised.

Breaking out of his stupor, Thor shook his head free of his warring thoughts and replied, "I look forward to it, Lady Pepper. I bid you goodnight."

She smiled. "Goodnight."

She closed the door, the latch softly clicking as she did so, and Thor waited with tense nerves as he listened for her fading footsteps. He suddenly exhaled, drooping his shoulders in exasperation at having so narrowly escaped her wrath.

Natasha swiftly appeared out from under the bed. "HA! She kissed you, didn't she?"

He didn't know why, but he immediately grew defensive. "N- no!"

"She did!" She gasped, smiling with wide eyes as she neared him.

He took a step back. "It was not like that! She was merely expressing her appreciation for my understanding. Nothing more."

The red-haired agent crossed her arms. "'Understanding' my feet! She kissed you! And there is no way you're going to convince me otherwise."

She smiled defiantly up at the Thunder god, and Thor had no choice but to give in. Sighing angrily, he rolled his eyes and stepped past her, seating himself on the large bed.

"I am still not completely convinced that you are right," he warned, and Natasha groaned loudly.

"Aaahhh! How can you not see that? How can you not see the way she looks at you, or the way she acts when you're in the room? My gosh, it's ridiculous!"

Thor lowered his head at her light scolding, and she sighed.

"Look," she said, walking over to him. "I understaaand that you don't want to believe what's right in front of you. Love is scary, and there's nothing scarier than not being absolutely sure that someone likes you back. But, I do know that if you're still not certain – even after aaaall this – then tomorrow will definitely be the tiebreaker for you. If you don't notice anything when the two of you are alone, without any interruptions, then I guess I'll just have to say that I was wrong and you were right...which I'm not."

Thor looked down at his hands resting between his knees, considering her words. "...Very well, Lady Natasha. I shall trust in your wisdom."

She smiled. "Great. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go place myself in a casually conspicuous room for Pepper to find me and apologize."

She tossed his notes onto the mattress, the thin book flopping beside him as she turned and walked out of the room, silently shutting the door and padding down the hall as Thor quietly contemplated his situation.

He knew that there was plenty of merit to the young agent's claims – he himself was able to admit that – but he was still unsure; after all, no matter how much evidence stacked against the barrier between he and Pepper's friendship, there was always that chance that he could be reading everything completely wrong and that he had nothing to worry or fret over to begin with. Still, that didn't mean he shouldn't go ahead and finish off the last of his notes, if only to permanently confirm (or deny) his suspicions and give himself peace of mind.

And as he lay asleep in bed that night, he had no control whatsoever over the seamless and interweaving dreams of red hair and blushes and thin-lipped smiles his mind conjured up for him.

A/N: If you haven't heard The Beastie Boys' iconic song Fight For Your Right (To Party) I suggest you do so. Like...right now. Lol.

Anyway, this chapter was really a doozy. I can't believe how long it ended up being. But, hopefully it makes up for the lack of updates (V_V)

Here's the title for the next chapter in case you're curious: Mentions.

'Til next time! (which should be sooner than last) XD