Author's Note: For all the readers out on the East Coast tonight, I hope you are all safe, warm, and hopefully not without power for long. Stay safe!

And sorry this took long - the muse for this story is very, very fickle. *coughs* And evidently she has the hots for Phil. IDK, seriously. As usual, I own absolutely no one.

"Coulson, just - no."

"But I have medical clearance. Printed proof." Coulson pushed over the folder, nudging it closer as Maria refused to open it. "There's no reason I shouldn't be on your list."

"How about you just got cleared for active duty a few days ago, because Thor's brother shish-ka-bobbed you and we all thought you were dead." Maria pushed the folder back. "That's a reason."

"I was only temporarily dead-"

The folder slid back towards her.

"A few times, from what the surgeon told me."

She pushed the folder back.

"The same surgeon who doesn't think that can keep me from doing my job. And all of its many duties." He waved the report before her, and Maria took it if only to humor him.

"He cleared you for work, Coulson, not pleasure." Maria felt the tips of her ears go pink, but to her credit, she didn't let it show how much pleasure Coulson was missing.

"But I heard you said this was, how did you put it? Duty?" Coulson gave her a little smile and leaned back in his chair. He pulled another stack of papers from the folder, the logo on its front page unmistakable, and Maria realized she already knew the contents inside and out. "Which I thought was just you rallying the troops but no, here it is, regulation 52. Something about S.H.I.E.L.D. agents acting as planetary representatives to extraterrestrial beings."

"Damn your eye for detail." Maria sighed and dropped her elbows to the table. She leaned in, motioning for Coulson to do likewise. "Today's rotas are done at 2300 hours. I know Stark has been trying to sneak in for extra time, but there's a window, at least half an hour, once everyone's..." Her lips curled into an odd smile. "Once they're off-duty."

"I knew you'd do the right thing." Coulson clapped a hand on her arm, and Maria, for certainly not the last time, was so thankful just to have him here, alive.

"Just make sure you tell Fury how right I was if he finds out about this." Maria smirked and made to stand. "Oh, and one more thing?"

"What's that?"

"Tell Thor if he hurts you in any way I will personally find the long and painful way to kick his ass back to Asgard."

Tucked against a bulkhead with his arms around a beautifully disheveled Pepper Potts was certainly a way to end the day."Not that having you here isn't amazing and wonderful but why come up to the Helicarrier? I'm not exactly lacking for personal transport and my bed up here doesn't have nearly the same lumbar support." Tony raised his eyebrows. "Though we could get all Top Gun in one of the fighters - they never lock those things."

"Top Gun? Who do you get to be, Tom Cruise or Val Kilmer?"

"Funny, Pepper, hilarious. But seriously, is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Tony." Her words were soothing but her kiss certainly wasn't, teasing and urgent and tasting like bergamot and honey. Her hands lingered on his waist as she pulled away. "Maria called me and there were just some... business matters."

"By business I hope you're not talking about weapons as I thought we were pretty clear on that fact and-" Tony frowned and looked at Pepper closely. Her shift war faintly rumpled, there was the tiniest tear in her stockings, and now that holding her close, he saw a few stray hairs had somehow escaped Pepper's brutal straightening regime. "You came because of Thor, didn't you."

"I did." Pepper bit her lip, a ridiculously endearing gesture that made Tony wish he was doing just that. "Maria said I had to get up here and-"

"Pepper, you need to stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"Making friends with the Agents."

"She's a Lieutenant."

"Same difference. You're a one-woman Humane Society for S.H.I.E.L.D. Is Sarah MacLaughlan making a commercial with them or something?"

"And this would be different from you having a semi-permanent Avengers sleepover how?"

"It's completely different and speaking of, we might be needing to get Thor a bigger bed now." Tony blinked, his hands tightening around Pepper's waist. "So, are you a woman now?"

Pepper laughed, her teeth biting lightly on his ear. "I think I've been one for a while, Tony. But it was...very nice."

"Nice? Nice? You know what's nice? Kittens and schnitzel and brown-paper packages, though maybe not so much the latter with there occasionally being bombs in them. Those kind of things are nice. Thor is so much more than nice."

"Okay, okay, my world will never again be the same." One of Pepper's hands traced lazy circles against his neck. "And this conversation is going a lot better than I imagined. Much more awkwardly, but it's-"

"A good sort of awkward? At least the pre-nup doesn't have a Norse god of sex clause in it," Tony chuckled. He waggled his eyebrows. "Maybe we could renegotiate the 'no threesome' provisions?"

Pepper licked at her lips, then leaned over and whispered in his ear. Tony felt a skipping in his chest that had nothing to do with the reactor.

"That...that sounds like a renegotiation. Not the one I'd thought we'd be having but I'm willing to be flexible. Not as flexible as you, evidently, and I am going to hold your legs to that promise. Literally." Tony ran a hand down the curve of her backside. "You are such a shameless little minx. Reason number two I'm marrying you, I think."

"Only number two?"

"The first reason's a really, really good one." Tony hmmmmed. Some would even call it a purr. "Do you know what would make this night even better?"

"Phil!"

"Ah, no. Do not pass Go, do not collect 200 dollars, do not include the Agents in our seamy extracurricular activities." Tony shook his head. "Seriously, Pepper, you need help."

Something in that earned him a solid punch across the arm, as she wriggled out of his hold. "Phil! It's so good to see you!" She turned and gave Tony an all-too-familiar death glare before she ran over to hug the agent, who had a bouquet of something that was supposed to look like flowers in his hand.

"Just so we know, if you take him home, you're the one who takes him out for his walks."

Pepper still smelled like French perfume and linen, and her waist was still so small Phil could practically circle it with his hands. She kissed him on the cheek, and Phil couldn't help but blush.

"You look fantastic!" Phil tried to remember when he'd last seen Pepper, in the long haze of convalescence and physical therapy. He supposed compared to death-warmed-over and microwaved a few times, he looked amazing.

"I'm alive and kicking." Phil looked to Stark, one eyebrow raised. "And what's this I hear about you agreeing to marry this guy? I thought you were smarter than that."

"Oh, I am," Pepper said, fending off her intended's scowl. "But you do crazy things when you're in love. And speaking of, who's the lucky lady?"

Phil tucked the bouquet of paper roses behind his back. "It's not exactly a lady-"

"It's the 21st century. We're all open-minded here." Stark paced around him in a slow circle. "Though I'm telling you, if you're finally putting your moves on Cap, that is one tough nut to crack. You might want to add some chocolate, champagne, and some dubious pharmaceuticals."

"It's not the Captain - and what do you mean finally?"

"For being a super top secret agent, you're a ridiculously obvious one sometimes. I suppose someone would say that's charming." Stark looked him up and down. "Wait. You slipped down here to join the seven mile high club, didn't you?"

Phil considered giving Pepper one of those lovely Asgardian gags as a wedding present. "Please don't tell me that's what you're seriously calling it."

"We cruise between 40 and 42 thousand feet. I'd say it's pretty accurate."

"Funny, Stark. But unlike some people, I'm not treating this like another notch on a bedpost."

"How many would that be? Two, three?"

Pepper stepped into the verbal no-man's land. "Boys? Keep the testosterone down before I have to mace you." She smiled, a beautiful force not to be reckoned with, at Phil. "I think it's sweet that you brought him flowers.." An eyebrow arched, she crossed her arms across her chest and looked pointedly at Stark. "Some people would consider that romantic."

"Let me guess," Phil asked Stark. "You showed up to his door empty-handed?"

"When this is what you're offering, I'd barely call it empty-handed." Tony's smirk softened into something like concern. "But seriously, ask him to go gentle on you."

Phil wondered how long he would have to go without a near-death incident for his friends to stop thinking of him as a delicate flower. "It's sweet, having all of you be worried, and I know I gave you all a scare but I'm not going to break in half."

Pepper flung his arms around him and hugged him so tight Phil thought she might just snap him in two. "You better not," she whispered. And then to Phil's infinite surprise she leaned in, her lips only inches away from his ear. "But seriously, ask him to go gentle. You'll be glad you did."

"They are very lovely, Son of Coul. And they even have a scent!"

"Thanks. I got tired of doing crosswords and one of the nurses thought folding little pieces of paper would keep me from getting cabin fever." Phil chuckled, fingers running against each other like he could fold his hands into little birds. "You should see my paper cranes."

Thor's hand clapped around his shoulder, drawing him unexpectedly but not at all unwilling into the demi-god's arms. "I am most glad you are well." Thor's blue eyes darkened, like the sea before a storm. "I am sorry my brother injured you so grievously."

"Almost dying was probably the only way I was ever going to take a vacation." One thing Phil wanted less than Thor's pity was his guilt.

"Even had you died, I know my father would have taken you for one of his warriors. You would do well in Valhalla, Son of Coul."

Phil tried not to look too incredulous. "I'm not exactly warrior guy. I was more paperwork guy who just happened to have a big gun." He ran his hand over his head. "You really think your dad would want me?"

"Of course! And if you should die again in battle, you and I shall feast and fight and - oh! I shall return in one moment." Thor's eyes glimmered and he ducked away for a moment, returning without the roses but with a bottle of some golden liquid and two sturdy goblets. "It is not as fine as the mead of Valhalla, the best of all Asgard, but I should be honored to share this with you." The demi-god shook his head as he poured two glasses brimming with sweet-smelling wine. "The goats of this world are most untalented."

Well, what Phil didn't spray across Thor's quarters tasted good. "Did - did you say goats?"

Two bottled of mead later and Thor had finally kissed him, tasting like honey and sunlight and the earth before it rained. Another glass and their clothes, suit and armor, wool and metal, were strewn across the carpet. The next glass had ended up poured down chests and thighs, and now the taste was salty and sweet on Phil's tongue.

Phil owed Pepper a room full of flowers. A building. A botanical garden. Because 'being gentle,' at this moment, meant lying back on the bed as Thor pressed a trail of lazy, lingering kisses down his chest, down the flat of his stomach.

Phil raised his head as Thor's kisses came to the raised, pale crescent marring his skin, just beneath the curve of his ribs. Phil's fingers tangled in the demi-god's golden tresses, and Thor's gaze flitted upward.

"Does it hurt, Son of Coul?"

It had hurt, oh Gods, how it had hurt, and made living, for those first few weeks, harder than dying. Maybe it was just the end of convalescence, maybe it was the mead, maybe it was having Thor's warm bulk curled against his waist and curled around his legs, but Phil leaned his head back and laugh, eyes half-fluttering closed.

"No," he said, his laugh throaty, sated. "You know, it doesn't hurt at all."

"You know, I was thinking."

"What about?" Steve speared another bite of blueberry pancakes. The cook looked as if he'd had a nasty brush between his finger and a light socket, but this was the best breakfast the commissary had made. Possibly ever.

"You know, with Thor-"

The sweet, syrupy fluffiness was suddenly heavy in Steve's mouth. He pushed his tray forward, but Bruce's hand stopped him before he could leave.

"I meant finding a way to turn all the...electrical discharge into a backup power source. Or at least not waste it. Or walk around looking like we all had way too much fun with balloons." Bruce's nervous laughter made Steven linger a moment longer.

"That's very noble of you, Doctor. It's not your typical energy source, that's for certain." Steve went to spear another bite of pancake as he pulled his tray back.

"What can I say? I think outside the box." Bruce pushed his glasses up his nose. "Have you...you know...with...him?"

Steve felt a flush come to his ears, and he wasn't sure if it was embarrassment or anger. "Not you too. It's one thing for Stark to be badgering me but you. I thought you knew better."

"It's not exactly hard to beat Tony in the morality game," Bruce replied, and Steve laughed despite himself. "But I do know you and I are the spinsters in this group. Tony has Pepper, Clint and Natasha have I'm sure a very healthy if somewhat unorthodox sex life, and Thor has the entire ship now. All I'm saying is it's not easy being the ones left out."

Steve paused, choosing his words carefully. "Are you trying to get me to sleep with Thor or with you, Doctor?"

Bruce laughed, rubbing at the back of his neck. "I don't know. You think I might be your type?"

Steve sighed and shook his head, escaping from Bruce's hold on his wrist and his puppy-dog stare. "It's sweet that you're looking out for me, but I'll be okay. And so will you. You don't need Tony making you feel like you need to live up to his standards. if you could call them that."

"Oh, I'd call them that." Tony's voice chimed in from the door. "And if the two of you can't hit the bar again, or the first time, in someone's case - it's a good thing I'm willing to step up and take on the leadership."

"And leadership is mooning outside of Thor's door all night?" Steve grabbed the tray and made his way to the trash bins. "Don't think we don't see you."

"I'm just making up for people who shall remain nameless, and by that I means Captain Steve Rogers." Tony smirks and crossed his arms across his chest.

Steve pursed his lips and, without a beat, pushed his tray at Tony a little harder than he meant to. "And if you stopped, for just one second, you'd realize some of us don't need looking after."

Tony's mouth was a small, confused 'o.' Steve simply smiled and strolled down the hall, even as Tony's voice echoed down the hall.

"Of course you need to be looked after! Cap! We haven't even had the birds and bees talk yet!"