HUD: Here we go guys! The meeting in the coffee shop and the introduction to Loki. Enjoy! :)

"Can you promise to not be weird?"

Tony scoffed from the driver's seat, his jaw dropping open in mock horror. "Robert Bruce Banner! I am appalled."

Bruce rolled his eyes from the passenger seat. "Appalled, really?"

"Entirely!" Tony exclaimed. "Why would you suggest such horrendous behavior from me?"

Bruce stared at the side of Tony's face with such venom that Tony's façade began to crack. "Because I know you," he deadpanned. "And you get real weird, real fast."

Tony's expression morphed into a wide grin. "You and I have different definitions for weird, then."

"No, we don't," Bruce answered; Tony braked for a stop light. "It's the exact same - in the dictionary with your picture beside it."

Tony laughed so hard he nearly ran into the bumper of the car in front of them. Bruce braced his hands on the dash and stared at the side of his friend's face again. "Tony."

"Okay, okay - what would you say isn't symmetrical to your definition of weird?" Tony asked, clearing his throat. The guy in the car in front of them flipped Tony the bird.

"Well, taking my car instead of yours is a good start," Bruce said, making Tony scoff again.

"Nothing weird about driving a Corvette, Brucie."

"It is when you should be a starving college student."

"Which we aren't, obviously, or we wouldn't play a pay-by-month game - "

" - that you get free subscriptions to," Bruce interjected.

Tony's lips twisted into a pout. "...they don't know that."

"You know, let's keep it that way," Bruce continued.

Tony rolled his eyes and took the next right pass the light and slowed down. "Help me find a spot, buddy."

"There, right across from the shop," Bruce directed.

"Oh, good call," Tony said, sliding into the spot. "Now we can see if we're first or not."

Bruce blinked slowly. "How would you know?"

Tony grinned and winked over the rim of his shades. "No reason."

Bruce rubbed the bridge of his nose and pushed his glasses up to his hairline. "You looked them up, didn't you?"

"Nah," Tony dismissed. He looked across the road and craned his neck slightly. "Just taking an educated guess - shit, we aren't. I bet that blond dude is Thor."

Bruce pushed his glasses back down and leaned over to Tony's side for a better view. "Huh. I bet you're right."

"How much?"

Bruce frowned at his childhood friend. "How much what?"

"How much you wanna bet I'm right?"

"Nope, not playing this," Bruce answered, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Let's go."

"Aww, Brucie!" Tony whined. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"No; let's go."

Bruce opened the door and shut it on Tony's whining. The genius thrashed in his seat, rocking Bruce's old Buick so much that the shocks squeaked. Bruce held his hands out by his side and shrugged - he wasn't worried about damage to the car, after all - Tony would get over it and be done soon.

"Ugh, FINE!" Tony hollered. Bruce suppressed a grin as he waited for traffic to let him pass. Tony climbed from the car and jogged pass him, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his sneakers against the concrete. "Where you at, old man?"

Bruce rolled his eyes and ruffled Tony's hair once he was in range. "That - that's weird."

"Bruce," Tony said, his tone stopping the other man. "Do you really think that?"

Bruce smiled and nudged his shoulder against his friend. "Not at all, Tony."

Tony grinned brightly at him, but Bruce knew better. "Think they will?"

"What's it matter?" Bruce answered. It wasn't often that they did this, but Bruce was glad his friend still needed him. "If they do, we'll just leave the guild. No questions asked."

"True that, man," Tony agreed, his smile genuine again. "We were fine before."

"Exactly."

Tony patted Bruce's shoulder without another word - fifteen years of friendship did that for people. He grabbed the door and held it open for Bruce. "So, you excited to meet Nat?"

Bruce smiled quickly. "Yeah, actually. I'm excited to meet everyone."

"Yeah, I bet more about Natasha, though," Tony teased, grinning when Bruce's cheeks tinted pink.

"Tony - "

"I bet she's a red-head. You like red-heads," Tony continued.

"Tony."

"Tony!" Tony looked first at Bruce and then around the room, looking for wherever his name came from. He furrowed his brows and looked around again.

"Where did that - ?"

"Friend Tony!"

Tony's expression relaxed. "Oh, that's Thor." Tony slapped Bruce's arm. "Blond guy, coming towards us. You owe me."

Bruce grinned and turned around. Tony watched his subtle nod of agreement as a tall man built like a linebacker turned a corner towards the back of the coffee shop. His blond hair was drawn back in a loose ponytail at the base of his neck with scruffy facial hair to match. His smile was the widest Tony has ever seen, and his eyes were bright and friendly. Bruce nodded again. "Looks like his avatar."

"Totally," Tony answered. He stepped forward and met Thor with a hearty handshake so strong he had to fight a grimace. "Thor, I presume?"

"Aye!" He bellowed. Tony grinned back at Bruce, who hid his smile behind his palm.

"I'm Tony," he answered, grinning. "This is Bruce."

Thor grinned over at Bruce and released Tony's hand to take his. "It is a pleasure!"

"Very much," Bruce answered. "Nice to meet you."

"You over there, Thor?" Tony asked, looking around the large man. The back of the coffee shop was squared off with an extra seating section around the counter. He couldn't see where Thor had come from, but he imagined it was somewhere around there.

Thor looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Yes, in the extra room."

Tony nodded - made sense. "Alright. Take Bruce and I'll get some coffee. Want anything?"

"No thank you," Thor boomed. "We are just fine!"

Tony quirked an eyebrow at Bruce but smiled. "Okay. The usual?"

"Yeah," Bruce answered. "Grab a scone too, blueberry."

"Yup," Tony waved. Bruce followed after Thor, who clapped a hand over his shoulder, as Tony walked up to the counter. The barista looked like she was fighting a grin as Tony began rattling off his order.

"Has he been here long?" He asked as he paid. She shook her head.

"No, maybe about ten minutes. It's been eventful," she answered with a giggle. Tony grinned as she handed his receipt over. "The other one, though..."

Tony opened his mouth to ask her what she was talking about but she turned around to begin his and Bruce's drinks. Another guy handed him a scone and chocolate chip cookie and pointed out the waiting area. Tony watched the door as he waited, wondering if he could pick out Natasha, Clint, or Steve.

Couples trickled in holding hands, business men hustled in and out with to-go orders, and hipster kids a decade younger than Tony ordered solid black coffee and hid their frowns behind the rim of their paper cups.

"Here you go, Mr. Stark." Tony looked to see the girl from the register passing over his order. "Did you need anything else?"

"Actually, yes," Tony answered. He leaned forward and lowered his voice: "What did you mean by 'other one'?"

"Oh!" She answered with a start, smiling oddly. "His brother, I think. Imagine, like, the exact opposite of him, completely. More my type, too, and snarky. Put blondie down real fast!"

Tony hummed and tapped his chin. "Did he order anything?"

"English tea with honey," she answered automatically.

"Food?" Tony pressed.

"Lemon cookie," she said, biting her bottom lip cutely. "He took my advice."

"Tell you what," he said, passing back his wrapped cookie. "Trade me out for one of those."

"Okay!" She chirped, bouncing back to exchange the pastries. When she came back and handed it to Tony, he pressed a twenty into her palm and winked.

"You've been great - " he looked at her name tag, written in preppy teenager handwriting, " - Stacy. Thanks for all your help."

She gaped at him as he walked away, waving his hand over his shoulder as he headed towards the back room.

Tony turned the corner and unwrapped his cookie to see Bruce and Thor sitting at a table for eight. Thor waved at Tony and rose to his feet. "Friend Tony! We are here."

"I see you, champ," he answered with a grin. "I heard you brought your brother."

"Aye!" Thor answered, his smile bright. He looked towards the back of the room. "Brother, come over!"

Tony followed the blond's line of sight and felt his breath hitch. Against the back wall was a table for two but the sole occupant wasn't in the mood for company, if his foot in the other chair was anything to go by. Black jeans and black dress shirt, tucked, lounging comfortably against the wall and propped chin against fist, book open on the table, sat Thor's brother.

"I'd rather not," the man answered. His voice was so calm and disinterested that Tony had to hear it again. Something about him already had his attention.

"Why not?" He challenged, drawing Thor and Bruce's attention. "Bet we're cooler than you think."

Tony took an unintentionally larger bite of his cookie just as Thor's brother looked over, eyes sharp and so green that it literally startled him. "Under what pretense?"

"Because I'm Iron Man," Tony answered cheekily, which earned a snort from Bruce. Tony slid around beside his roommate and sat down across from Thor, passing over Bruce's coffee and scone. He kicked the chair out closest to him, the head set, and waved his hand. "Don't be a stranger."

"Brother," Thor followed warmly, taking his seat back. "Come over?"

Between Thor's rephrasing and Tony's not-so-subtle puppy eyes, Thor's brother sighed and closed his book. He picked up his cup and book and stalked over. Damn, Stacy wasn't kidding - he literally was Thor's polar opposite, even right down to the colour spectrum. Taller, lithe, pale, with hair longer than Thor's and blacker than night, free and falling around his shoulder blades. Tony attempted to hide his slight flush in taking a sip of his coffee just as the dark god sat beside him.

"Wonderful," Thor said, clapping a hand over his brother's shoulder and beaming at him. "Brother, this is Bruce!"

Thor held his hand out to Bruce, who smiled awkwardly and gave a weak wave. Thor's brother quirked an eyebrow but nodded. Tony bit the inside of his cheek.

"And this is - "

"Tony Stark," he cut in, holding his hand out. Thor just continued to grin. "And who might you be?"

Those green eyes swung on him sharply; Tony suddenly felt like his palms were beginning to sweat. He could feel Bruce's eyes boring into the back of his head; no doubt his roommate was already onto his game. Green eyes dropped to his proffered hand for a second before he gently reached out. "I am Loki," he answered smoothly. Tony already loved the feel of Loki's hand in his, the texture and temperature so different and the colour contrast beautiful.

Tony squeezed briefly and smiled brightly. "Pleasure."

Loki quirked a thin eyebrow again. "I am sure."

An elbow in his side forced Tony to grin and release Loki's hand. He turned towards Bruce and pushed his scone a little closer to him. "Yes, dear?"

Bruce shot him a look that clearly said he knew what was going on and to knock it off. Tony, however, didn't care. "When do you think the others will arrive?"

"I don't know," Tony answered, craning his neck to see around Bruce. "Hey Goldie, you have a clear view of the door, yeah?"

"Aye!" Thor answered. "I believe I see more of our guild mates!" Thor pushed back from his seat and waved jovially at a red-head in a black jacket and jeans standing next to a guy built more like Bruce and Tony in a purple hoodie. Tony overheard 'Black Widow' and 'Hawkeye' leave Thor's mouth and leaned back in his seat.

"That's Nat and Barton, Bruce," he stage whispered. Bruce rolled his eyes and nodded.

"So I heard," he muttered. Loki snorted beside Tony, drawing the genius' attention.

"Thor understands little of volume control," he drawled. Tony was disappointed to see his book open again, suddenly wanting all of Loki's attention.

"I bet it's fun at home," he teased, taking a sip of his coffee. Loki shrugged and flipped a page.

"Yes, watching a film can be quite droll," he answered dryly, earning a bark of laughter from Tony that had the man look up in mild surprise.

"Oh, that's classic," he chuckled, breaking off a piece of his cookie. "You should hear Thor in The World. I've taken my mic off and went to the kitchen and could still hear him."

"We've both done that," Bruce added with a soft grin. He unwrapped his scone and broke off a corner, offering it to Tony.

"Trade ya," Tony said as Bruce chewed the small part he broke off. Bruce nodded and pushed his pastry over so Tony could break off another piece. Loki watched the exchange with slight interest, which was exactly what Tony wanted.

"Not bad," Bruce commented after he ate the piece of Tony's cookie.

"Yeah, I thought so too," Tony answered. "Never had one before."

Bruce snorted. "Seriously? You love sweets and you've never had a lemon cookie before?"

"Honestly, does that sound like it would be sweet?"

"Sounds like it would be tart," Loki joined. Tony nodded and held his hand out.

"Exactly my point; sounds like it would be tart," Tony said. "Which is why I wouldn't want it."

Bruce chuckled and shook his head. "Sounds like you two have it all figured out."

"Stark doesn't have a damn thing figured out."

Tony grinned and turned towards the voice. "I know that voice - Birdbrain's here!"

The blond in the purple hoodie flipped Tony his middle finger as he walked into the room, his other hand wrapped around a warm ceramic mug. The red-head followed a few steps behind with Thor bringing up the rear. "See how you like calling me Birdbrain the next time you need extra DPS."

"Pssh, I'm more DPS then you can handle," Tony answered, leaning back and tossing his arm around the back of Bruce's chair. "Tell 'em, Brucie."

"Hi, I'm Bruce, and not an asshole," Bruce said instead, smiling and ignoring Tony's gasp. He held his hand out to Clint, who accepted with a smug grin.

"See? This is why he's the best healer ever. Always keeping the peace and putting an end to Stark's shenanigans," Clint snarked, sitting down beside Thor. Tony rolled his eyes and cupped his hand over his mouth towards Loki.

"Can you believe this guy? He's pissed I stole his loot after the last raid," Tony mumbled. Loki's eyes flashed amusement at Clint's undignified yelp.

"Hey man!" Clint squeaked. Thor laughed and took his seat beside the archer. "You better watch your back, machinist."

"Wait, what was that? Did you need some mana melded onto your armour?" Tony asked. Clint pressed his lips together as Natasha sat down beside him.

"Hey guys, calm down," she said smoothly. "Otherwise I'm fixing the guild events to ostracize only you two."

Thor and Bruce laughed when Tony snapped his mouth shut and quickly took a sip of his coffee. Clint groaned and glared at Natasha. "Why me? Stark totally started it."

"Yeah well, I finished it," Natasha answered coolly. Bruce chuckled and shook his head.

"I hoped you were being yourself online," he said, holding his hand out to her. Natasha smirked and took it gently.

"I could say the same for you, Bruce," she answered as they shook hands. "I have to say, you keep Tony at bay with obvious ease."

"Well, living with him helps," he answered, flushing slightly at her praise. Loki glanced briefly at the curly-haired man as he spoke. "I know almost all his tells."

"Careful, Brucie," Tony teased. "Nat might get jealous."

"Of you? As if!" Clint snapped, grinning. "You're about as entertaining as a wet mop."

"Hey, my material derives from my source - doesn't say much about you, of course - "

Clint laughed. "I am so ditching you in the next raid."

"How do you deal with it?" Natasha asked Bruce, taking a sip of her coffee. The scientist just shrugged.

"Years and years of tolerance, I guess," Bruce answered with a sigh. Tony flicked his ear from where his arm was still around his chair.

"I take offense to that."

"I take offense to that!" Bruce grinned, rubbing his ear. Tony grinned back and did it again.

"Hey!"

The sound of everyone's laughter drew Steve over, their missing guild leader. He was he same height as Thor but not quite as broad, almost matching his avatar's build as well. Steve grinned sheepishly and sat down at the head of the table, across from Loki. "Sorry I'm late, guys."

"Oh hey, Stars!" Tony exclaimed with a wave. Steve waved back and scooted his chair in. "Good of you to join us, but I get a free pass next time I'm late to a guild meeting."

Steve furrowed his brow and glanced at each member of the table. "Isn't that what this is?"

"Aye!" Thor exclaimed, holding his coffee cup up. "A joyous union amongst friends! Thank you for including me, and my brother."

Loki seemed to try very hard to not roll his eyes.

"Brother?" Clint said, leaning over to look at Loki. "What's your name?"

"Loki," Loki answered. "And I assume you are Clint, Natasha, and Steve." He pointed to each person, who in turn nodded.

"Nice to meet you," Steve said warmly, smiling broadly. Anyone else and that smile would have appeared fake, but for Steve, it was genuine. Like he stepped out of a forties family photo.

"Likewise," Natasha continued, and Clint agreed as well.

"What brought you here, Thor?" Steve asked. "To America, I mean."

Thor smiled again and explained that their father was head of a prestigious law firm who just accepted a billion-dollar client. The client needed a representative stateside, so the entire Durer family moved.

"Loki and I are attending a nearby university to continue our studies," Thor finished. "I am to take over Father's firm."

"What are you going for?" Tony asked Loki, who hardly glanced up from his book.

"Literature," he answered simply. Tony nodded, feeling there was more to it but not wanting to press.

"Bruce and I are attending class, too," Tony added. "Where are you guys?"

"Ah, NYIT, I believe?" Thor answered, glancing at his brother. Once Loki nodded, Thor did the same. "NYIT."

Tony grinned and pointed to himself and Bruce. "So are we!"

Thor's smile widened. "Fantastic! Perhaps we can meet up again soon."

"Absolutely," Bruce said with a smile. "Ah, let us know if you need help with anything on campus."

"Thor and I are only there temporarily," Loki said, still staring down at his book. "Once acceptance is available, he will transfer to Harvard and I to Yale."

Clint gave a low whistle. "Damn."

"Guess we have to make the best of what we've got, then," Tony said, pulling Loki's attention. He gave a wink and smiled.

"I suppose," he answered with a slight smirk. Tony felt like he won a million bucks.

The conversation turned more towards the other members after that; Clint and Natasha lived together a few miles away with Steve being the furthest out. They were all attending school as well, for various reasons. Steve was already discharged from the army and a decorated war vet, going back to school to go into teaching, and Clint and Natasha were both joining the FBI.

"Secret service?" Tony teased; Natasha just shrugged.

"If I told you, Stark, I'm sure you could imagine the outcome," she answered. Bruce chuckled.

"He doesn't listen too well, Natasha," Bruce teased. She smirked and lifted an elegant eyebrow at them.

"I suppose he'll have to take my word for it, then."

Everyone was exactly as Tony imagined they would be, especially after playing with them for so long. Steve steered the conversation naturally; he and Clint verbally sparred; he watched Bruce secretly stare at Nat whenever she wasn't looking; Thor just genuinely enjoyed being there; but Loki was the odd man out. He kept his attention on his novel and that was that. Eventually the topic turned to The World, as Tony expected it to. Still, he was far too interested in Thor's brother to be fully invested, until the idea to finally gain Loki's attention struck him.

"So this new dungeon coming in next month's update sounds harsh," Clint said. "I was on the forums and saw a few reviews from the betas."

"What's the idea?" Steve asked.

"They're called the Caves of Sorrow," Natasha supplied. "It's up to an eight-man raid, but every cave is different. Ten levels deep with a random boss at the bottom."

"The only connection is the status ailments," Clint continued. "Regardless of what you fight, each level is reverse to the previous. So like, the first level gives us a high attack but slow cool down, then the next is low attack but quick cool down."

Bruce nodded. "So this could be terrible for everyone."

"Exactly," Steve answered. "We're pretty well rounded, though."

"Actually," Tony began. Time to test the waters. "We could be better."

"How so?" Thor asked. He was always eager to help, any way possible.

"If we had someone who could counter the ailments with buffs and debuffs, then it wouldn't be such a pain," he answered.

"That could work," Steve agreed, nodding.

"Yeah, until we get a combination that raises melee but lowers attack magic right before the boss floor," Clint grumbled. "Then we're still fucked."

"Not exactly," Tony continued. "We just need a dark magician. Bruce knows a few buffs but no attack magic; if we get a dark magician in our guild and level him quickly, we'll have those raids in the bag."

"Regardless of combination," Natasha agreed. "Tony is on to something."

"As long as we get someone up to our level and skill fast enough, we shouldn't have a problem," Bruce said.

"I can put out a post on the forums," Steve offered. "Maybe we could have someone before the week is out."

"No need," Tony said, drawing everyone's attention. He smiled and stood up, walking around his side of the table. "I have our dark magician right here."

Thor's face lit up when Tony dropped his hands to Loki's shoulders, startling the man from his book and making him blink owlishly. "Brother! You would join us?"

"What?" Loki asked, glancing first at Thor and then up at Tony. The slight irritation in his eyes made Tony's stomach flip. "Join what?"

"Our guild," Tony said with a grin. "I bet you'd be perfect."

Loki's high cheekbones dusted a light pink that made Tony grin wider. Huh, interesting. He gave the man's shoulders a squeeze as everyone else joined it:

"He already lives with Thor, so I bet he'd catch on quick," Clint mused.

"We could gather armour and take him on low-level dungeons," Natasha offered, nodding at Bruce.

"He wouldn't have to worry about being lost or abandoned with all of us to help him," Bruce agreed. "Tony has some good ideas, after all."

"It is settled!" Thor boomed, smiling broadly.

"Loki," Steve said, smiling from across the table. Loki looked from Tony to Thor and finally Steve, his expression quizzical.

"Ah, yes?"

"Consider yourself the newest member to the Avengers!" Steve announced, a collective cheer raising from the rest of the table. "We'll be with you every step of the way!"

Loki blinked again, glancing around the table as Tony drifted back to his seat. He settled on the genius and briefly glared. "What have you volunteered me for?"

"Nothing you won't enjoy," he answered with a wink. Loki's glare intensified as everyone else continued to chat about including him in their guild. Thor immediately drew Loki's glare away from Tony once he joined into the conversation, giving Tony the clearance he needed.

Tony leaned casually back in his seat, hiding his smile behind his cup. Bruce was right - he did have a few good ideas, and the best one of the day was making sure he found a way to keep that sexy voice in his life, until he had time to come up with an even better plan.

A/N: Share your thoughts! Thanks! :)