"I'm not competing with you, I swear!" Steve Rogers tells Drax.
"Is it because you know you would lose?" Drax challenges, in her deep feminine voice.
"No." Steve replies. "Because it wouldn't be fair. My body processes alcohol too quickly. I literally cannot get drunk."
"That sounds like a boast to me." Drax says.
"No." Steve protests. "That's not what I mean."
"Come on, Steve." Sam jumps in. "Humor the lady. What's the worst that could happen?"
Steve Rogers looks at Sam giving him a 'Really?' expression.
"He would lose." Drax says. "That is the worst that could happen."
Steve looks to Bucky, who just shrugs his shoulders and points at the pitcher.
"You two are terrible." She tells Sam and Bucky as she picks up her pitcher. Drax lifts hers and cheers loudly, while Nebula smirks.
***Further Up the Table***
"I can't believe you are Thee Thor!" Rocket shouts, waving her arms in the air wildly as she gestures toward Thor. She is both standing on the table and sit-leaning on Groot's shoulder. Groot does not seem to mind. "I thought you were just another guy with the same name."
"I am Groot."
"No, that was a Korbinite." Rocket tells Groot, patting his shoulder. "Thor is an Asgardian. They don't even look the same."
"It most definitely is me. Thee Thor." Thor says with a proud grin. "Do you meet a lot of Thors?"
"I grew up on Halfworld!" Rocket responds. "We tell your stories to all the children there. Every other kid growing up called themselves Thor."
"Halfworld?" Bruce asks leaning over Shuri who is laughing at Rocket's reaction.
"It's a science type planet." Valkyrie tells Bruce trying to peer around Thor who is giving Rocket a double high five.
"I'd like to go there." Shuri answers before taking a drink. Bruce smiles and nods with a bright red face.
"I don't think you really want to go there." Thor answers, taking a step away from the table. "It's filled with Loonies."
Bruce just nods her head in response and looks back toward Shuri, who is watching her with an equally red face..
"You're so cute, Bruce!" Shuri says, giving her a hug.
"Isn't she?" Pepper says. "I just want to hug her all day." Pepper releases a silent hiccup then corrects herself. "I mean him. I just want to hug him all day. Like a small plushy."
"It's okay. You can call me her. It doesn't bother me." Bruce answers.
"Awww..." Shuri exclaims happily, now hugging her tighter.
"Well I'm gonna..." Valkyrie starts to say as he stands. His foot catches the chair and he stumbles on the floor.
"Party foul!" Thor says with a laugh as he reaches down to pick up Valkyrie.
"Who taught him that?" Tony asks loudly from behind Pepper. No one seems to notice.
Valkyrie gets to his feet, shakes off a little of the confusion then looks back to Bruce. "I'm gonna keep calling you Big Guy..." Valkyrie leans in and wraps his arms around Bruce's shoulders. "Because I liked him better when he was green."
"We like you too, Angry Girl" Bruce says.." We like you too." Bruce pats Valkyries large muscular arms returning the hug.
"Angry Girl?" Pepper asks.
"You were a girl too?" Shuri asks Valkyrie aloud.
"Yes!" Valkyrie answers. "I was one of the elite female warriors of Asgard. Sword to defend the throne."
"That's so cool!" Pepper answers.
"High five!" Shuri says, reaching out.
Valkyrie, who's never given a high five before, fumbles it and ends up squeezing Bruce a little too tight as he tries to high five both Pepper and Shuri at the same time.
"Oh, is it hug time?" Thor asks after hearing Bruce squeak. He leans in trying to give a hug to Pepper, Shuri, Bruce, and Valkyrie at the same time. Shuri and Valkyrie immediately try to shake him off, while Pepper and Mantis laugh loudly.
"The big guy is funny." Mantis says to no one in particular, as he wraps his arms around Peter Quill, who does not seem to mind anymore.
Peter is talking to Natasha and Clint, who've moved their seats closer to her, behind Rocket and Groot. "I come from Missouri, but I haven't been back there in over twenty years."
"Every day must be exciting." Clint tells her. "You get to see new worlds and meet aliens."
Star-Lord thinks about it for a bit. "It was exciting at first." She tells them. "Then it gets pretty boring. You're just floating around in space most of the time, and it takes days, sometimes weeks to get anywhere."
"Boring huh?" Clint asks, a little disappointed.
"Sounds like Ohio." Natasha responds.
"You're from Ohio?" Peter asks, curiously.
"No." Natasha answers quickly. "I've just lived there."
"Natasha's from Stalingrad. I'm from Iowa." Clint says.
"Stalingrad? From Russia?" Star-Lord asks, surprised. Natasha just nods. "It's good to know the United States and USSR are getting along now."
Clint bursts out laughing unintentionally. Natasha just makes a concerned face.
"Oh god..." Star-Lord exclaims. "We didn't nuke them, did we?" She asks.
"No, Russia is fine." Clint says. "The USSR broke apart in 1991."
Peter Quill nods her head in intrigue.
"Sam!" Nick Fury shouts from behind Mantis. "Get your ass over here!"
Sam looks up at Fury and rushes by everyone else after a quick word with his friends. He lightly bumps Natasha as he tries to get around him.
"Let me open the balcony." T'Challa says when she notices. She looks up to one of the wait staff and motions for them to open the balcony doors, which are rather large. After fiddling with a panel by the entrance, it seems almost as if the entire wall just lifts away.
"Ah!" Thor expresses with joy. "That's better. More drinks!" He requests from the staff, who almost seemed ready, as they brought a few more pitchers and a handful of mixed drinks that the other guests were now comfortable enough to order. Including a dark colored ale for the King.
Sam reaches the front group and jots up toward Fury. "What's up, sir?" he asks.
Nick Fury gives Sam a sceptical glare. "Rhodes here tells me you had your ass handed to you, by Hank Pym's new protege."
Sam looks at Rhodes, then glances at Tony momentarily, wondering why the subject was being brought up. "No sir." He says, nervously. "As I recall, Scott was on our side."
"I'm not talking about the airport, idiot!" Nick Fury says loudly. "I'm talking about the Avengers Complex."
"The Avengers Complex?" Sam asks. He has to concentrate very hard before remembering his fight with Ant-Man. "Ah, yes sir. He tried to break in and steal equipment, sir."
"And you let him go?" Nick Fury asks, judgingly. "Because I don't remember seeing any reports on any confrontations with a little-BIG-man."
"No, sir." Sam chuckles, feeling embarrassed. "I might have left that out."
"Is that what happened to my signal decoy?!" Fury half shouts.
"I, uh..."
"Call his ass!" Fury snaps. "Tell him he has to help us out or he's gonna have to pay me back for my million dollar piece of equipment!"
"Call him?" Sam asks. "I don't have his number. We haven't spoken since the..." Sam glances at Tony briefly again, who's now taken notice of the conversation.
"I'll call him!" Fury says. "Somebody has to keep track of all you kids!"
Sam doesn't know what to say, mostly because he is surprised by how intimidating and sassy Nick Fury still is, despite the changes. He is also extremely surprised Nick Fury knows Scott Lang's phone number.
"Hello!" Nick Fury shouts. "Hey! Where's my signal decoy?! You owe me for a signal decoy!"
Nick Fury listens to the phone for a bit before speaking again. "You know what? Lemme put you on speaker!" Nick Fury hits the video call button instead and turns the phone very close to Sam's face making him take a step back. "You talk to him!"
Sam grabs the phone to see a sleepy female Scott lang who looks to be still in bed. She looks at the phone, blinded now. "Who is this? What's going on?" She asks.
"Hey Scott..." Sam says, not sure what to say. "Uhh... We need your help."
"Is that the ant-man?" Cliff asks, jumping up from his seat to look at the phone. He rushes to the phone and peaks at Scott. "Oh, he's a girl, too. Wassuuuuup!"
Sam laughs and decides it wouldn't hurt to play along. "Wassuuuuup!"
Rocket, who does not get the joke, decides to join anyway. She jumps on Star-Lord's shoulders then climbs on Mantis's back to reach the phone. "Wassuuuuup!" She shouts. It clearly gets a reaction from Scott who seems to drop the phone at the sudden sight of large canines.
"I don't know what that means." Rocket chuckles as she looks back at the others laughing.
"What is going on?" Scott asks again after shuffling with her phone for a moment.
"Hey!" It's us. " Sam pans the phone to show everyone at the table. Some of them shout and wave as the phone camera passes them by. After the circle around Sam looks back into the camera. "We need your help!"
"Are you guys drinking?" Scott asks, still clearly confused.
"We need your help, fighting Thanos." Sam shouts.
"Fighting who?" Scott asks.
"The alien dude that did all this." Sam says flashing the camera at Pepper, an angry Tony Stark, Happy, female Nick Fury, Rhodes, and T'Challa.
"Who're you talking to?" a male voice comes from the phone. Sam turns it back toward himself. He sees the blanket move, revealing Scotts bare shoulder, followed by a male face which comes into view and immediately wraps his bare arm around Scott.
"Oh!" Sam says, with a light chuckle. "I didn't realize you had company."
"Right on!" Clint says loudly, pumping his fist on camera.
"I'll let you go, but be ready!" Sam says, and hangs up before Scott can finish asking, "What?"
"He's in!" Sam proclaims, causing most of the table to cheer, without knowing the reason. Sam hands the phone back to Nick Fury who pockets it.
"Great!" Tony says loud enough for those nearest to hear. "That's wonderful. That ought to make up for the loss of our big guns."
"What're you talking about Tony?" Pepper asks, turning away from Bruce.
"Just that we're supposed to be talking about plans to save the universe and everyone's treating it like a new year party." Tony says.
"Tony." Pepper says. "They're just having fun. When was the last time we've all come together like this?"
"This could be the last time we come together like this!" Tony says loud and angrily, catching the attention of others nearby.
"We're doing our best, Tony." Bruce says leaning into the table to see him.
"Are we?" Tony says, turning on Bruce. "Because last I checked, YOUR best wasn't doing anything anymore."
"Now Tony..." Pepper says, trying to interrupt him.
"Why don't you just use your army of drones?" Nick Fury asks very loudly as well.
"Drones?" James Rhodes asks, looking at Tony then Happy, who just looks away. "What drones?"
"Oh yes! Tony's got a whole satellite full of 'em." Nick Fury says pointing at the ceiling. "Don't act like I don't see what you're doing up there." She tells Tony.
"I'm trying to protect the world!" Tony snaps before being interrupted.
"Hey! What's going on over here?" Thor says merrily. He places his hand on Pepper's chair for balance and studies Tony's face for a long moment. "Why so angry Tony?" Thor asks. "We should be having fun!" He puts his arm around Tony and sets another pitcher in front of him.
Tony turns back to glare at Nick Fury across the table, without saying a word.
"Come on, Tony!" Thor says. "Lighten up! We should be celebrating. We're all together again. We're alive. We stopped Thanos for now, and I'm sure we'll do it again! We should be having a toast."
"A toast?!" Tony asks loudly. "You want a toast? I have a toast." Tony stands up abruptly pushing Thor back lightly. He picks up the nearest pitcher and starts hitting it with a fork to get everyone's attention. The room slowly grows quiet and those closest to Tony begin to worry.
"Hello everyone! I'm Tony Stark, and I would like to propose a toast." Everyone turns toward Tony. A few of the guests are happy, not picking up on the tension in the room. Captain America is very concerned, especially when she notices Tony is intentionally not looking her way.
"A toast!" Tony says, getting a light cheer from the Guardians of the Galaxy. "To the Avengers. For getting back together, and agreeing to cooperate for the good of the Universe."
"Right on!" Star-Lord says raising a fist. Tony turns toward her.
"A toast!" he continues "To the Guardians of Space." Star-Lord gives him an annoyed look, but the others still seem happy. "For helping wrestle the stones away from Thanos." Rocket tries to give Star-Lord a thumbs up, not knowing what really happened. "Even if Captain Loverboy here botched it!" Peter Quill glares at Tony angrily. Thor laughs, not knowing either.
"Tony.." Pepper says passively trying to stop him.
"A toast!" Tony says, now pointing toward Bruce. "To Bruce Banner!" Drax and Thor are the only ones cheering now. "After all these years, he finally found a cure! It's all he ever wanted. I'm happy for you my friend." Tony says this pointing to his pitcher toward Bruce. Bruce can feel the but coming on.
"And to the Hulk!" He raises his pitcher high in the air, still getting cheers from Thor and Drax. "Our strongest Avenger, and my friend." Tony locks eyes with Bruce. Even though we need him, little puny Banner's feelings take precedence. May he rest in peace." Tony continues to glare at Bruce who looks down as her eyes begin to tear up.
"Okay Tony, that's enough." Pepper says standing up and reaching for the pitcher, which Tony pulls away.
He takes a step back and studies Pepper. "And a toast to Pepper!" He says. Pepper places his hands on his hips and gives Tony an angry glare. Thor and the others all are finally realizing what is happening.
"To Pepper." Tony says glaring at him now. "My loving and beautiful wife." He takes a drink. "Who didn't want to marry me!" Pepper's eyes turn to shock. "It's true!" Tony looks around the table at a sea of angry faces. "I asked her for years before she said yes. That rings probably older than Spider-Kid." Tony points at her empty hand. "Well there should be a ring."
Pepper had removed it earlier because it was now too small.
Bruce who was closest, looks up teary eyed and sees Pepper is now starting to shed a few tears of his own. Bruce tries to pull Pepper away, but Tony decides to keep going on.
"At least now you don't have to worry about me asking for a kid anymore. It's not like we can..." Tony says, trying to continue.
"THAT'S ENOUGH, TONY!" Bruce shouts very loudly. She lifts her small hand over her head and brings it crashing down onto the table. The sound of shrieking metal fills the room as the table caves in, sending alcohol and food flying in every direction.
After getting hit in the face with something wet, Tony stumbles looking at the damage, yet it does not seem to register. Others are looking at the table with surprise, but Shuri has a much more shocked expression than anyone else.
"Calm down, Tony." T'Challa, who is now standing, says in an extremely calm feminine voice, catching Tony's attention. "You are with friends."
Tony looks at Pepper crying and feels overwhelming guilt. He is about to set down his drink, but then spots the attendants behind Pepper, at the end of the table. He chooses to continue, and turns back toward the King.
"Yes." Tony says to the quiet room. "To friends." He points his pitcher toward Steve Rogers now. "Who stick together and forgive each other... no matter what." Tony turns to glare at the Captain now. Everyone is too silent to interrupt him. "Even if one of them knows that the other killed somebody you truly love and hold dear."
Most of the table turns toward Steve Rogers, wondering exactly what happened between the two. Steve places an arm out, as if to protect Bucky Barnes, and hide him from Tony.
"Tony please, not here." T'Challa pleads, being the only other person who knew the full story.
"What is he talking about?" Rocket asks, breaking the very uncomfortable silence.
Tony finally sets down the pitcher, letting gravity draw it down the bent table. A single tear rolls down his cheek as both of his eyes water. "He killed my dad, and he killed my mom." Tony says to the quiet room.
"What?!" Several of the guests shout simultaneously.
"Mother Fucker!" Nick Fury says very loudly.
"Tony... I" Pepper starts to say.
"I need some air." Tony snaps as he turns away. Happy tries to stand and follow him, but Tony catches his shoulder and makes him stay. Everyone else just sits and watches Tony walk around the table, and head out onto the balcony. Nobody stops him.
Everyone begins to turn toward Steve and Bucky now, shocked at this new revelation. Everyone except Shuri, who is still staring at the table.
"What's wrong, sister?" T'Challa asks.
He looks up at his brother, now sister, still in shock. "She bent the table."
"I'm sorry." Bruce says shyly.
"It's ok, sister." T'Challa answers. "We can always get a new one."
"No, brother." Shuri answers. "It's not that..." Shuri pauses to touch the damage, feeling it was unreal. "It's made of vibranium."