December 18th, 2012

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Following the Battle of New York, Tony Stark and his brand were becoming many things. The days of being a no-accountability war profiteer were already well behind him, but he hardly anticipated playing landlord to a ragtag team of honest-to-god superheros. In the aftermath, that was one the first things he set about doing with Pepper. With her blessing, Tony had thrown himself into it. Never one to half-ass things, he oversaw the extensive remodeling to accommodate the specific needs of each and every Avenger. Several were essentially homeless and there was no initiative for the superpowerly-abled, even in a place as progressive as New York.

Including Steve. Even if he called Stark Tower ugly and immediately found an apartment somewhere in Brooklyn. Even though Tony set aside one of the top 12 floors for him like everyone else. Fine.

Today was all about adding that personal touch. He was giving free room and board, might as well be a gracious sugar daddy about it. Besides, who wanted to thwart crime with a guy or gal whose liquor of choice you couldn't name? Just bad form.

Stopping outside the luxury suite dedicated to the arguably most unique new friendly friend, Tony bounced on his heels. He contemplated just walking in for a split second, but he liked having his cranium hammer-free. And it was still about being gracious--as much as he could be. "JARVIS? Ping Point Break for me." Tony didn't feel like knocking. This was a compromise.

"Mr. Odinson, you have a visitor." JARVIS dutifully announced from within Thor's quarters.

Comments

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor loved Midgard.

He'd visited it frequently when he was younger, but until his father cast him down to the planet, he hadn't been on the planet for 100 years. Midgardians were not nearly as advanced as the other Nine Realms, or even most of the other known species in the universe, but they moved quickly, they adapted quickly, and they advanced quickly. The Midgard of 100 years ago was almost unrecognizable from the Midgard of today, and that perhaps was why he failed to recognize the place as Midgard.

That, and he had been hit by a vehicle that was far different from the automobiles he had seen on Midgard during his last visit.

Compared to Jane's apartment, though, Stark Tower was far more advanced; she had told him that Tony was a gifted engineer and inventor, though he knew very little else about the man. Jane showed little interest in him, and by proxy, so did Thor. They were occasional teammates -- nothing more.

Still, when Jane had a conference in the city, Thor went with her, and despite the suggestion that he might use Mjölnir to transport himself, she insisted he ride on an aeroplane with her.

He insisted they take Mjölnir, despite Jane's best arguments.

At security, they insisted that his hammer be checked with the rest of their luggage until Thor explained that it could not be lifted by anyone else. The TSA agent grappled with the weapon for a good five minutes, holding up everyone in line, much to the exasperation of those flight-goers behind him. Eventually, after a long conversation with what Thor was pretty sure was their leader, he was permitted as a special exception (no doubt because of his celebrity status an Avenger) to board with the weapon, though he was instructed to store it in the overhead bin immediately, then not remove it until the plane had landed.

Because of it, he and Jane nearly missed their flight.

It had been strange and cramped and Thor was not entirely sure how anyone tolerated it. Jane had gotten frustrated at him because of his constant need to roam about the plane, but they were all crammed into such tiny spaces for such a long period of time, he couldn't understand how anyone tolerated it. He talked to many people and even signed autographs and took pictures with a few, and by the end of the flight, Jane's exasperation was obvious. A little space would probably be good for the both of them.

And that's how Thor wound up at Stark Tower and simply let himself in without ceremony. He hadn't been sure that anyone knew he was there until the AI helpfully informed him that someone was at the door.

"Let them in," he tells Jarvis.