Numbers:

THREE

This is a slightly different version from one I posted in the Iron Man section.

Tony Stark walked up to the edge of the cliff and looked out. It was a glorious afternoon. The sea was calm, the air was clean, sunlight tinted the scraggly foliage with tones of red and gold… But he noticed this only fleetingly.

He raised his wrist and spoke into his watch.

"I made it, JARVIS," he said smugly. "The highest point. In two and a half hours, just like I said."

"As I pointed out earlier, sir, you could have reached it in five minutes -"

"If I had worn the suit," Tony finished. "But that's the point, JARVIS; I wanted to do the climb by myself. I ruined a good pair of boots, almost fell a couple of times, I don't know if my car will still be down there."

"In other words, you are doing penance."

"It's NOT penance," Tony replied testily, like someone who's had to come up with the explanation over and over; "It's a gesture. This was Thor's favorite spot in Malibu –apart from my bed. I just thought I'd come here and…" He let the word trail off.

"And…?"

Tony didn't immediately reply. Instead, he unbuckled his backpack and took a white box from it. A red-lettered logo adorned the top: Pete's Donuts.

Thor's favorite donuts.

"Mr. Stark?"

"And eat a snack," Tony said impatiently. Jesus, JARVIS was in an inquisitive mood today.

"You could have eaten a snack at the tower too."

"There are cameras at the tower, JARVIS; I needed some privacy."

"If privacy was what you required, then you should have used the bunker, Mr. Stark. Thanks to your own satellites, anyone in the world can have a clear view of you right now."

Tony instinctively looked up. The satellites weren't visible of course.

"Damn. Could you turn them away for a couple of hours?"

"If you wish. But I must warn you; there is a stranger climbing your way."

"That's ok." A birdwatcher, most probably. Or a lost hiker. "I'll deal with them".

"It could be someone dangerous, Mr. Stark. It could be The Slasher, or -"

"The Slasher? What Slasher?"

"There is a slasher lurking in California. Mr. Hawkeye said so last night. It has a hook instead of a hand, and -"

"That's an Urban Myth, JARVIS. You shouldn't listen to Hawkeye, you know; especially after the fifth beer. Now, be a good kid and get those satellites off my face."

"But Mr. Stark -"

"Over and out, JARVIS."

He stood still for a moment, hoping JARVIS would effectively turn the satellites away. He didn't want anyone to know what he was about to do.

It wasn't going to be easy. Shit, he didn't even know where to begin -

"I'm sorry," he said out loud. Yeah, that was a good way to start. He looked up. He was out there, somewhere… Far away, yet close, all the same. Haunting him -yeah, that was the word. He kept seeing Thor -not the loving, funny, or fierce Thor he was used to, but the one he saw the last time they spoke; the one who silently pleaded with him for forgiveness. 'Try to understand,' he'd said; 'Please, don't think the worst of me.'

It should have been so easy to say yes, Tony realized now; . "Yes, baby; I forgive you. I understand." He'd let others get away with far worse offenses, after all. Instead, he'd done his best to hurt the demigod. "Get the fuck out of here."

Tony was sorry now, of course. He'd learned the hard way that in hurting Thor, (or trying to), he'd hurt himself. His damn conscience wouldn't leave him alone unless he did something about it and soon.

And so, just as JARVIS rightly surmised, Tony was doing penance. Climbing the cliff was part of it. Leaving his car unprotected down below was another.

And now…

"I acted like a dick," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Not that he expected Thor to hear the words. He was gone, never to return. But he still hoped that Thor would know, somehow. Thor believed in the power of rituals, and Tony believed in the power of words. And so he said it again.

"I'm sorry, big guy."

He closed his eyes.

Anyone looking at him would have probably thought Tony was praying - anyone who didn't know Tony Stark, of course. Had that hypothetical stranger been able to read Tony's thoughts, he would have found them frankly pornographic, filled as they were with images of a naked man's body –Thor's body.

Tony's memories of his friend were so vivid he could almost feel the man's muscles and furry skin all around him right now; the texture of Thor's cock in his mouth… the taste of his come in the back of his throat…His hands on the back of Tony's neck…

Then other images intruded. Thor, mustering the courage to explain; Thor, shaking his head when he didn't agree with something Tony said –arguing all the more because he knew Tony would feel like shit once he realized his mistake. Oh, yes, he knew Tony, all right.

"You were right by the way," Tony said reluctantly. "If my dad was around, I'd do anything he asked me. I don't know if I'd give you up," he added snidely; "But yeah, I'd try to please him." He paused for moment. "There's some other things I've got to apologize for. I've been acting like you didn't exist –at least, I've tried to, but the guys won't let me." They wouldn't even let him take down Thor's pictures from the walls. "And I tried going on a couple of dates, but… shit, those ended in disaster." Now, that wasn't fair, considering Thor was getting married, for crying out loud. But his conscience wouldn't leave him alone.

And so, today, he'd decided that rather than forgetting, he'd embrace his friend's memory. Honor it, so to speak. Hence, the ritual.

And the donuts.

He looked down at the box for a moment, then raised it.

"Here's to you, Terminathor."

There was faint sound just behind him, then. 'Oh, fuck,' he thought; JARVIS' stranger was there. A birdwatcher. A pesky boy scout. A lost boy scout.

Tony braced himself for the worst.

And then a familiar voice called out…

"A toast without booze, Mr. Stark? That doesn't seem like you."

Tony turned sharply. A young woman was standing there. Dark-haired and beautiful, and instantly recognizable: Dr. Jane Foster.

Thor's girlfriend.

Oh, crap. It was the worst.

Something must have shown on his face, because she added, with a wry smile, "I see I'm not welcome."

Tony recovered quickly. "I thought it was somebody else," he said casually; "The Slasher, for instance."

"Slasher? What slasher?"

"You tell me. There's always one lurking around in California."

"I see. It's a pity you Superheroes don't do volunteer work at the local PD." she said sweetly. "Then maybe there'd be no more slashers."

"Well, can you picture me, working at a crime scene while wearing armor?"

"Not really."

Tony smiled. "The cops don't, either."

She smiled back, but it was obvious she was as uncomfortable as he was. They'd never really talked before –hell, they'd rarely ever been in the same room- and now she'd found him at the very place that Thor had come to love during his brief sojourn on Earth.

She must be wondering what the hell he was doing there.

Her first question took him by surprise.

"What you said when I was coming… Did you say Terminathor?"

"I used to call him that sometimes," he said reluctantly; "Called him other names too, but he dug this one the best."

She nodded thoughtfully. She was silent for a moment, then, "You must be wondering what I'm doing here." When Tony didn't reply, she said, "Thor told me about this place a while ago. He said he loved to come here to watch the sunset. Red sunsets, he called them."

"It's the pollution," Tony said quietly.

"I saw your car in the parking lot, by the way."

"It was still there? That's good."

"The winos are keeping guard," she said. "They must think you are a generous tipper."

Was that sarcasm? He couldn't decide.

"I was surprised," she said. "You didn't strike me as the contemplative kind."

What kind am I, then?

"I came to say goodbye to my friend," he said quietly. And I'm not going anywhere.

She smiled.

"Mind if I join you?" And without waiting for a response, she marched on towards him.

It briefly occurred to Tony that the edge of a cliff was probably not the safest place to share with one lover's girlfriend, (even if she didn't know he was her boyfriend's lover), but he was basically a courteous man, (and a chivalrous superhero to boot), and so he stood aside for her.

"Oh. This is beautiful," she said, taking in the entire view. "I can see why he loved this place." She glanced at him, then at the box in his hands. "What's that?"

Tony opened the box. There were six donuts neatly arranged in two rows –three sugar donuts, three covered with icing.

"A gift to the gods." she said.

Again that tone that could be sarcasm… or not.

"He loved these," he said noncommittally.

"He loved coffee, too."

"Yes." Tony was silent for a moment, then, "Not fancy coffee, though." Thor despised Tony's cappuccino machine.

She smiled. "He preferred what I call diesel coffee. Like this," she added, taking something from her shoulder bag. A red thermos. "His favorite," she added. See? She seemed to be saying, I knew him well too.

"Another gift," Tony said quietly.

She faltered, but quickly got a hold of herself.

"Would you like some?" Again, she didn't wait for a response. She glanced around and noticed a grassy spot just a few feet away. She motioned him there.

Tony hesitated. She was taking over the situation and he didn't like it. And she was being way too nice. In Tony's experience, girlfriends of Superheroes were a jealous, resentful bunch who hated the way their loved ones seemed to relish going on a mission rather than staying with them. They just didn't like the rest of the team.

But maybe Jane Foster was more sensible than most.

Tony sat next to her, putting the box of donuts in between. He opened a pocket in his backpack and brought up a plastic cup.

She filled it to the brim. "It's really strong," she warned.

"It's ok."

He winced at the taste of the coffee. Diesel coffee was right. He drank it anyway. It gave him an excuse not to talk, and the taste wasn't so bad once you got used to it…

But it had definitely tasted better in Thor's mouth.

But then, he tasted good everywhere. Tony smiled, then checked himself. He had the uncomfortable feeling that Jane could read his thoughts.

But she wasn't looking at him. She was looking out the sea, seemingly lost in thought. She hadn't even tasted her coffee yet.

Tony covertly watched her. Here was the woman Thor had loved; he was curious. He wondered what it was about her that caught Thor's interest; wondered what she'd do if she ever found out it (whatever "it" was) didn't keep Thor from hooking up with a guy. Would she be jealous? Pissed? Devastated? Some women turned murderous when they found out, but Jane didn't seem the type. Not that he knew her that well. He knew she loved Thor, though. There was no doubt about that.

Tony wondered what it felt to love someone (and be loved) only to lose in the end. He really had no clue, but he had a vague idea of what she was going through, and, well… he felt sorry for her.

He wished there was something he could do for her.

His eye fell on the box of donuts. He pushed it closer to her. "Want one?"

She blinked in surprise.

"Oh. No, thank you."

"Are you sure? These are the best in town." And he tilted the box so she had a better view.

She smiled reluctantly.

"I can't, really," she said. "But you go ahead."

"Ok," he said, as if he was only doing it to please her. "But I warn you; once I start, I won't be stopping. So, if you want one, you'd better take it now."

She smiled, genuinely amused, but didn't take any.

"Fine," Tony said. He took a long, hard look at the donuts, then picked the one with maple icing.

"Do you always take this long to choose?"

"Sure."

"I thought they all tasted the same."

"Who told you that?" Tony asked indignantly. "For your information, young lady, a chocolate donut tastes better if you eat a maple one first," and to illustrate this, he took a big bite of the donut in his hand. He chewed heartily…

And almost choked when she spoke next.

"I knew about you and Thor."

He paused for a couple of seconds, then cautiously went on chewing; cautiously and slowly, very slowly, while he mentally composed his defense.

"He never said anything," she said, matter-of-factly, as if it were a casual conversation between friends. "But I could tell. I saw the way he looked at you; saw the way he smiled at you." She paused until he met her gaze. "I knew that smile."

Tony Stark had two rules when it came to meeting one's lover's girlfriend. The first one was to avoid meeting one's lover's girlfriend in the first place. But it was the second rule that he found the most useful (and realistic): when confronted by the inevitable, there was only one thing to do: deny.

But Jane's attitude was so unexpected, he forgot all about that one.

"Either you're the most open-minded woman I've ever met, or this coffee's laced with Strychnine."

She shook her head.

"It's only coffee, Mr. Stark." And she pointedly took a sip from her own cup. She kept her gaze on him, gauging his every reaction. She was in control, and she knew it.

For once Tony Stark was a loss for words.

Shit. What now?

"You're very -" Tony struggled for the right word. "Level-headed."

She scoffed.

"What am I supposed to do –scratch your eyes out?"

He smiled a little. Lovers' girlfriends had dented a couple of cars of his, but nobody had ever attacked him personally. Too risky. And maybe, just maybe, they didn't care that much for their lovers anyway.

"I always knew when he'd been with you," she said quietly. "He told me jokes afterwards. I knew he'd learned them from you."

"Not all of them," Tony said cautiously. Hawkeye had told him a fair share of jokes. Atrocious jokes.

She was watching him.

"You must think I don't have any self-respect," she said.

He only shook his head.

"No? Even though I kept seeing a man who -"

"A god," Tony countered.

She hesitated, then scoffed softly.

"A god. You're right," she added. "Once I accepted he was the god of thunder come to Earth, it seemed there was very little I wouldn't do for him. Even sharing him with a man." She paused for a moment, then shook her head. "I can't believe I'm telling you this."

"Yeah, well; who else could you tell it to?"

She looked at him with interest.

"You're right. It wasn't something I could discuss with my friends. If I had -"

"They would have told you to dump him."

"No, they would have told me to scratch your eyes out," she replied. "But then, they would assume Thor was seeing another woman." She held his gaze. "Were you jealous of me?"

"No."

"No? Ever? I'm offended."

"Were you jealous of me?"

She considered this.

"At first," she said slowly. "Then I realized I'd feel more threatened by another woman. And I knew of your reputation; I was sure you'd simply move on. But then you didn't move on -"

"Well, it's hard to move on when you live in the same building," he said reasonably; "We worked side by side -"

"Yes. I could never compete with that. And he seemed happy. You obviously filled a space in him that I could never hope to fill."

Tony almost laughed out loud, (oh, he'd filled some spaces in Thor, all right!) but held back when he saw she was serious. Too serious. She obviously had a wrong idea of what he and Thor had.

"The work kept us together, Jane; you're the reason he wanted to stay in the first place."

She smiled.

"You're being nice to me. I didn't expect that."

"Yeah, well. We're in this together." He raised his cup of coffee and touched hers.

"We both lost," she said quietly.

Cheers.

They were silent for a moment.

"Did you give him a hard time?" he asked suddenly. "When he told you he was leaving?"

"No." She saw the surprise in his eyes. "I always knew he'd leave one day."

"So, you knew about his engagement."

"No. But I knew he'd eventually go back to Asgard. He had a destiny to fulfill."

"Marriage to another deity," Tony said quietly.

Her eyes filled with tears. She raised her cup and pretended to sip her coffee, but she wasn't fast enough to cover her pain.

Tony looked away and gave her a chance to recover.

"What about you?" she said after a moment, "Did you give him a hard time?"

Tony only smiled sheepishly.

"You did?" She was surprised. "What did you do?"

"I said some things I shouldn't have. I thought he'd be around forever," he added, as if that explained everything. "You were wiser than me."

"I don't know," she said thoughtfully. "I've been thinking about it and… I've realized I never really enjoyed what we had. I kept holding back."

"He knew you loved him," he said generously. He looked down. Wonder what it feels to love and be loved like that? Still… Thor did love him, in a way. And he was so fucking generous and kind… More than anyone Tony had ever met.

But there was no use thinking of that now. So, to change the subject, he nodded at her bag.

"So, what else d'you got there?"

"An antidote for Strychnine," she said dryly.

Tony looked up sharply.

She smiled. "Make-up and a box of Kleenex, Mr. Stark."

"I see," Tony said casually; "I was hoping you'd brought some burritos to go with the coffee. No matter," he added. "We still got these." He picked the white box again. "You sure you don't want one?"

"I can't. They're -"

"Fattening, yeah. But they're delicious."

She hesitated, then rolled her eyes in a 'what the hell' gesture. She gingerly reached for one covered in sugar.

"No!"

She abruptly pulled her hand back.

Tony was instantly apologetic. "Sorry. Sorry, I shouldn't have done that; here," he added, offering her the box again. "Take it." But she wouldn't move now. "Please." But as her hand hovered over the sugar donuts, he said. "Those were his favorite."

She picked one with pink icing instead.

"Sugar donuts are too messy anyway," she said.

Tony smiled to himself. Yeah, they were messy, but that was the point: Thor would end up with sugar sprinkled all over his beard and mustache, and Tony would lick the sugar off him, and then they would kiss and share the sweetness. Then Thor would eat another donut, and so on, and -

Jane put an end to his reverie.

"Did you love him?"

"I liked him a lot," he said austerely.

"Were you faithful to him?" Tony didn't immediate respond, so she added, "I was. I think he expected it."

Tony nodded wearily.

"He did. Back at the very beginning, he ruined a couple of dates of mine."

"He did?" She was surprised. "How?"

"He sent thunder and lighting my way. He swore he didn't do it, and I believed him the first time, but..." He let the word trail off. The second time, he'd stormed into Thor's suite and demanded point blank if he'd ruined his yacht outing. Thor, who'd been polishing an antique knife, calmly put his tools aside and looked up. "I?" That's all he said, and damn if he didn't manage to convey hurt and surprise that Tony would even ask the question.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't give me that. My yacht was the only one with a fucking thunder display over it; it had to be you! Do you know how hard it's for Jase and me to get together? It'll probably be a year before he can get away from his wife again!" Thor considered these words for a moment. Then he rose and walked up to Tony and, looking sad -the saddest he'd ever been- he asked, "Is it he who you'd rather be with, then?" And Tony couldn't give an honest answer to that. He did want to be with Jason, but what the hell, Thor was right there, and he looked hot and he was available - But wait, he was not always available; what about Jane? But before Tony could bring her up, Thor started kissing him and there was nothing more to say or do.

So, he'd been jealous of Jane. The realization stung. Tony-motherfucking-Stark was not the jealous kind! And if he said it enough times he might start believing it.

He glanced at Jane, and realized she was looking curiously at him. "He was a jerk," he said.

She smiled. "But so charming."

Tony stared at her for a moment.

"I guess this has been more difficult for you," he ventured.

"Because I'm a woman?" She met his gaze. "I believe it's just as difficult as it is for you."

"Nah," he said casually. "I'm used to losing."

"But you were angry when he told you of his engagement."

"I was angry because he was leaving," he countered. "I just wanted him to stick around. I didn't - I wasn't -" I didn't love him, he wanted to say; I wasn't in love. But it wasn't true, was it? He did love the man. When he thought of the guy's kindness, the way he supported him when they failed… Or the way he reacted whenever Tony told him a particularly drenching story from his childhood: He held him all through the night, for instance; tell him some tale that would raise his spirits.

"He used to sing," he said softly.

"Songs of ale and love," she said, smiling. "I only understood half of what he was saying, but -"

"His folktales were easier to understand."

"Folktales?" She frowned. "He never told me any."

Tony hesitated for just a second.

"Oh, well, then you probably don't have trouble falling asleep." Actually, sleep was the last thing he needed when he was with Thor; he was just being considerate. Secretly, he was thrilled that Thor had told those stales only to him; acted them out, actually. Thor would pace about the room, doing voices, mimicking the characters' gestures...

Not that he was sweet all the time. Thor was fiercely loyal, but he raised hell whenever he thought Tony was wrong. And Tony was a better man for it. He learned so much from him -

And suddenly, Tony realized that Jane was right; it really was just as difficult for him –maybe more so, because Thor wasn't just another lover gone forever; he was every man Tony had craved in his life: lover, brother, friend, protector.

Oh, God.

"I did love him," he blurted out. "I loved that son of a bitch."

He touched his chest. Something deep inside him hurt -hurt like hell in fact. Tony'd heard people say love hurts, but he never took it seriously. Till now.

He took a couple of deep breaths. They helped… Until she spoke.

"He loved you too," she said softly.

Tony looked at her. She was smiling. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, but she wasn't embarrassed by them now.

"He loved us." And she said it was if she didn't realize it till now.

Tony's eyes clouded with tears too. Oh, shit. When was the last time he cried? Oh, yeah. When Yinsen died.

But Thor wasn't dead.

He wasn't.

"This is all wrong," he said abruptly. "He's alive; we should be celebrating that."

She hesitated.

"Come on," he said. "We want him to be happy, right?"

"With her?"

"A deity," Tony said. "Chosen by Odin."

"She's a blonde," Jane said, her voice filled with despise. "Blue-eyed and tall."

Tony had to smile at this. "So?"

"She's not her type," she said firmly. "We are. Brown-haired, brown-eyed," she added, eyeing his hair first, then his eyes. "Not too tall."

"You're right," Tony said in sudden realization. He didn't even mind the 'not too tall' part.

He was going to add something, then stopped.

The sky had darkened all of a sudden, and a harsh wind flew over the sea.

Alarmed, she rose to their feet.

"What's that?"

Tony's reaction was slower. He picked the donuts before he rose. "California weather," he said matter-of-factly. "It could clear, or it might not. But maybe it's time for us to go."

Lighting flashed across the sky then. They braced themselves for the sound of thunder, but it never came. And then, just as quickly, the sky cleared again.

Tony frowned. "Ok, that was not typical California weather." He was about to call JARVIS, when Jane spoke.

"Oh, my God," she said. She was pointing at the trail behind them.

He turned.

Thor was standing there, looking flushed and disoriented. He was holding Mjolnir close to his chest, as if he were protecting it from an unseen threat. Then he looked around. He seemed reassured by the familiar setting, but faltered at the sight of them. He stared in disbelief for a few seconds, then tentatively walked in their direction, as carefully as one who fears that a sudden move will shatter an illusion.

Then, just a few feet away, he stopped and, overcome with emotion, dropped to his knees.

"Hey," Tony said. "What's wrong?"

Thor didn't raise his gaze.

"I have been banished from Asgard."

"What happened?" This from Jane.

"I refused to wed Astrid." He looked up at last, not at Tony and not at Jane, but at one point between them. "I could not forsake you."

Tony and Jane looked at each other.

Tony's heart was pounding hard. He was elated but he was scared shitless, too. And judging by the look on Jane's face, so was she. "What now?" Her eyes seemed to say.

The one who spoke first would settle the situation, and so Tony looked at Thor. He was going to do the honorable thing. Yep. He was used to losing, after all –

But Jane beat him to it.

"We have food," she said, raising her half-eaten donut.

Tony looked incredulously at her, but she kept her gaze on Thor.

Tony looked back. The demigod hadn't moved. He was obviously waiting for Tony to say something; a word of forgiveness or one that should banish him from Midgard too.

Yeah, right, Tony thought. Like I'm gonna do that.

"Come on," he said, motioning Thor to get up. "We were only waiting for you to get the party started." He smiled. "Welcome back."

And Thor's smile told him that was the right thing to say.

TWO AGAIN

Because Suzu-chan felt Thor should have come back only for Tony…

Tony entered the kitchen and made a beeline to the coffee machine. He was reaching for a cup when a voice behind him gave him a start.

"Good morning."

He winced. Pepper Potts was sitting in a corner, looking perky as always.

"Miss Potts," he said formally. "Shouldn't you be out, doing your Christmas shopping?"

"I finished my shopping weeks ago," she said placidly; "Yours too."

"Yeah? Am I giving nice gifts this year?"

"Very nice," she said, with a satisfied note in her voice.

"And expensive, I bet."

"Aren't they always?" She raised the glass in her hand in a mock toast.

Tony smiled. He turned his attention back to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. Glancing about, he noted the boxes of cereal lined on the countertops, an open bottle of milk, baskets laden with apples and bananas…

There's no real food here.

"I brought you some muffins," Pepper said.

Tony turned. There was a bag on the breakfast nook.

"Blueberry," she said. From his favorite bakery too. As always, she was anticipating his every want.

Normally, Tony found this very reassuring.

Not today.

He gulped some coffee and looked out the window. It was a nice day. Quiet. Too quiet.

"Where's everybody?" he asked, mostly to fill the silence. He already knew where his fellow Avengers were. Out on missions, or at the labs.

With one exception.

It was Friday, (or as Tony called it, Jane Day), which meant Thor Odinson had gone to… wherever the hell Jane Foster lived, (Tony refused to find out her address). Not only that; it was December 21. Per their agreement, Jane got Thor from Friday through Monday, with Tony getting him the other days, except on holidays, which Thor invariably spent with her.

Which meant Thor would be away till January the 2nd.

"Oh, joy," Tony muttered.

"Did you say something?" Pepper asked sweetly.

Tony ignored her. Oh, he knew what she was doing. It happened every Friday: She watched him; she followed his every move and looked for signs of malcontent…

But he was not going to give her any. Sure, it was a weird situation; he, of all people, was acting like a divorced dad sharing custody of his kid! It was ridiculous. Thor wasn't a kid; he was a grown man –a deity, for crying out loud. But hey, if Thor was happy, (and he was), Tony was happy too. Most of the time, that is.

Fridays were bad for him though. Until he buried himself in work, he brooded over this arrangement and invariably came to the same conclusion: I should have talked to my lawyers before signing up.

The thought bought a reluctant smile to his lips. Yeah, right. He could imagine old, venerable Mr. Weinstein doing a double take and asking him to 'please explain again'. And when he finally understood, he would have blushed to the tips of his ears.

Ah, but once he did understand, he would have got me a better deal.

And that was the heart of the problem, wasn't it? Tony had let the final decision to Jane. Oh, he thought he was being a gentleman at the time, but now he could see he was a schmuck.

The others tried to warn him. Bruce, Pepper… Actually, Pepper didn't say anything, but her reaction was eloquent enough: she only shook her head when she heard of the arrangement.

"I know what you're thinking," Tony had said. "You're thinking this is not very feminist of Jane, and that she shouldn't compromise -"

"Actually, Tony, it's you I'm worried about."

"Me? Why?" He was banging Thor; how bad could that be? He didn't say so, of course, but she probably guessed what he was thinking.

She'd merely smiled at him. A sad little smile; a smile that said, 'oh, you poor, little idiot, you don't know what you're getting into.'

"What?" he'd asked, irked, "You don't think I can keep my end of the bargain?"

"I know you can," she said patiently. "I'm just wondering if it's going to be enough."

And now he understood what Pepper meant.

It wasn't enough.

And Thor didn't make it easier. Some Fridays, (like today), he took too long to do things. He stayed longer in bed, took longer to wash up, took far too long to dress, and then wandered about the room doing nothing, until, (like today), Tony snapped at him and told him to just-fucking-go already –which was the wrong thing to say, 'cause Thor thought Tony was trying to get rid of him, and then he looked at Tony with big blue eyes filled with something that looked like hurt. And Tony, instead of trying to explain, just walked out of the room, and (like today) came down to the kitchen to get some coffee and food.

"Ah, shit," he muttered to himself. I wonder if I fucked up this relationship.

Hawkeye entered the kitchen just then. He nodded at Pepper, then, studiously avoiding Tony's eye, asked, "Anybody knows what Thor's doing out there?"

"Out there, where?"

"He's sitting on a ledge of the Empire State Building."

Tony glanced outside. He had a clear view of the Empire State –which was one of the reasons he'd built Stark Tower in that location, in the first place: He wanted to look down at the Empire State building.

"I don't see anything."

"He's on the other side," Hawkeye said. "He's just sitting there, like he's some sort of gargoyle." He looked at Tony this time. Pepper looked up too. Tony avoided meeting Pepper's gaze, but from the tilt of her head, he knew exactly what she was thinking, 'Well? Aren't you gonna something do about it?'

He stalled a couple of seconds, then determinedly put his cup down.

"JARVIS? Get the Mark VIII ready will you?"

Tony flew to the other side of the Empire State, half-expecting to see it empty, (Hawkeye had a sick sense of humor, after all) but as it turned out, it was true; Thor was sitting there, looking uncomfortable with arms holding his knees.

Tony found a ledge and cautiously settled there. He raised his visor.

"Hey," he said.

Thor raised his gaze.

"Metal Man."

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked. "Shouldn't you be on your way to…" To wherever the hell Jane Foster lives. "Shouldn't you be at Jane's?"

Thor shook his head.

Tony frowned. "What's going on?" Half-joking, he added, "You didn't have a fight, did you?"

Thor sighed, then nodded.

Tony raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. He waited for some other revelation, but none came. Not surprising, given it was Thor, the least communicative man he knew. Go into battle, and Thor would find the right words to say; mention feelings, and that gorgeous mouth would snap shut.

Not that Tony was any better at it. He wasn't the kind of man people turned to for advice, and so he was poorly equipped to deal with the problem.

He cleared his throat.

"Are you ok?"

Thor stared ahead, as if he were thinking of the appropriate response.

Tony tried again. "Aren't you cold?" Of course, he wasn't, (he was a demigod, for God's sake!) but Tony didn't know what else to say. "You're sitting on a slab of ice, you know." He paused for a moment. "What I'm trying to say is, you could sit in your own room at the Tower."

But Thor didn't move.

Tony looked away. He knew what was coming. He knew… and he didn't wanna hear it. And by the looks of things, Thor didn't wanna say it either. But they couldn't stay there all morning either.

"So. Thor. What was the fight about?" It had to be him, of course. Jane was a sweet girl, but how long before she snapped and gave Thor an ultimatum? "Was it about me?"

Thor nodded reluctantly.

"What did she say?"

Thor didn't immediately respond.

"She -" He started, then stopped.

"Uh, huh?" Tony nodded, encouraging Thor to go on.

"She said -"

"Ok…?"

"She asked -"

"Yes?"

Thor looked down.

Tony sighed.

"Just say it, Thor," he said kindly. "I can take it."

Thor gulped.

"She demanded that I make a choice."

Tony nodded.

"I understand," he said mechanically.

Thor looked up. "Do you?"

"Do I, what?"

"Do you understand?"

Tony considered. "Not really. It's just the kind of thing you say to get the other person to go on. So, go on."

Thor looked down.

"That is all."

"She asked you to choose between her and me." Thor nodded. Shit. Tony looked away. Below, the city looked beautiful. Clean. Peaceful. It wouldn't last –it never did- which made him all the more determined to want to hold on to this semblance of peace.

But nothing lasts forever.

Tony took a deep breath.

"It's ok," he said quietly. "If you want to stay with her, I mean." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Thor look up sharply. The big man didn't speak. "I mean, we can still be friends, right? That's not going to change."

Thor was looking at him.

"You would not mind?"

"Mind? No," Tony said off-handedly; then, because he just couldn't lie to Thor, "I mean, yeah, I would. I do," he amended. "But hey, I'll get used to it. Just as long as you came back now and then."

"Is that the truth?"

"Sure." Tony held on for a few seconds, and then, "Oh, who am kidding. It's not true. I'm just trying to do the right thing here, Thor. That's what heroes are supposed to do, right? They're noble and righteous, and self-sacrificing. Only I'm not any of those things."

Thor looked curiously at him.

"I try to be noble," Tony added wearily; "But I've been Tony Stark too long. And he's a selfish son of a bitch. And he wants you to stay. Every day. Holidays included."

Thor was frowning.

"But you asked me to fucking go."

Tony winced at the sound of that word in Thor's mouth.

"I'm sorry I said that. It's just… You know how it is, when you've got to remove a band-aid and you start peeling it at the edges, only it makes it worse? And so you just peed off the damn thing…? No, wait; you've never worn a band-aid; you can't know what I'm talking about."

"You want the pain to be over," Thor said slowly.

"Yeah! That's it."

"I never wished for you to feel pain," Thor said quietly. "Yet I hurt you. And I hurt Jane."

"Aw, it's not your fault. Jane and me went into this with our eyes open." He was silent for a moment. "So. You're sitting here while you make a decision?"

Thor shook his head.

"I've already made my decision," he said solemnly. "I told Jane I could not choose her over you."

Tony felt himself grow suddenly warm. Either the suit was malfunctioning, or he had a high fever. He didn't care.

"Really? You chose me?"

Thor nodded almost imperceptibly.

"You know, you could look a bit more cheerful about it," Tony noted. He was silent for a moment. "What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything. She…" he waved his fist in the air, mimicking a punch on the face.

"She punched you? Wow. Most girls would have punched the other guy." He shook his head. "I didn't think she had it in her." He studied Thor's face. "When did it happen? I never noticed a thing."

"You did," Thor said. "I had something here," and he pointed a spot on his jaw.

"Oh, yeah, I remember that bruise. But wait, that was weeks ago." Thor nodded.

Tony was silent for a moment. He was thinking of Jane, and of her generosity. She was the one who came up with the idea of sharing Thor for a few days at the time instead of the weeks or months that Tony had feared. That was nice of her. Sure, she couldn't keep her end of the bargain but that was not unexpected.

"Wait," Tony said suddenly. "You've been free all this time and didn't tell me? Why?" But he knew the reason. 'Just fucking go!' he'd told Thor that morning, as if the demigod was a nuisance. "You thought I only wanted you around from Tuesday to Friday."

Thor didn't reply.

"Oh, man. That's… " Stupid. He didn't say it. "Well, just so you know, I want you to stay full-time with me. With us." Then he smiled. "You know what's funny? There were a couple of times when I almost went after you. I thought I'd grab you by the hair and force you to come back. But I'd given my word to you and Jane, so I never tried."

To his surprise, Thor's eyes gleamed mischievously.

"I wish you had tried."

"Really? You wanted me to act like a caveman?" Thor's smile widened. "You know, it could still happen," Tony said slowly. "If you really want me to."

Thor reached for Mjolnir.

"I shall meet you in Cornwell woods."

"Cornwell woods? Isn't that the place where we first fought?" Tony smiled. "You really are a romantic!"

…Coming up, TWO FOREVER.