The victory party was in full swing in one of the common areas of Avengers Tower. The Avengers were all there, of course, and many of the people closest to them. Tony’s old friend Rhodey was telling a story about one of his exploits in the War Machine suit while Dr. Cho and Sam Wilson kept up a conversation, even though she kept looking past him at Thor. “So I fly the tank to the general’s palace and just drop it at his feet. I’m like, ‘Looking for this?’” Rhodey said, finishing his story and waiting for a reaction.

Tony, Thor, and Maria Hill just looked at him, expecting something more.

Rhodey threw up his hands. “Why do I even talk to you guys? Everywhere else, that story kills.”

“That’s the whole story?” Thor asked. “Oh, it’s very good!” He was trying to be polite.

Rhodey noticed. “That’s a quality save,” he told Thor. Then he asked Tony, “Pepper’s not coming?”

“And what about Jane?” Hill added, referring to Jane Foster, who everyone knew was Thor’s real love. “Gentlemen, where are the ladies?”

“Ms. Potts has a company to run,” Tony said.

“I’m not even sure what country Jane’s in,” Thor said. “Her work on the convergence has made her the world’s foremost astronomer.” The convergence was the name applied to the phenomenon that had occurred in the skies during the Battle of New York, when the Chitauri had created a portal from their part of the universe to Earth.

“And the company Ms. Potts runs is the biggest tech conglomerate on Earth,” Tony said, not to be outdone.

Thor wasn’t done yet. “There’s talk of Jane’s getting the Nobel Prize.”

“Oh, yeah, they must be busy,” Hill said. “Because they’d hate missing it when you guys get together.” She coughed and added, “Testosterone.”

Thor and Tony grinned at each other while Rhodey laughed. They knew she was right. Even so, Thor couldn’t resist adding, “But mine is better.”

Meanwhile, Steve and Sam were catching up. “Sounds like a hell of a fight,” Sam said, referring to Sokovia. “Sorry I missed it.”

“Well, if I’d known it was going to be a firefight, I might’­ve—”

“No, no, I’m not actually sorry,” Sam said. “I just wanted to sound tough. I’m very happy tracking cold leads on our missing persons case. Avenging is your world.” He looked around. “Your world is crazy.”

“Be it ever so humble,” Steve said.

“Ever find a place in Brooklyn?” Sam asked.

Steve chuckled. “I’m not sure I can afford a place in Brooklyn.” Being an Avenger was great, but it didn’t pay all that well.

“Yeah, but home is home,” Sam said. They went to catch up with Thor, who was sitting with some World War II veterans and uncorking a bottle he’d brought from Asgard.

“It’s aged for a thousand years, in barrels built from the wreck of Grunhel’s fleet,” Thor explained as he poured a small amount into each man’s glass. “Not meant for mortal man.”

“Neither was Omaha Beach, Blondie,” one of the vets said. “Stop trying to scare us.”

But five minutes later, when he’d tasted the liquor, he was ­glassy-​­eyed and muttering, “Excelsior...” Thor watched as his friends got ready to help him get home.

Natasha mixed a drink for herself and one for Bruce at the bar. “How’d a nice girl like you wind up working in a dump like this?” Bruce teased.

“A fella done me wrong,” Natasha said, going with the joke.

“You got lousy taste in men, kid.”

“Well, he’s not so bad. He’s got a temper, but deep down, he’s all fluff. Fact is, he’s not like anyone I’ve ever known.” She was serious now and nervous about expressing her feelings. “All my friends are fighters. And here’s a guy who spends his life avoiding fights because he knows he’ll win.”

Bruce reflected for a moment. “He sounds amazing.”

Natasha laughed. “He’s also a huge dork. Chicks dig that. So what do you think? Should I fight this? Or should I run with it?”

“Run with it,” Bruce said. “Or what did he do to you that was so wrong?”

“Not a thing,” Natasha said. She leaned in very close to him, almost kissing distance. “But never say never.” Then she went off with her drink to join another group. Bruce watched her go.

“It’s nice,” Steve said, sitting down next to him.

“What is?”

“You guys. You and Romanoff.”

“We didn’t,” Bruce stammered. “We haven’­t—”

“No one’s breaking any bylaws,” Steve said with a grin. “It’s just, she’s not usually the most open person. But she’s very relaxed with you. Both of you.”

“Oh, no, Natasha...​she likes to flirt,” Bruce said.

“I’ve seen her flirt,” Steve said, shaking his head. “Up close. This ain’t that. Look, as a guy who may be the world’s greatest authority on waiting too long...​don’t. You both deserve a win.”

Bruce thought about this. Then he said, “What do you mean, up close?”

But Steve wasn’t going to answer that.

Later, the only people left were the Avengers, and the party was winding down. They were all sitting around Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, which rested on a coffee table. “But it’s a trick,” Clint was saying. He was all healed thanks to Dr. Cho’s ­tissue-​­regeneration procedure.

“It’s more than that,” Thor said.

“‘Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power’—​­it’s a trick, or you’re just psyching everyone out,” Clint insisted.

Thor gestured at Mjolnir. “Please. Be my guest.”

Clint stood. “Now, Clint, you’ve had a tough week,” Tony said. “We won’t hold it against you if you can’t.”

Still looking at Thor, Clint said, “You know I’ve seen this before, right?” He gripped Mjolnir’s haft and strained. The hammer didn’t move. “I still don’t know how you do it!”

“Smell the silent judgment?” Tony quipped.

“Please, Stark,” Clint said. “By all means.”

Tony unbuttoned his coat. “Never one to shrink from an honest challenge. It’s physics. So if I lift it, I rule Asgard?”

“Yes, of course.” Thor grinned.

Tony couldn’t lift it. He went and got an Iron Man gauntlet. Still nothing. Then he and Rhodey both got their gauntleted hands on it and strained with all their might. “Are you even pulling?” Rhodey asked.

“Are you on my team?” Tony shot back.

“Just pull!”

They gave up, and it was Steve’s turn. He actually managed to budge the hammer ever so slightly, but he couldn’t move it. Bruce let out a scream just to make everyone jump as he tried, but Mjolnir didn’t move.

Everyone looked at Natasha. “No, thank you,” she said. “That’s not a question I need answered.”

“It’s a con,” Tony said. “All deference to the Man Who Wouldn’t Be King, but it’s rigged.”

“Bet your ass,” Clint said.

“Steve!” Maria Hill said. “He said a ­bad-​­language word!”

Everyone cracked up. “Did you tell everyone about that?” Steve asked Tony.

Instead of answering, Tony waved at Mjolnir. “The handle’s imprinted, like a security code. ‘Whosoever is carrying Thor’s fingerprints’ is, I think, the literal translation.”

“That makes some sense,” Thor said, “but I have a simpler theory.” He picked up the hammer effortlessly. “You’re all not worthy.”

They all booed him and ­laughed—​­then they were cut off by an earsplitting whine, like feedback from a huge speaker. It died down after a moment, and a strong voice said, “Worthy. No. How...​how could you be worthy? You’re all killers.” YQ41J6XtBKKenFKCegFTLfdbnhj+bZ3+5OjPkA9WHOIGpBDv4rp+AqWEVxlYTPD1