Still Holding On

Three Months Later...

"Are you sure I should be here?" Loki asks warily. "I don't quite fit the description."

"'Course you do," Tony says.

"This is quite literally a party for people who fought against me," Loki reminds him.

"No, it's a party for the people that helped stop the Chitauri invasion," Tony corrects him. "For example, Rogers bossed everyone around. I flew a nuke through a wormhole. And you..." He pokes Loki with his finger. "You did your damnedest to get us off our asses to stop you."

"I don't know if that—"

"Yeah, well, I already told Rogers you were coming, so you're coming," Tony says with an exaggerated sense of finality that really doesn't apply because he would absolutely bring him home right now if he asked (and how sweet is it that they can both call the tower home?).

"And you're sure it won't be strange?" Loki asks.

"It will be fine," Tony assures him. "It's just a party. Hell, it's not even a party; it's just a little get-together."

Loki sighs. "I just don't want to make everything weird."

"You won't," Tony says firmly. "You've seen all of them within the last, like, two months. They all like you. You like all of them. It'll be fine." With a grin, he adds, "Besides, even if it does suck, you still get pizza and bowling out of it — and you get to hang out with me!" He cups his face and smiles with exaggerated innocence.

Loki shakes his head to himself. "Alright. Let's go inside before Thor makes his dramatic entrance and we both end up drenched."

The parking lot is entirely empty, Tony's car excluded, so he's a bit surprised when they enter the bowling alley and Steve, Natasha, and Clint are already there (and two employees, but they don't count). Stupid public transportation, making bowling alleys look empty when they're not.

The trio wave at them, and Tony and Loki wave back, though they have to get some bowling shoes to borrow before they can join them. Fortunately, he bought out the whole place for the night, so there's no line at the counter and they have their bowling shoes on within minutes.

"Nice of you to finally show up," Natasha says when the two of them join the group.

"We're not even the last people here," Tony reminds her. Bruce and Thor haven't even gotten here yet.

"She knows that," Clint says.

"They were the first ones here," Steve adds, "so I'm pretty sure she's just going to say that every time somebody walks through the doors."

Natasha smirks. "Yep," she says, popping the p.

Because he's a polite little patriot, Steve asks, "How are you guys? It's been a while."

"I think we're doing pretty good," Tony says, though he looks at Loki to confirm it.

"I've certainly been doing well," he agrees. "And you?"

"Busy," Steve says. "Really busy."

"Oh?" Loki says politely. "A good kind of busy or a bad kind?"

"Bit of both," Steve replies. "A chaotic kind of busy."

"Well, I'm glad you had a night to spare," Loki says.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

When Bruce shows up, he does so with beer — Natasha's request, apparently — and most of them crack open a bottle while they wait for their final guest. Loki politely refuses on account of the fact that "Midgardian beer tastes strange," which just leaves more for the rest of them, so he's met with no complaints.