Respect | S. Rogers [1]

44 | BATTLE OF NEW YORK

May 2012

SHIELD Helicarrier

After Tony had finished refining his suit, they suit up. Steve had gotten Agent Romanoff and Barton, the former claiming the Loki influence in the latter was gone, so part of the team that Fury had picked out for the Avengers Initiative was ready to leave and defend the world.

The two sets of best friends walked towards a jet, where one agent was working. The man stood up saying: "Hey you guys aren't authorized to be in here."

"Son, just don't," Steve told him in a warning. Soon enough the man left and Romanoff and Barton prepared themselves to drive the jet.

Rosemary, who was holding back her amused smiled looked up to Steve beside her. "You know, just because we're supposed to be old and wrinkly, doesn't mean we have to act like it."

Steve looked away in embarrassment. "Shut up."

Stark Tower, New York

Tony had arrived as Iron Man to his penthouse, casually walking down the gauntlet that started to take off his suit, he did own the place after all. Going to his bar, Loki walked inside the building as well.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity," the god of Mischief said.

"Uh actually, I'm planning to threaten you," Tony said coolly as matter-of-fact.

"You should have left your armour on for that."

"Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage and you've got the uh, blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"

"Stalling me won't change anything," Loki told him.

"No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one," Stark said nonchalantly in his elegant fashion.

"The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?"

"The Avengers," Tony, ready to serve himself a drink, informed confusing Loki. "That's what we call ourselves, we're sort of like a team," he explained, "'Earth's mightiest heroes' type of thing."

"Yes, I've met them," Loki smiled smugly.

"Yeah," Tony smiled dryly with a slight scoff. "It takes us a while to get any traction. I'll give you that one. But let's do a headcount here: your brother, the demigod; a decades-old trained spy with cool powers; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger-management issues; a couple of master assassins and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them."

Until now Tony had been playing with the elements at the bar, distracting Loki, since that plan was working and wasn't facing him for the moment, Tony put on two bracelets that would send one of his suits that JARVIS was preparing to him.