Shine Again (An Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame Story)

Chapter 1: Welcome to New York

    "Tones... don't worry about it. Come on, come sit on the couch," the blonde murmured, guiding the genius to sit down. Anja had come back with a towel and quickly cleaned the mess up, tossing the towel in the kitchen sink before coming back into the room.

    "Boss has had episodes like this for the past week, Miss Layla. The cold is probably a contributing factor for his PTSD flashbacks of Siberia," F.R.I.D.A.Y. interjected, making Tony groan.

    "Jesus, F.R.I.D.A.Y., you couldn't just keep that to yourself," he hissed angrily.

    Layla softly carded her fingers through his hair, noting that it was getting shaggy and probably could do for a cut. "Hush, Tony. These are the kinds of things Anja and I, and well, Rhodey and Pepper, need to know about. You don't have to suffer alone. Screw those other guys. You're what is important." She watched as Tony only looked down at the floor and remained silent. "Look, I'll go make us some hot cocoa, okay?"

    Anja quickly moved to take her friend's place next to Tony and pulled him into a hug. Tony moved into it without a fight and just stood there. Making her way to the kitchen, Layla began to murmur quietly to F.R.I.D.A.Y..

    "We got everything we need, Fri? I know Tony has a tendency to forget that milk goes bad."

    "Yes, all the ingredients you need are in the pantry and the milk is fresh. Mr. Rhodes made sure of that when he left a few days ago. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of actual food stocked. Boss hasn't really been eating much since Ms. Potts left a few days ago for her business trip," F.R.I.D.A.Y. remarked glumly. "I have yet to be satisfactory in getting him to acquire significant nourishment. He's only snacked on a few blueberries and some protein shakes in the past few days."

    Seriously Tony, Layla groused to herself, rubbing a hand across the back of her neck. "Yeah, go ahead and order some groceries that should last us for the week, Fri. Maybe just order something to be delivered for the night, too. Pizza will probably work. You know what we like."

    "Will do, Miss Layla."

    The blonde made her way around the kitchen and gathered all of the ingredients she needed and put them all on the counter next to the stove. Quickly pinning her hair up and ignoring a few strands that fell around her face, she took a minute to find an appropriate pan and some mugs.

    "Hey, Anja, you want some marshmallows?"

    "What kind of stupid question is that? We want all of the marshmallows," Tony called out, sounding like his old self for a moment. She could hear Anja snickering along with Tony.

    "Of course, whatever was I thinking," Layla laughed, smirking. She had just sat the pan on the stove when she heard the elevator ding. "Fri?"

    Quickly making her way to the elevator, she frowned as F.R.I.D.A.Y. failed to respond swiftly. Grabbing her gun, she whipped it up and was standing in a defensive mode just as the elevator doors opened fully.

    "...Thor?" Layla was shocked to see the god strolling out, his normal thunderous entrance non-existent.

    "Lady Layla!" the man boomed, rushing forward to pull her into a hug. "It has been so long!"

    "Facial recognition complete. Thor Odinson, Bruce Banner, Reindeer Games, and one unidentified person," F.R.I.D.A.Y. responded belatedly, sounding exasperated.