The day of Thor's leaving party was upon the Stark tower. Guests that were invited were set to arrive at seven o'clock in the evening. The living room was set up with platters and drinks, the lights dimmed and JARVIS operating a music playlist to run through the night. Guests would be able to look out to the city and climb the stairs to the overlooks the showed the entire lower level. The balcony was allowed to be used under the condition that guests weren't too drunk. The bar was self-serve, but JARVIS was able to dispense beers, wines and other drinks that weren't cocktails.

Sue spoke with Natasha about what to wear. She wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a sophisticated event, but any party in the Stark tower was bound to be something of the sort. Natasha said she would be wearing a simple black dress with a white cardigan. She suggested Sue wear anything, as the guests would mostly be known to the team.

With her wardrobe open and Sue in a towel, she let out a sigh as she eyed the hem that stretched below the rest of her clothes. Its satin finish strobed from the lights in her bedroom, and it was yet to be removed from in-between a purple cocktail dress, and a sunset orange jumpsuit. The green dress hadn't been worn since 1999 at the Switzerland science conference. She wondered if it still fit, as the conference was over ten years ago. She wasn't in her twenties anymore and it was an attention-grabbing dress, to say the least.

For the sake of trying, Sue pulled the green dress out of her wardrobe and slipped it over her frame. Its material fell against her hips and its hem skimmed across the tiled floor. Sue caught sight of herself in the mirror that sat in the corner where the windows met the walls. Seeing her bare shoulders decorated with the thin straps of the dress made her think it would be too much, but when she stepped closer, her opinion changed.

In the lab, Tony sighed as another program failed to hold the consciousness of the scepter's power. He had been working at it for days, Bruce losing motivation earlier that morning. Tony was exhausted, but he was also thankful for the project, as it distracted him. When nights fell, he headed to his bedroom somewhere between two and three in the morning. He would be half relieved and half disappointed to find it empty. Sue had chosen to sleep in her bedroom for the nights he spent in the lab. Tony would then wake up in the early afternoon the next day, and head back into the lab. He hadn't seen anyone, besides Bruce, since the mission in Sokovia, so it wasn't his entire intension to avoid Sue. But the Stark tower was large, and he didn't make an effort to look for her.

'I'll continue to run variations on the interface, but you should probably prepare for your guests,' JARVIS suggested to Tony. 'I'll notify you if there are any developments.'

'Thanks, buddy.'

'Enjoy yourself, sir.'

'I always do.'

Guests arrived and mingled with the view of the city twinkling through the windows. A soft mumble hummed over the large room, the bar dispensing drinks and music playing in the background.

Johnny pulled Sue over to Steve, who was up on the overlook above the living room. He stood with a man who Steve talked to for a majority of the night, giving Sue the impression that they knew each other. Johnny climbed the stairs and approached the two men who leaned against the railing, drinks in their hands.

'Brooklyn's well overpopulated,' Johnny interrupted at the talk of the suburb. 'It won't be the same as it was when you were there, cap.'

'I guess so,' Steve shrugged and turned to his friend. 'Sam, this is Johnny Storm.'

'Oh, yeah, the torch,' Sam smiled and shook hands with the Storm. 'Big fan. I have to ask. Is it like an emotion thing? Can you get really angry and just... start a house fire, or something?'

'No, I have a good grasp on my emotions,' Johnny reached back and brought Sue forward with his arm around her shoulders. 'But Sue's an emotional wreck. Flickering in and out of reality is a common occurrence-'

'Thank you, Johnny,' Sue cut her brother off and glared up at him. She turned back to Steve and the man called Sam, and put on a close-lipped smile.

'Nice to meet you, Sam,' she slipped his hand into his and gave it a small shake. 'My emotional control has improved since my radiation exposure. Johnny, on the other hand, is still as dumb as he's been since he was eleven.'

The hand that was on Sue's shoulder grew hot and Sue let out a yelp. She ducked out his hold and touched the skin that grew red from Johnny's sizzling palm. Johnny held back a smirk and narrowed his eyes at Sam and Steve, who resisted the urge to laugh. Even though Sue and Johnny were approaching their forties, they still argued like they did when they were younger.

'Where are you guys from?' Sam used the hand that held his drink to gesture between the two Storms. 'Where in the UK, I mean?'

'Teddington,' Sue answered. 'We haven't been back in years, though.'

Tony was by the bar with Thor and Rhodey. Him and Thor were listening to a story that Rhodey relayed and hoped for a laugh. But Tony was lost from the conversation and couldn't ignore the Irish green dress that was up on the overlook with Johnny, Steve and Sam.

Ever since Sue walked into the room, he couldn't keep his eyes off her. The dress, which he remembered from Switzerland, sat on Sue's figure like it was made for her. Her thin shoulders held the straps up and her collarbones delicately intercepted them before they lead into the top of the dress. Its creases allowed Tony to see the dips of Sue's waist and the curves of her abdomen. He couldn't understand how he hadn't noticed how amazing she looked in it back in 1999.

''Boom! Are you looking-' Why do I even talk to you guys?' Rhodey gave up with his story when he saw Tony looking away and Thor looking disinterested. 'Everywhere else, that story kills.'

'That's the whole story?' Thor made sure.

'Yeah, it's a War Machine story.'

'Well, it's very good then,' Thor laughed and gave his charming smile in hopes of easing the awkwardness. 'It's impressive.'

Rhodey sighed and drank the last of his drink. He turned around to the bar and a robot, powered by JARVIS, poured him a straight whiskey with ice dispensing from its hand.

Up on the overlook, Sue sensed the stare that seared into her side. Steve was telling a story about a woman he knew who also came from England, and she turned away to look towards the bar. Sue met eyes with Tony, who looked over his shoulder and gave her a small smile. The two hadn't seen each other or spoken for days, yet any anger that Sue had for Tony, diminished once she saw his tired eyes. His habit of working too hard was something she tried to ween out of him ever since moving into the Stark tower. But because of the recent circumstances, she couldn't intervene with his toxic work ethic.

Guests flooded out of the tower at midnight and left the team in the living room. They littered the sofa and on the floor by the coffee table, all slightly tipsy, but comprehensive. Sue sat next to Clint, who was mumbling about how Thor's hammer was nothing but a trick. She swirled the last drink she would be having in her hand and held her feet up by her side. Her nude heels were left on the floor and her dress cascaded over the rest of the sofa.

'Oh, no. It's more than that,' Thor reassured Clint.

'Uh, 'Whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power!' Whatever, man! It's a trick,' Clint shook his head and gained a small laugh from the group.

'Well, please, be my guest,' Thor motioned to his hammer that sat on the coffee table.

'Really?'

'Yeah!'

Clint got up from his seat and clamped his right hand around the hammer's handle. He yanked and pulled, trying not to appear as if he was trying too hard. But no matter how much he tried; he couldn't even shift the weapon from its place on the table. He was teased by the group, and he sulked back in his seat, Sue giving him the last of her drink to cheer him up. He took it gratefully and Tony stood up, taking a stance behind the challenge.

'It's physics,' the man shrugged nonchalantly.

'Physics?!' Bruce scoffed.

'So, if I lift it, I... I then rule Asgard,' Tony said to Thor and the demi-god smirked.

'Yes, of course.'

'I will be reinstituting Prima Nocta,' Tony gripped the handle and Sue rolled her eyes, the action making her slightly dizzy. The drinks from the night were settling in and she wouldn't be far off from getting into her bed.

'I'll be right back,' Tony left and returned with his arm encased in his Iron Man armour. Even with miniature thrusters powering to lift, he still couldn't budge the hammer.

Rhodey jumped in to help, but was futile. Next was Bruce, who faked a transformation into The Hulk for some laughs. Steve was next up to bat and was able to budge it slightly, which went amiss by everyone besides Thor. The man's smirk dropped but when Steve sighed in defeat, he laughed nervously as he was still the worthiest.

'Hey, now,' Johnny stood up and the team's laughs halted. 'I would very much like to have my ego boosted.'

'Oh, please,' Tony rolled his eyes. 'If he picks it up, I'll know its rigged.'

'Feast your eyes, gentlemen. And ladies.'

Johnny spread his feet a part and grabbed the hammer with both hands. His biceps strained and he let out a grunt as he pulled. The team watched, trying to hold back their laughs as his face grew red and veins popped out of his neck. Steam started wafting through his t-shirt, the room starting to smell like charcoal. Thor chuckled at the pathetic attempt and Johnny loosened his grip, his protruding veins disappearing and the steam cooling.

'Not so hot now, are you, torch?' Clint chuckled and Johnny put on a brave face.

'Rigged.'

'And what about you two?' Bruce looked at Natasha before swiveling his head around to Sue. His eyebrows were raised, and Natasha scoffed.

'Oh, no, no,' Natasha shook her head. 'That's not a question I need answered.'

'And I've had too much to drink,' Sue said with a lazy grin, her eyes half-lidded.

'All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged,' Tony shrugged, and the team agreed.

'That's a very interesting theory. I have a simpler one,' Thor stood up and lifted the hammer with ease. 'You're all not worthy.'