Frostbitten

Safe Haven

Each member of the group braced themselves for touchdown. They slammed into the ground, leaving the fresh mark of the Bifrost into the earthy soil below. Sif raised her head and gazed around at the unfamiliar landscape before her. "Is this Earth? I thought the structures were much smaller..." 

They stood in a grassy field, though in front of them, buildings towered hundreds of feet into the sky. Below, stood many smaller structures, but each was brimming with life. Sounds of all kinds buzzed in the Asgardian's ears, each loud and strange. 

"It is. It appears we have landed in the place the Midgardians call, New York." Replied Thor, taking in the scenery for himself. 

Beside her, Loki paled. Just then, Sif recalled this was the very place Loki attacked. "Of course..." she heard him murmur. 

"Do not be weary, my friends!" Thor turned and smiled at the group. "I know of a place for us to take refuge."

Loki finally stepped forward, "Please don't tell me you mean-"

"Stark Tower." Thor replied, still grinning. Sif imagined he was happy to finally see his Earth friends again, but it made her no less skeptical of being on the planet itself.

Loki looked sick. "You know that if I step one foot in that place, they'll kill me for sure."

Thor shrugged, "They'll try, but once I get in contact with Mr. Stark himself, I assure you we will be fine."

Loki faced Sif and the Warriors Three, "I can't be the only one who thinks this is an awful idea."

"It may be, but it's all we have at the moment." Sif spoke up and began walking in the direction of the city that lay ahead along with Thor. Soon enough, the Warriors Three followed behind, leaving Loki alone in the field. He grunted and ran over to catch up with them, knowing he would definitely not stand a chance alone.

In the bustling streets of what Thor called New York, the group received a large amount of stares, even though Sif figured they would get many more. She presumed this city must've seen a lot of curious things if a group of aliens dressed in Viking armor seemed normal. 

Strange, new smells and sights were presented before them. While some of the scents that met Sif's nose were enticing, others were foul. Already, she longed to be back in the familiar atmosphere of Asgard. Though, Sif knew she'd return,  it just would not be easy. To return, Sif had to do what she always did. Fight. 

In front of them, loomed the illustrious Stark Building. Its long, slender frame reminded Sif vaguely of the palace. She felt a hand on her back, bringing her out of her daze. Sif looked to its owner, ready to fight, but she only found Volstagg attempting to herd her inside the skyscraper. The others were already filing into the doors, paying more attention to not getting fired at rather than Sif's whereabouts. 

Sif apologized quietly and followed the others with Volstagg close behind. Immediately, she was greeted by not-so-friendly looking man in a suit. In his hands a hand gun was wrapped below the man's fingers. Sif nearly scoffed out loud. Did this mortal truly believe they could defeat the Goddess of War with a puny gun? Never the less, she held her tongue. All around the huge room, men in suits stood at the ready, guns in hand. 

At the head of the group, Thor appeared to be waiting. For what, Sif did not know. They all waited patiently for several minutes without a hint of what was happening, trusting that Thor hadn't lost his mind. When a single chime of a bell rung out through the huge atrium of the entrance, the group's attention shot over to a set of two glass doors that slid smoothly apart. At last, out stepped another man whose attire was also a polished black suit. His hair was a sleek, dark mass of black, accompanied by a goatee that rested around his lips.

The strange man walked seriously over to them all, his eyes scanning the group. From the corner of her vision Sif saw Loki turn away, trying desperately not to make eye contact. Out of nowhere, the man's grim expression faded and bloomed into joy. "If it's not the Thunderer himself!"

Thor smiled came in for a hug, "Mr. Stark." 

Sif looked back and forth between the two. "Excuse me, but did I miss something? Who are you?" she asked as politely as she could.

Stark's gaze moved from Thor and into the crowd, until finally landing on Sif. "The name's Tony Stark. Eccentric billionaire philanthropist," he winked, causing Loki to stiffen beside her, though he didn't say a word. "Oh and I am Iron Man."

Sif, as well as the others, were still clearly confused. Taking notice, Tony decided to elaborate further. "I helped, your friend, Thor here, during Loki's attack on New York a few years back. Speaking of which, what happened to the little brat?"

This time, Loki stepped forward, revealing himself. "How dare you speak of me in that way you filthy-" 

"Loki! Shut up!" Sif growled, grabbing his chest and shoving him back to where he previously stood. Loki looked aghast at being interrupted. Sif was sure he was about to send her a sharp retort, but instead he held his tongue.

Still standing at the front of the small body of Asgardians, Tony looked genuinely surprised. "Why is he back here?"

"It's a long story..." Thor sighed.

Tony turned away from them and started to walk back towards the elevator. "Right... Anyway, are you all coming or are you just going to wait in my lobby forever?" He waved his hand, prompting the armed men surrounding them to take their aim away and go elsewhere.

Thor was the first to follow, then went Sif and the Warriors Three, leaving Loki to look at each of them incredulously. Sif turned and grabbed Loki's arm to tug him along, however Loki refused to come with the others. His feet were planted firmly to the ground, making sure Sif would not be able to bring him along. 

"Stop it Loki! You are acting like a child!" Sif scolded, slapping him gently on the shoulder. 

He sighed, "You can't really expect me to stay here, can you? There is no doubt in my mind that that Stark man wants my head served on a plate and fed to dogs!" 

Sif looked deeply into his beautiful, emerald orbs, "You'll be fine."

The still freezing hands of his took hold of her chin and positioned it upward, "Promise?"

"I promise," Sif said hastily, shaking from his grasp and hurrying off to catch up with her friends. Her jaw still felt frigid from his touch, the recent memory sending a countless number of thoughts into her mind, each more curious than the last.

She struggled to squeeze into the already cramped machine called an elevator, the others having to reposition themselves accordingly. Lastly came Loki, and once again they were forced to shuffle to make sure everyone fit. The two clear doors glided back together and they ascended further up into the skyward tower.

Author's Note: Happy Memorial Day you guys! Thanks for 1.4k reads and I apologize that this chapter is a teeny bit late, but I've had a really busy past few days. Although, SCHOOL'S OUT!! So, hopefully that'll mean I'll be able to post more. As for Let's Go Catch a Spider, I just started Chapter 2, so if you're reading, please have patience with me. Like I said, I've been super busy! Plus, Tony freaking Stark! I will say that there will be more Avengers in here and I'm super excited to include them!! Lastly, I found the artwork to the side on Tumblr and I'm absolutely IN LOVE WITH IT!