Natasha, Bruce and Clint all peer up as Steve sprints into the living room and drops down in front of where they're sitting to start doing press ups. He grunts loudly but you can hear the grin. They'd be surprised but they'd been living in the tower all together for too long to be surprised by much anymore.

"Ohhh, boy! How exhilarating to be the worlds only 'Super Solider'!" He springs to his feet as he says the words. Instantly afterward, his mildly floppy limps fall out and start doing several fast paced jumping jacks, "On days like today, it just feels wrong not to stride around with an air of self-importance in my spangly suit."

All three other members of the team simply sat waiting him with a confused look on his face. Their heads went up and down as the soldier bobbed up and down. Steve gave them a mock salute and jogged out of the room with his knees high.

They sat in silence for a few seconds, each of them trying to comprehend what just happened in their own way.

Clint leant his head to the side as though he was replaying the scene inside his head, "10 bucks say that wasn't Steve."

"This stinks of Stark." Natasha spoke out loud to nobody in particular. She chewed on her bottom lip as she considered it.

"I wouldn't bet against either of those things." Bruce said as he pushed himself off the couch and in the direction of the lift which would take them down to the lab. The other two followed quickly.

"Stark," Nat barked when the doors opened, "What have you done to Rogers?" She sighed like a teacher who was once again given the problem child.

"Me? Nothing!" He cried with a mock innocence.

"We know you did something, Tony." Bruce lumbered forward and began peering around at the genius' current work. He pushed his glasses down his nose to get a better view.

"I placed a mind-control capsule in this drink. It's not my fault he decided to drink it." Stark shrugged, screwing something onto his Iron Man suit. Even though his back was turned, the whole group knew there was a proud grin plastered across his face.

"But did you hand it to him first?" Barton asked as he decided against touching anything in the lab. He barely trusted Dr Banner in the lab and that guy was 150% less likely to poison you intentionally or unintentionally.

Tony shrugged, "I was just being hospitable." He couldn't disguise the smirk that spread across his face.

At that second, the elevator opened to reveal a bouncing Steve Rogers. Sweat dripped from the man as he continued running his circuits. However, his mega-watt grin did not leave his face. He interspersed jumping jacks into his running and frequently called out encouragements. The team watched him for a few minutes, mesmerised.

"You have to stop it." Natasha finally spoke up, "Look at him, you'll make him ill."

Tony sighed a melodramatic sigh before clicking a button on his virtual screen. He took him time to do it as if to purposely prolong Steve's workout. As soon as the button was pressed, Steve's body fell to the floor with a loud thump.

All the team winced in sympathy. There was silence.

"Don't worry. He shouldn't remember a thing when he wakes up... In theory anyway."

"Come on," Natasha said to the other men, "Let's get him upstairs. And let's all agree never to mention this day again."

An hour later, Steve Rogers woke up on the couch with his head lolled back against the back of the chair. He blinked down to see his book open but discarded beside him. He coughed and pulled himself up.

He didn't remember drifting off. He didn't remember settling down to read. The super soldier shrugged it off before heading of to his room for a shower. He must have had some crazy dreams to be sweating this much.