A/N: Ok so as I said, this is all BROTHERLY LOVE and in no way is it slash. I love the family vibe in the team and really wanted to go further into it. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own no recognizable characters.

The elevator dinged and Tony Stark stepped into the dark living space of Stark Tower. Tony was just returning from a party that had run rather late and now it was well past midnight.

As Tony carelessly tossed his coat aside, he looked around at the now empty space. When he had left nearly six hours ago, the main living area had been occupied by the other five members of the Avengers, who all now treated Stark Tower as a sort of Avengers head quarters.

Judging by the quietness of the place now though, it would appear that they had all gone their separate ways. As Stark walked further into the room, however, he found, with a bit of a start, that not quite everyone had gone home yet.

Lying on the couch was Steve Rogers, fast asleep. Tony stared for a minute, still wondering why the Captain had decided to pass out on his couch, before he stepped forward and reached out a hand. He was going to wake him, but now as he looked at Steve's face and saw the deep bags under his eyes and the peaceful look on his face, the self proclaimed genius found that he couldn't do it.

It had been an extremely busy few weeks, what with saving the world, nearly dying, and destroying a large portion of New York City and all. It had been trying on all of them, but especially on their overly responsible group leader. A little rest was the least the old man deserved.

Looking at the Captain now, however, the man looked anything but old. That was when Tony had a quite startling revelation that he had somehow missed before.

If you were talking about physical age rather than age based on date of birth, Steve was the youngest one on the team. The man couldn't be any older than his older twenties. Tony briefly wondered if it said anything about the sanity of the team that the baby of the group was their appointed Captain.

It was strange seeing their leader like this/ While fighting, the man had such a strong sense of authority and control about him that is was almost as if this calm, younger Steve lying here on Tony's couch was a different man entirely.

Then again, there were similarities. No matter where he was, Steve always had an air of innocence around him. This was something that Tony found very amusing when he got to watch the super soldier's face as he explained the meaning behind whatever dirty joke he had just told. Yet, while Tony did stretch the confinements of Steve's innocence, he would never want the man to lose the old-fashioned trait. In fact, the thought of anyone but himself attempting to corrupt Steve's child like faith in the general goodness of people made a feeling of something akin to protectiveness rear up in Tony's chest. The foreign emotion made Stark slightly uncomfortable, yet it somehow felt right.

Tony was pulled out of his thoughts when on the couch, Steve gave a sudden shiver. Tony grabbed the blanket that was hanging over the back of the sofa and gently laid it over the Captain. As soon as the blanket was laid on top of him, Stark noted with satisfaction that Steve snuggled deeper under his new found source of warmth and he let out a contented sigh.

Tony stared at the sleeping Captain for another moment before turning and heading to his own room with a small smile on his face. Although he would never admit it- he had never been the sentimental type- a sense of family was quickly growing within the Avengers and Tony couldn't bring himself to be annoyed about it.

Natasha and Clint were like the older siblings who tended to keep to themselves, but loved to mess with their brothers on a daily basis.

Thor was that protective older brother who you couldn't help but feel safe around. The man was a god for Christ's sake. As long as you were standing next to the huge man, no one would dare mass with you.

Then there was Banner who, of course, was Tony's science brother. It was so nice to finally have someone to bounce ideas off of. When he wasn't a huge, angry monster, the man had a very calming presence about him that made it easier for Tony to think.

Finally, there was Steve, the agreed upon leader of the Avengers. Despite his commanding position, in Tony's eyes, he was still a little brother. He was that goody two shoes younger sibling who was incredibly loyal and Tony know he could count on the Captain for anything.

Tony wasn't quite sure where he fit into the odd little family yet, but he figures it was somewhere along the lines of that brother that everyone hates, but deep down likes. 'And,' Tony reassured himself. 'The only reason they pretend to hate me is because they're jealous.'

Tony laid down in his bed and closed his eyes. Just before he drifted off, one thing became certain to him as he reflected on the new feeling of family that he had never really had before. It may be a strange, new, and slightly sentimental feeling, but for Tony Stark, it was a good feeling.

A/N: Because this is my first Avengers story, I would really appreciate some feedback on how you all liked it, so comments and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!