Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count - 2009

Beta'd by Ace Panda :D

Written for the lovely Jenny. Enjoy, Hun.

It's All In The Little Things

I

Steve stopped dead in the doorway, frowning at the scene in front of him. It wasn't… bad, per say, just… very odd.

Tony looked up at him and smiled briefly before he looked back down to continue with his job, his expression one of absolute concentration.

"Hey, Steve," Nat greeted calmly, leaning her neck so that she could look over at him.

"Hey guys," Steve replied, forcing himself to move forward into the common lounge. "What… what are you doing?"

Tony's hands stilled and he looked up at Steve with his head tilted slightly in confusion. "Is… I'd say it's fairly self-evident, no?"

Steve had to give him that.

Nat grinned at him as Tony shook his head and returned to the matter at hand.

"He's really good at it," she said, as though that made everything normal. "Even better than most women I know."

The light flush on Tony's cheeks would've made Steve chuckle at any other time, but he was still a little baffled. Shrugging his shoulders, he snagged the remote off the table.

"TV won't disturb your concentration, will it, Tony?"

"Carry on, Capsicle," Tony replied absently.

Steve nodded and turned his attention to the TV. Later, when he asked Clint about it, Clint had shrugged as though it was nothing and replied, "We're all mad here. I don't know why it was so surprising to you."

Steve didn't either really. It just… it seemed intimate in a way. Still, it was none of his business. If Tony wanted to paint Nat's toenails, that was their business.

The thought crossed his mind that there was something more to the act than the obvious, if there was perhaps something more to Tony and Nat, but he pushed that away.

The team would know if two of their own were dating. They were superheroes for God's sake, masters of observation.

Of course they'd know.

…

II

Bruce rubbed at his arms, the friction helping a little to warm him up. The brutal weather was really starting to get to him. He wasn't much a fan of winter, and the chill in the air was particularly biting.

Deciding that tea was a good idea, he made his way up to the communal kitchen. He wasn't surprised to find the common lounge empty; during the daytime, everyone had their own lives to lead. Jobs, work, meetings, press.

Being a superhero wasn't just about donning spandex and kicking ass.

In the kitchen, Nat stood leaning against the counter-top. She smiled at him when he entered, which he returned, and then turned away from him. He watched her carefully pour water into a hot water bottle, slowly squeezing around the top of it to keep the air out.

He wasn't sure it was cold enough for hot water bottles, but as he made his tea, he couldn't deny that the fluffy maroon cover she put the bottle into looked particularly comforting.

Returning to the lab with a cup of tea warming his hands, he put the matter out of his mind.

Or at least, he did until Tony arrived at his lab almost an hour later, prattling on about a breakthrough he'd made on his latest experiment. Bruce could hardly concentrate on the words because his attention was focused solely on the maroon fluff peeking out of the top of Tony's t-shirt.

Tony noticed where he was looking and looked down, smiling sheepishly.

"The cold makes it ache," he explained, gesturing to his Arc Reactor. "Hot water bottle keeps the chill off."

Bruce nodded slowly. He should probably have realised that earlier. Thoughts returning to Nat carefully preparing the bottle in the kitchen, Bruce's lips tilted up in a smile.

He could see that working well. It would be interesting to see how long it took the rest of the team to realise what was going on.

…

III

The Gala was in full swing, and Pepper was finally able to relax. It had been hit or miss whether the Avengers, and Tony in particular, would even make it after having been called out to a mission that morning, but they were all present and looking perfectly respectable in their finery.

She watched Tony move from group to group, the star of the party as he always was. She knew he'd be finely playing each person he spoke to, charming them into separating with some of their money for the Maria Stark Foundation.

She smiled fondly when he accepted another drink from a passing waiter. He was still in good shape, though she couldn't deny that she was worried about the state he would get himself into by the end of the night.

Tony always started with the best intentions, and he was one of the most hardworking people that Pepper knew, but… he could be problematic sometimes.

As the night progressed, she kept note of Tony's whereabouts and his alcohol intake, ready to intervene if it became necessary.

Only... she wasn't necessary.

Tony approached the bar and was joined there by Natasha, who placed a hand low on his back and leant over to whisper in his ear.

Pepper, who knew Tony well, saw a flash of defiance in his eyes before he sighed, nodding to whatever Natasha said to him. Instead of the scotch on the rocks Pepper knew he'd been about to order, she watched him ask and receive a glass of soda water instead.

The smile on Natasha's face and the subsequent one on Tony's made Pepper gasp quietly.

Perhaps, from now on, Pepper wouldn't need to keep such a close eye on Tony. There was clearly someone perfectly capable of watching out for him already.

…

IV

The meeting had been going on for hours, and Nick noticed that even Rogers, who was usually eager to be involved in all the planning for the team, was flagging, his eyes glazed over.

Stark wasn't even pretending to listen anymore, and had put his head on the table and closed his eyes.

Barton, Romanov, and Banner were all in various stages of comatose.

"Alright, we're done today, clear out the lot of you," he ordered, banging his hand on the table when none of them gave even the slightest indication that they'd heard him.

Stark jumped, glaring at Nick as he raised his hand to his chest. "I have a heart condition," he hissed.

The others snorted, and Nick shook his head. "Meeting's over, get gone."

They filed from the room, Stark bitching as was his way, as they went. Romanov remained behind.

"What is it, Romanov?" Nick asked, rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

"It's come to my attention that Tony isn't actually on the team yet. He's still noted as a consultant. I'd like to amend my report of him, and recommend he be added officially, effective immediately."

"Oh? Has he been complaining?"

Romanov shook her head. "I don't think he even realises, to be honest. But… Iron Man, Recommended, Tony Stark, Essential, has a ring to it, don't you think. Get it done, Nick."

She left the room before he could reply, leaving him staring after her, shocked despite himself. His lips tilted up. He enjoyed being surprised, it didn't happen often. And… well. Natasha would be good for Stark.

And just maybe, Stark could be good for Natasha.

Nick made his way down the corridor to his office and prepared to change the report. He was very happy that he didn't live in the tower. Those two together would be explosive… in both the best and the worst ways possible.

…

V

Clint stumbled into the lounge, his eyes bleary and barely open. Nightmares sucked. The blue of Loki's scepter still haunted Clint at least two nights a week, so the trip to the kitchen for hot chocolate was a familiar path now.

He almost didn't notice the bodies snuggled together on the sofa, focused on the kitchen as he was.

He'd reached the door out of the common lounge when he stopped and turned, eyes suddenly wide open. Tony was slumped into the corner of the sofa, his eyes heavy with sleep. Between his legs and propped up on his chest was Natasha, her face serene as she slept with it pressed into Tony's neck.

"Nightmares?" Clint whispered when Tony blinked sleepily at him.

Tony nodded, careful not to disturb the sleeping woman, the hand playing through her hair never faltering.

Clint nodded and then continued his trip to the kitchen for his hot chocolate. It was… odd, seeing Natasha so relaxed with another person. She'd never been one to look for comfort after a nightmare; in fact, she tended to avoid people when she had nightmares because they left her on edge.

Shrugging to himself, Clint leant against the kitchen side as he waited for the machine to prepare the ultimate comfort drink. If Nat had found someone she was comfortable being vulnerable with then… well. Good for her.

It was nice to see her making friends other than those in the spy community. Perhaps with Tony, she'd found a level of trust that she couldn't have with most people.

It would be good for her.

…

+1

Steve's gasp was the first thing that let the team know something was up, and they gathered around him, leaning around his bulky torso to see what could cause such a reaction.

Natasha was sitting on the kitchen side, Tony bracketed by her legs and her arms around his neck. They were kissing, and it certainly wasn't the first kiss of a new couple.

"Really?" Clint groaned. "Really?"

Tony and Nat parted, Tony turning his head to look at his team as Nat looked over his shoulder.

"Morning," Tony greeted, as though nothing out of the ordinary was happening. He smiled at them, picking his coffee mug up off the kitchen side. Pressing a last, lingering kiss to Nat's lips, he moved away from her. "Come get me when you're ready to get lunch," he said to her before he skirted around the team and made his way to the elevator.

"What… I… What?" Steve asked, looking at Tony's retreating back and then back at Nat. "How did we not notice?"

Natasha smirked, catlike and sly, though she didn't answer.

"I feel like punching myself in the face," Clint muttered, rubbing at his temple.

"I can help with that," Nat offered, deadpan.

Clint glared at her. "You've embarrassed my spying skills!"

"S'not my fault you're getting rusty, is it?" she replied, walking out of the kitchen with her head high and her hips swaying, a smug air practically radiating off her.

Bruce chuckled, gently nudging Steve and Clint further into the kitchen. They moved around the kitchen with practiced ease, each of them deep in thought about the scene they'd walked into.

"How did we not know?" Steve asked when the three of them were seated at the table, eating their breakfast.

Clint only groaned, shaking his head. Bruce laughed again.

"I think Tony thought that we did know," he said after a minute. "He didn't seem surprised to see us at all, did he? And he wasn't even slightly sheepish about being 'caught'. So… I think he just didn't realise it wasn't common knowledge."

"You're not making me feel any better," Clint grumbled.

"Natasha, on the other hand, knew exactly what she was doing," Bruce added, a smirk on his face. "She probably planned this whole thing so that we'd walk in on them."

"That's because she's a shit," Clint replied.

"They looked happy, didn't they?" Steve said thoughtfully. A small smile lifted his lips. "Well, I'm happy for them. They deserve to be happy, and if that's with each other… then I'm happy that they've found each other."

Clint's head fell to the table. "You're far too pure for this time of the morning. I'll be happy for them when I get my own back on Natasha."

Bruce shook his head, a fond smile on his face. "That's not going to go well."

Written for;

Days of the year - 18. "We're all mad here."

Autumn - Chill

Colour - Maroon

Birthstone - Tourmaline - "I feel like punching myself in the face." / "I can help with that."

Air Element - Gasp

Dessert - Fresh Fruit - [action] Eating

Ravenclaw - Hardworking