Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or any Marvel characters. I'm just borrowing them.

Tony Stark was a man with plenty of rooms to fill in his spacious abode called Stark Tower. It was only two days after the Battle of New York when Bruce Banner moved into the Tower. Despite Bruce's condition and nervousness to be living in a populated area again, a bit of encouragement from Pepper and a considerable amount of pestering from Tony later Bruce found himself moving into a permanent room of the Tower with a Hulk level in the process of being created. Tony spared no expense to ensure that his friend stayed at the Tower and could once again be around the lab equipment he so dearly loved.

Unsurprisingly, two weeks later Thor turned up at SHIELD headquarters and informed Director Fury that he would be remaining on Earth with the occasional trip off world. Director Fury, however, did not want to house the God of Thunder and sent him on his way to New York to pester Tony.

Thor's arrival caused a reaction from Pepper that made Tony laugh when he reviewed the security footage with Bruce later that evening. The God of Thunder had landed on the balcony and knocked politely on the glass door to catch Pepper's attention. Thor had smiled at Pepper and motioned to the locked door. Pepper had allowed the god inside and dragged Tony and Bruce back personally while babbling about a god at the window. Tony explained to her the situation after calming his girlfriend down. Pepper then insisted that Thor stay with them and showed him to his room. Pepper told Thor that as long as he kept the lightning out of the house that he was welcome in the Tower any time. For the most part Thor remained in the Tower or the city though he made infrequent trip to New Mexico or wherever Jane Foster was currently staying.

Then along came a spider, a Black Widow to be exact. It was only two days after Thor's arrival that Natasha had called Pepper for advice on a good hotel to stay in for a while. Despite the rocky start in the relationship between the two red heads, Pepper told her to bring her stuff to the Tower and set herself up in a room for as long as she wanted.

Upon Natasha's arrival, the pair shared some thoughts while drinking a bit of wine in front of Tony's video screen. Natasha told Pepper that her last mission had been quite rough and that she had taken a bad blow to the head. The doctors had ordered her to take a vacation for at least two weeks and let her concussion heal completely. Pepper had then asked why Natasha didn't just go home for vacation and the silence she was answered with told her all she needed to know. From that minute forth, Natasha was a permanent resident of Stark Tower.

Then a Hawk flew in, quite literally actually. After spending a number of weeks in a SHIELD psychiatric hospital to determine if he was sane enough to continue working, Clint flew Tony's new quinjet into the Tower's hanger bay. Clint walked down the ramp with two bags and all his uniforms and weapons in hand. Tony smiled at the sight and welcomed Clint to the Tower with a large dinner for the whole crew.

According to Tony, the hardest member of the team to get moved into the Tower was Steve. The old-fashioned soldier simply did not want to relocate. Who knew that it would take the thing they all least suspected to get him to move out of his crummy apartment and into a room in the Tower?

Steve plopped down onto his couch with one of his many history books in hand. He glanced at the cover to discover what historical event he was learning about today. An eyebrow quirked at the word "conflict" in the title of the book since the librarian had told him that the book was about the Korean War. Evidently, she had been wrong and the war was actually called the Korean Conflict. Steve shook his head and opened the smooth pages to the first chapter of the book.

It was some time later when a knock shattered the silence of his humble apartment. The book in his hand nearly fell to the floor at the sound that interrupted his reading time. Steve mumbled words as he slipped a stray piece of paper into the book as a bookmark and stood from the couch. The knocking returned as he padded through the apartment to his door.

Steve looked through the small peephole in his door before grabbing hold of the doorknob. Tony Stark had come to his apartment. This could be good or bad though the soldier was leaning toward bad considering the circumstances of his last encounter with the man.

He opened the door and almost received Tony's knuckles as a greeting as the man had been reaching to knock on the door again. Steve leaned against the doorframe with his arms folded as he looked down at Tony.

"What can I do for you Stark?" he asked.

"I was wondering if you were free for dinner Capcicle. The rest of the team, Pepper, and I are all headed out to eat at the shawarma restaurant. I stopped by to see if you'd like to come, I don't have your number," Tony explained with a trademark grin plastered on his face. Steve raises an eyebrow at the phone number comment knowing full well that Tony had his number already. However, he also reminded himself that Tony was likely paying for this meal and the only thing he had planned for dinner was an oven pizza. "Please Cap? Pepper really wants to meet you." Tony gave Steve what Steve assumed to be the puppy dog eyes he had heard about through various members of SHIELD.

"All right Tony. What time should I be there?" Steve asked giving in to the pitiful look on Stark's face.

"I have a car waiting downstairs," Tony answered without skipping a beat. "Everyone else should be getting there right about now." Steve resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course, Tony would already have planned that he would say yes.

"Let me grab my jacket." Steve left the door open as he walked to his kitchen to grab his leather jacket off the back of his chair. Tony stepped inside the apartment and looked around at the drab, lonely looking place. Tony maked a silent comment on how SHIELD would arrange for one of America's heroes to get one of the cheapest apartments around. "You have Howard's 'this needs to be demolished and rebuilt' look that he'd give me whenever he came to see me at the barracks or the apartment," Steve commented as he slipped on his coat and rejoined Tony.

"How can you stand this place?" Tony asked trying in vain to hide his extreme dislike of Steve's apartment.

"It's functional Tony," Steve replied.

"You could move into Stark Tower. I have a lot of spare rooms still," Tony tempted as they walked out the door only to pause so Steve could lock his door.

"Tony I won't impose myself like that." A brief smirk crossed the Captain's face and he shot Tony a look. "Besides, you and I would try to kill each other within a week," he laughed.

"Steve it's no problem really. Just keep that in mind," Tony said while pulling open the door to Steve's apartment building. Steve nodded silently as the pair walked down the steps to the street and climbed into Tony's luxurious car.

The drive is relatively quiet, as neither Avenger knew how to start up a conversation that wouldn't end in an argument. Happy, from the driver's seat, asked Steve how he liked the present while they waited at a stop light breaking the tense atmosphere for a few moments.

They finally reached the diner a half hour after leaving Steve's apartment. Steve held the door to the diner open for Tony and the billionaire smiled in thanks before walking in. The rest of the team smiled as they entered the restaurant, which was strangely empty. A voice in Steve's mind suggested that Tony bought the place out for the meal to give them peace and quiet.

"Captain it is good to see you again," Thor said as he shook Steve hand. The Thunder God was relaxed in his mortal attire as he sat between Bruce and an empty seat. "Are you well my friend?"

"I am well Thor. I didn't know you were back on Earth," Steve commented as he massaged his hand after Thor let go.

"The Bifrost has been repaired. I can travel here and home as I please," Thor answered with a big grin that made the air feel happier. Steve smiled at the news.

"Hey Cap," Clint chuckled from across the table as the Archer sipped his drink. "I see Tony managed to find your apartment."

"Shut it Legalos. At least I didn't need a GPS to find this place again," Tony countered.

"Ha! You had Happy drive," Clint retorted.

"Boys play nice," the red head sitting next to Natasha warned. "You're acting like children." She stood and offered her hand to Steve. "Captain I'm Pepper Potts. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise Miss Potts," Steve said as he gently shook the fragile hand.

"Steve, come sit by me," Natasha prompted and motioned to the open seat next to her.

"Thank you Natasha." Steve sat down next to Natasha just in time for the waitress to walk up.

"What can I get everyone?" she asked surveying the group. The group ordered identical meals to what they had ordered the first time they came and a round of drinks to go with them. The group fell into a comfortable conversation tone with ease.

"So, Cap, what have you been up to?" Clint inquired.

"Jobs for SHIELD and trying to get used to this time," Steve replied playing with the straw in his drink.

"You know we could help you with that," Natasha offered setting a gently hand on Steve forearm. "I mean," she blushed gently and removed her hand from his arm, "it was an adjustment for me, but for you, it's probably like shell shock, right?" Steve raised an eyebrow at the use of the term as he looked at Natasha.

"Not many use that term anymore, Natasha. It is a bit outdated. I believe it's combat stress reaction now," Tony pointed out. Pepper elbowed him hard in the side and he sent her a glare.

"I know what it is Stark. They used that term back in the War. I've seen a number of soldiers with it. Yes, Natasha, it is quite a bit like shell shock," Steve said before taking a drink.

"Cap, we're all here for you if you need any help readjusting," Bruce insisted. "Tony helped me get used to being in New York again. We've all helped Thor learn more about Earth and bought him mortal clothes. We'd be happy to help you."

"I'll think about it really." He stirred his drink again and glanced around. "So what have all of you been up to?" Steve asked in an attempt to change the subject. Pepper piped up first with an answer.

"They've been driving me nearly insane," Pepper informed him. "With all of them living at the Tower it can be quite interesting. The roughing housing is the least of my worries. Thor is one more toaster away from being banned from the kitchen. Then there are all the explosions that come from Tony and Bruce's experiments that blow up half a floor. I have to keep rebuilding supplies in a warehouse for repairs."

With a look of disbelief on his face Steve asked, "You all live at the Tower?"

"Yep. It started with Big Green, then Thor, Tasha, and then me," Clint told him. "It is a whole lot of fun Cap. You should move in too. I'm sure Bruce, Thor, and I can keep you from killing Tony." Everyone at the table laughed at the joke including Steve and Tony.

"No I think I'm content with my apartment."

"Then at least let me redecorate the place," Tony pleaded. "Or give you a bigger TV. Something."

Steve opened his mouth to reply but Pepper cut him off by telling him, "You'll lose the argument." She set a firm hand on Tony's shoulder. "I'll try to hold him back as long as I can."

"Thank you Miss Potts." The whole group jumped slightly as Tony's phone went off. He answered it with a devious grin.

"This is Tony Stark. Which lovely SHIELD member is calling me today?" Tony asked barely containing his laugh. "Why hello Director Fury! It's good to hear from you." Bruce and Clint chuckled at the obvious lie. "Yes. Seriously? Fine." Tony hung up his phone and looked at the waitress. "We'll need those to go. We have a mission people."

"Where?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know, he didn't tell me." Steve shook his head knowing that Tony probably had JARVIS hacking SHIELD to find out right now.

As it turned out, the mission was next to nothing. They had to guard a few high profile targets with connections to mutants, government agencies, and some off the grid agencies while they move from a conference in the Middle East back to their plane to the US. However, nothing is ever easy when the Avengers are involved.

"Steve!" Natasha's voice was muffled in her motorcycle helmet as she veered off toward where the burning frame of Steve's SUV was. She jumped off the motorcycle and hurried around the side to find Steve and one of their targets sprawled out on the ground next to a nearby building. Tony flew over and picked up the target while Natasha patted out the fire on Steve's suit.

"How bad is it?" Natasha asked as she helped Steve sit up against the building.

"Doesn't hurt that much," Steve answered with a weak smile. He glanced at her and down at his tattered suit.

"Steve you have burns, extensive burns," Natasha countered worriedly as she examined the burned flesh under his charred suit.

"Just help me up Natasha." Natasha swore angrily in Russian causing Steve to laugh as she slipped his shield onto her back. Steve needed very little help to get to his feet though he did sway slightly as they waited for their next ride. Clint pulled up in an SUV with another agent. The agent hopped on Natasha's motorcycle while she helped Steve into the SUV. She climbed in the other side and signaled Clint to catch up with the rest of the convoy.

"How bad is he?" Clint asked from up front.

"I'm going to have Stark redesign his suit," Natasha grumbled as she dug around in the back of the SUV for a first aid kit. She set the kit where she had been sitting and crouched on the floor of the SUV while examining Steve.

"You feel all right Cap?" Clint asked turning the SUV gently as not to earn the wrath of Natasha.

"I'm good," Steve insisted.

"No you're not," Natasha whispered as her eyes settled on a laceration in the burn zone. "Steve I think you have shrapnel in your side." She looked up at him worried for the brave Captain. Steve glanced down but his expression didn't change at her words.

"Don't feel it," Steve told her. Natasha shook her head and made a compress to staunch the bleeding for now.

"Do you feel light headed?"

"No."

"All right, we're at the air base," Clint reported. The rest of team escorted the targets onto their plane. Tony and Thor escorted them until they were far outside the danger zone. Bruce treated Steve on the flight back to the helicarrier. He removed the shrapnel while Steve talked with Natasha about what happened in the SUV. He barely flinched as Bruce patched him up well enough that when they reached the helicarrier the doctors had very little to do.

"Listen Doctor, I'll be fine. I do not need to stay here over night," Steve snapped as he tried to leave the infirmary for the fifth time since they had admitted him.

"Captain Rogers you were burned and had shrapnel in you. You need to be monitored," the doctor protested.

"I'll heal completely within a few days. I am fine," Steve growled.

"I'll watch him Doc," Natasha's calm voice said from the doorway. The Black Widow was leaning in the doorway in her jeans, red shirt, and her favorite black leather jacket. She sure did love that combination and Steve had to admit she looked good in it. "I'll call if anything happens, Doctor. Come on Steve, I'm driving." Steve scowled her for a moment before following the Widow out of the room. He'd rather leave with her than stay one night in the infirmary.

"You are not staying at my apartment," Steve said sternly as they walked the halls.

"It'll be two nights at the max Cap. I'm sure you can tolerate sharing space with a woman for that long," Natasha teased gently. "We'll get there around midnight."

"Like I'll be sleeping tonight," Steve scoffed.

"Medication," she suggested.

"Doesn't work."

"They have the powerful stuff for those with serums Cap. All you have to do is ask for some," Natasha pointed out. He shook his head and followed Natasha in silence to the transport that would take them to the ground base. Steve could tell how tired he was getting by how much attitude he was showing. He knew that staying up for over two days straight without any sleep was unhealthy but he had done it anyway. Natasha noted the behavioral differences in Steve and grew slightly worried. What would cause the Captain to act so differently? Especially, what would cause him to act so differently toward a woman? Natasha's concern started to smother all professionalism she had stored in her.

Natasha drove to his apartment in silence while Steve stared out the window. Natasha, sick of the quiet, pressed the button for one of her CDs and soon the sound of forties music filled the vehicle. Natasha started humming along to the music with a soft smile on her lips while allowing her fingers to dance on the steering wheel. Steve looked at her curiously. Why would someone not from his time like that type of music? It just didn't make any sense to the Captain at all.

Natasha parked next to Steve's motorcycle and grabbed her bag from the back seat. The pair walked up the stairs to his apartment. A few neighbors who were coming home as well raised an eyebrow at the sight of Steve with a girl. He unlocked his door silently and motioned for Natasha to go in first. She nodded her thanks to him before entering with Steve trailing behind closely. The Captain tossed his keys in a bowl next to the front door after he locked all three locks and activated his alarm system.

"I'm surprised you have an alarm system," Natasha commented as she strode forward and set her bag next to the end of the couch.

"The building is owned primarily by SHIELD though there are a few civilians on the lower levels. The alarm system comes standard," Steve told her. He stripped off his jacket and placed it where he had grabbed it from earlier. "You can use my bed. I'll take the couch."

"No, you sleep in your bed. I'm used to couches. I spent enough of my vacations on them," Natasha countered. "Go to sleep Steve, I'll be fine."

"All right," Steve relented after holding her gaze for a moment. "Just let me know if you want the bed. Goodnight Natasha."

"Night Steve. Sleep well." Steve nodded and yawned as he made his way to his bedroom. He fell onto his bed after taking off his clothes and slipping on a clean pair of shorts. He groaned as he agitated his burns, but, nevertheless, he passed out on his firm bed.

Natasha used Steve's bathroom to change into some lounge clothes before checking on the soldier. No one had ordered her to watch over him but she knew that the doctors would want him over night. However, the doctors knew not to mess with Natasha Romanoff as well. In all honesty, when Steve's SUV had blown up, Natasha's heart nearly gave out in fear. She couldn't imagine Steve gone. He was so much like her, out of place in time. She was drawn to him because of that connection and more.

She spent a good portion of the next hour trying to fall asleep on Steve rather comfortable couch. Instead of dreaming of Russia or all the good things that she strived to dream about, she spent that time worrying about Steve. Eventually she did manage to fall asleep.

A shout pierced the darkness of Natasha's blank dream world. She noticed it was four o'clock as she rolled off the couch and dashed into Steve's bedroom without bothering to knock at the door. The soldier was sweating profusely while tossing and turning on the bed. Natasha quickly realized that the soldier was having a nightmare. She spotted the blood on his bandages as the sheets fell to his waist. She proceeded to do the only thing she could think of to prevent him from harming himself further.

Natasha climbed onto the bed, sat down on Steve's hips, and grabbed his arms in her smaller hands. She pinned him down as best she could as his face scrunched up in pain.

"Steve! Steve, wake up! It's just a dream! Steve, wake up damn it!" Steve woke with a start. His chest rose sharply as he regained consciousness. His eyes widened as he saw Natasha on top of him. Natasha released his arms slowly once she was sure he was awake. Steve turned his face into his pillow and let out a choked sob.

"Steve," she whispered gently placing a hand on his shoulder. She pushed some of his hair back and squeezed his shoulder gently. "Hey Steve, come on talk to me here," she coaxed. Steve looked up at her hesitantly. She could see the tears brimming in the corners of his eyes. She didn't know that Captain America could cry but it didn't surprise her either. "Steve what was the dream about?"

"When I lost Bucky." Natasha's heart panged painfully at the memory of the man they both knew. She wished she could tell him that she knew Bucky as well, but under the alias Winter Soldier. "Sorry I woke you."

"Don't be Steve." She paused for a moment trying to choose her next words wisely. "Steve have you ever been tested for some of the disorders that come from being a soldier?" Natasha asked gingerly.

"No."

"Maybe you should have Bruce do an evaluation and then if he thinks you should seek some help, seek some help," she suggested.

"Natasha no."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not that weak," Steve snapped back. Natasha fell off his lap in surprise at his harsh tone. "I don't need to be told I have some disorder."

"Tony has PTSD," Natasha said quickly before she could realize what she was saying. "He talks to Pepper about it. You could talk to me or someone else on the team. Maybe even your old war buddy Logan. I can get ahold of him for you."

"Tony has PTSD?" Steve questioned slowly sitting up at her words.

"Yes he does. Don't you know how he got that arc reactor in his chest?" she asked.

"He has shrapnel around his heart," Steve replied.

"Steve, he spent three months in the hands of terrorists. They water boarded him. That arc reactor, it used to be just an electromagnet connected to a car battery. He made the first arc reactor in a cave. He still has nightmares about it," Natasha told him. "I have nightmares about the wars. Clint, his has nightmares about Loki and his past. Even Thor and Bruce have them." Steve looked at Natasha for a long time before he spoke.

"Wars? Plural?" he managed.

"I'm older than I look, Cap," Natasha said with a smirk. "Hell, you, Logan, and my guardian Ivan rescued me back in the War." Steve tried to recall the occasion. He looked back up at her with realization after remembering the little girl that he, James Logan, and Ivan had rescued so long ago. "I'm almost as old as you."

"Wow. How are you?" Steve motioned up and down at her body as he came to a lack of words.

"The Red Room Serum, it was a variant of your serum. I'm called the Black Widow because I'm the only one that survived," Natasha explained. "I know how the memories hurt Steve. I really do." Steve crossed his legs and Natasha moved so she was sitting the same way on his bed as well. She placed a hand on his hand and looked him in the eyes. "Tell me Steve. Please tell me what hurts you so much."

Steve paused before he said, "Bucky was my only friend before I became Captain America. We grew up together." A sad smile crossed his unblemished face. "During the war, we fought together. There was a mission to stop a train and capture a target. There was a fight on the train. The side of the car was blown open. Bucky was holding onto it the best he could. I tried to reach him, I really did, but he fell into the icy river. I lost my best friend. I didn't even have a body to bury," he whispered. "I have nightmares about it sometimes. I lost everyone from my life back then," her murmured softly. Natasha placed her other hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Well, Peggy is still alive, but I don't know if I could ever see her again."

"Well, we're here for you now," Natasha insisted and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "I still have nightmares about when I lost my mother. The Nazis set fire to the building we lived in. She threw me out the window to a soldier below, my Ivan. I can still hear her screams from that night." Now it's Steve's turn to comfort her. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a soft squeeze.

"You're one of the bravest, toughest women I know," Steve told her.

"Thanks Steve. Try to get some sleep," Natasha instructed.

"Natasha," he started to say nervously, "I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but would you mind staying in here tonight?"

"Not at all Captain. I'll be here to chase the away the nightmares. But first I should change that bandage," Natasha pointed out motioning to the red dyed cloth. Steve nodded and laid back down to allow her access to the wound. He fell asleep at some point as Natasha changed the bandage. She smiled and pulled the comforter up over the soldier.

Natasha left the room for a moment and brought the blanket from the couch. She reentered the room to find Steve looking around for her. She climbed onto the bed and curled up under the blanket. Steve let himself fall back to sleep with the reassuring thought that he had Natasha with him.

An hour later, Natasha woke up from a vicious nightmare. Steve pulled her close to his chest and let her cry into his neck. He reassured her that everything would be all right one day. Natasha settled for sleeping with her back against Steve's chest and draped one of his arms around her waist. Steve laid his head next to hers, his red hair teasing his face. They fell asleep like that and no nightmares disturbed them the rest of the night.