A/N: Salutations, llamas. Like the summary said, this fic basically focuses on life for the Avengers after Loki and how they moved in together, etc etc. Hopefully it won't be too terrible. Cheers to my brother for helping me with finding Tony's voice and proofreading this chapter.
I don't own anything. If I was making money off of this I wouldn't have to spend my holiday folding letters for eight hours a day.

Three days after the Chitauri attack, dust and rubble seemed to have crept their way into every corner of Midtown Manhattan and the sounds of machinery and sirens had taken over the city as clean-up crews dealt with the wreckage.

SHIELD's New York base had been several streets away from the bulk of the battle and had been spared most of the damage, although the same couldn't be said for the buildings surrounding it. Up on its third floor, Bruce Banner hovered near one of the windows, a cup of decaf coffee in one hand as he gazed at the destruction lining the street below. He hung a few feet back -a habit honed over the years as a fugitive- and tried to ignore the dark hum of the Other Guy in the back of his mind.

It was, just like the destruction he was looking at, a reminder of why he shouldn't be here. Not in one of the world's most densely-populated and fast-paced cities. It was selfish and irresponsible, but what else could he do? Every way out of New York was filled with security checkpoints and searches making sure no one took anything Chitauri-related out of the city. That was what SHIELD's clean-up crews were doing, clearing the dead alien bodies, weapons and equipment off of the streets. The Avenger's, minus Bruce for obvious reasons and Thor because he was back on Asgard, were helping.

Or, Bruce thought as he heard the elevator doors down the hall open and a loud, familiar voice, supposed to be helping. Bruce had about two seconds to mourn the four hours of blissful silence in the lab he had enjoyed this morning before the door was flung open, revealing Tony, still wearing the suit, minus the helmet. Behind him was Steve, who was dressed normally.

'Hey there Brucey, how was your morning surrounded by SHIELD's sub-standard tech?'

Bruce couldn't help the wry smile that spread across his face. Substandard? This was the best lab he had worked in for years, except for the one on the Helicarrier but that one had been… blown up.

'It was quiet.' He replied, sending a rueful look in the inventor's direction.

Ton just shrugged cheerfully.

'Quiet is boring.' He stated matter-of-factly before heading over to the workstation and looking over the figures Bruce had obtained from the Chitauri gun SHIELD had asked him to study.

Bruce glanced over the door, noticing Steve hanging awkwardly there before waving him in. He looked at the two of them, taking in the coating of grime and dust on them.

'What happened to the two of you?'

'The question, Doc, is what didn't happen. You see, Spangles and I were just minding our own business, literally doing the heavy lifting-'

'You were blasting music all over the street Stark.' Steve interrupted crossly.

'And then this awning just gives way and it's just about to fall on Legolas, so naturally I go catch it but then the entire building is about to collapse so Spangles comes running and knocks us both out of the way-'

'You're welcome.' Steve muttered.

'Then the press goes insane and Hill goes insane, just in a different way, and says we're causing distractions and sends us home. Or well, that was Barton and Romanoff went, you don't suppose they live together do you?' Tony was busy swiping through equations on the screen and Bruce tried not to sign at the layer of grime he was getting on it.

Steve shifted uncomfortably and Bruce couldn't help but wonder why he was here. The initial hostility between Tony and Steve had more or less dissipated, leaving a rather awkward tension in its wake. Bruce couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he had a feeling it ran a little deeper than Steve's morals and Tony's complete disregard for them. He knew Steve had an apartment, courtesy of SHIELD, but well, maybe the man didn't want to be left alone and who was Bruce to judge him for that?

Boy, Bruce corrected himself, as Steve yawned and ran a hand through his grimy hair, messing it up. With Steve's build and the way he had led them in battle, it was easy to forget that he was just twenty-two, minus the years spent in the ice.

'Touchscreen,' Tony snorted derisively at the screen, distracting Bruce from his thoughts, 'Doc, you need to come over to the tower, the first floor of the R&D department alone would make you drool.'

Bruce just gave him a faint smile. It wasn't the first time Tony had invited him over, but he wasn't about to put everyone in Stark Industries at risk with his presence in the tower.

Thankfully Tony's cell rang then, saving Bruce from having to give the same old answer.

'Pepper!' There was a decidedly nervous note in Tony's voice now, 'No, nothing happened. Really, it was just a small incident, they should be thanking me for it-'

He was abruptly cut off by what appeared to be a blistering tirade from Pepper Potts. Bruce shivered slightly. Betty on one of her bad days had nothing on the CEO of Stark Industries. Steve was backing carefully from Tony and the phone. Their fear wasn't without reason. They had all witnessed Pepper's rage when they returned from the battle.

…

It was a weary bunch that trooped into SHIELD's New York headquarters, with one handcuffed Norse god and a befuddled scientist in tow. They were instantly swamped by people, and Thor glared at the guards who grabbed Loki and pulled him towards the detention cells.

Tony's first instinct was to go and grab shawarma, but SHIELD's medical staff had other ideas. Along with the wide array of cuts and bruises that decorated all of them, Steve had a nasty plasma burn on his abdomen, Thor had been stabbed and neglected to tell them until Natasha noticed the blood on his amour. Both assassins had concussions and there was deep gash in Clint's back from where his quiver had dug into it. Bruce, who had shrunk down to his regular form after Loki had been taken away, was barely conscious. Tony himself had shards of glass embedded in his arm from being thrown out of a window and of course, there was the whole flying into outer space and technically dying thing to deal with.

So there they had been in the medical ward, with Bruce staying awake just for the sake of food and Thor demanding to know where Loki was. Clint and Natasha were nowhere to be found, but according to the doctors it was usual for the assassins to go off and treat their own wounds. Steve was just tired, staring exhaustedly at the floor and Tony was threatening to sue any doctor that came near him, his voice adding to chaos that was the medical ward when suddenly, to Steve's relief there was silence. Dead silence.

He glanced up, realizing that for the first time since he had met him something had left Tony Stark speechless. And that something came in the form of a tall red-head who stood at the entrance of the medical ward, clutching a phone and staring at Stark like he was a ghost.

The billionaire quickly yanked himself to his feet, looking nervous, 'Hey, Pep-'

He didn't get any further than that.

'YOU IDIOT.'

Everyone cringed but 'Pep's' ire was focused solely on Tony as she strode towards him. He stumbled back but the bed blocked him.

'Now, Pepper-'

'You flew a nuclear missile through a portal into outer space after fighting aliens and you had the nerve to call me and you had no idea if you were going to make it out or not-'

'Pepper-'

'Don't lie to me Tony I asked JARVIS-' Pepper was now nose-to-nose with Tony and glaring at him in a way that would have made most men curl up into a ball and cry.

'That traitor-'

'And before that you went to Germany and tried to fight a Norse god and then you jumped out of a plane to fight another Norse god-'

'Pep- Ow!'

'And after that, you get into a fight, without the suit, with the same Norse god from before and get yourself thrown out of our window-'She was poking, or rather hitting, him in the chest every time she paused to take a breath.

'It wasn't that bad stop-'

'Then you fight aliens, fly through an alien whale and DID I MENTION FLY A MISSILE INTO OUTER SPACE AND NEARLY DIE-'

Tony then did what was probably the bravest thing Steve had ever seen. He wrapped his arms around Pepper, cutting her tirade of.

'I'm sorry.' There was no doubting the sincerity in Stark's voice as he rested his chin on Pepper's shoulder.

She drew in a shuddering breath.

'You called me. You called me and I didn't pick up the phone oh God Tony I'm sorry-.' Pepper's voice was barely above a whisper.

'It's okay. It's okay. I'll change the ringtone on your phone later. Something loud. And obnoxious.' He hugged her tighter, 'We're fine. The city's only partially destroyed. Us- 1, aliens- minus infinity.'

She let out a choked laugh. Steve was aware that the entire medical ward, including him, was staring open-mouthed at the scene before them.

Tony shot a glare at all of them, and then deftly maneuvered Pepper and himself out of the ward, arms still wrapped firmly around her.

There was silence in the ward for several seconds, before the doctors resumed their bustling.

Steve looked over at Bruce who was finishing up the last of the food they had brought him on the next bed.

'… Wow.' Was all he could come up with.

'Wow indeed.' Bruce mumbled though a mouthful of soup, 'I think she's he's CEO, I heard about it on the news.'

'But… I thought he said he was a playboy.' Even saying the word made Steve's cheeks flush.

Bruce just shrugged, 'You should know better than to take everything-'He yawned hugely 'Tony says-'His eyelids drooped, 'At face value.'

The curly-haired doctor promptly slumped backwards onto the bed, fast asleep and clearly exhausted by his alter-ego's activities. Steve sat quietly on his bed, watching Thor try to work a cell phone to contact someone called Jane Foster, and wondered just how much he had misjudged Tony Stark.

…

'No. No, I don't want to go to a board meeting. They're bori- Pep? Pepper?' Tony spluttered indignantly, 'She hung up on me!'

'I wonder why,' Bruce stated dryly as he put his now empty cup on the desk and walked back to the computer, flipping through a set of notes.

He tried to hold back a wistful sigh as he glanced out of the window again. Before this whole fiasco Bruce had spent nearly all his time outdoors, whether it was in slums or the wilderness. He had spent the past three days inside the base and it was starting to wear on him. He couldn't go outside though. Couldn't endanger New York like that.

His gaze fell onto one man hovering near a lamppost. Hadn't he been there twenty minutes ago…? The man stretched his neck absentmindedly, upsetting the cap on his head and was that a wire-

Bruce was already stumbling hastily back from the window when Tony swore harshly and lunged forward, grabbing the back of Bruce's shirt and hauling him further away.

'JARVIS, why the hell was I not notified that Ross was in town-'

Tony's barked question into his Bluetooth was cut-off as canisters shot through the windows, sending glass shards everywhere and a hissing noise filled the room. They stumbled back, sending stacks of paper to the floor as Tony collided into a desk.

'Really? Again?' Bruce laughed wheezily, trying to calm his racing heart.

'Stark! Doc! What's going on?' Steve was already moving, flinging the door open and pushing the two of them out into the corridor even as he spoke.

Steve slammed the door shut and they stumbled for several steps before Bruce yanked his arm out of Tony's grip and slumped against a wall, gasping as he tried to hold back the green encroaching on his vision. The Other Guy was screaming, raging to be let out because Ross and Bruce needed to get away now but nopenope Steve and Tony were here and they would get hurt.

'Doctor Banner- Bruce-' Steve was trying to herd them into an elevator, away from the gas but Bruce was certain any movement would make him lose control.

Tony's voice was suddenly next to Bruce's ear. 'Much as I love the jolly green giant, now really isn't the time.'

If Bruce hadn't been at war with himself he would have laughed sarcastically. His head jerked up in surprise at the smell of something sharp and herb-y and a curiously calming sensation that followed it. He shoved the Other Guy back fiercely, clearing the hazy thoughts from his mind before cautiously opening his eyes.

Tony was next to him, triumphantly clutching a tiny bottle in his hands.

'How…' Steve was open-mouthed.

'Smelling salts!' Tony crowed triumphantly, 'They're Pepper's; I don't know how they ended up in my pocket-'Steve flushed 'I didn't think they'd actually work but hey whaddya know!'

'Ok, what's going on? Why are we under attack?' Steve demanded.

'I need to leave.' Bruce gasped, 'It's General Ross, he's uh… He doesn't really like me, or the Other Guy. Cap, you should make yourself scarce too.'

'Whoa, hang on-'

'That won't be necessary Dr. Banner.' The elevator doors had chosen that moment to ding open, revealing Nick Fury.

Before he was even aware of what he was doing Bruce was backing away, ignoring Tony's mutters of 'that was a dramatic entrance'.

'Don't. Please. Whatever he's offering you, don't accept! It won't end well for anyone here!'

The Other Guy was raging again. Tony took a step forward and Bruce flinched back. Then his jaw dropped open as Tony stepped in front of him, closely followed by Steve.

'Is someone after Dr. Banner?' There was a steely note in Steve's voice.

'Save it.' The Director said curtly, cutting off Tony just as he was about to start a rant. He looked at Bruce, 'You know why he's here.'

Bruce nodded, trying to keep the green from encroaching on his vision. He wondered if he could make it out of the building before changing. But the amount of damage he would cause… He shuddered.

'Banner! There's no way we're giving in to him.'

That was new. Bruce blinked in surprise. For a second there was silence, then it was broken by (duh) Tony.

'Then why are you still here, boss? Shouldn't you be chasing him away, or do I have to do all the work?'

Fury scowled. 'Ross is persistent. We've got him in an interview room now and we thought Dr. Banner might want to watch.

…

Even though he knew the room was sound-proofed and the mirror was a one-way mirror, Bruce couldn't help feeling more than a little but iffy about being so close to General Ross. He was keeping a careful distance between himself and the glass, but it was still discontorting.

'This is weird.' He muttered, staring through the glass into the room where Ross sat at a table and scowled in his direction.

There was a quiet knock and the door opened, showing a cleaned up Steve and Tony.

'Do you mind company?' Steve asked sheepishly.

He did, actually. He didn't want anyone hearing the things Ross might have to say, and he didn't want anyone around in case he lost control. But the two of them had just stood up for him against Fury. And it wasn't like Tony would listen and he knew Steve would, but with a look on his face that resembled a kicked puppy.

Sighing, he waved them in.

'Do you know him?' Steve frowned at Ross through the glass, still looking confused.

'You could say that…' Bruce was in no mood to spill his life story.

'Rossy works with the army,' Tony interjected, 'Somehow, he managed to get into New York without JARVIS notifying me until he stepped into the building fifteen minutes ago, and he's got some interest in our joy green giant, although I don't know the full story. I haven't hacked those files. Yet.'

Bruce scowled and Steve sighed.

'But I've met him before. Nasty, nasty piece of work.'

'He spent eight years hunting me. That's an understatement.' Bruce sighed.

Steve's startled response was interrupted by the door of the interview room opening and Fury walking in, poker face in place as he took the chair opposite Ross.

'Director.'

'General.'

'You know what I'm here for. Give us the monster and there won't be any violence necessary.'

'I'm sorry,' Fury said, leaning casually back in his chair, 'but was that before or after you shot gas canisters through our third-floor windows? You're paying for those.'

Ross just glowered.

Fury tilted his head slightly before sighing sadly. 'I'm afraid I'll have to decline.'

Bruce felt his pulse quicken slightly, but not to a dangerous level, at the expression on the general's face as he leaned over the table.

'Director, surely you know the danger that that monster poses. He's killed innocents, kidnapped my daughter, he's a fugitive and he nearly destroyed Harlem! He needs to be put away!'

Bruce fought to keep his face impassive. Tony and Steve were both glowering at Ross and Bruce was surprised the glass didn't melt from their combined glares. It was strangely… heartening.

'Dr. Banner is a guest with SHIELD. He's done the world a great service. Also, I doubt that your intention is to 'put away' Dr. Banner. Might I also remind you that nearly all of the incidents you mentioned were of your own doing.'

Ross slammed a fist into the table but Fury didn't seem the least bit fazed, even when the general stood and towered over him.

'You either give it to us, or we'll take it from you,' Ross was practically purple with rage, 'and don't think we don't know about that super soldier either.'

Steve started in surprise.

'I've got men covering this building ready to come in and-'

Fury's face couldn't be seen but it sounded like he was smiling. 'You really think you can do that?'

Tony's phone had appeared and his fingers were a blur of motion. He drew up a few holograms from the screen, showing lines and lines of code and a scan of the street outside where there were several tanks.

'Who's going to stop me?' Ross hissed, 'your 'Avengers'?'

Tony muttered a couple of commands into his Bluetooth, rearranged several lines of coding and then beamed happily as the tanks started backing away.

'The Army needs to upgrade its security system,' Tony announced smugly, 'I also made the PA system on the tanks blast the Pokémon theme song.'

Fury glanced down at his phone, then stood.

'Perhaps it's time you took your leave, General.'

The vein in Ross's neck bulged and he jammed a finger into the comm. link in his ear.

'Move in!'

All Ross heard was a young boy's voice and a mouse-like animal's cry, which sounded a bit like PETA.

'Stark,' he spat.

He cast a threatening gaze around the room, glaring through the mirror and then at Fury.

'You'll pay. Your entire so-called team will pay. I know who they are and I know where to find them! And I'll get what I want!' He stormed out.

'My God, he certainly seems to have everything under control, doesn't he?' Tony smirked.

Fury flipped his phone open. 'He's left the building. I want men on him now. Track him.'

The Director left the interview and entered the smaller one where the three men were.

'Ross meant what he said. As of right now, the Avengers, Dr. Banner and Captain Rogers especially, are on his list.'

Bruce laughed dryly. 'Really? I haven't noticed that for the past 12 years! Now, can I get a lift to Calcutta?'

'What?' Tony exclaimed, 'Doc, c'mon, do the words 'ten floors of R&D' mean nothing to you?'

Poor Steve looked even more confused, but he was still Captain America.

'Director, someone ought to warn Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff.'

Fury response was a snort. 'Warn Romanoff and Barton? Don't you mean warn the poor sod that got sent after them?'

A/N: So like I said, this is probably going to be quite a long story and hopefully updates will be regular. Please tell me what you think, any suggestions or constructive criticism is welcome and much-needed.