Author's Note: So this story will be in basically unrelated one-shot form. There will be ten of them, and each one will be titled with a song that inspired the drabble. All of them will be about the Avengers working together as a team, and maybe some hints of couples. You guys leave me a review and tell me what you want.

This song is by Nine Inch Nails.

Disclaimer: If I owned the Avengers… Possibilities! But unfortunately… Not a chance.

We're in this Together

All in all, Natasha was uncomfortable.

She had agreed to the Avengers initiative with no reserves. The world had needed all six unique individuals working together, and while she was in no way thrilled to be on a team –she usually would only accept working with Clint at all- it had been necessary.

But what she had not agreed to was staying in Stark Tower, knowing all five other conflicting personalities were in the same building, trying to avoid everyone else at all costs. It was by far the most uncomfortable, irritating position she had ever been in, and that was saying something, because Natasha had been in a lot of uncomfortable and irritating positions.

For the first few weeks, she had bowed to Fury's wishes, training late at night and eating sporadically, whenever she could sneak into the kitchen when Tony and Steve went at it. Again.

Clint had caught her unawares a few times, asking her how she was doing, commenting that they all didn't see much of her. She had replied with a noncommittal noise, immediately disappearing off the grid once more. Tony had tried the same a few times, believing that the fact she had been his PA meant that he was closer to her than the others, ultimately failing. Instead, he left her sticky notes on the refrigerator. They started out by just teasing her, but eventually began holding undertones of pleading, asking her to come out to dinner with them, to help him and Bruce teach Steve how to play "Life". Last Sunday, there had even been one telling her that Movie Night was every Friday, and they were watching Star Wars that week.

Frankly, Natasha was sick of it. And somewhere deep inside, she knew she was sick of it because she was caving.

It was Friday night, and she was in the gym, knowing no one would be there because everyone was watching Star Wars. She could hear the soft sounds of Darth Vader's theme, and in a moment of weakness, asked Jarvis to play her the audio over the gym's loudspeakers. She listened to a fight between Leia and Han Solo as she beat up her punching bag, so wrapped up in the dialogue that she barely heard the door slide open. But she was Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, so she did, and she turned to greet the intruder. It was Steve. "Captain," she acknowledged, knowing she had just been caught red-handed. She berated herself for being stupid and sentimental enough to care what the boys were watching.

"Natasha," Steve returned. "Stark called a bathroom break, and I was…" He paused. "Well, I was wondering if you'd come and watch the rest of the movie with us?" His baby blue eyes gazed pleadingly at her, and Natasha fidgeted awkwardly. "We've all missed – I mean, you know you're the only one who can keep a handle on Stark," he added stutteringly, still obviously begging. In the back of her mind, Natasha noted it was kind of pitiful. Of course, so was what she was about to do.

In the end, she would claim it to be the blue eyes that caught her. "Sure," she replied quietly. "Just because of the whole Stark thing," she finished quickly, begging Steve with her eyes not to call her bluff.

She had always known the super solider was kind. He simply smiled, leading her downstairs to meet the rest of the team. To her complete surprise, no one said anything about her presence. Tony only winked. She narrowed her eyes, beginning to get a little suspicious.

Clint and Thor were sprawled out on the ground, each with an entire fist in the popcorn bowl, munching contentedly. Bruce was leaning against the couch, and he smiled shyly up at her. Steve pulled her between him and Tony on the sofa, the latter immediately grabbing her by the belt loop of her skinny jeans and yanking a gun out from where she had tucked it. She began to protest, but he cut her off.

"Don't need a gun to watch a movie, do you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. He tossed the gun behind the couch.

Clint, being a complete and utter traitor, piped in from the floor. "Yeah, Tash, you don't see my arrows anywhere."

Natasha rolled her eyes, sinking back into the couch and training her eyes on the screen. She tried not the overanalyze the fact that the movie was not Star Wars like it had been earlier, but some flick about a group of people that hated each other at the beginning but eventually became best friends somewhere along the way. She had underestimated how exhausted she was, and towards the end, she dozed off, her neck leaning awkwardly against the head of the couch.

Bruce, Clint, and Thor had fallen asleep even earlier, leaving Tony and Steve to watch the movie through. So they did, staring groggily at the blank screen even after Jarvis shut off the movie.

Steve, ever the gentleman, immediately noticed Natasha's uncomfortable-looking predicament. "Should we-" he began slowly.

Tony, ever the playboy, silently maneuvered the Black Widow's head onto his lap; he was far too exhausted to think of the possibly consequences when she woke up, and Steve was far too tired to warn him.

Bruce's head fell comfortably onto Natasha's stomach, and Steve swung her legs up so they rested on his thighs. This caused Natasha to straighten out, shifting her head on Tony's lap. The billionaire dropped a hand on her head, sifting through the fiery locks.

And for the first time, the Avengers were truly working as a team.

AAA

Natasha had done many things, and she had seen even more. But when she woke up with her head in Tony Stark's lap, she nearly had a heart attack.

She quickly rolled off the couch, barely missing Bruce's prone body. She was lucky his head had shifted off her stomach sometime in the night and caused him to curl up on the floor. It probably had happened the same time that she had buried her upper body farther into Tony's warmth, and tucked her small, bare feet under Steve's thighs. At this dispassionate mental observation, Natasha blanched.

Oh God…

She slowly got to her feet, inching toward the doorway. It was time; time for her to disappear again. She knew it was long overdue, and as her sorrowful eyes trailed over every last inch of her companions, she berated herself for not leaving sooner. She had begun to get too attached.

She had almost reached the door – in her eyes, her freedom- when Thor stirred, awakening to stare at her with sleepy eyes. "Lady Natasha?" He asked in confusion. "Are you leaving?"

Natasha inwardly grimaced, but managed force a believable smile on the outside. "Just going to the bathroom, Thor," she clarified, putting the exact right amount of annoyance and fondness that would give Thor no reason to question her. She was right; the god only nodded and rolled over on his other side.

The Black Widow tore out of the room, running up to her level in order to toss a few things in a black drawstring bag and change into a pair of skinny jeans and a button-down white Oxford. She combed her fingers through her hair, throwing on some essential makeup before entering the elevator.

"Jarvis, could you have my car pulled out front?"

The AI responded promptly. "Of course, Miss Romanoff." There was a beat of silence; Natasha waited for the automated butler to keep speaking, like she knew it would. "Miss Romanoff" –there it was- "May I advise you that this might not be the best course of action? Perhaps you have made a hasty decision."

Natasha gave a tight smile. "Tell Stark and the others that I'm sorry."

"Will do, Miss Romanoff."

The elevator made a ding as the doors slid open on the ground level. Natasha kept her eyes trained down, wondering if she did make a little bit of a hasty decision, until the doors were fully open. She raised her eyes, took one step forward, and froze.

There stood all five male Avengers, in all their sleepwear glory.

"Going somewhere, Red?" Tony asked immediately with his arms crossed unforgiving over his chest, not missing a beat.

Natasha was silent, knowing she had been caught red-handed. She went from face to face, looking for any sign of weakness, but even Steve and Thor looked extremely serious. Tony and Bruce just looked plain angry and hurt –she would have to be careful what she said, because of the latter. She glanced at Clint, but immediately looked away. He was the worst, not angry or hurt or serious, as much as simply disappointed.

"I-" Natasha began.

Tony cut her off immediately, apparently the designated voice for the group, which on the side, Natasha observed was probably a smart decision. "You what? Were going to tear out of here without a single word? Were going to leave this team and take away our only badass, smoking hot female assassin?"

Steve spoke up, voice quiet and pained. "We're not the Avengers without you, Natasha."

"Why do you think I leave those sticky notes on the 'fridge?" Tony jumped back in. "Because I get a kick out of it? No, it's because I-"

"And by 'I', he means 'we'," Clint added.

"- Want to see more of you!" Tony finished. "Do you even care about being part of the Avengers at all? Because I, and sue my narcissistic ass for saying this, care. I care a lot," Tony admitted.

Natasha knew this is where she was supposed to put on a tough, uncaring façade and emotionally tear down all the men in front of her. This was where she stormed out of Stark Tower and found herself a different world to stay in, because she didn't need these people. She had always only had herself, and she knew all she really needed was herself.

But, the thing was, she didn't know that. And so her answer was different.

It was an answer in the form of her drawstring bag hitting the floor, the happily shocked faces around her, the multiple arms that enveloped her a second later. And she didn't protest.

Because Natasha Romanoff thought she could get used to hugs like this.

AAA

Thoughts?