I don't own the Avengers.
Steve
The door to Natasha's quarter at S.H.I.E.L.D. slides open the moment he arrives. She's sitting on the bed, looking up at him quickly.
"Time to go," he says – they need to get to Stark Tower as quick as they can.
"Go where?" She asks in return.
"I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?" He can't to save his life – sure, he can fly things but not those jets – so he hopes she can. Otherwise they'll have to find someone else to do it for them.
Suddenly a man emerges from the small door at the back of the room – probably leading to some kind of bathroom. "I can,"
Steve blinks in surprise at the other's presence but it only takes him a few seconds to figure out what's going on. He tries not to blush as he connects the dots. He feels sort of lucky he wasn't here ten minutes earlier…
He gets his mind out of the gutter and glances at Natasha. Sure, this man says he can fly a jet but he likes to know for certain he can be trusted, that he isn't under Loki's control anymore.
Natasha nods and to Steve, it's enough. He turns back to the man and asks: "Got a suit?"
The other nods.
"Then suit up," he says and leaves the two alone again. He's happy for Natasha but he can't help but be reminded of what he's lost seeing her with the other man. He shakes his head at his own thoughts. He needs to focus on the upcoming battle.
Bruce
Bruce looks around the street – the destroyed street with debris, destroyed cars and dead Chitauri everywhere. But there's also the Avengers, the team, his team.
He sighs to himself and admits that yeah, today is a good day and that isn't just because they'd managed to save Manhattan.
Because Tony is babbling about getting shawarma, Thor demands to know about this celebratory food and Steve just shrugs and mumbles something that sounds a lot like team-bonding. And then – thank God – there's Clint and Natasha, handing him clothing. Where they'd gotten it, Bruce doesn't know but he does give the both of them a shy yet grateful smile.
"Although you do have a killer body there, Banner." Clint jokes.
Bruce notices that the corner of Natasha's lip quirks up in amusement before she whacks Clint on the back of his head.
It takes Tony an hour to convince S.H.I.E.L.D. to take Loki, demand a day off and then drag all the Avengers off to the shawarma-joint he'd seen earlier.
Bruce isn't sure what their little group looks like, every single one of them particularly falling asleep right in their food. And then there's Clint and Natasha sitting on his right, silently whispering to each other.
That's when he notices Clint's foot propped up on Natasha's chair, the way it's just barely pressed against her thigh and the way their hands are almost touching as they converse.
'Oh,' he thinks and turns his eyes away, focusing on his shawarma instead. He might be socially awkward but he knows well enough when he is imposing on an intimate moment shared between two lovers.
Tony
He isn't sure exactly what possessed him to give every single Avenger a floor in his newly decorated Stark Tower. Whenever he's asked, he says it's because he suffered a concussion after their fight with the Chitauri and leaves it at that.
He tells himself that's what must be it, too.
It is, however, surprisingly comforting to have his house filled with people. It makes it a home rather than something he build just to show it off.
At first he's surprised at how little belongings everyone has but he guesses it all makes sense. Steve has absolutely nothing, Bruce has been running away for a long time and Clint and Natasha are, well, they are Clint and Natasha and Tony hadn't expected them to have a lot of things.
But the fact no-one has any stuff only gives him the opportunity to actually get them things he thinks they need.
One of the first things he gets Clint is a high-teach, state-of-the-art home cinema set. Seriously, he doesn't know why the archer has been moping around the mansion but he is very sure that it will be over very soon. A good movie has the ability to cure any sour mood, after all.
So he is happy that one night, when he is on his way to bed and passes Clint's bedroom, he sees Clint watching a movie. The archer looks relaxed and at peace, watching Finding Nemo of all movies.
He steps closer to the bedroom, about to make a remark when he notices that Clint isn't alone. He hadn't seen it from a different angle but now he can actually see that Natasha is lying on the couch. She looks as relaxed as Tony has ever seen, head resting against Clint's thigh and one of Clint's hands resting on top of her red curls.
With a small smile he turns away, closing the door as he goes. He'll tease Clint in the morning but right now he'll leave him alone. He knows how precious time with a loved one is.
Thor
Midgard is a strange place with even stranger rules, rituals and customs. For instance, people don't always say what they mean, they make references to thinks he has never heard about and then there are relationships.
Relationships in Midgard aren't straightforward, no matter what everyone claims. They are vague, with a lot of different labels and rules about who is to have a relationship with who. What keeps on surprising him is that there even seem to be rules about who can't be together with who. It is completely and utterly ridiculous and it all makes things very confusing.
It is late at night and he is intently watching as the microwave heats his strawberry poptart when suddenly Tony storms into the kitchen. His expression is a mix between happiness and shock and Thor frowns. "Man of Iron, what is wrong?"
"Coulson… he is alive!" Tony exclaims and starts rambling about hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s computer-files and other things Thor doesn't understand.
Eventually, they agree that Tony will wake Bruce and Steve and he himself is to retrieve Natasha and Clint from their beds.
He wanders the hallway and sees the door to Natasha's room is halfway open. With big, excited steps walks up to her room. He needs to share this exciting news with her right away!
He pushes open the door – slowly, for he has seen Natasha fight and is sure to be careful around her.
He notices right away that Natasha isn't alone in the bed and after squinting for a moment he realizes it is Clint sleeping soundly next to her. It brings a smile to his lips to see that at least, this is one relationship that isn't confusing. It is obvious these two are together and he can't imagine there will be anyone that dares to tell them they can't be.
Suddenly, he hears stumbling in one of the other rooms which reminds him of what he came to Natasha's room for in the first place. "Time to wake up, my friends." He says and then when the two on the bed stir he grins widely and spreads his arms, booming: "THE SON OF COUL IS ALIVE!"
Clint
He can still hardly believe that Phil is alive.
He is so happy he could die if not for the fact Phil would follow his ass to hell and drag him back. Then again, that does sound rather romantic and it would be nice to have Phil work his ass off for him after what he's done.
"What are you grinning about?"
When he's nudged in the side Clint looks at Phil, sitting in the driver's seat and looking at him in amusement.
"Nothing, just happy you're here." He says before he can stop himself.
Phil's lips curl up in fondness, the skin at the corners of his eyes wrinkle in amusement yet his hands clench against the steering-wheel in a sense of guilt. "Me too,"
"Phil,"
"It needed to be done," Phil says while parking the car in the parking-lot of Stark Tower. "But I wish I didn't do it."
"I know," Clint gives the other a smile, re-assuring smile and reaches out to squeeze the other's knee before getting out of the car.
When they stand in the elevator, going to the top floor of Stark Tower, Clint takes the other's hand in his. "Nat knows too." He softly says, knowing it's at the back of Phil's mind.
Phil squeezes his hand in a somewhat nervous gesture. "I haven't seen her after the meeting with the Director."
Clint chuckles. "Of course you haven't. She's put up with me the week we thought you were…" Clint swallows, hesitates for a moment and then grins. "She went away for a few days. Sun, an empty apartment in Malibu and most importantly, Pepper."
Phil smirks, looking relieved. "Good,"
Then the elevator chimes and the doors open, revealing all the Avengers – including Pepper who is sitting next to Nat on the couch.
"Welcome back, Son of Coul!" Thor exclaims, standing up and grinning widely at the two of them.
Phil gives the God a small smile and nods. "Thanks." He then looks around the room, the banner hanging from the ceiling and the cake on the table. "For everything."
"We ah- we thought it would be nice to give you a 'welcome back' party." Steve says with a small smile.
"Aww, a 'welcome back' party, really?" Clint asks, a small pout on his lips. "I was certain you were planning a secret engagement party for us! Now I'm disappointed."
Phil nudges him but chuckles nonetheless and the rest of the room has fallen silent.
Tony is the first to recover. "Engagement party, Barton?"
Clint smirks. Oh yes, they were all so clueless. "Of course," he says and reaches down to take Phil's hand in his. "We're engaged."
It takes a long time for anyone to utter a sensible word after that, everyone too surprised by the news. Everyone but Natasha and Pepper. They are holding hands, only letting go when they both stand up to congratulate Phil and him.
The end