So basically I've kinda sorta fallen in love with all these characters and I've ALWAYS wanted to do a 100 drabbles challenge and I'm extremely, extremely excited to start this one c: If you don't know how this works, there's a pre-set list of a hundred prompts (that I didn't write lolol) I'll be using and each chapter will be a drabble based off the chapter's respective prompt. I'll be focusing on all sorts of characters and relationships and what have you so please leave a review, let me know what you think and what you want to see [: I don't want to ramble on forever so here you are!

prompt one: introduction
word count: 981

It didn't take long for the initial shock and high from the battle to wear off and for the massive elephant that was Clint Barton's reappearance to march into the room. It was strange, Clint suddenly being part of the team when mere hours before he'd been aiming his deadly arrows at their heads. Everyone carefully avoided the subject, during the shawarma meal, during the cleanup, for days afterward even – until that last meeting before Thor and Loki returned to Asgard. Loki was secured under SHIELD's watchful eye (Fury had barely gotten any sleep keeping his one eye constantly trained on the damn demigod), and the Avengers decided they probably shouldn't part ways yet, or at the very least should try and gain some closure or something. It was Steve's idea, naturally. After all they'd gone through, they couldn't just move on like nothing had happened, right?

And so they gathered on that poor level of Tony's tower that had sustained the bulk of the damage, and for a while they sat and made unimportant small talk or sipped at their drinks awkwardly. Not even Tony had much to say. Finally, though, the silence was broken by Thor, who pointed at a few large craters in the floor and asked, "Did the Chitauri send meteors, as well?"

It seemed as if Bruce didn't know whether to look amused or embarrassed, so his face twisted into a strange combination of both expressions and flushed red as he replied, "Your brother, um…he kinda pissed the Other Guy off."

Thor laughed; a deep, throaty and booming laugh that came from the bottom of chest and echoed around the room, open to the evening air though it was. He downed the remainder of his champagne in less than a second and requested more. Tony stated (unconvincingly) that they'd unfortunately just run out. The group could feel themselves settling into the awkward almost-silence again, when suddenly a rather unfamiliar voice spoke up.

"Major kudos, Banner," said Clint with a small, good-natured smile. He raised his glass in Bruce's direction as a sort of casual toast. "No offense, Thor, I just don't happen to be a huge fan of Loki…at least, at the moment."

"I am not offended, good hawkman. My brother is good at heart, but he is naïve and makes many mistakes. I do not deny this!" Tony made a childish face at the unreasonable volume of Thor's voice. He wasn't sure how one was able to even get buzzed from a single glass of champagne, but he knew he sure as hell wasn't letting the guy have any more.

"Thanks, I suppose." Bruce looked a little uncomfortable at the notion of accepting praise for something the Hulk had done, but he smiled politely. "I guess we haven't really had a formal introduction, Agent Barton."

"Call me Clint. Chances are I was probably mind-controlled into almost killing you recently, so I think the least I can do is offer my friendship." Clint swirled his drink around in its glass and silently prayed he hadn't just said something extremely stupid.

Luckily, Bruce didn't seem to be phased in the least. The smile that adorned his face now was more genuine. "Alright, Clint, friends it is. Chances are I'll probably almost kill you sometime in the future, so maybe friendship will alleviate that sort of tension a bit."

They all realized what Bruce had just said – they'd all pretty much assumed it, but for it to be said aloud, even indirectly, was an entirely different ballgame. But he'd done it – confirmed the Avengers were there to stay. "Sometime in the future." Sometime in the future, this would happen again. Sometime in the future, the world would once more need to be protected – to be avenged.

Tony set his glass down on his pristine marble counter top and clapped his hands together abruptly, startling the entire room. "Whoa now, don't pull out your guns and bows and hammers, as far as I know I'm not planning on almost killing anyone here."

Pepper, who had been watching quietly and thoughtfully from a chair in the corner of the room, pitched in, "He's an attention seeker. He likes to be noticed."

"We're aware," Steve said with a playfully resentful roll of his eyes. (He still didn't like Tony in the least, hell no! But they might as well just try and get along…right?)

"As I was saying," Tony continued, shooting an overly exaggerated glare at both Steve and Pepper, "if we're going to get all buddy-buddy cozy and such, then you should all know that I'm Tony. Tony Stark. Of course, I hope you knew that before just now. You should also already know that I'm a genius billionaire playboy philanthropist – I know Captain Carebear's heard that one – and I don't like to be handed things." He paused for a moment to take a breath and then raised his finger as if he'd forgotten something extremely important: "Also the insurance for this beauty of a building—" (Steve scoffed under his breath here) "—is expensive as hell and I honestly don't know if it covers alien attacks, so since you all helped with this destruction you should probably pitch in to cover damages."

"Don't be ridiculous, Tony," Pepper chided, just as Bruce and Clint joined each other in a fit of good, real laughter at the general outrageousness of the entire situation. Soon, even hard-eyed Natasha was gasping for air. No matter what they tried, they were just seven fully grown adult freaks of nature who could not stop laughing.

They all slept over that night, and the next day Tony begrudgingly agreed to let them move in permanently; excepting Thor who was content with simply being reassured that he had a place for him and Jane to stay whenever he visited from Asgard. The ice had officially been broken.