~Several days later in the Rec room~

Steve finally comments ten minutes into the first movie, "I can't believe Thor is late for movie night. He finds earth movies rather amusing, so he's usually the first one here."

"Well I wanna know what happened to Nat! She picked this movie out and now she's letting us watch it without her?"

"Here's your popcorn guys." Tony says, handing out the bowls. "And I say let her get away from the rest of us for a while. It seems to make her less likely to go psycho on us. Anyone else notice?"

"Her moods have appeared to show greater improvement. She's smiling more too." Bruce agrees.

"And that's good and all, but for some reason Nat's recent pleasantness has been paired with her more frequent disappearing acts." Clint said in between bites of popcorn.

"Speaking of the lovely assassin… Hey! We were missing the estrogen of the group. Where you been?"

Natasha walks in looking a bit frazzled, but smiles at Tony and says, "I was in my suite, working out, and didn't notice the time. Move over Barton."

Clint made room for her, yet scrunched up his noise once she sat as if he got a whiff of something odd.

"Well it must have been one hell of a work out. Your hair looks like you've stuck your hand in a socket." Comments Tony.

Her fingers instantly go up to her head and she tries to smooth her red locks.

"Damn Nat, why do you smell like burnt toast?" Clint finally asks her, and he leans in to get a good sniff of her hair.

Tony jokes, " What were you, struck by lightning?"

Natasha bats Clint away and opens her mouth to reply, but remains silent when she sees Thor stride in.

She looks relieved to say instead, "Oh look there's Thor. Let me fill him in on the movie synopsis so he won't get too confused." Then Natasha bolts off the couch and pulls Thor aside before he can reach the sitting area.

"Thor! I know I told you otherwise, but I think you might need to go easy on me. Just look at my hair!" Natasha was saying in a hushed tone. Thor glanced behind her at the rest of the Avengers who were oh-so-obviously eavesdropping. Apparently her hushed tones weren't quite hushed enough. Natasha turns around and notices the audience. She displays a weak smile toward them and pulls Thor further into a corner.

"Did you hear that?" Tony whispers conspiratorially.

"Something about going easy on her… I don't think I understand…" Steve trailed off.

"I believe it would be plausible to say there is something peculiar going on involving her and Thor." Said Bruce.

"What could possibly be going on?" Clint looked incredulous.

"Don't be too quick to brush it off, Birdie." Tony gestured toward Thor and Natasha still talking quietly in the corner. "Look at 'em. She heads him off at the pass. Tells him to take it 'easy on her.' Then those two have been disappearing at the same time all this week. Even her moods have been improving."

"Just what are you implying, Stark." Clint asks brusquely.

"That maybe our favorite female assassin is getting her fill of Lightening Rod."

Clint clinches his jaw in irritation about the insinuation, but Bruce just grimaces at the terribly used double innuendo.

"Have you any tact, Tony?" Steve reprimands.

"Never found a use for it. I do find value in sarcasm and bluntness."

"Not your most redeeming qualities." Grumbles Steve.

Tony chuckles, but continues, "All I'm saying is that something is going on between those two and they're just trying to keep it a secret. Mark my words."

On that note, both Natasha and Thor rejoined the group. The film was restarted and it was a generally fun night, but even Clint noticed that Thor was strangely quiet. Tony would later describe it as Thor's version of acting sheepish.