I thought I was done, but then this just came to me, so I wrote it. Please, let me know what'cha think!
At first, every morning when they woke up, the routine they followed was the same.
Natasha is the first one to enter the Avenger's communal kitchen. She sits in silence at the dining table, her tired eyes tracing patterns in the well grained wood as the sun slowly rises to tinge the sky viewed through the panoramic windows a shade of pink. After a while, she gets up to put on several pots of coffee – the team are big coffee drinkers. Bruce will come into the kitchen then, already dressed for the day, and sit across from Natasha. Neither one speaks; the camaraderie between them is silent. Steve will come up to the kitchen after his morning workout and shower, and there are mumbled 'good mornings' and 'hellos' between them.
Clint and Thor both take turn in entering the scene next. Clint usually in nothing but sweats and a tank top, Thor typically in nothing but his lightning-bolt emblazoned boxer shorts that Tony bought him as a gag gift. They both make a beeline for the coffee, not bothering to greet the other members of the team until they're at least two sips in. Bruce will go to the fridge and begin pulling out eggs, fruit, milk and bacon; anything that they need for breakfast that morning. Steve tracks down a pan or two, fires up the stove, and starts cooking.
After a while, the smell and sounds of sizzling bacon entice a very tired Tony out of his rooms or his lab, grumbling and moaning until he is silenced by a steaming cup of espresso. The team sits around the dining table, some staring blankly into their mugs, others perusing the newspaper or surfing online on their Stark tablets, while Steve plays house-mother and serves them a balanced breakfast. The meal is almost always held in complete silence.
If any of the members of the team notice how Steve shudders slightly as he stares down the complex dials and functions of the high tech stove top, they never mention it to him. If they happen to see the way he stares absently out the window during breakfast, his blue eyes large and sad as he watches the towering sky scraper across the road being built, each brick and beam hoisted up one by one to block out the view of the rising sun, and see the tears beginning to gather in the corners of his eyes before he blinks them away angrily, they never bring it up. They've seen his sketch book; they've passed by when he was in the gym, taking his fear and aggression out on one of the many punching bags stored there. They learn not to tease him about it.
If they happen to notice how Bruce grips his mug tightly between two clawed hands, and flinches whenever he catches sight of his reflection in the quivering black liquid, they have the courtesy not to tease him about it. If he flinches away every time someone brushes against his arm, or lightly touches his hand while passing him the dish of eggs, they never call him out on it. They know his secret; they know what he's trying to keep hidden from them. They've seen the look on his face after he 'Hulks- out' and destroys one of Tony's labs. They also know not to bring it up, because if they do, he runs.
If someone happens to notice how the gray shadows under Clint's eye grow steadily darker as the week passes on, and how his contributions to any small talk at the table fade away in to silence, they never call him out on it. If they notice the way that he twitches slightly, his fingers expanding and contracting into clawed fists, whenever someone brings up their first mission together, they never ask him why. The training room isn't sound proofed, and on quiet nights, when none of them are capable of sleeping, they can hear the repetitive Thwack! as arrow after arrow strikes the target in the room. They see the way lint is with his bow, never allowing it out of his sight for too long, and always holding it tenderly and protectively against his body, and they recognize that at times, it's his only life line to sanity. They take the time to show him their trust.
If they notice how Tony's hands tremble slightly as he clasps his hands around his umpteenth cup of coffee, how his lips quiver before every sip and his eyes stare wide at the empty wall across the room from him, they never demand a reason. If he snipes angrily at them, they might notice the way he shudders regretfully before they retort back, and they might see the slight hardening of his expression, steeling himself against their words. They know about the betrayal he's experienced in his past, and they come to realize that his snark and attitude are the only ways he knows to defend himself. They know that underneath it all, despite what he says, he doesn't want them to leave him alone. So they don't, they stand by his side, even when his words make them grit their teeth angrily and bite their tongues to hold back an insult. They never tell him that they know all about his mask.
If they watch as Natasha flinches every time they address her directly, and how her hand automatically slides down her waist to her hip, where she undoubtedly stashes some kind of sharp instrument, they don't protest about it later. If they catch the haunted look shadowing her eyes, they don't request that she share her experiences with them They may not know much about the past life of the formerly Russian spy, but they know enough not to bring it up. They learn that while Clint may or may not be her lover, they share a deeper connection, and that when she falls out of her usual composure only he can bring her back. They never comment on the relationship, though they may still wonder in secret. And they all agree not to bring up their own ledgers.
If they notice the tears that sometimes glisten at the ends of Thor's long blond lashes before he rubs them away furiously with his fists, they don't bother to laugh about it later. If they run in to him while he aimlessly wanders the halls of the Tower, empty and without direction, fingering Mjolnir timidly at his waistband, they don't question as to why that is. They remember Loki all too well, and they can sympathize with the feeling of having lost a sibling to such a dark fate. They may not approve of Thor's desperation to cling to his brother, and they may not agree that Loki can ever be saved, but they don't share that opinion with Thor. They let him have this small hope, because deep down they hope for the same. Because if Loki can be forgiven for his actions, they might be too.
The team learns to live with each other. They learn about Steve's love of art, and they let him sketch them every once and a while. They learn that, despite having no real medical degree, Bruce has just as much medical know-how and experience as any one of SHIELD's doctors, and they allow him to be the one to patch them up after a mission. They hear about some of Clint's fonder memories of the circus, and Tony promises to take them all to Coney Island sometime in the near future. They come to realize that Tony really is a philanthropist, actively, and they see a whole new side of him whenever he's around Pepper. They place bets on when the two of them will finally get married. They learn that Natasha is a wonderfully patient teacher, and she takes the time to train them all in many different styles of martial arts. They learn about Thor's love of Pop-tarts, his love for the beautiful Dr. Jane Foster, and about his life on Asgard.
After a while, they learn what subjects to avoid, too. Steve will talk about life in the 40's, but he shuts down if anyone talks about the people he knew. Bruce is fine with light hearted Hulk jokes, but they learn never to bring up the accident that made him that way. Clint will ramble forever about nothing important, but ask him anything personal and he shuts up almost immediately. Tony doesn't talk about his parents, or his arc reactor. Natasha never brings up her past to anyone but Clint. Thor avoids tales of his prowess in battle, and he still flinches at talk of the Chitauri battle for New York.
They learn that despite their avoidance, every one of them deeply craves someone to acknowledge their hidden issues, and to make them feel safe. To make them feel like part of the team. When Tony sees Steve flinch away from the ceiling whenever JARVIS speaks to him, Tony takes time to show Steve JARVIS programming, even if the Captain will never understand it. He shows Steve how to use the microwave, the TV, a cell phone. The first time Steve successfully sends Tony a text message, there are drinks all around.
When Steve bumps into Thor wandering in the hallway, ad notices the empty look in his eyes, he'll catch the blond giant by the arm, and pat him reassuringly on the back. He offers to take Thor out in to town, so the two of them can explore this new world together. And while Thor never accepts his offer, Steve can tell he appreciates the thought.
On movie night, when Thor suddenly finds himself being used as a pillow when lint happens to all asleep halfway through the film; his head resting on Thor's bicep and his hands falling across Thor's lap, the gentle giant never wakes the archer up. Instead, he carefully picks Clint up in his arms and carries him into his bedroom. He even goes so far as to tuck the archer in before turning off the lights and closing the door. When Clint sees Thor the next morning he gives him a brief nod of thanks and a small smile, but neither one of them ever brings it up again.
When Clint walks past the open door to Natasha's room and see the Black Widow sitting quietly on the end of her bed, he doesn't keep on walking. He makes a considerably amount of noise to warn her of his approach as he enters the room. Then he'll sit on the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her. He never speaks, and neither does she, but they'll sit there in silence for hours, comforting one another with their presence alone.
When Tony goes too far one night during dinner, teasing Bruce and accidentally bringing up and old flame from the past, and Bruce's eyes flash green before he pushes away from the table and runs away, retreating to his lab, Natasha leaves the shocked silence and follows him down in the next elevator. She finds him sitting on the floor of his lab, legs crossed, deep in his meditation, and she perches next to him until his harsh breathing slows down and he opens his eyes, dark brown once more. She stays there with him silently, until he meets her gaze and sighs, a small smile flashing across his lips. He stands and turns to his research, and she sits in the room with him, never speaking, but never leaving until she's absolutely certain that he's okay.
The next time Tony pushes to far, and Bruce sees the world starting to tinge with green around him, he notices the flash of guilt in Tony's eyes before its replaced with a mask of defiance. So Bruce takes a deep breath and forces the monster back into the deepest corners of his mind. He takes the now shocked Tony by the shoulder, smiling in reassurance until Tony flashes back a grin. Bruce can see the gratitude in his face, and he allows the next Hulk crack to slide by without his customary warning.
The scene around the breakfast table changes as time passes. They still file into the kitchen in order, still sit in silence while they read the paper or surf the web or drink their preferred cup of coffee. Steve still flinches at the stove while he cooks, Bruce always shudders at his reflection in his cup of coffee, and Clint looks more and more exhausted every day. Tony continues to tremble and snipe at them, Natasha will always go for the knife hidden at her waist, and Thor will never let the memory of Loki go. But as they sit around the table, the cool indifference that they once held for one another is gone.
They have become a team.
Bruce might look away from his coffee long enough to smile at one of Tony's jokes. Steve may glance over Bruce's shoulder to read the news on his Stark tablet. Clint might brush his hand along the Natasha's unnecessarily as he passes Thor the bacon, and she may smile slightly every time he does. Thor might request another cup of coffee very loudly, and Tony might be kind enough to take the gods mug and fill it again for him. They might all sit a little closer together, shoulders almost touching, as they enjoy their food silently.
Every morning, they come a little closer together.
Every morning, they come a little closer to overcoming their own nightmares.
Stay tuned, I've got a sizeable chunk of my full length fic written and ready for publishing sometime in the near future! And two other Avengers fics in mind, including a five-and-one Bruce/ Darcy fic and another angst-y fic that's still an idea in processing. Thanks so much for readin this story! You all kick ass!