Steve walks into the study and notices Clint hovered at one of the computer stations.
"Clint? What are you doing here? I don't think I've ever seen you on this floor of the tower."
"Oh hey Cap. My laptop's busted so I thought I'd use the internet on these computers to do some research. You down here for the computers too?" He asks.
"Gosh no." Steve raises his hands in protest, "No I'm passing through toward the library section. Pepper told me she had it stocked with some new titles on modern art expression since she knew I was curious about it. Thought I'd check out how much art's changed over the years."
"Ah."
"Yea. So um… if you don't mind me asking, what are you researching anyway?" Attempting to satisfy this new curiosity, Steve straddles an office chair and rolls beside Clint.
"Prank ideas that I could do to Tony."
"Oh… that." Steve chuckles.
"Yea that. Since Nat gave me that dare, I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to mess with Stark. She won't give me any ideas since she's leaving execution to me and Thor didn't find it fair to double cross Tony after they both collaborated over making me look like 'stupid cupid.' At least the big guy agreed to not ruin things by mentioning it to Tony."
"Ha, well how is it coming? The prank research I mean."
"Ehh so –so. I am open to fresh ideas though." Clint turns to give Steve an expecting look.
"What from me?! Oh no leave me out of this. I don't like the whole dare game thing anyway and I'm sure I'd be horrible at pranks."
"But it could be oh so much fun. And it's creative. You like art right? Well this is like a different type of creative expression, only funnier."
"Yea…..well maybe but… I don't think that…" Steve stammers before Clint cuts him off.
"Just think about getting under Stark's skin for once when all he does is get under yours."
"Okay, I admit, that does sound like a particularly convincing perk."
Clint laughs and pats him on the back, "Trust me, the look on Tony's face if we do something to him will be rewarding enough to convince anyone. So what do you say, help me out a little, Cap?"
Steve looks conflicted for a few seconds before he starts grinning, "Let's fix the smug bastard real good."
"Haha that's my boy. Okay, so ideas?"
"Well… to mess with Tony you would probably have to tamper with something he's really personally invested in. "
"So there's his lab and tech inventions and crap. Ohh! His disembodied robot slash butler JARVIS is another big part of his life we could screw with somehow."
"I heard that and would not advise it." JARVIS suddenly comments, gaining an astonished gasp from Clint and a perplexed glance upward from Steve.
"Disembodied butler aside, those are all great examples, " Steve continues, "but I was thinking more on the lines of something less complicated: the suits."
"Okay, I like where this is going. Talk to me."
"So thinking of how Tony always mockingly refers to me as 'Spangly' because of the Captain uniform, we should give him a taste of his own medicine. Ironically enough, this idea actually is gonna involve art."
Clint sinisterly rubs his palms together. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"
A few days later everyone was is in the armory's common room, waiting for Tony to return suited up. Thor was in his full bodied armor, cape and all. Steve had on his Captain America uniform, his shield strapped to his back. Clint and Natasha were dressed in their black attire, both with an assortment of weapons and most importantly for Hawkeye, his bow. Bruce even had paired a black button down shirt with the stretchy pants Tony had constructed for him for when he had to change into the Hulk. They were soon to board a jet and leave for a special facility. There they would attend what Tony called PE , also known as Performance Eval. It was a place where they each would partake in exercises overseen by Fury that would gauge the team's strength, agility, speed, and weaponry or combat skills- individually and as a whole.
"Are you gonna tell me why you and Steve keep giving each other knowing glances?" Natasha had been asking Clint.
Both he and Steve smirked but offered no explanation.
"Is this about the prank? Did you decide what to do to him?"
"Oh don't worry, Nat. You'll find out soon enough."
"Yes, just wait for it." Steve adds.
Not five second later, the group hears Tony shouting in the distance.
Silence falls except for the sound of Tony's footsteps getting closer and closer to them. Finally he rounds the corner and walks in wearing a completely pink and purple bedazzled Iron Man suit. "Please tell me this is someone's way of suggesting we detour for Mardi Gras . Quick, before I hyperventilate."
"You look completely ridiculous!" Bruce exclaims. The cool collected Doctor Banner then proceeds to keel over and cackle uncontrollably.
Tony just stands there red faced and seemingly on the verge of a nervous breakdown while everyone else practically collapses into uproarious laughter.
"Just tell me this is a dream. " Tony meekly begs his audience.
Natasha holds her stomach and tries to speak around her own laughter. "Oh god! You out did yourself, the both of you. This is too good!"
Clint grins at Natasha's praise. "I thought you might also appreciate the colors we chose."
"I must say, that color scheme looks a lot more appealing on Anthony than it would have me." Thor jests.
Hearing this, Natasha laughs even harder, "Oh boy, do I agree."
"How about NOT mocking the man with easy access hand lasers!" Tony aims his right handed repulsor toward the wall behind Natasha, only for it to spit out glitter.
"How can we stop when you threaten us by throwing fairy dust?!" Clint points, howling at Tony's "display" of anger.
Tony starts pacing the floor. "This is no laughing matter! Something's wrong. How could this happen? I only told JARVIS to deploy my fast dispatching suit, the one with the arm bands. Yea so he does and I come out looking like a disco ball!"
"Who's the 'spangly' one now, Stark?" Steve quips, chuckling.
Tony stops in his tracks, spinning around to face Steve. "You're one of the chuckle heads who did this!? You screwed with my suits!"
"Suits? As in plural? You mean there's more?" Bruce asks, finally calm enough to speak without cracking up.
"I checked and…. all my precious babies…they're in their display, glittered in pink and freaking purple. Oh did I mention how I HATE WHEN PEOPLE TOUCH MY STUFF!?" Tony yells.
Clint grimaces a bit at Tony's shouting, but answers smugly, "Well since you were so fond of sharing the joys of Truth and Dare, I thought I'd bring Steve here up to speed as well. By the way, he's a pro in my book now. I never would have thought of the bedazzling."
Steve high fives Clint with a satisfied smile.
"You and Cupid better watch your backs. You're gonna pay for this." Tony says between gritted teeth. He glowers at the entire party before marching off toward the elevators in sullen silence.
"Is he really going to our Performance Eval like that?" Bruce wonders out loud.
Steve shrugs, but Clint answers. "Does he have a choice?"
To no one in particular, Natasha asks the underlying question. "Wonder what Fury's gonna think?"