Many thanks to Aublanc, my beta for this story.
Title: Steve Goes Shopping. Or, The Prank War Begins.
Prompt: Use the words 'musky' and 'vermillion' before you hit 250 words.
Warnings: N/A
"Steve, just pick something already! I want to get this done before Pepper gets back."
"Look, if we're going to do this, we're going to do it right."
Clint groaned and made an attempt to check his wristwatch around the pile of makeup Steve had loaded him down with. Steve just rolled his eyes and kept flicking through the color pallets, humming absentmindedly to himself. Things certainly had changed since the war. He'd never thought about it before, but beauty products had been pretty limited in his day. Seeing so many different hues and styles of available to the public now made the artist in him absolutely giddy.
Truth be told, when Clint had told the rest of the team about his plans for Tony he'd pretty much fallen over himself to get in on the action. Tony had been up for over 72 hours on some sort of engineering binge and he'd been absolutely insufferable after the first 24. Dr. Banner had actually refused to leave his room since Tuesday night for fear that one of Tony's new "upgrades" might malfunction and set him off.
So when Tony had finally passed out at the breakfast nook while "improving" the coffee maker, all of the Avengers had been more than willing to teach him a lesson. This had resulted in him and Clint taking a trip to the local beauty shop while Natasha perused the town for a suitable wig and Dr. Banner kept watch back at the Tower so Thor could distract Pepper.
Steve pursed his lips and finally chose the rest of his arsenal, passing up shades like "Vermillion Passion" and "Musky Orchid" in favor of several variations of rich brown, bronze, and gold. He shoved another handful of palettes into Clint's arms and added several brushes and applicators for good measure.
"There. I think that should do it."
"J-sus, you sure you don't need anything else? I think you forgot to grab the kitchen sink."
Steve grinned and shrugged, not bothering to try and explain; the archer would be able to see for himself soon enough. A hasty checkout and several odd looks later, the pair met up with Natasha outside of Stark Tower.
"You get the goods?"
Clint smirked and lifted the bag of cosmetics dangling from his fingers.
"Of course. You?"
Tasha smiled thinly and gestured to her own bag.
"Not my style, but I think Tony would approve."
Steve chuckled and cracked his knuckles, a mischievous glint in his eye that almost made the agents reconsider the wisdom of beginning what would undoubtedly escalate into a full-out prank war.
Almost.