One Liners | One-Shots | Short Stories

Life As The Avengers

What are they doing when they aren't saving the World?

|||

Steve opened his eyes to the sound of nothing. Silence. After a moment of just lying there, he grunted, peeling off his bed.

He plopped down the stairs to the living area, eyes dull and sleepy.

"Morning," Natasha called, sipping at her coffee from the kitchen island.

Clint toyed with a knife in his hand, standing in the open area as he flipped it around. He glanced up at Natasha's speaking and saw Steve.

"Morning," he parroted.

Steve sighed out a small, relaxed smile, "Good morning."

"Coffee?" Natasha offered. She wore an open pink bathrobe over a faded black band t-shirt and baggy sleep pants.

"I could use some," Steve considered.

"It's in the machine."

He breathed out through his nose, "Thanks." But he was smiling. He went past her to the coffee machine, filling up his own mug. Natasha turned slowly around at his passing, eyes observing him.

Sensing her staring, Steve looked up from his coffee. Their gazes locked.

"Nothing so far!" Clint called across the room, to Steve. His irritable gaze flicked from him to Natasha. "In case you were wondering."

He walked over and took a seat at the island, shovelling scrambled eggs into his mouth from Natasha's plate. Natasha glanced down at her coffee, stirring it. Steve had turned conveniently in the other direction.

"So, where's Tony?" He asked, looking back over at Clint.

Clint said between chews, "Bali."

Steve frowned, "Bali? What the hell does that mean?"

"It means Stark's a dick who paid himself a ticket to Bali, but not for any of his closest friends."

Natasha rolled her eyes at her old Friend, lip curled, "He'll be back by Thursday."

"He told you?" Steve asked.

"No, but I know he will."

Clint put down his utensils and yawned with the dramatic stretch of his arms.

"Guys, let's do something," he announced. "Anything! Our lives are boring."

"Tell that to Tony," Natasha retorted, but Clint was already marching out of the room towards the stairwell.

"Where's Banner? BANNER!" Clint hollered towards the ceiling. "Doctor Banner!"

Steve sipped at his coffee and looked at Natasha, "Our lives aren't boring," he insisted. Natasha just eyed him sullenly.

"Guys, come on! Let's go somewhere," Clint came back over. "Let's go cliff-diving! Or skydiving. Or diving. Or Scuba diving."

"Forgive him," Natasha told Steve placidly. "He had a little spew with Laura last night. Over something dumb, I'm sure."

Clint was standing in the open area again, arms wringing restlessly.

"Do they fight a lot?" Steve asked her curiously.

Natasha breathed through her nose, relaxed, "Occasionally. If Laura misplaces something and Clint decides to be a big baby about it."

"I'm not being a baby," Clint interjected harshly.

"Of course you're not," Natasha countered lightly. "You're a big boy, aren't you? Does the big boy mind cleaning up his own diaper change?"

Steve smiled, amused.

"Oh, that's very funny," Clint retorted. "Genius — good job."

"Thank you," Natasha replied.

"Guys," Bruce's wispy voice called from upstairs. His figure came sloping down the stairwell, head bent to look at them. "Guys, what's all this noise? Did someone call me?"

"We're waiting for a Mission call," Steve told him.

"No, we're not," Clint countered. "It's Sunday! It's our day off."

"We're the Avengers," Steve reminded the man, watching him firmly. "We don't have a day off."

Clint's face had grown sullen. He folded his arms, "That wasn't in the job description."

"Baby!" Natasha called out over the brim of her coffee.

"Guys, come on. Look at us!" Clint exclaimed, arms waving. "We should be doing something. Let's go to a strip club."

The air filled with noise.

Natasha's face was struck dangerously, "Wow, okay. I'm telling Laura you even suggested that."

"Oh, come on, Nat. I was kidding!"

"You know, guys, if I'm being honest —" Everyone turned to Bruce at his speaking, still clinging to the stairwell "— it does kind of suck being here on a Sunday."

Clint made a gesture of his hands, "Thank you, Doc."

"Fellas, nothing sucks," Natasha spat. "It's the way you look at things. 10% circumstance, 90% reaction."

"Natasha, that's beautiful," Bruce approved.

"Thank you. Charles Swindoll," Natasha grinned proudly.

"Hmm, yeah that was beautiful," Clint agreed, eyes roaming. "But not enough to change my mind. So, I'm going to Disney World. Are you in or out?"

"Get out," Natasha snorted. "You want to fly to Florida?"

"Stark flew to Bali."

"Stark's in Bali?" Bruce repeated. "Wait, what? I'm sorry, what did I miss?"

"Nothing important, Doctor Banner," Steve reassured him.

"Okay, well the fact is I am not spending my entire day moping around in here, like some — some sad person."

"Wow," Natasha said. "Wow, that's great."

"Shut up, Nat, that's not the point. The point is I'm leaving right now, and goodbye."

"Took you long enough!" She called after him as he walked swiftly down the Hall, waiting for the elevator that would take him to the roof.

Steve's hands were on his hips. He turned to look at Natasha, "You think he's actually going?"

"Oh, yeah," she answered. "But he'll be back. By Monday."

She sipped at her coffee.