Avengers Stories //Oneshots//

Liar, Liar, Surprise, Surprise

Everyone had been acting strange in a way that made Natasha nervous, but none of her internal instincts were screaming 'danger!'

The Avengers were still a relatively new team, Loki's invasion having been only six months ago. They did not compare to the Fantastic Four in their time together, but the team of six was definetly stronger, in her opinion. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but they were fast bonding.

When the team first began and Fury revealed it to her that she and Clint would be on the team, she thought she would keep to herself and the archer. That image was shot to pieces soon enough.

Steve Rogers, back from the ice, had proposed a movie night. She had doubted anyone would come willingly besides the man himself and Clint, the latter having to promise her his special pancakes to get her to go. They had arrived in the common room to see Banner sipping tea while Rogers carried a flailing and yelling Stark over his shoulder and tossing him onto the couch with a promise of coffee if he stayed.

He did.

By the end of that night, after popcorn had been thrown and commentary going all around, every Avenger was asleep besides her. Even Stark, though she had been convinced it was due to one measly cup of coffee and too many nights awake.

As she watched their chests rise and fall, assuring her they were alive while she was settled on the couch with Clint's head in her lap and the usually timid Banner leaning against her side, they officially became her friends in her mind. No longer a last name basis, to be simpler.

But now they were acting weird.

That in itself wasn't exactly strange. She found her friends very weird, from Clint's weird nesting in the vents or, more recently, on the fridge to Steve going on a run at two in the morning, but they were never this weird.

To elaborate, they were lying to her in the flimsiest ways possible. Even Clint. She refused to feel hurt by it, instead leaning toward investigating for the cause of their recent behavior.

Thor gave her the worst lies, for instance. He said he was going to go eat poptarts while heading in the opposite direction of the kitchen, most notably in the direction of the gym that had been blocked off for reconstruction.

If it even was reconstruction, she stated to herself with a frown as she watched the giant wielder of thunder basically jog away.

She went to Steve next, deciding she would be able to see whatever facade he out up easily enough. The only thing she seemed to lose to with him were puppy dog eyes, which he could not use in this situation.

The red head found him  in the part of the gym that wasn't undergoing construction striking down a punching bag with vicious hits, but he didn't look very angry. More like determined.

"Hey, Steve," she greeted as she leisurely walked in. He glanced toward her before sending another punch and the bag flying, exploding into a million pieces.

"Hey, Nat," he greeted back with a nervous smile. He seemed jittery. "What's got you here this fine morning?"

"It's one in the afternoon."

"Uh..." he stated oh so eloquently before high tailing it out of there.

Strange. Very Strange.
_

She waited an hour before heading to the lab where Bruce and Tony surely resided and possibly about to cause something to catch on fire. She wasn't sure what that something was, but she was sure Dum-E was on fire safety.

Another thing she wouldn't admit out loud, the bot was very cute.

Tony's voice was the first she heard. "No, no, we need to get the cookie ready before four o' clock-"