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The tower was abnormally empty. Well, it wasn't empty, but there were a few notable absences.
Clint and Steve were on a small avengers mission. It was mostly recon and observation, just making sure a small threat wouldn't turn into a big one. Their roles as Avengers weren't just to fight bad guys, it was also to prevent the fight in the first place.
Bruce was helping out an old scientist friend in his lab. The Avenger had been excited when his friend had reached out to him for guidance. Most of his old friends tended to avoid him since the accident, but alas, this one didn't.
Thor, like usual, was off-world, saving his planet from opposing threats. None of the team were irritated by the Gods consistent absences, but they did miss him. Heimdall had sent word saying Thor would be coming for Christmas, but you could never be sure that would happen.
So it was only Nat and Tony in the tower, and what a pair they made.
Steve had given them one job; set up the Christmas decorations. It was a simple job, but somehow, the WW2 soldier wasn't sure they were up for the challenge. The team was meant to put up the decorations at the start of December, but shit happens, and the decorations never went up.
Surely, Steve thought - or hoped, the two of them (Natasha and Tony) would be able to put up a few Christmas ornaments and tinsel without getting into too much trouble
…Boy was he wrong
At first, Natasha and Tony had just sat there. Not even moving for at least half an hour after Clint and Steve left.
They just gazed at the countless boxes lying on the floor in front of them.
Neither one wanted to be the first person to reach for the box. Neither one wanted to open pandora's box of red and green junk decorations.
They hoped that if they sat there in denial long enough, then maybe they wouldn't have to set up the adornments. In a small section of their mind, they hoped that maybe someone else would come along and do it for them.
Everybody liked Christmas, but no one likes putting up the decorations. The hassle and tangle of tinsel was enough to put someone off it entirely.
So they just sat
It's Tony who comes up with the idea. Of fucking course it's Tony. Who else would think that an 'innocent' shot of 120 proof vodka would help with productivity? *Insert dramatic eye-roll*
He stands, finally, and strolls over to the extensive cabinet of alcohol.
The genius plucks out two of his finest glasses, patterned with beautiful engravings. They make a loud slithering noise as they slid across the marble bench.
The heavenly liquid sloshes inside the glass as he pours. He had obviously done this many times before because not one drop of the drink spilled out.
Natasha watches on in avid attention - watching the billionaire pour her favourite drink was much more appealing than the boxes of work they had to do.
The small voice in her head told her that they should just get it over and done with. Work now, play later. That's how the saying goes, right?
But for once, she chose not to listen to that pesky, annoying voice. Instead, she chose to accept the cup of amber liquid.
As the night went on, they had more and more to drink, and - unsurprisingly - the decorations were left untouched. Wow, who would have thought heavy vodka would be a distraction? ;)
At one point during the night, they had even forgotten that they had a job to do in the first place. They were more focused on the good company, and the even better refreshments.
It was only when Jarvis politely informed them that Clint and Steve were on their way Hom from the mission that the pair realised their mistake.
With a sudden burst of energy, they scrambled up and there open the plastic boxes. Their drinks were quickly forgotten as the tinsel came out. Then out came the wreaths of many different sizes. Then the elf-on-a-shelf. It all emerged onto the living room floor, waiting to be hung, placed and dangled.
Natasha giggled like actually giggled, as Tony got his foot stuck in a bundle of mistletoe.
It was actually pretty funny. He had expeditiously grabbed another wreath to hang on the door and had walked back straight into the clump of tangled mistletoe. At first, the 'genius' had tried to walk it off, hoping that the annoying plant would just detangle itself. Spoiler alert, that did not happen. The more he walked, the more it infested itself against his leg. Eventually, he could walk no further, as the mistletoe trapped his other leg and he fell onto his face.
Thankfully, the wreath was okay! And the festooning resumed.
Everything was thrown up haphazardly, without care to neatness or accuracy.
All they cared about was getting it done.
Steve had told them to get it done, not get it done well. If he wanted them to be neat, he should have said so. That's what the redhead told herself anyway.
Steve would probably have a stroke if he saw the state of the communal space, with chairs moved to help the short petite assassin reach high spots, and pieces of fallen tinsel literally EVERYWHERE.
The tinsel was cast upon the walls without a pattern or order. The baubles were not evenly spread, just placed in the most convenient spot. The wreaths - a typically easy thing to put up - were hung unevenly across the doors.
Nothing was in the right place, but at least everything was up.
And they even had time to vacuum before Steve got home.
Clint and Steve didn't normally go on missions together, it was normally Clint + Nat or Steve + Nat. It was never Clint + Steve. A new partnership was always hard to navigate, but the mission had been a success. Well…not a success. The threat turned out to be worse than they imagined. But they got in and out of the building without causing suspicion and they extracted the information that they needed.
Steve thought the mission was a good time to bond with the archer, as they hadn't spent as much time together as they had with other members of their team.
He had thought the plane trips to and from would be awkward, which the first trip was, but the trip back home was the opposite. They talked about their experiences in the army (although Clint had a very different experience the Captain America) and talked about American quirks and eccentrics. Overall it was a good day, Steve thought.
But he was worried about the two Avengers he had left at the tower. Who knew what they would get up to together.
Whatever it was that he expected to have happened was clearly nothing compared to the sight of the communal floor when he walked in.
They had stepped out of the elevator, with little expectations, but were met with an explosion of red and green. Everything was topsy-turvy and helter-skelter (why do I love those words so much?). Except the two other 'adults' in the room. Unlike the chaotic decorations, they were the picture of calm. Sitting on the couch, sipping their drinks. Natasha even had the audacity to throw them an innocent 'We did what you asked' look.
It was Clint who voiced his obvious thoughts.
"This looks like the work of a three-year-old. What have you done?"