Title : Team Building

Fandom : Avengers (movie)

Characters : Thor, Steve, Bruce, Clint and Tony

Rating : PG

Written for the prompt : Avengers, any character, lego

Disclaimer : All characters belong to Marvel and no gain is being made out of this endeavor and no offense is intended.

Team Building

Who knew Lego was contagious?

Nobody is quite sure where Thor found the first box, although when she found out about it, Pepper suggested that perhaps it had been left over from Tony's childhood, tucked away in the back of a closet somewhere abandoned in time.

They might not know where he found it, but by the time they see him with it, he's built his first medieval style castle and has even managed to find some of the little men to defend the battlements, while he assembles some more men ready to attack.

Hawkeye is curious and actually sits and watches Thor click the little pieces together one by one as he builds his next project. It takes him a while before he realizes it's a scale model of a trebuchet. He nods approvingly.

Once finished, Thor wanders away leaving the model on the table as he goes in search of pizza. Hawkeye denies all responsibility for moving it to the top of the chest of drawers in the dining room. He's less reticent when it comes to admitting that he's the one who has been shopping when he appears with two brand new boxes of Lego.

Thor is impressed when he shows him them and the two of them sit side by side each concentrating on their own part of the construction. It takes them about four hours of concerted effort and quiet concentration, but they're both grinning broadly and proud of themselves as they show off their airport complete with passenger planes and helicopter. Steve is impressed and Bruce fascinated as he circles the table, eyeing the project from all angles.

It takes them a while to decide where to display the latest model but there is a dresser in the hallway with an ugly looking vase on it that would be just the perfect size. There's plenty of room in the cupboard out of sight for the vase after all and they're sure that Tony won't even notice.

*****THE AVENGERS*****

It takes Tony a few days to notice that he's not had anywhere near the distractions from his work in the lab that he normally gets when the Avengers aren't actually out defending civilization. Unattended and unoccupied superheroes create an awful lot of trouble when left to their own devices he'd discovered over the last few months, but he hasn't heard, felt or smelled any signs of disaster this time.

He pauses for a moment wondering if that should bother him at all. He decides that he should probably check on them all, just to be certain the planet isn't going to be in imminent danger of annihilation due to the incapacitation of the Avengers by whatever means.

He's walking down the corridor when he spots the first one. He stops and stares at it, reaches out to touch it, turn it around and stare some more at it from a different angle. He's not sure quite what to say or even think. A vague twinkle of memory reminds him that there was some suitably grotesque ornament on the center of the chest the last time he'd looked, something his father had probably been given by some ass licker who wanted access to his mind or his money. Tony couldn't really care and would actually agree that the spacestation now sitting in its place is a darn sight better looking; even if he can see faults in the design that make him want to take it apart and build an improved version. He doesn't though. Instead he tucks his hands into his pockets to relieve the urge to touch and poke and continues down the corridor.

He's frowning before he reaches the library as he tries to work out how he missed the sudden influx of Lego models that now decorate his home. Nice as they are, it's an unusual décor choice and he certainly doesn't remember owning this much Lego when he was a kid. Whoever has been building all these models must be having trouble sleeping because this is weeks' worth of work.

Just as he is about to turn into the library in search of anyone who can shed light on the quiet in the Mansion or the Lego invasion, he hears a hooting noise from down near his feet. He doesn't bother worrying magical events turning superheroes into midgets. He just looks down and takes in the lego train track that weaves in and out of the hall furniture and crosses the threshold to the library. Right at this minute there is an approaching train, hence the strange hooting noise. He stands still and waits for the train to pass before stepping over the track into the library.

He's surprised when he sees Thor and Clint with their heads down over one table and Steve and Bruce similarly engaged over a second. There's no sign of Natasha though. He waits for someone to speak or at least look up but nothing happens. Each of the men is so involved in whatever he's doing, not one of them has realized that Tony's even there. He clears his throat and Steve startles, looking up and taking in Tony's presence. He flushes with embarrassment and at first Tony thinks it must be because he's the one who's been building Lego models, except as he steps closer, it becomes clear Steve's embarrassment is purely down to having not realized Tony was there and that all four men are involved in Lego models.

Tony supposes that should in fact be more reassuring, because with all of them on the construction, hopefully it doesn't mean any of them have been losing too much sleep in order to account for the sudden proliferation of models.

"Team building?"

"Um, I guess . . . It's good stuff."

Thor looks up at the sound of voices and stands up to fetch Tony, pulling him across to sit at the table where Clint is still engrossed. "Good man," Thor says, "Your expertise will be much appreciated. Sit and build with us."

"Um," Tony knows it's not been often in his life that he's been rendered speechless, but this could be one of the few occasions. "What are we building?"

"This shall be the Harbour for our city of Lego," Thor announces proudly about his own model, before waving at the boat Clint is assembling. "There shall be boats aplenty."

"Aplenty?"

"Yes, of course. What good is a harbour with only one boat? There must be many boats as there are many airplanes at our airport."

"Airport?"

"Dining room," Clint says. "You can't miss it."

Tony rolls his eyes before calling across to Bruce and Steve, "So you two are building boats as well, huh?"

Thor claps him on the back, as he says, "But no, my friend. Every community needs green space."

"He's been watching the Discovery Channel," Clint adds drily.

"My lego-building compatriots are making forest and the necessary rescue vehicles for mortals who endanger themselves in these locations."

"Really?" Tony knows he's gaping, but he tries his best to hide it. "You'll be telling me Natasha's building an RV next!"

"She did finish a car and caravan before she went out," Bruce says matter of factly.

Tony barely swallows the laughter that wants to escape at the thought of the Black Widow assembling little lego blocks. That's funnier than seeing these four so invested in it. "So where is she now?"

"Fetching supplies," Thor states grandly.

"Supplies?"

"Well, we haven't got the Fire Pick-up Truck yet and then she's going to see what other things there might be that we could add to the collection. Seriously where have you been the last few days? Tony, you need to get a hobby and make something once in a while!" Clint says with a shake of the head.

Steve is out of his seat to avert any possible arguments, already blabbing something about Tony building plenty of things in his lab and how they're all far more technically advanced than the Lego the rest of the team, but Tony's feeling mellow and he can ignore the insult for now, so he waves Steve away and settles himself into the seat beside Thor, pulling across one of the little picture diagrams and the nearest Lego pieces as he begins to build with the rest of the team.