Author's Note: Hello there! This little number popped into my head for no apparent reason, so I wrote it down. Enjoy!

Team Building for Avengers

…

"I'm going to repeat this so it's clear: You are all gonna get your superhero asses down to Stark's gym and do some team. building. exercises. Understand?" The stony face of Director Fury glared at the six people sitting around the table, staring them down until they each nodded grudgingly. "Meeting's done, go home."

With much shuffling and grumbling, the team made their way out. After Fury called "see you tomorrow!" a hastier exit ensued.

…

Each of them had their own floor in the Avengers tower (previously Stark tower, but hey, a team's a team), with the exception of Clint and Natasha, who were sharing-much to the dismay of Tony, who lived on the next floor down. But it didn't matter so much on the nights when Pepper was there with him. The common room was on the ninetieth floor of the tower, and it held the largest kitchen in the building, so it was usually where they gathered for meals, and for movie nights in the extremely large adjoining living room. The gym was at the very bottom of the building (one floor down from Tony and Bruce's lab/workspace), to keep other floors safe from possible exploding arrows, thunder god lightning, hulk-outs, or other miscellaneous disasters that might occur in a room full of superheroes (ahem, mister Tony "flight stabilizers" Stark).

So it was with this room in mind that the Avengers entered their tower, and rode the elevator down to the basement.

"What the hell does he mean? Team building exercises…" Clint muttered, as the elevator dinged past the fifth floor. "Does Fury want us to play tag or something?"

Natasha patted his arm. "Clint, we'll just do a bit of target practice and call it a day."

The elevator doors opened onto the vast gym. The grey cement walls held shelves that were stacked high with every kind of exercise equipment, and the floor was padded with black rubber and foam matting. A room to the right of the elevator held an enormous firing range, and at the back of the gym was a weapons closet (more like warehouse, though). Strictly speaking, the closet was full of more floor mats, but the residents of the tower knew different. There also was not a secret safe in the back of that storage room that housed one of Tony's suits, the Captain's shield, Clint's second favourite bow, and Natasha's other set of electro-shock wrist cuffs (secretly called 'the Widow's Bite' by the rest of the team). The group of six stepped out of the elevator, and walked across the mats, their feet sinking into the foam.

"Well, let's head to the range." said Steve, starting towards the door.

They all turned to follow him, but Tony jolted to a halt.

"Wait!" he yelled, quieting the chatter between teammates. "Wait, wait, wait… I've got an idea."

The others exchanged looks of mild confusion while he bolted into the storage closet, and after a minute of metallic clanking, returned fully concealed in his Iron Man suit. The faceplate lifted, and Tony commanded the rest of the group to stay put in the centre of the room while he rocketed into the firing range.

"Tony…?" Bruce called out.

Iron Man hurtled back into the gym, with targets from the firing range clutched in his hands. Hovering near the thirty foot high ceiling, Tony began to fasten the paper target to a clip on a track that was embedded in the cement. He repeated the process with nine more targets in different places across the gym, then returned to the floor in front of the team, only slightly charring the practice mats.

"Son of Stark, what have you accomplished in your strange task?" Thor boomed in confusion.

"Well, I just thought; why don't we spice things up a bit? It's a game now! We all have to try to hit as many targets as possible, using our own weapons, and you can help each other, or block someone else's shots. No holds barred, and anything goes. Sound good?"

Clint rubbed his hands together with a grin on his face, Natasha was unstrapping guns from her jeans as Tony spoke, Steve started towards the weapons store room with a glint in his eye, and Thor was twirling Mjolnir happily.

Bruce, on the other hand, looked slightly uncomfortable. "I'm not sure about this… it could be a bad idea. You know, for you guys."

Tony strode over towards him, and threw his metal-clad arm around Bruce's shoulder. "And you know that's crap, Bruce. You've got total control over the other guy, and the rest of us are here for you, not to mention that a room full of super heroes can handle themselves just fine. There's nothing to worry about, buddy."

"I don't say this often, but Tony's right. You've got this." Natasha said encouragingly.

Clint gave a thumbs-up, Thor clapped Bruce on the back, and Steve grinned at him. "Go for it."

So Natasha, Clint and Steve retreated into the store room to suit up, while Tony, Thor and Bruce hung back on the mats, discussing an alliance. A couple minutes later, the rest of the team exited the warehouse, dressed in their suits and ready for action.

"Alright, let's get started." Tony said. "JARVIS, run program 6.A, please."

"Yes, sir." came the AI's reply.

The targets clipped to the tracks in the ceiling and walls began to move, slowly at first, but they picked up speed. The papers were nearly flying across the enormous room, changing in different directions without any warning.

"GO!" Tony shouted.

Everyone burst into action. Clint aimed an arrow at a target that was whizzing by Tony's head, but he noticed, and lurched forward so that the arrow bounced harmlessly off of his chest plate. Clint had anticipated this, though, and the rigged arrowhead promptly released a cloud of thick smoke, engulfing half of the room in a dark, roiling cloud. Meanwhile, a now Hulked-out Bruce was crashing around the gym, chasing a target that was whooshing through the mayhem. Natasha was crouched, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, and saw a target that was coming in fast overhead. She called out to Steve, who was nearby deflecting lightning (the by-product of Thor's swinging hammer), and he did a tuck and roll to get closer to her.

"I need a boost, Cap."

He took note of the incoming target, and turned back to her with a smile. "Sure thing, Nat."

He crouched low, holding his shield up for her, and timing it perfectly, Steve pushed upwards with all his strength, and sent Natasha airborne. She grabbed hold of the moving target (hoping it wouldn't tear under her weight), and aimed to put a hole through the centre. In the end, the Widow's Bite set the paper on fire, and Natasha dropped smoothly to the floor before it crumbled all together.

"Point to Miss Natasha." announced JARVIS, over the ruckus in the gym.

A chorus of 'BOO's rang out from Tony and Thor's direction. The Hulk was still distracted with his chase, but he let out a well-timed bellow anyway. Clint and Steve high-fived, which didn't go unnoticed by Natasha, and she flashed them a thumbs-up paired with a grin. In retaliation of the recent defeat, Thor took a flying leap at Steve, who had almost no time to react. He brought his shield up just in time, which was what Thor had been hoping for him to do, and Mjolnir collided with the Vibranium. In Thor's past experiences, this had never failed to knock everything in a hundred foot radius flat, and today was no exception. Slowly and shakily, the six people occupying the room got to their feet, and in their moment of distraction, Tony used the opportunity to make the second score of the day.

JARVIS' voice echoed through the vast gym. "Point to Master Tony."

"Oh, it is so on now." muttered Clint.

….

By the end of the day, there wasn't a single Avenger who's clothes weren't ripped, who's skin wasn't bruised (bar Thor and Bruce), and who wasn't dead-on-their-feet tired. While the sky darkened outside the tower, the team members drifted to their respective floors to shower, and slip into their comfiest pajamas. At around 9:30, everyone wandered into the common room, and settled themselves on the Avengers-length couch. Clint was next to the armrest, with Natasha's head resting gently on his shoulder. Bruce sat beside her, his purple-socked feet propped up on the lengthy ottoman, and Tony's batman-socked feet resting beside them. Thor also had his feet up, and his arms sprawled out across the back of the couch, stretching past Tony's head, and nearly past Bruce's. And ten points to whoever knew why, but the God of Thunder had chosen to buy Avengers pajamas, and was indeed wearing them that very night. Secretly, the rest of the team was a little jealous. Steve sat down last, next to the other armrest, bringing with him six heaping bowls of popcorn (it took him two trips, mind you).

The unanimous movie selection that night was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The last line that any of them heard was "no post on Sundays," and the Avengers dropped off to sleep like rocks.

…..

Nick Fury and Phil Coulson (back from the dead nearly four months ago) arrived on the common room floor at ten the next morning. It was quiet, save for the soft music coming from farther into the room. The two men crept quietly down the hall towards the TV room.

"I guess they didn't actually think you were serious when you said that you'd see them tomorrow." murmured Phil.

They continued walking, but stopped abruptly when they saw the… pandemonium on the sofa.

"What… the actual… shit." rumbled Fury.

Phil just smiled as if to say, "I'm used to it. You should be too."

The scene on the couch was unlike any other that Nick Fury had witnessed. Clint and Natasha were squeezed together, with her messy red head snug underneath his chin, and their pajama'd limbs a tangle. Bruce was tucked under a blanket, but his head was resting on the ottoman, while his legs and feet (missing a single purple sock) were sticking straight up the back of the couch. Tony was fast asleep with his head on Bruce's upside-down stomach, while his batman'd feet were stretched past Thor's lap and into Steve's. The billionaire genius had a string of drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. Thor was mostly in the same position he had started in, only his pajama shirt was ridden up past his belly-button. And was that… popcorn stuck in his messy blonde hair? There was also a one Steve Rogers tucked snugly under the thunder god's right arm, and the Captain's right leg thrown haphazardly over the arm of the sofa. The six of their chests rose and fell in an even rhythm.

"Huh. Team building exercises."

…

Author's Note: Well, there it is everyone! Hope you all enjoyed that :D drop me a review if you want!