Steve was sitting in front of the t.v. in the living area of the communal tower floor; however, he wasn't paying any mind to it. He was in engrossed in his novel, eyes reading the words up and not noticing Tony walk in to the room.

"Capsicle," he greeted, acknowledged by a nod, "Where's the rest of our flock?"

"Thor is visiting Jane, I believe. He'll be back later this week. Dr. Banner is working on something I quite don't understand in the lab. Barton and Natasha are on mission."

"That means we have the whole tower to ourselves, buddy."

"Which is why I'm reading," Steve answered, looking up to see Tony roll his eyes and groan.

"I'm hurt, Rogers. We have more similar interest than what you think."

"Oh yeah," he countered, "Like what?"

"We're both infuriated by Fury," Tony said, chuckling at his own words. He got a pair of beers from the mini-fridge in his bar and handed one to the super soldier.

"I'm not infuriated by Fury."

"We both love being Avengers," Tony said, ignoring Steve's comment, "We both like beer."

"Is that all you've got, Stark?"

"Oh, no. Of course not! We both would give our all to succeed in a mission. We both feel responsible over the destruction we cause, the people we lose."

"I didn't know you had that level of compassion," Steve said, taking a long gulp of his beer - the book forgotten in the center table, "The similarities took a deeper turn."

"Right," Tony said, waving his hand dismissively, "We both really like cartoons and pepperoni pizza."

"Is there a point to this, Stark," Steve asked.

"In a minute…" he answered, "We both knew my dad."

"You're running out of material."

"We both are in love with a red head."

Steve choked on his beer when he heard Tony utter the last sentence.

"Thankfully it isn't the same one."

"Tony, not this again?" he asked, knowing well enough his face was blushing heavily. He knew what Tony was implying - it was a daily topic of teasing between the two.

"Deny it all you want, but I will not believe you. She loves you, too, you know."

"Look Stark, I don't think Natasha is the type of woman interested in having any sort of romantic entanglement. I won't lie...I care for her...just as I care for everybody here."

"And if she did want romantic entanglements with you," Tony said, his signature smirk threatening to take over his face, "C'mon, Cap, from friend to friend. No teasing this time."

"It doesn't change much. I don't know how to do that. The closest I ever got to feeling…" Steve said, cutting off mid-sentence because remembering Peggy was difficult for him. He missed her.

"Steve, you haven't thought that maybe...oh, I don't know, you can help each other?"

"Why are you so invested in this?"

"I am an instigator of love, Capsicle...and Pepper and I gossip about you both hooking up all the time."

Steve took another drink, knowing well it wasn't doing him any good - if only he could finish the bottle, relax and maybe…

No, don't go there, Steve - Natasha doesn't seem interested. Stick to being on your own.

"You're thinking about it. I can tell."

"Tony, it makes no difference what I feel or don't feel."

"Agree to disagree."

The elevator doors opened at that moment, letting Pepper, Natasha, and Clint in to the building. Steve and Tony stood from their spots, conversation effectively over.

"Look who I found," Pepper said, kissing Tony's cheek, his arm finding a home around her waist, "They just got back from Bulgaria."

"Hell and back, to be honest," Clint said, dropping his bags and walking over to greet Steve and Tony with a casual handshake. He dropped to the recliner, sighing loudly.

"Drinks on me, then," Tony said, taking Pepper by the hand over to the bar, to get drinks for the newcomers. He knew Tony was taking his time, deliberately picking a spot that allowed him full view from a distance. They locked eyes for a moment, Tony wiggling his eyebrows as if telling him to make a move.

How could he knowing Pepper and him were standing right in front of them to watch him fumble around words embarrassingly?

Steve turned to Natasha, her green eyes looking tired. He smiled at her before sitting back down, sipping from his beer once more. Toying with the bottle, he avoided Tony's I-told-you-so glare when Natasha sat next to him and leaned against his shoulder to rest her head. He had grown accustomed to her proximity, and welcomed it gladly whenever she seeked warmth while they were watching T.V., reading, hanging out - hell, even during long flights.

"Tough mission?" Steve asked in a calming whisper

"I've had worse," she answered. Taking the bottle from his hands, she took a long, impressive gulp and handed it back to him, "Just glad to be back. What have you been up to?"

"Dealing with Stark when everyone is away or busy is a full-time job."

"Did you miss me?"

"Of course, Nat."

"I missed you, too."

Her confession rendered him speechless for a moment, and he knew there was a blush creeping to his face.

"What were you guys talking about?" Pepper said, handing Natasha a drink and leaving Clint's on the table after seeing him passed out on the chair. They sat, Tony and her, cuddled closely on the floor, leaning against the sofa opposite Natasha and Steve.

"Similar interests."

"You and Steve," Natasha snorted dismissively, "I find that hard to believe."

The two Avengers looked at each other, one with a glint in his eye, the other with a scowl forming his lips. The exchange didn't go unnoticed by Natasha, who grew curious.

"Tell me one," she said, looking over to Steve.

"Um, we both...we both prefer apple juice to orange juice in the mornings."

"And we both wake up in the middle of the night because of nightmares," Tony said, casually, "We have secret Avenger meetings at 3 in the morning when we coincide."

"You said interests, Stark. Waking up in the middle of the night isn't an interest," Natasha said, finishing her drink.

"Okay, let's see then...we have a weakness for the same-"

"Same type of music," Steve answered, interrupting Stark before he even dared to finish, "Interested in the same type of music."

"Right. Well, it's late," Tony said abruptly, picking a surprised Pepper up and dashing out of the room to the elevator doors, "Lights off when you kids go to your rooms."

Steve stood and resisted the urge to follow them out, catching a glimpse of the thumbs-up Tony gave him before the doors closed once again.

"Well, if that wasn't incredibly obvious, I don't know what is," Natasha said, standing besides Steve, "So, want to tell me what all that was about? I know for a fact you don't share the same taste in music."

"We don't," he admitted and gathered up courage for what he was about to say, "We were talking about similar interests in certain hair color…"

"Hair color," she asked, her voice confused.

"Red hair, we have similar interests and a weakness for red hair."

It took Natasha three seconds - he counted - to understand what he was talking about. Her eyes growing wide with what he could only describe as surprise.

And much to his own surprise, Natasha pulled the collar of his shirt forward and kissed him fully. The warmth of her mouth shook him out of his initial state, and immediately he found out how the pleasurable kissing Natasha Romanoff was like - something he had only imagined before. Kissing her back with fervor, he wrapped his arms around her waist and sighed as their foreheads met.

"It was about damn time, Rogers."