Can’t Choose One Aesthetic

- Steve has pretty much given himself the role of carrying people to their beds when they fall asleep during movie nights. When Steve is the one that falls asleep, Thor carries him back.

- Sam likes to just kinda send Redwing after his friends. Not in like, a mean way! He just has him circle his friends' head a few times like an annoying little fly.

- When they have parties, Tony likes hiring a live band to perform, but the whole team knows that Tony can play piano. So, when the party is over and everyone else is gone, the team huddles around the grand piano and listens to Tony play to wind down.

- Natasha and Tony sleep in each other's rooms when they have nightmares because they know the other won't ask questions, they'll just turn on a show.

- One time, when Bruce wasn't wearing his glasses, he bumped into Peter, and mistook him for Tony. The entire compound has yet to let any party live it down for numerous factors.

- Sam and Bucky play footsie under the table during important meetings.

- Steve has been banned from cooking in the Avengers kitchen since his first and last time of cooking in the Avengers kitchen.

- Wanda was not aware of this rule when she first became an Avenger, tried to show Steve how to make one of her favorite dishes, and the fire department had to be called.

- Clint feels safe and more comfortable in cramped, small spaces. So, one of the Avengers could be trying to vacuum and have to kindly ask Clint to move out from under the couch.

- Bruce actually likes to clean so if he's not in his room or up in the lab, he's usually cleaning.

- To add to that, the compound generates dishes like there's no tomorrow. So much so, Tony had another dishwasher installed and things are still piled high in the sink.

- Growing up, if he wanted his hair in braids, Thor would have a maid do it for him. But he couldn't do that once he was in the Avengers, so he shyly went to Natasha for help. Not only did Nat teach him how to braid his own hair by himself, Thor now can put braids on other people and helps Nat braid her hair before missions.

- Steve gets really overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of town square, and because of his superhearing, normal noise canceling earphones don't work. So Bruce and Tony engineered special ones just for him. They ended up sparking interest in other members of the team so they end up making plenty.

- The compound has many elevators and in turn, many sets of stairs. The team races up and down them when they're bored of the track and just for fun sometimes.

- Peter has drawn the world's largest game of hopscotch on one of the compound basketball courts because yes the compound has multiple basketball courts and Peter loves bringing his friends over to draw on them. The team doesn't admit it to Peter or even to each other, but they DO play hopscotch when they pass it.

- Thor eats peanut butter straight from the jar, and everyone has a massive problem with it (Tony also eats peanut butter straight from the jar.)

- Bucky HATES the throw pillows that line pretty much every piece of furniture in the compound, so whenever he sits down, he shoves them all onto the floor. He keeps doing this as some sort of act of revolution until Tony gets rid of the throw pillows and no one can get him to stop.

- There is an art room in the compound that of course Steve uses the most often, to the point it's pretty much "his" art room. But, it is still technically open to anyone in the compound to do whatever they want in. There have been many ongoing arguments of Steve being upset about people moving his stuff around and if there is one thing Steve is extremely petty about, it is this.

- Sam made really good pineapple upside-down cake for a party, like, once, so now he's been tasked to keep making it for the rest of time and he's tired of it.

- Peter manages the official Avengers Instagram account after pretty much begging Tony to let him and promising he would be responsible. Now, right next to well edited, polished videos of the Avengers at work, there's also footage of Bruce calling Tony's suit a "stupid fucking rust bucket" because he stubbed his toe on it.

- On the note of social media, all of the Avengers are chronically online Twitter addicts one way or another and it's insanity. They don't even use their GC at this point, everything is on their private accounts. And if they get leaked? They would be done for, that's all I'm saying.

- We already know that Natasha canonically wears her friend's clothes, but they don't even mind because they come back washed and smelling really good from the perfume she uses.

- Tony could go to a fancy car wash or hire a professional to clean his vehicles, but he and the rest of the team make a day out of it instead and wash every vehicle in the compound themselves. What you must understand about these days is that: 1. You will be smelling like dawn dish soap for the foreseeable future 2. You will get sopping wet, and 3. You're getting paid in cookies and subs and that only because Tony orders them in bulk on car wash day.

Right. Peter isn’t in his room upstate. Right…

“Oh, nothing, Mr. Stark.”

“FRI told me you were in distress.”

“Really? I was sleeping like a baby.”

“More like you were crying yourself to sleep.”

Peter shivers a little at Mr. Stark’s growing irritation. He only feels worse knowing he’d woken up his mentor, when that was the last thing he wanted.

“You didn’t need to come here, Mr. Stark,” he whispers. “I’m sorry I woke you up. Just… Just give me a minute and I’ll go back to bed.”

With that, the teenager turns his face to the couch, before Mr. Stark sees the growing tears in his eyes.

The growing silence only makes Peter feel sick.

“… I didn’t tell you to go to bed,” the older man clarifies, softening his tone. “I was told you were crying and that you came to sleep here all by yourself. I just wanted to know if you were okay.”

Even though Mr. Stark doesn’t sound as angry now, it still won’t make Peter stop crying. If anything, it only makes it worse.

“You might say that it’s- it’s stupid, but it’s not. I know it isn’t,” Mr. Stark continues. Without even going into further details, Peter can hear an entire backstory behind it. So the hero concludes, “If there’s any way I can help, I want to know, kid.”

Peter won’t open his mouth, yet he realizes his muscles are less and less tense. He’s no longer as rigid, trying to harden up like a rock, like iron.

“Peter, look at me. Please?”

The last time he was asked this question, Peter left and never looked back.

Not this time again, no. Not again.

Peter turns back around, unable to dry his teary face.

“There you go,” Mr. Stark comments, not angry, not disgusted. He might look only slightly relieved in the middle of all the sadness.

The boy straight up sobs, “I-I’m—I’m sorry-!”

“Oh, kiddo,” Mr. Stark hushes, sitting next to him to hug the distressed teen. “It’s alright, I got you.”

Peter wants to say more—I’m sorry I woke you up, I’m sorry I give you white hair and heart attacks, I’m sorry I’m so annoying and stupid and needy, I’m sorry I’m staining your pajamas, and I’m sorry for everything I put you through, I’m sorry for everything—, but it’s like Mr. Stark hears all of it and he rocks Peter slightly side to side, hugging him closer, reassuring him without saying a word, other than the nonsensical whispering that calms Peter’s senses down instantly.

So much so that the boy, at one point, quiets down almost entirely.

With a clearer head, Peter snuggles against Mr. Stark’s shoulder.

“… I had a bad dream, I think,” the young arachnid explains. “Except I don’t remember anything. You were asleep and I didn’t wanna bother you, so I came here instead. I just wanted to feel safe.”

The old couch at the workshop felt safe. It always does whenever Peter crashes on it. Same for the equally old blanket that often stays here. It’s so… Mr. Stark, if that makes sense at all. It doesn’t just smell like him, it’s… him. Peter doesn’t say any of that, in fear of it sounding creepy and strange.

When Mr. Stark pulls away, Peter gulps, not knowing if he’s going to get mad again.

“I don’t blame you for coming here, kid. This is my own little safe space as well,” Mr. Stark replies. “But if you need me, then you don’t have to hide from me. I want to be here for you, bud.” He dries some of Peter’s tears. “If you’re worried about waking me up, trust me, I’m going to sleep better knowing I could help you calm down.”

Mr. Stark smiles sadly at him. Peter tries to ignore the dark bags under the other’s eyes. He looks calmer, albeit still worried.

Peter sniffs and lies against his mentor again.

“… Thank you,” the former whispers. Thank you for everything.

Mr. Stark hugs him again and gently pats his back.

Peter has gotten so used to crying to himself at night, on multiple nights, missing his uncle, not wanting to burden Aunt May, that this feels foreign. However, it does not feel bad in the slightest.