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Steve Rogers woke to find his partner of a few months, Tony Stark, missing from the other side of the bed. Which was odd by itself as Tony never woke up before Steve unless Tony never went to bed in the first place. Being in a somewhat stable relationship still didn't change Tony's sleeping pattern.
What also made him worry was that his shield was missing from their room.
Steve rolled out of bed, threw on his clothes, and went to find Tony and his shield. He was met in the living room by Natasha and Bruce who were watching something on the tv.
"What's going on?" he asked, then gaped at what they were watching.
A news station had caught Tony and Clint in the middle of what looked like the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier flying low enough to be seen while Clint Barton water-skied behind it, attached by a rope that Steve recognized from Tony's lab the other night. But what had Steve gaping at the tv was what Clint was using as his board.
Steve's shield.
"Anthony Stark" he growled, suddenly pissed off.
He marched over to where the land line sat on the coffee table and punched in the numbers for Tony's miniature phone- cell phone.
"I'm sort of busy right now" was Tony's answer.
"I can see that. Mind telling me why Clint is surfing behind the Helicarrier with my shield?" Steve asked, his "Captain" voice clear and stiff across the phone.
"Now Steve, I can explain. Barton and I were betting whether he could actually water-ski behind using my new rope made of carbon fibers. We tried using a regular board, but they kept breaking because of the speed, so I made the executive decision to borrow the only thing that is unbreakable" he explained quickly, "Don't worry Cap, you'll get your shield back no muss no fuss,"
"Stark, return my damn shield before I make you sleep on the couch for a month" he said, gritting his teeth.
"Steeeeve, it's in the name of science! You can't punish me for that" Tony whined.
Steve looked over at the tv to see the Helicarrier slowing down and Clint letting go of the rope to jump off the shield and tow it inside the Helicarrier, a look of guilt on his face. Clearly Tony had some form of communication with Clint and he knew they had been busted.
"Either bring back my shield now or face the consequences" Steve threatened, hanging up the phone and walking back to the living room.
Steve saw Natasha's lips curl the slightest amount, a clear sign of her amusement.
"What's so funny?" he asked, moving to stand next to her and Bruce.
"Fury is going to be writing another memo about Stark's behavior, and you're going to make Tony sleep on the couch for a month" she said, still watching the tv.
Steve sighed. Why did he have to be involved with the world's dumbest genius?