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"You know, there's actually a bit designed for sitting on."
"It's comfier up here."
"Are you knitting?"
"So?"
"You're an ex-SHIELD agent, ex-assassin, part time superhero and you're knitting."
"Again, so?"
"Most knitters are old grannies aren't they?"
"No."
"It's pink."
"What's your point, Stark?"
"Nothing. It's just you don't look like someone who knits baby pink things."
"It's for Tasha."
"What is it?"
"You'll see at Christmas."
"It's August."
"Well, I need time to make it."
"Where is Natasha anyway?"
"Grocery shopping."
"She knows she could just order it here?"
"She prefers going herself. Less opportunities for people to slip things in. Sam went with."
"So is what you were doing when HYDRA happened? Knitting?"
"Some of it. While stopping things happening down in Florida."
"I didn't hear anything about Florida."
"I'm good at my job."
"So, Sam and Natasha are grocery shopping, Thor's with Jane or on Asgard or something, what about Bruce and Steve?"
"Lab and probably watching in lab."
"Right. And you're sitting on the back of my chair knitting."
"That's right."
An alarm sounded.
"Sir, I am detecting an unauthorised presence," Jarvis said.
"Bring up the screen J."
Before Jarvis could the door opened and a hooded man leapt at Tony.
"Jarvis, I need the suit! Hawkeye, a little help!"
"One minute Stark, I just need to finish the row."
"Help. Now."
"Ten more stitches."
"Hawkeye! Steve! Steve, help me!"
"And done. Where was I?"
Clint launched the needle into the air. The intruder dropped to the floor in pain.
"Did you just throw a knitting needle through a man's hand?"
"I could have thrown it through his body, but you'd get more blood on the carpet. And Pepper said this morning that she expected it to stay clean and in one piece after it had to be replaced from last time."
Steve and Bruce came in.
"What happened in here?"
"Hawkeye knits!"
"Tony Stark can't fight without his suit!"
"I can, I was just surprised."
"Yeah, you owe me a new needle unless you can sterilise that one. It's a little bloody."
"You knit?" Steve asked. "My mother used to knit. She used to make little mittens and things."
"See Clint?"
"I just threw a knitting needle through a man's hand, do you really want to test your luck Tony?"
"Fine, you win."
"Great. I need to finish this before December so I'm going to find another needle, don't touch."
"What is it?" Bruce asked.
"A sweater."
"How come Bruce gets to know?"
"He asked and I like him."
"Thanks."
"So you don't like me?"
"It's not that. It's just more fun to leave you guessing. And it's not pink, it's going to be stripy. All the colours. So there."
Christmas arrived and the Avengers plus friends gathered in the tower.
And it's was Clint's turn to hand out gifts.
"Here you are, Nat." She unwrapped it and hugged him, before pulling it on over her head.
"Thank you, Clint. Oh, it's warm. You've been knitting again."
"You two are supposed to be the scary assassins," Tony said. "Yet you're sitting there in a stripy sweater that you knitted."
"You love my knitting. Here, catch."
Clint threw small bundles to each of the other Avengers and Pepper, Rhodey, Jane, Eric and Darcy.
Each one had a different colour pair of mittens.
"You gave me the idea Steve. Mittens."
"Thank you, Clint. They're lovely. Very thoughtful."
"This is because you didn't want to go shopping isn't it," Natasha whispered as the others turned their attention to other things.
"I bought the wool. And it took effort to make them. Are you insulting me?"
"And how did you know what colours?"
"Easy. Same colours as everyone's suits. Pepper likes green, I spent a while with Erik at Project PEGASUS so picked the same blue as one of his shirts, Thor said Jane liked yellow and Darcy same colour as her hat in New Mexico. I remember colours well."
"Thank you for this."
"No problem. Not with that anyway, just breaking and entering which meant I had to find a new needle."
"Hawkeye, catch," Tony said, throwing a parcel at him. Clint opened it delicately, laughing as he saw the contents.
"Knitting needles and yarn, very thoughtful, thanks Tony."