Authors Note: I put speech into bold italics- I'm hoping that will keep the weird formatting from being an issue. Verse/Setting: mid-movie. Prompt: Steve Rogers was so very young and naïve when he became the first superhero, but he really doesn't feel so young anymore, especially around three particular hotheads who could use some thermal reassignment. Elements: three, burgundy, chill. Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the movie The Avengers and I'm not making any money from this fic
Warning(s): AU; potential spoilers; Mild discipline of adults


Up to Here

He couldn't take it anymore. While he, and Black Widow had been trying to come up with the best way to find and retrieve the Tesserat, save HawkEye and Selvig, and figure out and stop what Loki had planned- three certain hot heads had been doing nothing but argue since they'd arrived on the ship.

He'd never thought of himself as old- even though he was decades from his own home and time. He still had a strong, young body. But listening to these three…he realized that he really wasn't that young. Not in the way he thought, anyway. He currently felt like the only grown-up man in the room. He winced as Stark's obnoxious voice became louder, the tone grating. Perhaps as the only grown-up male in the room, it was time for the grown-up to step in?

"ENOUGH", he didn't quite shout. His voice carried through the room, however, its forcefulness and stern cadence forcing the attention of the others. The nearly burgundy color of his face caused them to all stop talking. Black Widow smirked at him as she slipped out of the room, the little coward. Sighing as he realized he was going to have to deal with these three on his own, he resorted to the one thing that might give him a bit of peace and quiet- and possibly get the attention of the other men long enough to make them calm down and actually work together.

"Corners- NOW," he demanded, a slight chill in his voice. Stark looked at him with an air of disbelief that he would actually be told to do such a thing. Banner looked torn between laughing at his demand and being offended that he was being told to do such a thing. Thor just looked confused about what he meant and a bit worried that he seemed so upset.

Sighing- he should have known it wouldn't be that simple- he grabbed Tony's arm and drug him to the closest corner encouraging his cooperation by landing forceful swats on his backside as they went. Pushing the belligerent man into position, he glared back when Tony glared at him and protested. "You SPANKED me!"

He snorted slightly. "That wasn't a spanking. If you'd like one, I can oblige though. Just keep talking instead of facing the corner like I asked you to do!"

"I didn't think so," he muttered under his breath as Tony quickly spun and faced the corner, the man's face slightly red.

Turning to face the other two, he was pleased to note that Bruce had already moved to his own corner and was determinedly facing it, apparently not wanting any of the swats that accompanied Tony's trip to his own corner. That only left Thor, who was still standing where he'd been before, a look of bafflement on his face. Steve sighed before taking the other man by the arm and gently leading him to where he was supposed to be. He could hear Tony muttering about how he 'didn't spank the neanderthal' but ignored it. Thor didn't appear to be ignoring him because of defiance, so there was no need to punish the demi-god more.

"What is this corner supposed to accomplish?" Thor asked him curiously, as he positioned the man so that he was looking at nothing but wall and his nose was almost touching.

"I want you three to think about what we are trying to accomplish- and how your constant arguing is doing nothing to further our goals! Until you are able to discuss things calmly and quietly like adults, you will stand there. Try and leave before I tell you to, and you'll find yourself taking a quick trip over my knee? Am I clear?"

Stark and Banner grimaced, but answered with a soft 'yes.' Thor, looked over his shoulder at him and was about to ask a question, but Steve shook his head and motioned him to turn around. "I find it difficult to believe that you don't know what a spanking is, but just in case- it is something you don't want to experience, so I suggest you listen to me." He allowed himself to relax at Thor's softly answered, 'OK.'

Shaking his head, he walked back to his chair and sat down, wearily. He hadn't felt old until today. He supposed being saddled with three over-grown children would make anyone feel old, though.

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