Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Word Count - 6622
What Family Is
They were back in the tower.
Tony wasn't quite sure what to do with that and so he did what he'd always done when he didn't know what to do with something. He retreated to his lab and he locked himself away and he avoided.
Steve had tried to talk to him a few times in the week that they'd been back, but Friday was always on hand with a handy escape route or an urgent reason to depart before Steve could talk to him.
It wasn't that Tony didn't want to talk to Steve.
It was that he couldn't.
Every time Tony saw Steve, he felt like he couldn't breathe. His hands clammed up, his lungs stopped working, and he felt a phantom pain of the shield being slammed down into his chest. The panic was real and barely manageable and Tony just couldn't handle it.
He didn't even know why he'd agreed to house the rogue Avengers upon their return. He didn't know why he'd worked so hard on the pardons. He didn't know why he'd made himself ill as he fought tirelessly to make the Accords into something that would satisfy everyone.
Rhodey had been practically apoplectic when he realised what Tony was doing to himself on behalf of Rogers and his crew and he hadn't been scared to let Tony know exactly how stupid he thought the genius was being.
Wearing the braces that Tony had made for him, Rhodey was currently stalking around the tower, glaring at the rogues and refusing to converse with Rogers at all. Tony wasn't sure what he could say to appease his best friend, and part of him didn't even want to try.
While Tony wasn't up to a confrontation himself, he didn't begrudge Rhodey his anger in the slightest. He knew he'd fucked up, but he wasn't the only one and Steve was walking around with his head held high, acting like he had the moral high ground.
Tony might be prone to taking the blame for… everything, but even he knew that he wasn't the only one that fucked up this time.
…
"Sir, Sergeant Barnes is standing outside the doors," Friday informed him, interrupting Tony's thought process.
Tony dropped the tiny screwdriver he was holding. He was frozen at his workstation. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. What on earth would Barnes have to say to him? More importantly, why on earth would have come down to Tony's lab without Steve?
"Let him in," Tony mumbled, twisting his chair around so he was facing the doors. Not that he didn't trust Barnes but… he didn't trust Barnes.
He didn't trust anyone except Pepper and Rhodey anymore.
The doors slid open, and Barnes shuffled in, looking charmingly awkward and somewhat sheepish. They stared at each other for a moment, before Tony cleared his throat.
"What's up?"
"I, erm, well. Steve said that… I'm having some trouble with the… the arm that Shuri… it's… and Steve said that you'd be able to fix it… so… he said to come down and…"
Tony cut him off. "Bruce is… better. For that. He's in the other lab, next floor."
"Oh."
Tony couldn't fathom why Barnes looked so… disappointed.
Tony nodded. "Uh huh. Brucie is better at… people. And pain. So. I'm sure he won't mind if you just go and see him."
Barnes nodded and turned. He didn't notice the way Tony sagged in his chair or the tremble to his hands as the doors closed behind him.
"Blackout, Friday."
"Sir-"
"Blackout. Please."
…
The Avengers alarm went off at just after midnight. Tony had been dreading the call to arms, the first since the rogues returned to New York, but he suited up regardless. As the others piled into the Quinjet, Tony stood on the roof.
"Are you getting on, Tony?" Clint asked, when he didn't follow them onto the jet. Tony shook his head.
"I'll follow."
The thought of being in such enclosed quarters with Steve was enough to make Tony nauseous.
Before any of them could argue, the door closed and the Quinjet took off. Tony followed at a safe distance, Friday twittering in his ear about the situation.
Doom was at it again, and with the Fantastic Four out of action, it was up to the Avengers to stop him. His latest bid for domination was more enthusiastic than usual, and the Doom Bots were out in force.
"Iron Man, Aerial support," Steve ordered as soon as Tony connected into the team coms. "Keep an eye out for Hawkeye and Winter needing an assist."
Tony nodded to show he understood and flew off, blasting three of the Doom Bots to smithereens as he did. It was cathartic in a way, and Tony was suddenly glad for the fight. He hadn't realised how much he needed it.
He flew through the air, barely listening to the coms as Friday directed him through the fray privately. Though he had a few close calls, Tony couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this relaxed.
The fight didn't last long enough.
"Sir, down to thirty two percent power," Friday informed him as the Avengers regrouped, happy with a job well done. "You would be better advised to travel back on the Quinjet."
"Have we got enough power to get us home, Friday?" Tony asked quietly, ignoring her recommendation.
"At a push, Sir."
"Then push it we shall."
Tony saluted Steve and took off before Steve could call him back. He disconnected himself from the coms and flew home, beating the Quinjet back by a full three minutes. Those three minutes were all Tony needed to get himself back to the lab and have Friday put him on Lockdown.
Unfortunately, six minutes were all it took Steve to demand Tony return upstairs to debrief. As much as Tony didn't want to, a recorded debrief after every mission was one of the conditions of the Accords.
"Tell him I'll be up in twenty," Tony told Friday as he exited his suit. Stripping off his undersuit, Tony climbed into the shower. Washing off the grime and sweat of the fight, Tony finished quickly and redressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
Putting his Stark-phone in his pocket (nobody said he had to pay attention to the debrief) he headed back into the elevator.
He was the last to the meeting room, and rather than take a seat at the large table, he crossed the room to stand by the large window with his back to the wall.
Steve glared at him.
The meeting was simple, because there had been no injuries, barring the odd scratch or bruise, and they'd taken the Bots out in a good time with little damage to the surroundings and no civilian injuries.
When Steve called time on the meeting, Tony tried to make a quick escape but was intercepted by Bruce.
"Why did you send Bucky to me?" Bruce asked quietly. "You're much better at mechanics than I am."
Tony shrugged. "You're better at people, Brucie. I thought he'd be more comfortable with you. Besides, I was busy."
Bruce stared at him suspiciously. "Are you okay, Tony? I feel like you're never around anymore, and you don't look like you've been sleeping."
"I'm fine," Tony replied blandly, a wry smile lifting his lips. "I'm always fine."
"That's patently untrue," Bruce snorted. "You know you can talk to me, right?"
Nodding, Tony gestured to the door. "I should go, I have work to do."
Shifting around Bruce, Tony made a beeline for the door, only to have Steve step in front of it and block it.
Tony stumbled backwards, pressing himself against the wall. He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets so nobody would see the sudden tremble. Bouncing on the balls of his feet to disguise the stumble, Tony raised his eyebrow at Steve in question.
"You've been avoiding me since we got back," Steve murmured quietly. There was no accusation in his voice, but Tony could hear it as though Steve had been shouting. "We need to talk, Tony. We can't go on like this."
"Everything's fine," Tony replied. "This was a good talk, we should do it again sometime. If you'll excuse me, I've got work to do."
Steve blinked. "Tony," he reprimanded, stepping forward. Tony stepped back, only to find himself backing into something hard. Turning, he found Barnes directly behind him, having rounded the table to exit the room.
Logically, Tony knew that the two of them weren't going to do anything to him. It was just a shame that logic had nothing to do with it.
The tremble in his hands worsened until his entire body was shaking. His eyes were wide and panicked as he pressed himself into the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible while the two super soldiers watched on with concern.
Bruce was in front of him then, telling him to breathe, in, hold and out, but Tony couldn't breathe because his lungs had stopped working again and he'd forgotten how to take a breath and he couldn't…
Blackness threatened at the corners of his vision as Bruce' soft voice faded away. A hand on Tony's shoulder followed by a shouted exclamation made Tony flinch so bad that he fell to the floor and then the blackness overtook and he knew no more.
…
"I still don't understand what happened."
That was Bruce, Tony thought to himself as his conscious came back online. He felt shit, groggy and confused.
"Steve fucking Rogers happened."
That was Rhodey and he sounded pissed. Tony forced his eyes open, somewhat unsurprised to find himself in the lab. He was laid out on the couch, Bruce crouched in front of him, and Rhodey hovering nearby.
"Sit down before you fall down," Tony ordered him, noticing the visible shake in his legs.
"You mean like you did?" Rhodey retorted, but he did as he was big, pulling Tony's wheeled chair over from the workstation. "What happened Tony?"
Tony shook his head, struggling to sit up. "I don't know."
"Liar," Bruce muttered, his tone soft. "You had a panic attack, a bad one. And Steve caused it. Why have you let them move back in if you feel this unsafe around him?"
Tony scowled. "Where the hell else was he supposed to go? It's not like the compound has rooms anymore after the revamp."
"So you let them get flats and jobs like normal people do," Rhodey growled. "Like I said before they came back."
Tony shook his head. "I won't take some kind of petty revenge on them because I got my feelings hurt, Platypus."
"Instead you'll torture yourself?" Rhodey asked, shaking his head. "Their comfort isn't more important that yours, Tony!"
Tony looked away, unable to argue without upsetting Rhodey further.
"Either way," Bruce interjected, looking between them. "This needs to be resolved one way or another. You can't keep having panic attacks every time you come into contact with two men who live in your home. That's just not feasible."
"If Steve would just leave me alone," Tony replied tiredly. "It'd be fine. I could avoid the situation. But he keeps pushing to talk and I can't."
"Perhaps a conversation, with all of us there, is exactly what's needed here," Bruce suggested. "Do you know what Steve wants to talk to you about?"
Tony shook his head, although he had a fair idea. What happened in Siberia was at the top of his list of guesses, followed closely by Tony's refusal to look at Barnes' arm.
"If we set up a meeting, in the living room on the shared floor, with all of us, will you come?" Bruce asked quietly. "You won't be alone, and we won't let anyone walk all over you."
Tony sighed. "Why can't it just be left alone?"
Rhodey reached out, running his hand through Tony's hair comfortingly. "We can't sit and watch you be tortured in your own home, Tony. We care about you."
What else could Tony do but nod his agreement?
…
When Tony entered the room, flanked by Rhodey and Bruce, it was to find Steve, Bucky and Sam sitting together on the largest couch, with Natasha propped on the arm beside Steve, and Clint in one of the armchairs.
Bruce led Tony to the loveseat and Rhodey sat beside him. Bruce pulled the other armchair over so they were sitting either side of Tony.
Steve went to open his mouth, but Bruce raised his hand to stop him.
"Before we start, I want an agreement from all of you. No shouting and you let each other talk. You can argue your own points, but you will be respectful, or I'll have the hulk referee and none of you want that."
Tony's lips tilted slightly, but he nodded, as did the others.
"Tony," Steve began. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," Tony replied absently.
Steve just looked at him for a moment. "You just collapsed from a panic attack because I stepped towards you. You wanna try again?"
"I'm fine," Tony stressed. "Really. I'm good now."
"Then why are your hands trembling?" Clint asked, his eyes on Tony's hands, resting in his lap.
Tony hadn't even noticed, he put his hands between his legs, pressing his thighs together to stop them.
"You… are you scared of us?" Steve asked suddenly, his face paling. "Tony… We're not going to hurt you."
Tony looked at Bruce with pleading eyes. "There. We're done. Can I go now?"
Bruce shook his head. "I don't think you can, Tony. There's a lot that needs to be said, and none of it being said. What's your biggest issue with Steve."
Tony shook his head. "I have no problem. I'm fine."
Rhodey prodded him in the side. "Since Tony won't speak up for himself, can I?" he asked Bruce.
Bruce sighed but nodded.
Tony looked at Rhodey, a pleading look in his eyes, but Rhodey shook his head. "I refuse to let you torture yourself in your own home anymore. I'm sorry, Tony, but this can't carry on."
"I could return to Malibu," Tony suggested quietly, for Rhodey's ears only. "We don't need to do this, Platypus. I wouldn't be living with them, and I've already proved I can fight alongside them."
Rhodey shook his head. "Do you trust any of them to have you back when you're out on a mission."
Tony's silence was all Rhodey needed and he squeezed Tony's thigh comfortingly before turning back to the room.
"You almost killed him. In Siberia. When Vision found Tony, he was frozen, still in his suit which might as well have been a coffin after you slammed your shield into his chest before leaving him there to die alone on the floor of an old Hydra facility."
Steve's eyes widened with every word Rhodey spat out, and he looked between Rhodey and Tony. Bucky looked almost green at the description. Clint and Nat were both frowning, looking between Steve and Tony, and Sam had a hand over his mouth.
"I didn't… I didn't mean to… Tony," Steve begged. "I didn't know. I didn't know I'd damaged anything other than the armour. I wouldn't have left, I wouldn't… I wouldn't."
Tony nodded, looking at the floor.
"That though, is just the tip of the iceberg," Rhodey sneered. "You threw years of friendship in his face when you didn't trust him to help you search for Bucky. When you used his money and resources to find the man who killed his parents without even giving him a heads up.
"Not only did you not tell him, that fight in Siberia can be laid directly on your shoulders because you could have told Tony at any time that Barnes had killed his parents. Because here's the kicker, Rogers. Once Tony got home, once he'd calmed down, he acknowledged that Barnes wasn't actually at fault.
"And what did he do then? He helped. He made himself ill, as he worked on the BARF programme that gave Barnes his mind back, and he worked himself to death on the accords and on pardons for the lot of you. That arm that Shuri made? No. Tony designed it. And not a single one of you has had the decency to say thank you."
Rhodey was breathing heavily by the time he was finished speaking, his anger apparent to everyone in the room, and he'd only barely managed not to shout.
The silence was so loud in Tony's ears when nobody immediately replied.
"You… it…" Tony shook his head. "I don't need thanks. That's not… I just want to be left alone to do my work and come and go around the tower without being cornered to talk. I don't need to talk. It's all done with. I just…"
"Tony, I'm sorry," Steve gasped.
When Tony forced himself to look up, it was to find Steve's cheeks wet with tears and a horrified look on his face.
Tony sighed. "I don't need you to be sorry. I… it was my fault too. I put more emphasis on the friendship than was there, and I get that now. That's not your fault. I was unduly hurt that you didn't trust me because I thought we were friends and not just… teammates."
"We are friends," Steve replied earnestly. "I… I've made a lot of mistakes. I can't be sorry for all of them, not when Bucky is here and doing well, but all the hurt and pain I've caused you… I'm sorry for all of that, Tony. We are friends. Or at least, I hope we are."
Tony didn't reply, couldn't, because he didn't know how to. With Steve's words and actions being so contradictory, he didn't know what he was supposed to say.
"I… didn't know that it was down to you that we got the pardons," Clint said after a moment of silence. "Thank you, Tony."
The sentiment was echoed by Sam and Nat, and Tony just nodded. He was utterly done with the conversation, and he was just so tired.
"I'd say that was probably a good start," Bruce said quietly. "Steve, maybe stop cornering Tony to talk, okay? Just… let him acclimatise to you being here again."
Steve nodded, still looking devastated.
Tony smiled gratefully at Bruce and stood up, helping Rhodey to his feet.
"Come on, Platypus. We'll go and watch a movie."
Rhodey smiled, knowing that 'watch a movie' was code for cuddles so Tony could actually get some sleep. The two of them left the room, and Tony could feel the stares of those behind him on his back.
He was proud of himself that he didn't run into the elevator. When they reached the gold doors, Tony took a deep breath and turned around.
"Come down to the lab tomorrow, Barnes. I'll have a look at your arm."
…
Tony was working on the latest upgrades to the Starkpads when Barnes arrived the following day. He'd slept the night through with Rhodey keeping him company, and he felt miles better than he had the day before.
He told Friday to let the soldier in, and gestured the man into the seat he'd set up for him. It was about as far away from 'the chair' that Tony could get. He didn't know why, but making Barnes comfortable was important.
"Where's it hurting?" he asked, when Barnes was seated.
He listened as Barnes explained where and how and when, and then set to tinkering with it. He had Friday play some music on lowly, to save on him having to fill the silence, and while they didn't talk beyond what was necessary, Tony thought it wasn't even close to being as awkward as it could be.
Oddly, when it was just him and Barnes, Tony didn't feel threatened. He made the necessary repairs, tweaking a few other things while he was there since while he'd designed the arm, this was the first time he'd seen it actually working.
When he was finished, he sat back with satisfied smile, only to find Barnes fast asleep. Tony blinked, unsure as to what he was supposed to do. Deciding that there was no way he wanted to test the soldiers reflexes when he was woken up, Tony left him sleeping and moved his chair back over to his workstation.
He pulled his work on the Starkpad back up and got back to work, glancing over at Barnes occasionally.
Barnes slept for a solid five hours. When he woke, he was sheepish and apologetic, but Tony just waved him off, assuring him it wasn't a problem.
"I… thanks. For fixing my arm. And letting me sleep. I haven't…. I haven't been sleeping well lately."
Tony nodded. He could empathise with insomnia, it was practically his lifestate.
"If you have any more problems, just ask Friday if I'm around," he said, offering up a small smile.
Barnes thanked him again and left the lab. Tony watched after him for a moment before he shook his head and turned his attention back to his work.
…
"I, uh, didn't think anyone would be up."
Tony turned to see Barnes standing in the doorway of the living room. He looked shocking, and Tony felt a surge of sympathy for him.
"Come in if you want," he offered. "I was just watching Star Trek. It's good for chasing off the nightmares."
Barnes nodded, a haunted look in his eyes as he took a seat on the sofa in the opposite corner to Tony. He stared at the screen unseeing, his body tense.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Tony asked after five minutes of glancing at Barnes every few seconds.
"Talking about it won't change nothin'," Barnes replied, his words ending on a sob.
Tony felt the oddest urge to hug the other mad, though he suppressed it. He looked back at the screen for a moment.
"Has anyone introduced you to Disney yet?" he asked.
Barnes turned to look at him, a questioning look on his face as he shook his head.
Tony did his best mock shocked look and pressed a hand to his chest dramatically. "I'm shook! Shocked and appalled! This needs to be rectified!"
Getting up, Tony moved through to the kitchen and set about making popcorn and hot chocolate. He didn't know why he wanted to make Barnes feel better, but he didn't question the impulse.
Returning a few minutes later with a snack laden tray, loaded with popcorn, biscuits and hot chocolate complete with both cream and marshmallows, Tony smiled at Barnes before requesting Snow White from Friday.
"This is Disney's first feature length movie," Tony said as the opening credits played. "Not the best in my opinion, but certainly a must see."
Barnes nodded uncertainly and settled in, accepting the hot chocolate.
As the movie progressed, Barnes slowly relaxed into the sofa and by the time the end credits were scrolling up the screen, his eyes were dropping shut.
Tony asked Friday to replay it and turn the volume down, and after a moment's hesitation, placed a blanket over Barnes.
"Thank you," the Soldier whispered as Tony stepped away.
Tony retreated to his lab, conflicted by the satisfaction and confusion warring inside of him.
…
Disney nights became a regular thing, and Tony got used to having Barnes shuffle into the living area a couple of times a week. Whenever he did, Tony would make hot chocolate and popcorn and have Friday cue up the next Disney movie without question.
Sometimes, they'd be silent, watching the movie and relaxing without the shadows of their respective nightmares. Other times, Barnes would engage Tony in conversation, sometimes about his nightmares and other times about the movie they were watching, or his arm, or something else.
It was during one of those nights when the next Avengers alarm sounded through the tower. Tony groaned. He'd just been falling asleep after over close to forty hours of not sleeping and the last thing he wanted to do was don his suit and go and fight the bad guys.
Ten minutes later, when the Avengers assembled on the roof to climb into the Quinjet, Tony surprised both himself and the others when he boarded the jet and sat down beside Barnes without speaking.
The smile on Cap's face made Tony's lips tilt up from inside his helmet.
As Cap briefed the team, Tony focused half of his mind on the information Friday was feeding him, listening for anything extra to tell the team before they moved into the fight.
When Tony realised that they were facing skrulls, he wanted to facepalm, would have done if he hadn't been wearing the suit. He'd hoped they'd never face them again, pain in the ass that they were, and as the team disembarked the Quinjet, Tony had a bad feeling in his gut.
This wasn't going to go well.
…
Tony woke to an irritating beeping.
The sterile environment told him immediately that he was in a medical bay, but the presence of Rhodey beside him was comforting.
"What happened?" he asked, his lips tilting into a smile when Rhodey startled.
"You're a bloody idiot," Rhodey snapped, before he softened, squeezing Tony's hand. "What on earth possessed you to do that?"
Tony blinked. "What did I do?"
"You don't remember? What's the last thing you do remember?"
Tony thought, ignoring the pounding in his head. "Skrulls. Lots and lots of fucking skrulls. And… a building…" images of a building crumbling into rubble, threatening to bury Barnes beneath it forced their way into Tony's mind. "Is Barnes alright?"
"Yes. And you're still an idiot."
A memory of pushing Barnes out of the way as the rubble collapsed overhead flashed through Tony's mind and he winced.
"Ouch."
"Uh huh."
"What's the damage?"
"Thankfully, you'll be alright, though you totalled the suit."
Tony nodded, wincing again when it hurt his head. "When can I get out of here?"
"Soon as the doctor comes around to check you over, I suppose. It's not like you'll be alone in the tower, is it?"
"Ah, I should probably just head straight to the lab if the suit -"
"Nope."
"Platypus -"
"Nope."
"You are a fun ruiner."
"Uh huh. And you're important. And I'm not gonna let you kill yourself before you learn that."
A commotion sounded outside, and a moment later, Barnes pushed the door open, scowling at Tony.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" he demanded when he saw Tony was awake. "I'm not worth you being hurt, Tony!"
Tony stared at him for a long moment before he turned to Rhodey. "You don't get to bug me about my self esteem issues anymore."
"Are you okay?" Barnes asked, before Rhodey could do more than roll his eyes at Tony. "Do you have any serious injuries? Are you going to be -"
"Settle down, Snowflake," Tony replied, waving a tired hand at him to hush. "I'll be out of here before days end. My suit took the brunt, I was just taking a nap."
Barnes stared at him. "You're… I have no words. Thank you, for saving me… but please don't put yourself in danger like that again."
"Right. Because being Tony Stark and Iron Man isn't already dangerous? We're teammates, Barnes. Having each other's backs is what we do."
Barnes didn't seem to have a reply to that, and he simply sat down on the spare chair. An awkward silence held for a moment, before Rhodey snorted.
"Snowflake?" he asked, chuckling. "Ah well. Welcome to the ridiculous nickname club, Barnes."
…
Tony lasted nine hours at home before he snuck off the to the lab. It was more than anyone was expecting if they were all honest with themselves, and Rhodey just asked Friday to alert him the moment anything seemed off with him.
That was how Rhodey knew the moment Steve entered the lab. He was in the elevator before Friday even finished speaking.
Preparing himself to barge into the lab, he paused briefly at the door, and stopped.
"... I just wanted to check you were alright. I guess… before I messed up, I was always the one to make sure you were okay after…"
Steve trailed off, and as angry as he still undoubtedly was, even Rhodey could hear the regret in his voice.
"It's fine," Tony replied. "I'm fine. Really. Rhodey wouldn't have let me come down here if he thought I was going to injure myself, no matter how much we bitch and moan at each other."
Steve snorted. "That's true. He… he really looks after you. He reminds me of the way Buck always looked after me when I wasn't so super, you know?"
Tony groaned lightly. "How can I hate you when you say things like that and make me empathise with you?" Rhodey could hear the teasing and he felt his lips tilt up. He smiled properly when he heard Tony's next words. "If it was my Platypus, I don't know that I'd trust anyone else either, but I know I'd burn the world down if that was what it took to find him."
Steve sighed heavily. "I know… I know that you have every reason to hate me. I honestly do. And if that… I wouldn't begrudge you. But I hope… I hope you'll give me a chance to prove that I do think of you as my friend, Tony. I… I lost my mind for a while. All I could think about was Buck, and everything he'd been through, and everything he'd helped me through before… before. And… I couldn't see anything around the main objective of helping him."
There was a brief pause, and then…
"I forgive you, Steve. And… we're good. I don't… It's easier. I think the talk we had helped, and if you ever tell Bruce I said that, I'll deny until I'm dead."
Steve chuckled. "So… if I was to sit in the corner with my sketchpad the way I used too…"
"I'll let Dum-E terrorise you, yes."
The two shared a laugh as Rhodey got back into the elevator. As the doors closed, he heard Steve say, "Thank you, Tony."
…
"You did not call an emergency meeting to watch movies," Natasha said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Of course I did," Tony replied. "Barnes has been woefully uneducated for long enough. It needs fixing, Nat!"
As the team chuckled and moved around each other, arguing over seating and grabbing snacks and drinks from the kitchen, Nat smiled secretively at Tony and winked.
"Well done," she murmured, passing him to snag an armchair.
The team gathered around the room, sprawling over armchairs and sofas. Tony found himself sitting on the large couch between Rhodey and Steve, and he wasn't mad. Leaning into Rhodey, he got himself comfortable with his head resting against Rhodey's shoulders.
Half way through the first movie, his legs started cramping, and he tried to stretch them out without disturbing Steve; not that it worked.
Steve glanced at him and smiled, patting his lap invitingly.
Tony only hesitated for a second before he shifted position completely, setting his head in Rhodey's lap and his legs over Steve's.
"You're a menace," Rhodey murmured to him, running a hand through his hair.
"You love me," Tony replied happily.
…
Tony's emergency movie night set a new pattern of team bonding nights. Once or twice a week, they'd gather to watch movies and eat together, shoot the breeze and laugh without the pressures or adrenaline of a post fight debrief.
Rhodey had to leave for an extended period of time for super secret army things, and for a few days, Tony moped around the tower. He'd gotten so used to his Platypus being there that it didn't take long for him to start feeling lonely.
Barnes began to take Rhodey's usual seat on the large sofa during movies. It took a while for Tony to get used to not just being able to flop all over his seat mate, but one night, after a long two days of working in the lab, Tony fell asleep on Barnes' shoulder.
The two super soldiers arranged Tony across their laps and let him sleep. What followed was two days of avoidance on Tony's behalf.
Except, on the next movie night, Tony seemed much more comfortable getting all up in Barnes' space. Oddly, Tony noticed that it seemed to make Barnes unreasonably happy. Steve was used to it, had been used to it before. Tony had never been shy when offering affection, and at one point or another, he'd used the all team as pillows.
None of them had ever smiled about it like Barnes did.
…
Tony was gone and Bucky didn't like it.
Three whole weeks of being Tony-less had left Bucky in a shockingly bad mood.
Sure, he understood that Tony was a busy man with a lot of responsibilities, but three weeks?
In Japan of all places.
Bucky wasn't impressed. He hadn't actually realised he was in such a snit about it until about a week and a half into it. Steve pulled him to one side when he snapped at Sam unreasonably. And proceeded to explain to Bucky that just because the object of his affections wasn't currently around, it didn't give Bucky the right to be such an ass.
Which, no shit sherlock.
But also, object of his affections?
Bucky wasn't… he didn't…
Oops?
That revelation hadn't done anything to make Bucky's mood better. In fact, if anything, it made it worse because it set off an internal battle of both wanting Tony to hurry his ass up and come home, but also being terrified by the same happening because now that Bucky knew he wasn't looking at Tony platonically, how the hell was he supposed to hide it?
Not only did they all spend quite a lot of time together as a team, but Tony was still 'educating' Bucky on Disney movies on the nights that Bucky couldn't bring himself to sleep, or if the nightmares were bad.
Combined together, and Bucky had no idea how he was going to manage to keep his… affection hidden.
But… he still couldn't wait for Tony to come home.
…
Tony arrived home, tired to the bone and so ready for a night in his own bed, under his own sheets, in his own home where he actually felt safe enough to let his guard down.
The tower was quiet and mostly dark when Tony arrived back, not that he was surprised, it was late. Depositing the suit into the lab, he asked Friday for a quick update on anything important (there was nothing, it had been a quiet few weeks) and climbed into the elevator, so ready to be asleep.
Except.
"Sir, Sergeant Barnes is in the Common Lounge. It appears he's suffered a rather brutal nightmare."
Tony leant back against the elevator wall and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't think he had the energy to explain The Little Mermaid. Still, it wasn't like he could just leave Barnes to deal with it alone.
He refused to think about what that meant.
"Change of destination, Fri."
"Yes, Sir."
The doors opened and Barnes stood up, almost falling over himself in his haste. When his eyes set on Tony, he relaxed, his eyes brightening.
"Hey," Tony greeted tiredly, falling onto the sofa beside Barnes. "How you doing?"
"How long have you been back?" Barnes asked.
"About twenty minutes. Fri, Disney," Tony requested. Turning to Barnes, he asked, "Think we can do without the hot chocolate tonight? I'm done in."
Barnes nodded. "You… you should go to bed, if you're tired."
"And miss out on The Little Mermaid? You must be mad," Tony gested, keeping his tone light.
They settled in, and Tony fought to keep his eyes open. He really really did.
He lasted twenty minutes.
…
Waking up was slow. It always was when Tony had gone for a while without any real rest. When he opened his eyes to find that he wasn't in his bedroom though, he woke up much quicker, his mind immediately on alert.
"You're in the tower, Sir," Friday informed him quietly. "You're on the sofa in the Common Lounge with Sergeant Barnes."
Sure enough, when Tony looked, it was to find himself sprawled on the sleeping Winter Soldier's chest. He got up slowly, trying to make sure he didn't wake Barnes up, and as soon as he was on his feet, he fled.
Straight to his Lab.
His safe place.
Because that was what Tony did when he wasn't sure what to do with a situation. Immediately he had Friday put on some music and pull up his to do list, determined not to think about what he was doing with Barnes until he had some distance.
At least until he couldn't still feel the warmth of Barnes on his skin.
That worked for a few hours. He even got some of his backlog finished and sent off to the SI R&D.
And then Barnes was in the lab, clearing his throat awkwardly to get Tony's attention and shuffling his foot when he had it.
"Hey," Tony greeted mildly. He really wasn't sure what to do in this situation. Was Barnes going to try and let him down gently? Tony wasn't sure he could handle that kind of torture.
"So… I thought maybe we should talk?" Barnes asked, an uncertain look on his face. "Because… I went to sleep with you, and woke up without you, and I'm… not really sure how to feel about that."
"I…" Tony was at a loss.
Barnes seemed to take pity on him. "I want to be honest with you, because you deserve honesty. I… You make me happy. Since coming here, since being… whoever I am now, you're the one that I like spending time with most. And… I don't want that to stop being a thing. And if that's friendship, then I'm okay with that. And… if it's more… I'm okay with that too. Just… I just want to make sure you know that I'm okay with whatever you want as long as you don't… run?"
Tony smiled slowly. He… he was okay with that. That was… better than he was expecting.
"Well, don't just stand there looking pretty, Snowflake. Come here and gimme a hand with this."
Barnes stared at him for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face.
"Whatever you need, Doll."
…
Their first kiss was simple and natural and the best first kiss Tony had ever had. They'd been lounging on the sofa, watching Toy Story, and Bucky had leant in a pressed his lips to Tony's, almost testing.
Tony had frozen for all of a second, and then let himself melt into the contact.
…
The team found out that the two of them had moved beyond friendship after a fight, when a frantic Bucky practically pounced on Tony the moment he removed the suit, checking him for injuries.
Surprising them all, Tony had stood still and allowed the check, running a comforting hand through Bucky's hair until the man was finally satisfied that Tony was indeed alright.
…
"Don't hurt him."
Tony opened his mouth to assure Steve that he had no intentions of hurting Bucky, when he noticed that Steve wasn't actually looking at him.
He had been talking to Bucky.
Tony felt himself warm from the inside out, and he wondered if this was what family was supposed to feel like.