Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Written for Romance Awareness, Day 8 - You have a limited number of words, and you can only recharge when you're with your soulmate (when you use up your word count, you die)

Word Count - 999

No Complaints Here

At ten years old, a number appears, an allotted number of words. Tony has never understood why it happened at ten, but he was thankful that whichever greater power made this a thing wasn't cruel enough to punish toddlers for babbling rambunctiously.

Tony's number is relatively low, one of the lowest on record. Not that it made much of a difference to him. He'd spent so much of his childhood being told to be quiet that he was naturally silent as a general rule.

Only 1987 words. That was all his words, until he met his soulmate and could recharge them. A big enough number if talking about one conversation, or perhaps even a day or two, but for a lifetime?

Tony might as well be mute.

He used sign language with Pepper and Rhodey, and built a text-talk programme for board meetings and the like, when he took over as CEO of SI. He didn't bother to talk unless it was absolutely necessary, with no other option.

Still, by the time Tony turned forty, his words had dwindled their way down to just above one hundred, and Tony was beginning to wonder if he'd ever find his soulmate. He had no illusions that they would want him, but a recharge of his words would be helpful anytime now.

…

Hosting the Avengers in the tower was challenging. They all understood his lack of the spoken word, though only Clint and Natasha were fluent in sign language. Thor was difficult, and Bruce made Tony want to talk, because it was exciting to have a new science friend to science with.

Still they managed to get along fine. In fact, it was probably better sometimes that Tony couldn't speak often, because he imagined he'd spend quite a lot of time arguing with the good Captain if he could.

Not so much in a bad way, but Steve Rogers was a little shit, and Tony wanted to argue with him for the giggles he was sure it would produce. They were both sassy and sarcastic and Tony could only imagine what they would come up with.

…

Barnes arrived with a bang, a crash and quite possibly a "Jesus fuck!"

Tony wasn't completely sure how it had happened, but the team had been enjoying a movie in the large common room one minute, and the next, they had a bonafide Winter Soldier in their mist and all hell broke loose.

When the air cleared, it turned out that Barnes had fought Hydra's control, and while not completely free of his conditioning, had claimed his mind back as his own for the most part.

Steve was practically in raptures about the whole thing, and it made Tony smile to see him so happy. That was why he didn't argue about Barnes staying at the tower while he 'enjoyed' a myriad of tests to see about getting the triggers in his mind removed and the conditioning completely reversed.

Tony kept himself to himself in his lab as he generally did, and if he started working up some blueprints for a new arm… well, that was his business.

…

"You're avoiding Bucky."

Tony looked up to frown at Steve. Picking up his phone he quickly typed up a reply, denying that was doing anything of the sort.

"He thinks you don't like him."

What do you want me to do, roll out a literal red carpet? Tony typed irritably. Has someone explained the talking situation to him?

The sheepish look on Steve's face made Tony laugh.

That'll be why he thinks I don't like him then.

…

It happened by accident. Bucky laid his arm on Tony's mid sentence. It should have been a negligible touch. All of the Avengers were comfortable around one another, and Bucky had slipped right in, fitting in within weeks as though he'd always been there.

Except it wasn't negligible because Tony watched his number go up.

He blinked.

"Okay," he murmured. "That's… new."

"You… you spoke!" Bucky whispered in awe, staring at Tony.

"You just gave me more words to use," Tony replied quietly. "So I guess I can spare a few."

Bucky's eyes widened, and he laid his hand back on Tony's skin. Tony watched his number start going up once more.

"So that means… you're…"

"Your soulmate," Tony agreed. "Yeah."

And then he fled the room.

…

"Are you going to tell me why you're hiding down here?" Steve asked, leaning against the door frame. "Instead of sitting upstairs with the rest of us, for movie night, that you never miss."

Tony shook his head, his lips pressed tightly together.

"Tony… Bucky wants you to come sit with him. To recharge you completely. And… he wants you to come sit with him because you're his soulmate, and he just wants you."

"He wouldn't if I wasn't his soulmate though," Tony murmured.

"Are you kidding me?" Steve asked, chuckling. "All I've heard since he got here is 'Tony did this' or 'Tony said that'. He's liked you since the moment you met; before he knew you were his soulmate."

Tony could feel hope coiling up in his stomach, and he tried to push it away, to no avail.

"Really?"

Steve stepped forward, resting his hand lightly on Tony's shoulder. "Really. Come on, the movie is paused, waiting for us. And Clint is making your favourite popcorn."

…

Bucky offered his hand, palm up, for Tony to take.

"You don't have to recharge me so often," Tony teased, though he didn't neglect the hand offered to him. "I'm used to not speaking much."

Taking advantage of the hand he was holding, Bucky pulled at Tony until the man was sitting in his lap.

Stealing a kiss, he replied, "But I want to know everything going on in that beautiful mind of yours. I want all of your words, and if that means I get all the cuddles to charge you up… I'm not going to complain about that."