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A/N My third fanfiction! Review, Favorite, and Follow! Warning: Mentions of past child abuse - nothing graphic. c:
The only thing Howard ever told Tony about family was 1) He'd never get one. 2) Captain America was his son and Tony wasn't 3) No one will ever love you. 4) Your worthless and pathetic 5) Me and your mother hate you and will forever. 6) The only benefit you give me is your brain which also came from me.
The Avenger's alarm blared through the tower. Tony's sixteenth coffee (in two days) just made its way through his esophagus. He wasn't in the mood and apparently neither was Bruce judging by the long dramatic sigh he gave when he heard the alarm. He and Bruce had worked in the lab for the past two weeks on a transmitter to connect wirelessly in to Bruce's Wernicke; one of the areas of the brain that control speech. The transmitter is supposed to let Bruce talk through the team's coms while he's hulked out. Tony cursed in his head, silently wishing he could just finish. They were so close and now they have to go fight some "evil" guy who set about four hundred giant sloths throughout Manhattan. Apparently his plan backfired. He intentionally wanted them to be ferocious Black Bears. When the sloths let little kids ride on their slow-moving backs the Avengers just wanted Fury to just send some LEO's down there and guide the seven-foot Sloths into the S.H.I.E.L.D trucks. Now the team looked like the bad guys, taking giant Sloths away from the children of Manhattan. This is not what I signed up for.
The Avengers all went back to the tower and sat on the couch tiredly. Just because they were slow-moving Sloths didn't mean it wasn't hard work. They had to herd them like cattle while Tony flew over them to grab the laughing children off their backs and returned them to their parents. It took over twelve hours. They all sat tiredly around, waiting for someone to talk. Tony practically delirious just started to giggle; then the giggle turned into a full blown laugh; then manic hysterics. Clint joined in and now they were both in the middle of the floor crying and laughing. Bruce started to laugh and joined them on the ground. The rest of the team looked as though they were keeping their cool; but then Thor, who was obviously holding in his amusement, laughed, and joined the boys on the ground. Natasha and Steve, as Tony would say the "PARTY POOPERS" of the group just smiled. Steve joined them on the ground reluctantly, Natasha not wanting to feel left out let her emotions flow and joined her boys on the ground. They laughed until they all passed out from exhaustion in each other's limbs, tangled together like they decided to play Twister.
When Tony awoke it was still dark, probably three in the morning. He noticed something huge on top of him and looked down to see Clint. Well next to Tony everyone's huge, he frowned and cursed his genes internally. Clint was super heavy and the whole room smelt like sweat. Oh well. Tony propped his head up and looked around. He smiled at the scene in front of him.
Clint was laying on him and Bruce, horizontally like a blanket. Thor had spread out his arms and legs wide, snoring like a freight train five feet to his left. Natasha was wrapped in Thor's arm, hanging onto him with both hands. Steve was on top of Natasha and Bruce, lying horizontally like Thor. Tony smiles, he could get used to this.
He slowly grabs a pillow from the couch, his lower body still lying under Clint. He pulls his legs out swiftly and they start tingling immediately. He shoves the pillow under Clint expertly and gets up. He stands next to the table and starts moving his legs. Of course their asleep he just had a huge man laying on them for the past seven hours. Ugh, he hates this feeling, reminds him of Afghanistan, the way his lungs felt in the cold water. He silently walks over to the coffee machines, trying to repress those unfavorable memories. He tells Jarvis in a hushed voice to make coffee and to not make a peep until their all up. Jarvis, being Jarvis, obliges with a small 'yes sir'.
He likes this weird protective feeling he has over every single ounce of them. Sure he's saved civilians plenty of times and protected them from a lot; but he's only ever had this feeling with Pepper and Rhodey. He was truly perplexed as to why his heart was doing these things, why he slept on the floor with them in complete comfort, why he liked them.
Tony perched on the couch, tablet in hand, waiting for them to wake up. Steve woke up first at around five am. He looked confused when he awoke with Clint on top of him and Tony had to stifle his laugh. Of course Clint was a cuddler, he fit the profile perfectly; hard on the outside, a big fluffy ball of purple love on the inside. Clint crawled on top of Steve at around four, obviously unconsciously searching for a replacement when Tony left. Steve got up and stretched. He walked up to the couch and sat down next to Tony.
"Hey Capsicle." Tony greeted quietly, his eyes never leaving the bright glow of his screen.
"Good morning Tony, how long have you been up?" Steve said softly, raising his hand to stifle a yawn. Tony shrugged.
"Not long, just a couple of hours really, coffees ready if you want so-."
"Thank You Tony."
Tony's surprise shown through his features, his mouth parted and eyes wide. Why was the Cap thanking him? Did Pepper send out those team credit cards she was talking about?
"What for Cap?" Tony asked softly, finally figuring out how to work his mouth.
"This." Steve stated, pointing to the slumbering team. "I haven't heard them laugh like this in six months. Thank you, we really needed it, I needed it." Steve said softly, his eyes genuine and grateful.
"No problem Cap." Tony said softly, shrugging off the complement easily. It scared him, the fact that he's never had a compliment so real, so honest. Steve shook his head in defiance.
"No really Tony, stop down playing yourself. Without you we would all be SHIELD minions, living in spaces the size of your bathtub. I appreciate what you've done, we all do." Steve declared softly, a small smile on his lips. Tony nodded and accepted the praise, even if he didn't believe it.
"Well it's all cool now. So let's stop with this feeling stuff before I vomit all over them." Tony threatened softly, his gaze directed towards the team. Steve chuckled softly, his deep laugh rumbling through the room. He nodded.
Steve smiled. "Whatever you say Tony." With that Steve stood, his big feet dodging limp limbs and fingers as he made his way to the kitchen.
Tony knows it's too late for him now. His first instinct is to run, to hide away, like Howard told him too. These people have seen the real him though, and they accept him despite the messed up mind that is Tony Stark. He'd like Howard to see him now. Family, friends, a job that does good. Howard would call him weak, pathetic. Tony wonders what Howard would say about him and Cap being friends. Would he finally be proud now?
Tony doubts that Howard would be proud because Howard was only proud of Steve. He didn't care that Maria had taught herself to cook, just for Howard's benefit; or that she raised Tony with Jarvis by herself, while Howard was on an obsessive must-find-Captain-America-rage. It was all Steve and nothing else. Tony shrugs of his depressive thoughts. Who gives a crap about Howard anymore, he's dead, gone; and Tony couldn't be happier.
Tony shook out of his thoughts to see that Bruce, Clint, and Natasha had woken up. They were rubbing the remnants of sleep out of their eyes as Tony looked up. He greeted them like always as he got up to put his tablet away. Thor who is sleeping peacefully should be awake in three, two, one.
Tony watches as the first bacon strip hits the skillet with a smack. Thor's eyes open on command and Tony hears him bellow happily.
"BACON!"
Tony, Clint and Natasha set the table while Thor hovered over the skillet eagerly; ready to eat his second favorite food. Bruce cooked the eggs and the toast while Steve finished the rest of the bacon. The team rushed to the table hungrily, Thor dropping various boxes of poptarts as he ran to the table. They sit down and eat, all of them waiting for Pepper and Coulson to come barging in. With two extra members they eat breakfast as always, Steve scolded Thor for eating too fast, Clint threw eggs at Natasha and she growled at him in response. It was ordinary and that's what Tony needs. He needs stability and now he's found it. The team finished their food unaware of the revelation Tony's just had:
Tony has a family. He ignored Howard's nagging voice in the back of his head telling him opposite.
A/N Hope you liked it Review, Favorite, and Follow! Thanks c: More stories to come!
2nd Authors note: I have cleaned this story up and edited it somewhat. Thanks for all the favorites! c: