Sundays were a break from the usual tight schedule. Every moment of every day was planned out perfectly to be almost identical to the day before. It was for Tony, to help him feel safe and secure in knowing how the day was supposed to go. But on Sundays no physical therapists would come, no doctors. It wasn't surprising that Steve woke up so late in the day.

"It's almost noon." He mumbled as he glanced up at the clock. He didn't expect a reply, he was usually up first. He reached behind him to shake Bucky awake. "It's your turn to make breakfast, baby."

His hand met nothing but cool sheets. He lifted his head again to look around. Bucky wasn't there. All the blankets had been piled up on Steve, leaving Bucky's side of the bed bare. Odd.

Tony wasn't in his room either. His bed was made with such military efficiency that no one in the Tower's cleaning service had ever been able to imitate so Bucky must have gotten Tony up. They were probably in the kitchen together. Steve smiled and shook his head, he didn't want to think of the mess they were making.

In the kitchen there certainly was a mess, dishes were lying on every counter and different colored batter was splattered on almost every surface. There was also a cold plate of strawberry pancakes sitting on the island next to a post-it note with Steve's name and a bunch of hearts on it. No Bucky or Tony though and they hadn't been in the living room when he walked by.

"Relax, Rogers. They're around." Steve whispered to himself. He could feel the tension building, his muscles tightened and his stomach started doing backflips as he listened to the overwhelming silence of the apartment. He had never woken up to find them not there.

There was another mess on the kitchen floor as well. Pooled around one of the stools was a pile of brown hair. Something was off about it. They had talked about getting Tony's hair cut, it was getting a bit unruly and his hair was unrecognizable from what it used to be. Still, something was off about it.

He grabbed his phone quickly, trying to ignore all the scenarios popping into his head that involved villains and kidnappings and the two of them lying dead in a ditch. Tony wasn't ready to handle an attack, his body still didn't move quite like it should. Bucky could handle it though, Bucky can protect Tony.

He texted Natasha, she usually knew where everyone was. It was a habit of hers to make sure she knew where everyone close to her was located, no matter if they were sitting next to her or on the other side of the world. If she didn't know Steve wasn't sure if it was a defense mechanism for her or a habit that calmed her, but it was helpful now.

Steve didn't have to wait long for her response that calmly told him that they were down in Tony's workshop. He blinked a few times, staring at the words on his phone as if it was a language he didn't recognize. They had yet to take Tony back down to his workshop, Tony never asked and he had never thought of it.

The next thing he knew he was in the elevator, his body a mass of nervous energy. If Tony had asked to go down to the workshop then this was wonderful. He was remembering, focusing, he was with reality enough to know where his favorite place was instead of his usual confused disinterest with his location.

The elevator doors slid open and a smile broke across. Tony was sitting in a seat in the middle of the workshop, all of his robots were spinning around him and occasionally rushing forward to run their metal claws up Tony's back, down his arms, or through his hair. He looked completely comfortable and happy, a look Steve hadn't seen on Tony in months.

His hair was cut short, a bit shorter than his pre-injury hairstyle but it still looked good. His face was clean shaven too, there wasn't even a goatee. Steve glanced over to the couch in search of Bucky, his smile growing stiff as soon as he saw him.

"What happened to your hair?" Steve said quickly, walking across the workshop and stopping in front of Bucky.

"I cut it." He said. He reached up and ran a hand through his now short hair and eyed Steve cautiously. "You were asleep and you've been looking so exhausted lately that we just decided not to wake you. So I made breakfast and cut Tony's hair, shaved his face, and then I decided to cut my own hair. Do you like it?"

Steve couldn't stop staring at Bucky. He both hated and loved it. The shorter hair was so much like the hair Bucky used to have, back before the war, before HYDRA. It was like a familiar, warm memory had resurfaced and was standing in front of him. It didn't feel right trying to associate the look with the Bucky he had now. Things were different now, he had gotten so used to Bucky's long hair, running his fingers through it, laughing whenever they were lying down and leaned close to kiss him and his hair would tickle his face, and pressing his nose against it while they slept at night and breathing in Bucky's scent.

Steve tried not to frown. "Do you like it, Buck?" He said slowly. "It's your hair."

"I don't like it." Tony called out from his seat. The concern written on Bucky's face melted away into something fond. "Grow it out again."

"I'll consider it, love." Bucky said to him, returning Tony's wide smile. He looked back to Steve, his smile softer. "What do you think?"

Steve sat down next to Bucky and threw his arm over his shoulders to pull him close. "I think you look good no matter what." He said as he leaned over to kiss his cheek, Bucky hummed.

"I thought you would like it." Bucky muttered. Steve frowned, his lips still lightly brushing across Bucky's cheekbone.

He pulled back slowly, his mind racing from one thing to another, unable to grasp on to one thought for too long. "Wait. Is that why?" He asked slowly. Bucky tilted his head to the side in confusion. "Did you cut it because you thought I would like it?"

Bucky shrugged. "Well, yeah."

Steve shook his head and reached out quickly to take Bucky's face in his hands. "No way, baby doll. I love you no matter what your hair looks like. I would have preferred you do your hair how you like it to look." He said as he placed a gentle kiss on Bucky's soft lips, hoping he could communicate how much love and affection he felt for him in such a simple gesture. "I love you for you doll, not your hair."

Bucky chuckled. "You're such a sap."

They all fell into a silent state of peaceful happiness. Tony was basking in the attention of his bots, who had all apparently missed him very much. Dum-E tried to hand him a screwdriver and waited patiently as Tony stared at it with a thoughtful expression on his face and slowly reached out to take it. Steve could feel his heart soar as Tony's fingers slowly wrapped around it, some a bit more flexible and his other fingers barely curving at all, but the screwdriver was still in his hand. As soon as Dum-E let go of it the screwdriver fell from Tony's hand and onto the ground.

Tony didn't pay any attention to the screwdriver after that and instead started to spin in circles in his chair. All of the bots seemed thrilled with that and started spinning with him. Everything seemed so peaceful and happy, far more relaxed than the past few months. It was certainly better than it had been, even better than last night which had been another difficult one. They were better at handling it though, were better at reading the signs that indicated when Tony wanted to be comforted and when he wanted to be left alone. Bad nights went a lot smoother now and good days like this one were more often.

Steve leaned over and laid his head down on Bucky's shoulder. "Not to sound possessive or anything, feel free to hit me if I am, but I was a bit scared waking up and not knowing where you guys were. I didn't know if you were safe." He whispered softly. "I'm sorry. I've just never woken up and had neither of you there. Not for a long time anyway."

"It's fine, love." Bucky said, kissing the top of his head. "We'll leave a note next time. Just after I finished cutting our hair Tony got really excited about the workshop and I didn't want to be the guy to tell him we couldn't go."

Steve laughed. It made sense, Tony used to make plans on a whim all the time so it was nice to see a bit of that again. Right here in the workshop had always been where Tony was most comfortable, happiest, and carefree. He looked it now, after months in recovery and finally showing an interest in coming back. Now that he was thinking about it, they should have probably brought him down sooner. He still couldn't do much here, but it was his safe space.

Bucky had gone back to watching Tony, Steve peeked up quickly to look at him. It was strange, seeing his shorter hair falling across his forehead much like it used to do when they were stupid young kids sharing an apartment in Brooklyn. He looked almost exactly the same, all the tension in his face drained away as he smiled fondly about the room, making him look so much younger and so very similar to the boy Steve had grown up with. It didn't feel the same.

"I'm going back to see my old therapist again." Bucky muttered. Steve raised an eyebrow. "I've been… missing the last few appointments. I think I should head back. You'll be fine on your own for a while?"

Steve smiled and leaned over to kiss lightly at Bucky's neck. It was strange to not have to brush his hair out of the way to get to the skin, but more manageable he supposed. "I love you, Buck. I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy. Being with you and Tony is actually a lot more fulfilling that I would have imagined. I don't know what I'm gonna do when he doesn't need us anymore and we move back to our floor." Bucky said calmly. Steve's smile fell. That hadn't occurred to him. The thought of leaving Tony didn't sit well with him. "I just still have things I need to work out."

Steve nodded. He understood. No one could go through what Bucky did for 70 years and not come out with some baggage. He was proud of him, during the first few months after Steve managed to bring him back to the tower Bucky had refused to talk to anyone. He had hidden his problems until he was bursting at the seams and Tony had talked him through every one of his panic attacks with practiced ease. No one talked about it, Tony didn't ask what had upset him and Bucky didn't ask how he knew how to help him through his panic and Steve had watched the two of them become friends.

He never thanked Tony for helping take care of Bucky until those first few months were over and Bucky agreed to speak with a professional, which made his recovery seem a bit faster and easier until everyone seemed to finally relax and the tower settled back into a natural state.

Bucky was going back, he was going to keep on taking care of himself, and that made Steve very happy.

"Steve." Tony whispered, causing Steve and Bucky to look over. Tony was staring up at the ceiling with a deep furrow to his eyebrows. "Is he mad at me?"

The calm spell that had covered the workshop had been broken suddenly by reality, forcing its way through and reminding them all their responsibilities. This was Tony's safe space and now it too was corrupt by the evidence of what Steve had done. Jarvis wasn't here either and Tony didn't know why. He rose quickly and walked across the room to Tony, resting his hands on his shoulders and giving what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"No, Tony. Jarvis isn't mad at you." Steve said calmly. Tony nodded and turned to look at Steve in confusion. "He's not here anymore. You put him in an android called Vision."

"Oh." Tony said. "Where is he?"

"Vision?" Steve asked. Tony nodded. "I think he's still in the tower. Would you like us to call him up?"

Tony nodded again. Steve looked back at Bucky, who already had his phone out and was tapping away on the screen. "He'll meet us upstairs." Bucky muttered without looking up.

"Okay. Tony are you ready to go back up?" Steve asked. It was Tony's choice. Sundays didn't have a schedule, they didn't have to plan the day around doctors and appointments. Tony got to choose what he wanted to do and when. Tony smiled and nodded. "Do you want me to help you walk to the elevator or do you want to be carried?"

It was a common question for them. Sometimes Tony wanted to walk and grumbled each time someone tried to help him stand or stopped him from falling over, his bursts of independence making it difficult for him to stay upright. Other times he loved being carried, usually getting piggyback rides from one place to another as he bathed in the feeling of being babied.

"Carried. I'm tired." Tony said, grinning smugly up at him. He raised his arms as Steve turned around and knelt down.

Once Tony was on his back they made their way out of the workshop and into the elevator to head up to Tony's penthouse. They had spent a few hours down there, all of them in either hushed conversation or enjoying the opportunity to see Tony happy and enthusiastic surrounded by his machines.

"I don't like it." Tony said, lifting his hand to drop it on the top of Bucky's head. "You should grow it out again."

"I probably will. I looked great with long hair." Bucky said, smiling up at Tony.

"It was a good look." Tony said.

Steve couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. Tony was practically flirting and it was a beautiful thing to hear.

The elevator doors slid open once they arrived on Tony's floor, Vision was already waiting for him. Oddly enough he was cleaning up the mess that all of them had neglected in the kitchen. All the hair, Tony and Bucky's different shades of brown, and all the splattered pancake batter were cleaned up and not a sign of them were left. The plate of pancakes was left on the island.

Steve carried Tony over to where Vision was stacking the dirty bowls in the sink and waited for him to finish. Tony had started swinging his feet slowly but didn't say a thing, either his mind had wandered or he was also waiting. Vision turned around finally and smiled at them.

"Is your home always in such a state? I have learned that leaving food out could cause infestations." Vision asked.

"Not usually. Bucky made breakfast and didn't clean up." Steve said loudly and ignored Bucky's annoyed muttering behind him. He tilted his head to get a better look at the man still hanging on to his back. "Tony, this is Vision."

Tony wiggled around to indicate that he was ready to be put down. Very carefully Steve lowered him onto the floor and steadies him, slowly trying to maneuver him to stand in front of Vision. Tony looked Vision over carefully.

"You're Jarvis?" He asked, sounding rather skeptic. Steve let go and smiled as Vision's hands darted forward to hold him when Tony wobbled.

"I am not Jarvis." Vision said calmly. "But Jarvis is a part of me. We have met before, Anthony."

"We did?" Tony asked, suddenly more confused than already. He glanced back at Steve, who was slowly trying to back up until he was standing next to Bucky near the couch. Steve nodded encouragingly, a smile breaking out on his face as he felt Bucky's hands curl around his waist.

"Yes. Just last week. I do understand your memory has been affected by your injury, but do not worry. I have looked into it and your chances of recovering most of your mental capacity are very high with the possibility of some lasting, but manageable, residual effects." Vision said calmly. Steve froze, he didn't know how Tony would react to that. It wasn't necessarily a wrong thing to say but it wasn't very comforting either.

Tony simply laughed. "You're Jarvis. Mostly the same." He said smugly, a hint of pride in his tone.

"I am not Jarvis." Vision said. Tony shrugged and then leaned forward until he was resting his head on Vision's shoulder.

Steve felt elated. Tony didn't interact with nearly enough people and he got along with even fewer. Here he was practically making a friend, sure he was a bit misguided, not fully understanding what Vision means when he said he wasn't Jarvis, but Steve didn't understand that either.

He spun around, Bucky's hands still on his waist, and planted a firm kiss onto his boyfriend's lips. They were soft and warm, opening up for him without hesitation. Everything was alright. Tony was getting better, Bucky was going to take care of himself, and soon Steve was content in knowing the two men he loved most would one day be alright.

Steve's heart felt like it had skipped a beat when the thought crossed his mind. He had thought about loving Tony often, Tony was his best friend besides Bucky, but that love and affection had always been wrapped in layers of friendship and platonic comradery that Steve hadn't noticed the shift until now. He loved Tony, probably had for a long time, and not just as his best friend, something had been altered along the way and that seed of affection that was planted somewhere deep in his heart when Tony gave the team everything, his home and all of his resources, had bloomed into something he had not intended. Somewhere a line had been crossed, back when Steve had stopped calling Tony 'Stark' and instead started using his first name.

Bucky hummed and started sucking on his bottom lip and Steve almost wanted to pull back, disgusted with himself. This had to be why Bucky was afraid, back then at the hospital when Steve didn't understand. Originally he had assumed that he was afraid that as Steve got swept away trying to take care of his best friend he would forget about Bucky, which would have never happened. He didn't realize Bucky was afraid of anything romantic popping up between them. And he had joked about it too, back then. He had admitted to loving Tony, not truly understanding the true weight of his words, and he had been truthful about it even if it was taken differently. Now it was too late, he couldn't take it back. He couldn't tell Bucky he didn't love Tony in that way because now he did.

It felt wrong. Tony was injured. He didn't understand where he was or what was happening most of the time. Steve felt like he was taking advantage of the situation all of a sudden. He would never do anything, not like that, not when Tony didn't understand. He didn't know how this happened. He didn't know how he went from the switch of confidant friendly affection to the same overwhelming heat under his skin he felt when he thought of Bucky. It could have been how needed Steve felt with him, how open and caring all of Tony's smiles had become, and how it felt to have Bucky by his side while the three of them were together.

He knew two things were certain though, he would never leave Bucky for anyone but wouldn't stop him if Bucky decided to leave if he ever found out about how his thoughts have shifted, and that he did not deserve to love Tony. Not after what he had done to the man. Steve didn't know what to do.