Once the door closed behind tony Steve looked up and sighed, "Don't look at me like that buck"

His best friend looked at him with hard and disbelieving eyes "ok ignoring the fact that he knows where you live, something I only know because I had to carry you here after you got shot on a job, you told him what you do?"

"I didn't tell him shit Bucky, he figured it out on his own" he walked toured his room to get dressed "how? He doesn't look that smart" Steve sighed deeply "maybe because when I met him I was running from the cops and looked like a burglar?"

Bucky came and stood in the door of the room "and that doesn't seem even mildly suspicious to you?"

Steve looked back at his friend from where he stood looking at his clothing looking for something clean, he needed to do laundry soon.

"What seems suspicious?"

Bucky rolled his eyes "the fact that you were running from the cops and ran into him, just walking down the street, in the middle of the night, on a school night?"

Steve tried really hard not to sigh out loud and instead looked toured the ceiling huffing as his shoulders slumped "ok first of all" he turned around to walk toured his friend "he's not that young, second of all I think I'm smart enough to spot a undercover cop"

And third of all Steve had already been thinking that thank you very much Bucky.

His best friend snorted at him and put his hand on his hip "first of all like you can't lie about your age, and second are you sure that isn't getting in the way" Bucky pointed toured his crotch.

Steve frowned brow furrowing slightly "Bucky" he couldn't believe his best friend was even suggesting that, Bucky rose his hand in surrender and sighed "I just don't want to see anything happen to you Steve, your my best friend" Steve quirked his lips slightly and huffed a little.

He realized his best friend was just being protective of him, watching his back the way he always did and he was sure if Bucky started sleeping with someone he wouldn't act much different.

Reaching out Steve put his hand on his best friends shoulder and gave it a squeeze "I get it I really do buck, hell you're the closest thing I've had to family in a long time, your my brother but remember who you're talking to"

Steve grinned and punched his shoulder "if anything happens I can handle it" Steve left his room for the bathroom and Bucky sighed again "I know exactly who I'm talking to, no you can't you soft hearted fool"

He left the room to get a cup of coffee and wait for Steve to come out so they could discuss their next job, supposedly Natasha had found them a good one this time.

Taking a sip from the pot his brows rose, whatever this guy's game was at least he could make good coffee.

Tony was walking down the sidewalk in silence biting at his lip before reaching for his cellphone and calling the second speed dial number.

It rang three times and tony was about to hang up when the call connected "what did you do" a man asked and tony made a face "is that any way to great your best friend honey bear?"

The man on the other side of the line one James 'Rodney rode's sighed "hi tony it's good to hear from you know what did you do and is it going to require military sanctions"

Tony puffed up slightly "that happened one time"

"Twice" tony pouted.

After a minute he heard a sigh "what's wrong, tones" he asked and tony looked off to the side "jeez nothing's wrong platypus, I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out, I heard you were in town"

"Ok where are you now?" Rodney asked after a moment and tony huffed "on the way home" there was a pause then "your skipping class today?" he asked and tony rolled his eyes "it's just chemistry, I passed it last year"

Silence again, tony watched the people around him as he walked down the street, it was just another day after all "alright, meet you at your place?" Rodney finally said and tony smiled slightly "sounds like a plan" he said then hung up.

No more than ten minutes after tony got home and discovered his father gone, happy left a note saying the man was on a business trip, did Rodney pull up in the drive way.

Tony was waiting for him in the kitchen and grinned the moment he saw his best friend who took one look at him before going all mama bear on him "what happened to your face?" he demanded and tony could already see the man planning murder in his head.

Waving his best friend off as he got closer to look at his bruising, he couldn't help smiling glad the man cared about him "relax honey bear, I got jumped is all, couple guys smashed my face into a wall"

All that did was reroute his best friend's anger instead of disposing of it "who?" he demanded and Tony's lips curved down on one side as he gave the man an unimpressed look.

Rodney realized how stupid that question was and sighed, "So how did you get out of that situation?" tony looked down at his coffee

"I ran into a guy a few nights before after a fight with my old man he helped me out" tony picked at his nails "last night I was on the way back from the lab, they jumped me and the guy showed up and kicked their asses"

He glanced up at Rodney and smirked a little "it was pretty awesome to watch" Rodney rose a brow at him and crossed his arms "so this guy just so happens to decide to help you then a couple days later you get mugged and he magically shows up again"

Tony rolled his eyes as he kept talking "Seems a little to knight in shining armor set up to me"

"come on rode's I'm not an idiot, he doesn't even know who I am" Rodney scowled slightly then sighed "I know better than to argue with you tony but be careful, I don't Wanna have to save your butt again"

He couldn't help smirking at Rodney "relax Rodney it's not like I'm gonna ask him out for coffee" that made his best friend snort and return his smirk "at least you're not doing that" if he was any more sarcastic tony would be jealous.

Leaving that conversation behind he and Rodney decided to just, hang out, it had been a long time since they got the chance and tony had missed his best friend something awful, it looked like Rodney could use a break to, since he joined the air force he'd been pretty busy but it was like tony always said.

All work and no play made Rodney a stick in the mud.

Rodney didn't find that it amusing.

Pepper knew he wasn't going to show up for chemistry, no matter how much she told him advanced chemistry wasn't the same as the class he took the year before but he never listened to her.

At least Doctor Pym never seemed to notice his absences and so long as tony showed up for the tests he was fine but it still annoyed her to no end.

Then again, it was tony half the time she felt more like his personnel assistant than his friend but it was worth it sometimes because she did love him like a brother.

An annoying younger brother she never wanted but still a brother.

Therefore, when someone sat down next to her in Tony's seat pepper was surprised and looked up to see the red head tony had nearly bowled over not so long ago.

Rising her brows when the woman just sat there for a minute she felt curiosity getting the better of her "umm hi" she started and the redhead looked at her before smirking slowly and looking forward again.

"I need a favor," she said and pepper tilted her head in confusion "ok" she asked slowly "what do you want?" the red heads lips twitched into a slightly larger smirk.

"Coffee"