Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count: 1288

AN: Not actually sure on the ship here - it's literally just everybody loves Tony. Do with that what you will :P


Fluttering


"How does it taste?" Natasha asked, holding the wooden spoon out for Tony to sip at the broth.

"S'good," Tony replied, licking his lips. "Always is."

He shifted on the counter where he'd perched, and she smiled up at him, adding just a touch more pepper to the pot.

"It'll be ready to eat in about an hour then," she said. "Wanna watch an episode of bake-off while we're waiting?"

"You're the best," Tony replied, slipping down off the counter and following her into the common area.

They were just sitting down when Steve came stomping in, still wearing his Cap uniform, a scowl on his face.

"You were a bloody idiot," he shouted at Tony as he came in, continuing the argument they'd had early in the day before Tony had left the helicarrier. Steve had been held behind by Fury.

Tony had thought he'd managed to escape the telling off. Apparently not.

"What were you thinking?" Steve demanded.

Natasha growled low in her throat. "Stop yelling at him!"

Tony glanced her way, and noticed that her eyes were on Tony's wings. Usually bouncy and fluttery, they'd drooped against the sofa sadly. Tony cursed them silently. He had the most emotional wings of anyone he knew.

Steve opened his mouth, glanced at Tony's wings and then softened.

"You've got to be more careful," he said, his tone almost normal now.

Tony hated that he felt like he'd unintentionally manipulated Steve, but he couldn't deny that he was glad the man seemed to be done shouting at him.

Nodding his head, Tony turned more into Nat's side and stared firmly at the TV. She got the hint and pressed play on Bake-Off, and Tony focused on that rather than Steve, who stood there for a few more minutes before he disappeared—probably to shower and change out of his gear.

"You good?" Nat asked softly.

"M'good. Thanks, Nat."

"The devils on his way over," a voice muttered.

Tony, to his credit, didn't stutter in his walk, and he forced his wings to remain upright as he passed the shield agents. He barely made it around the corner before his control gave in, and his wings sagged against his back .

He knew that some people would just… never like him, but would it really kill them to keep their comments to themselves? He was trying, wasn't he?

"What's the matter?" Clint asked, falling into step beside him.

Tony shook his head, but Clint cajoled and bugged him until eventually, Tony told Clint what the agents had said with a sad smile. "It's fine, Clint. I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't be," Clint replied, in such a serious tone that Tony blinked. He was used to Clint being the clown, the one to cheer him up.

Clint hardly ever sounded serious.

And then, the archer turned and headed back the way they'd come, ignoring the way Tony called him back.

A couple of hours later, the agent who'd made the comment came to Tony personally to apologise.

Tony just waved him off. He wasn't weak, dammit. His wings just… didn't seem to realise that control was a thing.

Tony lay on the floor of the common room, the rug beneath him plush and comfortable. He was writing a letter to Rhodey's mum. She was the only person he'd ever go to such lengths for, since she refused to let him just email her.

Handwritten letters were more personal, she said.

He didn't mind, it was only once a month, and she'd given him so much over the years that he'd do anything for her.

"What are you doing, Doll?" Bucky asked, joining him on the floor, crossing his legs in front of him.

Tony looked up, admiring Bucky's wings the way he always did. They were the largest he'd ever seen—even bigger than Steve's, which were huge too—and such a beautiful mix of navy and ivory.

"Writing a letter to Mama Rhodes. What are you doing?"

"I just finished up in the gym. Thought I might take you for dinner if you're interested."

Tony wrinkled his nose and then nodded. "Sounds good. Gimme half an hour to finish up here?"

Bucky nodded. "No rush, Doll. Have J.A.R.V.I.S tell me when you're ready, yeah?"

Tony smiled. "Will do."

On the bottom of the letter, he couldn't help but write; Gotta go now, mama, I have a date with Bucky!

Tony quivered in his seat, clutching at the pillow. He really, really, hated hotels. At home, he could be certain that the lights would never go out.

"Tones, you okay?"

"I don't like the dark," Tony admitted. A hand found his and he squeaked.

"Wait, you're afraid of the dark?"

"Is that not what I just said?" Tony snapped. Bucky stroked his wrist.

"Find some candles or something, Stevie, or a flashlight. Gonna lift you now, sweetheart," he added to Tony, before he did as he said and lifted him up, sitting down with Tony in his lap.

"You'll be fine," Bucky murmured in his ear, stroking the feathers of his wings gently. "You know I'll protect you from anything."

Suddenly, there was a surge, and the lights flickered back to life.

"Don't look at me like that," Tony muttered, when he saw Steve watching him sympathetically.

"Shall we go and get some food?" Bucky suggested, rubbing a hand down Tony's side. "Sooner we get fed and rested, the sooner we can go home, hmm?"

Tony nodded. Steve wrapped an arm around his shoulder when Tony got level with him, and Tony turned into the embrace. There was just something about the super-soldiers that made him feel safe.

"Could you eat with your mouth shut," Tony asked, grimacing. His crimson feathers flickered in disgust.

Clint chuckled. "Sorry, Tones."

He continued eating—thankfully without displaying the food to the world—while Tony puttered around getting coffee and searching out snacks.

"What are you doing, munchkin?" Steve asked, leaning around Tony to snag a blueberry.

"Looking for something to eat," Tony replied, swatting at his hand. "If you keep stealing my blueberries, I will shoot you in the foot," he vowed, when Steve tried to reach for another.

Steve snorted. "But you're usually kind enough to share with me."

"I'm hungry."

"That sounded an awful lot like Hangry," Clint pointed out, grinning.

"I'll make you a sandwich," Tony offered in apology when Steve looked disappointed.

Steve grinned at him. "See. I said you were kind and you just proved me right."

He pressed a kiss to Tony's cheek, and Tony grinned.

Tony was singing softly with the music as he played, his wings fluttering happily behind him.

"That sounds amazing," Natasha said from the doorway. When Tony faltered, she encouraged, "Keep playing."

When the song came to its natural end, he stopped and looked up at her, to see her smiling serenely at him.

"We've decided it's movie night," she told him. "I'm here to collect you."

Tony got up from the piano and wrapped his arm around her. "I'm only coming if you promise to sit with me. You sneak all the best snacks."

She grinned up at him. "Done."

As they stepped into the elevator, Tony pressed his face against her hair. He was so happy to have her—to have all of them—in his life, that sometimes he felt like he could just burst open with it.

"You're happy," she commented.

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"Your wings are fluttering," she replied, her own feathers stretching up to mingle with Tony's. "They always do when you're happy."

"I am happy. I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too, Tones. We all do."


Written For:

Character Appreciation: 7. Wing!Fic

Elizabeth's Empire: 23. Crimson

Liza Loves: 25. Wing!Fic

Scamander's Case: 23. Vow

Film Festival: 25. "Stop yelling at him!"

Lyric Alley: 20. The Devil's on his way.

Forecast: 21. Writing a letter

Pumpkin Carving: 20. Cauldron: "How does it taste?"

Hot Air Balloons: 1. "Don't look at me like that."

Fortune Telling: Lifeline: 1. Eating

Trick Or Treating: House 3: 8. Toothbrush: "Wait. You're afraid of the dark?"

Apple Bobbing: 19. 3. Sympathetic

Haunted House: 19. Clown

Leaf Picking: Brown: 6. Kind

Spooky Playlist: 19. Singing

Pop Figures: Marvel: 127: Falcon: Wing!Fic

Stickers: Ironbelly: Largest