Hey there guys! Who's ready for a new chapter? Also, there's a Far From Home Easter Egg in here so I'm hoping you've all seen it. It's time for "Civil War" but not actually because there are no accords but shit is still happening and we get our Bucky back. I'll be seeing you all at the end now.

Also, I hate Ross. I can guarantee you that if it was somebody else there to explain the accords then team cap would have signed and agreed with Tony and the others. Just saying.


Time continued on for the Avengers after the whole thing in Sokovia with HYDRA. Nicola had mastered the art of walking on his own and was not a force to be reckoned with. The number of times that Tony and Steve had to chase around a slippery wet toddler that ran off after bath time was insane. Laura Barton finally had her baby. She and Clint now had a little boy who they names Nathanial Phillip Barton. He was really cute and Tony couldn't wait till he was old enough to play with Nicola who was only a little over a year older.

Loki had finally shown his face again. Although, like always, he just showed up to cause some trouble. This time he set loose a swarm of slugs in Harlem that had everyone shaking their heads as they tried to clean them all up. And, in typical Loki fashion, he peaced out as soon as all the slugs were gone.

Once winter rolled along the Avengers got word of two more powered individuals going by Ant-Man and The Wasp. Ant-Man was a man named Scott Lang. He was an ex-convict who was responsible for the Vista Corp hacking. Tony was thoroughly impressed and offered Scott a job with SI after seeing that Scott had a master's in electrical engineering. Scott was hesitant to accept because of all the bad shit Hank PYM had said about the Stark family. But, after seeing that Tony was nothing like his father, Scott accepted stating that it would be good for his daughter Cassie to see him working as an honest man.

Hope was a whole different story. She and Tony had known each other a kids so it was a little bit awkward. She'd been raised hearing her father's rhetoric about Starks and it took all the other Avengers backing Tony up for her to agree to work in tentative terms.

Both Scott and Hope would mostly work out in California but would be there if they needed help.

It was mid-April 2016 when things took another turn for the worse. They just couldn't catch a break. It all started with Tony giving a presentation of his new therapy tech, B.A.R.F., at MIT. The presentation itself had gone alright. The tech had worked and Tony had shown it off by replaying the memory of when he'd met Rhodey for the first time at MIT. So while the presentation itself went well, what happened after did not.

"You will not believe the day I've had." huffed Tony once he'd finally gotten back home after a three-hour drive. "So this guy, Quinton Beck, he's on the team helping me work on B.A.R.F. Well, I just had to fire him because he wanted to use the tech to make weapons."

"What? Doesn't SI have a very strict no weapons thing?" asked Steve as he walked over to Tony from here he was in the kitchen. Nicola was sitting on the floor nearby having a great time playing with his stuffed bear.

"We do, but this asshat has decided that the drone tech used for the physical projections should be weaponized to psychologically torment people. Of course, I said that that was a horrible idea and I would never allow that to happen within the company. So, Beck threw a fit and kept demanding to have it weaponized and went as far as to say he was going to steal the patent and do it himself. So, I fired him. Pepper backed me up."

"Why can't people get it through their heads that you don't do that kind of stuff anymore? It's stupid. Although, you should keep an eye on this guy just to make sure he doesn't try anything malicious."

"Good idea."

The rest of the evening they spent together as a family. Everyone managed to make it home for dinner and everyone talked about their day. It was nice. They all ended up watching a movie together once all the kids went to bed.

The next morning however the team got some bad news. Some very bad news. It was just after breakfast and Tony was down in the lab finishing up a new project for SI when his phone rang. He looked down at the caller ID and saw it was his cousin Sharron Carter which was odd because Sharron never called. When she wanted to talk to Tony she'd just show up and wreak havoc.

"Hey, Share-bear. What's up?" asked Tony, a bit confused.

"I have some bad news." Came Sharron's voice over the phone. She sounded like she'd been crying.

"What's going on? Is everything alright?"

"Not really. I'm uh… I'm at the care home. Aunt Peggy just passed away." Sharron started crying anew and Tony soon followed. Bother were upset. Peggy had been such a prominent figure in their lives and it hurt that she wasn't there anymore.

The two cried and talked for a little while longer to sort out the funeral details before Tony hung up and began bawling his eyes out on the lab floor. He was getting so hysterical that JARVIS called for Steve who came racing down to the lab after leaving Nicola with Sam for a moment.

"Hey, Tony. What's wrong?" asked Steve gently as he knelt on the ground next to Tony.

"Sharron just called. Aunt Peggy just passed away." Wept Tony.

Upon hearing the news Steve pulled Tony into his arms and started crying himself. This was rough news and they needed each other to get through it. The two sat there for a while, just holding each other and crying. It took a while for them to calm down. Once they did all they wanted to do was be left alone with each other, but that wasn't an option. So, the two walked together back to the living room to retrieve Nicola and to tell the team what was going on that they'd been taking leave in two days' time for the funeral. Everyone was really supportive, especially Rhodey, who had met Peggy a few times and thought that she was badass and amazing.

The day of the funeral was a sombre affair. Tony and Steve were two of Peggy's pallbearers so Sharron sat with baby Nicola until they were done and the service began. It was a lovely service and even though everyone was sad they did everything they could to celebrate Peggy. Peggy wouldn't have wanted people to be sad.

When Tony went up to talk he told everyone about all the trouble he used to get into as a little kid and how Peggy was the one enabling it. Trouble like the great cookie heist of 75' or the time Peggy brought Tony to SHIELD with her and Uncle Daniel when he was 10 and home for the summer. He wanted to remember Peggy as a warm, loving person who wasn't afraid to have fun with her family.

Steve ended up sharing some old army stories. He talked about how Peggy was pretty much the only person who could keep his absolutely insane unit in line while back at base. But, then again, she wasn't afraid to just hang out with them all when they were playing cards or playing pranks on senior officers.

Sharron talked about how Peggy was her inspiration growing up. How she was a great role model for her and Tony when they were growing up. How Peggy was the one to encourage Sharron to follow her dreams and join SHIELD as an agent despite her mother hating the idea. How Peggy took no shit from anybody and how she was an amazing role model for all girls who wanted to do something more.

After the funeral, Sharron, Steve, and Tony all stayed together and went out for lunch. This was only the second time Sharron was meeting Nicola and it was exciting. She'd only met Nicola once before just a couple weeks after he was born. She'd been on an undercover op since then and had only gotten back a couple of weeks ago and hadn't had the chance to meet up with Tony yet. They all ate lunch together with Tony and Steve trying frantically to get more food in their toddler then on him. Nicola sure was a messy eater. Their antics made Sharron laugh which helped lighten the mood.

Two days after the funeral the entire team, including Scott and Hope, was called out to Vienna to talk with the UN about SHIELD and international oversight. Happy and Pepper came over to the tower to help Laura with the kids so none of the adults had to worry. The Avengers picked up Hope and Scott at the airport and they all too the Quin Jet together to Vienna. The flight was a bit boring but they made do. Scott entertained everyone by showing off some magic tricks he'd learned and then Thor put him to shame by showing off some of his magic.

Thor was soon after banned from using any lightning in enclosed spaces.

Once they arrived it was go time. The Avengers were quickly shuffled from meeting to meeting so they could all explain everything going on. The UN was concerned that with SHIELD being an America based intelligence agency that it would hinder the Avengers' work when they needed to cross international borders. Plus there was the fact that people like Fury were hiding information that should never have been hidden in the first place.

It wasn't like the Avengers had any problems with Fury. They liked Fury. Sure he was a bit annoying and grandiose, but he was a good man. It was the people above him on in the chain of command that were causing the problems within SHIELD. Sure, HYDRA had been purged from SHIELD for years now, but some of the replacements to the council were just as bad.

Case in point, Thaddeus Ross.

Every last Avenger hated Ross especially Bruce and Tony. Bruce hated him because of everything involved with the Hulk and Tony hated him because he hurt his friend. They were just lucky that Ross had no claim to the Hulk and Bruce was safe with all the other Avengers.

But at the moment Ross was being very annoying.

At every turn during the meeting, he tried to take control of everything, including the Avengers and most of Tony's tech. That resulted in a lot of yelling and maybe a panic attack or two on Bruce and Tony's front. Luckily the UN was full of many competent individuals and was quick to completely remove Ross from everything especially for what he did to Bruce and what he was threatening to do to Tony.

That man wasn't going to see the sun for a long time once they took him to trial.

The only good thing to come out of the whole thing was that the Avengers met King T'Chaka and Prince T'Challa of Wakanda. Bother were fair and just people who just wanted to help lookout for all the civilians out there.

During a lunch break on the second day of meeting the two royals came up to introduce themselves to each Avenger personally. It was really nice. None of the other UN delegates had talked to any of the Avengers. It was going great, well, until they got to Tony.

"Tony Stark-Rogers. Wakanda has heard much about your family in the past. I'm sure you're aware that your father stole vibranium from us." Spoke T'Chaka with an air of scrutiny as if he was trying to figure Tony out.

"Don't call that monster my father." Snapped Tony. He didn't mean to be mean to the royals but bringing up Howard was a big no-no.

"I take it he was as good a father as he was a person." Spoke T'Challa.

"Night on the nose. I'm not Howard and would appreciate it if we stop talking about him." The Wakandan's nodded and got the hint. Tony was not Howard and was more interested in the pursuit of actual science and helping people than hurting people. The royals wanted to make sure because they had an interesting proposition for the man.

"Well, seeing as how that's out of that way, there's a reason why my son and I have come over here. First of all, T'Challa here is also an enhanced individual as you would say. We're here to offer our support should you ever need it." Started T'Chaka as he looked over the group of heroes.

"I go by the Black Panther. I promise you that I'll be there should you need help." Smiled T'Challa. He looked so proud.

"And the second thing?" asked Scott. He wasn't being rude he was just excited. T'Chaka just laughed.

"Well, now that I have some confirmation on Stark here I would like to formally invite you, your husband, and your son to Wakanda to tour our labs and work on helping us introduce Wakandan technology to the world."

Tony and Steve and pretty much everyone else sat there in shock. Tony knew that Wakanda was famed for their vibrainum and he had a theory that they were hiding amazing things there. The fact that they wanted his help in introducing Wakanda to the world stage of technology was a huge honour. T'Chaka saw the looks on everyone's faces and continued.

"I ask this because my daughter Shuri has not shut up about you for years now ever since you unveiled your "deep-sea garbage eater". I believe she wanted to meet so she has someone of equal intelligence to talk too."

Tony looked on stupidly before he managed to find his voice again.

"… Absolutely your highness. I would be honoured." Tony's voice cracked a bit and Clint started laughing at him.

"Thank you. I'll just give Shuri a call so she knows."

T'Chaka pulled out his phone and dialled up his daughter. Tony couldn't help but admire the phone itself. It looked similar to the Stark Phone but with some differences. It probably also ram on some sort of vibranium energy.

"Hello, Baba! How're you and brother doing?" came a voice from the phone and T'Chaka smiled.

"We are well. I call because I have good news."

"And what would that be?"

"You're getting your wish. It looks like you'll have a new lab partner for a week or so in a few months."

The unholy shriek that emanated from the phone had most of the Avengers trying to stifle their laughter. Tony most of all.

"I look forward to meeting you Princess Shuri." Shouted Tony so she could hear him through the phone. The shrieking continued and now everyone was openly laughing.

T'Chaka excused himself to continue to talk to his daughter while T'Challa sat down with the Avengers and started to get to know them a bit better. He was actually fun to talk to. T'Challa was going to be a good fit for the team. He knew his beliefs but was open to suggestions and to training with the team when he was available. This was certainly going to be fun.

Once lunch concluded the Avengers and all the other delegated returned to finish hashing out some details. The Avengers were making sure that their demands were met on certain things and compromises were being mad where they could.

Luckily the UN and the Avengers came to a consensus. The Avengers would still work with SHIELD for things like gear and back up reinforcements but would report to the UN for missions. If there was an emergency the team absolutely had free rein to go in and stop the threat such as an alien invasion. The UN would clear things after the fact. Plus the Avengers could refuse mission if they had a problem with them. Everything worked out in the end and Ross was out of their hair.

Plus Tony was really excited to see Wakanda and all their tech.

That evening the Avengers found themselves free of meetings and with nothing to do for the next couple of days before they went back to the states. So naturally, the Avengers hit the town to have some fun. Most of the Avengers decided to hit the bars and have some fun. Tony and Steve, on the other hand, decided this was the perfect opportunity for a date night.

"This is nice." Smiled Steve as he and Tony walked hand in hand back to the hotel after a nice dinner together.

"It is."

"I miss being about to take you out like this. No responsibilities. No friends being annoying. Just you and me together."

"Yeah, but don't you lie. You'd miss all the rowdiness as well as our son." Smiled Tony as Steve leant down and kissed his cheek.

"That I would. Our kid as amazing. Wouldn't change him for the world."

The two ended up retiring to their hotel room not long after that. They slept pretty soundly until about 2 am when most of the other members of their team returned to the suit drunk and giggling. Although, this turned out to be a good thing because Tony was actually awake when he picked up his phone to see an alert from JARVIS.

"Um, Steve. JARVIS just picked up a 99% match for your pal Bucky being here in Vienna." Spoke Tony as he looked over at Steve from his perch on the end of the bed.

"What!"

"JARVIS. Give me some details. What's Barnes doing?" asked Tony as Steve scrambled around the room to put on clothes that weren't pyjamas.

"Looking at security cam data it appears that Barnes is returning to a small room to head to bed."

"We have to go after him." Rushed out Steve as he fell face-first on the floor after failing to properly put on his own shoe.

"I'll go with you. You're not going alone." Said Tony as he put on his own clothes. Steve just nodded and soon enough JARVIS was giving them information and the duo were off. Before they left they'd left a note on the nightstand so that the team knew where they were. Just to make sure that their friends didn't worry.

The two husbands took off down the road. Because it was so dark out they looked really suspicious but it was late and they were tired and neither of them thought to take a car. Either way, the two were rushing down the dark streets of night-time Vienna following the directions that JARVIS was giving them. Soon enough they'd arrived at the address and Steve went to go knock on Bucky's door while Tony kept watch.

"Bucky… It's me, Steve. Can you open up?" asked Steve as he knocked softly on the door. There was some shuffling sounds and the sound of a gun being readied before someone spoke from the other side.

"Prove it."

"You're name is James Bucannon Barnes. We grew up together in Brooklyn. You have a little sister names Rebecca and your favourite food growing up was my mom's butter cake." Spoke Steve as evenly as he could.

"More proof. What's something only my Steve would know?"

"Back in 1929 we were on the playground at school and you got in trouble for pulling me out of a fight. The teachers didn't believe that I'd started the fight so they blamed you. You didn't talk to me for a week after that."

And with that, the door was hesitantly opened and Bucky let himself be seen. Steve gave him a once over. Bucky looked exhausted like he hadn't had a full night's sleep in years. Well, he most likely hadn't Bucky also looked on edge. HYDRA was still out there. Sure, they were mostly gone at this point but there were still small factions that the Avengers were still hunting them, but they were still out there. Bucky was probably trying his best just to stay afloat and out of their clutches. Steve had to get his friend to safety. He just had to.

"Steve? What are you going here?" asked Bucky hesitantly. As he looked over his friend.

"The Avengers and I were here for a conference. What about you Buck? Why are you all the way here in Vienna?" asked Steve, concerned.

"Well, um… I was just passing through here for a couple of days. I needed to stock up on food."

"And where were you planning to head after?"

"Siberia." Spoke Bucky very matter of fact.

"What do you mean you're heading to Siberia? What's in Siberia."

Bucky paused for a moment. His hands were shaking and he looked angry.

"I wasn't the only Winter Soldier that HYDRA created."

Steve looked shocked and Bucky just looked sad. Sure, Steve knew that HYDRA had continued its experimentation of people, he'd met the Maximoff twins for fuck's sake. But the fact that there were more soldiers out there programmed with trigger words and poised to kill.

"Bucky… let me help you." Spoke Steve as he walked closer to Bucky.

"No. No, this is my mission."

"Bucky please."

"No. I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me."

"Bucky let us help. Please let us help. I have a whole team of powered individuals that are ready to help. People who are trained to deal with shit like this. You don't need to run off and do this all by yourself. We can fix this together and then you can come home and get the help you need. Please, Buck. You're my brother. You spent so much time helping me. Let me help you." Pleaded Steve. Bucky just looked at him for a second before nodding.

"Fine punk. I'll come with you."

And with that simple reply, Steve pulled Bucky into a hug and refused to let go. He'd waited so long to have his best friend back with him. He just felt so happy. Maybe now things could begin to get back to normal and they could all heal and be happy.

"Well, this is awkward. I feel like a third wheel." Spoke Tony as he walked a bit closer from where he was watching the whole exchange from around the corner. Bucky jumped a bit and Steve had to calm him. Steve just shot his husband a look and Tony snickered.

"Bucky, I'd like you to meet my husband Tony!"

Bucky looked between Steve and Tony still in confusion. Steve frowned and was about to ask Bucky what was wrong but he soon got his answer.

"Never thought you'd ever get yourself married there Steve. 'Specially not to a pretty little thing like him." Tony blushed a bit and Steve scowled.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Buck. Now Stop flirting with my husband! He's mine!" grumbled Steve as he walked over and gave Tony a little kiss.

"Meant nothing by it punk. Your still so easy to rile up."

"He is isn't he." Smiled Tony and Steve just sighed.

"Let's head back to the hotel so we can talk to the team."

They all nodded and soon after they'd gathered up Bucky's meagre belongings, they were off on their trek back to the hotel. When they arrived back most of the team were still asleep and those who were up were chugging coffee and eating greasy eggs to get rid of their handovers.

"Hey, Steve! You found your buddy!" smiled Sam as he looked over at the new additions to the room. A few people grumbled at the noise but didn't pay Bucky any mind.

By the time everyone was awake and feeling more human Steve had everyone gathered together so he could tell them what was going on. Tony and Steve gave all the information they could before they let Bucky take over. Bucky seemed very awkward and hesitant when talking about the other soldiers. He gave all the information he could as well as the location of the soldiers. The whole time he was fiddling with anything and everything to keep his mind from dwelling too much on the implications of how the soldiers came to be. But nobody else knew that information. Just Bucky, and he was feeling like shit for it.

After all the information was gathered Steve called up their UN representative to give the information as per their new arrangement. They got the approval right away to go in and illuminate the threats. Because of how dangerous HYDRA was and how dangerous Winter Soldiers could be they got the go-ahead to use deadly force if they deemed it necessary.

Steve also told them how they got the information. The UN wanted to bring Bucky in for questioning but Steve managed to convince them that he was safer with them and receiving therapy once they got home. Steve also promised to send over all the information they had on HYDRA's brainwashing to help prove Bucky's innocence as a prisoner of war.

After making sure that everyone had eaten Steve and Tony bundled all the Avengers back to the airport where the jet was waiting. Clint took over the pilot's seat and soon they were off towards Siberia. As they flew Steve got to making a plan of attack while everyone got ready. Everyone already had their suits and gear loaded on the jet before they left the Tower. They never flew anywhere without it just in case of an emergency.

The whole flight Bucky just sat off to the side and sharpened his knives while watching everyone else scurry around. He found it interesting how everyone seemed to work together seamlessly. It brought back some memories of working with the Commandos that Bucky thought were long forgotten.

Once they landed Steve had everyone split off into teams according to what needed to be done. Tony, Scott, and Bruce went off to find the old servers to download information. Natasha, Hope, and Clint went to go clear the upper rooms. Thor, Sam, and Rhodey left to clear the middle floors. And finally, Steve and Bucky went to where he remembered the old cryo tanks being. When they got down to the floor Steve made everyone check in on their coms before he and went in deeper. Bucky heard Tony tell Steve to stay safe and Steve smiled. Bucky was glad he'd found someone to make him smile.

As Steve explored the base he stumbled across what must have been an old surveillance room. The old screens were covered in dust yet the power was still active. Steve wiped the years of grime off of one of the screens and pushed a couple of buttons. The screen turned on and Steve jumped a bit in surprise when it made an old startup noise. What was when he saw an old VHS tape sitting on the table beside the screen. The tape was also covered in a thick layer of dust. Steve picked it up and turned it over a few times. On the front was a date.

December 16, 1991.

Steve stared at the date for a second. It sounded so familiar. He just couldn't figure out why. Steve curiosity won out and he pushed the tape into the little slot beside the screen. There was another loading noise and soon the screen was alive with movement.

Steve hated what he saw.

Steve was frozen in place as the tape played. He saw a brainwashed Bucky crash a car and kill the occupants. What made it worse was the fact that the occupants were Howard and Maria Stark. He heard Howard pleading for his life. He heard Maria's shouts. He saw the blood and pain in their eyes. He saw a dead eye's Bucky shoot out the camera. By the end of the whole thing, Steve was in shock over what he was but he could really only think of one thing.

"I need to tell Tony!"

"Um… Tony… I need you to come to my location." Stammered Steve over the comes.

"Is everything alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm uh… I'm not hurt. I just need you to get here."

There was some commotion over the coms but none of it mattered. Tony was there a moment later looking all worried. He stepped out of his suit and walked over to Steve.

"Hey, Steve. What's going on?" asked Tony as he looked between Steve and Bucky.

"I uh… I was searching this area here and I uh… I found this tape." Stuttered Steve as he looked over at Tony.

"And…?"

"I'm so sorry Tony." There were tears in Steve's eyes and Tony looked even more confused while Bucky just looked all guilty there in the corner.

"Why are you sorry Honey?"

"You need to see it, Tony. This shouldn't be kept from you. I can't keep it from you."

"…Ok?"

From there Steve restarted the tape.

"I know that road. Steve?"

All Steve could do was hold Tony as the events unfolded and Tony's face paled. His hands started shaking and by the time the tape was finished Tony's legs could no longer support him. He collapsed on the ground and Steve caught him and held his husband in his arms.

"Mama?" was all Tony could get out before he devolved into tears. The crying very quickly became hysterical and Steve tried his best to soothe the poor man while fighting back his own tears. Bucky just stood there awkwardly. He felt horrible.

"I'm sorry. Whispered Bucky as he looked over the scene in front of him. "I know that means nothing but I'm so, so sorry."

Bucky's words fell on deaf ears. Tony was still hysterical and Steve was trying to comfort him. So, Bucky took the initiative and called the other members of the team. All of them came running and soon enough Rhodey and Bruce were also at Tony's side offering comfort and medical help.

Meanwhile, Thor had tracked down the cryo tanks for the other winter soldiers only to find out that the soldiers inside were already shot in the head and long dead. They gathered what evidence they could but everyone was left confused over what happened.

But that was the least of their worries. Tony was still crying and calling out for his Mama softly. It was breaking everyone's heart. So, with nothing left to do the Siberia, they all boarded the jet home. Steve carried Tony back to the jet and just held him in his arms the whole flight. He eventually stopped crying but didn't talk. Bucky had to explain what had happened because Steve refused to repeat any of it in front of Tony. Tony just sat there in shock the whole time. Bruce offered to give him some sedation but at that point, they were close enough to home so he didn't. Tony would rest better in his own bed.

Once they arrived back at the tower the team went their separate ways to go process the information they'd just learned. Nobody was really doing great. Bucky wasn't sure what he was supposed to do so he just ended up following Steve down to his floor. He tried to keep his distance from Tony the entire time.

"Tony, why don't you get some rest. It's been a rough week you deserve some rest." Soothed Steve as they arrived back on their floor. Bucky followed close behind awkwardly.

"Yeah… ok." Sighed Tony and Steve pulled him into a tight hug and kissed his hair before Tony shambled off to go get some much-needed rest.

"So… this is home. There's a guest room down the hall we can set up. There might be some toys in there but I can clean them up." Spoke Steve as he and Bucky walked further into the apartment.

But before Bucky could ask why on Earth there would be toys in the guest room there was the sound of a door opening followed by the sound of pitter-patter coming towards them. Bucky tensed up prepared to fight but Steve just smiled and Bucky looked on confused. Five seconds later Bucky was surprised when this tiny blond hair, brown-eyed child came bolting for Steve screaming "Dada! Dada! Dada!"

"Hey, Nico bean. How's my baby boy?" smiled Steve as he lifted the tiny child into his arms. Bucky still looked confused.

"Good Dada!"

"Were you good for Aunty Pepper and Uncle Happy while Mama and I were away baby boy?" asked Steve. The child nodded and hugged Steve. Steve looked over and saw how confused Bucky was and decided some introductions were in order.

"Bucky meet my son Nicola Joseph. Nico, this is your Uncle Bucky." Smiled Steve as he walked over with his son in his arms.

"You have a kid? Where's his mom? I thought you were married to Tony?" blubbered Bucky as he looked between Steve and the now sleepy child.

"Yup. Nico here is now just a few months shy of turning two. And as for his mom, well… Tony's his mom." Spoke Steve with pride as he rocked his kid back and forth.

"Steve, I know my memory is shot but I'm pretty sure men can't give birth to babies." Questioned Bucky as he continued to look between Steve and his son.

"Tony can. He's special. A while back Loki cast a spell on him that lets him have babies. That's how we got Nicola here who is also up past his bedtime." Smiled Steve. "Just wait there on the couch while I put him down."

Bucky did as instructed and Steve walked off with his sleepy toddler. The poor man was still confused about what was going on but he was still happy for Steve. The fact that his friend was happily married and had an admittedly cute kid made him smile. Steve had had it rough growing up and he deserved some happiness. Happiness that Bucky was sure he would never deserve after his actions as the Winter Soldier. He hoped someday that he would be able to atone.

Once Steve got back he was toddler free and quick to show Bucky to his room. He passed his friend some old pyjamas and soon enough the man was off to bed. Steve left Bucky alone in his room with instructions to have JARVIS call if he needed anything. Steve then went off to his and Tony's room and was met with the sight of his husband wide awake and curled up in a ball in the middle of the bed.

"Hey, there sweetheart. How you doing?" asked Steve as he gently sat down on the bed and ran his hand through Tony's hair.

"I don't know."

"You wanna talk about it?" asked Steve as Tony shifted himself into his arms.

"Not really but I know I should." Huffed Tony.

"Well, what's going on in that beautiful brain of yours?"

"I'd like to preface all of this by saying that I know your friend was brainwashed and tortured for years and he deserves the best treatment, but I can't help but feel sick when I think that his hands killed my mom. I don't care that he killed Howard. That man was a monster. But why my mom? Why her? She suffered just like me and she never got a happy ending. She promised me that one day we would be free together. That we'd getaway together. Why her Steve? Why my Mama?"

By the end of Tony's little speech, he was crying. Steve curled up around Tony and held him close as he cried.

"I don't know Tony. You and your mom deserved so much better then the hand you were dealt. You deserved to be free and happy. I'm glad I've got you now, but I wish I could have been there sooner to help. You and your mom should have been safe and I'm so sorry that that wasn't the case. I love you so much, Tony. Please never forget that."

Tony ended up falling asleep not long after. He really was exhausted after the week they'd had. First, his Aunt Peggy had died, then they had all those meetings. The video in Siberia was just the icing on the cake of a bad week. Steve did what he could to make sure that Tony felt safe and slept soundly.

The next morning Steve was up early for his morning run. He made it a quick one so that Tony could sleep a little longer. By the time Steve got back, Nicola was already waking up so Steve brought him to their private kitchen to make some food for him. What surprised Steve was that Bucky was already up and sitting forlornly on the sofa in the living room. Steve made him some food too and the two talked a bit about the past while Nicola ate and played with some blocks.

About an hour later Tony was wandering in blearily looking for coffee. Steve passed him a cup and the genius smiled as he chugged down his elixir of life.

"Alright Frosty, here's the scoop." Spoke Tony once he had enough coffee in his system to actually function like a living human. Meanwhile, Bucky just looked confused.

"Look I know you're feeling horrible and all that jazz so I'll cut to the chase. I have some technology that might just do the trick in removing those pesky trigger words from your head so you can function like a normal, not brainwashed person. I'm just finishing up the final phase of testing so in a week I can set you up and we'll go from there. Also, you're going to start seeing a therapist to work through all your stuff." Rambled Tony.

Bucky just looked a bit confused. Honestly, after the day before with Tony having a breakdown after seeing his parents killed by his hands, he was expecting to be thrown out on the street to fend for himself once more. Not actually given help and a roof over his head.

"But… But what about your parents?" asked Bucky, scared of the answer.

"I will admit that I'm mad about my mom. She deserved better. But with Howard, I'm not mad. That man was a monster and if you hadn't killed him then he would have killed me and my mom." Sighed Tony. "Look, let me level with you. Everyone in the tower, with the exception of the kids, is a little messed up. We all need therapy and trips to medical for all sorts of stuff. But if you're too stubborn to ask for help then how about a trade? You go to therapy and stuff and I get to have a look at that arm. I bet I can make a better one."

Bucky still looked confused. He really had no idea what was going on. The conversation was like verbal whiplash. Steve, however, knew exactly what was happening.

"I'd just go with it, Buck. Tony here is one of the best engineers here on Earth. Just let him look over the arm before he has an aneurism." Joked Steve and Bucky just nodded. The two shook on it and soon Tony was off getting Nicola dressed and ready for the day.

Steve just smiled at everything. Sure, Tony was still feeling like shit over his mom but with a heart as big as his, Steve knew that Tony would help Bucky. And in turn, Steve would be there for both of them when they needed it.

But for now, Steve was just happy. He had his best friend back. He had his husband. He had his son. It was the perfect life he'd always wanted. And it was amazing.


So, I absolutely love Shuri. She's my favourite Marvel woman. She's smart and funny and we must protect her. I can't wait to have Tony and Shuri interact next chapter. They get along amazingly in the comics and the MCU didn't give us that so I'll do it myself. Also, yay! Bucky's home and the team didn't split. Everything is going great. Now, all we need is our small spider friend. He'll be here shortly. Just you wait. I'll see you soon. -Shadows