Avengers || WinterIron || Avengers || Assembling the Avengers || Avengers || WinterIron || Avengers
Title: Assembling the Avengers – Living at Stark Tower
Fandom: Avengers; Marvel Cinematic Universe
Disclaimer: All rights concerning the Avengers reserved to Marvel. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: m/m, Canon Divergent Post-Avengers (2012), Team as Family, families of choice, adoption, fluff, hurt/comfort, PTSD, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, m/f, f/f
Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony
Side Pairings: Hope/Darcy, Bruce/Jane, Clint/Natasha, Rhodey/May, Happy/Pepper
Marvel Characters: Anthony 'Tony' Stark, James 'Bucky' Barnes, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Thor Odinson, Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, Hope van Dyne, James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, Sam Wilson, Sharon Carter, Katherine Keener, Harley Keener, Gwen Stacy, Miles Morales, Edward 'Ned' Leeds, Peter Parker, May Parker, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, Maria Hill
Summary: After the battle of New York, Tony invites the Avengers to live with him in Stark Tower. Everything evolves from there on out. Living together in the tower changes the team-dynamic, changes the fate of the Avengers and how their line-up grows differently over time.
Assembling the Avengers
Living at Stark Tower
Chapter 1: Welcome to Avengers Tower
Natasha and Clint had just returned from a long mission in Europe. Unfortunately, it had taken them away nearly right after the Battle of New York. No rest for the wicked. When they collapsed on a couch in an office in the carrier of SHIELD, they were nearly too exhausted to even really question why Thor, Rogers and Doctor Banner were there. Hadn't the Avengers-gig been a one time thing?
"Debriefing?", asked Clint, yawning widely. "N whatcha all doin' here?"
"I think the debriefing can wait until later", missed Maria.
"I have returned from Asgard, since my brother is now safely locked away. Too many memories of our childhood, so I decided to return to Midgard", replied Thor mournfully.
"I've been... set up by SHIELD since before New York", supplied Steve.
"I've kind of been holed up in SHIELD's labs since the battle", answered Bruce sheepishly.
"So, why are we all here? Or rather, why are all of us aside from Tony here?", questioned Natasha.
The other Avengers nodded in agreement and turned toward Agent Hill inquisitively. Natasha and Clint had spend their unoccupied moments during the mission thinking about the battle and the other Avengers. How it had felt to be part of a real team, not just a duo of spies, killing and finishing a mission. It had felt good, to have this kind of support and teamwork.
"Is Stark alright?", asked Steve mildly concerned.
Tony Stark may not have been what Steve would have expected as Howard's son, but in the end, he had proven to be a worthy hero and companion. So were the other Avengers. They were the kind of team Steve was comfortable leading. In a way, their ragtag team of misfits had reminded him of the Howling Commando. Part of him didn't like that his team wasn't complete right now.
"He has been buried deep in his work, I'm afraid no one aside Miss Potts has seen him in weeks", answered Maria. "Which is why I have called all of you in here. The Avengers Initiative has proven itself to the heads. Congratulations, you're officially a team now. If you're in."
"Yes", answered all of them at once, making Maria smile bemused.
"But why isn't Tony here then?", asked Bruce with a frown. "He could have freed himself from work for long enough to participate. Or is he... out of the Avengers Initiative?"
"I object!", declared Thor loudly. "He is a true warrior, like any of us. He is brave, he belongs in our team. The Avengers are not complete without Tony."
"You seem to have grown into quite the team already", mused Maria. "If you'd let me finish, instead of interrupting. Since the different members of this team are quite scattered, Mister Stark offered a... home-base. The Stark Tower has been renovated since the incident with Loki and Mister Stark formally invites all of you to stay there."
"Stay there?", asked Bruce a little stunned.
"Yes. He assures me that you will have access to labs at the tower, Doctor Banner", stated Maria and nodded. "As well as special training facilities for Miss Romanov, Mister Barton and Captain Rogers. Considering that Agent Barton currently stays in the... venting system of SHIELD and Agent Romanov is... hard to get a grip on when not on a mission, while Thor has no residence on Earth at all, Doctor Banner has no residence in the US and Captain Rogers has been living in SHIELD facilities, Mister Stark suggested that having all Avengers at Stark Tower would make team-matters far easier, as well as debriefings and emergencies."
"Stark wants us to live with him?", grunted Steve, cocking one eyebrow.
"He also assures me that all of you will have enough privacy. You won't have to share bunk-beds. Now, perhaps you'd like to take a look before you decide?", suggested Maria, grinning to herself.
Looking at it couldn't hurt so the team got up and followed Hill out and to a limo. They chatted lightly during the drive, about what Bruce had been working on (albeit no one truly understood what he was talking about), how Thor's visit with his family had been and as much about the mission Natasha and Clint had been on as could be said.
"He really rebuilt the whole tower in those two months?", hummed Clint impressed when they got out of the car and stared up the imposing building. "Looks better than before."
"We're talking about Tony Stark. He's... fast when he's determined", nodded Maria.
Maria led them inside, showed her security pass to the intimidating man behind the reception. A golden, gorgeous elevator with engravings and Iron Man on each door opened to let them in. The elevator itself was spacious enough to easily fit twice as many people in. Aside from the button-panel, there was also a complicated looking lock of sorts. Agent Hill rested her flat palm against the surface and after a short beep, a retina-scanner came forward to scan her eyes.
"Maria Hill", stated the agent slowly.
"Welcome back, Agent Hill", replied Jarvis' electronic voice.
The lid popped open as Maria removed her hand, revealing another set of buttons.
"Woah. What is that?", asked Clint and jumped a little at the sudden voice.
"Thank you, Jarvis", noted Maria and pressed the button labeled as 'Common Area'. "'That' is Jarvis, the Artificial Intelligence who controls Stark Tower. The main security system. If you have questions or require assistance, just ask for Jarvis and he will hear you."
The other Avengers peeked at the panel to see what other kind of floors there were.
Roof
Gym & Pool
Common Area
Hangar & Headquarters
Tony's Workshop
Tony
Bruce
Thor
Steve
Clint
Natasha
"Doctor Banner's floor also contains Doctor Banner's labs", stated Jarvis after a moment.
"Labs?", mouthed Bruce beneath his breath, blushing a little and shifting some.
"Jarvis, direct line to Mister Stark, please", requested Maria before the Avengers could argue more.
"No. No, no, no", echoed Tony's voice through the elevator all of a sudden. "I told you, Agent Hill, I don't have the time to play with SHIELD at the moment! Go and bother Cap!"
Steve's lips twitched a little at that, tilting his head some. "She already did that."
"Mh?", grunted Tony over the inter-com, sounding confused.
"I brought the others with me, Mister Stark", explained Maria. "We're on our way up. Would you care to join us, perhaps? Or don't you have time to come and play with the Avengers either?"
A short pause, followed by a shattering sound of metal. "Yes. Wait. Just a second. I... need pants."
"Behind you, sir", stated Jarvis. "I also took the liberty of adding a shirt, sir."
The elevator rose for a while longer before it stopped and the doors opened, revealing the first glimpse of Tony Stark that either of the Avengers had seen in two months. Natasha and Clint had spend a lot of time together on the mission, Thor and Steve had recently worked together too for a short mission, while all of them had occasionally seen Bruce at the SHIELD-headquarters. But Tony? Well, this was definitely an interesting view. He was wearing torn skinny-jeans, greasy and worn-out, an equally greasy wife-beater and currently he was in the middle of buttoning a white tight-cut shirt. There was also some oil smeared over his face, his hair a mess, but more so in a cute way. A sheepish grin was laying on his lips as he looked at them, all bright eyes and white teeth.
"Oh. Hey. So Hill finally got you all together?", asked Tony, still grinning.
"Friend Tony!", exclaimed Thor enthusiastically and walked over to hug Tony tightly.
The human grunted in the tight grip as he was lifted up and whirled around. Thor basically carried him into the elevator and put him down in the center of a circle of Avengers. Everyone offered Tony a kind of greeting – a smile, shoulder-pat, one-armed hug, short wave.
"Good to see all of you back in New York", smiled Tony. "And having you in my elevator, I suppose Agent Hill already told you about my... proposal then?"
"She did", nodded Steve shortly.
"Good. Saves time for me", hummed Tony. "Well, let me show you around then."
"Though would you mind sharing why exactly you came up with this idea?", continued Steve.
"Well, Natasha is hard to get a hold of, Bruce and Clint are more-or-less living at SHIELD right now, Thor's sort of homeless and you're Captain America but you live in a ridiculously unsecured apartment. Really, really, really ridiculously unsecured", started Tony, talking in high-speed. "Bruce needs better labs than what SHIELD has to offer. You, Natasha and Clint surely would benefit from the private gym. A home-base for the team would be a good way of keeping in touch – I'm aware most of you will still spend most time on missions anyway. And SHIELD appreciates the idea of having all Avengers... assembled. For all of that and all of you, I figured that the building with the highest security system that can be offered would be best, to protect not just you but also your privacy. I thought that everybody would benefit from this arrangement."
"And how are you benefiting from this?", questioned Clint as they reached the top floor.
All paused for a second to take everything in. From the elevator, they had to take five steps down to be in the middle of a giant living room with a large window-front and a c-shaped couch in front of a large flat-screen, a Dolby-surround sound system and some different gaming consoles. On their left was an open kitchen and between the modern, high-tech kitchen and the living room was a long dining table, more than comfortably fitting half a dozen people.
"This elevator is private, the other elevators don't include the top-floors. The panel for the top-floors can only be accessed via voice-recognition, retina-scan and a full hand-scan", started Tony to ramble. "It's programmed to recognize all of you, me, Pepper, Happy and Rhodey. If you'd want anyone... special to gain access, feel free to inform Jarvis. Jarvis can be accessed from every room."
"You haven't answered Clint's question", stated Natasha skeptically as they walked around a little.
"Company, I guess", whispered Tony with a shrug, arms crossed over his chest.
"And now the truth, please", requested Steve, cocking one eyebrow.
"It may surprise you, Captain Rogers, but that was the truth", interrupted Agent Hill.
Tony turned away a little, facing the large windows as he felt the inquisitive eyes of the others boring into his back. "Nine days ago, Pepper poked me awake after a massive hangover. That in itself used to be a regular occurrence, but this time around... It had been the first drink I had since the battle. When I told Pepper as much and added that I had intended to keep it this way, she told me I couldn't sober up on my own from one day to the other. She's right. One of the too many reasons why I am... an alcoholic... is because the alcohol made me forget that I am alone. I know it will be a good solution for all of you and I... would like to have someone, you, around. For the company and maybe, also to keep me from buying new booze and restocking."
"You're... sobering up?", asked Bruce surprised. "How come? I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't..."
"No, no. It's fine", interrupted Tony and shook his head. "I invited you to live here, you have a right to know what mess you'd be getting into here. Because I've been called a 'liability' for the Avengers Initiative before the battle and... afterward, I realized that perhaps Fury was right. I'm a drunken playboy, that's not... safe, especially not for someone handling secrets like ours. So... I figured it would be for the best of the team if I'd... change some."
"Well, if you're sobering up for the team, it's the least the team can do to stay and help", stated Natasha softly, looking around. "Now, show us those private floors."
Tony's face brightened at that and he clapped his hands once before leading the way back to the elevator, the other Avengers immediately following after, looking amused.
"Everyone has their private floor. Brucie gets a lab. A good science needs a private lab and you are beyond a good scientist, Doctor Banner", announced Tony with a light smile. "You all have control over the privacy settings of your floors. Who can access your floor. The workshop's off-limits, I'm afraid. Lots of inventions, lots of super important SI projects, all that fun stuff."
"The common area was impressive", noted Clint with a whistle.
"Naturally, you all have your own living rooms and kitchens on your own floors too", assured Tony. "But, you know, I figured something shared would be a... nice touch."
The elevator halted and they exited in what looked like the most modern gym Steve had ever seen. And he had tried a few since he had been thawed – even Captain America only got away with breaking that much equipment before shamefully retreating. Natasha walked the perimeter curiously, looking at it all. Even Thor looked wildly excited.
"Naturally, everything comes with the Stark seal of approval. Reinforced reinforcements to even withstand a thundering alien and a super soldier", stated Tony with a bright smile. "If anything breaks, inform me so I can tinker and improve it. Tha—at goes for... all the things, actually."
"That sounds like a challenge", whispered Clint with a sparkle in his eyes.
"Barton", growled Natasha pointedly. "Do not thank him for his hospitality by breaking his things."
"But he just said it'd give him an opportunity to improve it", whined Clint.
"Yes, it does. Don't worry about it, Barton", chuckled Tony amused.
"This is very exciting!", exclaimed Thor eagerly. "Whenever I stay in Midgard, I admittedly break... a lot of... things. I swear I don't mean to, but... the things around here are not made with Midgardian strength in mind. I'm looking forward to living here."
"Seems like a nice gig", agreed Clint with a half-grin.
"Thank you for the offer, Stark", nodded Steve.
"Please. Tony. If you're all gonna live in my tower, that's the least. Welcome to Avengers Tower!"
Author's note: So the other day, while mindlessly zapping through channels on my TV, the 2012 Avengers was on. And I got stuck watching the second half of the movie. And I was overwhelmed with longing for that time again, back when everyone thought the team would form beautifully, become friends who could trust each other. It made me remember that back in 2014, I actually started writing a Tower Fic. And, well, then Age of Ultron happened and after that Civil War and with that, the fic got buried deep, deep in my folder of abandoned concepts. So I dug that out again and decided that no, I did not write 14 pages to let them just collect dust.
Which brings us to the now, where I decided to revamp that oneshot and turn it into a fully functional multiple chapter fic, expanding on what little I had planned with it - like, including Hope van Dyne as an Avenger in this (because that is a thing very dear to me), or making Tony adopt orphans (also a thing very dear to me) and it gives me the opportunity to FINALLY write Clintasha.
And, admittedly, my goal for the Marvel fandom definitely was to at least write one multiple chapter FrostIron AND one multiple chapter WinterIron. So, here we are, in my new multi-chapter WinterIron Tower Fic! I hope you guys will enjoy the ride!
As always, you can find my updating schedule on my profile! It tells you the exact date my fics will be updated (all multi-chapter fics are on a Saturday rotation, each story being updated every four weeks)!