Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count - 3314

Make A Date Of It

"Don't worry, we'll save you."

That was the last thing they heard before their comms shut off, and that was three hours ago. Snow was falling from the sky, and the temperature was dropping extremely quickly as night fell.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" Sam asked, pulling his jacket as tight around himself as he possibly could.

Tony shook his head. "Nope. Not a clue. I'm trying to connect to any nearby satellites, but the storm isn't making it easy."

"We need to find somewhere to hole up for the night," Sam said, glancing around them.

They were stranded on a mountain, though neither of them had the first clue where. They'd been sent ahead as the fliers, doing a little recon, and they'd literally been blown from the air by a freak gust of wind.

It was pretty amazing that they'd even managed to find each other quickly, but any hopes of flying out of the place had been dashed when Sam examined his wings and found them broken, and Tony couldn't connect to the exosuit, because something was blocking the signal in the area.

They had hope that the Avengers would be able to reach them in good time, but with the wind, Tony had no idea how they were going to get the Quinjet in to land, never mind find them without the satellites.

Given it was them that gave off the signal for the trackers, all in all, they were pretty screwed for right now.

"There's a cave up there," Sam said, pointing to a small opening a little up the side of the vast mountain side. "We could climb up and bunker down in there?"

"I say this with the greatest respect possible," Tony prefaced. "Are you fucking insane? Sam, neither of us has any climbing gear, and there is a lot of snow."

"You got any better ideas, Tones?"

"Not really, no," Tony admitted, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "And if we don't get somewhere sheltered, you're going to be in real trouble."

"What about—"

"Extremis," Tony said, waving away the obvious question about his own temperature. "Keeps me running warm, I'm okay."

Sam nodded once, looked at the mountain side and sighed. "Well. Let's go."

"What an adventure," Tony muttered, shaking his head. Muttering to himself, he followed after Sam. "Come back to the Avengers, Tony, it'll be good for you, Tony, you need some adventure in your life Tony."

Laughing, Sam led the way to the mountain. He eyed the wall for a moment before he started his ascent, and Tony followed behind him. About halfway between their starting point and the cave ledge, Sam's foot slipped and he almost fell, sending a few rocks straight down onto Tony's head.

"I swear, man, if we survive, I'm going to kill you," Tony called up.

Sam snorted and continued on, refusing to let the slip psyche him out.

Eventually, with sore hands and panting from the exertion, Sam pulled himself over the ledge. He was grateful for his athletic nature, because that climb would have been impossible had he been anything less than fit. Tony popped up a moment behind him and rolled onto it, flat on his back, glaring at Sam.

"That was not the brightest idea you've ever had."

It's not like we had an option, is it?"

Tony wrinkled his nose but sat up. "I wish I was drunk right now. This would be much easier to deal with if I was drunk. Come on, let's make sure there are no beasties inside. The last thing I'm interested in right now is being eaten."

"Oh, I don't know. Being eaten can be fun."

Sam grinned when Tony stared at him for a moment before he smirked. "When you're right, you're right. Touche."

…

The cave was, thankfully, empty, and there was a corner that was slightly off from the entrance. Tony immediately pushed himself into the gap and looked at Sam, waiting for him to join him.

When he didn't, Tony raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you want me too… really?"

"Did you want frostbite? Because really Sam, I don't think it'll look good on you. It got terrible reviews on the winter catwalks."

Sam snorted. "You're an asshole."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Please let me help you? You're going to freeze, and you don't have the serum to make you a Samsical like Cap."

Sam smirked. "You don't have to beg, Tony. If you wanted me in your arms, you could have just said so."

"Right, well, you can just sit there and be cold then," Tony quipped, though he lifted his arm for Sam to tuck himself under, leaning in against him until their full bodies were pressed together.

Tony wasn't exactly warm, but he wasn't cold, and Sam snuggled in even further, the two of them huddling against the far wall to keep as much warmth between them as they could.

"I can't believe we managed to get so lost," Sam muttered. "I thought this was Cap's trick, not ours. We're supposed to be teaching him better behaviour."

Tony chortled. "You make him sound like a misbehaving puppy."

"Show me where I'm wrong."

Shrugging, Tony didn't reply. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, Tony still attempting to connect to any nearby connections he could find, but there was nothing.

He was beginning to think that the freak wind wasn't quite as natural as he'd initially suspected. They hadn't even known what they were looking for; they'd just been doing some recon on a tip off of a mutant that SHIELD had been given.

What were the chances that they were looking at a mutant with some form of elemental power?

Pretty good, by Tony's estimation.

"I was surprised that you came back after Thanos," Sam said quietly, breaking the silence between them. "I think the others were too. As much as everyone wanted you to come back, I don't think anybody really expected you too."

Tony twisted his lips slightly. "I don't think I expected to either, to be honest. I wasn't really planning on it. I guess I just… well. Steve was right about me. Sitting on the sidelines while other people put their lives at risk isn't really me."

"I'd say it could be argued that you sacrificed yourself enough."

"Possibly," Tony replied. "But then, I still have the means and the drive to help people. What kind of man would it make me if I just sat back and did nothing instead?"

"A tired one?"

"We're all tired, Sam. We all have days, weeks, even months where it's too much but there are also enough Avengers now that when those times come, we can take a break."

Sam nodded. "That's true. How are Pepper and Rhodey? It's been a while since I've seen either of them."

"They're good," Tony said smiling. "Pep is back in charge of SI, and Rhodey is living his best life bossing the recruits around. He should be coming in for a visit in a few weeks, actually. He was bitching at me about it the other day."

Sam chuckled, and they fell silent again. Sam dozed off with his face buried against Tony's chest, and Tony absently stroked a hand up and down his back. They sat like that for a few hours, until Tony had no choice but to shift.

"Sorry," Sam mumbled, pulling a way a little to let Tony move into a more comfortable position. He blinked tiredly, watching Tony move, and only when he saw a white scar across his hip did he really feel awake.

"What's that?"

Tony looked down and then back at Sam. "A scar."

"No, duh, really?"

Tony laughed, pulling his shirt down and then Sam close once more. "It's an old one, doesn't bother me."

"How'd you get it?"

"You really think I remember how I've gotten all the scars on my body, Sam? I have… a lot of them."

"I do think that," Sam said, because Tony didn't strike him as the kind of person who forgot about wrongs done against him. Forgave them perhaps, but Sam doubted he ever forgot.

"My dad blessed me with that when I was fifteen and being a smartass," Tony said after a moment. "I don't know how much you know about my childhood but my relationship with my parents was… complicated."

"I know bits," Sam admitted, thinking about the few things he'd heard from Natasha and Steve over the years. "Enough to make a vague picture."

Tony chuckled low in his chest. "That's all anyone has really. A vague picture. I have the album splashed across my skin."

"Tony—"

"It wasn't all bad," Tony said then, and it almost seemed like he was trying to comfort Sam, which was ridiculous when you considered the conversation. "We had a butler, Edwin Jarvis."

"Like J?"

"I named J after him, yeah. Just a really very intelligent system. Jarvis and his wife Ana, they brought me up. Taught me the few morals I had when I entered my twenties, you know? They were there for me when nobody else was and I loved them like they were my parents."

"They'd be proud of you now then, if they were the ones to teach you morals. They'd be proud of what you've accomplished."

Laughing, Tony shook his head. "Jarvis would be done with my shit, and Ana would have beat me around the head with a tea towel for the stuff I've pulled. They'd have gone mental if they'd still been alive when I made Iron Man."

Sam grinned at the idea of a small woman beating Tony Stark up with a tea towel.

"I don't know, maybe they would be. I hope they are, if they can see me."

Sam squeezed him gently.

"Tell me something about you that I don't know?" Tony requested, and Sam could hear the undertones of insecurity in his voice.

"When I was a kid, I wanted a puppy," Sam said softly.

"That's not a secret, Wilson, every kid wants a puppy."

"Listen, would ya? I wanted a puppy, and I asked for a puppy every year for Christmas and my birthday. After three years, when I was nine, my mum got me one. A little terrier. I called him Bilbo, because I was obsessed with The Hobbit."

Tony smiled at that.

"Anyway, fast forward a few months, and my best friend at school got a kitten for his birthday. An adorable little ball of fluff called Mittens, that I fell in love with on sight. And so, I asked my mama for a kitten."

"I bet that went well."

"She was fuming with me. And ever since then, I've wanted a kitten, and I've never gotten one. That's something about me that you don't know."

"You owe me pictures of Bilbo the pupper," Tony said seriously. "I demand little Sam and Bilbo pictures."

"Did you have any pets?"

Tony shook his head. "Nah. I went to boarding school when I was young, no pets allowed, and… I guess I never really thought about it? Pets were something other kids had, you know? And to be honest, I was more interested in robots, even then."

"It's a shame you didn't have DUM-E then," Sam said. "He would have kept you company. The little guy has so much personality, he's amazing."

"Yeah. Yeah, he is. My first born, as it were. First made, whatever. He's a character alright."

"Don't tell the others, but DUM-E is my favourite."

"I think you're his. I don't get a look in when you fetch your wings down to the shop, he forgets all about me. Then again, he's the same with Barnes. He loves that metal arm. I think he thinks Barnes is like him and his siblings."

"That's the most precious thing I've ever heard… and I'm going to tease Bucky with it every chance I get."

"Of course you are. You know, I thought you had a thing for him when you all first came back to New York. The way you two go at each other… it's like kids pulling pigtails in the playground."

"I won't pretend he's not attractive," Sam said with a shrug. "But the relationship between us is very firmly set as frenemies and neither of us would change that for anything. I think he likes having someone he can be mean to that won't take offense. Steve can be… sensitive."

"That's one word for it."

"The two of you seem to be getting on better these days?"

"Yeah, I guess we are. I think I learned that Steve isn't perfect, and Steve learned that I'm not always the bad guy. It helped us… relax with each other a bit more."

"I don't think he thought you were—"

"Don't kid yourself," Tony said. "Steve thought I was a self serving asshole with a hidden agenda. I… I grew up on stories of him, and in my eyes, he was the son my dad wanted, you know? So I put him on a pedestal and was determined to hate him at the same time. It didn't make for a great relationship. We've both grown since then, I think."

Sam nodded. "And there's nothing… Bucky was speculating that maybe the two of you should just fuck it out."

Laughing, Tony shook his head. "Barnes has been reading too much shitty romance literature. I'm pansexual, not stupid, Sam. I can't imagine adding sex to the mix between Steve and I would help anyone with anything."

"Pansexual?"

"It's… gender has never been a thing for me?" Tony offered with a shrug. "For the longest time I identified as bisexual, but Pepper corrected me a few years ago. I didn't realise there was anything other than Bi until she did some research on it and handed it off to me."

Sam nodded. "I know that the LGBTQ community has expanded in the last few years. I don't follow it as much as I should, but there just never seems to be enough hours in a day."

"Tell me about it. I went to pride though, last year. Pep and Rhodey came with me, we had a really good time."

"I remember seeing that in the paper," Sam said with a small smile. "There were some nice pictures of you."

"It was a good day."

Tony dropped off to sleep not so long after that, smiling slightly. Sam lay against him, face tucked against his chest. He'd always considered Tony as someone untameable, someone whimsical and perhaps a little mad.

He didn't think he was wrong in that, but he wondered if maybe he'd been missing the bigger picture. Tony was intelligent, the world knew that, but he was warm too, and not just in temperature. He was sweet and funny and considerate in a way Sam didn't really expect from him.

Along with the whimsy, there was a sensibleness, and a desire to protect the world and all of its inhabitants.

There was a lot more to Tony Stark than Sam expected, and even more surprising was that he was enjoying learning more… he wanted to know more, and he was beginning to suspect that it'd never be enough.

…

Tony opened his eyes to feel Sam shaking slightly beside him. Thankfully, the sky was starting to lighten outside the cave. He could only hope that rescue would be quick to arrive now that the day was dawning.

The wind seemed to have died down, and the snow was no longer falling, though it still coated the ground.

"Sam," he murmured softly, rubbing his upper arm to generate a little heat with the friction. "Sam, wake up."

"Hmm? Oh. Ugh. Morning."

Tony snorted, stretching himself out when Sam sat up. "If they don't get here today, I'm going to piss in all of their cheerios when we get home."

Sam almost choked on his laughter.

"Have you tried connecting to the satellites?"

"Was just about to," Tony replied. "I just need to, ugh, move around a little first. God, I've never been so stiff… don't say a word, Wilson."

Sam held his hands up, a shit eating grin on his face. "Wasn't gonna."

Tony pushed himself to his feet and stretched again, wandering the length of the cave. He popped his head out and grimaced at the light reflecting off the snow. What he wouldn't give for a pair of sunglasses.

Using his extremis, he tried to connect to the closest satellite, and after a moment, jolted when he realised he was connected. The red and gold suit immediately closed around him, and he grinned when he heard J's voice in his ear.

"Triangulating your position, Sir. The team will be with you in approximately thirty eight minutes."

Tony retracted the suit helmet and grinned. "They'll be here to get us in a little over half an hour."

"Oh thank Thor," Sam muttered. "You're a magnificent pillow, Stark, but cave floors are not my preferred mattress."

"Preaching to the choir, my friend."

…

They cheered when the Quinjet came into view. Tony had tried to apologise, and Steve had waved him off immediately.

"Sometimes things go wrong. It doesn't mean it was anyone's fault. You're both okay, right?"

"Extremis makes me adaptable," Tony had replied softly. "We managed."

Bruce had fed them both tea—"Leaf water," Tony had complained, making Sam and Bucky laugh—and they'd been given water and power bars and for Tony, a tray of blueberries that he munched on quite happily.

Back home, and Tony had disappeared into his workshop for two days and Sam had been entertained by Steve and Bucky.

Life seemed to return to normal as it should. It had only been one night, after all, albeit an atypical one.

But Sam couldn't get the one night out of his mind. He found himself wanting to seek Tony out, but he didn't. He didn't want to bother Tony, who he figured must be busy, given how scarce he was.

Or at least, until he wandered into the Compound with a smile on his face and made a beeline for Sam.

He handed the box over with a smug smile and Sam looked down at it, frowning when he saw the little holes in the top of the box.

"What's this?"

"Open it and find out," Tony replied, and his happiness and anticipation could be heard in his voice.

Sam did as he was bid, and gasped when he opened the top flap. Inside the box was the most adorable little ball of fluff he'd ever seen. The fur was almost butterscotch in colour, and Sam carefully lifted it out with a gentle hand.

"You got me a kitten," he murmured, looking up at Tony.

"You said you'd always wanted one," Tony replied, shrugging. "And… I guess I wondered what it'd be like to have an animal around the place. Well, except for our badly behaved puppy, I suppose."

Sam snorted, and outright laughed when Steve's head popped around the door to say, "We don't have a puppy?"

"You know you didn't have too, right?"

Tony nodded and sat down beside Sam on the sofa, reaching out to stroke the kitten's little head. "I think you should call her Smaug."

"I hesitate to ask why."

"She's precious."

Sam stared at him for a long moment and then grinned. "Smaug is it. Thank you Tony, I love her. She's even cuter that the ball of fluff I fell in love with when I was a kid."

Tony nodded. "You still owe me pictures."

"I'll find some. We, uh, we'll make a date of it."

Sam watched as Tony's head tilted to the side slightly before his lips curved up in a small smile.

"It's a date then."

Written for:

Book Club: Darry: Proud / An Embrace / Athletic / Intelligent

Showtime: 27. Say No To This: Red

Elizabeth's Empire: 15. Cat

Liza Loves: 25. One Sweet World: Write fluff

Bex's Basement: 11. "I swear, man, if we survive, I'm going to kill you."

Film Festival: 8. Climbing something

TV Spree: 29. Atypical

The Forecast Says: 14. "What an adventure!"

Archery: 17. Pansexual

Escape Room: (Drink) Tea

Simon Says: 14. Huddling for Warmth

Fairy Garden: 7. Flower Gate: Kitten

Gold Panning: Reminiscing about the past

We're Going Caving: 12. Compass: "Do you have any idea where we are?"

Cooking: 29. Lemons: Determined

Shelter Building: 9. Softer, Weaker Twigs: Windy

Dino DNA: 7. Indominus Rex: Someone 'untameable'.

Quilt Making: Spots and Stripes: 3. "I wish I was drunk right now."

Balloon Animals: 21. Penguin: Snowy

Getting Artsy: Butterscotch / Cheering

Friendship Bracelet: Small Silver Charms: Gold

Wacky Wandmakers: 19. Hawthorn: Huddling for warmth / Veela Hair: Whimsical

Supernatural Club: 13. Stella, Winx Club: "Don't worry, we'll save you."

National Anti Boredom Day: 15. Make a collage: Reminiscing over something

Romance Awareness: TonySam

Seasonal Flowers; 3. Cornflowers: "Sometimes things just go wrong. It doesn't mean it was anyone's fault."

Treasure Hunting Supplies; Knife: "Please let me help you."

Ultimate Battle: High Tier: Something Lost

Insane Challenge: 961. Adaptable