Steve plays with Pete as Tony keeps working above them. Pete insists on swapping rooms each time Tony does but Tony barely seems to notice.
When lunchtime rolls around it's Alfred that brings them up some food without any prompting.
'Tony?' Steve calls up when Tony apparently doesn't notice.
'Hmm?' the sound comes from around the tablet Tony has in his mouth.
'Tony, come down,' he tries again.
'Cap?' Tony blinks down at them in confusion.
'Dada!' Pete pipes up. 'Look, Dada, Alfred put crisps in my cheese sandwich!'
'Chips,' Tony lands to accept the mug of coffee Steve's holding for him. 'They're chips, Pete; let's not let Jarvis and Alfred turn you English.'
'The sandwich is crunchy!' Pete is apparently indifferent to linguistic differences.
'Right,' Tony finishes his coffee and looks around for another.
'Why is Jarvis English?' Steve puts half a sandwich into Tony's hand in the off chance it will trick him into eating it.
'I didn't program him that way,' Tony shrugs. 'The original Jarvis was English, of course, but they never met.'
'I never met him,' Steve adds mildly.
Tony smiles suddenly,
'You'd have liked him.'
Steve smiles as Tony takes a distracted bite of the sandwich and then gives it a confused look even as Steve guides him to where Pete is sitting.
'And would he have liked me?' he asks.
'Everyone likes you,' Tony scoffs. 'I bet even Red Skull collected your trading cards...'
'That's disturbing,' he wrinkles his nose.
Tony just laughs as he pours another coffee.
After lunch Steve leaves Pete napping and Tony adjusting some sensors that Jarvis reports are out of alignment.
He retreats to his room and opens his sketchbook to a new page as he settles in by the window.
Watching his friend casually overdose on caffeine as he forces himself to work through his exhaustion isn't his idea of fun.
He didn't try and stop him.
Tony isn't his to worry about like that.
Ok. Steve's definitely going to worry, but he can't say anything.
'Captain,' Jarvis speaks through the earpiece he's gotten used to wearing, 'incoming call from Agent Romanov.'
'Put her through,' he sits up straight, 'Black Widow?'
'Hey, Steve,' she sounds winded.
'Is everything alright?' Steve's on his feet now.
'Fine,' Natasha says before groaning quietly.
'Not sure I believe you,' he fights to keep his tone light.
'Just a little shrapnel,' she reports. 'Stupid mistake on my part. I got away. Location is secure.'
'You need a pick up?' Steve winces at each of her gasps, knowing she's digging metal from her own flesh.
'Negative,' she refuses.
'Okay...' he replies. 'Then why are you calling?'
'Just checking in,' Natasha huffs a breath. 'Clint told me what happened.'
'You've been shot and you're worried about us?' Steve rolls his eyes.
'The shrapnel's from a bomb, actually,' she corrects. 'Are you back at the Tower?'
'Clint didn't tell you that I'm not?'
'Clint's retreated to an old SHIELD safe house,' she sounds amused.
Steve manages a laugh,
'I'm still at the mansion.'
'Hmm,' Natasha apparently approves. 'Good.'
'Mission status?' he asks after the line is quiet for a minute.
'Nearly complete,' she replies and gives a little sigh of relief, 'have you ever noticed how shrapnel is always disappointingly small compared to the amount of pain it causes?'
'Sure,' he rolls his eyes.
'I'll be back in a couple of days,' Natasha adds.
'Alright,' Steve agrees. 'Be safe.'
'Yes, Captain!' she agrees cheekily and the line goes dead.
For the second night in a row Steve jolts awake as the door to his suite opens. This time he knows what to listen for so he recognises the padding of small feet coming closer.
'Lo,' Pete climbs up and crawls over to him with his blanky.
'Hey, Pete,' he smiles and tucks the boy in beside him before falling back to sleep.
Something wakes him again and he tenses until he sees a familiar blue light coming closer.
'Tony?' he calls out quietly.
The light jolts as its owner stumbles, it sways in place for a moment before lurching back into motion.
Tony comes into view. His shirt is hanging open, which explains the light, he has no pants on, his hair is a mess and his eyes are drooping.
'Did you come for Pete?' he asks quietly.
Tony just keeps walking towards him and then sheds his shirt.
'Tony?' he tenses again.
The genius sways in place for a moment and almost looks like he'll manage to focus on Steve but then he shifts the covers just enough before collapsing face first onto the bed to Steve's left.
'I...' Steve shifts away uncomfortably and freezes as his movement causes Pete to stir and grumble to his right.
He takes a deep breath and tries to convince even one of his muscles to unclench.
His heart is hammering.
The sofa!
He'll get out from between the two Starks and sleep in the other room.
He shifts his weight as he prepares to climb over his friend.
Tony makes an odd noise in his throat as he shifts over and presses his face into Steve's arm. Steve thumps his head into his pillow as Tony's hand curls around his bicep to keep him in place.
Steve groans in despair,
'Please no...' he whispers as he tries to gently pry Tony's fingers from his arm.
Tony makes an irritated sound and nuzzles closer.
Jarvis would likely be laughing if he could.
He gives up for a moment to try and think this through.
This of course allows Pete to roll over his right arm and resettle with his back against Steve's side.
So now both of his arms are trapped.
Great.
He sighs and glances to where Pete is now asleep in the crook of his left arm and to where Tony is pressed against his right.
He feels like he's stealing something.
He feels dishonest.
But it doesn't mean anything, right?
And he's not exactly enjoying it?
And Tony has been awake for something like 44 hours...
Steve lets himself relax.
It'll be fine; Tony won't care.
Steve sleeps better than he can ever remember doing before.
He wakes at half seven in the morning, well passed the time he would normally be up, and feels incredibly comfortable.
And then he remembers that the man he has an unrequited crush on is asleep beside him and the good feeling shrinks rapidly.
Tony is still curled against him, snoring softly, with his left hand clutching Steve's left bicep.
He's gorgeous.
'Cap?' Pete is suddenly climbing over him and dropping down between him and Tony. 'Cap! Dada is back!'
'Yes, shhh!' Steve hushes him quickly, 'your Dada needs some more sleep.'
'Oh,' Pete considers this.
'So speak quietly, yeah?'
'Ok,' Pete agrees without lowering his voice at all. 'Why does Dada need more sleep? Does Dada need coffee?'
'He was up late with Jarvis,' Steve manages to slip his arm away from Tony and sit up. 'Come on, we'll get some breakfast and come back for your Dada later, ok?'
'But coffee makes Dada awake now!' Pete objects and pats Tony's cheek before Steve can stop him.
'Everyone stop talking,' Tony complains without opening his eyes.
'Good morning, Tony,' Steve can't help his smile as Tony wraps an arm around his son.
'Cap,' Tony briefly opens one eye. 'Why are you in my bed?'
'Sir, it is you who is in Captain Rogers' bed,' Jarvis corrects.
Tony cracks his eye open again and looks around,
'What the fuck am I doing here?'
'Tony!' Steve scolds.
'Last night you were quiet certain you would sleep better in this room,' Jarvis informs him. 'You cited proximity to Pete, the flow of zen and bed bugs as your reasons.'
'Flow of zen?' Steve grins.
'I was delirious,' Tony tells him.
Steve resists the urge to pet back the hair that's falling across Tony's forehead.
But then he's also resisting the urge to lean over and kiss him.
Steve gets out of bed without doing either of those things.
Thinking actually hurts.
Which does explain why he's in Steve's bed and not his own.
'Dada?' Pete pats his face. 'Do you need coffee?'
'Definitely,' Tony groans as he pushes himself upright. 'You go make sure there's some in the pot for me, ok?'
'Kay!' Pete beams and leaps from the bed and runs from the room with his blanket flapping behind him.
'You should get some more sleep,' Steve tells him even as he steps closer with the clear intention of catching him if he falls.
'Later,' Tony dismisses. 'I'm awake now.'
'Sure you are,' Steve catches his elbow as he sways too far to his left.
Tony lets the momentum of Steve's gentle correction send him into the soldier's bare chest,
'You're so warm,' he reports as he presses his face against Steve's skin.
'Yeah,' Steve fidgets awkwardly. 'Are you alright, Tony?'
'Jarvis has compete integration,' he reassures the soldier as Steve steps away from him.
'All respect to Jarvis,' Steve grabs his shoulder as he sways again, 'but that isn't what I asked.'
'You angry with me, Captain?' he tries to tease but it comes out just sounding small.
'You are far too important to be hurting yourself like this,' Steve gazes at him seriously.
'I'm fine,' he dismisses. 'Come on, Pete'll be waiting.'
Steve doesn't look convinced.
'I just need coffee,' he grins and then glances around, 'and pants...'
The world spins a little.
'Tony?' Steve may have said his name a couple of times.
'Pants and coffee,' he goes to the closet and puts on the first pants he finds.
They're much too long.
'These are your pants,' he tells Steve.
'Yeah, they are,' Steve grins. 'Do you want a shirt?'
'After coffee.'
'Alright, come on, genius,' Steve walks with him out of the suite.
