Disclaimer: I only own the plot and my OCs. Anything you recognize as not mine belongs to Marvel Studios, Disney, and/or their otherwise respective owners.

Author's Notes: Hi, everyone! Welcome back! Today is another long chapter. Don't ask me why, that's just how it turned out. The chapter title comes from Family Man by Fleetwood Mac. They're a staple in my life at this point, I stg

Anyways, as always, hope you enjoy. Until next week,

~TGWSI/Selene Borealis

~the heavy souls 'verse~

~life in technicolor ii~

~chapter 2: family man~

"Remind me again why we're doing this?" Tony asked no one in particular.

"Because it's the right thing to do?" supplied Matt.

He grimaced. "Not good enough."

"Because the world's going to need saving again within the next few years, and you're trying to make sure we don't lose?" offered Rhodey.

"...That's not really doing it, either."

"Because Penny needs us to do it," Natasha said.

"There we go." He pointed at her. "I swear, you're my conscious. Why are you only here when I really need you?"

"I'm here for you all the time," she retorted smoothly. "You just choose not to listen to me."

...Well, he couldn't argue with that.

Tony craned his neck so he could look out at the street their limousine was driving through. Men, women, and children were lining the streets, all anxious to get a look at the Avengers. Most of them were wearing happy expressions, eager to cheer them on. Some, however, a decent percentage of them, were scowling, or at least not looking all that excited to see them. He couldn't blame them. The last time they had been in Vienna had been last year. When Zemo had sent a bomb into the Vienna International Centre, killing King T'Chaka and causing massive amounts of damage and trauma. Which had then been followed by the so-called "Civil War" of the Avengers, and Steve, Sam, Pietro, and Wanda becoming wanted criminals. Which they were now here to undo by pardoning them.

He sighed, running a hand over his face, ignoring the looks it earned him in response.

He hadn't wanted to leave Penny yesterday. What they were going to be doing here was worth it, it was for her, but he'd been nervous about doing it at all. "You know, I don't have to go," he'd told her before, when they'd been standing right in front of the doors to the helipad.

She'd rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you do," she'd said. She'd given him a full-on hug, which he'd been thrilled at but also hadn't expected at all, seeing how she was with touch. "I'll be fine, Dad. Mrs. Keener, Harley, and Abigail are staying here with me, right? You don't need to worry about me."

He'd snorted. "I'll let you in on a secret: I'll always be worried about you, honey. It's called paternal instincts."

"Just be safe," she'd replied, her voice muffled by his shirt.

Tony could play "safe." He wasn't actually all that worried about today. Zemo was in the Raft, and he wouldn't be getting out any time soon – and by that, he meant ever. All they were going to have to do today was meet up with the "Rogue" Avengers, sign a bunch of papers, and...bring them on the private jet back home with them, but he could deal with that. He could deal with them for his daughter.

What he was worried about was their reactions to her, and the vice versa.

In the past five months, she had come a long way. Seeing her come out of her shell and get comfortable with herselffinally, not to mention the rest of their patchwork family, was a beautiful thing. There had been good moments, and bad moments, and those in between. He wasn't exactly comfortable himself with the fact that she and Harley slept in the same bed three nights a week minimum, and neither was Evelyn, but they were persevering through it. Harley and Penny were good kids, and they'd been following the two rules they'd been given to allow them to sleep together, in the literal definition of the word. They were technically allowed to do more than that, but...nope, he wasn't going to think about that. Nada.

But he was worried about Steve, Sam, and the twins returning, because he was worried they were going to set her back. He was worried she had made all this progress, and it was about to be destroyed by four well-meaning, but nevertheless ill-acting (maybe that was being unfair to Sam, because he did have experience with PTSD and the related disorder spectrum due to his work at the VA), people.

(And he was worried about how he was going to act with Steve around, but that was neither here nor there. He wasn't going to think about it when he had more important priorities than himself.)

A hand squeezing his broke him out of his reverie. He looked and saw that it belonged to Nat. "Thanks, Conscious," he joked.

"You're welcome, idiot," she responded.

Matt snickered.

They got to the Vienna International Centre a few minutes later, refurbished in record-timing thanks to his generous donation in the aftermath of everything. Cameras flashed as they exited the limousine, people asking them questions in more languages than he could count. He did his best to smile and wave. That was what he did best when he needed to, falling back into the persona of "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist," although he wasn't really a playboy these days. The last time he'd had sex was last May, for Christ's sake.

...Maybe he needed a good lay again. It would probably solve some of his problems.

(Ha, as if.)

They entered the building, going down the hallways and up the elevators, which were familiar even if they didn't look the same anymore. It was just the four of them: him, Rhodey, Matt, and Natasha. Vision was coming with the others. It had just worked out better that way.

There were already people in the conference room, UN dignitaries and the like. He hung back as a familiar face spotted them, grinning and coming over. "Rhodes, Natasha," he said, holding out his hand to the former. "Long time, no see."

"That's one way of putting it," Rhodey agreed, accepting the gesture. "Good to see you, Sam."

"Good to see you, too." His eyes trailed over to Matt. "And you must be Matt Murdock. You know, you pack a hell of a punch."

"So I've been told," Matt replied. He took Sam's hand just as soon as he offered it, causing the man to give an impressed whistle. "Nice to formally meet you."

"You, too."

Then Sam's eyes locked with his.

A myriad of emotions coursed through Tony. The last time he'd seen Sam, it had been at the airport in Germany. They'd talked since then, specifically since December, but it was different talking to someone on the phone than it was seeing them in person.

"Tony," Sam said simply.

He cracked a strained smile. "Hey, Sam."

...God, if he was this awkward around Sam, how awkward was he gonna be around him?

He was soon bombarded by the Wonder Twins. "Tony!" Pietro exclaimed.

"Hello, Tony," greeted Wanda.

Although they knew he hadn't been one for physical affection, they hugged him at the same time, Pietro on his right and Wanda his left. Tony hugged them back. Ever since Penny had come home, he'd been getting better himself about the whole touch thing. Physicality was different, once you'd had your own kid. Although, he'd always wanted Pietro and Wanda to be his kids, too. They just...hadn't gotten the chance.

His smile became more genuine at their warmth. "Pete, Wanda," he said. "Are you two still up to no good?"

"Always up to no good," mumbled Pietro.

"He is, I'm not," defended Wanda. She squinted her eyes up at him. "Do you have grey hairs now?"

"Yeah, go ahead. Rub it in," he joked. Truthfully, he didn't mind the fact he was going grey. To him, they were scars of looking for Penny, even when she'd been right under his nose the entire time, and he wore them with pride. Besides, they were silver, not white, and he looked good with them. Vogue had even described him as "dashing" and a "soon-to-be silver fox" in their latest publication.

"There's something different about you," he mused to her as he pulled away. He looked her up and down. "What is it?"

"She has more confidence," said Natasha.

Yep, she was right. There it was.

Wanda flushed from their praise. "You think so?"

He nodded. "You look better, like you've grown into yourself. Become the person you were meant to be."

Her expression was of pure happiness. "I am glad to be coming home," she divulged. "This past year, even if it was for the wrong reasons, was...good for me. But it'll be nice to be back at the Tower."

"And meeting – " Pietro began brightly, only to be socked in the arm by his sister. "Ow! What was that for?"

"You know what," she replied succinctly. "We're not supposed to talk about it."

He rubbed at his arm. "Always hitting me, this one is. Ever since before we were born..."

Wanda placed her hands on her hips. "I'll do it again if you'll keep complaining about it."

As a laughing Matt introduced himself to them, Tony felt his eyes wander. He looked around the entire room, trying to find the person he wanted. When he did, he saw that he was staring back at them, his eyes fond and mournful. Bittersweet. When he realized that he was looking back at him, they widened.

He felt his breath fly away.

Steve.

Steve looked...good. He'd shaven off the "hideous" beard he'd had, according to Sam. His eyes were as blue as he'd remembered, his hair the same color of blonde. He was wearing a dark blue suit over a dark blue vest and tie, and a light blue shirt. It was the kind of outfit that fit him perfectly, an outfit Tony certainly would've loved to take off of him, piece by piece, before he'd almost killed him last year.

Before he could give Steve any ideas or make a fool of himself, he looked away.

They were all soon called to order. Like last year, he, Rhodey, Natasha, and Vision all sat together, joined by Rhodey. Steve, Sam, and the twins sat nearby them, but not in the same grouping.

"One year ago," T'Challa began when he was called to the stage to give his speech, in front of the same set of windows his father had started to give his. He looked every inch the King of Wakanda and Black Panther he was, decked out in a suit and exuding royalty. Two of the Dora Milaje stood next to him, one on either side; it gave the message they weren't going to allow a repeat of what had happened last year. "My father stood in the same place where I am standing now, to give a speech. He wanted to speak of the peace that would be brought on by the Sokovia Accords, which have now been in place for a year. Before he could get three sentences in, a bomb was thrown into this room, killing him and eleven others.

"At the time, we believed that this attack was carried out by Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, otherwise known as the Winter Soldier. We now know that is not the case," he continued after a brief pause. "And though he cannot be with us today – " chose not, Tony corrected him silently. Of course, it didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things, but he just wanted to state the truth, even if it was only for himself " – the four people who chose to protect him, even at the cost of their freedom and very lives, are: Captain Steve Rogers, Sergeant Sam Wilson, and Pietro and Wanda Maximoff."

There was some light applause.

"I have gotten to know Sergeant Barnes very well in the past year, and to a lesser extent, Captain Rogers. I know them both to be honorable people, as are the rest of the Avengers." He looked each of them in the eyes as he said this, including Tony. Tony was a bit surprised by this, but of course he kept it to himself. "This does not absolve them of their actions. In fact, the very notion of a pardon confirms that a crime has been committed. But in the United Nations granting them clemency for their crimes, it is my hope that not only can we heal from the pain and suffering that were caused a year ago, but also find the peace that my father hoped we would be able to. Thank you."

Short and to the point. T'Challa's a breath of fresh air compared to the other people in this room, Tony thought as he rose to his feet along with everyone else to give him an ovation.

Indeed, the speeches after his and just the good ol' bureaucratic bullshit in general dragged on and on and on. The entire time, he was aware of the presence behind him and to his left, a tingle going down the back of his neck in a similar way as his daughter described her "sixth sense." He knew it was probably just his mind making things up; he probably wasn't even looking at him. Still, he rubbed at the back of his neck, his breathing coming out in shallow pants. And when that proved to be not enough, he got out his phone under the desk and checked the time. 13:06, or 1:06 PM in standard time. Subtract six hours due to the time zone difference and...

Penny was probably up already. If she and Harley had slept in the same bed together, and undoubtedly they had, even if it was in his room at the Tower instead of hers, she was probably awake. Unlocking his phone, he sent her a quick text:

Tony: Morning, honey. Hope everything is okay back home. Have a nice day of school. Love you!

He saw the three dots signifying that she was texting back instantly pop up.

Penny: Everything's fine, Harley already left. It's kind of boring but I'll manage. Love you too

Getting the dose of oxytocin that he needed, he locked his phone and put it back in his suit's inner pocket. Tony didn't think anyone was any wiser about it. Well, probably Natasha and Rhodey, since they were sitting on either side of him, but definitely not one of the UN people. And they weren't being recorded, so hallelujah.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the speaker announced, "Would Captain Rogers, Sergeant Wilson, and Mr. and Ms. Maximoff please step forward?"

There was some shuffling and the sound of footsteps behind him, and then the four "Rogue" Avengers stepped onto the stage. Tony kept his eyes on Pietro and Wanda, and a little bit on Sam. He didn't once look at Steve. It would simply hurt too much.

"Do you understand the terms of agreement for your pardons: that you are to sign the Sokovia Accords and you are mandated to be on the Avengers team for five consecutive years? That during this time, you are to live at the Avengers Tower in New York City, and are not allowed to leave the city unless it is to go to the Avengers Compound in Westchester County, New York, leave for a mission, and for a reason that must be cleared by the Sokovia Accords Council first?"

He knew that last part definitely irritated Steve and Sam. Well, probably more Sam, since his family was in Louisiana. But Steve would not be able to visit Barnes in Wakanda for the next five years. It wasn't the longest they had been apart, and there were other ways to keep up contact, to be sure. But if somebody had told him he wouldn't be able to see Rhodey...

Still, Steve took the lead. "I do," he said.

"I do," said Sam.

"I do," echoed Pietro and Wanda, one right after the other.

"Would the other Avengers please step forwards?"

He, Natasha, Rhodey, Matt, and Vision all got to their feet. The UN wanted them to sign the revised Sokovia Accords as well, to signify the unification of the team. Good publicity, and whatnot. He didn't really mind this. The revisions represented a lot of good: only enhanced individuals who wanted to operate on the international level had to sign the Sokovia Accords, others who only operated on a local scale, like Spider-Woman, did not have to (the original part of this hadn't really been enforced anyways, so it had been easy to amend). No biometric analyses of the enhanced individuals who did sign the Sokovia Accords, provided they could disclose the full extent of their powers. Minors who did sign the Sokovia Accords did not have to disclose their secret identity, provided they had another signee vouch for them – and no, he did not want Penny to sign the Accords nor did she, but it was a nice addendum to have just in case. Enhanced individuals who signed the Accords or not could not be detained indefinitely without trial. Etcetera, etcetera.

Tony signed first, since that was what was wanted. He smiled slightly as he did, putting on the facade the press wanted to see as their cameras flashed at him. When he stood up, before he walked away, he spotted Thaddeus Ross in the crowd staring back at him, stone-faced. Tony nodded at him. He nodded back.

He knew that Ross didn't like the revisions to the Accords. He wanted them to be how they originally were, and he most certainly did not want Steve and Sam pardoned – Pietro and Wanda, he could care less about. But Thunderbolt was smart, and he knew this move Tony had made in the chess game they were playing, if that was what it was, was solely for the sake of Penny. He could respect that, if only because he had a daughter himself.

After Tony had walked away, the other original signees went in order: Rhodey, Natasha, Vision, and Matt. Then after them signed Steve, Sam, Pietro, and Wanda. When they were done, they posed for a picture, still with the cameras flashing. Natasha and Matt wedged themselves in between him and Steve, and for that he was thankful. He didn't know what he would've done otherwise.

Steve was – he wished he could say "had been," but that didn't seem to be in the cards for him – the love of his life. He'd wanted to spend the rest of his days with him. He'd wanted him to be alongside him when Penny had come home.

But then he'd almost killed him.

And yeah, sure, they'd gotten along alright when they'd talked on the phone. But those talks, save for the first one when Steve had told him "I love you," were purely about the Accords and getting him and the others pardoned. They hadn't talked about their (past) relationship, or where they stood now. It was probably going to wind up biting Tony's ass in the end, because to say that things going forward were going to be "complicated," since they were going to be living in the same building and on the same team once again, was not just an understatement, it was almost assuredly an outright lie.

But, whatever. He would cross that bridge when he got to it, and not any sooner than that.

He had to put Penny's needs before his own.

There was more fanfare after that, which he didn't pay much attention to. When the session was at last called to a close, he nearly breathed a sigh of relief.

Pietro, in fact, did. "That was so tedious," he complained. As Wanda shot him a look, his back straightened. "But worth it! What are we going to do now?"

"I brokered a deal that we could stay in the city for tonight. You guys – we, I guess – have to leave at seven o'clock tomorrow," Tony informed him and the rest of the group.

Pietro grinned. He wrapped an arm around Wanda, pulling her close and making her squawk. "Does that mean we get to sightsee?"

"You'll need at least two of us to go with you."

Before the kid – he might have been nineteen now, but he was still a kid – could sic his puppy eyes on him, Matt raised a hand. "I'll go," he offered. "Although I don't know how much sightseeing I'll be able to accomplish."

Sam made a face. "Are you always like this?"

"Yes, he is," Natasha said without a beat.

Tony almost expected her to volunteer to go as well, but she didn't. "I will join you as well," Vision said. Wanda beamed, love practically in her eyes.

"That's our two." Pietro began to go over to one of the exits to the room, his body practically shaking from the excitement. Or maybe that was just him trying to resist the urge to speed. "Come on, let's go!"

Chuckling, Matt followed after them, as did Vision.

...Which left him with Rhodey, Natasha, Sam, and Steve.

He had to get out of the situation quickly. "Feel free to do whatever you guys want, I'm going back to the hotel. Just remember there's a dinner reservation for all of us at 6 o'clock at Der Hafen. You need to be there."

Steve looked pained. "Tony – "

Tony ignored him. He pivoted on his foot and began to walk away.

Before he could get very far, Sam fell into step with him. "I'll come with you."

He was suddenly too tired to argue with him, and he didn't have any anger or grudge against Sam, anyways. "Alright," he agreed.

They walked out of the conference room and went off to one of the elevators. Neither of them spoke again until they were out of the building and the limousine was already on its way back to the hotel. Sam pressed the button to put up the divider between them and the driver, a Stark Industries guy who was thoroughly vetted to the Moon and back and had signed an NDA practically miles long, but it was still nice to have some privacy.

Sam looked back at him, his expression serious. "Are you sure you're alright with this?"

"Is there something I shouldn't be alright with?"

"You can deflect if you want, I understand that," Sam replied. The seriousness turned softer. "But you don't have to. This is a lot of shit to be put on your plate, Tony."

He groaned, placing the palms of his hands over his eyes. "You sound like Penny's psychologist."

The unintentional diversion was successful. "How's she doing, by the way?"

"Better. She's come a long way since December," he admitted.

"And you're worried about us screwing that up."

He wasn't even surprised Sam had caught onto that. Damn his experience in counseling veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. "Yeah."

"Well, I can say that I get that," Sam said. "Do you have another picture of her?"

Drawing his hands away from his eyes, he took out his phone. "Yeah. Yeah, I do. Here." Going to his photos app, he selected one of the ones he'd taken that weekend, of Harley and Penny smiling in the lab. He let Sam take his phone from him.

"Damn, Harley's getting tall," Sam muttered, as his expression became even softer. "She's put on weight. About twenty pounds?"

"That's what eating more than just what can prevent your body from actively dying does to you," he commented dryly.

Sam winced. "It was really that bad?"

Tony took his phone back. "Yes."

Sam leaned back in his chair, smirking. "I am excited to meet her," he said. "I understand you might not like it, but – "

Tony shook his head. "It's not me you're going to have to worry about. I don't mind having you back." And he didn't. Sam, Pietro, and Wanda – he was glad to have them back. He'd missed them. "It's Penny you're going to have to worry about. She's...nervous about this whole mess."

"Can't say I blame her, either," Sam acknowledged. "Still." He held out his hand. "You forgive me, Tony?"

Tony pulled him into a hug instead of shaking his hand. "For you, there's nothing to forgive."

Like a hypocrite, he didn't wind up going to Der Hafen for dinner with the others.

He'd intended to. But when push came to shove, he couldn't go, his hands shaking at the very thought. So he'd told Natasha to take the others without him, and then he placed an order through the hotel for takeout from another place, and then he called his daughter, since it was eleven-thirty back in NYC.

She picked up on the second ring. "Hi, Dad," she said. "Aren't you supposed to be eating dinner with Nat and everyone else soon?"

Tony smiled, hearing her voice. It comforted him more than anyone else could. "I'm playing hooky," he answered, looking out at Vienna through his hotel room's window. He'd booked the entire top floor for them all, which was mostly made up of penthouses, but he'd reserved one of the singular rooms for himself. The international CNN was playing on the TV on mute. "Are you still doing school?"

"I took a break. I'm eating."

"Oh, I'll call back later then."

"No, it's fine. I watched some of the coverage about the UN. Tell me what it was like?"

So he did. He regaled her with what he thought of King T'Challa's speech, and of the other asshats who had spoken, and etcetera. Slowly, the tension began to leave his body.

As long as they had each other and the rest of their patchwork family, everything was going to be alright. It didn't matter that Steve was back in his life and he had no idea what to do about that, or that he'd only welcomed him back so he could protect her from Ross. No, everything was alright.

He'd just needed to remind himself of that.

Word Count: 4,321

Next Chapter Title: don't panic