Bucky watches Steve walk out their door, headed to the kids' room.

He looks 10 years older. The weight of everything hanging onto his limbs like a heavy shadow. He knows Steve didn't tell him all the details. Like how exactly he got into the camp Bucky was being held in, or how the fight with Raza ended. He could sense details were being left out but he'd heard enough to know it was hell.

The door latches closed and Bucky turns and walks slowly to the mirror. He studies the bullet wound and then leans closer to the mirror, trying to see where the marks from the gas had caused a rash. But it's all but gone.

His curiosity gets the better of him and he wraps his hand around the towel bar, squeezing.

It doesn't give. And he can't decide if he's disappointed or relieved.

—

Steve knocks softly on the suite and a tired Pietro answers.

The kid looks at him funny, "who are you?"

Steve feels a pang in his chest, "Pietro. I've been sorting your socks for over a decade and you're going to stand here and pretend you don't know me?"

Pietro's eyes widen as he studies Steve's face and then he gasps, "Steve!" The name is a shout and then the kid is hugging him tightly. Steve wraps his arms around him too and holds tight.

"Hey, quick feet. How ya been?"

Pietro backs up, "what the hell happened to you? You're like a giant!"

"Howard fixed me up real good." He says easily. "Come on I want—

"Steve?!" The gasp from Yelena is loud enough that he hears other kids start stirring. Pietro drags him into the living room and suddenly he's surrounded by gasps and shouts and chatter of disbelief. He's answering as many as he can before a specific voice catches his attention.

"Steve?"

He turns to see Peter exiting from the bathroom, shoving glasses on his face. Steve wrinkles his nose and smiles, "Hey, Peter."

The kid practically flies into his arms, slamming so hard into him that Steve almost feels like he tips backwards from the force. "You're back." Peter says into his shirt, "you came back."

Steve frowns, "of course I did. I promised I would."

Peter looks up at him, "you've changed." The other kids have gone quiet, and Steve feels put on the spot.

"Physically, yes."

Peter shakes his head, his hair is longer than Steve remembers. He's a full blown teenager now, "you seem sadder."

His throat gets tight, "because I miss you guys. And now I'm happy I get to see you." He ruffles Peter's hair and then smiles and turns to the whole group, "I want to hear everything. Catch me up on all the details."

—-

Clint yawns and sits up, knowing his hair is wildly disarrayed, standing on end from sleeping so hard.

He stands and smells something. It's like a siren call and he walks to his hotel door and opens it. He has to walk down the hallway and turn a corner before his tired brain fully understands.

Two workers stand at the door of a janitorial closet, loading a cart. They're both smoking.

It's a dry crackle in his throat that makes it like he's back to being 17 needing a smoke like he needs air.

Gravity holds him there, stuck in the limbo of knowing he should just walk away and the fierce desire to smoke, just once more. It would only be one. He could stop after one.

"Clint?"

He turns to see Peggy with an ice bucket in her hands and bare feet in the hallway.

"Peggy." He grins, turning towards her fully, "how are you, good to see you."

She smiles, "I'm well. Glad to be in my home country and have all you boys back home safely." Her eyes flick to where she had obviously caught him staring. "Need some extra toiletries?"

Clint heaves a sigh and walks over to her, deftly stealing a piece of ice and popping it into his mouth, "no, I'm good."

She is not fooled in the least bit. He can tell, but she simply pops her own piece of ice into her mouth and nods, "alright. Are you heading to the kids room?"

"Is that where Steve is?"

"He texted me saying he was going to head there a while ago. I got distracted talking on the phone with my brother. But I'm heading there now if you'd like to join?"

He nods, one last glance at the men smoking and talking as they head the opposite direction. "Yeah." He responds, "I'll join."

—-

Tony finds the group asleep in a huge cacophonous pile in the suite's living room. Much like that night they'd stayed at his house after getting rid of Mr. And Mrs. Schmidt, Steve is in the center, Peter at his one side and Wanda at the other. The kids wing out, from there, all looking like they'd fallen under an enchantment, stuck in the place they'd last been.

He sits down on the kitchen counter and begins working on his phone.

Then he blinks and Steve is standing in front of him. His gasp is cut off by a glare from Steve followed by a "sshhh—"

He stares at the man who had somehow just appeared out of nowhere. "You were literally just on that couch—" Tony whispers quietly, pointing to the space Steve had just vacated.

Steve tilts his head, "and now I'm here."

"Clearly." Tony grouses. "Not tired?"

"Just wanted to apologize."

That makes Tony pause, "for what?"

"For being a jerk about Pepper." Steve looks genuinely guilty. "I shouldn't have snapped at you in the airport. I'm so grateful to you and your dad for getting everyone here and everything you do for them at home. I shouldn't have just said a bunch of stuff assuming I knew the situation."

Tony blinks and doesn't know how to respond for a moment. "It's fine, Steve." Then he grins, "I already called her and apologized. She's flying out tomorrow. Should make it for the show."

Steve's eyes light up and he looks more like himself than Tony can remember in recent memory. "You did? Oh, that's great. I'm really happy for you."

"You were right. I got nervous—"

"Scared."

Tony narrows his eyes. "I was nervous."

Steve crosses his arms which makes Tony want to shake his head in disbelief at how massive his arms are now, "you were scared, Tony." He gestures to himself, "we all get scared. Nothing wrong with that."

"I do not remember asking for a lecture, Mr. Rogers."

Steve laughs quietly, then leans against the counter Tony is sitting on, "how's college?"

"Good. Good." Tony says, flipping his phone, "I'm gonna graduate this year but I'm already moving forward. I've been working with my dad."

"Oh yeah?" Steve asks, looking interested, "helping make the stuff that you guys gave to us?"

Tony nods, "yeah that stuff, but that's small game."

Steve raises an eyebrow, "oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He slides open his phone and finds the specs for the Jericho. "This is my magnum opus." Steve takes the phone and looks at it. And Tony feels trepidation as Steve's face turns into a frown. "What? You don't like the name? I thought it was fitting."

Steve looks up, depositing his phone back into his hands, "what kind of… event would even call for a missile set like this?"

Something about Steve's voice makes Tony get defensive. "You know, the bad kind. Like we need to protect ourselves kind. This could make sure no one messes with us."

"So you're designing weapons of mass destruction now?"

Tony slides off the counter and then regrets it, Steve's height making it so he has to look up, "didn't ask for judgment either."

Steve opens his arms, "you're not supposed to be designing weapons, Tony. You're supposed to be making the world safer—"

"That's what designing weapons does, Steve!"

They're getting too loud, and Steve lowers his voice. "You can't point a missile at every country as a threat!"

"You're unbearably naive—"

Steve is suddenly looming over him, face close and eyes narrowed, "I stopped being naive the minute my mother died in front of me." Steve's voice is quiet, but deeper and more imposing than Tony's ever heard. "I stopped believing the threat of force was a viable tactic when Mrs. Schmidt tossed me and my siblings down stairs and against walls and I was thrown into a fucking dumpster." Tony blinks at the cuss that comes so easily from Steve's lips. "And I don't think making weapons so we are always carrying the biggest stick is the way to world peace. It's just a way to make sure America is always the biggest predator and never the prey."

Tony feels rigid. "Spoken like a true hypocrite," he bites back. "You've been taking money from a weapons manufacturer this whole time." Steve's eyes are widening and his mouth parts and Tony feels a sense of satisfaction at having hit a sore spot, "all that evil you think we're creating has funded everything your siblings have now!" He gestures to the hotel, "who do you think paid for this hotel room? All the flights? And let's not forget, you'd still be dead if my dad hadn't had the skills and money to save you. So why don't you take your hypocritical self-righteous beliefs and shove them where the sun doesn't shine, Rogers."

Steve is silent for a long moment, just staring at Tony in disbelief.

Then his expression falls flat and he walks towards the door and leaves.

And Tony feels smug before he hears, "you're a real son of a bitch, you know that?"

He turns to see Barnes sitting up, arms on his knees and leaning against the couch. Tony hadn't even noticed him there.

"He started it."

"First off, you have no idea the hell he just went through on this last mission. He—"

"He told you?"

"Most of it." Bucky bites back at him, "I think. But you can't even begin to understand what he's been through." Then Bucky waves his hands, changing the subject, "but do you hear yourself? You practically quoted that jackass lawyer from Steve's trial." Tony feels that thought hit him like a punch to the gut. "Steve started the conversation thanking you and your dad. Didn't you hear him? When has Steve ever asked for your dad's money? Could Steve have even stopped your dad from doing any of the things he's done since he met Steve? You're acting like Steve had his hand out begging. You're forgetting that after the trial Steve practically forced your dad to stop paying for things, or tried." Barnes stands quietly, careful not to jostle the kids who were still sleeping. "And did you forget that when he thought he was dying, he paid for his own funeral services, put money towards all these kids—" his hands wave at the crowd of sleeping bodies, "—and then told Matt to give whatever was left back to your dad to try to repay him?"

Everyone else is still asleep. Which Tony is grateful for because he can't think of a responses

Barnes steps towards the door and then turns back, looking at Tony, "and just for the record. Steve never said your dad should stop building weapons. He implied you shouldn't be. You know why?" He scoffs, "you wanna know why? Because back over a year ago I told him about those suits you were building and he nodded like it was obvious. Saying he knew you were meant to make the world a safer place. That you would build things to better the world, not fuck it up more." He stares at Tony for a moment before heaving a sigh and walking after Steve. He pushes the door open and steps out leaving Tony the sole conscious person in that room.

He stands there frozen in place, feeling the shame and anger rise and then he's walking out the door and down to the hotel bar.

—-

"Don't tell him."

Bucky watches Steve look up and see him. Howard looks up too, "what?"

Bucky walks over and stands next to Steve, but he's looking at Howard. "He asked how much the tickets were, right? And the hotel?"

Howard's brow furrows and Steve narrows his eyes, "stay out of this Bucky."

"No. I know you know I heard that little shit show. So stop pretending and don't go down this route."

"What route?" Howard asks, looking confused, "you've lost me."

"Steve wants to pay you back for probably everything. Starting with the hotel and flights."

Steve frowns and glares at him. "Not everything."

Howard scoffs, "what the hell for?"

Steve shrugs, "you shouldn't have to pay for everything."

"What shit show?" Howard asks, "what brought this up?"

Bucky watches as Maria crosses into the room. She smiles at them, giving them 'good to see you hugs' and a 'wow look how you've grown' to Steve before disappearing into the bathroom.

Steve stands, "it's nothing."

Bucky watches him leave a second room in a hurry.

"What was that all about?"

Bucky wrinkles his nose, "just some poor choices of words. Tony seems…" he trails off and Howard raises an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Easily aggravated."

"He gets that from me." Howard admits with a grin, "but what specifically?"

"Just stupid fight. I'll tell you if it gets more serious." He turns to leave when he hears Howard call out his name.

"Barnes."

He doesn't turn, "yeah?"

"What happened on that mission?"

He sighs, "not my story to tell."

And then he leaves.

—-

"I'm sorry."

Tony turns and sees a contrite Steve looking at him guiltily. Or more precisely, staring at the drink in his hand.

"Go to hell." Tony bites back. "And shut the hell up when you get there."

Steve sits on the stool beside him and shakes his head. "I know. I can't seem to shut up wherever I go. I'm a fucking nuisance. And I shouldn't have stuck my nose into your business. I am really grateful for everything you and your dad have done, I—"

"I said shut up." Tony grits out, the twist of guilt in his gut, "seriously Steve. Shut up."

The guy goes silent and he takes another long sip.

"Anything I can get for you, sir?"

The bartender is looking at Steve, who looks like a grown man. He's not even of age to drink but this bartender doesn't even question him. He's curious and half drunk enough to wonder what Steve will do.

"Just a water." Steve says quietly, "thanks."

Tony makes a pfft noise and the bartender seems confused but just nods and walks away.

"Tony—"

"Steve, I swear, you say one more word and I walk."

Steve complies, staying quiet, only saying a quiet 'thanks' when his water gets there. Tony watches the condensation gather and then drip on his ice water.

They sit in silence for over an hour. Tony watches the cock, waiting for Steve to give up. He works through two more drinks, expecting Steve to say something. But he doesn't.

Tony can't decide if he's annoyed or relieved that Steve hasn't left yet.

"Where the hell have you two been?"

Tony looks up to the bar to see the reflections of Bucky and Clint in the mirror of the bar.

Steve says nothing, just looks at Tony, and Tony drains his cup before spinning and looking at the two, "here."

Bucky is looking between them, and Tony rolls his eyes.

"I almost smoked."

Tony looks over to Clint who is leaning against the bar, staring back into the lobby.

Steve speaks his first words in over an hour, "what? When?"

"The janitorial staff were smoking. I wanted to ask them for a cigarette. Almost did."

Tony runs his fingers along the rim of his glass, "why didn't you?"

"Peggy found me, asked if I needed toiletries. Distracted me enough to have the spell broken. Chewed some ice. Didn't look back."

Bucky looks at Clint, "you… happy about that?"

"I mean, I don't know if there's a happiness or not. Just something that happened."

"Steve's not allergic anymore." Tony says, trying to kepe the slur from his voice, "so you could."

He can feel the disbelief from Steve and see the glare from Bucky.

"I know." Clint says softly, still watching the people walking too and fro in the lobby. "But just because I can, doesn't mean I should."

That pisses Tony off, not that he's exactly sure why.

"You guys liking the team?" Tony asks, changing the subject, trying to regain control of his annoyance. He feels guilty about accusing Steve and he feels guiltier that Steve was the one apologizing. And what was that about Steve thinking he's a nuisance? But he can't focus on that now, he takes Steve's water and drinks half of it, making the guy half smile.

"Yeah." Clint says, "barring this last mission that sucked. But mostly it's great."

"Yeah…" Bucky says with an eye roll, "it's great."

Tony looks over to Steve and waits, wondering what his response will be.

"It's…" a heaviness is set on Steve's features, "what I need to be doing."

"Why?" He asks, "why is it what you need to be doing?"

"Like you said," Steve starts slowly, "I need to earn—"

"Oh, for fucks sake." Tony huffs out, cutting Steve off, while he hears Bucky and Clint give equally exasperated reactions.

But Steve doesn't relent. "You said it yourself. I can't ever repay for what me and my family have been given and—"

"You're killing me." Tony cuts in, "you're literally killing me. Stop. Just stop, alright?" He waves the bartender over. "Can I have another, a double?"

"Tony—"

"Seriously, Steve—" Tony snaps at him, "shut up. You are being a nuisance—"

"Hey!" Bucky bites out, "Look who's talking, jackass—"

"Okay, what the hell?" Clint asks, swiping the glass off the bar before Tony can get his fingers around it, "I think I'm missing some pieces."

"Give me that back—" Tony reaches for it, almost falling off the stool. A steady hand grasps his coat and hauls him back steady. "Get off me—" Tony shrugs, pushing Steve's hand away.

"Everyone, calm down." Steve stands, using a voice that makes them all fall quiet, "this is ridiculous, we're not kids anymore, we can talk about this like adults."

"You're barely even 20 years old." Tony snorts.

"Oh, and you're so mature?" Bucky asks, making him narrow his eyes, "what, being 24 makes you so much wiser?"

"Guys—" Steve starts as Tony stands.

"Calm down—" Clint tries, but he's drunk and seeing red. He swings at Bucky, and almost lands it, because the guy is so surprised, but then he ducks and Tony goes stumbling forward.

Again, hands grab him and haul him up, "Tony, what the hell? You can't just swing on people—"

"I'll do whatever I need to do!" Tony shouts at Steve, shoving himself out of Steve's grasp and getting a few eyes on them. "So leave me alone, you got it?"

Steve must hear the double meaning, because he nods, and backs off, holding up his hands in surrender, "you got it."

"We should visit Nat." Clint says quickly, changing the subject and catching all of their attention, "the original group."

"I thought we were surprising her?" Steve asks.

"I don't think all of us just being in the audience is a good idea. What if it throws her off? She should be warned just a bit. And we're the big surprise. She already knows Yelena is coming."

Tony feels them nod and he shakes his head, trying to clear away the fog. "Sure, fine. Let me call Jarvis."

—

Natasha hears the knock on her hotel door. She groans awake and sits up, rubbing at her eyes. She waits, and when the knock comes again she sighs, getting out of bed and heading to the living room.

Her roommate, Dottie, is there too, yawning, "who's at the door?"

Natasha roll sher eyes, "hell if I know. You expecting someone?"

"No. You?"

Natasha's about to say know but then the picture of Howard and Tony float through her mind. This is exactly the crap Tony would pull to surprise her. She grins, "actually I might be. Hold on." She strides to the door, ready to snap at Tony for taking so long, but her mind goes blank as she swings open her door.

"Hey, Nat." Bucky says to her with his charming grin, "miss me?"

She throws herself forward and he catches her, holding her tightly and feeling teh way he laughs, the sound rumbling through his chest. "I missed you too."

"Hey Red." Her eyes catch on Tony, and then Clint,a nd her disbelief rises, "you're here!" She breathes out, pulling back from Bucky, "wait, where's—"

"Here." A deep voice calls from the side. Her head whips around, and she audibly gasps, eyes trailing upward, "Steve!?"

He winces, "hey sis."

She walks over and then reaches up, touching his now wide and angled face with her hands, "what the hell…"

"Yep."

A throat clearing has her brain slamming back into place. She spins to see Dottie staring at them, eyes in disbelief as she looks at the four guys.

"Dottie, these are my friends—" she gestures to Tony and Clint, "this is my boyfriend," she points to Bucky, "and this is my brother." She gestures to Steve who gives a small wave. "They're here for the show…?" She ends in a question as she isn't actually sure and they nod, so she smiles, "you guys came for my show?"

"We wouldn't miss it." Bucky says, grabbing her hand, "Howard worked it all out for us."

She lightly punches Tony's shoulder, "geez, he really can't help himself can he?"

Tony seems to find that statement unamusing but then he grins and makes a wide gesture with his hands, "he's one of a kind."

"Come on in." She says, pulling Bucky in through the doorway, "I want to catch up with everyone."

—-

Clint's confused as hell but also not? He can tell things are stiff between Steve and Tony and he might be able to guess some of it by Bucky's body language but he'll have to ask for details later.

He and Peggy had gone to the kids' room and found the horde sleeping there but neither Steve or Bucky had been present so they'd went searching. Then Peggy had been called about something at school and she'd had to take it. The time change was messing up her schedule, she'd complained.

Then he had found Bucky wandering the halls looking for Steve and Tony, and he'd joined the mission to find the two, which had led to the dramatic scene at the bar and the now half-tense atmosphere in the hotel room.

Nat's roommate is watching with wide eyes as Tony Stark just loiters at their little island in the tiny kitchen.

"So," Natasha is asking, "how's the team?"

"Great." Bucky answers.

"Good," Steve responds.

"Fun." Clint adds.

She eyes them with a narrowed glare, "I know we've been separated a while but I've forgotten what terrible liars you all are."

"How's the ballet?" Steve asks, "I haven't talked to you in so long, you need to catch me up on the details."

Clint watches Natasha decide whether she's going to press the issue, but he catches a subtle head shake from Bucky towards Natasha and she takes a deep breath, "it's been great. I really love it." And then she launches into a retelling of all she's done since she last saw them.

—-

Steve feels like an outsider, awkward and stupid and immature. Why did he have to get on Tony's case? It's not his life and he should just shut up, like Tony keeps reminding him.

He's listening to Natasha speak and nodding along, excited for her, but he can sense Tony's annoyance at him like a flashing light behind him.

"So…" a new voice cuts in as Natasha finishes and they all look up to see the roommate there, "how long have you guys known each other?"

Natasha counts back, "geez, um,,, Steve what you were 14? About to be 15? So like 5ish years?"

"I thought you said brother."

There's a long pause as they all realize she had called Steve her brother. And he is, just not in the traditional sense. Steve's not sure how Natasha will address it but the redhead just smiles at him and nods, "he's not my blood brother. We grew up together in the same foster house." Dottie's eyes widen and she doesn't ask anymore questions. But Natasha's eyes widen, "wait—" she stands, pointing at them, "You're all here, Yelena is here… is he here? Sam?"

Clint grins and Steve feels the smile pulled to his lips, "the whole crew."

Natasha gasps and runs forward, hugging Tony, "thank you, thank you, thank you! Your dad is insane, thank you!"

Steve feels that guilty twinge in him again. He's such an idiot. Howard and Tony have literally changed and saved his life multiple times. Whatever they choose to do… he wants to grimace because it's not what he believes, but he needs to not be ungrateful. They do what they feel they need to do. That's what Steve's doing. Why should he expect any less from anyone else?

"Yeah," Tony sighs, "he's not one to be outdone."

"Please act surprised." He adds, "tomorrow when you see them? Will you?"

Natasha grins, "oh hell yes, I'll be a great little actress."

They laugh and Steve nods, "we should get going, but we're excited to see you in action tomorrow."

"Me too." She responds, "and maybe afterwards we can go out to a late dinner?"

"Already booked." Tony says with a huff, "just be patient."

Steve stands and they get ushered out of the apartment. He and CLint and Tony wlak towards the elevator, leaving Bucky. to say a proper goodbye.

"Either of you going to tell me what the hell is going on between you two?"

"It's nothing." Tony says quickly, attempting to seem casual, "it's fine."

"Yeah," Steve adds softly, "it's fine."

Clint rolls his eyes as he pushes the elevator button, "Nat's right, you guys are terrible liars."