"Are ten pizzas enough? I think we might need more pizza," Tony mumbled as he flicked through the menu on his tablet.

"Ten? That's crazy," Steve argued, digging through a pile of puzzle pieces that all looked the same from where Tony was standing. There were a lot of spaces that were blue sky and gray buildings, but Steve seemed to be enjoying himself so far. If it kept him in one spot for a while, all the better.

"You're right. I'll get twenty."

"I want wings!" Clint called out.

"That tracks," Tony laughed, adding a few dozen in each flavor to the order. "But don't you feel bad about eating your own kind?"

"Gosh, those jokes sure haven't gotten old. I'm glad I'm back," Clint scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"You know what else isn't old?"

"Tony," Natasha warned.

"You don't know what I was going to say."

"We all know what you were going to say," Bruce pointed out.

"I was going to say your company, but that may not be the case anymore," Tony lied, glaring at the group. He was secretly having a blast. These guys weren't too bad to hang around when there wasn't anything to fight. He could get used to them being around all the time.

"Got it!" Steve said proudly, holding up a puzzle piece in triumph.

"Wow. That's great," Tony said in encouragement, flashing him a thumbs up. "Where does it go?"

"The sky."

"Well, only 4,999 pieces to go. By the time you all are done with it, we'll all be old enough to be in a nursing home."

"What is this 'you all?' You're gonna help too," Clint insisted.

"I imagined myself in more of a supervisor type role."

"You were really going to make Cap put this whole thing together by himself?"

"Look at him. He's having the time of his life. Any piece I put down is one I'm taking away from him," Tony argued.

"So thoughtful," Clint scoffed.

"There are enough pieces to go around. I don't want to hog it."

"Don't everyone clamber at once," Tony snorted, hitting the last few buttons on his tablet. "Pizzas are ordered, along with the wings, breadsticks, and a nice green salad so we don't see our green friend tonight."

"I'm sure a salad from a pizza place is going to be the epitome of health and freshness," Bruce chuckled.

"Some of the pizzas also have peppers on them. Those are vegetables. Beggars can't be choosers."

"You'll be begging for a doctor when your diet finally catches up with you," Bruce warned.

"And here my doctor is, for anything I could possibly need," Tony grinned, holding his hands out toward him. Bruce just shook his head and went back to the puzzle. "What should I order for dessert?"

"Dessert? Really?"

"You weren't complaining about my dietary choices when we were eating waffles for every meal."

"I don't think waffles are that unhealthy," Steve argued.

"Of course not. And forgive me for besmirching their good name."

"I wouldn't mind some ice cream," Natasha proposed.

"Yes, welcome to the dark side," Tony grinned, opening another window on his tablet. "Flavors?"

"Rocky road!" Clint called out, waving his hand like a kid in class. The rest of them put in their orders, with Bruce going with pistachio and Natasha asking for the most decadent chocolate option available.

"Steve?" Tony pressed, after the man had stayed silent through it all.

"Vanilla is fine for me," Steve mumbled, digging through a new pile of puzzle pieces with intense concentration.

"Of course that's what you'd say," Tony sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "All the options in the world and you want plain."

"Vanilla isn't plain. It's a good flavor," Steve insisted.

"Not when you have every flavor in the world at your fingertips. You could have bubble gum cotton candy if you wanted to."

"That sounds awful," Steve replied, making a disgusted face.

"I'll pick out a flavor for you," Tony declared, thumbing through the options. "Lord knows you'd probably faint if I presented something like neapolitan to you. Three flavors in one? Madness."

"Why did you ask?"

"What?"

"Why did you ask my opinion if you weren't going to listen to it?" Steve asked, glancing up at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Because I thought I'd give you a chance to make a good decision for a change. Alas, your track record stays the same." Tony knew his statement had gone too far when Steve's face went stony and he turned away. But he was still frustrated by everything that had gone down and it slipped out occasionally.

"If you guys are gonna brawl, do it away from the puzzle. I don't want to have to start over again," Clint said, placing another piece with a grin.

"No one is going to brawl. Don't be so dramatic."

"Says the guy who started an argument over ice cream," Clint snorted.

"I don't think it's really about ice cream," Natasha pointed out.

"Thank goodness we have Dr. Romanoff here to psychoanalyze us," Tony cried in mock relief. "However did we survive without you here?"

"Not well, obviously."

"The thread count on the sheets I sleep on is probably higher than you can count. I'm not only surviving, I'm thriving," Tony bragged.

"Not higher than my kill count. Should I add to my lead?" Natasha asked innocently.

"Do I need to get my quiver? It really doesn't go with this outfit," Clint sighed, plucking at the front of his onesie.

"Can we stop bickering and get back to the puzzle?" Bruce suggested.

"It's not bickering, it's banter. Vaguely threatening banter."

"References to killing is a bit more than vaguely threatening," Clint laughed.

"In some circles," Tony shrugged.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk at all," Steve proposed, pushing himself up off the floor and walking toward the hallway. "Excuse me for a moment." Tony gritted his teeth as he watched Steve walk away, making sure he wasn't going anywhere near the elevator or stairs. Once again, his big mouth was causing problems. He had to remember that Steve wasn't like other people. They weren't in a place where they could be assholes to each other without taking it to heart.

"Is this how it's been with the two of you? No wonder you called us," Clint scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Actually, it's been great. Must be you," Tony shot back.

"I would've let him pick out his own ice cream flavor."

"Whatever. I'm gonna go try to salvage the day you all are trying to ruin," Tony huffed, waving a hand behind his back as he sauntered away. Having the others here was supposed to make Steve's transition to living in the tower easier. It would put less pressure on Tony and give Steve more reasons to stick around. But Tony forgot how he could get sometimes. And it wasn't like they were all great friends. The only time they'd been all together before, they'd been fighting for their lives. Of course now they would be fighting with each other.

"You can relax. I'm not going anywhere," Steve sighed, stepping out from one of the hall bathrooms.

"I'm relaxed. And I know you're not going anywhere. Nowhere better than the tower, right?" Tony grinned, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed. A picture of relaxation.

"Right," Steve mumbled, raising his eyebrows as he started to walk back toward the group. Tony blocked his way, holding his hand up to stop Steve from escaping.

"Out with it. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Was it the talk with everyone? Because I thought that went well."

"It did."

"So what is it? It can't really be about the ice cream. I'd never hear the end of it from Barton."

"Like I said, nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I lied about my age for years."

"And I sniffed that one out too," Tony bragged, enjoying this bit of back and forth more than he'd ever admit. "You might as well tell me, since you know I don't give up."

"I asked you before why I got to see a side of you that other people didn't. I guess I didn't realize I would lose that guy as soon as we weren't alone," Steve confessed, slumping his shoulders. "And I didn't realize how much it would bother me." And if that didn't take all the wind out of Tony's sails. For once, he wished he hadn't pushed. But the stubborn side of him always won out and look where it got him.

"Steve, I'm an asshole. You know this."

"But you're not. And I know that. I just wish you'd let other people know it too," Steve argued.

"They wouldn't believe it," Tony scoffed.

"People can see it, that's why you push so hard the other way. That's why you have to start a fight about ice cream flavors to distract from the fact that you're buying everyone dinner. Because you have this image of yourself in your head that you want to present to everyone. So you can stay in control."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't? If there's anyone who knows about putting up a front, it's me. But you convinced me to let my guard down. To start being myself. Maybe you ought to take your own advice," Steve challenged, giving him a pointed look before skirting around him and walking back toward the group. Tony glared at his retreating form, hating that he hadn't gotten the last word in. It was immature, but on brand for him.

Tony hated to admit that Steve was right. He'd been building up his Tony Stark persona for years. And Iron Man just added to it. He was larger than life, had a quick wit, and didn't take crap from anyone. Tony was untouchable, because to be touched was just setting yourself up to be burned.

But he'd let Steve see the side of him that most people didn't. And for the life of him, Tony couldn't figure out why it felt so easy to do that. Not during their first meeting of course, but once they were alone together. What did it mean? What was it about Steve that Tony felt like he could relax around him? The only other people who he could say he was close to were Rhodey and Pepper, but it had taken years for them to break through his cool exterior. Steve started worming his way in the second Tony saw him on that bench outside the college.

He was going to have to do something. If there was any chance of his plan working out for the long haul, he was going to have to keep everyone happy. Especially Steve. If Steve thought his presence was bothering Tony, he would leave in a second and go right back to Shield. They'd gone through too much for that to happen again and Tony was unwilling to see Steve hurt and alone. Tony was going to have to start going against deeply ingrained habits and risk being more open. This taking in a teenager thing was a lot more trouble than he expected.

Tony walked back into the living room, half expecting everyone to be waiting for him with looks of disappointment on their faces. But everyone was as they were before pretty much, with Steve back at work on the puzzle with Bruce and Clint, and Natasha off to the side like she was above it all. Tony wasn't really sure where he fit.

"Does this piece of sky look like it belongs on the left side or the right side of the sun?" Steve wondered, holding up a puzzle piece to inspect it. "Tony, what do you think?" Steve turned his head to look at him, raising an eyebrow. Tony saw the move for what it was. Steve was giving him a chance to join in without making it a big deal. And he was going to take it.

"Well, we have to consider if the picture is geographically accurate. Did they consider the time of day? Shadows? Season? The possibilities are endless," Tony huffed, plopping down next to Steve. "I could take it to my lab and run a few tests."

"Isn't there a bit of fun to be had in trial and error?" Steve asked, turning the piece around in his fingers a few times.

"Usually my errors end up with me blowing something up."

"Remind me not to visit you in your lab."

"I usually have more successes than failures, but we probably shouldn't risk it. I wouldn't want to get hit with a child endangerment charge," Tony grinned.

"Tony," Steve groaned.

"Oh, indulge an old man. I don't have much time left," Tony moaned dramatically.

"I'm sure you'll outlive us all. What is that they say about evil?" Clint wondered, scratching his chin.

"'It is as inhuman to be totally good as it is to be totally evil,'" Tony smirked, before turning toward Steve. "We definitely won't be watching that movie together."

"I don't want to know," Steve mumbled.

"That's not it," Clint replied.

"'There is an old illusion. It is called good and evil,'" Natasha purred.

"I think we've gone a bit off topic here."

"'Evil is committed without effort, naturally, fatally; goodness is always the product of some art," Steve said quietly, placing his puzzle piece in the proper spot with a smile. Everyone was staring at him in surprise when he looked back up. "What? I know things too."

"Charles Baudelaire?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah. I read it in one of the books in my art class and it always stuck with me. Probably because of everything going on in the world at the time," Steve shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "It was kind of comforting to think that something I made could bring joy to someone during a difficult time. I knew it couldn't compare to actually being out there and fighting, but it was better than nothing."

"A reminder of the beauty in the world gives people something to fight for."

"Steve definitely knows a thing or two about art. You should see-" Tony cut off his sentence when Steve bumped his knee and gave him a look that he interpreted to mean that he should be quiet. While he didn't consider Steve's talent something that should be kept a secret, it wasn't his place to tell. Especially if he wanted to stay on his good side. "You should see the designs Steve can make as he drizzles his syrup on his waffles. Jackson Pollock could never."

"What I'd like to see is this puzzle finished sometime today. This is the real art," Steve mumbled, staring back down at the pieces. He obviously didn't want the attention on him at the moment, so Tony would turn it to himself. That was pretty typical of him.

"You heard Cap. Time to get to work!" Tony declared, clapping his hands for emphasis. "Hawkeye, I want you to get to high ground to get a vantage point over the whole scene. If you see any moves, call them out. Widow, I want you on the ground and hands-on. Don't let any pieces escape. Banner, I need you to calculate the odds of whether or not a certain piece will fit in a certain spot. And try not to smash. Are we clear on our roles?"

"And what are you gonna do?" Clint asked in amusement, already moving into a better position.

"Cheer you on?"

"He's gonna help," Steve grinned, dropping a handful of puzzle into his hands.

"I'm gonna help," Tony grumbled, pretending he was put out by the idea. But he was actually kind of looking forward to it. Maybe the day would be salvaged after all.

"That looks absolutely nothing like your tower, Stark," Clint laughed, tossing a pizza crust in the air and catching it in his mouth.

"It does if you squint," Tony defended.

"I got beat up next to that building," Steve laughed, setting down the final piece to complete that spot.

"I hate that building," Tony grunted, glaring at it as if it was at fault.

"I'm pretty sure they tore it down."

"Good."

They'd been working on the puzzle for hours now and Tony had to admit that it was pretty fun. Once it started looking like something other than a mess. The team worked together well, tossing pieces back and forth and chatting about nothing in particular. Steve slowly started relaxing back to how he was when the two of them were alone, which was a relief. Steve would probably never be the life of the party, but he was nice to talk to. He seemed to have a story for every new part of the city they uncovered, and they all had to deal with him getting beat up or bullied. Tony was going to have to look into seeing if any of those assholes were still alive. He wasn't going to beat them up or anything, but he could mess up their social security benefits.

The only break they'd taken was when the food came. They had a little picnic on the floor, passing around pizza boxes and chicken wings. Steve tried to be prim and proper at first, taking only one slice at a time and eating it slowly and neatly. But by the third slice, his hunger had caught up to him and he ended up with a slice in each hand. Then he and Clint came up with the idea to smash two slices together and make a sandwich with them. The veggie pizza on top of the supreme was actually pretty good.

The ice cream didn't cause any more drama, thankfully. Tony tossed a handful of spoons next to all the pints and told everyone to have at it. Instead of only sticking to their own flavors, they all had a bit of each. Tony saw Steve's eyes light up when he tasted Natasha's chocolate, but he held back on gloating. He was mature. Now they were digesting, finishing up on the last few sections of the puzzle.

"Careful! If you drop him on the puzzle and it breaks apart, I'm gonna lose it," Clint hissed, holding onto Steve's middle as they lowered him down.

"My muscles are bigger than yours," Tony grumbled, holding Steve from the other side.

"Why did we leave this piece for last?" Natasha asked, lounging back on the floor as she watched the show.

"Symbolism!" Tony defended, although it sounded kind of lame now. There was only one piece left and Tony had held it back on purpose. When he saw it, he knew it had to be the final piece and that Steve had to be the one to place it. It was just unfortunate that it was in a terrible spot and hard to get to with the rest of the puzzle in the way. Steve was too nervous to crawl on it, worried that he would break it apart. So, they improvised.

"I'm almost there," Steve murmured, keeping his body stiff as he was lowered down. The kid was damn heavy and Tony thought about calling in a suit to help, but he didn't want to be accused of cheating again. He and Clint could handle it, with Bruce sort of helping by making sure none of them accidentally stepped in the wrong spot.

"Use those long arms," Tony groaned. He was definitely getting too old for stuff like this.

"I got it," Steve declared, scrunching his face in concentration as he reached down and placed the final piece. The Statue of Liberty's flame was where it belonged, finishing off hours of hard work. Tony and Clint pulled Steve up and they stood back, marveling over the full picture. "Wow."

"Not bad," Tony agreed, bumping Steve with his shoulder.

"Looks like home," Steve said wistfully, crouching down to lightly touch the edge of one of the buildings.

"Still is home. It just looks a little different," Tony shrugged. He was going to have to look into if any of those old buildings were left and buy one for Steve. Anything to convince Steve to stay put.

"Thanks for putting this together with me. I know it probably isn't what you all had planned for today," Steve said, looking around at everyone.

"It wasn't the most exciting, but I guess there is something to be said for slowing down every once in a while," Natasha replied.

"You know, we're kind of like this puzzle," Clint said suddenly. "If you look at us individually, we look like we'd never fit together. But somehow, we do." Tony bit the inside of his cheek, trying to hide his reaction. This could just be a nice moment. But when Steve let out the tiniest snort, he lost it.

"Holy hell, Barton! When did you get so corny?" Tony cackled, holding his stomach as it ached.

"It was just an observation, damn!" Clint pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It was nice," Steve said, blinking rapidly as he tried to keep a straight face.

"Whatever."

"You're still wearing the footie pajamas, Clint," Natasha pointed out with a smirk. "Kind of makes everything you say sound ridiculous."

"Ridiculously good."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself," Tony chuckled. This was nice and Barton wasn't exactly wrong. They all were pretty different and their group didn't make sense, but it worked. Tony could get used to lazy days at the tower with good people to keep him company.

"Pardon the interruption, but I have a message from Director Fury," Jarvis announced. The group immediately sobered and Tony's eyes met Steve's. He didn't even need to hear the message to know that things were about to change. Of course this would come right as they were finally getting the kid to relax. But Tony wasn't going to give Steve up without a fight. "Shield has requested Captain Rogers for a meeting tomorrow morning."