Chapter 2
The sky was a combination of a soft purple, pink, and yellow. The summer breeze was warm, whistling beautifully through the grass all throughout the acres of greenery that surrounded him. It was definitely a sight to behold during a walk home. But then again there was no way Italy would ever not be breathtaking
Which is where Tony currently is. Has been for the past year. After everything happened, he decided the best thing for him would be to go to a place that didn’t have any memories of Steve. So he came back to his family’s village he’d visit frequently as a child.
At the moment he had just finished fixing up a grandpa’s tractor and was on his way home. He was pretty excited, cause Stephen would be there, waiting for him. The sorcerer visited Tony very often, claiming it was because he could stay at a house in Italy for free now that Tony had one and he wanted to take advantage of that whenever he could. Tony didn’t really care what the reason was as long as he got to see his favourite wizard.
Before going straight home, Tony decided he’d stop by the mini convenience store and get some ice cream for himself and for Stephen. The kinder bueno was their favourite out of the options. He bid the sales clerk, Mr. Hubble, a good day and went on his way.
“Steph?” Tony called out as he entered the house.
No response. He wasn’t in the living room or kitchen either. But as Tony stepped further into the house he saw a familiar red cloak outside at the back porch. And sure enough Stephen was standing there, in his hoodie and shorts, looking out to the vast green hills and trees.
“Steph,” Tony went to his side and spoke as if he was on the verge of tears, faking it.
“Tony? What’s wrong?” Stephen began to get worried.
“Ohgod. Steph, I-” Tony sounded pained as he covered” his mouth in faux disbelief.
“What is it, are you okay?” Stephen was full on concerned now, eyes scanning all over Tony for any wounds.
“I’m fine, I just got us ice cream” Tony dropped the act and went back to normal, smiling.
Stephen just stared at him dumbfounded. “You’re gonna give me a heart attack one of these days,” Stephen told him as he irritatedly took the cup of ice cream Tony was holding out. Tony just chuckled, satisfied with himself as he sat down on the stairs. “And then who’s gonna save me? The only one of us with medical experience is out” Stephen sat down beside him.
“I’ll save you,” Tony answered, eating some of the ice cream. Stephen looked over at him. “You saved me, and I’ll save you” Tony looked back as well, smiling.
He thought the golden light from the sunset danced beautifully on Stephen’s face. And Stephen thought he felt something tug on his heart whenever Tony smiled at him like that, those honey eyes glowing and looking right into is. He didn’t quite understand why he felt that though.
Feeling flustered from this unknown feeling, he awkwardly cleared his throat and focused on eating the ice cream. “Did you fix the tractor?” He asked.
“Are you trying to insult me?” Tony answered. Stephen chuckled. “I did in fact fix it, and my reward will be none other than the famous homemade strawberry jam”
“The one from your childhood you never shut up about?” Stephen asked, surprised. “No way”
Tony nodded triumphantly. “You'll finally get to try it. The next time you come over of course” Tony said. “Unless you’re so super duper excited about the jam that you wanna stay the night so you can have the true authentic experience of having it during breakfast” he shrugged, trying his best to hide just how much he hoped Stephen said he’d stay the night. He’s sure he managed it.
“The interns need training,” Stephen started. And it took everything in Tony not to deflate right then and there. “But they’ve earned a day off. So strawberry jam it is”
Tony smiled to himself.
——
Natasha sighed as she scrolled through the news on the tablet. Ever since Tony ran away from the wedding a year ago, SHIELD has been doing damage control over the media outlets and the false stories they come out with.
At the start it was minor. Once every month some ridiculous headline about the team would be slapped front and center on the face of every newspaper. Of course the first few topics were about Steve and Tony and how their marriage failed or how Tony ran away. And then it was about how Tony was taking a break from the Avengers, Clint along with him, and how Thor and Bruce were also gone. Then it’s about how the Avengers must be disbanding and will retire from being superheroes. Which turned into how they are retiring from being superheroes so that they can become supervillains and take down SHIELD and take over the world.
“This is getting out of hand,” Natasha put the tablet down, frustrated. “We need to do something about it and make an appearance or come out with a statement, now ”
“Sitting still and keeping quiet isn’t going to do any good, it’ll only feed their worries” Steve agreed.
Nick silently paced back and forth, thinking. “I think it’s time you call Tony in,” Natasha proposed after a moment of silence. Steve’s head shot up. “Clint too. I know where he is, I can go convince him. But out of everyone, right now you’re the only one who knows where Tony is”
Nick stopped pacing and faced the two sitting in front of him. Steve looked at him eagerly, hopeful he’d say what they both wanted to hear. And truth be told, he agreed. It was time for them to all come back and at least provide a temporary fix to the news outlets and uproar.
“Fine,” Nick stated. Steve’s eyes lit up. “You go get Barton, I’ll get Stark. I’ll find a way to get Thor and Banner too” Nick said before stepping out of the room.
“You okay?” Natasha asked Steve knowingly. He looked like someone just told him he won the lottery.
“Yeah, I…Tony’s coming back,” Steve nodded.
Natasha smiled. “Go tell Buck. He’s gonna be excited” She gave him a pat on the shoulder before also leaving the room to go and prepare to get Clint.
Steve immediately texted Bucky on his way out of the compound and told him to get ready and that they’d be going out. He decided a trip to Randy’s donuts would be a good idea so that he and Bucky could get some of Tony’s favourite donuts for when he’s back.
Well, he assumed Nick would get him back by today cause that’s what he usually does, so it’s best to be prepared beforehand.
Of course Steve knew that in no way shape or form would donuts make everything that happened between him and agony go away, but he hoped it’d serve as something to ease him when they reunited, since donuts and coffee were Tony’s go-to stress snacks.
Within the next hour he arrived at the tower and took the elevator up to the main floor.
“Stevie? That you?” Bucky called out from where he was drinking freshly squeezed orange juice in the kitchen.
“Yeah, it’s me” Steve answered. When he stepped in the kitchen he found Bucky frustrated and pushing buttons on the toaster. “What’s wrong?”
“The damn toaster’s busted” Bucky groaned. “If Tony was here he’d teach me how to fix it…I miss him”
“Then you’re in luck, cause Tony’s coming back,” Steve shrugged.
“What?” Bucky and Sam said in unison. Except Bucky was smiling and Sam looked displeased.
“That’s great, Stevie! When’s he gonna be here?” Bucky squeezed his shoulder.
“Buck, don’t let your imagination run wild, he probably won’t come back” Sam told him from where he sat on the couch.
“Well that’s easy for you to say, you have a bad imagination, it’s stupid. I live in a fantasy world” Bucky quipped. Steve chuckled at that.
“Probably by the end of the day,” Steve nodded. “I was thinking we can go and get him donuts from Randy’s”
“Yeah, we should do that. Let’s go” Bucky put the toaster down and dragged Steve to the elevator.
On the way to Randy’s Bucky didn’t say much. Which was pretty normal. He only began to feel comfortable with properly making conversation or doing anything social just recently. But right now it was also cause he had mixed feelings.
He was excited and happy to be able to see Tony again. After Siberia, Tony had told Bucky that he doesn’t blame him for what happened with his parents, and that it wasn’t his fault. And though Bucky still blamed himself no matter what, he needed to hear that. It took the weight of the world off his shoulders. And as if that wasn’t enough, Tony made the effort to befriend him, make him feel safe and at home, even let him down to the workshop to look at all the cool robots and gadgets after hearing about how much he loved the Stark Expos back in the day.
But he was also worried. About what would happen between Steve and Tony once the genius is back. Will he hate Steve? If he hates Steve does that mean he’ll hate Bucky too since he’s Steve’s best friend? How will Steve hold up if Tony hates him?
It made Bucky think back to how Steve was the first few months after Tony disappeared. He’d either fall asleep in Tony’s bed, or in the car down in Tony’s workshop holding one of Tony’s sweaters to his chest. Or whenever some technical problem happened in the Tower, Steve would say they should ask Tony, but then he’d realize Tony was gone.
He’d see Tony in everything. In airplanes, because Tony would unequivocally sing “Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars?” every time he saw one. In black cats, because Tony loved them and always said they got unnecessary hate and also said he planned to adopt one some day. In meetings, because without Tony there was no one to joke around or make the mood more light hearted, so everything felt more dull. In general, Steve came to find that without Tony, everything lost colour. Songs lost their tune. The rain felt more distant than it did comforting.
Bucky knows Steve wanted Tony to be back, but he also knows he needs it.
——
Tony carefully placed the plates with strawberry jam and cream cheese sandwiches down on his and Stephen's side.
“Moment of truth, eat up” Tony told Stephen.
Stephen took a sip of tea before taking the sandwich into his hands and bringing it to his mouth. But before he could bite into it, his phone starts ringing, and he puts the sandwich down. Tony scoffs and throws his hands up.
“You’ve gotta be kidding,” he admonishes as Stephen fishes his phone out of his pocket. “Is this you getting back at me for yesterday?”
“Trust me, if I was getting back at you for something you’d know” Stephen winked. And Tony just about melted. “Sit tight, Bambi”
Tony just watched jaw dropped as Stephen answered the phone and walked off. “ Stupid handsome wizards and their stupid dreamy faces ” Tony muttered under his breath before taking a bite of his sandwich. Just cause Stephen decides not to enjoy his, doesn’t mean Tony won’t.
He hasn’t felt this content in a while. Sure, Stephen did spend the night there a handful of times, it’s not like he didn’t. But this was the first time they’d had breakfast together. Cause anytime Stephen spent the night, he’d either have to go before Tony woke up, or Tony would miss out on eating breakfast with him on time because someone needed help with fixing something and he’d go to do that.
So, this morning was a special one for Tony, and there was nothing that could take that away from him.
A minute or two later Stephen was back.
“Everything okay?” Tony asked, seeing that Stephen had a conflicted look on his face.
“Yeah. Yeah, it’s…” Stephen trailed off. He didn’t want to answer that just yet, so instead he finally took a bite of the sandwich. And it was delicious. It really was as good as Tony made it up to be. “That’s amazing” Stephen pointed at the sandwich.
“Right? See, I knew you’d-” Tony smiled but Stephen cut him off.
“Fury called.” Stephen blurted. There was really no easy way to say it, plus if it’s Fury asking for them that means they need to be there asap. He watched as the smile faded off Tony’s face. “It’s time for you to go back…”
Tony just sighed and looked down. He took back what he said. “Well, can’t run forever,” Tony cleared his throat. “I’ll go and pack up”
And within the next half hour, Tony was all packed up and found himself right back at SHIELD headquarters. Looking around, it almost felt like he never left. That feeling of familiarity for the first time in forever left him feeling both at home, but also…unsafe. He would’ve felt better if the first person he met after coming back was Pepper or Rhodey or Happy, and at home. Anywhere but here.
“Hey, stranger” Natasha said from behind.
“Miss Romanoff,” Tony smiled.
She smiled as well and pulled Tony into a hug. “I missed you,” she rubbed his back. “And if you ever tell anyone I said something like that, no I didn’t” she said quietly. That earned a good chuckle out of Tony as they pulled apart. That’s when Fury stepped out of the meeting room and saw them.
“You three are here, good, get in” He told them.
Natasha squeezed Tony’s hand in reassurance and gave him a small smile before going in.
“You ready?” Stephen asked, glancing over at Tony. He could tell the genius’s brain was going at 200mph.
“I don’t think I ever will be. So let’s just rip off the bandaid and get it over with” Tony decides and starts walking towards the door. Stephen is right behind him.
The first people his eyes go to in the room are Bruce and Thor, Natasha sitting on a chair behind them. Some of his favourite people, always a delight to see. ”Little Stark!” Thor beams, and Tony feels a bit more at ease. If the only few people he wants to see are on this side of the room, he doesn’t bother to look to the other side. He already knows who’s there.
He just makes his way to the seat beside Thor and sits down. Stephen stands right behind him, leaning his back on the wall. And the meeting begins.
“Alright first thing we’re starting with is the marriage. Stark, Rogers, you two are going to come out with a statement that your engagement wasn’t real and it was only for a mission,” Nick started.
“What?” Steve sounded disapproving.
“Yes,” Nick told him. “How it’ll happen is you two will go on an interview, and one of the questions will be about how the marriage is going and that people are speculating you two divorced. That’s when you act surprised that people believe you two seriously got married, and that it was only for a mission. Got it?”
“Got it,” Tony nodded.
Throughout the rest of the meeting, Tony could feel a certain set of blue eyes continuously wander to him. He internally gave himself a pat on the back for not giving into reflexes and looking over. His eyes were either straight ahead, or on Stephen.
Which is also why Tony zoned out at some point while Nick was talking about how the group would visit a high school. He was wondering why Stephen was there. He technically still had the day off, and it’s not like he’d be allowed in the room unless he’s involved in what Nick had to say. Which concerned Tony. He didn’t want Stephen to be dragged into any of this crap.
But his questions were answered once Nick got to the end of the meeting.
“And finally apart from everything to do with the media, All Avengers will return to residing in the Avengers tower, barring Wilson, and Maximoff ” Nick said, making Tony roll his eyes. The last thing he wants to do is live in the same building as Steve. “Oh, and Stark, will no longer be under your command, Captain”
“What?" Steve furrowed his brows, glancing over at Tony to see if he can catch a clue about what's going on. But Tony looked just as confused and clueless.
"He's not a part of the team anymore?" Natasha raised a brow.
"He is. He just won't be under Cap's orders any longer. He will mainly be under the jurisdiction and authority of Dr. Strange," Fury explained.
Before Steve could retaliate, Tony did.
“Absolutely not!” Tony stood up from his seat, catching everyone by surprise.
“Stark-“ Nick tried.
“No! Leave him out of this!” Tony was adamant. “If he’s in, I’m not funding a fucking cent!”
“I’m not doing this right now, we can talk later. Meetings over, everyone’s free to go” Nick stated before exiting the room. Everyone followed after him and spilled into the corridor.
“Tony,” Steve got a hold of Tony’s arm before he could walk off with Stephen, Natasha, Bruce, and Thor. “Can we please talk?”
Natasha gave Tony a look as if to ask if he wanted her to stay. But he gave her a smile, letting her know he was fine. So she nodded and walked off with the others.
Steve held Tony’s hands in his own, but Tony slipped them away and just shoved them in his pockets. “God , I looked everywhere for you…” Steve lightly shook his head, in disbelief that Tony was right in front of him. Tony still wouldn’t look at him. “Why’d you go?” He asked.
And Tony finally looked up and right into Steve’s eyes, sending a shockwave right through him. He thought he’d never experience those starry honey eyes looking at him ever again.
“Because I realized I was about to marry a man who tried to kill me. A man who wanted me dead,” Tony answered, stone cold. And Steve’s heart dropped. “And that’s just a recipe for disaster, y’know?”
“But…you came back to me. Why’d we get back together then?” Steve’s brows furrowed sadly.
“Because that’s how much I loved you. I gave you a chance again, and again, and again, and again,” Tony’s voice died out as he spoke, trying his hardest to hold back the tears that threatened to surface. “And in the end I was trying to convince myself that you loved me just as much, and that what you did was okay. Except that it wasn’t. That good enough for you?” Tony asked.
After a moment of Steve being too heartbroken to answer, Tony walked away, leaving to soldier’s stomach to knot and have his guilt eat him alive.