being with someone else for a bit doesn’t mean giving up
It’s been a month since Valkyries weird behavior, Thor waved it off as her PTSD so they left it alone and never asked any more questions. They went over everything, the elixir didn’t work seeing as Ikol doesn’t feel pain already, Ikol never found anything in her grimoires but the transfusions are still working.
There were no revelations, except for one. Bruce says “you like Ikol” as he walks into Tony’s lab.
He keeps writing ideas down “no I don’t” he retorts.
“everyone can tell” Bruce says with a chuckle “you’re so nice to them, nicer than you are to any of us”
“that’s only because I feel bad” he states before reminding Bruce “Ikol is dying”
“explains the flirting”
“I flirt with everyone, I flirted with you when we first met”
“so if you don’t like them then you won’t care if Sam asks them out?” Tony snaps his head up to stare at Bruce so fast the latter can’t help but laugh.
“what?” Tony asks seriously, his jealousy fading as he asks again “seriously what?” he repeats because “I thought Sam and Bucky were pining after each other”
“they are,” Bruce says “I just wanted to see how you would react and you do like her”
Tony shakes his head “I don’t like Ikol” that wouldn’t be fair to Pepper, he can’t just move on.
“you know she would want you to be happy right?”
“I can’t just give up”
“being with someone else for a bit doesn’t mean giving up” Bruce can see how good Tony and Ikol are for each other. Dare he say that Ikol is better for Tony than Pepper, he’s more invested in work, not so much that he’s depriving himself of sleep and food like he used to, Ikol makes sure of that.
Once Ikol stopped drinking, so did Tony, he started spending all of his time with Ikol, or in his lab with Ikol and when Ikol wasn’t around, he was talking about her. Tony didn’t realize it but everyone else did.
Tony repeats “I don’t like Ikol” and then reminds him “Ikol loves Sigyn”
“and where is this mystery woman?”
“we are just friends” Tony says sternly “stop making it weird”
“so you don’t care that Thor told me he’s looking for her”
Tony manages to hide his reaction this time, “fine by me” he says, trying to sound happy as he picks his notebook up “one less head under my roof” he lies.
He doesn’t want Ikol to go, he doesn’t want Thor to find Sigyn but he can’t do anything about that or else everyone will think he likes Ikol.
Just to clarify, he doesn’t like Ikol, he hates how Ikol pays attention to everything he does, keeping note of the things Tony likes and dislikes, he hates how Ikol helps him when he’s stuck with his work, he hates how Ikol can tell when he’s upset, he hates how Ikol can make him laugh and challenge his intellect.
He hates how Ikol flirts with him, causing his heart to skip a beat and his mind to go to forbidden territory, he hates how Ikol looks at him, like she loves Tony.
He hates how within the past two months he came to like Ikol more than anyone else.
After yesterday Tony became hyper aware of everything that they do. When Ikol enters a room they search the faces until they find Tony, Ikol always chooses the seat beside his and when they aren’t glued together they’re constantly looking for each other, just to share a smile.
He finds himself looking at Ikol’s reaction whenever he makes a joke, hoping to make her laugh even just a little bit, he finds himself studying Ikol’s every move to see if they don’t feel good and if he does catch a sign, Tony does everything he can to make it better.
Letting Ikol skip meetings to sleep, the transfusions, annoying them until they eat a meal or drink something other than coffee and pop.
Maybe he does like Ikol, but it’s no different than how he feels about Natasha or Clint. He likes them the same way he likes Ikol, it’s not love okay? He loves Pepper and he always will.
But then why is he more worried about Ikol’s life than getting her back?
He breaks out of his thoughts when the radio turns on and he instantly knows it’s Bucky.
Wise men say
He groans, looking over his shoulder at the super soldier making himself a cup of coffee “do you have to listen to the radio every morning?”
only fools rush in
Bucky doesn’t say a word as he tests his coffee.
But I-
Tony rolls his eyes “I got you that radio to take to your room”
-Can’t help, falling in love with you
Bucky finally speaks, and it wasn’t what Tony expected “you realize you’re the dad of the group right?” Tony’s mouth falls open, because he is.
shall I stay?
Tony covers his face and mumbles “oh my god” into his hands, he always wanted a kid but he didn’t think he wanted a kid so bad that he became a dad to his friends.
Would it be a sin?
He shakes it off and changes the subject “you find your family yet?”
Bucky stops in his tracks “how do you know I was looking for them?”
“you and Sam’s debates are really loud” Tony states, the two are either getting along or bickering and Tony is kind of tired of it “just ask him out already” he says as he watches Bucky sit down on the couch adjacent to him.
“I don’t like Sam”
Tony rolls his eyes “that’s why you two adopted a cat?”
Bucky hesitates before asking “what about you and Ikol?”
“what about us?”
“you two like each other”
Tony says “don’t try and change the subject”
“tell me if you like him and I’ll tell you if I like Sam”
“I like Ikol more than I like you that’s for sure” and that’s when Tony realizes, this is the first real conversation they’ve had in four years that wasn’t about work. He inches back trying to piece together how they’re functioning together right now.
Bucky seems to come to the same epiphany because his brows furrow as his mouth falls open “uhh”
Tony clears his throat and stands up, suddenly feeling awkward as he says “I’m going to my lab”
All Bucky says is “yeah” absently