Talkative

Still, even if Tony isn't that annoyed, he still drops down his hand that had been holding the M.V. and rolls his eyes a little. It's just in time for the others to make their way in, and that starts the morning off. Breakfast passes quietly, and they bring it into the common room, bringing Tony his offering, of course. It's much more simply a muffin and some fruit, which he doesn't mind. In fact, he prefers it over a typical breakfast. Tony again keeps to himself, but no one minds and goes about their business around him. Later that day, Cho drops by around lunch and takes him aside, knowing he likes these things private. It takes them twenty minutes, but he gets the green light from her and walks her out, which makes her laugh softly, and a door promptly closed on her. But with him getting the green light and the 48 hours pretty much over, everyone can relax, Tony included. He'll need to spend one more night on their side, but it's doable, knowing it can end after tonight.

The armchair he's been using is, of course, next to Bucky's spot on the loveseat. After watching Tony long enough, Bucky wonders just how far he can go at that moment. So when Tony makes his way back from changing and moves to his newer place by Bucky, he tests it. Just before Tony can turn and sit down, his M.V. in his mouth, he must still be feeling the effects. Something grabs the back of his shirt behind his hip. Whoever grabbed him pulled, making him twist and fall onto the loveseat, narrowly missing Bucky as his eyes widened a little in surprise. When Tony lands, his back is against the arm of the loveseat, and he's facing Bucky. It was such a close miss that the leg that caught the edge placed his foot nearly on Bucky's knee. Thankfully, it landed on the cushion, and Bucky hadn't actually touched his shirt; otherwise, Tony might have actually snapped at him. Bucky had let go of Tony's shirt as soon as he knew Tony would land safely on the couch, having guided it so perfectly that he'd innocently got his hands back by the time Tony landed.

"Really?" Tony grinds out, tired and annoyed, almost aggressively taking out the M.V.

"Gotta problem?" Bucky hums, thankful it worked, and Tony hasn't reacted much to it

"Yeah, with your fat ass," Tony snaps, kicking his thigh hard enough but not hard enough to start a fight.

"Careful, Buck," Steve says, amused, as Tony puts the M.V. in his mouth and crosses his arms over his chest, glaring at Bucky, still.

"I'm just testing something," Bucky huffs, rolling his eyes a little

"Like what? Seeing how fast you get punched? You can at least let us in on this." Sam laughs a little

"So?" Bruce prods a little more.

"Nothin' just testing something?" Bucky shrugs, and Tony rolls his eyes but stays quiet

"Like?" Natasha says, annoyed, not wanting to be left out

"I technically touched him," Bucky points out to them, and Tony growls a little

"Got a point," Clint says thoughtfully, but he is not about to try it himself.

"Yeah, you take the hits for us," Sam adds, none of them ready to take on Tony's anger yet.

Bucky rolls his eyes at that, but he can't blame them for it, and yeah, he knows he's on very thin ice doing this. As interesting as it is, there is the very big note of the fact Tony hasn't moved his foot yet. It's still touching Bucky's leg, and it could be very promising even if it doesn't take long. But Bucky has a point. If Tony doesn't hesitate to catch what Bucky has thrown, this could be the next plausible step through a rocky one. In fact, Tony had barely made a sound when the fiasco happened besides an annoyed, surprised sound. Tony hadn't fought it, though. Maybe it wasn't trust Bucky but making sure he didn't mess it up and get himself hurt. Either way, Tony let it happen and has stayed, so Bucky isn't deterred yet.

"Why are you trusting him?" Clint says, a bit amused, and can you blame him? It's odd, mostly because of how people normally react to Bucky. Even they react the same way, minus Steve, who shared a childhood with Bucky.

"Is there even a reason?" Steve adds on this could just be a once-off after all

Tony gives Bucky a judgmental side eye as he takes another drag before sighing it out a little. He's clearly peeved but doesn't see the point in a fight right now. He actually probably doesn't have the energy for that yet, and thank god for them; it seems to be that way.

"Doubt he's chance his momentum if he did something bad enough, or I'm extra pissed off. He'd go back to square on, and I'd just make it 100 times more difficult so I can expect a certain amount of trust to be held up," Tony explains, still irked but brushing it off as well.

"Huh, I see the point now," Bruce says as it clicks for him.

"Even so," Natasha says. Bucky is still Bucky, after all.

"Honestly, I'd say you lot would try something before he would," Tony admits bluntly, not caring if it hurt them or not, and honestly, it kind of burned Bucky, too.

"Ow," Sam emphasizes yet again to something like this.

"But it's Bucky. No offence, man," Clint says, and Bucky chuckles at it.

"I know," Bucky assures him amused.

"I'm genuinely curious, though there has to be more to it," Bruce says, looking at them.

"I'm gonna let him figure it out first, and then you can know," Tony teases calmly. It's cold, but you can tell it's harmless.

'Bucky doesn't know?" Steve laughs as Tony puts the M.V. back in, and Bucky raises a brow at that

"No, at least not yet," Tony says, relaxing on the couch and starting to have fun with this.

"So.. we could figure this out first, then?" Natasha sees a challenge and something to win

"Now that's a bet I'd like to put a stake on," Tony says, grinning at Bucky, looking more than confident and cocky before he points at her.

"Then let's do it," Natasha says, already planning to do it anyway.

"You gonna at least bet on me?" Bucky huffs, directing it at Tony

"Nope," Tony says, popping the P. "I'm going to bet on Brucie-boy," Tony adds, having fun and making it a point to wink at Bruce.

"Me!?" Bruce squeaks, pointing to himself, pretty sure he'd be the last to figure it out

"Bruce!?" Sam and Clint shout together, surprised by Tony's choice to put a stake on

"Now that's mean, doll," Bucky says, but it's very clear he has no issue with Tony betting on Bruce, and he might actually be happy about it.

Bruce doesn't often get much credit for this kind of thing, especially among the others, but Bucky can see that Bruce is just as good. He just keeps it to himself and is much quieter.

"Prove me wrong then," Tony challenges them back, smirking as he puts the M.V. in his pocket for the time being, needing it out of his hand before he keeps using it because he's bored.

Tony knows a lot of stares and looks; he's been under a microscope of them from the minute he was born, thanks to his parents. Millions of people know him and have watched every single thing he does, every breath and every whisper. He knows the most types of stares than probably documented anywhere, so yeah, he knows when a stare turns on him. If it becomes dangerous, use them against the person. It's an autopilot response now, so he only pays it mind once he finds something interesting. So he knows Bucky's stares inside and out by this point, and he's gotten a few from Bucky, and he wonders if Bucky sometimes knows what his stares mean. Even from the minute he laid eyes on Tony back at SHEILD being dragged in by Nick and wearing the ban, he never felt anything dangerous from Bucky. Maybe because of Frost, but still, it had surprised him, just a cold neural stare, something rare these past few years. Even over the last few days, Tony has felt Bucky's gaze warm up and almost soften in a sense. So yeah, he's paid more attention than normal to Bucky's gazes, the way Bucky looks, watches and tries to piece Tony together. How he's attempting to get back the smoke and mirrors, the web of lies, but even so, he's noticed a change. A very hint of something else, something Tony rarely gets, something his mother used to have when she looked at him or Nick when they were alone. And even then, Tony lost that kind of stare from his mother early once he grew out of being a baby. But it was still the same look he got when Nick would come to his school meetings or have him around or how Phil looks at him when he's getting along with other people.

Out of all of them on the team, Tony sees the way Bruce has been taking mental notes. Bruce isn't trying to figure Tony out; he just wants to be helpful and optimistic to have a friend that isn't like the others. Maybe because Tony and he have a close I.Q., it intrigues him more, and he's missing that in his current relationships. When Bruce is trying to figure Tony out, he's not just looking at Tony; he looks at Bucky, too. Bruce looks at Tony and Bucky as a pair. He doesn't seem to be able to see them separately. Everyone else, including Bucky himself, though, to be fair, his only focus is Tony. Anyway, everyone else only looks at either Tony or Bucky. It's not a pair to be looked upon. That's why Tony bets on Bruce because Bruce watches Bucky even more than Tony. Even when he's asking right now about why and all his other questions. No one but Tony notices this, and he wonders if Bruce even knows himself that he's doing this. But Tony definitely does, and when he asked Tony, he wasn't looking at Tony. He was looking at him and Bucky. Both of them.

"You'll win, Bruce, it's not that hard," Tony says. Suddenly, they'd just moved on, too, since the conversation had died out. Hell, some of them were getting up to leave when he spoke.

"I don't know, maybe don't bet on me." Bruce winces, feeling bad if he were to make Tony lose, not that they can lose on this kind of thing.

"I know, though. Clearly, so yeah, trust that then," Tony says, and it sounds so genuine and a little softer as he glances over at Bucky. It actually gives Bruce butterflies.

'I mean," Clint says as he finishes standing up. It's true they don't give Bruce enough credit.

"I'm still gonna try and win, so don't you think about not trying Bruce," Natasha says, a true sportsman at this kind of thing, at least in this kind of arrangement.

"I would hope so." Bruce laughs a little, feeling more confident now.

"So what stands out between us?" Sam hums in thought, meaning them and Bruce cause clearly Bucky is on the same level as them

Bruce just shrugs a little as he stands up since he doesn't know either, and glances back at Tony. Tony pulls out his phone and gets up, wondering why him and why Tony is so sure he'd win. It does feel good Bruce can't lie with Tony even the slightest win in him being nice and interactive is rare now. It's rare people bet on him either, and never for something like this. It's usually Bucky or Nat. So, to pick Bruce with no hesitation is very special, and Bruce won't ever forget it. As for Tony, he knows it will take a while before Bruce can catch on and figure it out. But this is a long-running bet, so they have lots of time. They'll have to know Tony better and fully transition, most likely before anyone gets close to figuring it out. Still, he feels a small twinge of happiness that Bruce only looks at him when it's got nothing behind it. Bruce just looks at him and doesn't try to figure it out or anything else. It is just a pure look. It's in the back of their minds now, very evidently, for the rest of the day as they try to go about the day. Tony doesn't leave. He hangs around, and it's down to three by the time night comes. He, Bruce and Bucky are left in the common room, the ones who don't sleep and usually end up anyway. Usually, when he can't sleep, Bruce sits in his room and reads or works on something, but he stays out tonight.

"You feeling alright?" Bucky suddenly asks from where he's doing something in the kitchen, most likely making his usual drink

"You gonna believe me if I say yes?" Tony huffs snottily, not bothering to look up from his phone

"Depends," Bucky shrugs lightly

"I'm fine," Tony says dryly, which is true. He does feel better, and he's hardly using the M.V.

"You're tired," Bucky says, but he accepts the answer.

"I'm worn out. It's different," Tony says, and Bucky can hear the eye roll in his voice.

"Sure," Bucky says, knowing it's not because he says the exact same thing when people ask him.

Tony ignores the knowing tone but accepts the drink Bucky places before him. Bucky, of course, makes one for himself and Bruce, who gladly accepts it from him. One more night, just one more night, Tony kept telling himself, then he could go back to his room. Being as they're benched and can't do anything, there are obviously no plans for when morning comes or any other day. Bucky even manages to doze a bit over where he's sitting on the couch, but Tony and Bruce trudge on strong. When morning comes, Bruce pops back into his room but comes back after changing his clothes. His mind is still racing about the bet, how to win, and Tony's confidence in him; there's just so much going on in his head right now. Bruce wants to make more tea for Tony. Yes, his voice is better, but it doesn't hurt to continue until it's normal. And he knows it's not the whole reason for doing it, but it's helping, and that's enough for him. Besides, Tony keeps talking to them, and that's a win in his book any day. When the others come down, Tony is in the armchair, and Bucky has moved to lounge on the loveseat. Bucky's head is at Tony's end, and Tony's back to Bucky's head. Tony glances up, hearing them, and, after confirming, goes back to whatever he was doing on his phone. Bucky, however, gets up, greets them, and helps set things up for the day. He and Steve plan to train most of the day away, both feeling cooped up even in such a big space.

By lunch, Tony has taken two drags, and as expected, the M.V. is out by the second. Getting up and moving to the kitchen where the zip-looks were placed for now, he chucks the empty cartage into the garbage. Finding the bag with the refills, Tony opens it and digs around a bit. The empty body is in his mouth, so he has two hands and doesn't need to put it down. Wanting a change, Tony skips over the first few blueberries and picks out a tan coffee-flavoured refill. Tony takes it and zips it back up before putting it in the cartridge and taking the first drag to ensure it works. Even though he doubts he'll need it, Tony doesn't like it empty, and you never know anyway. He needs it, but he doesn't need it, need it, if you get what he means. I told him he was bored, and it was something to do, and he had enough issues. It didn't really feel like a waste when he used it. He wants to do something he just doesn't know what, and he's feeling too lazy to really make an effort to figure it out. Turning around to see the rest of the team in the room and see if it sparks anything. There isn't much. Steve and Bucky are gone, having left to work out; Clint and Sam are playing games as usual, just as bored as he is. Natasha is somewhere he actually didn't notice her leave and has no idea where she's fucked off to. Bruce is doing.... something as he's in and out. But somehow, they'd all know if Tony vanished, and it's not like the thought hasn't crossed his mind more than once. He wanders down a bit on their side; besides, if he went his way, it would probably be too obvious. After a while of wandering, he comes across the gym/training room where Bucky and Steve had fucked off to.

"I'm bored," Tony announces to the gym, from where he stops in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest.

"So, do something?" Steve says, confused and a little surprised by Tony popping up out of nowhere while they were sparring

"Entertain me. You're the reason I'm stuck here," Tony says, annoyed, not budging and leaning against the doorway.

"Ah, he meant you," Steve chirps sarcastically joyfully as he faces Bucky, who promptly punches him in the arm.

"Fuck off," Bucky grumbles as Steve rubs his arm.

"Well?" Tony says unimpressed

"Uh," Steve grimaces a little, looking at Bucky.

"Oh fuck off," Tony groans and leaves to go back to the others or whoever is left.

"I'm going," Tony hears Bucky huff, probably after getting a look from Steve.

Tony glances over his shoulder but doesn't stop when he sees Bucky coming after him. Bucky makes quick work of catching up to him, but he stays a step behind Tony the rest of the way back. So Tony walks in first, and it makes Bruce look up. Tony sticks out his tongue a little and rolls his eyes. He moves his hands before him, and a second later, Bucky comes in right behind him, and Bruce chuckles. He'd been the only one to see what Tony had done, but Bucky could guess what it was all about, even if it was at his expense. Besides, if Tony wants to play that way, that's fine, but he'll play right back. So Bucky spends the rest of the afternoon torturing (bugging the shit out of) Tony in any way he can. And again, he makes Tony sit with him via the back of his shirt and a good tug each time he lands in a more annoyed huff than the last time. And honestly, once Bucky's got him, there is little chance of changing that. Again, that night, he and Bucky linger longer as the others end up going back to their rooms and sleeping off the day. By morning, the time is up, and Tony is free to go back to his room, and he does just to be the first one down yet again. That being said, Phil shows up to see if they made it out in one piece and, of course, to check in on Tony's condition. Phil comes in just as Bucky grabs a fistful of Tony's shirt, changing Tony's course and planting him on another piece of furniture he did not intend to.

"Barnes!" Tony snaps, reaching the limit of annoyance turning into anger as he's planted on the loveseat next to him

"Well then," Phil chuckles, impressed and highly amused by the change in them.

"Hey, Phil," Sam says. They've gotten used to Bucky's toying with Tony by now.

"I see you're doing better than," Phil says to Tony and rolls his eyes, arms crossed over his chest.

"Fine," Tony grinds out, glaring at Bucky for another minute.

"It went really well, actually," Steve says, a little surprised at how well it went.

"I'm very glad to hear that," Phil says, smiling. He probably is quite relieved no one is dead or maimed.

"But we're sooooooo bored," Clint groans, laying his upper body on the coffee table.

"I guess it has been a while since you've gone out," Phil hums in the realization of just how long the usually active teens have been cooped up.

"I know we can't really do anything, but isn't there something we can do just to get out?" Sam asks, a little desperate to get out of the compound

"Tony?" Phil says, and all eyes are on him again, making him sigh

"Should be done by tomorrow," Tony says, agitated, but he's deflating.

"Then why don't you lot come out to SHIELD tomorrow and hang around and even meet up with some people if you want" Phil offers them, though they'd have said yes to literally everything

"Oh my god, yes," Sam says, ready to get out of there

"Wonderful. Tomorrow it is then," Phil says

Phil stays a bit longer, getting caught up on everything, and adds a few things to his mental notes about their little experiment. The rest of the day is the same bland day they've been having for weeks now. Finally, morning comes, and the team heads out, not all together, but they all make the way there, splitting up at the parking lot. Tony, left alone outside, waits for a beat, then puts on his ban and makes sure it's on the way he wants before going inside himself. Tony ignores everyone around him and makes his way down to the labs and workshops, where he knows his new ban will be waiting for him. Tony doesn't have to say anything. He's just handed the new ban while the agent stands by as he takes off the old one. He clips it to a belt loop and puts on the new one, trying it out gently at first. Tony bobbles his head around a bit, testing it and making sure everything is working as it should be. After deeming it good, he nods to the agent and takes off to probably go find Phil or Nick, whoever gets to him first, really. Tony finds Phil first, and Phil gets chatting, not that Tony could or would talk back; still, he humours the man and stays put. The team has yet to cross his paths, but they're bound to find him soon enough. It has been a while since they split up, and time is unfortunately limited. They find him soon enough, though, and now they realize why Tony went in alone.

Tony is standing in front of Phil, wearing the same black tech wear pants, scuffed red Converse high tops, and a tighter, actually fitting sun-bleached grey hoodie. His new ban must be on because the old one hangs against his left hip. The new one is the same as far as they can tell, only this one is mahogany red with dull gold accents. In their excitement and now comfortability with Tony, they didn't think about what it meant or even think in general that being at home and out are two very different things for Tony. Clint is about to call out when Tony's eyes suddenly snap to the side, pissed off and harsh. His hand paused in the middle, where he was fixing a curl hanging into his face. His whole demeanour changes. The usual Tony they've grown to see is now that of whatever everyone else still sees. He looks murderous, body tight and ready to strike, a more golden hue to his eyes and cold that they've only seen from Bucky at his worst, hugging onto Tony's body. Phil reaches out quickly as he puts a hand on Tony's arm, a familiarity by passing how loose of a cannon Tony is right now. They can see his filter and impulse control are snapped to the breaking point in just a second.

"I know," Phil grinds out, but Tony doesn't change or acknowledge him even if Phil is the only thing holding him back right now.

"Hey," Clint calls out as they come closer, unsure, though he kinda really doesn't want to

"Guys," Phil says, and he looks a little relieved to see them, which doesn't sit well with them.

"What's going on?" Steve asks, leader mode quickly seeping in not only his voice but also the way he holds himself

"Tony," Phil tuts through gritted teeth when Tony roughly yanks his arm free from Phil's gentle hold on his arm.

"The team might be here, but I will park your ass in Fury's office" Phil grinds out the warning, but Tony's demeanour only seems to worsen.

"Phil," Natasha grinds out back at him. Team or not, this is unsettling for them.

"Think about it," Phil snips, gesturing to a clearly almost demonic Tony beside him with a very pointed look.

"Oh.... Right," Bruce winces as it hits them. Hell, they had done the same to him when they first met, though clearly not enough to do whatever the fuck made Tony like this.

"Right," Sam says tightly.

"Look," Phil sighs, holding up a hand to them, clearly about to tell them to go home and he'll deal with Tony.

"No. We got him. Phil, let us do something," Steve says, cutting him off. If they're going to be a team, they need to learn how to deal with this side of Tony.

"You sure?" Phil asks them after glancing at Tony, then raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms over his chest

"Yeah," Clint says, firmer than he had been earlier.

"If you say so." Phil sighs a little and shrugs. He's not all that upset to have Tony taken off his hands.

"How hard can it be, right?' Bruce chuckles nervously, hopeful, but knows it isn't going to be easy at all.

"Oi," Bucky barks a little in a tone that often matches Fury when he corrects Tony.

"I saw it," Bucky scoffs a little when Tony's eyes turn on him; he'd seen Tony tracking someone, and let's just say he doesn't like the way Tony is looking at him right now all that much either.

"Go," Natasha tells Phil, but they aren't going to hesitate to call him if things continue to go downhill.

"I'm a ring away," Phil says as Tony flips Bucky off strongly before Phil makes his own getaway.

"Right, let's do this dance." Bucky sighs a little as he cracks his knuckles.

The others get ready, too, though they hope it isn't much of a fight. The last thing they need is Tony taking off the ban or getting more of the golden hue. All or nothing, Bucky just goes for it. At least he can physically win over Tony just about any day, so he's not likely to lose yet. Tony doesn't move as if daring him, but Bucky just walks, and without slowing down or missing a beat, Bucky grabs the front of Tony's hoodie and begins to drag him behind him. Bucky is just honestly going off what Fury does and hopes it works the same for him. At least, it seems to be working for the moment. Besides, Bucky already has a place to hide out here, and it's away from anyone, let alone people that would just piss Tony off more. It should give them enough time for Tony to cool down before they try to make it home with him. The others follow him, ready for whatever way this goes. It seems to be okay so far, but they're still holding their breath. Tony doesn't drag his feet either, and he doesn't try to get Bucky off him either, but that could be because Bucky grabbed him with the metal hand. Bucky's also smart enough not to loosen his grip, change it, or let down his guard on Tony. If given the chance, he's sure Tony would do just about anything to get him off him, which isn't improving his mood either. He simply just hasn't started to lash out at them or use them as an outlet for his anger yet. Finally, after guiding and dragging the others along for a while, Bucky gets them to his hiding spot deep in the bellies of SHIELD.

Bucky opens the door for them, and they go through. It's a small filing room, really forgotten and covered in dust. He found it a long time ago when he needed space after coming to SHIELD and wanted to get away from anything, including Steve. He didn't want to be bothered, found, poked, or provided and just needed to be away from people, so he found this room, which became a safe space for him. In the door, and only after it's closed behind him does Bucky let go and takes a half step back just in case Tony swung at him or something. Tony simply flips him off aggressively, but that's it for the moment. He very clearly was holding himself back from everything else by how his free hand was clenched so tightly in a fist it's begun to bleed from his nails piercing his skin.

"Nice hidy-hole," Clint whistles, looking around and exploring the small room.

It's alright, just the size of a normal office room. I've got a desk and a chair, the odd wheely stool left behind, and all the forgotten files and boxes strewn about.

"This is where you were?" Steve asks, torn between anger and guilt. He'd spent hours looking for Bucky when he would vanish in the building.

"Every time," Bucky says, knowing it bugs Steve, and Tony just kinda pulled him into the nasty mood.

"Tony?" Bruce asks wearily as Tony hops up on the desk, not wanting to stand anymore. He'd listened to Phil nag on for too long.

"Take it off," Natasha says and taps her face, mimicking the ban, but Tony just gives her a dead look.

"I'll cover if it gets if that's what you're worried about," Steve says when Tony just continues the deadly cold, angry look.

"Scounts honor?" Sam tries when Tony rolls his eyes, though he doubts that it helps the situation

Honestly, Tony wouldn't mind taking off the mask, but he can't trust them yet, either. That and he'd have to swallow the fluid so they wouldn't know about it. It's fine to swallow; he just doesn't exactly enjoy the texture of it. But this whole thing has pissed him off enough to the point of wanting to throw the damn thing at the wall, so he does. He swallows it before unclipping it and hurling it at the wall, but he isn't aiming for anyone. They jump but stay quiet, not wanting to tempt him into actually going after them instead of literally anything else.

"Fine," Tony growls at them.

"Yay," Sam says weak and quietly, "I'm so ready to go home," He adds very quietly onto the tail end of that pity celebratory cheer.

"And we know, okay? We know," Natasha sighs before Tony can snap at them or brush the whole thing off and being used to it.

They wait out Tony's quick fuse and nearly unbearable temper, mostly by just pretending he wasn't like it and everything is normal. Just letting Tony simmer on his own and try and ease the air to help Tony relax amongst them. They know he's gonna be in a shit mood even after they get home today and however long after. But whatever they can get it down to is a hell of a lot better than this so. They figure longer, but it only takes a half hour until Tony forces himself down, and he calms down enough to be somewhat angrily pleasant with them. That being said, they're waiting. As Tony pulls out his phone, they unfortunately need to wait until the vehicles are ready to go back. To be fair, Bucky and Steve are technically still banned from driving, but no one was about to drive Tony, so they got a pass for now.

Once Back at the compound, no one tries to stop Tony from going back to his room. Where he spends the rest of the day after slamming the door closed. Both bans are tossed angrily on the bed, and no one is surprised when he doesn't come out for a few days. And with how he was, they deemed it lucky. So, to find him down on day four out in his original chair is a little shocking, but they welcome it nonetheless. The original chair was best for everyone, so it's not a step back. At least, they think so. They've all had times like this and have been there, so they know what to do and what not to do. At least at a basic level, Tony's a little special, but the guidelines should work anyway.

Tony goes back to his room before dinner. It's just too much; everything is just too much, and so is being around them now. He doesn't care if the others feel bad or whatever. They did the same fucking thing, so it should have been obvious and left him alone. Despite having the odd migraine and sore long throats, Tony feels both understimulated and overstimulated simultaneously. They're taking a bit longer because they were so close, but still, it's normal, and he knows this. It just pisses him off more. Once in his room, Tony stands there for a minute after locking the door. After that minute, Tony grabbed the blankets and pillows off the bed and shoved them into the closet before dropping them to his knees. Tony messes around with them on his knees before he ends up with a little nest and climbs into it. His mom used to do this in a moment of clarity when he was little and his dad was on the warpath. She would hide him and make him promise to be quiet while she distracted or kissed up his dad until he wasn't angry or forgot about whatever it was. Feeling incredibly stupid and shitting, Tony shoves his palms into his eyes and slides down until he slumps even further into the nest. Thinking of her isn't good, either. Howard is dead, but she managed to survive the drunk driving incident by a miracle, as many have called it. She was bad before, but she still became worse after she was a completely different person, and her moods were wild and violent. And once SHIELD took him on early placement, she was gone, only coming back sporadically to harass him or try and steal him back. Tony hasn't been with her since he was maybe ten. He can't remember if he was older, but he doubts it since most enter at the age of 12 or 13 on average. Thinking back, he might actually have been a little younger, but he doesn't dwell on it.

This line of thinking isn't helping, and the hands are sliding down to clench in his pockets, almost trying to break the skin again. He wants to go home, but he doesn't fucking have one and doesn't think he ever did. Nick is the closest thing he has to family, and even then, sometimes Tony doesn't know if he feels the same. Nick is great; he tries to do right by Tony and undo everything his parents have done to him. But Tony will never be okay or in complete control of his powers and temper. He'll always be someone's problem. No one wants him because of his abilities, name, mind, and mouth; honestly, just him in general. So why would he want anyone close to him? He made a big fucking mistake doing this. Everyone will leave him for one reason or another, and he must have gotten caught up in the moment, but he won't fall for it again. He let his emotions and affection-starved mind trick him into trying. Tony jumps from his spot and pulls out of his head, but he doesn't make a sound as he pushes himself up a little more using his hands. Someone knocks softly on the door; they try two more times before they leave. He waits a few minutes until he's sure whoever left and cautiously cracks the door open. Left at his door is a slightly steaming cup of tea waiting for him, so it must have been Bruce. Tony looks at it another moment before closing and relocking the door, his body feeling heavy.

It follows this pattern over the next few days, but he doesn't even come out at night now. Someone knocks a couple times a day, leaving offerings sometimes, but Tony ignores them each and every time. He knows they leave something but never actually checks what's been left as an offering after the first one. He's sure at some point, they'll have to call Phil, who will bring Nick, but until then, he doesn't plan on coming out. Hell, by then, it'll be a welfare check and not even a he's not coming out call. He intends to continue to stew in his anger and some self-loathing for thinking well. Everything he's been thinking about is his needs and wants to fight each other. He can tell they're being genuine when they try, and it makes it worse they didn't like him either, for fucks sake. Then just because of one asshole and a few minor moments, all those suddenly changes? Yeah, not a fucking chance. It can't be that easy. It has to be a trap cause all the other times should have worked, right?

Either way, he's not letting himself get fooled and tagged alone like a moron, and he only has himself to blame. It's dark before he finally sneaks out, forced out of his room by his own stupidity. He needs ice for the swelling and more bandages because, like an idiot, he went and broke his mirror by punching it when he couldn't stand his own face anymore. Tony just about has a heart attack when he flips on the low lights, and Bucky is sitting on the island counter. Bucky is sitting on the edge, one leg drawn up his chest, and he's facing Tony's hallway. He looks cold and maybe pissed, but he's unwavering, and now it's Tony's turn to be a little weary. He wonders how long Bucky has been waiting for him like that.

"What the fuck Barnes!?" Tony barks angrily, his hand still clenching his shirt over his heart

"Took you long enough," Bucky says calmly, his eyes more interested in Tony's hand.

"Long enough!? How fucking long have you been doing this bullshit!?" Tony yells at him angrily but is smart enough to move his hand out of view

"Take a wild guess, doll," Bucky says, his voice dropping a little colder as he hops off the counter gracefully, making Tony take a half-step back.

"I'm over this! What is wrong with you!? This is your fucking fault, and I'm fucking down with it! Leave me the fuck alone!" Tony shouts, stepping closer to get in Barnes's face, and Barnes meets him halfway

"My fault? Oh no, we share the blame on this one doll," Bucky corrects him, calm and distant.

"No, we fucking don't! If you hadn't said anything, none of this would have happened! Any of it! God fucking Christ! What the fuck do you want from me, Barnes!? What are you fucking getting out of this 'cause I'm fucking lost!" Tony goes off on him, only getting angrier that Bucky isn't reacting the way he wanted

"If you're gonna make me figure it out, then so do you." Bucky tsks more to himself

"I need to get out of here," Tony grinds out through clenched teeth, not realizing Bucky has grabbed him by the sleeve.

Tony's head hurts, and his mind is all over the place. He needs to fucking sleep, and everything needs to fucking stop. And he needs a goddamn hug to ground him.

"No, you don't," Bucky says, finally starting to pull Tony by his sleeve, and Tony just makes a face to say yes, I fucking do

"And you know this how?" Tony snaps after Bucky had clearly just ignored him but sits on the loveseat Bucky brought him over to

"Cause I'm right fucking here, darlin'; if you really wanted to leave and fuck off, then I wouldn't be this fucking close to you," Bucky draws pointedly.

Tony has to admit Bucky has a point. The other teen is literally towering over him with one hand on the back of the loveseat above his shoulder, and the other arm is boxing him in by holding the armrest. Bucky's face is close enough. There's only about a hand distance between them.

"I don't fucking know," Tony growls, hands coming up to cover his face in tired anger as he kicks Bucky in the thigh again, not as hard as he had wanted to.

"We're not out to get you, Tony," Bucky sighs as he straightens up a little

Tony doesn't agree but stays quiet and instead curls up in the corner of the loveseat. Bucky moves over to the kitchen and starts doing something, but Tony already has an idea what it'll be. It's not fair that Bucky never plays along how Tony wants. Tony's never met someone this close to being a match for him. By morning, the others are coming down, and they find Tony alone, sleeping on the loveseat under a blanket. By the two empty mugs, they can assume Bucky finally willed Tony out of his room last night. They move quietly so they don't wake them, and about ten minutes later, Bucky comes back, still drying his hair from the shower he'd just taken. Of course, he only left once he was sure Tony wasn't faking sleeping and would do something stupid.

Tony must have been running on fumes, though they already kind of knew that. He sleeps late into the afternoon before he starts to rouse, making a disgruntled noise when he tries to crack open his eyes. It's too bright, so Tony drags the blanket over his head and curls up tighter across the seats. He's still really groggy, but he does feel more himself and can breathe easier after finally sleeping. He's going to need to figure out a way to stimulate himself and try to sleep more unless he wants more of these meltdowns.

That's how Phil finds them when it gets closer to evening territory. Tony was still starting and failing to wake up. Bucky perched on the loveseat arm by Tony's head. Bruce trying to rattle off ideas for the bet he thinks if he's understanding it right. Clint is against the loveseat at Tony's feet, using it as a backrest. Sam is sitting on the coffee table yet again, having nothing to do but play video games. Steve greets him from the kitchen, where he's currently eating a bowl of cereal, and Natasha is sitting on the couch next to where Bucky is perched. If she wanted to, she could reach out and touch any of the three there, but she's more interested in her broken nail. Phil smiles, seeing them, and dims the lights as he walks in so it's not so harsh when Tony finally drags his ass off the couch and wakes up.