Chapter 7
Tony knew where he was when he woke up the next time. He didn't know how he should feel about getting so comfortable with this room being his in his mind, but what he did know was that he felt a lot better than he was the last time he woke up and was coherent enough to think. He touched his forehead, trying to gauge his temperature - maybe a little above normal? Dropping his hand, he glanced around the left side of the room, noting the weak light coming in from the window before looking at the clock. 6:37 in the morning.
A yawn forced its way out of him and he covered his mouth with his hand as he looked lazily to his right, only to near jump out of his skin with surprise. Steve was sitting at his bedside in the armchair, dead asleep with his head lolled onto his chest. Worry lines creased his face and he looked both older and younger than Tony had ever seen the Captain look, tense even in his sleep, his usually perfectly combed hair a mess of blonde on his forehead, and he was wearing clothes that were slightly too big for him. Slowly, the genius sat up, trying to be quiet as he stretched out his stiff muscles. How long had he been asleep? He had a few fuzzy memories, but his last coherent one was in the barn.
He sighed at the memory of their interaction, a harsh pang going through his heart. His parents' death, his mother's death, wasn't just an accident. It was murder. Steve's best friend killed- no. He shook his head, trying to physically remove that last thought from his brain. Now that he had time to think about it more, even if it had been hazy thoughts, he knew that it wasn't James Barnes who killed his parents. It was the Winter Soldier, Hydra's creation. Hydra killed his parents.
The worst part about the situation wasn't that it had opened the wound of grief for his mother, but that Steve, someone he considered one of his best friends, had kept it a secret from him. He had stared at Tony's face, talked to him, and never brought up the fact that he had found out the real reason his parents died on December 16th. He must have been worried he would help or fund the search for Bucky. Tony sighed, running a hand over his face. He still would have helped, didn't Steve know that? He knew their friendship was rocky, but didn't he know he could depend on him outside of battle? They had more to work on than Tony thought.
Finally, he decided it was time to wake the old capsicle up. "Cap," he whispered. The blonde stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. "Steve," he whispered, raising his voice a bit. "Earth to Steve," Tony finally said in his normal tone, reaching out and shaking his shoulder lightly. Finally, the soldier woke with a start, blinking his eyes in surprise. Tony raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to gather his bearings.
"Tony," he finally said, sitting up straight. "Your awake." There was audible relief in his voice and it pulled at his heartstrings - something he said he didn't have. It was just... touching to know he was so worried. About him of all people.
"What an astute observation." He rolled his eyes, but a small smile pulled at his lips. "Yes, I am awake." He stomach growled. "And I'm hungry." Steve chuckled.
"Hi, hungry. My name is Steve Rogers. Strange, you look like my best friend, Tony. You may have heard of him, considering he's the genius who created the Ironman suit. Oh, and does a lot of self sacrificial stunts," he said cheekily. Tony rolled his eyes so far back in his head he almost saw his brain, realizing two seconds later that the throbbing in his head that had been near constant in his sickness had stopped. Huh.
"You're so hilarious," the brunette deadpanned, fighting back a smile. "Really, comedy gold. You should open a comedy barn. You'd make millions."
"Well, thank you, Tony," Steve said, but his smile faded. He felt a pit in his stomach because he had a feeling he knew exactly what the man was about to say, and was proven right when he continued. "We need to talk. About what happened in the barn. I know-"
"Stop," he held up his hand, turning his body so he was facing Steve completely. "I don't blame Barnes, if that's what you're going to say. Yes, it's a shock that the real reason my parents died wasn't what I thought. I... I can heal from that. But, what I don't understnad is... why didn't you just tell me, Steve? You have looked me in the eyes so many times and just never said anything. You criticized me for keeping secrets when you were keeping one from me. If you're worried I wasn't going to help you search for Barnes if I knew, then you don't know me as well as I thought you did. Just... please. Explain to me why you didn't tell me." Desperation was seeping into his voice despite how hard he was trying to hide it. He just wanted to know. Was that too much to ask?
The supersoldier sighed and looked toward the window. Tony waited as patiently as he could, twiddling his thumbs as each second seemed to drag on for eternity. "I'm going to be honest," Steve said after a minute, turning his wayward back to him. "I thought you wouldn't help, but looking back now I realize how stupid of a thought that was. You've been nothing but generous to our team and you've always been willing to put yourself on the line for us." He took a breath and let it out slowly. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to get hurt, Tony. I knew the hurt knowing would cause you. I knew you would feel grief again and I know how much that emotion hurts and I just wanted to protect you, but I was only hurting you more with each passing day that you didn't know, and I am so, so sorry. I could say it a million times and it wouldn't be enough. I know your forgiveness will not be an easy thing to get, and your trust in me will be even harder to fix than that, but I'm willing to wait as long as it takes. I'll do whatever it takes because I don't want to lose you as a friend, Tony." There was raw emotion in his eyes - desperation mixed with hope.
The genius considered his words for a long minute before saying, "okay." The way Steve lit up made a small smile form on his face. "Yeah, you're right my trust will be hard to get back, but... I forgive you. Don't ever do anything like that again. I still get to punch you with the suit, right?" He asked, more of a joke to try and get rid of the emotional atmosphere that surrounded them from head to toe.
"Of course. Anything," Steve said immeadiately, which both surprised Tony and made his heart do that strange panging sensation again. He really did mean what he said, didn't he? "A deal is a deal, afterall." Tony felt his lip quirk to the side in a smirk before he pushed the blankets away, only to be stopped by Steve's hand on his shoulder. He looked over at him with a raised eyebrow once more as the Avenger's captain looking him over with concern. "Should you be up yet?" He asked.
"I feel fine, Cap," he argued. He got a doubtful look from the man which was understandable with how many times he had said he was fine in the last week and wasn't. "Alright, I'm near fine. And I'm being serious. No joke, I feel better than I have in a week- hey!" While he was talking, Steve had stuck the thermometer in his ear. He rolled his eyes again and grumbled quietly to himself until the contraption beeped.
"99.7 Fahrenheit," the blonde reported, relief in his tone but also a pointed look directed at Tony. "Not quite out of the woods yet."
Tony waved him off dismissively. "It's not technically a fever anymore," he shot back. "It's ran it's course. I'm good now and we kind of have bigger fish to fry- that means we have bigger problems than me being slightly under the weather, if you didn't get that reference. How long have I been asleep?" He swung his legs over the side of the bed, only then realizing that he was dressed in a loose t-shirt and sweat pants. "And where can I get some good clothes?"
"You're still not completely well Tony, but I already know there is nothing I can do to stop you. You're stubborn as a mule," Steve said with a defeated sigh. Tony had to resist the urge to chuckle at that. Hos face twisted into a different expression as he thought, emotions flying through his eyes that he couldn't quite decipher. "Two days," he finally said, which made the genius balk. He had been asleep for two days? He could have sworn it had only been a couple of hours. "There are clothes in the drawer. I'll let you change." He stood and started for the door.
"Hey, Steve," he said, a pinch of mischief in his voice. "could you not tell the team I'm awake? I would rather it be a surprise."
His friend looked back at him with exasperation clear on his face, but he nodded anyway. "Sure, Tony, just don't give them any heart attacks. We definitely do not need that right now." He opened the door but paused halfway through the opening. "I'm glad you're okay, Tony. You really scared me there, in the barn."
He felt his heart soften a little at the blatant show of vulnerability. Not many people worried about him before the Avengers, but now he had a team to back him up when things got rough. He had a bigger family than he ever imagined having. "Sorry. I'll try not to do it again," he said earnestly. He shocked himself with how willing he was to follow through. He had vague memories of Natasha reading to him, Bruce touching his forehead, Clint rambling at his beside, Laura telling him about the kids' latest antics, and the kids themselves playing beside his bed, explaining out loud what they were doing. With every touch and word, he could feel the worry in the air, almost taste it. He was used to doing dangerous stunts, on and off the battle field, but he never thought so many people would want to help him. He thought he could only depend on Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey for the longest time, and now he was figuring out that other people had his back, too.
Steve nodded, a small smile on his face before he disappeared out the door, closing it behind him. Tony went and grabbed the clothes, trying to give himself something else to focus on besides his roaring thoughts and the impending battle that was approaching with every minute that passed. He decided to take a quick shower in the conjoining bathroom before changing and it was honestly the best feeling in the world. He hadn't taken a shiwer in days and it felt good to get the cardboard-like clothes away from his skin. He had been able to tell that the clothes he had gotten out of the drawer weren't his or Barton's - he hadn't brought a bag and Clint did not like AC/DC, and yet that was the theme of the shirt. He soon figured out where they came from as he found new tags on them, which brought a small smile to his face. He didn't know who bought them, but he had a hunch at who it was.
Tugging the clothes on, of which included the aforementioned AC/DC shirt, blue jeans, white sneakers, and a black jacket that was both fairly stylish and had a soft inside, he gave his hair a good pat to try and flatten out the wayward curls and took a deep breath, turning to the door that lead put of his little bubble of privacy. There was no reason to be nervous, but he felt a pit in his stomach that wasn't from nausea. He had no clue what might be about to happen - did the team know about the Maximoff's influence on him? Did they know about his nightmares? His fears? His worries? If they did, did they think he was crazy? Would he be benched from battle since he still had a fever? The what ifs were driving him crazy, but there was only one way to answer the questions.
The genius walked over to the door, gathering his determination and mustering together all the confidence he could even with the chil still going up and down his spine. His hand only hesitated on the doorknob for a brief second, but it was still long enough to have him yelling at himself inside his head. There was no reason to be so scared, so why was he? Had he revealed some valuable information about himself that he tried to keep hidden while in his sickly state? He pushed the door open and strided out, noting how all the other doors were open and yet it was barely passed seven.
When he glanced in what he knew was Cooper's room to check if the boy was still asleep, he was surprised to find both him and Lila on the floor in a blanket fort, sleeping soundly with pillows scattered around them, the girl dressed in Tinkerbell pajamas and Cooper wearing the Hulk pajamas he claimed not to have. A chuckle found its way passed his lips arms he shook his head fondly before walking in. Lila was sprawled out horizontally, her legs thrown over her elder brother's chest. Said brother's head was off his pillow, arm instead perched on it. Both snored in sync, hair a mess from moving around in the night. They were both so adorable - although Cooper might not like to be referred to as such.
Not wanting to wake them by moving them over to the bed, he gently arranged their limbs where they would be more comfortable. He turned Lila, getting her feet away from where they were slowly getting dangerously close to her brother's face, and he slid the pillow under Cooper's head and gently put his arm on his stomach. Once both were laid in a way that was more comfortable and less in each others' way, he turned to leave. Tony could hear the team downstairs in the kitchen now, their words too low for him to make out but the light clattering of pans telling him they were preparing breakfast. He was halfway out the door when he heard a female voice call sleepily, "Uncle Tony?" Immeadiately, he spun on his heel to see Lila slowly sitting up, looking at him through bleary eyes.
She blinked a few times, then her green irises seemed to light up as she grinned. "Uncle Tony!" She said a bit louder. It wasn't a yell, but it kind of felt like it with the force of her excitement hitting him in his heart because was she really that excited to see him? She lunged out of the blanket fort and tackled his legs in a bear hug. His brain shorted out for a moment before kicking into gear and he knelt down to hug her back. "You're all better?" She asked hopefully when she pulled away after a few seconds. He smiled.
"I sure am, little munchkin." Technically, that was false. Steve did say he had a slight fever, but the kid looked so hopeful and he would never be one to crush that look on a child's face. Plus, why would she need to know that?
Her grin lit up his world for a moment before she hugged him again, throwing her little arms around his neck. As he hugged her again, Tony heard another young voice. "Lila? Where-" Cooper Barton rolled onto his stomach, looking over at them with half awake eyes. It took the boy only a second to scramble to his feet, sentence abruptly cut off once he caught sight of them. "Uncle Tony, you're up," he said excitedly, running over. The curls on his forehead bounced with each step until he finally was hugging Tony, too, and the man found him trapped in a giant bear hug from the two mini agents, as he had dubbed them along with his various other nicknames for the kids.
"Wow, did you two really miss me that much?" He joked, but part of it was a genuine question. He may have been able to hide that from everyone else, but this genuine curiosity and surprise couldn't be hid for himself like when he pushed the darkness of his nightmares to the back of his mind. It would be cruel to push this genuine happiness away from his heart and place it with such cold feelings, even if he didn't believe he deserved such happiness. He didn't deserve a lot of things he had in his life - Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, his money, his genius brain, Pepper, the team, his life, did he mention Pepper? He didn't deserve that woman. She's the only reason he's alive. She had a million chances to leave, but she stayed at his side through thick and thin. Now she was the love of his life and he didn't know what he'd do without her, and he definitely didn't deserve her.
"Of course we did!" Lila said and despite the fact that she squealed out the words right beside his ear, he grinned even wider. "Can we build the light saber you were talking about before? Could we build two? Can they be blue and green?" She rambled off questions as she pulled away again, bouncing on her toes and clasping her hands together in front of her chest. "Please, Uncle Tony?" Cooper was trying to hide his smile as he too pulled away, but a hopeful smile was forming on his face.
"If your mom says it's okay, then yes," he said, then lowered his voice to a childish whisper as their smiles only grew brighter. "Even if she says no, we'll thinking something to make. How do you feel about robot dogs?" The two smothered their giggles and laughs with their hands. He ruffled Cooper's hair as he stood up straight, smoothing out his jacket. "Now, how about you two go ask your mother about those sabers and I'll go talk to your dad and the rest of the team, okay?" He got a chorus of agreement from the two before they raced out of the room. Tony walked behind them, watching as they ran into the kitchen. As he descended the stairs, he could see Clint, Natasha, and Bruce on the couch. Steve was settled in an armchair and was looking directly at Tony with an eyebrow raised. It was like he was silently saying, 'what exactly are you doing?' Tony just smirked, putting a finger to his lips as he made his way over to the couch.
The closer he got, the more he could see how tired they all looked. Bruce was leaned on the arm with Natasha flush against his side, both half asleep and staring listlessly at the TV playing some sitcom from the early 2000s. Clint was stretched out on the other end of the couch, bare feet settled in Natasha's lap as he fiddled with his trusty bow. Tony put his hands on the couch, leaning against the back of it, and watching the show for a few seconds before saying aloud, "did this really qualify as entertainment back in the day? The jokes are rotting my brain more than any video game."
Bruce and Clint both jumped, startled out of whatever daze they were in. Natasha was less startled - it was really hard to surprise her, but one day he swore he would. She gave him so many near heart attacks because of how silent she was and he just wanted to pay her back for it all - but blinked a little more rapidly that she usually would have as she turned around in her spot, smiling slightly when she saw him. Tony reflexively smiled back, but this time it wasn't one of his press smiles. Steve was chuckling in his chair, looking more relaxed than he had been in a while.
At the same time, Bruce and Clint both stood up. The former rounded the couch to Tony, looking him over with relief as the latter turned to Steve, asking, "you knew he was awake?" and punching him lightly on the arm, only serving to make the sandy blonde laugh harder. Bruce's hand went toward his forehead and Tony stepped back instantly. He knew Bruce wouldn't hurt him, but his fear of being benched took over. The sometimes green doctor opened his mouth to say something, but then the captain stepped in.
"I checked Tony's fever when he got up earlier," Steve said, standing and stretching. "99.7. Not classified as a fever, but I see no reason to keep him in bed. What do you think, Bruce?" He asked, turning to the shorter man. Bruce rubbed his chin in thought, looking Tony over with a calculating gaze as the entire team waited with bated breath, the only sounds being Laura's and the kids' voices and the clatter of dishes as breakfast was prepared.
"As long as you actually take it easy, Tony, you don't have to stay in your room," he finally said, bringing a crooked half grin, half smirk to the elder genius's face. His science bro rolled his eyes in that fond way he sometimes did, but then surprised Tony by giving him a hug. Bruce rarely touched people - he barely wanted anyone touching him. To get a full on hug from him so suddenly caught Tony off guard, but he hugged him back. "Don't you scare us like that again," he whispered and Tony could only nod, just now realizing just how much he put the team through just by that little sentence. When Bruce moved away, he was surprised once more by Clint bear hugging him, although that was more expected than Bruce.
What surprised him about as much as Bruce's hug did, was when Natasha made her way around the couch, looked him up and down, then hugged him tightly. She was never one for much physical contact, but she would often place her hand on someone's shoulder when things got rough for them. She'd done it to everyone, including him, but she was never much one for hugging. He hugged her back all the same though, keeping the confusion to himself. Natasha showing emotion was a rare thing, and he didn't need to rin it with words. "I'm glad you're alright, idiot," she said in Russian before pulling away. He opened his mouth to speak, although he didn't know what he would say. Joke? Snark? Give her a genuine thank you? A mixture of all three was pulling at him, but he had no chance to say anything because of a loud thunder boom outside made near all of them jump. (Darn superspies. It was like they were immune to jump scares.)
The sky was perfectly clear, not a cloud in sight, but before they could step out and investigate, the reason for the thunder came walking in the front door. Thor. He looked the same as when he left (a few days ago? A week ago?), his trusty hammer at his side and his eyes determined. "Friends," he lit up marginally when he saw them all in the livingroom. "you're all here."
"Ever heard of knocking, pointbreak? You nearly gave me a heart attack and Steve is like ninety. He doesn't need that kind of stress," Tony joked while the other three Avengers rolled their eyes, the aforementioned ninety year old shaking his head slightly. All of them had small smiles though so he felt the need to add onto the joke a little. "Seriously, why is Cap on the field? He could break a hip at any second."
"You should be the one to open a comedy barn, Tony," Steve said in reference to their conversation earlier. The genius tilted his head toward him considerately, responding with, "possibly, but I doubt Pepper would approve."
Thor laughed lightly, but his face soon morphed into confusion. "I went looking for you all at the base where you said we would meet up, Captain. I did not expect you all to still be here. Did I get my midguardian days mixed up?"
"No, Thor," Natasha said before placing a hand on Tony's shoulder. "We ran into a little speed bump, also know as 'Tony Stark can be an idiot genius.'" The man of thunder looked between him and her with confusion until the red head continued again. "In shorter terms, Tony got real sick so our plans were delayed by a few days, but we did learn some valuable information we'll tell you later." Her eyes softened as she looked back at Tony and he knew exactly what she was thinking about. Clint told them all about the scepter's influence and Tony's blame on himself. He gave her a tiny smile in response before clapping his hands. "Alright, gang is all here. Cap, I think this would be the time in a movie where you would give us an inspirational speech or something, so have at it."
"But I'm hungry," Clint whined over exaggeratedly. "Can't the speech just be 'if you die, walk it off'? The bacon is calling my name!" Indeed, the aroma of bacon and other foods had drifted into the livingroom and Tony couldn't lie that it was effecting him, too. It felt lime he hadn't eaten in days - maybe he hadn't, at least, not much, and he was ready to eat. Why did he tell Steve to give a speech again? That fever must have fried some of his sensibly brain cells.
"Last time I said something like that, Clint got hit," Steve said with a shake of his head. Said archer responded with a whined, "but I didn't die! That counts for something, right?" A chuckle went around the room before Steve got his 'Captain-face' on. "Last time we went on the battle field, we nearly lost one of our own and we didn't realize when another was effected drastically. We fought each other instead of listening. We let the enemy split us up from the inside instead of talking, but we will not make that same mistake again." His eyes looked over each of them and instead of feeling like he was being scrutinized, Tony felt a little empowered. He knew he was the one who had been 'effected,' but he also knew for sure now that his team had his back. Doubt had been growing in the back of his mind for three hears and now that they had cleared the air, those nagging questions were gone.
"Ultron is a new, unpredictable enemy, with a lot of power at his fingertips. We're going to have to go in as a united front or we won't stand a chance. We're a team, a family, and we need to act like it. We don't know when or where he will strike, but we're going to be ready," he said. "Get your gear together. We'll be leaving right after breakfast."
"Noon," a voice said from behind them. They all turned in unison to see little Lila Barton standing by the couch with her arms crossed over her chest, a small scowl on her face. "You can leave at noon. Mom always says that to have a good day, you need a good lunch and breakfast. Plus, Uncle Tony said he would help us build light sabers." Her eyes were wide, pleading, and adorable. Tony knew he wouldn't be able to say no if he tried. It seemed Steve agreed with this because he amended his statement with a small smile, "alright, Lila, we'll leave after lunch."
The girl nodded, a satisfied look on her face. Laura came into the room with her own smug look. "Come on, Lila. You and your brother need to wash up," she said the kid nodded and ran into the kitchen. The woman looked straight at Tony, "I'm glad to see you up and about." Not knowing what exactly to say, he just smiled and gave a thumbs up. Wow, did so many people really miss him that much? She smiled back and started walking back into the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready whenever Steve is done with his inspirational speech," she called over her shoulder, causing the good captain to blush a bit with embarrassment.
"Another question," Clint said, but this time he didn't follow up with a joke. He actually looked serious. "What are we going to do with the Maximoffs? The Wanda girl can get into our heads."
"I still thing we should give them a second chance," Tony said, rushing to continue before anyone, namely Clint, could cut him off. "We know their history now. They're parents were killed when they were only ten and they didn't know Hydra's true intentions when they joined. They've probably been fed lies for years and if we get them to see the truth for themselves, then maybe they'll change over to our side."
"And if they don't see the wrongs they've done?" Bruce asked, cleaning his glasses with his shirt, an anxious tick of his. Natasha rested her hand on his wrist and he relaxed a little, which was both cute and strange to see. He would have to get more used to them being together. "Would of they just keep fighting us?"
"Then we shall have to fight back," Thor interjected, eyes flashing blue. "We are a team, as our comerade has said, and if we communicate, then the one with mind powers can not get into our heads. We can trap the quick one, could we not?"
Steve nodded. "Thor is right. Communication is key and I'm sure we can figure out something to do with the speedster. We have two super geniuses on this team, afterall." He looked between Tony and Bruce, who glanced at each other before nodding in unison. They worked together seamlessly and had created some powerful and strange inventions in the past few years. Surely they could come up with something to trap a runner of they needed to. Tony just hoped it wouldn't come down to that.
"And if they do agree to join us?" Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow. Steve looked at Tony and waited for him to nod before speaking. "Then we'll have two new Avengers on the team. They'll need training, of course, but there will be two more people to help protect the world from threats." Tony had told the blonde in an off handed comment a few weeks ago that he was thinking about retirement so he could build a life with Pepper outside of superhero buisness. Having two more heroes on the team would make it a lot easier for him to retire without too much worry.
"Inspirational speech: check. Plan: check," Clint drawled with a crooked smile. "Can we go and eat now? My kids are going to inhale the bacon before I get a piece." They all laughed, Natasha elbowing him in the ribs while saying, "you deserve it." The archer let out a squeak that sounded a lot like the squawk of a bird which only served to make Tony laugh harder. It felt good to kaugh with minimal chance of a coughing fit, even if his lungs were hitching up a little. He wasn't 100% yet, but he may as well be. Right now, anyway. He had his team at his back and a family to lean on - he would be okay in the end. They all would.
"Sure, Clint, just one last thing," Steve said. He paused for a long moment, all of them watching him with confusion until his mouth curled into something that was half a smirk, half a smile. Another beat of time passed before he said in his most serious voice, "Avengers Assemble. Let's eat."
As they moved into the kitchen and settled into the oak chairs, Tony felt at peace for the first time in days. The sickness had rocked his body and he would need more time to recover, but he didn't worry about that now, only smiling and talking with the children, laughing when Laura stole Clint's bacon before he could even take a bite, and just enjoying the company of his team. His family. A few days ago, these people still felt like work buddies, but now? They were closer than ever before. The genius usually didn't like to get close to people from how many times he had ended up burned, but he found himself believing that he really could trust these people around him. As he looked over the room again, half listening to the wild story about Asgard that Thor was telling the wide-eyed children, he felt warmth filling his heart.
The Avengers, Laura, the children - they were all pieces of his family. They warmed his battered heart and reminded him that he did actually have the organ, not just a block of ice in his chest. He had learned so much in the passed few days, both good and bad things, but the knowledge that he had more people to lean on than he thought... that was the best thing of all. He would protect these people to his very last breath.
The next twenty four hours were going to be ones full of suspense and adrenaline, he knew. Especially when it came to facing Ultron and the twins again. But no matter what happened, Tony knew they would get out of it, because they were stronger together, and they would only get better. He would look out for them and they had shown that the support went both ways. They would see tomorrow morning if Tony had anything to say about it. Families looked after each other, and that's what they were. A family. A dysfunctional, strange, hectic bunch, but a family.
And with that thought, Tony smiled.