their arrival
after many disputes a small debate with pepper, tony knew that his original plan would have to be slightly altered.
turns out, pepper didn't want peter anywhere near the avengers either, requesting the rogues to be moved to stark tower. she never said why she wanted that- but in hindsight, it did work out in tony's favor. I mean, it was a pretty smart idea. if peter and the rogues lived in different towers, they would most likely never be able to meet.
so, the couple decided that happy and pepper would stay at the compound to take care of peter while tony would go and live with the Rogues, as the government and senate wanted him to keep an eye on them or whatever that bullshit meant.
stupid administration officials, always messing shit up for tony. honestly, he wished he could just chop off their fucking dic-
peter would be able to visit tony every weekend, getting there on fridays after school and staying there until sunday night where happy would come to pick him up and drive him to school the next morning.
of course, there was the devastating prospect that peter and the rogues would somehow bump into one another while the kiddo was visiting. but that was rare, as tony would leave almost everything off-limits to the rogues except the common area and the kitchen. he wasn't gonna prohibit a former shield spy, a super-soldier, a certain web-swinging vigilante, and more from opening the same fridge- that would just be stupid.
in reality, tony really wanted to do that and only didn't because rhodey said it would be a chance for him and others to reconnect and blah, blah, blah- whatever.
when they told peter about the move, tony could feel the disappointment radiating off the poor boy. he almost, almost, called the whole thing off, but he knew that he was doing this to protect peter. even peter's bambi eyes™ wouldn't work on him- nope, not this time.
ok, maybe just a little.
but after a long talk with explanations on why tony had to move back without them ("work's really been piling up on me pete and your school's too far away from the tower.") and how they would still spend their weekends, ("yes, i promise we'll still have our movie nights.") so it all worked out in the end.
plus, tony only wanted the best for peter. with dethlacon practices becoming longer and longer as peter prepared for upcoming competitions and exam season approaching on the horizon, tony thought the move would help the kiddo focus more on his own wellbeing.
but peter wasn't naive, he could see that something had been stressing out tony for the past couple of weeks.
he could hear tony's heartbeat speed up faster than usual and he was having more migraines than before- i mean, he also shouldn't have left the bottle of pills on the dining table yesterday morning. his body movements were always stiff, the dark eyebags he wore indicating the lack of sleep he had the previous week night before.
plus, he knew that tony rarely attended meetings and left most of stark industries' business initiatives up to pepper- he was already feeling suspicious when mr. stark mentioned the word work.
but, peter trusted that tony knew his own limits and that the man would open up to him when he was ready.
thursday arrived faster than tony expected, much to his displeasure.
most of team cap was moving back in- barton, maximoff, romanoff, wilson, and rogers. barnes was still taking time to heal in wakanda while shuri was fixing up his metal arm, so t'challa had notified him that it would be about a week until the former assassin would move back in.
tony supposed it was good on his part, as his mental health would be taking a huge hit if both rogers and barnes moved back simultaneously it wasn't that he hated the duo, it's just that he knew his anxiety would give him major flashbacks if he saw them from the get-go and he was not ready for that. he knew it was gonna happen eventually, but he wanted to prolong it for as long as he possibly could.
of course, tony would have preferred it if they came back in smaller waves, but his opinion on that matter was never really considered in the long run.
rhodey would also be checking in once a week due to government and military requests and vision would be visiting soon to see the rogues again. although, tony already knew it was just for wanda. since they were previously fugitives and living on the run, they didn't require much. all tony had to add was a lot bit more food in the kitchen, a few extra tools in the training rooms, some comfortable beds, and they were good to go.
when the rogues moved back in, there was nothing. no welcome back banner, no light banter with a few laughs here and there, no small celebration with some booze and snacks, no heartfelt moment between them to make amends about the civil war- nada, zip, zilch, zero.
tony didn't even seem to acknowledge them moving in.
ok, maybe tony was being a little petty about the whole thing. deep down, he knew that this was a good first step to repairing the team since being around each other would heal them more in the long-run. but, that didn't mean tony had to like this right now- he still wanted a bit more time to mope around in his workshop.
the day they came back, steve had to admit he was a little disappointed. even though he knew both him and tony were in the wrong about the whole civil war and siberia incident, he wanted to try and start anew with the billionaire. he felt guilty and wanted to show that they could be a team again, a closer and more trusting team, to show that he had time to reflect and became a better person during the time that they were separated.
but it didn't look like that was happening soon- pepper was the one who turned up to show them around, not tony. honestly, it's not like she really wanted to, but she wasn't about to let tony have a panic attack right from the start.
steve's pride was a little hurt when he saw pepper instead of tony on the landing pad, but he wasn't about to let that get him down.
"pepper, it's nice to see you again," he said, stepping out of the quinjet.
the woman remained uncharacteristically quiet, her face a blank slate as steve's eyebrows furrowed in worry.
an eavesdropping clint spoke up, "pepper? are you oka-"
"it's ms. potts to all of you, i don't think we're close enough to be on a first-name basis yet." she replied in a monotone voice, "now please, follow me."
her signature bright red high heels echoed with every step she took, everyone else with their eyes widened as they walked behind her into the building.
most of them were shocked- what was this not close enough to be on a first-name basis? besides wanda, the rest of them had known pepper for such a long time with her classic, friendly smile and gentle words.
but this? this was a whole new pepper. from wanda's perspective, though she had just met this woman, she could tell that her words had damaged her teammates more than they wanted to show.
she didn't have to read their minds to know that their old relationship was cracked and perhaps, even unmendable.
as natasha stared in front of her, she only then realized how much the civil war incident had affected everyone. not just tony and pepper, but the rest of them as well. she recognized steve's defeated expression when pepper spoke back to them, her voice void of emotion.
even the super-spy herself was upset that she ever let their friendship fall apart, and she wasn't usually one to make connections with others and truly care about them.
"..by the way, why isn't tony the one guiding us around?" sam questioned, attempting to cancel out the tension that was wafting through the air.
"stark is currently occupied with work-related studies," pepper responded, " but you'll see him around soon enough."
so, the last-name basis also applied to tony.
the whole atmosphere was strange and unusual, everyone wishing the tour would end faster just so they could get rid of the uncomfortable feeling surrounding them.
during the entire tour, steve couldn't really focus on most of what pepper was saying, only looking around once in a while before staring at the ground once again. this group was broken, shattered- and for once, he had no idea how to fix it.
he was meant to be a leader, the one who guided his teammates in the right direction. but this time, he didn't have a clue about how to start piecing them back together.
he betted tony couldn't bear to see his face after what happened in siberia and honestly, neither could he. the guilt piled up to his throat every time he had a nightmare, regretting every single one of action while knowing they both could've handled the situation better. he should've told tony about his parents instead of hiding it away from him, even if steve thought it was for his own good.
the accords wasn't so much of an issue compared to steve's actions- leaving tony to die in an abandoned, snowy, wasteland. he didn't even have the guts to tell his teammates about siberia, too afraid of the backlash he would receive. and even though he didn't mean most of what he did, the thought of defending Bucky being the only thought in his mind at that moment.
but it didn't mean he thought tony was completely innocent, the philanthropist having his fair share of errors during the civil war and siberia. he shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, immediately attacking bucky out of what steve thought was pure rage and anger.
somewhere within his heart, he knew a small part of him wanted to be enraged at tony for trying to engage in a battle with his best friend without letting steve explain the full picture. that little part of him wanted to resent tony for not seeing how the accords would just split the team apart more than it was at the time, how it wouldn't benefit anyone and could very well destroy all the progress and freedom they had tried to build up for so long.
but no, tony could never understand the life struggles steve had gone through. from being frozen in ice for nearly seventy years and waking up in a new century, to realizing his best friend was still alive and being targeted by someone he trusted- he would've never understood, no matter how hard steve tried to explain. that emotion of burning hatred in him wanted to strike that rich, egoistical, playboy in the face over and over, allowing tony to feel how he felt when their team had been ripped apart, forced to fight against each other at that stupid airport in germany.
he wanted to utterly destroy him.
no, take a deep breath, steve. be reasonable, don't be irrational.
however, he also knew that he too was partially in the wrong for both the events in siberia and whole civil war in general- that tony had gone through his own struggles after their fights, as he was certain that tony's fatal wounds didn't heal in a day. so, he wanted to take the first step that would help heal his relationship with tony.
but how does one say sorry to someone that doesn't want to even see them, let alone strike up a conversation with them?
steve let out a sigh, brain filled with his past faults as he rubbed his temples to try and rid himself of his newly-formed headache. he only snapped out of it when he felt a tap on his shoulder, turning around to see wanda staring at him with a concerned expression.
"i can help you with that if you want, steve." she said with a smile, "i won't look into your mind, promise."
"yes, please. that would be great, wanda." he answered, thankful.
relief washed over him as red mist surrounded his head, wanda carefully removing his stress-filled thoughts.
"cap, what's got you all worked up?" sam asked, placing his bag onto the couch- oh, they were in the common room?.
"uh, did you seriously not see the tension between us and pepper?" clint sighed, "it's clear that things aren't going to be like before."
"of course they aren't, the civil war messed us all up in different ways. including pepper, even if she wasn't there to fight." Wanda responded.
"i'm just thinking of ways to fix this whole mess up." steve confessed, "the pressure and guilt are driving me insane."
natasha sent him a sympathetic smile, albeit a tiny one, but it was still there.
"i'm sure we all feel the same as you do, but this kind of stuff takes time, steve." she told him, the super-soldier nodding along.
"yeah, you're right.." he said back, slightly reassured by nat's comforting words.
maybe steve could change things around, he just had to be patient.
for the first two months or so, everything was going according to tony's plan.
tony had met up with the rogues a few days after they arrived, bumping into each other while tony was making his afternoon coffee- because of course, they would meet up again in the kitchen, of all places.
it was as awkward as tony had expected it to be, but they managed to make some semi-decent conversation. after a week, tony was able to stay in the same room as one of them without publicly displaying a nervous breakdown, so at least that was progress.
meanwhile, even though peter was disheartened by his father's sudden move, he definitely didn't let that push them apart. despite his busy extracurriculars and full-on schedule, he always made sure to leave his weekends free, even passing off building a new star wars lego set with ned just to take an hour's drive up to stark tower. he never forgot about any plans they made, always making the most of their time together before peter had to leave on monday.
and, as a bonus on tony's part, peter hadn't met any of the rogues yet, so that showed he might've been having a lucky streak. peter's spidey senses could still feel how stressed mr. stark was with his hunched shoulders, stiff posture, and tired appearance- so peter made sure to help out in any way he could.
movie nights were one of tony's favorite pastimes with peter, especially after a long and agonizing day. tony's migraines would wash away instantly after a two-hour disney movie as he and peter sang along to the songs (he had memorized them just for peter), a comedy movie helping him to laugh out his stress.
they would always make peppermint hot chocolate and popcorn which was their official movie night tradition, wreaking havoc in the kitchen while knowing they would have to clean up afterward, but they didn't care- peter and tony were having fun and that was that.
tony would then sit down on the couch, legs propped on a pillow in a comfortable manner. peter would take the spot next to him, often curling up into the crook of his neck or snuggling into his chest, making himself comfy as tony placed a warm blanket over the both of them.
but the one thing that could always unwind tony was peter's brown, curly locks of hair- he could comb his fingers through that ball of fluffiness all day and never get tired of it. having the tv quietly murmur in the background, peter cuddled up against him while breathing up and down in a steady rhythm and running his fingers through his bambino's hair was an instant cure for his insomnia that caused him to fall asleep alongside his son in minutes.
peter knew this fact- he didn't care if happy got annoyed or if pepper would scold him and tony the next day for not arriving home on time. to the young boy, having a relaxed, peaceful, sleeping mr. stark with close-to-none nightmares was already a big enough accomplishment to throw all the other consequences of his actions away.
if it helped mr. stark have a good night's sleep, nothing else mattered.
the rogues also saw tiny changes in tony. i mean, they was bound to notice sooner or later- the man was literally living with two ex-shield super spies.
they knew a happy-go-lucky, open-armed tony wasn't something they could possibly achieve in such a small amount of time, but the differences in his attitude were easy to spot. his absence in the evenings during weekends didn't go unnoticed, nor did his demeanor when he returned.
he would always look lighter in a sense, more fulfilled and relaxed than before, like how they would look when wanda helped them remove the day's worries- but everyone knew that it wasn't her who helped the man, as it was obvious since day one that wanda wasn't exactly comfortable with being alone with tony. he would even try to join in on their conversations, sometimes pulling up a chair and actually enjoying the chatter before retreating back into his lab.
to natasha, she saw the most minuscule things that even tony himself might not have been aware of. how he would always make himself a cup of hot chocolate instead of his usual black coffee in the evenings, how he would occasionally offer to help out with chores or give advice on someone's problem rather than just letting the person handle it themselves.
his confident strides as he waltzed over to the kitchen table, a small, happy grin that seemed permanently stuck on his face as he grabbed a pack of dried blueberries. he usually didn't even remember to eat, let alone bother to. once, she even swore she heard him humming a soft melody while cleaning the dishes.
the song sounded awfully familiar, like a childhood tune of some sort? but, she wasn't certain.
though, their observations were mostly futile as tony would become his normal, arrogant, sarcastic self again in the morning- he was the complete opposite of kind at the breakfast table. it was as if, at night, he had a completely different persona.
to peter, this was the mr. stark that he knew and learned to love. but to the rogues, it was just plain strange- entirely out of the ordinary from the cocky billionaire that they were familiar with, the one that they knew ever since their early avenger-ing days.
"maybe he's just been drinking again?" steve had suggested one night, right after an annoyed tony had once again dismissed himself off to who-knows-where as it was clear he didn't want to be around them at that moment.
when the rest of them didn't respond, the soldier continued, "i mean, think about it. he chugs down a couple glasses of liquid courage, lets the alcohol do its thing while he chats with us, retreats back into his humble abode, and is miserable again in the morning with what's probably a terrible hangover."
"i doubt that, cap, stark doesn't seem like the man who would drink and knowingly risk one of his fingers slipping while working in his lab." sam chimed in, chewing on a piece of lettuce.
"swallow your food, bird brain." clint joked, said man throwing a glare his way.
"speak for yourself, hypocrite."
steve shrugged, "who knows, he could be just drinking in his lab to make us think that he's working when in reality, he's not."
"i don't think he has any alcohol though," Wanda stated, "there was none in the fridge last time i checked."
"well, he might be hiding some in his private quarters." clint countered, "we don't know what he keeps up there."
"we don't, but pepper does. she's a good woman and only wants the best for tony- she wouldn't let him walk down that path again, not if he wanted them to stay together." natasha confidently answered, the rest of them nodding along.
"i suppose it's also best we don't jump to conclusions.." steve agreed, "i don't want to offend him, after all."
all of them knew they were on thin ice just by being around tony, let alone striking up some banter. it wouldn't be wise to look deeper, though their curiosity may get the best of them one day.
but what they didn't know was that even though pepper did contribute to helping tony heal and develop better habits, it was actually a certain young lad from queens with chocolate doe-eyes and a caring smile that had enough patience and kindness to help pull tony out of the cage he trapped himself in- helping him to see how bad his previous decisions were and be active in changing his ways.
but.. they didn't need to know that- tony had more important things to focus on.
now, when was peter getting here? he's ten minutes late, that sly kid.
well, his sly kid.