Untrue

Tony is hiding out in his own damn home trying to avoid Steve despite the fact that they share a hallway when Bucky comes up behind him, wrapping his arms around him. “Hey,” he murmurs into Tony’s ear. “Are we still hiding or can I actually show that I care about you in public?”

He turns, giving Bucky a confused look. “Did you miss the knock down, drag out fight with Steve that involved you having a panic attack, Steve telling Peter what was going on, me yelling at him some more, and then unsuccessfully trying to calm your panic attack that mostly only led to more yelling? Because you were there,” Tony points out. Immediately Bucky looks away, clearly trying to think up an excuse and Tony sighs. “Can we just skip the excuses and get to the actual truth here? Because I’m kind of exhausted with lies and skirting the truth.”

“Uh. I don’t think you’re going to like the truth,” Bucky tells him.

When the fuck does he ever?

*

“Fury says you need to kill them to expose them,” Natasha says and Tony glares at her.

“We’re not killingBucky, Nat, oh my god.” Talk about an overreaction.

Natasha shrugs, looking at her file, “just saying what Fury suggested,” she says and Tony snatches the file from her.

“Oh you asshat, it also says that any memory that no one else would know about that’s not happened in the last forty eight hours will do. Okay Bucky- not Bucky- person. Whatever. Give me a memory that happened more than forty eight hours ago that only I would know about,” he says to… not Bucky. His other personality? The Winter Soldier? Fuck if Tony knows, he called Sam because he’s not qualified to deal with this shit and yeah maybe he kind of wants to punch Sam in the dick for the whole quasi affair with Steve thing but he can’t really do that without also earning a punch to the dick so.

Not Bucky rolls his eyes and sighs. “Fine. Five days after you guys brought me in you moved me from that cage thing you had me in because according to you I was a house guest not a prisoner, which I definitely didn’t get that feeling at the time, but still. You moved me to a reinforced room you built I guess in the nonexistent spare time you had and explained to me that you were going to try and remove the trigger words with those glasses things. You demonstrated how they worked by wearing them and showing me the night your parents died. You told me it was the most painful memory you had,” he says.

Natasha turns to him and frowns a little but Tony shrugs. “Yeah, that’s a pass. Guess he’s not a skrill, whatever the hell that is.”

“Skrull,” Natasha corrects. “And I didn’t know you did that.”

“Well, couldn’t really expect him to have any kind of trust in anything I’d do to him after HYDRA without a demonstration and a reason to trust what I was about to do to him,” he points out. Also he figured maybe it’d get Bucky, or maybe Not Bucky, to stop glaring at him for ten fucking seconds. Didn’t work.

“Fifteen days in you brought me food at almost four in the morning, said you noticed that I don’t sleep either so you thought I’d appreciate a midnight snack. You also noticed that I liked Greek food more than most of the other things you guys fed me so you brought that. You spent most of the time talking about Peter’s science fair project from the forth grade that won some award, it was heinous conversation, but you eventually offered to brush my hair. Honestly I have no idea what you thought I’d do with a brushthat’s more deadly than the fork I was holding but whatever. You ended up brushing my hair until I fell asleep,” Not Bucky tells him.

Natasha raises an eyebrow and Tony rolls his eyes, “look, I know Peter was like eleven but-”

“That so isn’t what I had interest in but okay.”

“His hair was a disasterNat, someone had to brush it,” he mumbles. But the fork thing is a good point and a sign that he must have been particularly tired that night.

“You were the only person who ever showed me any sign of kindness at that point. I didn’t know touch could feel good,” Not Bucky murmurs and that’s harsh.

Tony considers it for only a moment before he walks over and wraps his arms around Bucky, Not Bucky, whatever. Bucky- whoever, pulls Tony into his lap and he settles in, running his fingers through his hair. Its softer than what it used to be when they first brought him in, probably a sign of less stress and a healthy diet.

“Yeah, you guys are disgusting and I’m not convinced he isn’t an alien we should kill him,” Natasha says, holding up a wrench with a look of glee on her face.

Bucky, Winter Soldier- Tony needs a fucking name, tenses a little and he lets out a long suffering breath of air. “She’s joking,” he says. “Also what am I supposed to call you?”

*

Steve looks so hopeful and honestly Tony kind of wants to slap him for it but probably not as much as Steve wants to smack him all things considered. “So that wasn’t Bucky? With him,” Steve clarifies to Sam instead of Tony and off to the side Natasha looks annoyed. Sam looks less annoyed but that’s probably because he doesn’t live here so he doesn’t have to deal with awkward hallway dodging and the tension in the room whenever he and Steve are in the same presence.

“No, I kissed him too,” Tony tells him and Sam trades a look with Natasha.

“You two are saltier than the dead sea,” Sam mumbles. “So instead of acting like children, which you both are,” Sam tells him and Steve, “what exactly are we doing about this?”

“Cognitive recalibration,” Natasha suggests and Tony sighs.

“Why is it always violence with you?”

“Violence solves pretty much anything,” Natasha says in her defense. Sam and Steve give her twin concerned looks but Sam’s the one who talks.

“Um, no,” he says, equal parts confused and concerned.

Natasha shrugs, “whatever. Can’t have problems with people if they’re dead,” she mumbles.

“Woman after my own heart,” Yasha says, slight Russian accent because apparentlyhe was faking Bucky’s Brooklyn accent. Which he finds awful, also, though Tony doesn’t think a Russian has the right to talk shit about accents. Natasha had been happy to have another and they’ve already bonded over vodka and Tony really doesn’t think it’s a good idea to get a super assassin drunk but when he said that Natasha told him that she’d have to give up alcohol too and she’d rather die so. Dealing with drunk Tuesdays with the Russians it is. Even if only Natasha gets drunk.

Thankfully Bucky isn’t fond of alcohol and dislikes violence in all forms and has taken to Peter’s memes so at least Tony doesn’t need to worry about him. Yasha? Total wild card and now that he’s stopped pulling his piss poor impression of Bucky he’s far more… individualistic than Tony originally thought. Granted Tony knew a lot more about Yasha to begin with so the change wasn’t nearly as jarring to him as it was to everyone else. Natasha feels vindicated that she was right over Sam, who will probably never hear the end of it.

“See, he likes it,” Natasha says, encouraging Steve and Sam to exchange another look.

“I’m biased, but get therapy,” Sam says.

“That’s your advice to everyone,” Steve tells him and Sam gives him a look.

“When I met you you spent all your time whining about your shit marriage instead of telling me about the five other Winter Soldiers you found that one time, alien invasions, and literally everything else in your life that is way cooler than Tony. No offense,” he says to Tony. “And all this because you have trust issues and a hard time opening up to the point of self destructive tendencies. Y’all needtherapy. Tony cheated on you with your best friend because he wanted to stick his relationship with Bucky to you so you to felt as shitty as he did. Therapy,” Sam says with emphasis.

Yasha walks over to him and wraps an arm around his waist, leaning in and kissing Tony’s temple. He smiles, curling into Yasha’s body the way he’s gotten used to. Steve gives him a dirty look but its not his fault Sam told him that he refuses to have anything to do with him until he gets his shit together and also that Bucky happens to share a body with someone else. Bucky’s more freaked out about it than he is. “I’m fine,” Yasha says and Tony could have predicted that. He’s not exactly trusting, which is why he hadn’t liked Steve. Only reason he likes Tony is because of all the time he spent with him explaining BARF and brushing his hair. Natasha gets a half a free pass on account of liking the same things.

“Okay fine, send Bucky,” Sam says.

Tony snorts, “he’s less trusting of doctors than Yasha so good luck.”

Sam sighs, “talk your best friend into getting therapy,” he tells Steve.

Steve frowns, “Bucky told me he doesn’t like spending time with me because he feels like he has to fit a mold of who I’m expecting instead of who he is so I don’t think that’s happening any time soon.”

“Does anything needto be done? I don’t really consider myself to be a problem,” Yasha says and its probably because Tony knows him better than most so he knows he’s hurt. He drops his hand to Yasha’s on his waist and squeezes him a little.

“You’re not a problem. Steve’s hair cut is a problem,” he tells Yasha, looking up at him.

“Your stupid facial hair is a problem,” Steve mumbles and Sam gives them both irritated looks.

“Grow up, both of you,” he tells them. “But you make a point,” he says to Yasha. “Maybe the problem is Tony and Natasha given that the first thing theyjumped to was aliens.”

Yasha raises an eyebrow at him. “Aliens, babe? Really?”

Tony shrugs, “it was a valid possibility we couldn’t definitively rule out,” he mumbles.

*

Bucky walks in on him attempting to squeeze a mug to death not that he gets what Tony’s doing right away given the odd looks he’s getting. “Come here,” he says, “and squeeze this until it breaks. Preferably over the sink.”

Bucky gives him another weird look but walks over and does as he asks, breaking the mug relatively easily. “Was there a point to that?” he asks as Tony glares off in the direction of Peter’s bedroom.

“Yeah. Ned came by earlier, scared the hell out of poor Peter and he broke a mug with his bare hand so does someone want to explain why the hellmy kid has super strength?” he asks. Because he didn’t have that a couple months ago and Tony sure shit doesn’t know anything about any experiments involving Peter.

*

Steve and Tony probably look ridiculous searching Peter’s room but he looks freaked out so Tony damn well knows he’s on to something. Steve opens his closet and Tony spies a broom in the corner, which is weird considering Peter’s room is carpeted. He looks up at the ceiling and bingo, he knows where to look. He grabs the broom, noting that Peter goes from freaked out to panic in two seconds flat as he pokes at the ceiling for the weak spot, finding it within seconds.

And, surprise, surprise, a suit of some type falls out of the ceiling. Steve frowns at the hideous red and blue… thingin Tony’s hands for a few moments. “Are those the pajamas I bought you for last Christmas?” he asks.

“No,” Peter lies, earning an unimpressed look from Steve. “Oh you can keep it up all day, I’ve seen your stupid detention videos I’m immune to your disappointment!” Peter yells at him, legs curled to his chest and looking angsty like a proper teen.

Tony can’t help but laugh and Steve frowns, confused. “Detention videos? I haven’t- wait, when the hell were you in detention and why?”

“Who cares about detention Steve, I’ve seen the YouTube videos of the person who wears this suit that is apparently our kid,” Tony tells him. Fucking priorities.

“Can I use that time Steve told me about you cheating on him with Bucky to get out of this?” Peter asks and Tony squints at him.

“No, kid. Explain how the hell you got superpowersand why the hell you’re running around in PJs Steve got you for Christmas instead of asking me to make you something? Honestly kid, this can’t be safe and I don’t even know what you can doaside from what I’ve seen in videos. You can’t just run around in a cotton blend onsie,” he tells Peter, sounding absolutely ridiculous. But its not really his fault Peter decided that his ugly Christmas pajamas were a better option than tellingsomeone about this.

Peter looks like he’s going to hold out for a minute before he breaks and lets it all out. “I got bit by a spider but I thought it was a normal spider but then the bite swelled up to the size of a golf ball so I thought I’d sleep it off and then I woke up and I could stick to the ceiling,” Peter says, bursting into tears and okay. Tony has had enough of this crazy shit; he needs some damn normalcy in life.

“It didn’t occur to you to go to the hospital?” Steve asks.

“We don’t have health insurance,” Peter says and Steve blinks rapidly, clearly confused.

“You can pay for it Peter, your father is rich. Who… who raised you?” he asks, confused.

“We did and I’m starting to think we didn’t do a good job if he thinks sleeping off golf ball sized spider bites is a good idea,” Tony says.

“He got that from you,” Steve mumbles like Peter could, biologically speaking, get it from anywhere else. He certainly didn’t get it from his mother, she had common sense.

Tony sighs, “give me a list of your powers and meet me in the lab so I can make you a proper fucking suit instead of,” he looks down at the obviously mended repeatedly pajamas, “this ugly thing.” Steve gives him a dirty look for it but he can fuck off, the pajamas areugly and even if they weren’t that’s not a useful way to protect yourself when fighting crime. Since Peter mostly stops car crashes and rescues kittens, which is adorable and definitely his speed and he bestnot catch Peter trying to take on aliens any time soon. Or ever.

“If you saw the videos why didn’t you recognize the pajamas?” Steve asks.

“Because I don’t recognize mass produced anything,” Tony tells him.

“You can pick my ass out of a line up of asses but you can’t recognize pajamas?” Steve asks, baffled.

“Is your ass mass produced?” Tony asks, squinting.

“There’s Captain America ass fleshlights so yes,” Peter tells them and honestly Tony can’t tell who’s the most horrified by that. Peter, who looks like he wishes he could scrub that information from his brain, Tony, who’s horrified Peter knows about these things, or Steve, who can’t even look anyone in the eye at the moment.

“Don’t ever say those words again. What’s with the tanning goggles?” Tony asks, trying and failing to look through one.

*

“So thenI find out the damn kid has gotten himself involved with some undercover crime ring investigation and has nearly been killed on multipleoccasions and he didn’t tell us because, and this is a quote, he ‘didn’t want to inconvenience you.’ Like finding out your kid is a superhero who’s nearly been killed by who fucking knowswho after he breaks a mug when his friend scares him isn’t a major inconvenience. Anyway, I told him next time to just inconvenience us anyway,” Tony tells Bucky, who looks confused.

“And I thought having a whole other person in my head was weird,” he mumbles, shaking his head.

Tony gives him a look. “Oh you have no room to judge Peter Mr. ‘I didn’t say anything about the memory loss because I didn’t think it was important.’ You two need a thorough lesson in ‘things that are definitely relevant,’” Tony tells him.

Bucky sighs and shifts so he’s closer to Tony, propping his head up on Tony’s chest. “In my defense I assumed that was the result of being zapped by HYDRA one too many times, not that that whole violent assassin part of me didn’t actually go anywhere,” Bucky mumbles, trying to cover his fear by making Yasha’s presence sound like a minor inconvenience.

He runs his fingers through Bucky’s hair and he sighs. Its one of the few things he and Yasha seem to have in common, their appreciation for having their hair brushed in whatever form that is. Sam had been skeptical of the whole thing, went on a long rant about the history of multiple personalities or whatever but Tony’s scans show a small, if still relevant, biological basis for it. They don’t seem to operate the same way on any level, including the way they respond to stimuli so Tony figures there’s something to it. And even if there wasn’t Natasha has already presented a good case for Bucky being unique in some way anyway.

None of the Winter Soldiers took to the conditioning like he did, and none of the Widows did either. There’s something special about Bucky and Tony will never have the evidence to show if maybe Yasha was there before the war, which wouldexplain Bucky’s difference. Though from Yasha’s prospective he wasn’t there until, by his estimations, some time in the fifties. Doesn’t mean that memory loss isn’t a result of HYDRA torture though, Bucky doesn’t remember a lot too. He remembers plenty, but he’s missing huge gaps according to Steve, who’s the best judge of that given that he was there.

“Buck, he’s not… he doesn’t know how to be a person very well, but he’s already made huge adjustments beforewe found out he wasn’t you. He’ll learn how to be in a functioning society better. And in the meantime he’s not the scary thing HYDRA tried to make him.” Tony remembers the early days, the suspicion that was there, the agitation. He’s probably lucky that he’s always been pretty brave given that he never really reacted to Yasha’s hostility. But then the first thing he did when he met Bruce was try and poke the Hulk out of him so there’s that.

“Natasha says he likes you best,” he murmurs and Tony nods.

“He says I was the first person to show kindness to him, that he didn’t really know it existed before that. Guess that’s a pretty good basis for attachment.” He was there for what, sixty years give or take before he discovered people can be nice? That’s harsh. Tony knows what its like to live in an abusive environment but shit, at least he got the reprieve of school, Rhodey, Pepper later on, and sometimes fans and kids. Yasha wasn’t even lucky enough to get that.

When Tony asked how he reacted to being in the outside world, how he perceived kindness that he saw given that he musthave seen it, he had sort of assumed it was a manipulation technique because that’s how he’d use it when he needed things running around for HYDRA. But Tony hadn’t had an obvious motivation in mind when they met, and it became clear he didn’t have one at all once things continued. So he started observing people a little differently after that.

“Makes sense I guess. You’re still the only one who thought to tell me that other people are like me, sort of. That when people are put in terrible situations they do things they might not otherwise. Steve mostly just told me I wouldn’t do that because he knows me and I’ve seen enough to know that what you know isn’t always what a person is,” he murmurs.

Yeah, Tony knows that too. Howard was good at putting on a show, but he was fucking awfulbehind closed doors. Tony used to have a hard time reconciling that and its taken him most of his life to come to terms with the fact that Howard is both people, but that the good he had doesn’t outweigh the bad like it does for most people. “People aren’t really meant to be in conditions like that. Its not surprising they come out acting abnormal,” Tony tells him, carefully brushing his hair away from his face.

Bucky doesn’t respond for a long time. Instead he lays there for a bit, toying with a tablet Tony made him awhile ago that works even if he’s using his metal hand to tap at the screen because normal tablets don’t register the touch. He’s doing a better job catching up than Steve is, Tony thinks, and he’s doing a hell of a lot better now that Steve has fucked off to therapy instead of hounding the poor guy and he and Steve have stopped screaming at each other on a regular basis.

Now he and Steve mostly avoid each other unless Peter has done something dumb again, which Tony thinks is for the best. He’s sure they’ll figure out how to talk to each other again but Tony’s too pissed off at Steve for never really loving him despite askingTony to marry him and Steve’s still pissed off about Bucky.

“Hey,” Bucky murmurs, drawing Tony out of his thoughts.

“Yeah?” Tony asks, smiling down at him and running his fingers along Bucky’s jawline. He gets a smile for his efforts as Bucky catches his hand, threading his fingers through Tony’s.

“I… you don’t think this is a bad idea, right? Because apparently I’m two people and you just got out of a shitty marriage that happened to be to my best friend.”

Yeah, like Tony hasn’t considered that. “Is it a bad idea? Probably, but I’m pretty good at bad ideas so. And its not like I haven’t given this all thought either. I know that starting a new relationship, technically two, after ending another probably wouldn’t end well normally. But I care about you, and I like what we have. Its easy, I guess, in a way my marriage to Steve never was. I think we understand a lot more about each other on a personal and romantic level than anyone else I’ve ever been with and that’s worth exploring, bad timing or not.”

Bucky twists so he’s facing Tony and leans in to kiss him, “I was so hoping you’d say that,” he murmurs against Tony’s lips.

*

Steve jiggles his leg nervously as he waits for Sam. He has no idea how this is going to go and frankly he hopes it goes well because he’s gotnoclue what he’s going to do if it doesn’t. Like what, he’ll hold auditions? That seems absurd to him so he hopes Sam takes him up on his offer.

When Sam finally shows up he’s late and he looks annoyed, which either means he hit traffic or Bucky discovered some new conspiracy theory to annoy him and Tony with because they react the best. Steve damn well knowsBucky doesn’t believe everything he reads online and he’s always had a softer, joking nature about him that Steve has really only noticed was missing after it came back. Probably, as Bucky had so aptly put, because he was more interested in what he wanted than what was actually there. He likes to think he’s getting better with that but what the hell does he know? Historically, not a whole hell of a lot.

Still, the look on Sam and Tony’s faces when Bucky told them the moon was a fake hologram projection that the government only wantsthem to think is real was probably one of the funniest things Steve has ever seen. Honestly, he’s seen a lot of expressions on Tony’s face but he doesn’t think he’s ever seen him look like his entire personality has been snuffed out behind the eyes like that. And Sam looked at Bucky with an ‘are you kidding me level’ so high Steve is sureit can’t be recreated.

“Pleasetell your dipshit ass best friend that forests do, in fact, exist,” Sam tells him as soon as he’s in ear shot. Steve raises an eyebrow because he has no idea what Sam’s talking about and Sam gives him a look. “I love you, but I cannot handleBucky’s stupid. I am a simple man, I just expect people to believe in the moon, not think vaccines steal souls, know that forests exist, and don’t have violent alter egos who think Sawis the greatest movie ever made. That’s it, that’s all I ask and I feel like that is not too much,” Sam says, shaking his head.

Well, the vaccine thing is new. Steve wants to know where Bucky findsthis stuff because Steve has never found anything like that but he guesses he’s never looked. “I uh. Guess I’ll mention it? I have something for you though,” he says and he hands Sam the bag. He frowns at it as he takes it, especially when he feels the weight of it. “Open it,” Steve tells him, trying to hurry this along a little. He’s nervous; he wants this to come to some kind of conclusion preferably before two hours from now.

Sam looks at the bag, confused for a moment before he opens it and raises an eyebrow as he lifts Steve’s, hopefully Sam’s now, shield out. “Try it on,” Steve tells him. Sam says nothing; he just considers the shield for a few seconds before he hesitantly pulls the shield out the rest of the way and straps it on like he has no idea what’s going on. Which he does, Steve knows, because he’s the only person he’s ever met who can outstrip Natasha in the ability to read people department. She’s noticed it too and has already started to subtly train Sam into better spy work. He sucks at it because Sam is almost less subtle than Tony and that’s a featbut Steve knows he’ll improve.

“How’s it feel?” he asks, still nervous but a little excited now as Sam lifts the shield so its covering most of his body.

“Like its someone else’s,” Sam says honestly and Steve shakes his head.

“Its not, not anymore,” Steve tells him.

Sam looks absolutely baffledby this as he shakes his head, dropping the shield to his side. “I… why?” he asks, giving the shield a confused look.

Steve sighs, “I… realized that I hate being Captain America. I mean, I’ve never reallyliked it to be honest. I took the role out of necessity, because Erskine chose me specifically. But this… piece of my life, I’ve done nothing but resent it almost since I stepped into the role. I’m trying to do something different with my life and I can’t do that if I’m still acting as a symbol of the past I’m trying to step away from,” he says. And he really, reallyhates being Captain America. Its time for him to move on, do other things.

“Why me, though?” Sam asks, frowning. “I uh… don’t really think I’m a good choice.”

Not a good choice? Steve shakes his head. “Sam, you’re the only one I can imagine in the role. That shield is yours, if you want it,” Steve tells him.

Sam lifts the shield again, looking down at it for a moment before he softly runs his fingers over the edge of it with his free hand. “You sure about this?” Sam asks, looking up.

Steve places his hand on Sam’s shoulder and squeezes, “yeah, Sam. I’m done with being a living monument. Truthfully I think I’ve lived so long as Captain America I’ve forgotten who Steve Rogers is and I want that back, who I am.” Whoever that is. He’s made a tentative peace with the fact that he won’t be who he was, however much he wants to cling to that. But people change with life experiences and he’s been reliably informed that he can’t just stunt that from happening even if he wanted it to.

He doesn’t expect Sam to lean forward and hug him, getting the shield in the way twice before Steve expertly moves it out of the way, but he doesn’t mind the reaction nonetheless. He hugs Sam back tightly, “you’ll do great,” he tells him.

*

Tony finds Sam in a fucking closet and honestly the image he finds is ridiculous. “Sam. Stop crying on the shield and get up, I need to make you a suit,” he tells him.

Sam looks up; horrified at being discovered but if he didn’t want anyone to find him he wouldn’t have ugly cried so loud. “What?” Sam asks, sounding a little dazed.

“A suit, Sam. Need to make one. So get out of the closet and get down to the lab so I can swatch you,” Tony tells him.

“Swatch me?”

Tony rolls his eyes, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Sam, I can’t just stick you in Steve’s old suit, it won’t look good with your skin tone like it does on his. So I need to swatch you.”

“Is color relevant?” Sam asks and oh my godTony can’t believe Steve picked him.

“Why is it that no one understands style around here? Yes color matters and yeah, Captain America tends to go with a tacky red, white, and blue I need to know whichreds and blues to use, and then I’ll chose whatever shade of white doesn’t look horrible with it.” Which sometimes leads to more of a cream color, which is what Tony’s picked out for Sam because he thinks it’ll be a less sharp contrast with his skin tone. He’s gone with darker reds and blues but he needs to make sure they’ll look nice on Sam and not just Sam’s pictures.

Sam frowns, “this is actually relevant to you,” he states more than asks and Tony lets out a long sigh.

“Yes, its important. Just because we’re superheroes doesn’t mean we should lack style. Villains always have good style, we need to look nice for pictures,” Tony says.

“Pictures. While we’re getting our asses kicked.”

“While we’re winning,” Tony corrects. “And yes, pictures. Have you ever seen a bad picture of the Avengers? No, you’re welcome. Get to the lab,” Tony tells him, pointing to the door. “Also, little late to the party on the subject, but why are you crying in the closet on that shield? Maybe I should change the colors of that too…” he murmurs more to himself than Sam but Sam hugs the stupid shield to his chest anyway.

“Don’t you dare! And you wouldn’t get it, why I’m in here crying.”

Tony pokes at him with his foot. “Try me on the way out of there and to the lab,” he says, poking at Sam again.

Irritated, Sam picks himself up from the floor finally. “I always had a thing for Captain America- the idea of it, not Steve specifically. But Captain America is always a white guy, and not even one that looks like Steve usually and yet people have the gall to complain when people suggest a black Cap.”

“Oh yeah, Rhodey gets that with suit. His merch is particularly popular with back kids. Sure you’ll be a hit too, once I get you an actual look going. That doesn’t clash with the shield I guess I’m not changing,” he says, giving the shield an irritated look.

Sam looks confused at that and Tony resents that, really. He knows racism exists; he just doesn’t have to deal with that problem. But he’s seen what it does to Rhodey and Sam makes a good point about backlash to the idea of a black Captain America so he makes a mental note to have Steve do some kind of statement because there is no way in hellanyone in this country is going to listen to anyone but him on the subject. Even if he’d rather avoid Steve forever.

“You make no sense to me, man,” Sam mumbles and he can grab a number and get in line because Tony hasn’t made sense to anyone ever.

*

Tony’s tryingto make sure Peter has a fucking functioning suit but the damn kid keeps wiggling around. “Can you stay still for five seconds?” he asks Peter, who immediately wiggles.

“I’m trying,” he says and the worst part is that he probably is too. Tony sighs and makes peace with superpowers not solving his kid’s ADHD fidgeting all the time.

“I think he might be taller than you,” Bucky says from behind them. He looks over at Peter, who actually isa couple inches taller and when the hell did thathappen?

“No he isn’t!” Tony says, sticking his hand on the top of Peter’s head and pressing down so the damn kid will shrink a little.