Masks

Tony and Bruce had a room of their own at the O'Keefes' house, a "just 'cause present" from them when Catrin was five years old. She'd helped Jim paint the walls a warm blue, and drawn flowers and symbols around the window. Tony still smiled remembering seeing her at the door, smudges of paint on her nose and fingers.
They'd had peace here. The place wasn't fancy, but...joyful. Good times; watching her take her first steps, bedtime stories( the overstuffed bookshelf still held works by Tolkien and Shel Silverstein, Cay's favorites), teasing Alexandra about her attempts to cook various dishes(the woman was brilliant in a number of areas, but cuisine wasn't one of them), listening to Jim and Catrin recite passages from Shakespeare...popcorn, stargazing, playing 'Marco Polo' on the front lawn. Happy, at ease, and safe.

He smiled to himself as Bruce shut the door behind them. Tony peeled off his jacket, then shirt, unselfconsciously, arching his back. Oh, no, he wasn't posing at all...would he do that?
There was an appreciative rumble from Bruce, before his husband began to trail soft kisses down the back of Tony's neck. Tony leaned into the touch; turned his head to bring their mouths together.

"You're wearing too many clothes, beautiful," he whispered when they broke the kiss. "Off, now!"

Bruce smirked, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. "Yes, Alpha," he murmured before moving to do as commanded.

* * *

Steve woke up, his head aching fiercely.

He was lying on a cold surface. A heavy cast covered his right arm.

A quick, worried glance showed him Nat lying a few feet away. She was breathing, but her eyes were still closed.

There was a blanket under her, and bandages on the side of her head...

And a good bit further away, on the other side of a Hulk-proof glass wall, stood a rather unimpressed-looking Bruce Banner.

"What the hell's going on here?" Steve exploded.

Banner took off his glasses, polishing them for several seconds.

A flash of green showed in his eyes before he answered. "Funny. We wanted to ask you that, actually."

"...we?"

"The Other Guy actually likes the researchers on the biosciences floor. Dr. Ametson, particularly. She talked to him once, when he came out after one of Tony's lab explosions. He likes her voice. So we both want to know why you think scaring her was a good idea."

It took a moment for Steve to understand who Banner meant. He hadn't known the woman's name. Natasha had just told him that she was heading up one of Stark's latest projects, and might have some useful information...

"If she'd just answered the question, instead of interfering with Avengers business, she wouldn't have had anything to be 'scared' of," he scoffed.

"Avengers business?" Banner's voice cooled. "I don't think so. Try again. I'm an Avenger, too, and I don't think that gives us the right to snoop into each other's private lives.
This is Tony's home. He's shared it with us, and this is how you pay him back...You know what? You can just stay in there until he returns." For your safety."

He walked off, ignoring Steve's orders to "come back, NOW..."