Team Nights
"Peter, sweety," May called into the teenager's dark room. "It's time to wake up, honey,"
Peter grunted, pulling the covers over his head.
"5 more minutes..." he mumbled, barely audible. May chuckled, walking into her nephew's room, sitting at his bedside. She gently rubbed his shoulder.
"Mr. Stark called," she said, a slight smile on her face as she knew exactly what was coming. And she wasn't disappointed. Within seconds, Peter was next to his bed, big brown eyes looking right at her, filled with excitement and anxiety.
"He did?" He squeaked. "What did he say?" May chuckled.
"Not much," she shrugged. "Just that he'd like to invite you to the 'Avengers Night', or something,"
Peter's eyes went wide, his mouth even wider.
"What? That's awesome! May, I'm going to have a team night with the Avengers!"
"Happy'll be here in 30 minutes to pick you up,"
"But May!" Peter said slowly with over-dramatic gestures, not understanding how she was so calm about it. "I'm going to a team night with the supercalifragelisticexpidalivengers!"
May didn't even know how he had come up with that but left the teenager to freak out in peace, walking down the stairs to make them some food before he would be picked up. She was happy with the way things had turned out, she just wished Ben had been here to see it. She wasn't a big fan of Stark at first, interrupting their little lives. It had been hard for her to get around well enough to feed all of them, especially when Ben died. So when Tony Stark had come barging in with all his flair wasn't really what she had been looking for. The only reason she didn't ask him politely to leave, was because he seemed to make Peter happy. And a happy Peter was a happy May.
Of course, there were certain limits to that.
When she had found her nephew in his room, pulling off the mask of the one and only Spider-Man suit, well... To say she was angry would've been an understatement. But more than that, she was scared. Her nephew, her sweet, sweet boy, was running around in the dead of night in New York City, stopping crime and fighting bad guys- it didn't help with the stress. She knew he had been sneaking out, she's not too old to hear Peter bump his head at least ten times every night, and of course, she had imagined what he would be doing in the dark, every idea even crazier than the last. But she hadn't expected her nephew to be an underaged super-spider.
The only thing that had been able to calm her down enough to think straight again, were his abilities. His amazing reflexes, his so-called 'spidey sense', his fast healing- it kept him safe from the worst. Of course, she had been furious at Tony Stark. It had taken Peter weeks to prevent her from going over to the compound and talk some serious sense into her. There were two things that had kept her from doing that;
One, Tony Stark had given Peter a proper suit, that, unlike his onesie, was able to protect him. The AI noticed things when Peter didn't and the stronger web shooters were safer for slinging high up than his own home-made ones.
And two, Tony Stark had been in surgery.
When she'd finally gotten hold of Happy, she had yelled the poor man's ear off (she still felt bad for that), and demanded to speak to Stark. When she was finally done screaming, Happy had answered in an emotionless "He's in surgery", which had immediately turned on May's maternal instincts. Happy had told him what he knew, and May would never forget looking up when the ex-boxer had finished. She had looked straight into the brown eyes of her boy, which had been glazed over with tears. He had turned around and ran up to his room, slamming the door shut behind him. It had taken two whole hours to before the tears had stopped, and he still hadn't let go of his aunt.
May thought back to just moments ago, to the way the teen's face had lit up like the sun over a simple team night. Sure, Tony had been the cause of tears to her innocent boy, but more important than that, he had made a smile as big as the universe appear on the teen's face, just by saying something as simple as "Good job, kid". To May, that was worth more than any money that man could give.
Although, money would be nice, too.
"Bye, May!"
Peter's voice shook May out of her thoughts. It took her a few seconds to process what he'd said, but once it did, she stopped the racing boy by the collar.
"Na-ah," she said with a stern look. "Just because you've been sleeping 'till the afternoon, doesn't mean you get to skip breakfast." She told the pouting teenager.
"Aw, but May!" Peter protested, sitting back down at the dining table.
"Nope," his aunt insisted. Peter muttered something under his breath but was smart enough to keep it to himself.
Peter was done within ten minutes, which is an impressive time given the amount of food that kid needs, and soon hugged May goodbye before running out the door. He pulled it closed behind him, it slamming shut with the force. Peter cringed, turning around and placing a soft hand on the wood.
"Sorry," he whispered before turning around and racing out to where Happy was waiting.
--
When he entered the main room in his full ADHD, anxiety-fed teenage self, the sight that met him had been the last thing he'd expected.
Only Cap, Nat, Clint, and Tony were in the room. Nat was occupying a whole couch while reading a Russian book. Clint and Cap were on either side of a different couch, Clint reading a book and Cap half asleep on the other side, his head resting on his fist. Tony was in between them, his feet in Clint's lap and his head in Steve's. The Captain was running his fingers lazily through the drug-fed billionaire's brown curls.
The genius himself was fast asleep, a book laying open on his chest, one hand resting on top and the other dangling off the couch. His breathing was soft and he looked so peaceful... Peter had never seen him this relaxed.
Natasha was the first to notice him, smiling as she met his eyes. Her eyes darted towards the three on the couch, her smile soft. She softly cleared her throat and Steve's head shot up from his hand, relaxing when he saw Nat. He gave a small smile back, greeting Peter with a nod. Tony stirred slightly, brow furrowing as the movement of Steve's hand in his hair stopped. Steve quickly continued, smiling as the body on the couch went limp again.
"Sorry," Steve apologized softly to Peter, who had just been staring at them. "He's on meds, doctor's orders, so he's a bit less active than usual." Peter shook his head.
"That- that's okay," he replied softly, shooting the captain a smile. "I realize he doesn't sleep well usually, he might catch up on some sleep this way."
"You'd be surprised," a groggy voice entered the conversation. "I feel even more tired this way," Tony blinked open a heavy eye, smiling tiredly at the awkward teenager. "Hey, kid,"
"Hey, Mr. Stark," he gave a small wave. "How are you feeling?"
Tony laughed, which quickly escalated into a coughing fit.
"Like shit,"
"Hey," Steve warned.
Tony shrugged, winking at Peter before slowly slinging his legs off the couch and sitting up. His face was scrunched up with the effort, and he gladly accepted the helping hand Steve lend him. He made a move to put the book he'd been reading on the table nearby when Clint grabbed it and put it on the table before the brunette could. Tony shot him a look, telling the spy he could have done that himself, but Clint just smiled back with a smug "You're welcome,". Tony huffed and muttered something under his breath, but Clint knew he was actually grateful. Tony leaned back into Steve's side.
"Anyways," Tony continued once he was positioned comfortably. "They pumped me full of drugs, so I'm practically useless and thinking takes ten times as long."
"It's necessary, Tony," pleaded Steve hopelessly. They undoubtedly had this conversation before. "You'd be in more pain otherwise!"
A cold look fell on the engineer's face.
"I've had worse,"
Steve sighed, not knowing what to say to that. Clint cleared his throat, standing up from the couch and laying a hand on Peter's shoulder to guide him out. Peter didn't protest, shooting one last worried glance towards his mentor before walking away with Clint, leaving the room in silence once more. Steve felt like punching a wall because he knew what happened when Tony spoke like that. He became impassive, hiding behind his masks. Steve didn't like it when Tony did that, he liked him when he was his happy, energetic self. Tony had said that thinking took ten times as long, but saying 'I've had worse' had come out immediately- indicating he was used to saying it. Breaking the silence, Nat spoke up.
"Having had worse doesn't mean this can't hurt, too," she said softly, showing a gentle side of her only close friends got to see. "It's okay if you're in pain, Tony. It doesn't make you weak,"
"No, acknowledging you're in pain, that's what makes you weak," Tony argued, eyes emotionless. Natasha knew that look. She herself used it more than she'd like to admit. And she knew exactly how he got it.
"People can be wrong, you know," Tony didn't look up. "I know that's been hammered in for as long as you can remember, and I know it's hard to let it go. But Tony, it's okay not to be strong all the time. And I know that's hard, trust me, I do. Because I've had the exact same thing planted in my brain,"
Tony's defenses broke. He closed his eyes, slumping against Steve and burying his head in the man's collarbone.
"I'm sorry," he muttered softly, regret evident in his voice. Steve was quick to shush him, rubbing a hand up and down his arm in a soothing manner. He subtly shot Nat a grateful look.
"It's okay," he whispered in Tony's ear, repeating it softly until Tony had recollected himself. He sat up a bit, slowly, and moved to lean into Steve's side instead. He relaxed with a sigh, eyes sliding closed. He knew he'd probably be out cold 30 minutes into the 'movie night'. But honestly, he was too tired to even be sorry for that.
"Is he going to be okay?" Peter couldn't help but ask after he and Clint had exited the room. Clint didn't hesitate to smile reassuringly.
"Of course he is," he said with so much confidence Peter was tempted to just say 'Okay!' and bounce away. But he couldn't shake the image of Tony's impassive face and emotionless eyes as he'd said 'I've had worse'. Peter had wanted to just run over to him and hug him until he smiled again.
"It's just- he didn't look okay.." he said softly. Clint furrowed his brows and crouched down in front of him, lifting his chin until Peter's eyes went from his shoes to meet the archer's eyes.
"I know he didn't. But do keep in mind, he's tired, he's probably scared because his brain isn't functioning as fast as it usually does, and not letting on he's in pain has been something that he's been told to do for as long as he can remember." Clint explained in a sweet voice. It reminded Peter again that he had a family. He sounds like a good father, Peter thought.
Peter found himself nodding, returning the smile Clint gave him.
"Good," the assassin said suddenly, getting up and ruffling Peter's hair. "Now, while they talk that out, I suggest we do the really important work."
When Peter looked at him questioningly, Clint grinned widely, pointing at some cupboards.
"The snacks,"
Tony slowly lifted his head when he heard footsteps, finding he'd dozed off in the time of silence in the room. Steve had gone back to playing with his curls, and Tony couldn't help but relax at the soft touch. He managed to look up to see Clint and Peter walk in with all kinds of snacks that almost made Tony retch right there, but instead, he smiled at them as they set it down.
"Are we watching a movie?" Peter asked softly, trying his best not to ask the question burning on his tongue; "are you okay?" - he knew the answer he'd get.
Tony was about to say that they were when Steve cut in.
"Actually," he started, and Tony had to suppress a groan at the smugness in the blonde's voice. "We'd like to go a bit old-fashioned tonight." He reached down, causing Tony to almost roll of the couch, and came back up with a box in his hands. He smirked at the small company in the room.
"Board games,"
This time, Tony didn't hold back his groan, dramatically slumping on the couch. Steve shot him a look, poking an elbow softly but painfully in the genius's ribs.
"I mean- Yay..." the brunette corrected himself with fake enthusiasm.
Steve nodded, satisfied.
"I would be fine with a movie," Tony mumbled.
"You wouldn't stay awake long enough for a movie," Clint shot back as he sat down on the ground, legs crossed.
"Well, that's not my fault!" Tony argued back.
"If you want to watch a movie, try not to get yourself blown up," the archer said before stuffing his mouth full with popcorn. Tony stuck out his tongue like a real adult before tapping the empty space next to him on the couch.
"Sit down, kid. Before you bounce a hole in my ceiling."
Peter hurried over to flop down on the couch, taking a bowl with snacks on his way there. He offered Tony some, who was quick to refuse.
"I think I'll actually puke just by smelling it,"
Peter shrugged and started eating his snacks.
"Alright," Steve started, opening the box and revealing multiple old-fashioned games. They looked pretty worn out, so Tony guessed they were something Bucky and Steve were busy with when they weren't training. He took out a pile of old cards and put the box back on the ground. "This is a version of Never Have I Ever, only Buck and I changed it up a bit. If you have never done the thing that's mentioned, you're in the clear. But," he said suddenly, making Tony jump and grumble something no one could hear. "If you have, you either have to do it again, of, in case that's not possible, do the dare someone gives you."
"And who decides that?" Peter asked, getting excited. He wasn't really used to video games anyway- they didn't have the money for that.
"The person who flipped the card-" he held up the stack of cards- "with a category to choose from. Of course, they can first consult with the rest before making their decision."
Everyone slowly nodded, indicating they understood the purpose of the game. Everyone except Tony, that is.
"Tony, do you understand the game?" Steve asked kindly once he noticed. He was surprised when Tony bit his lip, fiddling with his hands as if he was... nervous.
Seriously, Steve thought. This man faces crowds and reporters without blinking, and now he's nervous?
But he said none of that out loud, smiling instead as he grabbed the mechanic's hands to stop them from fiddling.
"What is it?" He asked softly. The silence that followed made Steve doubt he would get a reply, but Tony eventually took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak. The response that came out, however, was too soft and too jumbled together for even Steve's enhanced hearing to understand. "What?" He couldn't help but blurt out. Tony rolled his eyes but spoke a bit louder when he tried again.
"I don't- What's Never Have I Ever...?"
The shocked silence that followed was deafening.
"You don't know Never Have I Ever? Dude, you missed out!" Clint broke the silence. His words earned him a slap up the head from Natasha, who had somehow reached him.
"Well, I'm sorry, Barton. But I was a 14-year-old in college, I didn't exactly have many friends."
That shut the archer up. Nat shook her head and kindly turned her gaze to Tony to explain the game.
"Never Have I Ever is actually quite self-explanatory. Someone names a situation, for example: 'never have I ever driven drunk', or something like that. The rest of the participants say if they have or haven't. That's it, really. Not that hard,"
Tony nodded, finally understanding the game. He exhaled and relaxed a bit. Steve threaded his fingers through the engineer's hair once more before leaning forward to grab the stack of cards. He took them out of the box and put them in a neat pile on the table.
"Alright, I suggest the youngest begins?" He states, looking over to Peter who nods in response, clapping in his hands like the excited kid he is. He immediately grabbed a card from the pile and flipped it. He snickered before reading it out loud.
"School," He looked around, eyes landing on Steve. "Cap," Steve looked up, faking nervousness as he pretended to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans, earning a slap on his arm from Tony.
"Okay, um... Never have I ever skipped class," Peter asked the Captain with a wide grin on his face.
To everyone's surprise, Steve flushed as red as Tony's suit, even though he quickly tried to hide it by ducking his head. Tony leaned away from him with a hand on his chest, a shocked grin on his face and a million blackmail plans already forming.
"Excuse me?" He asked, unable to keep the grin out of his voice. "Did America's golden boy do something illegal?"
"No, no!" Steve interrupted before the genius could continue. "It really wasn't that bad..."
"Explain," even Natasha looked amused.
"Well," Steve sighed. "Someone was being bullied just behind the school and I decided to intervene, but as you all know I really didn't have any advantages in that fight due to my hight and, well, everything, really. So I missed class..."
Tony had already sagged back, the grin wiped from his lips.
"Of course, the reason had to be noble," he muttered. Goodbye, blackmail...
"Alright, since Steve can't really do it again, I suggest we pick a dare for him to complete?" Clint asked the group. Everyone looked at Peter, who was already looking at them with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"You have to tell us about your most embarrassing moment from your childhood,"
Steve groaned, and Peter beamed when Tony winked at him with his signature smirk.
"Well, Cap," the genius said, maybe a bit too smugly. "Let's hear it then,"
Steve sighed but caved.
"Alright, um," he thought for a second. He seemed to have thought of something as the tips of his ears turned pink and he scratched his neck (which Tony didn't find attractive. At all). "I guess my most embarrassing moment must have been when I told my crush I liked him,"
"How can that be the most embarrassing moment of your childhood?" Clint scoffed.
"He was straight..."
Tony snorted.
"Alright next, please," Steve practically begged. Nat gestured to the deck of cards.
"All yours, captain,"
"Wait, hold up," Peter stopped him. "Is no one going to acknowledge the fact that Captain America is gay?"
"I am not gay!" Steve exclaimed defensively.
"Kid, he's not gay!" Tony exclaimed, copying his captain's tone. "He just likes boys, that doesn't mean he's- wait a minute!" He turned around to Steve, gasping dramatically. "You're gay?!"
Steve gave a long sigh, rubbing his forehead.
"Look, I'm not gay, alright? I'm Bi. That's something different. Right?"
"Alright just grab a card, Cap," Nat cut in.
Cap drew a card, sports, for Clint. Clint drew one for Tony about animals ("Never have I ever kicked an animal" "Clint, no.") and Tony had one for Nat, who, on her turn had one for Peter.
About thirty minutes into the game Peter drew the 'love' card. Tony groaned.
"I wanted that one..." he whined.
"Why?" Peter asked.
"So I could grill you out on that 'secret crush' of yours."
"Ooh," Clint snickered. "Protective Dad Mode activated,"
Tony chucked one of Peter's snacks at his head, which the archer, sadly, dodged.
"Shut up, Barton."
"Alright, Pete. Who's the card for?" Nat interrupted before a food fight could get going.
"Steve," Peter answered immediately. "Cap, never have I ever kissed a boy,"
To Peter's surprise, Steve smirked. For some reason, Tony chuckled too. Cap raised his hands in surrender.
"Guilty as charged,"
Peter's mouth fell open.
"Wa- who?" he stammered, not really knowing anything else to say. Tony chose that moment to choke.
"Jeez, you alright, Tones?" Steve laughed, helpfully patting the coughing genius on the back.
"No," he managed to croak out.
"Well, Steve," Clint chimed in happily once Tony had calmed down again. "Seems to me you have to do it again, right?"
"Oh, well that's not a problem,"
And with those words, Steve kissed Tony.
Tony kissed back.
Peter's mouth fell open, Clint laughed, and Nat just seemed to approve.
Peter was confusion.
The kiss lasted way longer than necessary. When they finally pulled back, both men were grinning as their foreheads rested together.
"Nice," Tony said, panting slightly. "Bold, but nice,"
"Well, we were never ones for subtle," Steve replied casually.
"Good point,"
"Wha- wu- you- he- and you- and- and then- what?" A small voice peeped in.
Tony turned around to face Peter, a casual smirk on his face and an eyebrow raised.
"You want to say something, bud?"
Oh, the asshole.
"What... just happened,"
Tony sucked in a breath, wrapping an arm around Steve's waist as the soldier pulled him closer to his side.
"We were gonna tell you," he started, his right hand gesturing in the air. "...But we weren't." He finished eventually.
Peter blinked.
Steve kissed the top of Tony's head.
"Smooth, hun," he laughed in his hair.
"Well, what can I say?" Tony turned to him once again, a casual but genuine smile only reserved for Steve on his lips. He lowered his voice to a deep whisper as he leaned closer. "I'm not really one for subtle,"
Steve's deep chuckled vibrated through Tony's body and they caught each other's lips in another kiss.
"Why is this so cute?" Peter squeaked to the archer close to him as they watched the pair. Clint groaned.
"I know, right? It's just not fair..."
The kiss ended but the couple didn't break apart, Tony nuzzling his face in the blonde's neck as the soldier cuddled him close. Peter felt a smile forming on his lips as he watched how relaxed his mentor was in Steve's arms. He looked happy. And a happy Tony was a happy Peter.
"He may be Bi," Tony's voice sounded from where it was hidden in Steve's neck, his words slightly slurred as sleep threatened to take over. "But I'm definitely gay."
Steve's vibrating chuckle and warm body lulled Tony into a much-needed sleep, the feeling of safety and love surrounding him as pleasant darkness overtook him. But not before he could mutter out soft and heavy words to his boyfriend.
"Luf you, Steve."
Steve smiled down at his sleeping beauty in his arms, a warm feeling in his chest. He placed a tender kiss in the engineer's curls, inhaling his sweet scent.
"I love you too, Tony."