Work Text:
Tony follows Steve through Shield headquarters, smiling at the Russian curses he hears. “Wow. Bucky’s fitting in nicely.”
Daisy bounces up to them and grins. “Hiya, Cap. Mr. Stark.” She turns at the sound of Russian and laughs. “Yeah, he’s getting his ass handed to him by May. She is pretty much the badass to end all badasses. Wanna come watch?”
Tony nods, dragging Steve in his wake to follow Daisy. Steve sighs a little. “How’s Bucky doing? Really?”
“He’s doing good, Captain,” another agent says, stepping in line with them. “Hi. I’m Agent Morse. Also known as Mockingbird. It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. Come this way to watch the Soldier and May training.”
Tony smiles up at Steve. “Are you going to be okay with getting your buddy getting his ass handed to him?”
“A woman who’s tiny and a major ass kicker? Yeah. I’m looking forward to seeing Bucky being handed his ass.” Steve grins back and they head in to the training room. “Did I ever tell you about DC? How well Tasha did against him?”
“Natasha told me a little bit. I’d love to hear more.” Tony picks out a seat once they get to the training room and Steve settles in next to him. “Natasha is seriously the biggest badass I’ve ever seen.”
“She really is.” Steve focuses on the mat where May and Bucky are sparring. Steve grins when he sees Bucky fly backwards about four feet after May kicks him in the chest. “May might just be as much of a badass.”
Tony chuckles. “I’m thinking she might be a bigger badass.”
They both fall silent as May continues beating Bucky down until finally, Bucky taps out as May’s got her legs wrapped around his neck and his arms tightened up behind his back. Steve gets to his feet and claps. “That was seriously impressive,” Steve says, approaching them both. Tony joins them, shaking May’s hand as they both congratulate her on making Bucky give.
Bucky flips Steve off with his metal finger, huffing for air. “Fuck you, Stevie.”
“Ah, it’s okay, Bucky. You tried really hard,” Steve says, fighting down a smirk.
Bucky grabs Steve by the collar and wrestles him to the mat. Steve laughs and fights back, getting Bucky in a similar position to what May had him in. “Give up, Buck?”
“Fuck you, Stevie,” Bucky says, struggling.
Tony laughs and shakes his head, turning when he hears footsteps. Fitz and Simmons both walk in and their eyes light up when they see Tony. “Mr. Stark! I had a great idea!” Fitz says, practically bouncing in place.
Tony looks at Steve and Bucky, then at the two scientists. “Steve, while you’re wrestling with Bucky, I’m going to go be a scientist.”
Steve tightens his grip on Bucky and nods. “I’ll come find you, okay?”
Tony nods, blowing him a kiss. He watches for a moment as Bucky and Steve wrestle around and he laughs, following Fitz and Simmons down to their lab-slash-workshop. It reminds him of the lab he and Bruce share and that makes him smile as he watches Fitz pull up his blueprints for Bucky’s arm.
“Nice lab,” he says as he moves over to one of the displays. “When’s the last time you upgraded?”
“Right when we got the base built again. I haven’t been able to... Uhm.” Fitz frowns and looks at Simmons. “I haven’t been able to...”
Tony raises an eyebrow, glancing at Simmons as well as he hacks into the secure servers. He pulls up Fitz’s file and notes the slight aphasia he’s suffered since some incident a few years back. “I can hook you up. You’re using Stark Technology for the most part.” Tony smiles at Fitz. “And it’s okay. I know what you mean.”
Fitz frowns, even as he nods. Simmons moves over to Fitz’s side and pats his shoulder. “He forgets words sometimes.”
“It’s okay. It happens. Would you like me to upgrade the system for you? Or get you the downloads?”
“I’d rather like it if you’d send me the downloads. I know you probably already know the system better than anyone else here, but I want to make sure it’s running to my specifications,” Fitz says, nodding.
Tony shrugs. “Whatever works for you. Do you want me to send them on disk or email them? Or, better yet...” Tony pulls out his Starkpad and taps a few buttons, a holo-screen popping up. He tosses the screen to Fitz. “There you go. All you have to do is plug it in and add what you need.”
“Thank you, Mr. Stark.”
“Call me Tony. We’re all science bros here.” He winks at Simmons and moves over to look at the specs they have on Bucky’s arm. “Hmmm. It’s looking good. I can build the prototype, unless you want to work on it together. And if you do... I have all the stuff at my Tower, so... Maybe you and Simmons could come over and work on it with me?”
Fitz’s eyes light up and Tony knows he made the right suggestion. “What do you say, Simmons? We’ll need help with the bio-feed and Dr. Banner can only do so much.”
“Would he be helping?” she asks, bouncing lightly on her toes.
“I’m sure if we asked him to, he would help us out.”
Simmons beams. “I’d love that! Fitz?”
“If Coulson agrees, yes.”
Tony beams. “I know someone who can convince Coulson to do anything.”
“And who would that be, Stark?” May asks, stalking towards him.
Tony moves behind FitzSimmons and grins. “A certain Captain. After all, Coulson is the original Cap fanboy! After my dad, of course.”
“Why are we talking about your douchebag father?” Steve says as he walks in, limping slightly.
“Steve! What happened?”
“Bucky bit me.” Steve chuckles. “So, why are we talking about your douchebag father?”
“You know, Howard said you two were best friends.”
“Howard was a liar.” Steve raises an eyebrow.
“I was just saying how Coulson is the original Cap fanboy, after Howard.”
“Ah.” Steve blushes a little. “Okay, I should find Coulson. He wanted to talk to me about Buck.” He leans over and kisses Tony. “You okay here?”
“I’m good. But... Would you try to convince Coulson to let FitzSimmons come to the tower to help me with Bucky’s arm?”
“I’ll do what I can,” Steve says, stealing another kiss before he exits the room. He, Fitz, and Simmons all high five before they go back to working on Bucky’s arm. Steve comes back before long, Coulson in tow. “He says he’ll allow it, if you can replace his card collection.” Steve grins at Tony, knowing that after they’d thought Coulson was dead, Tony had collected the whole set and had Steve sign the plastic sleeves the cards were in. Steve had been happy to do it, even though he’d thought at the time that Coulson was dead. “So, do you think we can get that done?”
“I think I can manage that. Coulson, you should come with them,” Tony says, grinning a little. “How’s Bucky doing?”
“He’s adjusting well. I think it helps that May and Daisy are fierce warrior women, as Thor called them when he came in the other day. He fought Bucky in training and was impressed that May and Daisy could both defeat Bucky.” Coulson grins. “They are rather fearsome women.”
May walks in again and raises an eyebrow. “And do you think that’s a good thing or a bad thing, Coulson?”
“Good, of course.” Coulson smiles at her. “I love my warrior queens. All of them,” he adds, looking over at Simmons.
Steve smiles and nods. “In my opinion, all women are to be feared and awed.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” Coulson says.
Tony thinks about all of the strong women he has currently in his life and he chuckles a little. “Feared and in awe of, definitely. Also, respected and treated like queens, always.”
Fitz nods his agreement. “Yes, absolutely.”
Steve and Coulson both nod their agreement before May rolls her eyes and walks out. “Coulson, I’ll fire up the jet. FitzSimmons and Coulson, be ready in five.”
Coulson looks at his scientists and then at Steve and Tony. “Would you two like a ride back to the tower?”
“I’d like that,” Tony says. “I could improve your engine if you want.”
“That’s quite all right, Tony. I appreciate the thought, but our jets are already your design,” Coulson says.
“Okay, but I could improve them even more.”
“No, Tony,” Steve says, hooking his arm around Tony’s waist. “Let’s go load up. Fitz, Simmons, do you two need me to carry anything for you?”
“Thanks, I think I’ll need...”
“No. You’re good, guys. I have all the tools we’ll need and I want you to work with what I have.”
“Really? We get to work with Stark Tech?”
“Of course,” Tony says, smiling at the two younger scientists. “Come on. Maybe we can even order some take out that you both like.”
“That would be nice. We don’t always get to have take out because of the high security and we don’t always go home.” Fitz bounces alongside Tony and Steve.
Steve chuckles and catches sight of Bucky watching them. He smiles at his best friend and waves. “Bye Bucky!”
“Bye Steve. Bye Tony.” Bucky follows Daisy down the hallway out of sight and Steve focuses back on what the two Shield scientists are saying to Tony. When he realizes he doesn’t have a clue what they’re saying, he just focuses on keeping them from walking into walls as they head towards the cargo bay where the jets are stored.
Steve finally steers them into the jet and settles next to him. Tony, Leo and Jemma keep talking as the plan takes off and Steve looks over at Coulson and raises an eyebrow. “Are they always like this?”
“Quite a lot, actually,” Coulson says, shrugging a bit. “I just tend to roll with it. They’re scientists. I just let them do their thing and I get them what they need to make their science work.”
Steve nods. “I pretty much just back out of Tony’s way and let him do his creative thing.” He smiles and shrugs. “It’s easier that way. If I could convince him to slow it down some, I’d probably be able to at least attempt to follow, but getting Tony to slow down when he’s talking science is like trying to stop a hurricane. Unless you’re Thor, that ain’t gonna work. And I’m pretty sure even Thor couldn’t stop Tony when he gets like this.”
“I’m fairly certain there are about two people who could stop Tony when he’s like this. Natasha and Pepper. But that could be he’s just afraid of those two women.”
“I think we can probably add May to that list.” Steve chuckles. “He does seem to attract the strong women into his life. I mean, even look at Jemma here. She’s incredible, Coulson. I think she might be nearly as smart as Tony.”
“Smarter, actually,” Tony says, patting Steve’s knee. “At least in her given field. But really, come on. Have you met any of the women in our lives? They’re all terrifying. Pepper, Nat, May, Daisy, Jemma, Jane, Darcy, Helen Cho, I mean... Really. It’s crazy, when you think about it. If they aren’t scary smart, they’re just plain all out scary. Which is kind of sexy.”
Steve raises an eyebrow. “Oh really? I’m not enough for you?”
Tony smirks and leans up, kissing Steve. “You are more man than I could possibly handle by myself, but you know what I mean. If I didn’t have you, I would be walking around scared and horny all the time. As it is, I’m just horny all the time, what with you walking around in too tight t-shirts and those fantastic sweats you were when you work out.” He turns to Jemma and Leo. “The man has an ass you could bounce quarters off of. Pecs too, come to think of it.” He grins and turns back to Steve who is bright red. “And the best part? That flush? All over.”
“Oh my God, Tony, stop.” Steve laughs a little, unable to keep his face from overheating. “You are such a brat.”
“I’ve tried the quarter thing, by the way. Totally worked.” Tony laughs and kisses Steve again. “I love you. You’re adorable. I will never get enough of the way you blush.”
“Some day I won’t blush this much and you’ll regret making fun of me so much that I grew immune to it.”
“You’ll never grow immune to it. I bet I could ask Bucky if you blushed like that back in the day.”
“Damn it, Tony,” Steve says, cheeks growing hotter. He laughs a little and shakes his head. “You don’t play fair.”
“Aww, it’s okay, Stevie-kins. You ask Rhodey for embarrassing stories about me at MIT. I won’t even bribe him to be quiet.”
“Like you could bribe him.”
“I could totally blackmail him into being quiet. He may know all of my secrets but I know all of his.” Tony wiggles his eyebrows.
“He’d give you up in a heartbeat. I know his secret weakness,” Steve says, chuckling. “All I’d have to do is make him a batch of peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips and he’d spill state secrets.”
“Damn it, Steve.” Tony tries to pout, then laughs. “How’d you figure out his cookies?”
“You always have your cook make them for him. He gets this look on his face when he eats them-- like he’s seen heaven and it’s peanut butter and chocolate combined.” Steve smiles. “So yeah. I’ve also figured out the best recipe for them. Which I’m going to make tonight while you and FitzSimmons are working on Buck’s arm.”
“Aww, you’re so good to my honeybear.” Tony kisses Steve again. “I will have to reward you for making cookies.” He wiggles his eyebrows again. “And I know what kind of reward you like, too.”
Steve shakes his head, face impossibly red now. “Okay. Stop. Just... Go back to talking Science, please.”
“You got it, Stevie-kins.” Tony laughs and turns back to FitzSimmons.
Several hours later, Steve heads to the lab and glances over at the couch where FitzSimmons are curled up together, sleeping soundly. “Tony, your assistants are sleeping and I’m taking you to bed.”
“Oh, baby,” Tony says, yawning as he stretches. “Just a few more minutes. I’ve almost got the last bug worked out.”
Steve raises an eyebrow and smiles. “We’re going to bed. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a blow job before you fall asleep.” He grabs Tony and picks him up, throwing him gently over his shoulder. Tony simply whines and reaches out for the hologram he’s working off of. “Jarvis, save to whatever server he usually saves to and shut down all programs. And get the bots to bed, and turn the lights down to twenty percent.”
“Of course Captain,” Jarvis says, already in the middle of taking care of things.
Steve smiles as he carries Tony into the elevator. It’s only a few moments before they’re in Tony’s bedroom. He lays the already asleep Tony down and starts stripping off Tony’s clothes. “You’re such an idiot, Tony. I love you for it, but you’re an idiot.” He slides Tony’s pants off, licking his lips when he sees Tony laying there, completely nude. He’s not sure he’ll ever get used to Tony going without underwear. He lifts Tony up enough to get the covers of the bed down and tucks him into bed, kissing him softly. “Good night, Tony.” He sighs as he leaves Tony’s room. They’ve still not slept together, and they’ve barely done more than kiss. But he won’t push, because he’s not sure he’ll know what to do when they get there. He sighs and licks his lips, heading down to his room. He’ll sleep and then he’ll go through his usual morning routine, until Tony wakes up, then maybe he and Tony can go with the Shield agents to see Bucky again.