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It really wasn't a big deal, he didn't see why they were all freaked out over something that honestly, he couldn't remember not dealing with. Yet here he was, sitting on one of the couches in the common area of the mansion as if he had done something wrong, which he hadn't. He was exhausted, sure, his "special episodes" as he had taken to calling them, always left him done for the day, but it was nothing to freak out about like they insisted on doing. He wasn't even too disoriented, which he often was after.
"So, I think I'm going to just take a nap now, if it's all the same to you," said Tony, trying to move out of the couch so he could find a comfortable place to sleep - like a bed or a couch far away from everyone else.
"Tony, I'm not sure that is a good idea," said Steve, shifting his weight from side to side in an anxious way that was making Tony's head spin. "I mean, you just had a massive seizure. Is it really safe to be going to sleep after that? What if you have another and swallow your tongue?"
"That's a myth!" chuckled Tony tiredly, still not understanding why they were getting so worked up. "And not a very good myth at that. Look, when you go to sleep, have you ever swallowed your tongue?"
None of the Avengers responded.
"Of course not," said Tony, shaking his head. "Because you cannot physically swallow your tongue. It's not like when you are awake you are reminding your body not to swallow your tongue and then as soon as your mind is no longer in control you swallow it. No, what I think you meant is that sometimes people vomit while having a seizure and that is what they choke on if not turned on their side. In answer to that, I'm not the vomit-while-seizing flavor."
"Flavor?" said Bucky, almost laughing because he had finally caught on that this was something Tony knew how to handle. Unlike the others, Bucky didn't underestimate Tony often because the man had been thriving for years before them, he had to be doing something right.
"Yeah," said Tony with a smirk. "You know, there are different flavors of seizures. Some are short and you almost don't even know they happened, you just sort of freeze up and black out for a few seconds. Sometimes your eyes are open and you just grip whatever you are holding really tightly and then it is over and you have no clue it just happened. Those are the types I used to get when I was a kid. Now though, I get the full on aura-before-you-hit-the ground-flopping-like-a-fish flavor."
"And why have you not told us about this?" demanded Bruce, furious. "Tony, those are dangerous! What if one happened while you were flying? What if you were alone and didn't have anyone to take care of you? What if-"
"You mean what if this happened not at an Avenger meeting?" said Tony, not even bothering to hide his amusement now. "Like, what if it had happened like it's happened for the past years and I was on my own? Well then, I would just deal with it the same way I always do. I'd find a comfortable spot, have my special episode, then take a nap. Done. Problem solved. Now, are there any other questions or can I take my nap now because, believe it or not, these things are exhausting."
"Go to bed, we'll have dinner when you wake up," said Bucky, chuckling and shaking his head as he forced the others out.
"Okay, good night," yawned Tony, turning on his side with his back to them as they shut the door, asleep before they were outside.
"What just happened?" yelled Steve when they were back in the kitchen, rounding on Bucky. "He had a massive seizure and you just leave him alone to sleep?"
"I'm sorry, were you not listening to the man?" snapped Bucky. "He said he was fine and just needed some rest."
"But he had a seizure!"
"He has epilepsy! Of course he had a seizure. But, considering he has had them for his entire life and survived and considering he said he gets an aura before hand, I really don't think it is a risk leaving him to rest alone."
"What's epilepsy?" asked Steve, looking between the other Avengers. "Is it a disease? Can we get him some medicine and fix it? Is there any way to stop it?"
"Take a breath," sighed Bucky. "It's not contagious, if that's what you're wondering. It's just a condition where a person can have seizures, sometimes with triggers, sometimes they just happen and, as Tony said, there are different types of epilepsy."
"Yeah, what is an aura?"
"It's a warning sign. Some people get them, some don't and there are different ways an aura can be. Like for me, when I am about to get a migraine like right now, I can't see properly. It's like someone took a picture with a flash and that flash is stuck in my eye, growing and growing until it's almost all I can see, and then it is gone and the pain is there. But, that is my aura, my warning sign that there is about to be pain and that I need to get to a dark, quiet place. I don't know what Tony's is, but if he gets one then he can get to a safe place before anything happens."
"How do you know so much about this?" asked Bruce, sitting down on his favorite bar stooland grabbing a mug of hot tea from a tray he had just set down.
"My kid sister had it," said Bucky quietly. "Not that we really knew much about it at the time. I did research when I escaped HYDRA."
The others froze. For as long as they had known and worked with Bucky, they had never known him to talk about his past. They didn't know about his family. They were realizing that there was a lot about each other that they didn't know.
"I had to learn how to handle that so she wouldn't hurt herself," continued Bucky.
"Oh," said Clint, unsure of what else there was to say.
"But, like I said, I am about to get a migraine, so if you'll excuse me, I think I'll just use one of the bed rooms and rest a bit before dinner."
Before the others could say anything, Bucky was out of the room.
"We need to start actually communicating," sighed Bruce.