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It all started on the fourth of August. You were down in the lab with Helen, Bruce and Tony - he was tinkering up some old tech for you that you could use in the battlefield.
The two scientists were not talking, completely enthralled with their work. You were examining your freshly painted nails, when Bruce mumbled something.
"Hmm?" Tony asked, looking up from his work. You smiled, watching Bruce turn red.
"I- uh," he stuttered.
It stayed silent for a while, and Tony dropped his stuff on the table to make his way over to his best scientist buddy. You shared a smile with Helen, who was trying to gaze at something that looked awfully much like ripped off human skin. You didn't even want to know, honestly.
"You know you can tell me anything," the billionaire said kindly, and your smile widened. He had changed and grown so much. Ever since the Avengers joined everyone and you all moved to the Compound, Tony had finally found his place. You were happy for him.
"I think I'm catching feelings for someone." Bruce eventually said softly, and he kept his eyes on the piece of metal in his hands. Tony simply smiled. "That's amazing!" He said cheerily, "Tell me everything."
Bruce scratched the back of his neck. "Brucie…" Tony said, "You are obligated to tell me who it is. Come on!"
After three minutes of hearing Tony's unnecessary whining, Bruce caved in (sort of) and said: "Alright, alright. I won't tell you who it is, but I can at least tell what he's like."
He sighed dreamily and your eyebrows shot up in the air. You had never heard him sigh dreamily before.
"He's blond," Bruce started, "and he has mesmerizing blue eyes. He's very strong, you know, and really brave." Bruce sighed. "He's sweet and dorky, but also so much smarter than people think he is." You saw Tony's posture change, and you practically heard his mind whirring with thoughts over who it could be.
"He has a heart of gold, Tony, and I love it. And even though he's been through so much, he's still really gentle and so kind to everyone else around him."
Bruce smiled happily. You looked at Helen, who was already mouthing the name. "Thor." You nodded excitedly. That was definitely Thor.
When you looked back to Tony, you saw that his shoulders were slumped. There was a frown on his face and his gaze looked distant. He was obviously thinking about something. You were about to ask him if he was alright when he shot out of his daze and gave Bruce a dazzling smile. "That's great buddy! I'm happy for you!"
Then he left.
You frowned. What had just happened? Bruce didn't seem to pay it much mind - after all, Tony had many things on his mind - and happily hummed while continuing his project.
"I'm getting coffee," Helen spoke up, "do you want some?"
You shook your head and got up from the couch. "I'm going to my room," you said, "so I'll accompany you on your journey." Your friend laughed, and you followed her to the exit.
Tony was silent. He had been, for a while, now that you thought about it.
Everyone else was just covering up for him. Sam was his usual, happy self, joking with Scott - who had a two-day visit from time to time -, and Natasha and Bucky were playing a rough game in the living room that involved a lot of shouts.
Steve was chatting with Bruce - what was up with that anyways? Ever since Bruce had told Tony about his newfound crush, the billionaire had tried to push Steve and Bruce together at every occasion - and Thor was carefully examining his empty box of pop-tarts.
When you stepped into the kitchen, his face brightened. "Ah, Lady Y/N!" He said with a grin. "You are the one I was looking for!" "Me?" You feigned surprise. "Whatever for? I do hope you're not looking to spar with me again." You grimaced when you remembered the still purple bruise on your thigh from the last time. He only laughed. "No, not this time, Lady Y/N. I finished my last box of these so-called pop-tarts. Do you think you could get me any new ones?"
"Oh definitely," you said, and you quickly casted a glance at Tony, who was sitting by the countertop, twirling his coffee cup in his hands. "Fri, order us about three new boxes of pop-tarts, please. Oh- and while you're at it, could you get me new flowers? I want to change the old ones." At that notion, Tony's head shot up. He looked at you, examining you. You smiled at him.
"Of course, miss Y/L/N. Will that be all?"
"Yes Friday, thank you."
You moved to sit next to Tony.
"Okay," you said. "You've been awfully quiet lately."
"Just not in the mood to talk," he grumbled, and before you knew it, he was up and away. You sighed.
You were just putting your mug away when you heard Bruce laugh loudly at something Steve had said, and you turned around to find a certain blond-haired god in the corner, pouting.
You stifled a laugh. Poor Thor. He was presumably not happy with the attention that Bruce was giving Steve, or the time that the two seemed to spend together.
And Tony looked so sullen lately. Ever since Steve and Bruce started growing closer, he was so quiet. That was so unlike him. Oh. Oh.
Tony was in love with Steve.
And he probably thought that Bruce was in love with Steve and- oh. Oh god. This was a mess.
On a warm Sunday, you woke up earlier than you'd ever done. It was probably an after-effect of the nightmares. Whenever Rhodey was gone, they always returned.
You weren't worried, though. He was going to be home with you in a matter of days, and that already made your heart skip a beat.
After emptying your plate from the remaining food and putting it in the sink, you made yourself a cup of coffee.
"Friday?"
"Yes, miss Y/L/N?"
"Are the flowers there?"
"They are in the acquired room, miss. Do you want me to send them up to you?"
"No thanks. I'll pick them up when I stop by. Thank you."
"It's my pleasure."
Friday hadn't even finished her sentence or Tony walked in. Judging from his tousled hair and the dark circles under his eyes, he hadn't been able to sleep well either. Or at all.
You handed him your own cup of coffee, which he downed in one second. Then, he seemed to notice your presence in the kitchen, and he frowned.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm going to visit the graveyard," you said softly. It was still a delicate subject to breach, and the only ones that you trusted enough to know were Tony, Pepper and Rhodey.
"Oh," he said, and then his face lit up with a smile. "I'm coming with you. Just give me five minutes."
He had already bolted out of the kitchen before you could tell him no - not that you were going to, because you knew as well as he did that you needed somebody with you from time to time. As much as you liked to keep up the façade that you were a strong girl who could handle her own stuff, there were times when you couldn't. Especially when you would be visiting your sister's grave.
The flowers were beautiful, as always, and smelled wonderful. Friday knew just how you wanted them. It was always a bouquet of Red Spider Lily's, that stood for lost memories, Sweet Pea's, that stood for a goodbye and Arum Lilly's, that stood for death.
Tony looped his arm through yours and pulled you out of the room filled with boxes and memories of your old life.
"Come on," he said softly, "I'll drive you there."
Whenever the two of you were alone, his joking and brave face that he put on disappeared. The two of you trusted each other enough to be yourselves around each other, and you felt so comfortable in his presence that you sometimes even slept in his bed if he needed someone to comfort him.
With Pepper and Rhodey being gone so often, the two of you often just needed the simple comfort of having someone with you.
You had had a clear advantage ever since you met him - he knew you better than he knew Rhodey, and vice versa. You had known him since birth through Peggy Carter, who was a dear friend of your father. Maybe that was the biggest reason that the two of you were so comfortable around each other.
When your sister died, you were only eleven years old, and Tony had been the first you rushed to. And then when your father had died, just after his parents had died in the car "accident", the two of you spent almost every night together to be a comfort for each other.
That was how you had met Rhodey, and well, the rest was history.
There was nobody in the graveyard, but that wasn't a big surprise. It was only six in the morning, because you liked to be there when the world was still quiet.
Her gravestone was clean. You and Tony always made sure it was taken care of properly.
Tony squeezed your hand before you let go to kneel and put the flowers on her grave.
Then you got back up again, and you leaned into him, because there was still so much sadness in you that you didn't know how to cope with alone. He draped an arm around your shoulders.
"She loved us," you said. "She loved us so much." Your voice was thick with emotion, and you didn't feel like blinking away the tears this time, so you let them go. Tony just stood there next to you in silence, but his presence was enough.
There were no more words said after that; your own still hung in the air around you and there were no more words that needed to be said.
When you returned, the two of you were still silent.
The Compound was in disarray when you entered, and you could hear faint laughter coming from the living room.
Tony's posture immediately changed, and you knew he was going to enter and put up his bravado, but he didn't have to. You held him back.
"Let them handle this," you whispered. "You deserve rest as much as I do. Go sleep, Tony."
You recognized the look in his eyes, but you weren't going to step down. You had promised yourself that you would take care of him, and you loved him so much - he was like the brother you never had. "Please."
That was the word that did it, and he jerkily nodded before taking off for his room.
You, instead, went towards the living room. You needed distraction anyways.
"What the fuck happened here?" Was the first thing that escaped your mouth when you set foot on the carpet. Something horribly slimy laid on one of the couches. Thor stood next to it, with a sullen look on his face. Sam snorted and turned to you.
"Thor tried to present Bruce the head of a Bilgesnipe."
When that left his mouth, Thor briskly turned around and left the room. Natasha shot you an apologetic look and took off after him.
Bucky was on the couch, pretending to read his newspaper.
You stepped closer to the head of the so-called Bilgesnipe. It looked horrible - you couldn't even describe it, and it was covered in blue slime. Why in the world did Thor even bring this into the living room? Tony was not going to be happy with this. Neither was Steve, probably, but you cared more about Tony. He was already having a hard time, and this would only make it worse.
Suddenly, something in the purple skin of the Bilgesnipe jumped open, and it sprayed you with the thick slime that was already all over the couch.
You shrieked.
"Argh- you have got to be fucking kidding me!" Sam snorted again, and you looked his way, brows furrowed. This was not how you expected your Sunday to go, and you were not happy.
"You sound unamused."
You glared at him. "You would be too, Sam, if you were in my situation. Stop laughing, it isn't funny!" He was laughing so hard his entire body was shuddering, but you didn't see how this could be funny. Your clothes were ruined. And your hair- oh god, your hair! You didn't even want to begin thinking about it.
"Friday," you said, looking up to the ceiling. "Call those cleaners - you know the ones I mean, and pay them a very generous amount to never tell anyone what they saw in here. Sam, stop laughing- Bucky, get up from that couch and call Steve to tell him what happened. I'll-" you sighed, "I'll deal with Tony, and I'll call Pepper to make sure she knows too. God, this is horrible. Do they do this in Asgard daily? I can't imagine how much money it costs because the carpet and the furniture in this room are ruined."
"I'll get to it immediately, miss Y/L/N. Do you want me to call your personal team?"
Bucky looked up at that notion. "Personal team?" He asked. You ignored him.
"I'll go to them myself when I have the time. Thanks Fri."
"It's a pleasure miss."
You took a deep breath to calm down. "Alright." Then you turned around and quickly left the room.
After a very long shower, the slime was eventually gone. You sprayed on a bit of perfume to make sure you wouldn't smell so bad. Your clothes, however, were completely ruined, and your hair was evidently not happy with the treatment they had gotten.
You would visit your hairdresser and stylist later to make sure everything would be alright.
Tony was asleep in his room.
You told Friday to lock the doors and windows and make sure that no one besides yourself, Pepper, Rhodey and Tony himself could enter or leave the room. You didn't want to ruin his sleeping pattern.
You called Pepper to inform her - needless to say, she wasn’t very happy.
You calmed her down and talked her down from blowing up at Thor, he had probably not meant it like this anyways. She said goodbye after that because she had a meeting, but she promised she would be in the Compound with you soon.
When you entered the living room, it was empty. All the furniture and the carpet were gone, and the head of the Bilgesnipe too. You breathed out in relief.
"Can I order new furniture, miss?"
"Do as you please, Fri. Just make sure it looks exactly the same. We want to make sure that it looks like nothing ever happened here."
"Of course."
There were footsteps behind you, and you turned around swiftly, to meet Thors apologetic face. "I'm sorry, Lady Y/N." He said, and he sighed.
"I wanted to present Bruce a present to begin a courtship, but-" he closed his eyes and rubbed his face. "It all turned out horribly. I never meant for it to go this way. I am terribly sorry. If there is anything I can do to help, I will make sure I'll do it."
You smiled.
"There is one thing you could do."
His face brightened, and he smiled. "Tell me what it is, and I'll do it immediately!" He called out.
You nodded.
"Talk to Bruce. Tell him that this was not your intention, tell him that you are sorry."
He looked shocked.
"But- Lady Y/N-"
You put up your hand to shut him up.
"Thor, you're one of the most oblivious persons I have ever met. Bruce and Steve are not in a relationship. They don't have those kinds of feelings for one another."
He looked miserable, and you felt sorry for him. "Lady Natasha said something like that already," he mumbled. You put your hand on his arm. "Natasha wouldn't lie to you," you whispered. When he looked up to you, there was a glint of hope in his eyes. "Now go get him." You stood up on your toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
Before you could walk out, Thor stopped you.
"Thank you," he told you in all earnest, and you smiled. "It's a pleasure."
It was Tuesday morning, and you were pacing around in your room.
Tony was in his lab, Bruce was out with Thor, Vision, Wanda, Clint and Pietro were on their plane back from their vacation in the Bahamas, Steve and Bucky were training and Natasha and Sam were out on a mission.
Tony had pulled himself out of the group even more now - he was not on total lockdown, but he was close. That was probably also how he had missed that Steve and Bruce were not together. You wanted to tell him, but the past days had been ridiculously busy. On Sunday, you had spent the rest of the day after the incident at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, to go over a few secret missions with Fury, and on Monday you had had a planned mission in Malibu with Natasha.
"Miss Y/L/N," Friday piped up, "Miss Potts has just arrived."
You stopped pacing immediately and looked down at your pyjamas. Oh well. Whatever. She had seen you in worse states.
Pepper was in the living room, seated on one of the new couches.
Her face lightened up as soon as you entered. "Y/N!" She called out, and jumped up. The two of you shared a warm embrace.
"How are you? I know you visited your sister last Sunday, how was that? How is Tony?"
You laughed. "Always so many questions, Pepper. Let's start with the second one."
You pushed her down on the couch and sat down next to her. She listened to every word you said, frowning when you told her about Tony and Steve, and smiling when you told her about Bruce and Thor. She was the most attentive listener out of the four of you, and she always knew what to say and how to react.
The two of you eventually decided you would go to the lab, to try and talk to Tony.
When you arrived, the two of you fell silent. Steve entered the lab, and Tony swiftly turned around.
"I need to talk to you-" the rest of Steve's sentence was inaudibly, because the door closed.
Pepper and you shared a look.
You watched on as the two men had a heated discussion, Tony was moving his arms, and his face was set in a scowl. Then he said something, and he turned around again. Steve, however, grabbed the engineer's hands and turned him around.
Tony's cheeks were red now as Steve said something with a determined look on his face.
"Okay," Pepper tugged on your arm. "It's time for us to leave." You nodded, and the two of you turned around to let the couple have their privacy.
It was the last weekend of the month.
You entered your room, sighing deeply. Your wounds needed to be attended, but you were not in the mood. And you had to hurry up, because it was movie night today, and the whole team was going to assemble in the cinema room.
But Rhodey still wasn't there.
You wanted to cuddle up in his side and let him whisper into your ear. You wanted to pepper his face in kisses. Instead, you would have to deal with a sleeping Clint, leaning against you, and Natasha, whose feet you massaged if she wanted to. Not that you minded that much, you loved the team and they were your family. But sometimes you just wanted to spend some time with the person you loved the most.
You groaned as you sunk into the soft couch.
"Rough mission?" Bucky asked as he sat down next to you. You nodded. "They kicked my ass for sure. Lucky I had some help from Daredevil."
Bucky lifted his eyebrows but didn't say anything about that.
"Alright guys!" Tony entered the room with a big grin. Steve was trailing behind him, hands in his pockets and a faint rose tint on his cheeks. You smirked. At least those two had gotten together.
"What movie do you wanna watch?"
Clint perched up on the couch. "A Disney movie!" He called out, pumping his fist in the air. Everyone burst out laughing as Tony shrugged, and said: "Eh, why not?"
In the end, they chose for Bambi. You took a pillow and pressed it to your stomach. Bambi always made you cry, and since you didn't have Rhodey's shoulder to cry on, the pillow would have to do.
In the middle of the movie, someone tapped on your shoulder. You turned around, and almost shrieked.
"Rhodey!" You whisper-yelled. He grinned. "Hey baby. I'm home."
You jumped up from the couch and jumped in his arms.
Before you knew it, you were crying - and you didn't even know why.
The others didn't make any comments as the movie kept on playing and Rhodey stroked your back.
"Let's go somewhere else," he whispered as he let you go, "so we can talk." You nodded and let him lead you out of the room.
"Steve and Tony are together," you said as you sat on the kitchen counter. Rhodey placed himself in between your legs and smiled.
"They are? That's great for them." "Bruce and Thor too," you followed. "I think Clint and Pietro will follow soon enough, and Bucky and Natasha have been sharing too much secretive smiles to be non-romantic."
Rhodey chuckled. "I'm glad you had a good time while I was away."
You pouted. "I didn't. I missed you."
He smiled as you pulled his face closer. "I missed you too."
He lifted you up from the counter, and you immediately wrapped your legs around his waist.
He pecked your lips. "Next time I need to leave, I'll be gone for a few months."
You frowned. "Why?"
"Because they want to keep me away from my wonderful girlfriend." You chuckled.
"Take me with you," you breathed against his lips. "I'll follow you to the ends of the world if that's what it takes, but right now, I'm not letting you go."
Rhodey smiled and captured your lips in a heated, passionate kiss.
When the two of you parted, he sighed.
"I'll see what I can do."
"Hmm," you answered. "How about we take this to the bedroom?"
"That's a marvellous idea." He murmured, and he set you down on the ground. You smiled happily and took his hand to walk away.
"You look adorable in your pyjamas by the way."
"Rhodey!"