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The mood in the living room was way too tense and serious. Their group had been watching highly rated horrors half the night and it felt like there was no room anymore for joking around the more everyone got into it.
So much for a fun Halloween party. Tony thought glumly as the credits rolled for yet another movie. Okay so it was less of a party and more of a movie marathon, but there was a promise of it being highly entertaining and he wasn’t feeling entertained.
Tony didn’t do so well at being grim and serious, the movies were good but they just weren’t cult classics you could laugh along to, it had never been in his nature to process movies like this with a straight face and he felt uncomfortable now that no one seemed to want to change to playing some kind of party game, or throw on some music.
The lights came back on for an intermission, food already spread out on a back table beside different types of drinks, and sure they played some murder mystery style games earlier in full costume, it just felt so dead winding the night down with horror flicks. Everyone else seemed to be against his ideas though, well minus Brock who always tried to be brave but the reality was that he really hated those types of movies.
One fun thing he had learned over the past few years since becoming friends with Rumlow was that it was hilarious when you scared him. His reactions were priceless and while he always threatened to do something terrible to him later, it always lightened the mood between them and felt like it was all in good spirits which was always what Tony counted on. One time Jack had told him to count his blessings and to quit while he was ahead, but telling him no was only going to make him go harder, like tonight, he’d already seen how much Brock was struggling the longer they watched. He was going to hit the roof tonight and maybe then everyone would have a good laugh and decide to do something less serious.
He watched from the couch as Brock was pacing around a few seconds at the drinks table, eating too many chips and pouring himself some coke. It was his routine to collect himself before another movie started, eventually when Jack came back from the bathroom, they began talking while sipping from a red solo cup and smirking about something or other, his back left exposed and ready for a jump.
Perfect. Tony thought.
He carefully crept towards Brock and slowly lifted his arms, making sure to make absolutely no motions that may cause Brock to notice or feel a shift. Rollins did the briefest of brief lookovers before he went back to listening to Brock and Tony almost laughed about it. Jack was almost as bad about pranks as he was and it made his plan all the better. He held his hands at the height of Brock’s waist and it suddenly felt like anyone in their immediate vicinity seemed to hold their breath as Tony stood perfectly still behind his selected target.
Then, with a precise and quick movement, he poked Brock’s sides.
While he didn’t really put too much thought into this, he had figured that Brock’s reaction would probably be a shout, a small jump, maybe even a girlish scream if Tony was lucky. Unfortunately for Tony though, none of that was the case.
The moment Tony’s hands touched Brock’s waist, Brock turned around and punched him square in the face, hard.
Tony was disappointed to hear later that it hadn’t been Brock, but him, that had let out a girlish scream before stumbling and falling down on his ass onto the floor.
Brock seemed just as shocked as Tony felt while he was looking down at him, and all Tony could do was clutch his nose with one hand. He could already feel the warm, steady drip from his nose and all he could do was stare back as Brock stood there, unsure himself of how to react, his eyes wide. It was the scattered laughter and giggles from around the room that snapped them both out of their stupor and Bucky came back after disappearing whenever like a ghost, pressing a roll of paper towels into Brock’s hand.
“Blood is really hard to get out of the carpet, I know with all the shit Steve gets into. Go help him in the bathroom.” He said grinning, before guiding the both of them towards the hallway to clean up.
Tony followed and hopped up to sit on the counter still clutching his nose with that surprised look on his face because frankly, nothing had crossed his mind that he’d get punched. Brock usually never reacted like that around him, though the first few times he might have threatened to. Brock closed the door behind them, returning to stand in front of him and gently moved Tony’s hand out of the way to gingerly press at it. That alone told Tony his nose was slightly swollen but the bleeding seemed to have mostly stopped itself.
He turned on the tap to spit some of the blood he could taste at the back of his throat, blinking down in confusion when he saw something in there. “There are teeth in the sink.”
“What?” Brock asked, looking over only to see a pair of plastic fangs sitting near the drain. “Jesus, don’t say somethin’ like that when I thought I knocked yer teeth out too!”
“I said what I said.” Tony argued. “Not my fault you thought my teeth were in there.”
Brock shook his head, going back to looking over his nose. “M’sorry. Ya startled me.” He started to wipe some of the blood away, which only seemed to make it worse as it ended up spreading across his skin and clothing. “Dad’s been pissin’ me off, but then again what’s new huh? I really didn’t mean to do- ”
Tony grinned and rolled his eyes, playfully punching his arm. “Hey, lighten up. It’s my own fault really.” Brock smiled back, although hesitantly. Jack knocked on the door before letting himself in holding ice wrapped up in a kitchen towel and to get a better look at Tony’s nose, muttering that he was pretty sure it wasn’t broken before leaving again. Tony hissed when Brock held the ice pack against his nose.
“It’s cold.” He mumbled, making Brock smirk, shaking his head.
“Do ya suppose Jack’s right? That it ain’t broke?” Brock asked quietly, face serious again.
“Yeah, I doubt it is.” Tony shot back teasingly, waving a hand at him dismissively. “Face it, Rumlow. You don’t punch that hard, actually you hit like an old lady come to think of it.”
Brock rolled his eyes, shifting in closer between Tony’s parted legs to get a closer examination. “Yer so fuckin’ dramatic, Stark.”
“Me? Dramatic? Never. But it seems like I need to be more careful around you, next time you might actually break my nose and then what would Howard say about that. Way too much for me to deal with, that’s for sure.”
He meant it as a joke, but Brock paled and pulled his hands away from him, the ice and towel falling into Tony’s lap. Tony quickly grabbed Brock’s hand before he could move away any further.
“Hey. It’s fine, it’s my own fault.” He squeezed Brock’s hand gently and grinned.
Brock nodded, but he still didn’t look convinced. “If yer pops found out it was me- ”
“He won’t. Trust me.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue with him, but Tony only kept a firm expression that he wasn’t to be messed with until Brock finally sighed, apparently giving up.
“Let’s get that streaked blood off yer face.” Brock said, taking one of the dark red bathroom towels off the rack to get it a little damp. “At least these won’t stain.”
Tony winced slightly when he saw himself in the mirror. Even after he was cleaned up, there was still a very distinct discoloration all around his nose, not that it necessarily looked bad, Tony supposed it even made him look tough in a way.
Brock watched silently but smiled as he examined his nose in the mirror.
“Is there anythin’ else ya need?” Brock asked. Tony turned to him, a mischievous grin taking over. Brock’s smile faltered when he saw it, knowing Tony was up to no good, or blackmail. Then suddenly he was schooling him with the most hurt puppy-eyed look Brock had ever seen in his life.
“Maybe it would feel better if you kissed it. You know, soothing and all that?” Tony finally said, sounding like he was asking for too much as he let out a heavy, dramatic sigh.
Brock raised an eyebrow but knew that starting a half-hearted argument with Tony at this point would only mean that his friend would get even more annoying. So instead, to Tony’s surprise as well as probably Brock’s own, he leaned in and lightly kissed the bridge of his nose.
Tony felt himself flush, quickly willing it away as he broke out in a smug grin. Brock’s eyes narrowed when he saw there was still plotting going on in that head of his and took a step away as a precaution.
“Why are ya still lookin’ at me like that?” Brock asked wearily. Tony’s grin only broadened as he hopped off the counter and stepped closer to Brock, the toes of their socked feet touching.
“You missed.” He whispered rather gleefully, leaning in and pressing his lips against Brock’s.
Brock didn’t move for a moment, but when Tony thought maybe he was asking for too much and began to pull back, he was quickly grabbed by the hips and turned so he was shoved against the wall. Brock stepped in closer before he was kissing him back and all Tony could do was smile against his lips.
That was until Tony moved his head in the wrong angle and their noses bumped together. He almost shoved Brock back, but since he was being held on to it didn’t work and Brock could only laugh.
“That’s all on you, coulda waited.” Brock muttered as he picked up the ice again and gently rested it against Tony’s nose. He stared at him with a soft expression and Tony smiled.
“True, but worth the pain. But you know what?”
Brock smirked. “What?”
“I’m not feeling that much better yet.” Tony said, winking at him. Brock raised a brow and tilted his head in thought.
“That mean I gotta kiss ya again?” They were both trying not to laugh, already fully aware of how this was playing out, Tony took the ice from Brock’s hand, setting it aside before hooking his legs around Brock’s waist and wrapping his arms around his neck. Brock obliged, warm hands coming around to rest at the small of Tony’s back.
“Exactly.”
“I think..” Brock murmured low, leaning a little sideways to reach for the lock on the backroom door so he could turn it with an audible click. “We can figure somethin’ out that’ll end up working fer us both.”