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Tony Stark enjoyed being labeled as an eccentric billionaire. The title let him, so far, get away with being able to carry out his crazy double life of not only being the CEO of a large company but also suiting up to become Iron Man. It explained his disappearances when he went to save the world, and the well-known excuse of explosions in his lab covered any bruises and broken bones he might get.
But as he stared down Captain America during the latest debrief, he was starting to wonder if it was worth it. He could be at home, readying for dinner with his two lovers, instead of listening to an old icon lecture him on the importance of teamwork. It was hard to cross his arms while in the armor, but that’s all he wanted to do as he stood there and rolled his eyes at another instance of “You didn’t listen to me.”
Eventually, he put up his hand and waited for the Captain to come to a stop. It took him a moment before he quieted so Tony could lower his hand and finally get a word in on the conversation.
“There were civilians in the tower you ordered me out of,” he told Cap. “There was a good chance they would not have made it out in time and you would have known that had you arrived in time for me to tell you without compromising my concentration.”
The Captain’s eyes narrowed under his cowl. “Don’t you borrow Stark’s Jarvis? He could have relayed the message.”
“Jarvis is just that -- Stark’s. If he hasn’t given the team permission to use him, then I’m not going to force the issue.” Tony stepped closer to the table, leaning his hands on the surface. “You could always ask him yourself, but I doubt his answer will be different from mine.”
Cap would never know, of course, that they were one and the same. And as long as Cap continued to berate him on stupid things, Tony wasn’t all that willing to hand over his best invention to the man. Fury knew that well enough and hadn’t asked, and it was irritating that Cap didn’t seem to get the message about it.
“I’ll speak to him,” Cap promised, chin raising. “I’m sure I’ll have more luck than you think.”
“Sure thing, Spangles.” Tony looked around to the other members of the team -- Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Falcon. “Are we done here?”
“We are not--”
“Good,” Tony said, interrupting whatever Cap was about to say. “My alarm for Mister Stark has gone off, so if you’ll excuse me...”
Tony walked out of the room without another word. He was sure there would be some lengthy message from Cap or even Coulson later, but he really didn’t care. A nice shower and then a dinner date was exactly what he needed after the stupidity of today.
“Jarvis, are Bucky and Steve at the tower?” he asked as he took off from the SHIELD facility. He’d be home in about fifteen minutes.
‘ I am unsure of the location of Mr. Carter as he is currently not within the tower. However, Mr. Barnes has fallen asleep on the couch .’
Tony smiled at the feed Jarvis brought up, always liking to watch his lovers in their vulnerable moments. It made them both softer, not as intimidating. Not that Tony had an issue with both of them sporting a strong physique, but sometimes it did make him feel small next to them. He may have gotten his own muscle definition from building and piloting Iron Man, but it was nowhere near both Bucky and Steve.
“I’ll fly straight into the shop, J. Can we stage a normal explosion? I think I have some bruises and you know Steve’s going to question them.”
‘ It can be done, sir, as always. I’ll have it trigger while you are in the armor room .’
“You’re my favorite.”
‘ I am beginning to doubt that, but I appreciate the sentiment. ’
Tony could do nothing but laugh, knowing Jarvis would never mind that his position as most favorite had been taken by two other men. After all, Jarvis was programmed to help make Tony’s life easier (and happier). Both his boys helped that, too, and maybe it was time to devote everything to them.
-----
The date had been almost haunting Tony the moment he realized that it was coming. A year of dating two incredible men and he hadn’t done anything to completely fuck it up yet. He wouldn’t have even noticed if not for Pepper asking what they were going to do on their anniversary, and now Tony could think of nothing else but that. So when the others hadn’t mentioned anything, Tony brought it on himself to plan something and make sure the three of them all had the night off.
He even went as far as to tell SHIELD Iron Man was unavailable that day and the next. He also hung up before Fury could say anything about it.
But now here it was, just minutes before the others would arrive, and Tony was second-guessing his choices. They all enjoyed a nice steak dinner, but did he get the wrong cut? Maybe Steve wouldn’t want to drink the wine? Or Bucky wouldn’t like the kind of potatoes he ordered? What if they expected it to be home-cooked somehow?
What if this was all a mistake?
‘ Sir, Mr. Carter has arrived and is coming up the elevator. ’
Tony blew out a breath and nodded. He had to relax -- they were going to love it. And maybe they were going to love his proposal, too. They weren’t ready for vows and rings, but living together didn’t seem like a bad idea. It would save them the trouble of arranging dates and instead they could just come home and plop down on the couch together. It wasn’t that far of a drive for either of them and Tony had been in both of their apartments to know his tower was the biggest place to house them all. Besides, the “keys to the castle” would be the only gift he wanted to give them.
The elevator door opened, pulling Tony’s erratic thoughts to a stop. He smiled, immediately going to give Steve a hello kiss. The fire captain dressed up as asked, though in his own charming way. While Tony had on a three-piece suit complete with a tie, Steve managed to make khakis and a plain, blue button-up look elegant. As Tony leaned in for that kiss, he could smell the soft cologne Bucky had bought for Steve and his eyes fluttered closed, welcoming the gentle touch of lips and a firm, warm hand pressed against his back.
Steve always had a way of drawing him in, making Tony feel completely safe and owned in a way he never minded. He was Steve’s just as much as he had always been Bucky’s and he was glad the brunette had brought them all together or he would have missed out.
“You look nice,” Tony murmured as the kiss broke, sliding his hand across Steve’s chest. “I almost want to skip dinner.”
Steve smiled before turning them to press Tony’s back against the wall. “You wore this on purpose.”
Tony smirked and forced himself to keep still and not tease Steve. Much. “What, this old suit? I thought it looked nice.”
“Tease,” he accused before pulling Tony’s red tie from his vest. He wrapped his hand around it and tugged just enough to make Tony lean his head forward. “Ever since you realized my thing with ties...”
“Oops?”
Steve used his hold on the tie to pull Tony in for another kiss, sliding his tongue into Tony’s mouth as soon as he was able. Tony gripped onto Steve’s belt loops as he arched into the kiss. Maybe he was using it to calm his own mind, but it worked and he wasn’t worried about anything at the moment except Steve.
It was probably why he missed the sound of the elevator opening again. However, neither of them could ignore the amused voice of their third.
“I see tonight’s fun has already started without me.”
Tony broke away from the kiss to grin at Bucky. “You made it!”
The brunette laughed and stepped close enough to lean over Steve’s arm and give first Tony, and then Steve a quick kiss. “Why wouldn’t I make it?”
Steve let Tony’s tie fall between them before reaching up to rub Bucky’s left shoulder. “Arm bothering you?”
Bucky’s left arm, a prosthetic usually, wasn’t on him. Instead, the short sleeve of his polo shirt hung empty. He shrugged. “I think I overworked it yesterday, is all. Someone had a last-minute ‘emergency’ about their succulents.”
“Mmhm, say ‘succulents’ again,” Tony told him, placing a quick kiss to Bucky’s cheek. “I’m begging you.”
Bucky pushed him away with a laugh. “You’re impossible.”
“Maybe,” Tony agreed, “but you should have brought the arm. I could have looked it over? Maybe we need to make it lighter. I can always--”
“Tony.” Bucky stopped Tony’s rambling with a smile. “The arm you made me at Christmas was perfect. I just don’t like wearing it all the time.”
“Right, nor should you have to. Sorry.”
“I get it, it’s okay. Your mind is always in work mode.” Bucky looked Tony over, the smile still on his face. “I feel incredibly underdressed next to you...”
Maybe he shouldn’t have tried so formal. He told them formal, but obviously their definitions were different. Hoping his face wasn’t red, he shrugged off the jacket and tossed it in the direction of the nearest surface -- probably a chair? He wasn’t really sure at the moment. As soon as it was out of his hand, Steve stepped forward and undid one of Tony’s cufflinks before rolling up the sleeve.
“You know you don’t need to dress up for us, right?” he asked before working on the other arm. “We love you even when you’re greasy and sleep-deprived.”
Tony did feel his face go hot then and he turned his head away, trying to get his mind to work properly again. Before he could, two fingers turned his chin, and then Bucky was smiling at him again.
“Besides, we rather like when there’s less clothes to tear off you,” he said, finishing it off with a wink.
Tony snorted. “Okay, okay. I maybe over-did it. But it’s our anniversary, so...”
Both Steve and Bucky’s eyes widened at that and Tony felt his panic rise again. Did he have the right date? This was when they got together -- Pepper showed him his stupid text message he had sent her after they left his tower that first night. Maybe they didn’t celebrate anniversaries? Maybe they didn’t count it unless it was official? They weren’t technically official -- things just happened and they never really mentioned all the nuances of names or anything.
He had to apologize. “I--”
“I forgot the date,” Bucky said at the same time Steve rubbed at his eyes with a groan. “Oh my god I ... shit, Tony, I’m so sorry.”
“Me, too,” Steve said, dropping his hand. “I wasn’t even thinking because... No.” Steve shook his head. “I don’t have an excuse, but I’m so sorry.”
“Now I know I’m definitely underdressed,” Bucky whined, pulling a bit at his polo. “Shit, were we going somewhere? Should I change?”
Tony looked between them before shaking his head, bringing his hands up to stop them. “No, no. We aren’t going anywhere, I promise. I had dinner ordered, though?”
Steve’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Oh, Tony...”
“I don’t think we have a gift for you.”
If they said yes, it would be a gift enough. Tony shook his head and reached out to take their hands. “You guys don’t have to. Being here is enough.”
“But--”
“And maybe,” Tony interrupted, hoping to get this out before he lost his nerve, “youwannamoveinwithme?”
“Babe?” Bucky bent down so he could lock eyes with Tony’s own. Tony hadn’t even realized he had been staring at his feet until then. “Wanna run that by us again?”
Tony took in a deep breath, swinging their hands a bit before looking up. “Would the two of you like to move in with me?”
They hesitated. Tony wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad hesitation, but they both hesitated. But they didn’t look at each other, so that meant they hadn’t already talked about this, right? Of course he was right. And of course they hesitated -- he just spit it out like an idiot. Who did that? Partners talked about that stuff, they didn’t just come out and blurt it with no warning.
He was such an idiot.
Tony released their hands and put on a smile. “It’s okay if you don’t want to,” he said, glad his voice stayed even. “Come on, let’s get some food in us. I bought that movie Bucky likes but won’t admit.”
“Tony...”
Tony shook his head. “I don’t need an answer right now. It was an idea and I know we haven’t talked about it.”
Steve and Bucky shared a glance before Steve wrapped an arm around Tony’s shoulders. “You just surprised me, that’s all.”
“You surprised us.” Bucky poked a bit at Tony’s back as they started toward the dining room. “I suppose we were going in that direction.”
“Let’s talk about it tonight, then.” Steve pulled Tony in for a quick kiss to his temple before letting go.
The loss of Steve’s arm around him felt like a loss of a lot more and it took Tony a moment to recover before they all settled down for dinner.
-----
Rhodey was the best friend Tony knew he didn’t deserve, but he was glad for anyway. Despite having a demanding job himself, Rhodey was always willing to sit on the couch and listen to Tony whine about whatever he needed to. Sometimes with an amused smile, sometimes with an angry frown, but always with a willing ear. Tony desperately needed that ear as he told Rhodey about the date night.
“So,” Rhodey said once Tony’s story was done, “it’s a no.”
Tony nodded, head pillowed on Rhodey’s lap. “Bucky isn’t sure his sister can handle the shop on her own if he can’t make it, and Steve is worried about distance.”
“Understandable on both. How long did you three talk about it?”
Tony shrugged. “Over dinner, but then we watched a movie and... other stuff.”
“Which I don’t need to hear about.” Rhodey ran his fingers through Tony’s hair. “You’re not telling me the whole story, though.”
“What’s there to tell? I brought it up, they said no.”
“Tones...”
Tony wrinkled his nose and rolled onto his back so he could look up at his best friend. “Do you think they don’t want to because of who I am?”
“I thought they loved you because of who you are.”
“I mean... Everything with Iron Man.”
Rhodey let out a sigh. “They don’t even know you’re Iron Man.”
“But they think I need him.” Tony sat up with a groan. “What if they move in and Iron Man can’t get to me in time and I die? Will they be kicked out? Will people accuse them of using me for my money? I just--”
“Stop it.” Rhodey tugged him back down onto his lap. “You’re running yourself in circles about this and it isn’t going to help anything.”
“But--”
“Stop.” Rhodey put a hand over Tony’s eyes. “Just breathe for a second, okay?”
It was a routine they had whenever Tony started to freak out -- that in itself helped in the end. Tony immediately closed his eyes under Rhodey’s hand and took in a few deep breaths. His friend was right since running in circles would do nothing but make Tony doubt himself. Doubting himself would turn into doubting his lovers which would turn into a break up and--
There he went again.
“I have to give them a chance,” Tony said after a moment, shifting to relax into Rhodey’s hold. “We hadn’t talked about it before and it was a shock and... it’ll be okay.”
“That’s right,” Rhodey agreed. “You got time, okay? Those two are stupid in love with you and it’ll only be a matter of time before they come over and don’t leave. Maybe they’re just as scared as you.”
Tony shifted his head so he could dislodge Rhodey’s hand from his face. “I’m not scared.”
“Of course not, Tones.” Rhodey ruffled Tony’s hair. “Now, where was that pizza and beer you promised me?”
Rhodey was the one thing Tony could always count on to never change and he loved that. He waved his hand, letting Jarvis know without words to get the food ordered. “Netflix reality shows, too?”
“You read my mind. Come on, Jarvis, let’s watch something stupid.”
-----
The prospect of moving in hadn’t been mentioned in weeks, but Tony forced himself not to get too antsy about it. The three of them were all busy with their jobs (and, in Tony’s case, his side job) and their time together was sporadic. Tony would have liked to come home every night to a warm bed filled with his boyfriends, but just as Rhodey said, it would come in time. Their relationship otherwise was perfectly fine, really.
Until the aliens attacked New York.
That was getting too far ahead, though.
Tony had woken up to an insistent beeping earlier than usual. As soon as he sat up and was alert enough, Jarvis let him know that SHIELD had a breach and needed Iron Man’s assistance with a new threat. After sending out a text to both Bucky and Steve about an emergency in the California office, he went through his typical morning routine and listened to what SHIELD had sent him regarding a man named Loki.
He had heard about something going down in New Mexico a week ago, but since it was over with before he could even attempt to plan a trip, he hadn’t paid it any mind. Steve teased him about “missing scientific discoveries” until Bucky also started whining about not being able to see it. Not because he knew exactly what was going on, but because he was fascinated.
From the information Jarvis was still reading as Tony got into the Iron Man suit, this was going to be another thing Bucky would want to know everything about. Confirmed aliens? Right up the man’s alley. Tony doubted this was going to be hidden for long - especially since said alien was lost in the wind.
With Barton, but Tony decided he would deal with that information later. Mind control was another thing he had to add to the list of “shit I didn’t realize was a threat.”
He was halfway to the hellicarrier when he got a message from Bucky wishing him luck. He was surprised he hadn’t gotten something from Steve first as the man was probably already up and doing his morning run. Though depending on how long it was, he wouldn’t be looking at his phone until after a shower, so Tony wasn’t too worried.
Natasha and Falcon met him on the bridge of the hellicarrier, so Tony knew the good Captain was also somewhere on board. Fantastic. Natasha gave him a nod, arms crossed and face impassive, and Tony wanted nothing more than to give her a hug. It wouldn’t be accepted, but out of everyone on the team, she was closest to Barton.
Falcon led Tony into what looked like a war room and he stood by the table, ignoring Captain America for a bit so he could let Jarvis look through SHIELD’s systems. Fury gave him a look, but didn’t say anything, so Tony assumed that was permission enough to continue.
After a few minutes, Fury stepped away from the screens and stood next to Tony, tablet in hand. “Good of Stark to let us borrow you. Do you think he can do some work for us from the tower?”
Tony wanted to roll his eyes. So that was why Fury let him hack the systems. “What kind of work?”
“We need to track the tesseract. I’m sure you already know what that is from the files and I know Howard had some notes on it.” Fury set the tablet on the table. “It would be easier with him here, but I understand if he’s busy.”
Tony was supposed to be in California, as he told Steve and Bucky, but this was a better excuse. At least people would see him here. “Mister Stark is on his way to California, but the least you can do is ask. I’m sure he would rather be here.”
“I’ll give him a call.” Fury nodded to the Soldier as the man came in and took a seat between them and Cap. “We’re just waiting for Banner, then.”
“If we have Banner here, do we need Stark?” Cap asked, fingers clenching on the table. “Banner can track the cube.”
Tony felt himself tense, though he kept his original comment to himself. “Two heads are better than one.”
“Yes, but--”
“It’s not your call, Cap,” Fury said, resting his hands on the table. “Once we find Loki, the team will head out and bring him in. Understood?”
Cap let out a breath, but he did nod. “Yes, sir.”
“Until then, stay close. Widow will bring Banner by the lab when he arrives and, if Stark comes, they’ll work to track the cube there.” He gave Tony a look before turning his attention back to Cap. “Until then, I would suggest we learn as much as we can about this Loki.”
Falcon nudged Cap’s arm and the two of them headed off. Since the Soldier didn’t move other than propping his feet on top of the table, Tony figured this was his cue to leave as well. He had a private lace deep in the carrier for his suits where he could also be himself -- it was a good place to lay low until Jarvis could send an empty suit and he could claim he just arrived.
Once he got there and out of the suit, he put on a pair of specially-designed glasses where he could pilot the suit himself if need be. While Jarvis could pilot the suit from place to place, he couldn’t properly fight in it yet.
His phone buzzed then. He smiled when he saw it was from Steve. A typical apology about being on a run mixed in with encouraging words about the business trip. Tony hovered over the keyboard for a moment before hitting the call button instead.
Steve picked up on the first ring. “Tony?”
“Hey, babe. Let me get Buck on the phone too.”
Jarvis already dialed the number before Steve gave his consent -- not that he would have said no. Once Bucky picked up as well, Tony let himself relax. “Hey sweetheart, I got Steve, too.”
Bucky chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect any different.”
“I just wanted to let you two know there’s been a change of plans. I--”
“Are you coming home?” Bucky asked, voice hopeful. “I could--”
“Sorry, but no.” Tony sighed, wanting nothing more than to go home to them. “Looks like I’ve been called in to consult with SHIELD. Iron Man’s already been called, so it’s probably going to be a few days.”
They were silent and Tony closed his eyes, wondering if he should have asked them before he sent along the second suit.
“If you’re angry--”
“No,” Steve quickly said. “No, I’m just worried.”
“Isn’t it dangerous if Iron Man is already there?” Bucky asked.
“I’ll be behind the scenes,” Tony promised. “And I’ll call you whenever I can.”
Bucky sighed. “You’re already on your way there.”
“Sorry...?”
“Don’t apologize,” Steve added. “Just keep us up to date, okay? I love you.”
“As do I, and we’re worried. That’s all.”
Tony felt something in his chest swell. Everyone else he knew would try to talk him out of going, but these two... Tony was unable to keep the smile off his face. He loved them more than anything. They were something worth coming home to.
And they didn’t deserve to worry.
“I love you both and I promise I’ll be safe.”
“I suppose that’s all we can ask for right now,” Steve said and Tony could just see the fond smile on his face. “I have to get ready for work, but text me if you can’t call?”
“I promise.”
“Love you, Steve,” Bucky said. “And Tony? Just don’t do anything stupid. Please .”
They shared a few more promises and ‘love yous’ before Tony hung up, staring at his phone background. It was the three of them in front of Steve’s firehouse, grinning stupidly with their faces pressed together. He smiled at it before tucking his phone back in a pocket.
He had work to do.
-----
Tony managed to at least start the trace with Bruce for the tesseract before the Soldier entered the lab. As Iron Man, Tony knew that the man didn’t talk to anyone besides Natasha, but Tony had never officially met him. He attempted to carry on a one-sided conversation for a few minutes before it became too awkward (even for him). Bruce just shrugged when Tony glanced at him, so he figured he could just let the silent man sit in a corner and stare if that’s what he wanted to do.
It wasn’t long after he and Bruce got lost in a side project before the door opened and Captain America stepped into the lab. Tony held back a sigh, not sure he wanted to deal with the man at the moment. Finding the cube would take patience and the Captain wasn’t exactly known to be a patient man.
“Still searching,” he said before the man could say anything. “Got a program up and that’s all we can do right now.”
The Captain closed his mouth, shifted on his feet, and then crossed his arms with a scowl. “That wasn’t what I came here to ask you.”
“Ask away, then.”
He glanced to the soldier before letting out a breath. “I didn’t want to ask anything, actually. I wanted to apologize for taking you away from your business. I know how important it is to you.”
Tony snorted and moved away from the table, letting Bruce have full access to the screens. “Let’s see, we have boring, unintelligent men who think they know better, or a fun project where I get to explore unknown tech.” He held up his hands, pretending they were a scale. “Not that hard of a choice, Cap.”
He huffed out what could have been a laugh, arms uncrossing. “Of course. Still, thank you for coming, Stark. I’ll make sure you arrive back home safely.”
“No need.” Tony waved him off. “I have Iron Man for that.”
The Soldier muttered something in the corner and Tony frowned before looking down at his phone on the counter. “Jarvis, translate that?”
‘ The Soldier does not seem to think your companion Iron Man is good enough for the job. ’
The three of them looked at the stoic figure, hidden behind the black face mask and goggles. He didn’t move to acknowledge what Jarvis said and Tony felt himself smile. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were worried about me, Snowflake.”
The Soldier muttered something else, his shoulders shrugging. When Jarvis translated it as claiming Tony had a nice ass, he burst out laughing. The scowl across the Captain’s face made it even better and Tony turned, making sure his backside faced the Soldier.
“Might as well let you look at it, then. Hear that, Bruce? I got a nice ass.”
Bruce shook his head, focusing back on the screens. “I’m not getting into this discussion.”
“This isn’t a discussion,” Steve snapped. “Stark is a taken man, Soldier, so keep your eyes where they belong.”
“Stark can also fight his own battles,” Tony said. “Relax, Cap. I’m comfortable in my own skin to realize people are going to look.”
“Your partners--”
“And,” Tony interrupted, “I’m confident in my relationship to know that someone who is looking won’t get further than that. It’s none of your business.”
Bruce gave out a cough behind them, but waved Tony off when he turned to look. “Swallowed wrong.”
“Perhaps you should ask them,” Captain said, pulling Tony’s attention back to him. “They might not be comfortable with you flirting with people who find you attractive.”
“You don’t even know them,” Tony accused. “Look, I appreciate you trying to fend for my relationship, but you don’t know anything. I would appreciate it if you would back off.”
The Captain’s jaw clenched for a moment before he turned and left the room without saying a word. Tony felt a little guilty, but he also knew he was right -- Captain America knew nothing about his life. He hadn’t even tried to know his life. In fact, the last conversation they had was a disaster about getting Tony to let the team use Jarvis. A conversation Tony knew was coming, but it still hadn’t made things easier.
“He’s a little right,” Bruce said softly. “You should find out what they think about your public image and the admirers you have.”
“What if I’ve already talked to them about it?” When Bruce didn’t say anything, Tony looked up to find the man giving him a disbelieving look. Tony sighed. “Fine, okay, we haven’t really talked about that.”
Bruce nodded to the door. “You should.”
Tony let out an obnoxious sigh, but he did take his phone and head for the door. It wasn’t until after he left that he realized that Soldier hadn’t been in the room anymore either.
-----
Tony stared at his phone, trying not to chicken out (again) at the prospect of talking to his boyfriends. At first, he wanted coffee. Then it was food. Then he went back to the lab to check on the trace. One excuse after another kept him away from a conversation he really didn’t want to have.
His phone buzzed with a message from Steve and he opened it without thought. It was a picture of a cat with the caption of ‘NY Firefighters at their best - rescuing cats from Central Park trees.’ He smiled at Bucky’s immediate response of ‘don’t bring it home - I’m not cleaning after it.’
He watched their banter back and forth about pets vs plants for a bit before deciding he might as well just dive in. However, it didn’t take long after telling them that the Soldier liked his ass before his phone rang.
“The Winter Soldier ?” Steve demanded. “Tony--”
“Man’s got good taste,” Bucky interrupted. “He does have a nice ass.”
Tony found himself laughing. “I don’t think he realized I could translate what he was saying, but good ol’ Captain America--”
Bucky groaned. “Ugh, that guy.”
“--was trying to take me home after I was done here, saying Iron Man wasn’t good enough. We had a little tiff and the Soldier mentioned my ass.”
Steve sighed and Tony could picture the upset pout on his face. “The Soldier is dangerous, Tony. I know there are others there, but you should really stay away from him.”
“My hero. Steve, I’ll be fine. I’m working with Bruce.”
“The Hulk, right?” Bucky asked. “Babe, that doesn’t make me feel better, but I understand.”
“Is he attracted to you as well?” Steve asked, voice tight.”
“Steve, come on. I--”
“Communication,” Bucky said quickly.
“I know, I’m sorry. I just...” Steve was quiet a moment. “I guess I’m more jealous than I thought I’d be. About someone else looking at you.”
“I don’t think saying this will make it better, but Steve... a lot of people look at me. I’m pretty sure Spangles was looking at me, too."
"Are you attracted to him?" Steve asked the same moment Bucky said, "He isn't that good looking." Tony found himself smiling. They would definitely need to have a conversation in person considering Steve had some kind of issues, but Bucky seemed to be taking things easy.
“I love both of you,” Tony said. “Don’t worry, you’re both better looking than either Captain America or the Soldier, okay? They don’t even blip on my radar when it comes to you versus them.”
“Tony...”
“I know you’re blushing, Steve.” Tony laughed a little. “Come on, I don’t want anyone but the two of you and nothing is going to change that.” An alert popped up on his phone and he made a face. “Fury’s calling, I gotta go.”
“Stay safe,” Bucky said. “Love you.”
“And I love you both.”
“Love you,” Steve said just before the three of them hung up.
Time to get to work.
-----
Of course, of course , Loki would be just like him and want to make a scene. It wasn’t enough that he had to cause the hellicarrier to almost go down, but then to sit himself on top of Tony’s tower and try to open some shitty portal? Tony was over it. Thankfully they were joined by Loki’s older brother Thor and, under the Captain’s lead, they worked on taking down the invading aliens.
Tony couldn’t, wouldn’t , think about Bucky and Steve at the moment. He knew that as a firefighter, Steve would be helping, but he had to hope that Bucky stayed indoors and well away from any of the fighting. He had Jarvis monitor the shop anyway, just in case.
One thing was for sure - he was definitely retiring after this. He drew the line at aliens.
“They can’t bank,” Barton said over the comms - Tony was glad to have him back. “The flying ones like to follow anything else that flies, so find a corner and taken ‘em out.”
“Got it,” Falcon said. “Iron Man, I’ll go low if you go high?”
“Just to get them in a good area. If I keep high, I’ll take out too many buildings.” Tony turned, shooting down another alien. “I’ll keep them busy and then bring them down to you.”
“Sounds good.”
The battle continued, Thor eventually losing his earbud as he went after Loki. He was wondering how long this was going to take when Fury popped up in his ear with words Tony never wanted to hear in his life.
A nuke, coming right for them. With Thor’s earpiece out and Falcon not being able to breathe in space, that left one person.
“Don’t--” he said as Jarvis started to ask if he should call his lovers. “Just tell them I’m sorry I lied.”
‘ Sir... ’
“It’s easier this way,” Tony insisted. This way, he wouldn’t have to hear their disappointment for his massive lie. “Make sure they get everything they need.”
His AI was quiet as Tony took hold of the nuke and pointed it toward the portal. ‘ Of course, sir. ’
He turned off his comms after that, not wanting to hear the questions from the team. The last thing he thought of before his suit shut off was how beautiful space was and how he wished he could show Bucky and Steve the stars.
-----
Waking up hurt worse than flying a nuke into space, who knew? Tony bit back a groan as he became more aware of the fact that he wasn’t dead, though if he had any doubt on his living status, he just had to ask the numerous aches in his body and the annoying, steady beeping beside him.
There were also two, solid hands holding both of his and that was when he realized that there could only be two people who would be there like this. Said two people had no idea he was Iron Man and he obviously had more injuries than would be sustained on a hellicarrier - half damaged or not. Suddenly, Tony didn’t want to wake up.
“I know you’re awake,” Bucky’s soft voice said. “You’re not that good at disguising your breathing.”
“Leave him be,” Steve said, just as soft. “He doesn’t know.”
“If he opened his eyes, he would.”
Tony couldn’t argue with that and he was curious as to what they were talking about, but he was also still scared. “Just tell me?” he asked, ignoring how rough his voice sounded.
A cup of water was pressed against Tony’s lips and he drank, appreciating the liquid. “Open your eyes, sweetheart,” Bucky said. “Please.”
How could Tony say no to that? He licked his lips before blinking open his eyes, glad that the lights in the room weren’t too bright. Not that it really mattered because as soon as he opened his eyes, they widened further at the sight that greeted him. To one side sat Captain America, with the Winter Soldier on the other. Except it was Steve Carter and Bucky Barnes. It was... both? He looked between them, mouth opening and closing.
Bucky’s lips quirked. “Maybe we should have done this earlier. I’ve never seen him speechless.”
“Not the time,” Steve said, though he also had a small smile on his face. “Though I guess none of can really be mad at each other?”
“I’d say so.” Bucky raised Tony’s hand to press a kiss to his knuckles. “You scared the shit out of us. Jarvis told us who Iron Man was right before you went through that portal.”
“Asshole was supposed to wait,” Tony muttered. “How...?”
“Lost my cowl in battle,” Steve explained. “First person I ran into had to be the Soldier, of course.”
“Who almost got shot because he was distracted by the fact that his boyfriend was Captain America.” Bucky shrugged. “Such is battle.”
“Don’t joke about that, Bucky.” Steve squeezed Tony’s hand. “We should talk.”
Tony groaned. “Can we not while I’m not able to run away?”
“Well, for that talk, of course. But for this one...”
“We want to move in with you,” Bucky blurted out. When Steve glared at him, he shrugged. “You were dancing around it.”
“I wanted to tell him in a more romantic way!”
“Sitting in a med bay makes everything very not romantic,” Bucky insisted.
“I had an idea--”
Tony’s laugh made the bickering stop as they looked at him in concern. He squeezed both their hands. “We can do romance later. But you two...”
“Yes, we really want to live with you.” Bucky leaned over, pressing a kiss to Tony’s cheek. “We already have a moving truck scheduled.”
“And you aren’t mad?”
“Like I said, we can’t really be mad.” Steve brushed a hand through Tony’s hair. “But no more flying nukes into portals.”
“And no more jumping out of planes without a parachute,” Bucky muttered, looking at Steve.
Steve’s lips quirked. “Are we just going to list all the dangerous stuff we’ve all done?”
“We might.” Bucky grinned and leaned over, giving Steve a kiss.
Tony couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he watched them. They might have all been keeping things from another, but they would work through that. From the strength of the hands holding his, Tony knew this would only make them closer. Stronger.
And since they were moving in, maybe he would ask them to marry him one day.
One day.