Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She hadn’t breathed.

Not when the video alert first appeared as a banner on her phone  Not through the entirety of Tony’s arrival to the bunker. Nor Steve making Tony watch that video without so much as sending Barnes outside.

Not during the fight. Not when it turned into a beatdown. Nor when Tony’s heartbroke as he was left there alone with a disabled suit. 

Not when the elevator descended. Not when he was standing there in front of her, not the same, but perfectly fine. Nor when it became apparent that Friday, innocent and young girl that she still was, hadn’t found the words to tell him yet.

None of it stopped Natasha from screaming with the air she had left, “Why didn’t you fight back!?”

Tony had the audacity to turn toward her confused, but they both got earth shattering revelations at the exact same moment. He got the dump of all relevant information currently stemming from the video that Zemo had released via Friday. Natasha found out that Tony had injected himself with Extremis.

“No,” She gasped, knowing that had been a last resort for him, “NO!”

“Tali,” He went for their private nickname out of reflex.

“It was all for Barnes!”

“Don’t,” Tony reached for her and even started toward her, but he pulled himself back at the last minute.

And she hated herself for that. Because Tony had never cut her off. That blame lay solely at her feet.

Gone was any sense of composure she’d ever had. Natasha stormed over to the billionaire and seized him by the collar of his unbuttoned dress shirt, screaming, “How could you not fight back? You let him raise that shield!” Her head felt alight with flame in her anger, but it left her to crumbling ruins just as quickly, “You would have let him… You…”

"I'm right here, b… I'm right here."

"He said he would tell you. He said he had. You were supposed to know. I didn't lie! I didn't, I swear!"

Her voice broke into shattered shards. There felt like at least four rivers of tears were flowing from her eyes. And Tony muttered about her being a piss poor ice princess for the spy kingdom, as he pulled her into his embrace so that the Black Widow could hide her ugly crying in the expanse of muscles there.

Tony had been no slouch before, but Extremis was its own serum. A metahuman suddenly capable of manipulating technology the way that Erik Lehnsherr did metal underhand, Natasha was both curious about the intricate silver brackets of thorn shaped streaks that now had residency on Tony’s skin like a second type of vein, and she couldn’t have cared less. Not as long as he was here and putting all of his attention on her where it belonged.

Where it hadn’t been in way too long.

Despite what people would probably be proclaiming for years to come, Tony’s eyes had always been that blue. It was an electrically charged blue like that of royalty; the night sky in the background of a lighting strike. In terms of his painted irises, those were from his mother and completely unrelated to the lab accident that would be reported later.

It was his dark pupil that she feared was forever gone. The dark void like standing in the eye of a hurricane, knowing yourself the safest little girl alive for it, had been eradicated. Natasha thought she would forever miss that sensation of all his attention being directed towards her. Until the gold disappeared as he disconnected from his new abilities.

He cooed down at her, one arm locked tight around her neck and holding the scarlet spy safely to his chest, while his other hand wandered up to wipe her tears away with his thumb, “Tali, baby girl, breathe. We’re okay.”

“You never wanted…” She choked and trailed off, because she still looked just like she had when they met after ‘I am Iron Man’.

But, Tony? He’d loved every minute of getting older. The laugh lines, and excuses, and the salt and pepper look that had every eligible woman fantasizing about calling him 'daddy'... Natasha included.

And she'd gotten to have it. Him. The entire time that she was undercover.

Then, the day before the donut shop, she'd realized that she wasn't pulling out his desires for a relationship. He'd been manipulating hers out into the open from the beginning. And Natalia Romanova had been horrified and embarrassed.

So… Iron Man, yes. Tony Stark, not recommended. And worse yet was that he let her.

He let his little Tali have her temper tantrum, though he hadn't placated her either. When he'd gotten into a relationship with Pepper and the Black Widow got over herself, Natasha had found out quickly that Tony wasn't a wanderer, and it sent her scurrying for Bruce. She was relieved now, but at that time she'd drank a lot more than even an enhanced person should, and coped through being unhappy without him. 

Now, suddenly, they were both single again.

"I've been thinking about it for a while, darling."

She snuffled, red nosed, and pulled back, "You have… Daddy?"

"Yes," Tony studied her for a long moment, before he bent to kiss her, neither a peck nor tongue.

He was holding out on her.

And his grin suggested he knew her perturbed by that fact, "If it's any consolation, baby girl, it's only because we shouldn't start up until the kids go to bed."

And that was when it struck her. Of course Tony had everyone and everything locked down. Safe.

It was Tony.

Not even twelve hours ago he was being beaten to death by Captain America and a brainwashed crone, though she hated saying that of Yasha, and the hero was currently back to work. He was containing the fallout and covering those left behind by Steve's crusade for Bucky Barnes, because someone had to. Despite the changes making his height and girth similar to that of Steve, he'd managed to also keep the silver streaks in his hair from the neck up, if not the laugh lines.

She pulled his face closer once more though, stroking his whiskers, "Who's here?"

"Laura and the kids…"

No surprise there. She couldn't believe Steve called a retired man into this fight. Or that Clint heeded such a pointless call to arms.

"Peter and May."

Good. Tony had been the one, laying in bed all those years ago, the night before Fury pulled her from undercover and she found out that the billionaire had known from day one, who demanded to know what she had against adoption. He asked her, since she clearly liked being the little princess, why she didn't just fulfill her dream of being a housewife with twenty kids running around. Natasha had thought the answer as simple as it always was.

"I can't have kids."

Blue eyes that had always had light, almost white, streaks like lightning appraised her, "You have some ethical qualm against adoption?"

She'd started, "Of course not."

"Then that doesn't account for the hold up."

Tony had never treated her like she was stupid. Like her looks had gotten her by. When he'd found out that Pep's new assistant could keep up with what he did in the lab, all she'd been was another consultant, until he wanted her between the sheets too. Until she'd wanted him.

And clearly he'd started collecting the kids he'd always wanted despite Pepper never wanting kids. Peter Parker was the newest addition she'd noticed, along with a Kamala Khan, though she hadn't met the Ms. Marvel applicant yet. Despite this she knew instantly that Tony wouldn't let the upcoming Young Avengers program be called into question.

Steve had made Iron Man's point about accountability brutally. She'd thought he truly saw a blitz coming and left Tony bare for the vultures. Natasha felt her breath hitch, "I'm sorry."

Tony pulled from his count off of Stark Tower's current residents, and it was already Stark Tower once more, to focus back on her. His pupils bled back to black where gold had started creeping in again, "You didn't fly a mission you didn't believe in. Nothing to be sorry for."

"I believed…"

"We all did," Darkness finally bled into his tone and she was relieved.

Tony was angry. Enraged and dangerous in the light of what had been revealed. And she was only calmed by the fact that she could cuddle up to the Merchant of Death, hug him and offer comfort, and even in his rage Tony let her.

After a moment the arms around her tightened before Tony kissed the top of her head and stepped back. He pulled her off toward the elevator. Luckily he didn't seem to mind the way she clung to his arm like an octopus, despite the fact that she very intentionally hadn't touched him, not since injecting him with that lithium.

He just went back to working, because that's what Tony was always doing when he didn't want to deal, even as he shrugged out of his white dress shirt, "Harley and Mickey got fully moved before I shot up, thank God."

She ignored the callous reference to Extremis. Tony had an emergency stash of it in the suit since he cured Pepper. The changes that had been wrought by his emergence into metahuman status barely even registered to the spy, but the knowledge that she'd released Steve to raise that shield still had her shaken.

But, the two of his children that Tony had full legal custody of, since their mother died of cancer the previous year, were squared away safe. That was what mattered. They hadn't been stranded at the compound during the fight there, isolated from Pepper, Happy, and the rest of their family… While the only man they'd ever called father had to use advanced experimentation to keep himself from suffocating in the snows of Siberia.

Tony was in nothing now but old worn jeans and an undershirt. He'd grabbed what looked like braces for Rhodey off his work bench, before hauling both of them toward the metal box of ascension, dutifully ignoring the way she kissed his bare shoulder as her mind raced, "Kamala and her family got here a few hours ago."

The Khans were traditionalists, by and large from what she'd heard, but Tony had a surprising ability with the conservative crowd. The futurist who not only embraced change, but created it with his very spirit, was still the only son of Howard Stark. He was born with a drink in one hand and his parents had argued about whether to put a weapon or cigar in the other.

She didn't need to see him charm the girl's parents with his overprotective dad schtick to know that it had happened. One deep gravelly comment about someone's tone or youth, and the couple had probably been packing their daughter up for the trip from Jersey to New York without another question asked. Tony never met a crowd he couldn't win over.

"Vision is here," He smiled as his back hit the metal rail at the back of the elevator, letting her cuddle back to his chest, tucked under his chin, as soon as he was situated, "And Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey arrived an hour ago."

His best friend, life partner, and first work spouse had been warning Tony that he might have to give up control of the Compound at any moment. It was no shock that Rhodey had proved right again. That was why Natasha had come here after leaving the airport. She hadn't thought… It wasn't supposed to go the way it had.

Tony was never supposed to be in danger from Steve, or Yasha. Especially not Yasha. But, Steve had almost killed him.

"Where is he?"

"Squatting with your boyfriend in Wakanda," Tony scoffed, "Thinks King Kitty is hiding them out."

She pulled away, honestly confused. T'challa was signed into the Accords. His father had just died believing in them. And Steve thought he was so righteous that the young king would throw away all of his political integrity just as Wakanda was rejoining the wider world?

How delusional was Captain America?

How much had she been blind to?

Letting herself become so worried about keeping one eye on Tony, the spy realized that she'd left him to manage the rest by himself, all due to her wariness. And he'd taken and taken everything the team had to offer, from the streets of New York, to the fall of Shield, to the Accords. Never once asking them for help.

"I know," Tony chuckled, running a hand over a greasy curl fondly, "Foolish, but convenient. He'll keep them contained… Especially now that the bunker video is out."

"Tony…"

Maria Stark's blue eyes, still full of the life the Winter Soldier had managed to almost take from the world completely, glistened with tears. But, it wasn't just his mother and Tasha knew that. She'd watched the video before running for the lab and she knew what he'd heard in that bunker, "He recognized him… He… They were worried about each other, at the end of it all."

Was Howard Stark a good parent? No. Could Tony have fashioned himself after the man more if he'd tried? Probably not. Did Tony love that alcoholic, work obsessed, weapons manufacturer with all of his heart? Yes.

It might have been easier for him to feel the burn of anger over his mother, which led to him attacking the woman's killer. But, it was the hurt over Howard that would linger far longer. Even as the forgiveness that Maria would have expected of him bled through and pressed into her hip when the Black Widow reached up to kiss him.

After a few floors passed, she stepped back and tried to do something with herself, making Tony laugh. She hadn't washed her hair, so she threw it up in a ponytail, while she was just stuck in her wallowing clothes. Sweats and a Harry Potter shirt that would have fit currently on Tony better than her, as it dwarfed the spy's small frame. She did use another hair tie to knot it off to one side, as if Tony cared what she was wearing while in the penthouse.

This wasn't her style though and he knew that. Tasha knew how much presentation could matter, even if he dared anyone to shame her in his tower. She would have normally loathed for him to see her in the spy's current state, so the rest raised her heckles.

By the time the elevator opened and they stepped out, Tony looked just as put together as he had when she'd come charging into the lab. He led them into a lively scene and it had Natasha relaxing. Everyone was okay.

Little Nathaniel was sitting on Vision's lap in a leather recliner, the two hopelessly lost in staring at one another, doing nothing. A young teen she placed as Kamala was explaining the braces in Tony's hand to Lila and Mickey via a hologram and Cooper was playing a video game on the penthouse's television with Harley and Peter.

May and Mrs. Khan were on the other leather sofa with Laura, sipping tea, and letting the woman vent her rage at Clint, a circle she fully intended to join momentarily. And Mr. Khan was sitting near enough Pepper and Rhodey to be overwhelmed by their conversation, as well as fascinated, even as Happy carried on a perfectly normal conversation with him, while the girls were on the floor at the Head of Security’s feet. Tony headed for his work spouses, one for the military and one for Stark Industries, before he fully processed the horror on their faces.

Rhodey looked up first, as the video placed them in its time and space with a sound bite, "My father made that shield!"

The video ended and Tony had frozen under his best friend's gaze. Upon a closer inspection of the room using Extremis, the boys' video game was paused and Harley was watching the video on his starkpad, Pepper was using her phone, and Kamala was looking up at Pepper's phone from the floor. May was on her phone too, so everyone knew. The younger kids couldn't see anything, but they'd certainly heard the battle, and Vision was his own device link up.

Mickey heard the elevator arrive and big brown eyes flew to him, before she shot off the floor like a cannon firing, "Daddy!"

She was crying by the time she got to him and Tony just stooped down to pick the disheveled eight year old up, "Hey, it's okay. Mick, I'm fine, honey."

His eyes darted toward the older boys on the couch and both Peter and Harley looked close to tears. He hadn't wanted the news broken to any of them this way and raised a hand to summon the teenagers over. When they collided into him like a couple of battering rams, Tony chuckled, "Come on, guys. You bunch act like I had the audacity to croak on you."

"He was gonna…"

It was no wonder that sensitive little Peter was the one to crack at the thought of Tony going anywhere. Iron Man chuckled in response, "Hey, your old man was never as down as he let them think to end the fight. Give me some credit."

Harley backed up and his smirk was devilish. He believed that statement from Tony with all his heart, it was true after all, and he backed away with a light to his eyes that sparked just like the older man's. Alright then, Tony's first human child seemed to agree, onto the bloodshed.

Tony returned the look with a laugh, his hand coming up to pat Harley's cheek affectionately, "You are your daddy's boy."

He'd shifted the braces to his hand holding Mickey and, as soon as she had stopped crying, he kissed her cheek before passing her to Natasha. He hugged Peter and sent the boys tearing back over to Cooper's sofa. It was only then that she noticed Pepper had locked gazes on her.

The power couple of Stark Industries had broken up and the CEO was seeing Happy. That also wasn't the point. There would be an adjustment period given that their romantic relationships had been given a drastic overhaul very recently.

But, after a moment, she noted that there was still a certain level of warmth to the high heel clad woman's sights for her, and Natasha knew that they'd be fine. Pepper hadn't minded when she and Tony were together before. The spy wasn't really applying for the same job that had been Potts' anyway.

Tony moved off with the braces, gesturing to Rhodey in his wheelchair next to Pepper's seat, "Alright, you're the future doctor. Make yourself useful!"

Kamala beamed as the braces were handed over, as did Mr. Khan, confirming what the Black Widow already suspected, but the girl still asked politely, "Can I help set them up, Colonel Rhodes?"

"I'm sure I'd feel much safer in your hands then his," Rhodey sassed, even as a hand reached up to squeeze Tony's hand on his shoulder, eyes shining with gratitude.

As they got to work, Lila ran over to her godmother and embraced her around the middle, locked under Tasha's hand that wasn't holding Mickey. She took a moment to take another look at Vision and she noticed, as Tony knelt to help get Rhodes situated, that his silvery blue eyes followed the billionaire through the exchange. It wasn’t just the human kids worried after seeing the fight in the bunker. No, Tony’s robotic children were sent spiraling by what had almost happened to him too.

She watched the synthezoid finally look away from his creator and back to Nate, his gentle head twisting as he took in the babe just sucking his thumb and staring back, “Fascinating.”

The sight made her grin as she met gazes with Laura, who snorted when the previous assassin made her way over. Natasha felt better about being right as she settled with her friend, Peter’s aunt, and Kamala’s mother. She was not applying for the same job that Pepper had been. Laura agreed with her, silent in a way that the look they shared wasn’t.

Tony had always been respectful of the fact that Pepper didn’t want children. He’d been content to mentor the kids from the Young Avengers and be a parent in that alone. With Pepper he’d been content to be part of the most fearsome power couple in the world and that was satisfying only so long when Tony was never satisfied.

It would be far easier for any woman to keep him busy, if she was invested in the same projects that he adopted into his orbit effortlessly. Stark Industries, the Military and S. H. I. E. L. D, they had never been enough. And Tony always wanted to be a family man on top of it all, even when he assumed he'd be bad at it.

Even as she made herself comfortable to discuss what in the name of every god known to man that Clint had been thinking when leaving a wife and three young children after he’d retired, Natasha let her mind wander a bit to what she’d almost lost. She was the only woman that Tony had been with, besides Pepper, and had been the first after Afghanistan. If she hadn’t completely cut him off after her cover was blown, they could have been in a very different place right now.

There were currently sixteen people in Tony’s penthouse and seven of them were either Tony’s kids or her godkids. She should have taken it more seriously when he swore to have his kids with or without her, but she wasn’t even sure she should feel guilty for claiming a title Potts hadn’t wanted. He’d been fully indulgent of her desire to be a mother from the first moment they talked about it. Just like she’d been indulgent of his desire to be a father, despite Howard.

Though, suddenly that wasn’t such a distinction for Tony. He felt lighter across the room and she realized something rather hopeful blossomed from the wreckage of that video, as he talked trash about the braces that they were currently testing. What made her smile was Rhodey agreeing with every horrible thing Tony said and listing all the things he would have done differently. Because, Howard hadn’t thrown back one too many and crashed that car going too fast.

The man that Tony had constantly held himself in reverence of, and then in opposition to in the course of one night, had swung back to the first. He’d been doing a favor for Aunt Peg, which was a whole other can of worms since the woman couldn’t have told Tony reliably for years anyway, but she was Howard Stark’s work wife through S.H.I.E.l.D. There was so much they now knew… Things that had been revealed since the data dump.

She wondered what Steve would think of almost beheading the boy who could have easily been his godson. Then, she wondered how long it would take him to realize what he’d done. Tony had shared all the research with her that Howard had on Steven’s version of the serum. It was damn near perfect, in that it kept him essentially human with no chance of differentiation among the next generation and he aged like a normal person, when not encased in ice, but that battle rage was no joke. 

The shot of pure adrenaline that was pumped directly through to his brain was hard to come down from.

She and Tony dealt well with it, but clearly Steve was out of control. And now he had a brain damaged Yasha in a mindset of unknown variables and with unlimited capabilities depending on the aforementioned mindset… Then she still had to give the genius billionaire playboy philanthropist some credit. They were allowing the rogues to be contained in Wakanda.

For the night, their world kept spinning.

Eventually Mickey climbed off her and took off for the boys' huddle playing Mario Kart.

The Khans excused themselves by eleven and Peter was sent to walk them to their apartment a floor below. Harley moved off to bed with a quip about how he didn't plan to live his life squatting to avoid a couple geriatrics, while Cooper grinned at the shoulder of the older and edgier teen, following him toward the bedrooms. Tony didn't disappoint, zeroing in on Happy instantly.

"Who's been telling him it's his life?"

"Tis I," The man snorted, "The ghost of the cool uncle you used to be."

Tony groaned as all the kids disappeared from range, "Really, because it tastes suspiciously like the ghost of my old man."

Everyone felt for him, as Vision and a nodding off Nate were the only kids left in the living room, and the time to discuss the day arrived.

"How could you not tell us?"

"I disclosed everything to a closed council," Tony finally reported to everyone remaining, locking eyes with Rhodes.

Peter had been in Germany. Clint was wrecking shit in that airport on Steve's word. Rhodes and Pepper were responsible for stepping in for Tony, if…

Tasha had sent him in there. Thinking that Tony already knew about Yasha's mission on December 16, 1991 and fully expecting her boys to get to the bottom of Zemo. Steve had almost ruined that.

Tony just kept going, "Got back here minutes before the Khans arrived and went to check on Laura and the kids."

She guessed that was when he'd pulled on his favorite jeans.

Laura hissed, "Saved us from armed agents who'd tracked us for Ross. Back tracked Clint from the airport, all the way to the farm."

"By the time Helen approved that set," He motioned to the braces on his friend, "You were arriving and they were almost built. I ran downstairs before telling you and…"

Pepper sighed, "You didn't want it to come out the way it did."

"I know how it looks…"

"You let him beat on you," She glared at him, "So he wouldn't beat on anyone else!"

"Pepper..."

"Just like with the Hulk," She finally yelled, "It's okay to just cut the line."

"You do not have anything to prove," Rhodey joined in sharply, "To Captain Goddamned America!"

"Who are you telling?"

They were all sent reeling slightly by the even tone of his voice. Sitting back in his chair, Tony was dragging a hand over his face, and for just a moment he looked like someone that just went a round with Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Physically he was fine, perfectly capable of having a snark off with Harley, and calling Peter out for his language at the slightest infraction. Emotionally… He got up and wandered over to the windows.

Natasha watched him scoff and take in the view of New York at night, “He loved this fucking city... “

She was by his side in a moment, kissing his neck and wrapping her arms around him, because somebody had to comfort the heartbroken seventeen year old who was still in there somewhere. Rhodey looked like he didn’t regret what he’d said, only that it had added to Tony’s spiral, and Pepper looked like he’d just reached into her chest to flick her beating heart. Laura flinched at the comment, both her forefinger and thumb finding the wife and mother's forehead as she took in the brutality that he’d endured, while poor May’s hand flew to her mouth as she realized the billionaire was talking about his father.

Because everyone knew what had been said by the papers. Howard Stark was an alcoholic who killed his wife while recklessly driving. That video changed the facts hauntingly.

Just as tended to always be the case in circumstances like these, it was Happy who jumped in knowing what to do, “And with that, we drink.”

“Happy!” Pepper scolded immediately.

“What?” Her boyfriend shrugged, already making for the bar, “He could drink the whole bar and not get drunk with Extremis! It’s like you don’t listen when the man talks.”

Tony snorted at Pepper’s indignant yip and stretched in her arms, before pulling away, “Yeah, that actually sounds good. Finally, a true humanitarian.”

Rhodey scoffed, but his grin was still in place when he called after them, “Well, if you’re pouring out anyway…”

“Yeah, yeah…” Happy agreed, already having three glasses on the bar.

Pepper sighed, while Natasha returned to her sofa with Laura and May, “We have to address the fight and video, your injuries, and the rogues in a press conference at 8:00am.”

“What’s the story?”

“The truth… For once. Due to your injuries, you had to use advances and experimental procedures to enable your survival in Siberia, and you did so with the full knowledge and consultation of Dr. Cho.”

“Where’s Helen?”

“Flying in with Carol,” Pepper sighed, handing his statement to Natasha for the press conference, “They arrive at seven.”

“The Council?”

Rhodey jumped in after finishing his first sip, where he’d managed to walk over to the bar, the braces working well, even if the initial prototype was a bit bulky according to his and Tony’s shop talk, “Thrilled that Steve managed to make their point. They want them held accountable for the unsanctioned missions, from the loss of life to damages, but Ross has been booted after you revealed his history with Bruce and the abundance of evidence there."

Rhodey shrugged despite the day he'd endured as well, "So, right now they’re just paroling them back to the Avengers for community service. Only world ending missions and after enough training to make sure they never fuck up this badly again.”

She hadn’t been wrong before. The skill sets on the team were too necessary in terms of an alien invasion, to just toss them in jail and throw away the key, but this was beyond out of control. There was no doubt in her mind what was coming when the military commander appraised his best friend.

"Except…"

Tony sighed, "Except for the witch."

"She goes to Xavier's for evaluation and training," Rhodey hissed, "Or The Raft. He can't control her, she won't control herself, and I'm sick of you living in terror being around her."

"Why does Clint defend her?" Laura demanded. Her eyes were glistening in frustration and Natasha grabbed her hand, "I finally just told him to stop mentioning her in my house, because he was never going to justify her to me."

"The Council wants to release the footage from her Hydra days."

Tony sighed, knowing he'd been protecting her for too long, because Steve insisted that she was an Avenger. Clint too. But, in light of the last day, he was too relieved to not be shouldering that burden, "Fine."

"There's a good Tones."

"The footage has been uploaded to a flash drive for your disclosure, Colonel."

"You're the real MVP, Friday."

Tony smiled, taking the lit cigar that was being passed over to him by Happy, "True."

"What are we going to do with the kids?" Tasha demanded, because they did currently have seven under fifteen.

To illustrate her point, Nate burst into a fit of giggles and rolled onto his back in Vision's lap. She and Laura smiled at the pair. Especially the fascinated synthezoid.

The maroon incarnation of Jarvis couldn't help vocalizing just that, "Fascinating."

Tony just shook his head, "Peter and Harley have school, but we might as well just set up private tutors to come in house… Unless you're in a hurry to escape the big city?"

Laura snorted, "As much as I don't want to be in the way, I think you're stuck with me for a while."

"You are not in the way, Laura," The billionaire insisted right away.

"He's right," Pepper appraised her, "And I know that the Young Avengers were looking for a in-house director for the kids. If you're interested in the coming days."

"We've got to get everything at the Compound sold to the UN," Rhodey insisted, "Get the new system organized and released. It'll look better if Carol and I sign off on those plans."

"All the paperwork will be ready to sign following the press release," Tony assured quickly, smirking into his drink, "And if the date makes people think we signed before, they know what happens when one assumes."

Happy followed Pepper out, after Rhodey announced that the world wouldn't burn down if they slept, before the man led the charge in his braces. The other red head did stop to kiss Tony’s cheek on the way out, but it was only fond, “Hope Van Dyne arrives with Carol and Helen at seven.”

“Haven’t I suffered enough?”

May checked on Peter, before heading to sleep in one of the penthouse's five bedrooms, when all three boys were unconscious. A maternal type, she reported that both the girls sleeping in the penthouse were down as well, before she disappeared to collapse. Laura stayed sitting next to her on the couch, studying Nate where the baby had hauled himself up to get a closer look at Vision, especially the metal piece of his head.

Natasha studied her friend in a similar fashion, "You want a divorce."

Laura's dark head tilted, though her sights never left her youngest, "Not necessarily."

That was surprising. The woman that Clint had married was petty and vindictive. She wouldn't typically be this calm.

"I want him on his knees, begging for forgiveness for the mess he's made," Laura explained, "I want him to admit I've been right about that Hydra whore from the beginning, and I want him to explain the choices he made to our children knowing damn well he'll fail…"

That was more like it.

"Then," She clarified, "I'd consider reconciliation."

The spy and notorious Black Widow should have been surprised when her friend’s gaze swung to her like a lioness, but she wasn’t. Laura was a lot like Tony, from the moment she’d met the previous Agent Blackwood at S.H.I.E.L.D, as the other woman just got her. Hazel eyes were holding back molten lava that would come for Clint’s ass the first chance she got, even as the woman insisted warmly, “That’s marriage. That’s building a family with someone.”

“Trying to warn me off?” Natasha speculated, flushing slightly.

Laura just let her sights wander over to Tony, who was politely letting them have a private conversation, as he worked on the set of B.A.R.F. glasses that he’d unhooked from his belt loop, once all other forms of entertainment went away. The mother of three noted, “I’d never seen you with anyone the way you were with him. You were happy.”

“I got scared.”

“Even he knew, after the fact, that he should have handled you differently,” The retired agent thought back, “Wasn’t even a bad thing, giving him time to grow into the hero the world needed. That was only… What? A year after Afghanistan?”

“Yeah,” Tasha admitted.

“A lot happened in five years.”

She just snorted.

The spurned wife just snickered, "Can't say I blame you. I've never been more tempted to ask for a threesome and send the video to Clint."

Natasha rolled her eyes but reminded, "He'd only be outraged for so long… Besides, I think I'll have him again first, before loaning him out anywhere."

Her friend's voice dropped in surprise, "You didn't get his pants off downstairs?"

"Really?"

"Or hell, just get them unzipped," The woman demanded with a glance toward Tony, "For all the women not getting any for an unknown length of time, Natasha, you have a responsibility here."

"Laura!"

“Let yourself be happy, Tash,” Laura suggested, patting the Black Widow’s hand affectionately as she got up, “No one will ever say that you and Tony didn’t go above and beyond the call of duty to right your wrongs.”

“Vision, any chance I can reclaim my son? It’s wildly past his bedtime.”

“Of course, Laura,” Nate was handed over promptly and then the maroon avenger was making his way to the bar, “Are all human children so interesting?”

“Some don’t think so,” Tony chuckled, “I always have.”

She noted as she kissed her youngest godson goodnight that Vision didn’t seem to be bothered by Tony clearly working on numerous things at once. Nor did the genius show any signs of distraction, even as they carried on a conversation about developing minds, and he adjusted the glasses per the scans flying past his gold pupils in the form of holograms. The same thing crossed her mind, which she had pondered during their first meeting.

Who wouldn’t want to have his babies?

Taking a seat on the stool to his other side, the scarlet assassin demanded, “Where did you get all these scans?”

“Some of the earlier came from the data dump and destroyed Hydra bases,” He shrugged, but let her take the visual holograms, as he didn’t really have to see them with Extemis, “Then Zemo got some readings when posing as the not therapist and Friday got some great readings at the airport. The last are from the fight in the bunker.”

 “What do they tell you about Yasha?”

Tony sighed, putting the finished glasses down, and getting up to stretch as he paced before the bar, “The chair became their primary means of assuring his compliance. The pain was a short term alternative to keep his long term memory at bay, so he would remain a compliant guard dog.”

Vision’s head tilted in curiosity, “But the trigger words act differently.”

“The backup alternative, if the chair wasn’t available,” He agreed, “Put plainly, his brain was trained to seize to a greater magnitude at the use of those words, but they had more long term effects compared to the chair.”

“What?” She demanded.

“The chair is a direct assault on his body and the serum heals him almost instantly,” Tony explained with one hand, before switching to the other, “But the words are a trained response they created using the word and chair over time, while his body doesn’t recognize their use as an assault decades later.”

“So, the brain damage is going unhealed,” Vision articulated.

“Exactly,” Tony agreed with his creation, “After being triggered he wasn’t capable of making his own decisions. He’s known what was happening, but he couldn’t grasp the situation beyond survival.”

“God, Steve,” Natasha cursed, knowing this could have gone so much better for Yasha.

Tony came over and pulled her into a tight embrace, “It’s alright, baby girl. Steve trusts the Wakandans. The damage will be stimulated to heal by a quick shot of steroids and I already had Princess Shuri shoot him up with a dose of cortisone.”

“Can B.A.R.F. disassociate his response to the triggers?”

“Yep,” Tony assured, “And I’ve already alerted the princess to expect the shipment to go out at first light.”

She hummed and glanced up at him a little nervous, “Do you want to go to bed?”

The look he gave her wasn’t an objection, but it did have a certain hesitancy to it, “You know, I’m not even sure if I do that anymore.”

Vision chuckled, “A brief period to recharge will still be required for optimal function, though between two to five hours per night should be sufficient.”

Natasha snorted, “So, even with Extremis, you still need to sleep more than you have been in the last five years.”

“Well,” Tony purred, “You know how much I hate sleeping in a cold bed.”

Rolling her eyes at the blatant reference to their previous breakup, and the fact that Pepper had been there through most of that time, Tasha still acknowledged, “Yes, I do.”

“And suddenly,” Vision noted, before promptly disappearing into the floor, “I have something to do away.”

Tony scoffed and led her toward the master suite. She tried objecting, wanting to go and get a set of her actual pajamas from her apartment downstairs, but he just chuckled, “I still have your robe and that last set you wore at my place in Malibu.”

That had her freezing in the doorway.

As if to prove his point, he got both out of the bottom drawer of his dresser, and threw them on the bed, before starting to strip himself. His undershirt went in the hamper before he looked at her again. Natasha was still surprised.

His bedroom in Malibu had been all windows, to the point that she’d joked his architect was allergic to walls, like he was to being handed things. It had also been a lighter and impersonal feel to the room. He’d even confessed to her that most of the time he spent there was because of her.

This room was all Tony’s design. Black marble floors, matching furniture, and every piece of metal, from the dresser knobs to the bed frame, was such a shiny silver that it had to be chrome. One wall was still all glass and on the wall beside it was the most extravagant water feature she’d ever seen.

Unlike a koi pond, there were no fish, and pale boulders the same shade as the moon, where the black marble floors disappeared beneath them, surrounded the pool… pond. They surrounded the pond, which had water lilies floating inside, and ascended half up the wall in an elegant assortment. And they were boulders; no other word could describe the massive rocks that one could easily sit on to take in New York’s skyline.

She wandered over and touched a lily, even though her sights were still on the clothes, “How did you manage that?”

Tony shrugged, taking another sip from the scotch he'd put on the dresser, "Sent it here from Malibu, when it was clear I'd sent you running. They were down in my apartment by the lab, until I was single again and remodeled this place."

"Hmm," She went over and appraised him while unbuttoning his jeans, "Need to get you some sweaters."

He laughed like she was joking.

Extremis wasn't playing any games. He could probably take Steve and that shield bare handed at the moment, because every muscle on him rippled. The only change visible besides the added height and bulk were the silver brackets of thorns that marked his arms, chest, back, and disappeared into his pants too.

"And some ugly Hawaiian shirts."

"Don't worry, Étoile," He grinned down at her, "You know you're my only ballerina."

That made her beam and his hand was instantly locked just below her ass, around the top of her thigh. She clutched at his trapezius surprised, even as her emerald eyes fluttered in askance, "Let me shower and change."

"Daddy doesn't give a damn what you're wearing."

"Please," She begged, going up on her tiptoes, "Or come shower with me?"

"Cut the wire wins the day again," He pointed to the bathroom.

His pettiness was one of his most attractive qualities in her opinion. It wasn't just how far he could go that was alluring, but that he would. If he could get the better of someone, then the only question was of timing.

The bathroom was more black marble and utterly disgusting in its extravagance, if she hadn't been about to utilize it. And suddenly she remembered why it was so easy for her to enjoy the spot of a spoiled brat. Tony made it really effortless.

Especially when he bent over to start filling the massive tub. His favorite jeans were even more welworn now, then they had been five years ago. It was truly indecent, actually.

In fact, he didn't wear those out. Not even to go and get Laura and the kids. Why… "Were you naked after you took Extremis."

"I hate that you're not a twit."

"You would have been bored immediately."

"That's not untrue," Tony agreed, checking the temperature, "But I stand by the tone in which I said it."

"I've said for five years," Natasha reminded, "That you should keep a real change of clothes in the lab…"

"In case of accidents," Tony finished with her, "I know."

"Instead you got caught with your pants all but down."

He didn't even try to deny it, "At least I had a dress shirt down there to cover everything."

She just scoffed and shook her head, "What happened?!"

"Steve's quinjet shot off and with the dying power to the suit I got that emergency injection of Extremis," He got up to take of his beloved jeans and continued, "The original rush of flame burst out of me as it spread and it burned the undersuit off, but the armor was fine."

"Burst of…" She threw her depressed and wallowing clothes into the hamper on her first try. His palm was up and a small flame danced within it, when he kneeled down beside her to show off what he could do. By the time he got to the floor, he was turning his hand over and a gauntlet was covering it, "Okay, Mr. Mistoffelees."

"For the rest of my days," Tony complained, "I'll be the man married to the one that actually likes CATS."

"Why are you saying it funny?"

"Because he's a big fat jerk."

Natasha startled. Usually AI children tolerated being metaphorically shut out of their creator's bedrooms rather well. Friday wasn't that young, so clearly Tony had invited her into the conversation.

"I was seeing if your theory had a tonile equivalent," Tony corrected the AI, huffing at her indignation across Extremis. The ability to feel his kids in a new way was great, "Congratulations, it holds water against two senses."

"What is he on about, Friday?"

"On the way back from Siberia," Jarvis' heir to the throne explained, "I told Boss that I didn't like the way that he said my name. I've always hated it."

"Why?"

"Because, he's been saying it in all capital letters and it's annoying," Friday exclaimed, "Say it like you would a person, not Broadway's leading lady."

"Alright. I stopped, didn't I?" Tony demanded, "Now shoo."

He blushed and the barest hint of gold dust fled from his eyes. Natasha appraised him, "Showing off a little too much?"

His lips pursed and he was pouting, "Getting to have an instant link to them is tempting."

"Hmm," She climbed over to straddle his lap, inspecting the gauntlet, "Can you take it off?"

He took it off like he always did the armor and threw it into the partially filled tub. She was distracted by the feeling of him between her legs again. They'd never been able to stop working closely together once Steve was thawed out, but there had been clear physical boundaries, which had suddenly been eliminated.

By the time her sights left the sinking gauntlet, a new one had reappeared on his hand, and when he turned it over that one bled back in like a wave returning to the ocean. When she shot the gauntlet in the tub another look, his hand shot out to summon it back, and it too bled back onto him. That was a nice party trick.

"This doesn't actually make you immortal," She insisted, running through every worst case scenario that could be used against him.

Tony scoffed at the serious set to her green gaze, but nodded solemnly enough, "I know that. I do, baby girl."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, "You scared everyone."

"It wasn't supposed to…" Tony sighed, one hand coming up to tangle in her hair and the other rubbing circles on her back, "I can't believe the kids saw that. They were never…"

"Peter worships the ground you walk on."

"Harley wasn't as unconscious as he let May think. I need to cut off his WiFi."

"The rest of the world is going to watch it. Why not him?"

He appraised her, where the spy had sat back on his bent knees like her own personal throne, and pondered the fact that she knew Harley was watching it on a loop. Over and over again. And again, "He's angry."

"He wants Steve's head on a spike," She corrected for specificity, "I'm tempted to give it to him."

"He got hold of himself."

"After he raised that shield," Tasha hissed, "And he was not aiming for your already injured chest."

"He didn't."

"He thought about it!" She yelled finally, "Why are you defending him?!"

Tony sat back a bit. When he'd first started courting S.H.I.E.L.D's Black Widow, unbeknownst to her, she'd confessed that she liked the way he constantly made her feel. Passion, anger, frustration, excitement, and happiness. He didn't balk in the face of the second.

He leaned back on both arms, thinking, "Because I thought about taking your Yasha's head off too. I thought about leaving them both as an ash mark on that bunker wall."

That wasn't surprising, "You'd just watched him kill both your parents. Found out that Steve had been lying to you for years, when he had the audacity to blame Ultron on you and not his Hydra whore."

Chuckling the billionaire appraised her, "That been an ongoing commentary between you and Laura?"

It was her turn to pout suddenly, "You wouldn't let me go to war with Steve over her placement on the team."

That was true enough. When Bruce fled to get away from Wanda and then disappeared, while their relationship ended amicably enough, with both of them admitting to be more in love with Tony than they were each other, she had wanted to make the witch go to training. Tony had already been trying with Steve though and he'd told her not to bother.

He sighed and nodded toward the tub, as it reached full capacity, "We fought. No one got hurt and I'm washing my hands of the witch. If he wants to keep defending her, then he can plant himself like a tree in Wakanda, and be King Kitty's problem."

"Horrible thing to do to that boy."

"Guilty as charged."

He sunk into the carved out seat at the back of his tub and Natasha swam over to perch on top of him, "We could save talk of his fate until the sun rises."

"Hmm…" His fingers drug delicately through the water and up her thigh until his middle digit could disappear between her lips, "We could do that."

Chapter Text

When their relationship first started another red flag should have been how easily Tony accepted her near insatiability. He'd designed enough toys to exhaust her where he couldn't and it had never bothered him like it did most men. Not that it was an issue with Extremis anymore.

No, that table had been turned on her.

Of course, Tony didn't complain about not being satisfied now either. And as the sun had just started to turn the sky a lighter shade, they'd finally both slept for a few hours, the pair lucky that neither of them needed as much rest as a normal person. It would have certainly proved to be a long day otherwise.

When she woke up to Friday's voice at six the next morning, Natasha's body was sore, but satiated, and Tony was already in the shower. The tower's resident AI had a cleaner bot bring up several of her business casual dresses from her apartment and by the time they stumbled out of the shower they had to hurry about dressing. Her lover was in a shiny gray sharkskin three piece suit with a black tie and crisp white shirt, while she chose a lavender asymmetrical dress that fell just above her knees.

No one planned for her to go to the press conference or to be on camera today, but there was always scrutiny concerning anyone in Tony's immediate circle. And it always paid to be dressed appropriately for the position to which she was reapplying. Not that he seemed to think of her as reapplying, but his children might as they realized exactly what was happening.

Most critical of them would probably be Harley, or that's what she thought until the teenager was utterly deferential toward her from the moment he sat down to breakfast. Mickey and Peter falling right in line with his example. Spies couldn't be surprised and yet here she sat.

Carol and Helen arrived in a flurry of paperwork to be signed and kisses popped on any given cheek. The Khans were utterly taken by the sight of the two women joining Pepper to all but run the world and they seemed quite assured that their daughter would have no shortage of role models. Tony and Rhodey were doing a parallel exchange of greetings and paperwork, while Happy had joined in the serious discussion unlike the night before, to make sure security for the press conference was in place.

Mickey migrated to her lap as Natasha moved to watch Tony Stark play the media with the ease he would have his mother's old piano. Harley was still to her left, Peter on the arm of the sofa next to him, while Laura was to her right holding Nate and Cooper perched near identically to the spiderling beside his mother. Conversations would have to be had, because something had clearly changed for the boys as their stances felt to hedge on protective, even if she didn't require such shielding as a Black Widow.

Lila had found a spot next to the upcoming Ms. Marvel, both girls watching as Carol followed Tony and Helen's announcements concerning the detainment of the Rouge Avengers and Iron Man's emergency treatment, the Major expressing her excitement to take over as the new commander for the team under the Accords. She spoke about her dual partnership with Colonel Rhodes and the new Young Avengers program. Natasha noticed May taking a deep breath from her place in the purple chair across their room and thought the woman was actually able to relax a bit from hearing that Peter was no longer in his heroics alone.

Pepper came to the podium last and discussed Stark Industries' removal from gear and outfitting per the Accords expectations, but revealed her excitement to launch a revolutionary new branch of prosthesis research and development to create jobs and aid millions. Rhodey joined her and showed off his braces, which looked to be an updated pair from what he'd been wearing the night before, although Tasha hadn't seen Tony exchange them. And then they all took questions for half an hour.

When it all wrapped up everyone had stayed on script and the world was temporarily soothed. Most yearned to know where the Rogues were, but at least they breathed easier knowing that none of them were free to cause more damage, and reparation for their crimes was assured. Absently the scarlet spy pondered how long it would be until the Accords Council had them brought out of Wakanda.

She told the kids to play video games and enjoy themselves, as they all started school with private tutors the next day, Tony having confirmed the incoming change that morning. He wanted to discuss it more with Laura and May first, but he thought their best option was to have school in the tower where they'd be living, and then leave the compound strictly for training. Over breakfast he'd also offered May a job as a nurse in the medical wing of the facility and she'd accepted, so that she could be a greater part of Peter's life as Spiderman.

Despite what Steve had almost taken from the world, Tony was still here and holding their lives together as well as improving them. If Laura took the position as a Director for future Young Avengers, then Natasha's friend and godkids would soon be settling in the staff apartment amongst those rooms which the billionaire already had set aside several floors below them. And as Harley finally moved off to play with his friends, her lover claimed the spot along with all her adoration.

Tony smirked at the kiss she hurried to collect, "Perhaps I'll have to stick to the script more often for such rewards."

Pepper snorted daintily, "Will the miracles never cease?"

Carol chuckled, but moved to start off the rest of her day, "Tony, can I use a quinjet? I need to take Rhodey and inspect the compound and get work started out there."

"It's on the roof and awaiting your departure, Major."

He hugged his best friend and then the new leaders of the Avengers were gone to assume command. 

Pepper jumped in next, wanting to have all his signatures in place to open a new branch of Stark Industries before making for a meeting with the board. Tony had already sent his best designs for Rhodey's braces and, surprisingly, a new arm for Yasha off to R&D, so soon Happy was leading her out and into the lower business levels of Stark Tower. The Board of Directors was always happy when new inventions had the opportunity to bring in a major profit, so the engineer was spared any harassment to have him attend personally.

"Mom!" Harley demanded, bouncing over with Mickey and Lila, "Can we go down to the pool?!"

"Please, Mommy!" The younger Keener at his elbow begged with a cute little bounce.

It was only when he leaned over the back of the sofa and his big blue eyes were locked right on her that Tasha realized they were talking to her. Startled, she looked over to Tony, but unsurprisingly he only shrugged, "It's fine by me, Etoile."

"That's fine," She managed to get it out without her voice cracking and forced herself to turn her attention from the pair, "Kamala, do you have…"

No one was prepared for the impromptu chance to swim though, so Tony had Friday order appropriate selections that the lot could choose from. Soup, salad, and sandwiches arrived alongside the apparel, then the kids and chaperones disappeared to get ready. Laura, May, and the Khans were going to keep an eye on the kids, but Natasha was still sitting there stunned.

"You alright, baby girl?"

"I just didn't expect…"

Tony pulled her into his lap with a dark chuckle, "They've heard me talk about you, Tali. Since I broke up with Pepper… Everyone is unyieldingly aware of how much I've wanted you back, except perhaps the Khans."

"Mmm… I love you, Tony."

"And I love you," He kissed her again, "Marry me?"

"Just like that?!"

"Just like that."

"I want a prenup," Natasha disclosed.

Tony snorted, "You can have half, Etoile."

"Tony…"

He hummed, one hand slipping under her dress and along the inside of her thigh, then the superhero finally agreed. The paperwork would read that he kept total control of all assets which the billionaire would be bringing into their marriage. And he'd share legal custody of both Harley and Mickey with her.

A hologram appeared in front of them with his jeweler's contact information and his only insistence was that she customize whatever she wanted. As long as it could be done as a rush order, because he wanted his ring on his girl. He was so energized beneath her that it was easy to get swept up, even as Tony suggested waiting until they had the ring to tell anyone.

But, as with all good things, their ending popped up suddenly and far too abruptly for her liking. Everyone was still getting dressed when the unique sound of a portal opening ignited in a golden ring right by the teenagers' previous video game. Both of them shot up to try and see the new person; one of his hands loitered right on her throat, his thumb brushing over the hollow.

The man who stepped into the penthouse was as tall as Tony after Extremis and had even more salt and pepper discoloration to his dark head. Observing the scarred and shaking image that were his hands, Iron Man knew the identity of the new arrival even before the man hurried to introduce himself, "Tony Stark, I'm Stephen Strange. I've come to offer you aid."

"Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme," Her fiance took his hand without batting an eye at the ependage's appearance, which instantly had a shimmer of affection lighting the magic user's eyes, "We've attempted to contact your Kamar Taj concerning the Accords, but can't seem to make it through."

"We've been protecting the world from magical threats for thousands of years," The sorcerer began to explain, "But today we became aware of an aggressive attack against multiple members of the original Avengers team by one of your own."

"One of our own?!" Natasha demanded with a hiss.

Tony grabbed her hand, "This is my fiance, Natasha Romanoff." He sighed and kissed the back of her hand before cursing, "Bet I can tell who this aggressive threat is too."

Though Dr. Strange looked ready with quite the quip, he was cut off by the excited emergence of everyone from the bedrooms. While the kids were curious, Tony sent them all packing for the heated pool some odd number of floors below them, after assuring that he’d had a meeting planned with the magic user all day. Prying eyes removed, he’d turned back to the medical doctor, “Tell me what you know.”

Unlike Steve Roger’s ignorant ass, Strange didn’t bat an eye at signing the copy of the Accords that had been presented to him by Friday, before he elaborated, “My sorcerers have found that Maximoff’s deceptions run deep and probably began as soon as Ultron fell.”

“Who has been manipulated?”

“Everyone,” The man sighed and Tony had to acknowledge that he looked to carry the weight of worlds, “Except for you. This protects you.”

One scarred finger came within an inch of Iron Man’s chest as he pointed, most would think to the arc reactor that was no longer there, but Tony got it. Ever since he’d realized the device had some form of protective properties post-Loki, he’d worn a smaller version of the device about an inch in diameter on a necklace. It struck him that he’d have to make something similar for Tali and the kids, “To what ends?”

“We can’t know until the manipulation is broken, but it must be done delicately. She could destroy them, rather than letting us free their minds.”

“Sounds like The Matrix,” Tony noted, already dialing to get the Accords Council on the phone, as well as T’Challa, “How did you find out about this?”

“My associate, Wong, made the discovery when she attempted to manipulate the Court Sorcerer of Wakanda,” He took a seat, sinking onto one of the bar stools next to her as Tony waited for each of the necessary parties to come online, “We’ve long had a mutually beneficial diplomatic partnership with the country and such mental manipulations are against every code of ethics in the magical world.”

“Does she know herself caught,” Natasha demanded.

“No, he allowed her to think herself successful,” Strange disclosed.

“Mr. Stark,” Everett Ross acknowledged, “Congratulations on a successful press release.”

“Agent, always a pleasure,” Tony acknowledged the man that he was actually quite fond of, even if he’d never say it publicly, and she got the sense that the feeling was mutual. “King Kitty.”

"Dr. Stark," The slight tilt to the corner of the Wakandan's mouth was just as fond, though he turned to someone haunted just as quickly. "Dr. Stark, I must apologize-"

"It's fine, kid."

"No, it most certainly is not." The King hissed, "I was told that you were cooling off from the fight with Zemo's soldiers. If we'd known you were injured, we never would have left."

"I believe you," Iron Man accepted, then he got back to business, "But we've got problems with the witch."

“Yes.” He nodded seriously, “Can you get here?”

“With your invitation? Just tell me how to arrive.”

“One of your quinjets is preferable to the suit, but I understand time is of the essence.”

“What I'm bringing back to Wakanda wouldn't travel well in the suit anyway.”

Dark eyed sparkled at realizing what Tony meant. He wouldn't continue to have his father's choices define his legacy. He loved that man, but knew his imperfections better than anyone.

“Is R&D finished with that arm?”

“Ten minutes, Boss.”

“Strange, anyone else we need to bring with us to this party?”

“If it's permissible,” He offered to T’Challa, “My associate, Wong of Kamar Taj would be beneficial to containing Maximoff.”

“They are more than welcome.”

Another portal opened and Wong joined them for a proper introduction. Plans were made, then she was seeing them off from the roof eleven minutes later, before going downstairs to mind the children. She hoped beyond all reason Yasha was safe from Maximoff.

Tony Stark and two sorcerers made for Wakanda in an aide mission. Friday produced comparative days of brain scans from back when Avengers Tower was a thing. Everything from the Compound certainly showed startling changes. 

Clint was the worst. And after Loki it turned his stomach. His friend didn't deserve this again. Tony would give him a reactor in any form he wanted. Hell, he'd surgical implant the shit, if it made him feel better.

T’Challa warned they had press just as any place typically did. So, he had his media face on as that stolen vibranium was returned to their king. If they both knew that the arm in this case would be used for a gift, it remained their business and in the future would be Barnes’ as well. They certainly had unfinished business; Tony wouldn't argue with anyone about that much. 

Princess Shuri needed to meet Peter and Harley. That much was apparent and their video chat brought a smile to the young King's face as they moved away to more serious business once Iron Man made introductions. 

Their plan was simple enough. If they were able to get the most affected individuals away from her, then they could begin using their other much more accomplished and educated magic users to repair that damage, while Wakanda’s Court Sorcerer kept her from knowing what was up ‘Speed’ style by creating a loop using their chosen medium. No true surprise, Rogers' manipulations were harder to determine and Wakandas asked for time to analyze his head.

That worked out as they were able to let the witch and Captain America into a training facility and pull the others away from them without raising too much suspicion. Even Sam Wilson had been forced into compliance a lot more than Tony was expecting and he felt for all of them. No one as much as Lang and Barton though; they hadn’t wanted to leave their kids only to be coerced into doing just that. Twisted as it could be.

He stayed more in case what they were doing was discovered, because someone really needed to be available to hold Rogers and Maximoff back from causing more damage. Once he’d shown Shuri how to work BARF and the magicians were doing their thing, then Iron Man’s presence was more important than Dr. Stark’s, which was fine by him too. When the suit now materialized around him, there was no reason not to just relax in his business suit. While he’d always be a man of science over magic, it was fascinating to watch them use it, especially knowing they’d likely be working together well into a new future.

The first few hours, nothing of true significance happened. Wilson was easier to free, because while he was very upset to have betrayed his oath, it wasn’t like he’d betrayed family or anything; traumatized, he’d eventually be fine with only a migraine to show for it. Others weren’t as simple. Lang could not stop throwing up as it registered that he’d violated parole and basically put these strangers before his only daughter; a migraine was the least of his problems despite existing. And Clint… That was the one that hit him the hardest.

When Tony’s friend lost it and started crying, expressing how he’d not been careful to make sure he wasn’t followed and how even if his kids were alive they’d never forgive him, that’s when the other man finally inserted himself into anything that the active rescue teams were doing. Getting up from his place playing bouncer in a quiet corner, when Clint had himself backed into another across the room it wasn’t hard to step between those trying to help and his friend by taking a knee.

“Clint,” He promised when big blue eyes went wide at processing who was there, “Look at me; everyone’s fine.”

“T-Tony, I-I’m so sor-ry! I didn’t-”

“I know, bird brain. We all know.” The engineer promised, “It’s going to be okay.”

“My kids are gonna h-hate-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” Everything in him insisted, “All they want is their Daddy back.”

“Laura?”

“She knows you didn’t make the choice actively now,” Tony divulged. “Natasha talked her down.”

Finally, after staring at him for so long searching it was almost painful, Clint let his head hit the concrete wall behind him with a solid thud, “I let it happen again.”

“You did not let-”

“And yet here we are again .”

“Well, we’ve found out the arc reactor can stop them,” Iron Man explained, already taking his necklace off to put on him. In the time that he’d been here, although he wasn’t letting Friday run loose in Wakanda they were still connected through the jet, and she’d already assured that Extremis acted as a sort of vaccination against that shit. “We won’t let it happen anymore.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me.” He promised, “I’m covered too.”

And already having the AI research how to strip everything except for the protective properties to make a sort of vaccine for everyone who wanted it. It would take time, but would be worth it to keep rogues from manipulating innocent people.

Another knock on the door was probably better described as pounding and everyone looked toward it. T’Challa went toward it first, while everyone being treated was shifted back away from line of sight. Patting Clint on the outside of his thigh encouragingly before getting up, Tony moving away to back the young king up from behind the door enabled Wong to kneel down and further aid Hawkeye with magic too.

Opening the door, dark eyes widened at seeing who was outside, but Tony wasn’t sure why at first as he stood armored and studying every reaction, “Mr. Barnes.”

Oh, that explained it.

“Your Majesty,” He ground out through obviously clenched teeth, “I need to see the Princess.”

When Black Panther’s eyes darted to him behind the door, Tony quickly and gladly shut down every bit of usage he’d been partaking in through Extremis, including pulling in all parts of the suit, and raised his hands in surrender. He tried to communicate as clearly as possible that he wasn’t going to do anything to James Buchanan Barnes again. If it hadn’t been for Rogers, then it likely wouldn’t have escalated the first time looking back on it, although he wasn’t sure how much everyone else understood following that video’s leak.

“Of course,” T’Challa opened the door further and invited him in, “This way, please.”

He walked into the room and, as Wakanda’s leader was quickly shutting the door to make sure nothing being completed inside seeped out past his sorcerer’s wards, it was likely an odd picture to put together. Barnes did it quickly though and offered right before looking in the king’s direction, “I wondered when everyone was going to call Hydra’s witch on her shit.”

“You knew?” T’Challa asked curiously.

That was the moment that Barnes realized he was there, because midnight eyes widened at the sight and he didn’t answer the question right away as he looked at Tony over a black clad shoulder, “S-Stark.”

“Barnes.”

Seeming to realize that Tony was fine and he’d been asked a question, the soldier shrugged, “My mind is entirely too scarred for her to do jack up there.”

That would make sense, the genius had to admit. It checked out.

“Would you allow us to verify that?” Black Panther quizzed.

“Sure,” The previous Winter Soldier offered, teeth once more grinding. That would up being a prediction as a moment later his metal stub of an arm sparked enough to start a blaze and made him hiss in pain before hitting the door behind him, sinking to the ground, “Fuck, not again!”

Shuri cursed in their native tongue behind everyone before going back to English, “It’s gotten worse!”

“Holy shit,” Tony noted. 

“We’ve got to get you into surgery,” The Princess of Wakanda insisted seriously.

“I can disable it without,” Tony informed the room, plugging back into Extremis. Kneeling in front of Barnes, he offered, “I know I did the damage. Let me help?”

“What the hell are you waiting for?” Barnes demanded, “Go!”

Needing no more instruction, Iron Man weeded into the inner workings of that arm’s connection to the shoulder base, then severed it where necessary so it would stop sparking. It only took a couple of minutes and once that interior software was turned off, Tony offered, “I can detach what naturally came off from the base until your surgery.”

Dark brows pulled together as the man studied him like Stark said something funny, “Are you… That son of a bitch came off?”

“You didn’t know that?” He wondered, perplexed.

“Hell no!”

“Oh.” Shaking his head, the American had to admit, “I don’t know if I want to say something about sick Russian fucks, or incompetent Russian fucks, but something’s there.” Gesturing to the shoulder and arm link up, Tony asked again, “Do you want me to take that off?”

“God yes.”

It took a couple of minutes to work with broken and disrupted software to make them detach from communicating a physical bond with  the arm. Once it had fallen away, Tony lost his side project stumbled upon as everyone else had been continuing their work as well. Before he knew it there was nothing left to do, except look James Buchanan Barnes in the eye after Siberia.

They’d certainly made it here so much sooner than he expected under T’Challa’s cautious gaze.

“Barnes, I’m s-”

“Don’t. Please?” He gulped and whispered, “All you wanted was to wail on me for a minute… And I was more than content to let you. I’m so sorry.”

Studying him for a moment, then glancing at the floor from his crouched position, Tony didn’t know why he felt the need to share, “You were my favorite Commando. I resented Steve for a long time, but whether my old man meant to or not… In the stories you were always the one who didn’t put up with their dumb shit.” 

Snorting before he could stop himself, Barnes agreed, “True.”

“I’m sorry that’s how we met,” Tony confessed. “It’s the last thing I would have wanted.”

When things were quiet for a few moments too long, he looked back up at Captain America’s first sidekick. Those eyes of legend were taking in every detail of him. It was something in the way Barnes mouth opened, then closed quickly with teeth snapping as he did so, that’s when it struck.

“You can say it,” Tony promised, flushing and looking back at the floor for a second, “Scout’s honor.”

Although he weighed it for a moment longer, feeling like he was the last person in the world who would ever have the right, the older man eventually couldn’t resist when Howard’s almost perfect reflection looked back up at him, “You might have gotten your mother’s eyes, but you look just like your father.” 

“Yeah,” Tony agreed, “That I do.” 

“Dr. Stark…”

It had been a very long time since anyone used that title for him, because at this point he had so many doctorates that people seemed to assume it had lost all value. Not the Wakandans. Nor Kamar Taj.

He smiled up at one of the techs he’d left with Clint, Bashana, trying to interrupt gently, “What’s up?”

“Mr. Barton would like to speak with his family and inquired for the possibility?”

“Alright.” Looking around behind him, it seemed like Shuri was just behind her brother waiting to take over for Barnes anyway, so he suggested, “Princess, I think you can take care of this one from here?”

Rising and extending a hand to his fiance’s Yasha, Tony pulled him up and then passed him over to the royals. They shared a small smile, but otherwise just tried to leave Siberia behind them.

Maybe one day they’d want to talk about it more. Today was not that day. 

Once Shuri had taken over care of Barnes to move his surgery up to today and Clint was set up on a video call with Laura and his children, Lang waiting in the wings impatiently because of limited set up in this space, Tony was able to return to a spot in his previous corner with T’Challa to make plans for outside of this room. With permission, Friday came into planning.

Wakandans had very little fear of AI and used it more than anywhere else besides perhaps Stark Industries, so when he’d asked to allow her very limited entry for Clint and Scott’s sakes, instead found his girl welcomed with open arms. While they weren’t scared of AI, scientists on T’Challa’s side of the aisle were obsessed with her differences from the systems they used, and Tony quickly gave permission for all of them to collaborate as pleased everyone. He also promised once this was over, then he would certainly bring Vision for a visit with King Kitty’s permission.

Plans had to be made quickly for what they were going to do as hours passed and the ruse wasn’t going to continue being feasible long term. Scott and Clint were actually the simplest as Tony had previous scans of Hawkeye in order to show how badly he’d been manipulated and luckily enough Hope Van Dyne had something similar from Antman’s early days. Submitting documentation to the Council was all it would take to get them cleared as Avengers.

Wilson was a bit more complicated. There were no scans from before all this and he had a natural propensity for following Steve Rogers everyone and their brother would want to use against him. After some serious testing with BARF and the Wakandans, however, Tony was assured that his loyalty was to his military oath and family back Stateside. All of his shark-like lawyers were jumping on board to use the man’s status as active military to make sure he got home too. The hardest part would be expediting the government’s snailish process.

Barnes was complicated, of course. Very. But, he was also James Buchanan Barnes. Howling Commando who, believe it or not, Tony was more determined to get home then he’d ever be when it came to that blond. He pulled his heaviest hitters from Wilson’s case and sicced them onto the previous Winter Soldier’s.

The big push all came after T’Challa had a huddled conversation with his lead sorcerer, then turned to disclose, “We need to end the illusion and arrest her. That is best done if they are outside of Wakanda, however.”

“Why?”

“It’s easier for her to return to minds already manipulated,” He explained for the magicians. “We need those affected removed from danger.”

“Are they physically okay to travel?” Tony asked, staring past the glass between them to Barnes’ active surgery to give him a new shoulder mount, “For Christ’s sake, he’s under how much sedation right now?”

“It’s not ideal,” The king confessed. “But, my doctor’s have even cleared him to go. As soon as he wakes up, if possible.”

So, that was the current goal.

Even if Tony wasn’t sure that he could manage it. He’s already put in a call for help to Tali in Stark Tower as he stood alone outside Barnes’ operation. After assuring that he’d stay right here until it was all over since there was no one else to stand for him, because the man made them swear not to let Rogers know that he’d even gone under the knife, Iron Man didn’t dare move from that spot. Despite being fully immersed into finding solutions to problems using Extremis for everyone’s traveling issues, his human eyes never left Jame Buchanan Barnes on his future wife’s orders.

He was even sitting beside the Commando’s bed when he woke up two hours later. Clint and Lang were going to be stuck in the Tower until cleared by one of the superhero team doctors back in the States; so, less than twelve hours max. Sam was probably looking at three months military probation as they did their own investigation to eventually come to the exact same conclusions that Tony had, but when T’Challa sent him in here to hear the news he’d seemed nothing except relieved not to be facing a dishonorable discharge. 

Something more was there. He kept staring at that report generated for the Council and seemed to focus on where it proclaimed his propensity for submission to Rogers. It ruffled.

As someone who had gone through the exact same phase when it came to adjusting from a childhood resentment of Steven Rogers to having to try and work for him, Tony got it. There was simply too much happening for him to try and stop, even Iron Man found himself unable to steal time for fixing the Falcon right now. He would though, because he understood.

“Did she manipulate Rogers at all?” As everyone else was officially settled, only Barnes still being debated before them, he finally asked the question avoided all day.

“No,” T’Challa didn’t ask him to wait for an answer. “Only forced others to agree with him… Consistently.”

His stomach fell somewhere about his shoes and Tony had to confess with a scoff, “That is not what I wanted you to say.”

“I’m sorry for that,” The young king offered. “I truly am.”

“Don’t apologize for him.” Tony laughed at his past self and forewarned, “You’ll never stop.”

“You would know that better than anyone?” Black Panther wondered.

He hummed, “Except for maybe Barnes back in his hay day. According to my father, once upon a time, they were constantly having to control him. My father was more prone to helping the chaos, but Barnes…”

“You admired him.”

Boy just sounded so stunned. He’d probably watched that video along with the rest of the world. No surprise there. 

“My father could have had Captain America, no matter how often I wished he’d never get the opportunity in my youth,” Tony laughed at his own petulance. “I never imagined I’d get to meet Barnes one day though.”

Looking between the two men with so much more experience than himself, T’Challa still weighed them before excusing himself, “Then I am very sorry that meeting was spoiled for you.” 

Tony went back to all the problems which existed outside this medical suite, but part of him was still thinking about what had just been offered. It was such a weird way to summarize what happened. So… So…

“What a cheap way to say it.”

“What?” A bit of gold left his pupils as he came back to Barnes waking up in that bed.

“Spoiled,” He repeated. “It’s such a cheap way to say it.”

Sitting there, Tony was just too stunned to say anything.

“Steve fucked shit up as he always does,” Knowing there was very little that could ever kill him, the man was already pushing himself up on his real arm and figuring out function in his new one that seemed to weigh the same for once in decades. “Spoiled does not cover it.”

“You are not wrong.”

Barnes, who requested to be called James or Buchanan, or almost anything besides that or Bucky, sat through questions about how he was feeling very patiently. Everything seemed to have been successful. When it was obvious that he was springing up like a daisy after that surgery, the first thing he did was go get a singular tablet to make this trip which he’d hooked up for Hawkeye and Antman, so Tali could talk to him. Having to rework it for access within this suite had him still sitting there when the Winter Soldier’s human side couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m sorry I’m not as cool as you probably thought as a kid,” That’s what made Iron Man look up, startled. He was staring at flexing hands in his lap after practicing for a while after being warned who Stark was getting in touch with, “I’m sorry Hydra managed to take that from you too.”

Thinking for a minute, Tony decided how he felt truly before offering, “They don’t get to take anything else from me.” When their eyes met again, he promised, “I thought you were the coolest and obviously I was not wrong. The Winter Soldier killed my parents, not my favorite Howling Commando.”

“There’s still a lot of him in me,” He sounded so disgusted even as he confessed.

“What I hope you learn,” The other man insisted from the bottom of his heart, “Is they never took all of you out to begin with. Just left you without options beyond survival.”

There was a lot of work to do before the once Winter Soldier believed that. It was just the truth.

“I’m sorry I hit you,” Tony offered, “When I was mad at him.” 

“Steve or the Winter Soldier.”

“...Both.”

“Fair.” 

The tablet started ringing Tali and Tony just handed it over before going to check on departure arrangements, “We leave in one hour.”

“They aren’t just going to let me go anywhere.”

“Just got your pardon signed by the President,” Tony corrected. “One hour.”

Chapter Text

One hour seemed a lot shorter when he was in control of his own mind. Or maybe it was the fact that the entire duration was held hostage by a Black Widow he recognized without completely comprehending. She was emotional; something they’d never been allowed to express before. Demanding as Natalia Romanova was never given the chance in her youth, despite him having literally turned her into the woman that she was today.

From the moment she appeared on this tablet, they’d easily slipped back into Russian out of habit that neither thought anything about. When she circled back around after he’d survived an initial round of questions there was no true shock either, “Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“My pains aren’t physical.”

“Yasha…”

“You didn’t know me before the Red Room,” He sighed, head reclining on the hospital bed’s flimsy pillow, “But I knew Howard. Loved him. He was… How dare they call his baby boy the Merchant of Death, sick fucks.”

The woman studied him behind that screen, “You shouldn’t let sentimentality cloud your judgement. He earned that name once upon a time.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” Shrugging, she confessed because Tony technically introduced her as his fiance to Strange first, “I wouldn’t be marrying a man without a dark side.”

“You’re engaged to Howie’s kid?”

“Stop that,” Natasha instructed, honestly taken aback. “Why do you keep… Yasha…”

“What?” The Winter Soldier managing himself demanded gruffly.

“Were you and Howard Stark…”

It took him a moment to realize what she was trying to imply. No matter how fucked up his mind was, that made him laugh, “Definitely not. Not me.”

“Then-”

He changed tactics and offered instead more like a compliment, “You’re shacked up with the Merchant of Death?”

“Yes,” She allowed it, “I am.”

“Congratulations.”

“Have you seen Clint?”

“Briefly,” He acknowledged what had barely been observed before his surgery when it came to her current partner. Despite the fact that a lot had been going on with her fiance at the time, a good fifteen minutes was spent having to assure that it seemed like Iron Man was looking after him as would have been expected. 

As if her fiance knew the question had been asked, the spy’s partner appeared to account for himself. The Avenger stayed in that suite until they departed and both current refugees were ordered to look after one another.

Barnes felt bad as Hawkeye appraised him like they’d never met despite working together. Because of Steve now none of it was legit. He wasn’t excited to be this thing forced upon him again by the Black Widow, although she didn’t seem concerned with the same. When it was time to go however they’d at least managed a true civil conversation between them.

While no one expected them to head back for American soil so soon, everyone now seemed relieved Ironman had come for their bitch asses and to get them away from that fucking Hydra whore witch. Wilson had never been so quick to leave Steve behind to face the consequences of his actions. It was a much needed change for the soldier who lost his way. Lang was already so far up his daughter’s butt trying to smooth things over it was sort of funny.

As their quinjet was soaring the hell out of dodge, James was still feeling a little sluggish after all that anesthesia and attempting to sleep it off on a built in cott. Of course a large part of the previous Winter Soldier’s brain lingered in Wakanda with what Steve was about to face. For once, he had no interest in safeguarding him from the consequences of his actions.

All of his life before that fall had been defending him, but Bucky never thought through the direct results of not letting him get his ass beat while still a runt once upon a time. 

Part of him felt bad for the rude awakening his friend was about to receive after fighting for him. At the same time this all could have gone a whole lot better than it had for him. If Steve hadn’t forced himself on everyone through Maximoff, then none of them would be quite so quick to abandon him to his fate now. Too little, too late to make a difference, a stray prayer went to asking that kid accept his failings with grace for once.

Unlikely, but hope springs eternal and all that.

Strange and Wong stayed behind to arrest the witch, while T’Challa and the Dora Milaje assured they could handle Captain America, so long as their victims were out of range. 

Given the circumstances they were returning under, Tony shielded them from any form of public display. Their jet just landed on top of Stark Tower and unloaded unceremoniously to get to their people. The Van Dynes were there for Lang and dragged him away ready to beat that ass, magical manipulation or not. The Falcon did gulp at seeing Colonel Rhodes and Major Danvers waiting on him, but the soldier followed willingly enough. And Laura grabbed her husband before pulling him inside to their kids.

Both men left behind felt flattered by the redhead now waiting on them, “You boys alright?”

“We’re fine, Natalia,” He answered in Russian out of reflex.

“Any word from King Kitty?”

“Not yet,” She confessed, accepting a kiss.

“Let’s go check in,” Tony demanded, hurrying inside with the Black Widow and Winter Soldier trailing after him.

It occurred to him at first that he didn’t necessarily love Barnes back there. After that fight it couldn’t not make itself known. Striking just as quickly was the knowledge his girl was back there and Steve Rogers wasn’t; meaning he had nothing to fear now.

Ironman’s first sign that something had gone awry was T’Challa not answering quickly. They had plenty of time to handle business during their flight, meaning something had to have gone wrong. And when the boy picked up, who was right?

Tony.

He looked haggard over the video chat and like he’d gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson… Not that Tyson could actually handle the Black Panther, but… It was an expression.

“Kid…”

“I was arrogant,” He insisted right away, “I was too bold and I should have asked you to stay.”

“The witch?”

“No, she’s been arrested successfully.” Kid looked close to tears, “I made the mistake of telling him that Barnes was no longer on Wakandan soil.”

“Fuck!” Ironman suited up, “I’m coming!”

Her fiance took off without waiting for anyone’s permission and went to handle business. The Black Widow took over without asking, because she was still fully vetted and her fiance would need as much information relayed as possible to go barrelling into a second fight with Steve Rogers in as many days. “What does he want? To find him?”

“Yes,” He insisted, “And I’ve got to get back out of there. The Doras-”

“Do not let them get beat up by that-” She cut herself off, because it wasn’t even worth saying, and Yasha grabbed her wrist for a  squeeze, “Let him go if you can.”

“What?!”

“He will be easily tracked in Wakanda, just keep him in the country.” She shrugged, “He doesn’t even know the language or have allies. Tony will hunt him down.”

“Perhaps-”

“Might I make another suggestion?”

“What is it, Yasha?”

“Let me try to talk him down.”

“You can?”

“I can bullshit him into submission.”

“You will?”

He promised her, “Yes. This stops now.”

“Fine,” She allowed it and set him up with a virtual background making it look like he was in the White House, rather than there with them. 

It took a few minutes, T’Challa went to reinsert himself and promised that he’d only make that call into the States, if Rogers stood down. Their previous Captain America seemed to be tempted. 

“Are you sure you should do this?” She demanded, putting him into the correct place so the background was undetectable.

“Not really.” He sighed, “I know for certain I shouldn’t have to. Since I caused the problem-”

“We’ve been offering him therapy for years.”

“Probably still thinks only spineless weaklings need therapy.”

Knowing that he’d hit that nail on the head, she eyed the new arm, “What do you think?”

“I have never loved an upgrade more.”

“Well… He’s going to keep upgrading it, so once you’re over the shock,” Natalia recommended, “I’d find something to bitch about.”

“And if I can’t find anything?”

“Make it up.”

That made him laugh, which was a really good feeling before going into this conversation. She stepped back right next to the screen, controlling his virtual reality for this moment. Her presence was immediately and certainly missed. He looked around the real place while awaiting his once best friend to come on the line. 

This place screamed of a home and it took him a moment to realize that they were in their actual space and not a reception area from the helipad. He had not comprehended that.

When it seemed like they were the only two here and she had to give Steve permission to enter, he couldn’t resist asking, “I thought I read somewhere that Stark adopted?”

“He did. We have a son and a daughter; Harley and Mickey.” Green eyes met his own and elaborated, “We’re also foster parents to his apprentice, Peter.”

Right when she needed him to, he rolled his wrist.

“And you’ve already met Friday,” She looked around, “It’s still early. Vision might come up for the night.”

“He’s gone to Wakanda too,” The AI offered above them.

“Easy go, easy come home,” She wished of a saying made up by the team in recent years. 

“Congratulations.”

He was apparently the first to say that to her, because the previous Winter Soldier had almost forgotten just how radiant that smile was, “Thanks.”

Sex was the last thing on his mind as they got ready to do this. Hell, it had been limbo dancing with the devil as far as he was concerned since being taken by Hydra. Something warm in his belly still ignited at the sight that had been so rare, but actually given his life meaning for a couple of years there, especially given she’d been one of the few to awaken this part of his humanity after that blasted fall from the train.

James Barnes gave everything he could to sucker punch that sensation with his vibranium arm as hard as he could, because given the status of the man who’d given it to him, if the supersoldier should even try then it was going to go very differently from Siberia. No one was likely to live after fooling around with the Merchant of Death’s girl, if she was right that he’d earned such a title once upon a time. From the evidence that he’d seen while being their puppet, after closer consideration, he had to admit that was likely.

It was just so easy to forget when all he wanted to see in him was Howard come again, because… Nothing would ever make what he’d done less monstrous to a man who once he’d have died for without another thought. Even though he couldn’t change it, being given the chance to see that even Hydra failed to take the best parts of him in their twisted schemes was a comfort that he didn’t quite have words for, or would likely ever be able to express toward another person.

If he would have died for Howard, then there weren’t words for what he’d do for the man’s son.

Including lying to his best friend… Once upon a time.

Once they knew he was about to come on, she gave him a clicker to end the conversation whenever he wanted, and a plan started forming in his mind. For now Barnes just sat back and waited.

After confirming he could move within camera range.

“Bucky!”

He didn’t let himself flinch at the name, because it would cause more trouble, “Steve…”

Kid actually looked pretty rough himself, showing that Dora Milaje hadn’t been taking any of his shit. Good. Beat him up for all those times his precious Bucky kept someone else from doing it, even when the little tyrant needed the attitude adjustment.

“...What are you doing, fool?” Forcing a little of that Brooklyn accent wasn’t even hard to do.

“Y-you sound like yourself already.”

“One of the boys working here in the White House has a really thick one still,” He started trying to establish their lie and got a thumbs up from her in his peripheral, “Catches on quick.”

“They told me you were clear to leave, but I wasn't.”

“You shoulda signed when you had the chance, punk! It got everyone else home!”

“O-oh… But, Sam-”

“He was active-military and thanks to your witch that was enough.”

“I didn't know, Bucky! I swear I didn't!”

“Would you have stopped her if you did”

He paused for a moment, “Yes.”

James tisked and pointed a single finger at him, “And that hesitation right there is why that's gonna take a while to verify, so this is your fault.”

“Buck-”

“You put your hands on your hosts again and I'm gonna come back to put my… foot so far up your ass that your nose bleeds…” He was about to say his arm so far down his throat that he'd wear him like a kabob, but realized he'd demand an answer. It was a minute pause. No reason to make the AI doing so well to make him look the exact same all for not, “You realize they don't have to host your dumbass until this is over.”

“No, you're right.” He sighed, “I've got to apologize.”

“If that will even be enough,” He started laying groundwork for him to wake up back in that prison Clint talked about, because the other super soldier couldn't see them sending him anywhere else after this. “Steve?”

“Yeah, Buck?!”

“We're alone, right?”

“Yeah! What's wrong?”

“No, I want to ask you something, but I know you don't like talking about it in public.”

“What?”

“Why didn't you tell him about Howie's death?”

“He wouldn't have understood, Buck.”

“You wanna bet? He was hurt, but he just wanted to wail on me and you know it.” His voice got louder and sterner, “I know you're lying to me and I want the truth.” Barnes commanded when he didn't move, “Now.”

“I c-couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“You didn’t see the way he looked at me when I first got back,” He snubbed. “He wanted nothing to do with me. The one time he’d even… was when I talked about you and I just couldn’t-”

“You made him watch it with me standing right there! What did you think was going to happen?!”

“I know. I should have told him. I should have asked for his help. I should have been more skeptical of Wanda.” He finally snapped, “Buck, I get it.”

“No, I don’t think you do.” He hissed, “Why did you jump in?”

“It doesn’t-”

“Do not fucking excuse. Explain, now!” Barnes reminded him, “How many fights did we witness, two guys duking it out? How many did we participate in when the energy got high once you could hold your own?”

“I know.”

“Then why the hell did you jump in like that?!”

“...D-do you remember that fight before the train? Where he- Cause it was the only time he ever-”

It took him a minute, because this was supposed to be about Tony. 

But, he did in fact remember. Howard had pulled off a kill shot from hell to defend them from dying, supersoldier or not, even Steve wouldn’t have survived. It was the only time he'd ever killed anyone at that time. 

He idly wondered how long after the train that changed, because based on his intel before a mission regretted most of them all, shifts occurred after both of them went down. And not much of his friend, Howie, had likely survived weapons manufacturing. Or running around with Peg doing far worse and never really retiring from the war like they'd dreamed of once.

Rogers was not in a place to receive that right now.

From what he’d seen of Tony’s creations, his passion for the future had been passed onto the next generation for fulfillment. Stark Jr.’s tech was… a flying car was the least of what he could do.  And Steve had no business short changing him about his comprehension skills of anyone.

“Yeah?”

Natalia was watching all this as if she hadn’t expected an interrogation. It’s like she’d never met him. They had to gather intel while a chance presented itself, because he wasn’t gunning to do this again any time soon.

“I- W-when Tony did it…”

It struck suddenly. When Steve jumped in so savagely, it was after Tony took that knee and shot at him. He’d not thought a thing about it; he hadn’t been going for a killshot. Hadn’t even been a targeted shot. But, the blond thought he was going for it, because for him Howard’s incident only happened four years ago. Hell, a couple of days before they both went down.

Not James, who spent the last seventy-five years fighting.

“...and I t-thought-”

“Yeah, I know what you thought, punk.” The far more experienced supersoldier demanded, “Did you go full battlerage?”

He was quiet as a grave, but nodded, staring at the table and not the camera.

“Do you even remember the fight after jumping in and don’t you dare lie to me!”

Steve shook his head no.

“Alright, here’s what you’re gonna do. Have Princess Shuri put that video on a reel,” James ordered, “And I want you to watch it over and over again until you don’t get a pit on your stomach from what you almost did to Howie’s only boy! Until then, I’m done with you, I don’t care if you move into this damn house upon return.” 

“O-okay, Buck.”

“I understand that was only four years ago for you, but you almost killed him!”

“W-what?” He shook his head, “No, the suit protects Tony, Buck. Even from us.”

The other man had to tread carefully now, but he couldn’t help using the one in that he really had here, “I’ve gotten intel since I got back, Steve. He had to use something called Extremis?”

“N-no. No, y-you heard wrong.”

“You wouldn’t be panicking if I did, punk.”

“Have you-”

“No, so sit your ass down, it’s done.” He recalled rather coldly once the idiot dropped back into his seat, “What could you do? You don’t even know what happened.”

Steve was lost behind his hands, only beginning to understand what he’d done crumpled in that table.. 

“If anyone, and I mean anyone, offers you therapy, then you take it. Everyone needs it, especially us.”

He nodded, but didn’t say anything else.

“Sit your ass in Wakanda and do as you are fucking told!” He clicked off when he was already nodding again, because that was all he’d get out of the blond moron for now after shaking him up harder than he had in a long time.

By the time he’d done so, she’d been sitting back on the wall with her arms crossed since the first third, because something didn’t smell right. It wasn’t anything Yasha said during the discussion, but, “Why the prerequisite?” 

“What?”

“Why wouldn’t he talk about Howard in public?”

Dark brows went up, “You’re smarter than that. Don’t play dumb.”

“You said-”

“I said ‘not me’.”

She looked toward a picture of Howard and Maria over an ornate fireplace and considered the man’s obsession with finding Captain America. More than someone she’d never met, she considered Steve and how he’d always expected Tony to, for some unfathomable reason, defer to him.

Submit to him.

And she’d never been able to make an appropriate description of what he wanted, but now it struck that he’d craved paternal deference. But it was fucking absurd, “You do not get to tell me after this hell that he looks at Tony like his kid?”

“Why not?”

“Because he raised that fucking shield!”

“And in about… Hey, Friday, can I get an estimate?”

“Four minutes and twenty-seven seconds, Mr. Barnes.”

The supersoldier insisted, “...Then he’s gonna know it.”

“You really don’t think he remembered?”

It had been a really long day. He’d fought and made peace with the Merchant of Death, had serious surgery, travelled across the world, and just suffered through this conversation trying to beat Steven into acceptable behavior in his absence. Handing her the clicker, he went to sit down on a sofa looking more comfortable than anything he’d sat on in seventy years without waiting for permission.

Natasha didn’t think a thing about it and just joined him, because she needed to understand before T’Challa called back or her fiance touched down on the same soil as Rogers once more. It irritated her to no end to have been operating with only partial information since that geriatric got thawed out thanks to her fiance. 

This was asinine. It made sense, but didn’t at the same time.

“That battlerage is tricky. You know your team, but lose your opponents in this red haze. It’s…”

“Can you control it?”

“...Depends on how badly I really want to, but that was trained into me with extensive pain.” He made sure she understood, “Steve has never- ”

“Yes, I am well aware that his training was lackluster, even for humanitarians.” 

A call came in confirming the Council would not budge on returning him to the Raft, because someone had to answer for all those lives lost and damages sustained. It was an understandable and reasonable call for them to make, even for a bunch of politicians. 

Natalia took over again and was handling business, negotiating all of this before Iron Man got back to Wakanda, so he had a reasonable and defined mission upon arrival. From his place re-relegated to their couch, James came to understand Stark had designed night night serums for all his team, which they planned to use on Steve after he fell asleep.

Word did come from T’Challa that he was taking Bucky’s command very seriously. He’d gotten a tablet, gone to his room, and was watching that video crying. Tears were never going to be enough, but he was glad to know that punk was feeling what he’d done. Once he cried himself to sleep, then Tony could do his job. He did ask the young Wakandan King not to make overtly obvious what Steve was doing when the superhero arrived for his sake and he promised.

At this point, anything he needed to learn about Howard should come from them, hard as that was to believe he’d found himself the safer option.

The Hydra witch was confirmed to be successfully imprisoned within Kamar Taj and her trial would begin the next day. Given they had all the evidence they needed based on the Avengers’ manipulation alone and not including her Hydra days, which was all now out too thanks to a ticked off Friday, no one had any real concerns she wouldn’t be convicted. James did find his voice to suggest they send as much proof as possible to Wakanda.

Steve was far less likely to fall back into that she’d just a kid shtick, if he saw evidence of what she’d done to others beyond his team. It was monstrous to let her make them agree with him, but after that pause the darker man wasn’t sure that superheroes being coerced would truly be enough to scare him straight. Not after he’d hesitated the way he had.

“We have to tell him.”

It was the first thing that she said once hanging up with a plan and sending it to him via Friday. Clearly as everything else was being sorted, this had been percolating in that woman’s headspace the entire time. “Tell him then, who’s stopping you?” After a moment, he had to know, “Are you sure Howie never-”

“No, never. Tony has no idea,” She insisted, “None of us did, because Stever never disclosed it to anyone.”

“It was a different time. You kept that stuff to yourself and your partner.”

“But he told you? Even back then?”

“No, actually.” He had to admit, “I walked in on them, he didn’t have a choice, then I told him about my hookups that he’d never been privy to, because he kept looking like I was going to jump him.”

She finally gave voice to what he’d said to the blond supersoldier earlier, “And this was only four years ago for him.”

“Correct.”

“I don’t even know how to disclose this.”

“I can, if you want?”

“You’d do that?”

“I’ve done far worse to him at this point. Disclosing his dad had a guy during the war shouldn’t run that deep; it was before he ever met Maria.”

“A guy, you’d be right.” She swallowed hard, taking a seat too once more, “Steve Rogers…”

“You’re not wrong,” Even the Winter Soldier had to admit. “I just can’t believe he let that relationship get so fucked up. They used to dream about… It doesn’t even matter any more, I guess.”

“I’m curious,” She clearly meant it in multiple ways, because sitting on the same side as his vibranium arm, the Black Widow also grabbed it to fiddle with exploring, “What did they think was going to happen, before you fell from that train?”

“That we were gonna win the war, they’d both settle down with Peg and who we now know would’ve been Maria,” He shrugged, “And had a ton of kids between their four.”

“Peggy Carter knew?”

“Oh, sure.” He laughed, “Peg didn’t give two shits. She was just thrilled to see him get some game eventually.”

She got ready to say something else, but they were unceremoniously interrupted by the sound of an elevator chiming, then opening to a hoard of children playing and goofing off amongst themselves. Seeing that smile again got to him, because this had clearly become her element. It felt good being introduced as Yasha, because it was a title that she’d given him once.

Harley was a firecracker, Peter thought he was awesome because of the airport and not in spite of it, Ms. Khan was coming into herself even as pulled away by overprotective parents, and Hawkeye’s kids were hanging in there despite all of this, plus trying to give their parents a little time alone in the aftermath. It was the youngest of their hoard, not including Laura’s baby-baby, who made the biggest impression on James Buchanan Barnes, when she realized first with a gasp before asking the question of if that was his name.

When he’d confirmed she ran off and it was confusing. Right until she came hurrying back in with a small stuffed animal clearly determined to show it off. She was a brave little thing, inviting herself up and claiming the spot between them, even when it made both metahumans shift their much larger selves out of her way. Presenting a little furry bear though, he recognized the outfit and accessories after a moment.

“This is my Buckybear! He was my last present from my mom before she died,” The little girl explained, “She said you was the bravest-”

“Were,” Tali corrected, but he shot her a look to shut it for a minute, before attention flew back to the tiny one.

“And the bestest. And that he would alway keep me safe,” Micky insisted of her toy wholeheartedly, “And Daddy agrees, so they both have to be right! Because they’re always right!”

“Could I see him?”

She handed over the obviously loved ball of cotton proudly and he just looked at the blasted thing, trying to fight back tears in his eyes that would not be combated suddenly, “I like him a lot. I’m glad she gave him to you.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” She beamed. “Welcome home!”

The first one to say it, the older kids seemed to realize that it was appropriate and piled on. He got hold of himself and accepted, especially once she left to put her bear back. It was a lot easier then.

As soon as that little spitfire came back though, questions had surfaced, “Where’s Daddy? How’d Mr. Barnes get back before him?”

“Excellent question, squirt!” Her big brother praised from a beanbag chair next to Spiderman. “How did that happen?”

“Alright, real talk,” Their mother disclosed and immediately had a gaggle of children gathered for story time. Clearly used to their dad going on missions, with a reminder that he now had Extremis and would take Rogers’ head off, they didn’t relax, but weren’t about to launch a rescue party.

He watched as they settled in at home, a few melting away when Mickey was sent to bed, then Hawkeye summoned his kids back, unable to actually handle them being gone that long and needing a night with his family. Barnes could only imagine, especially given that he’d been in retirement and they were supposed to be out of this life.

So much for that. 

Soon it was just Harley and Peter, who he greatly enjoyed listening to as they played video games late into the night, because at this age if they wanted to wait up with them for their dad it was their choice. Both were good, if rambunctious boys. Two who clearly worshipped the ground that their father, adoptive or not, soared over as a grand protector.

They spoke quietly about how she got out and his time with Hydra after she departed, but only in tones even spidey senses wouldn’t hear while also cheering them on. It felt really good to reconnect with someone who not only understood that phase of his life as Tony seemed to, even more than James did to be honest, but Natalia could actually empathize with him. 

Eventually the late started to turn into the early hour and both boys fell asleep while waiting. At that time they were still chatting, but got up to take their controllers away and turn off the game, covering them with blankets before resuming. He wasn’t sure if Peter could even get aches and pains anymore, but Harley was definitely going to feel that awkward neck angle.

She asked if he had any plans now that he was back stateside and when James suggested finding his own place, the Black Widow assured that wasn’t necessary. Taking his hand, she promised that they all wanted him here. It was hard to believe, but she seemed sincere. Especially when she talked about Tony being disappointed, if he left before they could really make a long lasting peace, James couldn’t just leave. Couldn’t stomach the thought of disappointing a dear friend’s boy yet again.

Eventually even the metahumans couldn’t take it anymore and began dozing off, before falling asleep on the sofa together. They were cuddled up for warmth without a blanket, because the tower was kept pretty chilly in general, but it wasn’t like they planned it. When it was the sight Ironman and Vision flew into, Tony had to admit they slotted together very well however, it wasn’t like he minded. He’d been told about her Yasha round one; he was not going to get in the way of a historic connection which likely kept them alive in inhumane circumstances. 

Letting the suit absorb, it truly was a pretty picture.

Grabbing a blanket, he threw it over them. Then, kissed his boys and daughter while passing by for pajamas, as Vision went to recharge himself as well. Deciding he’d rather be out there with all of them, he just grabbed another blanket and went to his recliner. With things finally at a stable place, updates could wait until everyone woke up.