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Chapter Text

It was all Fury's fault. That's Tony's story and he's sicking to it. 

It wasn't enough that the one eyed pirate had insisted on monthly meetings to 'touch base'. 

No. 

That wasn't enough meddling for Nick Fury. 

No. Mr Tall, Dark and Patronising had made them all move in together!

Sort of. 

Maybe. 

Okay, so maybe Tony had a hand in it too. 

They'd all been gathered around a conference table, Fury standing at the front tapping his foot impatiently. 

"Where's Barton?" he snapped. Everyone shrugged. If Tony wasn't allowed to be late then Clint, who lived in the goddamned building had no reason to be. 

Just when Tony had contemplated tracking the archer's cell phone a panel in the ceiling was lifted from the inside and two legs popped out. 

"Sorry I'm late!" Clint called, dropping out from the fucking ceiling. Tony had to laugh, both at Clint's awesome entrance and the look of absolute… well… fury on Fury's face. 

"Were you in the air vents again?" Fury growled. 

"You should take some lessons in theatrics Nicky. The swooping coat's getting old." Tony couldn't help himself. Sometimes the lines were just waiting for him to say they were set up so well. He couldn't help that he took them. Fury didn't even look in his direction, choosing instead to glare at Clint. Clint smirked and took a seat, propping his feet up on the table. 

"Fastest way anywhere." he proclaimed like he was parting some great wisdom. Snarky bastard.

"Then why are you late?" Natasha quipped. 

"Even after I specifically ordered you not to use the vents?" Fury continued, raising his one eyebrow pointedly at Clint's shoes. 

"But they're just so fun." Clint snarked, not taking the hint; on purpose, judging by the smirk he was sporting. Tony grinned widely, a man after his own heart: snark and balls. 

"It happens again and you find a new place to live." Fury snapped. The way Clint's smirk faltered slightly made Tony think this was a new point in an old argument. It didn't sit right with him either, Clint's place to live shouldn't be a tenuous as this. Instability did not a good foundation make, Howard had taught him that lesson through action a thousand times. Tony clenched his jaw, tensing and sitting up in his chair. 

"Isn't that a little extreme?" Steve asked

"You Mr 'ten punching bags a night' do not have a leg to stand on." Fury returned, not shouting exactly, but it jarred with Tony all the same. His teammates his… friends. Were living at SHIELD and sure, he'd known that before but… they had conditions and rules and could be kicked out if they pissed Fury off. 

Tony didn't want to examine the stab of fear that passed through him too closely. He was already far to attached to the lot of them for his comfort. 

They deserved better than this. 

They'd been there for him at his lowest.

They'd held him as he cried. 

Tony flinched away from the memory. One week was not enough distance from that humiliation. He cleared his throat and everyone turned to look at him. 

"I uh… may be able to fix that." Tony said, his voice coming out too shy and nervous for his liking. Fury looked ready to rag on him for it but Thor must have seen it too because he was suddenly standing between them, pulling Tony to his feet. 

"What solution do you suggest shield brother?!" he boomed and the voice was even funnier now that Tony learned the Prince did it on purpose. Tony grinned as it worked exactly how it was supposed to and Fury backed off slightly, giving the alien space. Tony cleared his throat again, he should not be nervous. It's not like he wasn't going to bring this up eventually, he'd finished the renovations weeks ago. But they were about to find out. Find out how much work and thought he'd put into this. 

"I uh… may have some extra living quarters at Stark Tower if you'd like" he proposed. Fuck it should not be this hard. Why was this hard? "All of you." he clarified, just to be sure. 

The silence hung heavy in the air for a few moments. Steve looked like he was about to say something way too emotional so Tony pressed on. 

"Except you Nicky, no pirates allowed." Okay, now he was recycling his material, this was a bad sign. At least he's only said it out loud once. 

"Wow, Tony, really?" Steve asked and Tony mentally cursed. Of course he'd only postponed the emotional crap. "That's really generous of you." Tony ducked his head. In truth the renovations didn't even make a dent on the profits he made in a year and it's not like he wouldn't have had to remodel some of it anyway since the Hulk smashed the God of Mischief in the penthouse. Most people would think it was his duty to give when he was this loaded, but not Steve. Steve saw this as inviting them all to live with him. 

Okay, so he was inviting the Avengers to live with him. But not like that! They all have their own floors it's more like inviting them to live in his apartment block than anything as… personal as living together. 

"Yeah Tony." Bruce spoke up for the first time. "That would really be great. Are you sure?" Tony nodded, not sure how stable his voice would be if he spoke. 

"It would be a great honour to live among my shield brothers and sister!" Thor proclaimed and Tony couldn't help but grin at the guy's enthusiasm, it was really something else. 

"I'm in if Nat's in." Clint said, turning to face the woman. Natasha nodded and Tony was rewarded with a tiny almost non-existent smile. 

Now if he could stop thinking about this like he'd just invited all of them to live with him he could maybe talk himself out of a panic attack. 

Maybe. 

Chapter Text

So Tony had gone over in his head what the Avengers moving in would look like. 

They looked nothing like he's imagined. He wishes he could just shake each and every one of them by the shoulders and ask why the fuck the couldn't act like they were supposed to. Normal people didn't like him. He had to pay people to tolerate his presence. Hell, he'd had to keep Pepper in shoes and fancy dresses and Rhodey in cars and War Machine repairs. One of the reason he and Rhodey worked was because the man was out of the country eighty percent of the time. 

Well, the Avengers acted like themselves but…

But Clint took one look at his name engraved beside the button in the private elevator and had insisted that Tony was being too generous. HIM! Too generous! Tony seriously had never been called that in his life. For good reason. He was a selfish asshole, even to his friends. But it wasn't just Clint with the awed wide eyes. Even Thor who, as a prince of Asguard, must be accustomed to such luxury, was insisting that it was too much. 

Well, of course he didn't say it exactly like that. 

More like:

"Your generosity of heart and home is something I will cherish and hold dear to my heart Anthony."

Tony couldn't get over the way the God talked some times. So… genuine and well, and loud -fair enough on the loud, from what Tony's learned about Asguard, most of its rooms are vast and not built for acoustics- but Tony doesn't know how to tackle such raw honesty. 

He gestured for them to get into the elevator and waited for the doors to slide shut.

"Just push the button with your name next to it. JARVIS will answer all your questions!" he called, already backing away. He did not want to be around when they saw the detail and the obvious thought he'd put into each of their floors (Steve's art studio, Bruce's Hulk proof furniture). But… the elevator doors had stalled and re opened with Steve's hand in the way. 

"You're not coming with us?" the soldier asked

Fuck. 

Tony was not expecting such a puzzled tone. 

And NO! Tony could name a whole list of reasons why going with them would be such a BAD very BAD idea. There was no way, no matter how many puppy pouts Steve gave him, he'd do something as stupid and revealing as being present while they-

Shit.

He was dead. Steve was going to KILL him. 

He entered the elevator.

Turns out all Steve had to do was plead with his eyes and tilt his head in innocent confusion and Tony would follow that man off a cliff. 

Because this was a cliff. This is a point of no return. Right here right now, travelling in this elevator with five people who had no right to gage this level of emotion from him, he was about to step off a cliff. He was going to be… vulnerable. 

Fuck, he couldn't even say the word in his head without flinching. 

"Tony?" Thor asked, his voice uncharacteristically soothing and low. "Are you alright my friend?"

Tony bit his lip. No! He wasn't alright, but explaining why was a different matter… if he wanted to be truthful that is. Which he wasn't too sure about. 

Maybe. 

"We're seriously not going to go to each of the floors together are we? 'Cos that might take a while." Tony felt the need to point out. The others looked at each other, fuck had they planned this?

He was… oddly touched.

"As long as you spend some time explaining the floors we don't mind." Bruce said, his voice gentle but firm. Tony tensed, this is exactly, what he'd wanted to avoid. 

Did they even know what they were asking of him?

"There's really nothing to it." Tony blurted out, knowing even before he started that they weren't going to believe him, but he had to try. He just had to. "They're just apartments, nothing to get excited about." Not trying would mean letting them in without a fight and he wasn't that stupid. 

Yet.

No one looked like they were even going to humour him. 

"Really Stark?" Clint asked with a raised eyebrow. "I took you for a brave man."

Fuck this elevator was too fucking small for this shit. 

This was all just too soon. Pepper had only left him a week ago, he was not ready for any more emotional crap. There'd already been crying and nervous breakdowns and-

"We're here for you Tony." That had been Steve. Warm and assuring, telling him he could lean on him, lean on all of them. Telling him that it was okay, that he could be… exposed with them. 

"Tony?" There was a warm hand on his shoulder, blue eyes in front of him and Tony forced himself back to the present. He took a deep deliberate breath in and out, mentally kicking himself. An elevator full of superheroes was not the place to have another nervous breakdown. Steve leaned in closer and murmured in Tony's ear so the others couldn't hear him: "You're safe here, Tony."

Tony closed his eyes, intending to shut out the words, but they seemed to seep into him instead. Soaking under his skin to a place where he could almost believe them. 

The elevator pinged and the doors began receding. There was suddenly more room as the others began filing out. Steve tugged him along by the hand (they were holding hands? When the fuck had that happened?!). Tony couldn't help but follow, stepping out of the elevator and he couldn't help but believe Steve just a tiny bit. 

Fuck. 

This was going to hurt so bad when it ended. 

Chapter Text

There was an impressive whistle from Clint and Tony looked around and realised that they had gotten off at the lowest of the private floors where he'd built the firing range.

"Wow, Tony, what did you use this for?" the archer asked, twirling in a 180 so he could get a better view. "Did you have other archers before me? Should i be jealous?" Snarky bastard.

Tony winced, this was how it began.

"I didn't have this before." he admitted, following Clint's gaze around the open space to the archery range with targets (moving and stationary), the computer off to one side to program target exercises. The shooting range off to the other side, one corner glassed off police style ready with both weapons and safety gear. Why on earth would he have needed something like this before the Avengers? "This is all new." he added. It's not like they weren't going to find out. Having a 1940's era room for Steve and the tapestries currently hanging on Thor's walls made it pretty clear that every floor was tailor made.

Plus, if that wasn't enough of an indication then there was always the names engraved next to the elevator buttons and on the door to their floor. There was no way to be subtle about that. Why had he thought that was a good idea?

"You built this?" Steve asked in wonderment. Tony smiled at the pure awe on their faces. This wasn't even the good stuff yet.

"Okay, save some surprise for later, you haven't even looked at your apartments yet." Tony felt the need to point out. Natasha gave us a sharp look.

"These aren't just spare living quarters are they?"

And fuck he couldn't lie to her anymore. To any of them. Not even to protect himself and fuck no one had the right to do that to him.

"No." he said softly, but everyone heard anyway, of course they did. "I built them for you."

The looks they were giving him were not normal. Why should they be gaping at their surroundings like they'd never seen a firing range before? He knew they had at least accessed the SHIELD ones, that's where he got the baseline for this one after all.

"Tony this must have taken you months!" Bruce exclaimed, brushing his fingers along one of the walls. Tony focused his gaze on the fellow scientist, the other man's impressed feelings clearly visible.

"It did." Tony admitted stonily. This didn't make any sense. With money like his what he did hadn't been that impressive. If anything it was expected of him. "Had to do some remodelling after the Chintari invasion anyway." He wanted to make it sound like an afterthought, like he might as well do something useful with the space, even if that was the furthest thing from the truth.

"Since the Chintari invasion?!" Clint asked, turning from where he'd been examining the archery targets to fix his gaze on Tony. "We weren't even a proper team back then."

Uh-oh.

"Well, I figured stuff like this would come in handy eventually and I knew it would take me ages." Tony tried to wave off. Why couldn't they just… fuck he didn't even know what he wanted them to do. This was too far away from his semblance of normal.

"Anthony." Thor murmured, stepping in front of him close. Too close. "I will not let you dismiss your vast care and generosity so. Even- no, especially- if others have."

Tony doesn't think he'll ever get used to any of them taking his breath away in pure shock. He tapped a hand to his arc reactor automatically even though he knew nothing was wrong with it. He closed his eyes against Thor's pure genuine gaze and took a deep breath. He heard the reassuring sound of the reactor rattling slightly as air passed through his lungs. This was too much too soon. Fuck he should have waited. Waited a bit longer to let them see all this. Until he was more ready.

Yeah, when hell froze over. The more cynical part of his brain chipped in.

"Alright, how about we go exploring a bit." Steve suggested, Tony knew without opening his eyes that it was Steve behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Tony will catch up with us all later. Won't you?" he added sharply and Tony felt himself nodding along with that safe, secure, solid voice (wow wasn't he poetic today?).

Tony couldn't bare to open his eyes until everyone had filed out. When he did he almost closed them again when he saw Steve now in front of him with this look on his face.

Like he wasn't quite sure how to act, what to say.

Fuck Tony never wanted any of the team (especially Steve) to feel like that around him. It was a bitch.

"I uh… um…" Tony cursed himself and his stammering words. He sounded like an idiot.

"Look Tony-" Steve began but Tony put a hand up to silence him.

"Just gimmie a sec." Tony requested.

He needed to say this, no matter the cost to himself. He didn't want his behaviour to be interpreted as reluctance or disgust or make any of them feel unwelcome. That was the exact opposite of what he wanted. It's why he'd put the plans into motion in the first place. The whole "build it and they will come (and stay)" idea. Not that he was stupid enough to put it like that.

"How you guys are with me. I'm not used to it." he spat out, eager to get this over and done with.

"Tony-"

"I'm not finished." Tony interjected, then continued: "But don't ever confuse my inexperience with dislike. Ever." He turned to face Steve again, he couldn't quite decipher the new expression on the man's face. "Please." he added nervously.

"Oh Tony." Steve said and he sounded… sad? He came closer and put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I know. We all know you like us. This, what we're doing." he smiled and walked to the elevator. Tony relaxed. Good. He'd gotten away with it. He could put this disaster of an emotional mess behind him and move on.

Tony should have known it wouldn't have been that simple.

"Don't you dare think this talk is over Tony!" Steve called from the closing elevator doors.

Oh shit.

Why couldn't he have gotten less perceptive friends?

Chapter Text

Tony took deep deliberate breaths as he forced himself to calm down, leaning up against the nearest wall and sliding down to sit on the floor. He shouldn't be this scared of them, they were his friends. He'd never been this freaked out about Rhodey. But Rhodey never seemed to know things like the Avengers did. 

Having two super spies on the team certainly helped with that. 

He looked at his watch, he knew if he took too long someone would come after him. 

But Steve knew when he'd had too much, when it got too much, and he'd backed away, let Tony gather himself. That was … good. 

"Sir." JARVIS spoke up. Tony turned to the nearest camera and smiled. 

"Yeah J?" he asked. 

"Miss Potts tried to use her ID pass to enter Stark Industries main building twenty minutes ago. She is now insisting she speak with you." 

Tony felt like the bottom of his stomach had dropped out. 

"Why um- why wait twenty minutes?" he asked, the detail gnawing at him. 

"You were otherwise engaged and Miss Potts could wait." there was a note of hostility in the AI's voice now and Tony couldn't help but smile. Feeling fortified both by JARVIS's unwavering presence and the knowledge that the Avengers were only a floor away he got to his feet. 

"Patch her though." he said, waving his hand. "Let's get this over with."

"Sir, would you like me to summon one of the Avengers?" Tony smiled at the camera again, JARVIS always knew how to look after him. 

Tony shook his head. "No, they're busy. Just patch her through." He stood up and braced himself to hear her voice. 

It wasn't enough. 

All he could do was thank god it hadn't been a video call because the second he heard her voice he knew his face must look a wreck. 

"Why can't I get into my office Tony?" she snapped, her tone cold and stern. Tony closed his eyes against that voice, a voice that used to be the centre of his world, sooth his every anxiety, now cause anxiety instead. 

"Did you seriously expect to be kept on after the way you talked last week?" he asked, congratulating himself for keeping his voice steady. "We didn't just break up Pepper, you criticised everything I stand for. Insulted my team. I would have fired anyone after saying what you did." He didn't want to give her a chance to speak, but he knew she would anyway. 

"You can't fire me Tony! I'm still CEO of Stark Industries!" Tony, despite the situation, had to raise an eyebrow at the speaker, did she really think him that stupid?

"In the event of my death, which i thought was a tad more immanent at the time." he countered truthfully. In true JAVIS fashion the AI made a hologram of her contract appear in front of him to double cheek that fact. Pepper could and would take him to court on every single loophole if he let her. 

"Since I didn't die, the company still actually belongs to and is run by me. I named you my successor and promoted you, Pepper, I didn't hand over my company." Tony snapped. 

Why on earth had she thought that? Even if that had been his intention the board of directors wouldn't have let that stand. No matter how much they didn't approve of him, they wouldn't have stood for him handing over the entire company to anyone even someone as formidable as Pepper Potts. "And because I'm in a good mood" and he didn't want a drawn out affair "I am willing to let you resign and I'll write a glowing recommendation. I'm sure someone will sweep you right up."

He let the offer hang in the air, praying she would take it. He just wanted this over with, her out of his life as quickly and painlessly as possible. If that meant he had to bite the bullet and wax lyrical about her, then he would. She had the ability to kick up a huge fuss at Stark Industries, maybe even contend his decision and the company didn't need that either. He'd just managed to shape and form the company he  wanted, not his father, or even Pepper. He'd like to hang onto it a bit longer. 

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing Tony." Pepper said with a hint of patronisation. Tony smirked. 

"Oh I know." he said. "But I don't think you quite know just how much hell you'd get if you didn't agree."

He could too. He could kick up his own fuss, pull his weight with all the board members some of which he'd saved in one Avengers mission or another. Being Ironman had it's perks everywhere it seemed. He could even appeal to the press if he had to, he knew who they'd side with. Public opinion was awesome, especially right now since the team had saved a kindergarden from an honest to god actual death ray last mission. 

Pepper seemed to think it wasn't worth the trouble because she sighed in defeat. 

"Okay Tony." she said "I'll take it." Tony nodded even though he couldn't see her. 

"Everything you need'll be in your inbox by end of business." he said and ended the call. 

He just couldn't hear her talk anymore. 

The voice that had told him he hadn't loved her enough. 

The voice that had told him he hadn't been enough for her.

Fuck, once, just once, he wanted to be enough for someone. 

Tony paced around the range in silence for a few minutes, collecting his thoughts and grounding himself in the present. Focusing on the better things. His team, mere floors away from him right now, moving in with him. 

"Sir." JARVIS chipped in, sounding hesitant.

"Yeah, JARVIS if you could just whip some crap together that'll make her look like a saint. Maybe get her a job in another state. Maybe the other side of the country." 

"Already done sir. I actually wanted to tell you that Agent Romanov is requesting your presence on her floor."

Tony grimaced at the thought of what she'd have to say about her level, he'd always known she'd be the hardest to please. He sighed and made his way to the elevator. 

"Might as well get it over with." he grumbled, pushing the button with his name beside it. 

The last thing that he expected to be greeted with when the doors opened was an armful of the super spy as the woman wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. 

Chapter Text

There wasn't another word for it. Tony flailed.

Because seriously, this could not be his life right now. 

Natasha was hugging him. 

Actual wrapped arms around him, physically hugging him. 

Fuck it was good. 

NO! No matter what he could not get used to this. This was a once in a blue moon rare occasion that should be permanently seared into his brain to pull out on rainy days. 

So he tentatively wrapped his own arms around her and closed his eyes. He made sure to keep his own grip not nearly as tight so she could pull back whenever she wanted. Then he memorised the sensation, every little thing. 

The slight scent of subtle perfume. 

The strong grip.

The brush of her hair against his cheek. 

The feeling of warmth and comfort that had wrapped around him like a blanket, soothing his frayed nerves. 

Natasha withdrew slightly and fuck, he couldn't help latching on tighter. And no, he did NOT whimper.

There was a small gasp of surprise and Tony braced himself for Natasha to forcefully push him away. It would hurt but he'd let her, he would. He'd have to. He had to suck it up and let her go, he wasn't a toddler.

But then Natasha was leaning back in, hugging back again. Oh god, that was good. 

No! No he had to let go, he was taking liberties he did not have. As comforting and warm and soothing as this was he had to let it go. 

He tried to pull back but Natasha just gripped him tighter. 

"Don't you dare pull away until you're ready to let go."

And fuck, how had she known? 

It was official, SHIELD must train mind ninjas or something. 

"That might take a while." he blurted out before he could stop himself. 

"Then it takes a while."

It did take a while, much longer than Tony usually dared, but Natasha could tell damn her. Tell he wasn't really ready to let go. 

Until he actually was and he was pulling back for him this time and Natasha let him. He needed to hack SHIELD later and check what kind of training this woman was getting. 

"Thanks." he told her gruffly… or rather he told his shoes. He wasn't quite ready to meet her eyes, not knowing what he'd find there and not prepared to find out. 

Her actions implied that she wasn't going to be angry or impatient at his display of… whatever that was. 

But at the same time he had no frame of reference for this. Any of it, Especially involving Natasha. 

"You are very welcome dorogaya." Natasha replied in a gentle tone that didn't have the right to sooth him like it did. Tony tensed, his Russian must be wrong, otherwise the Black Widow just called him sweetie. He coughed awkwardly and gestured at the living room of Natasha's floor. 

"So, pretty sweet yeah?" he asked, forcing a cheeky grin over his features. Natasha grinned, her eyes sparkling as she also looked around. The room was sleek and modern with leather furniture, wide screen tv and soft dark brown carpet beneath their feet. The bookshelves were stocked with both english and russian physical books because he'd heard after a long mission she hates the brightness of the screens. To that end he'd also acquired audio books and made sure that when the blinds went down no light could come in. 

"It's perfect Tony." Natasha said warmly. She walked over to the wall near the door and pointed to the small square inch of black that stood out against the white of the walls. "But what are these? They're everywhere." Tony grinned in excitement, glad that he was here when she saw this part. 

"Put your thumb on it." he encouraged, Natasha raised an eyebrow at him but did as he said. A blue scanning line appeared for a moment, then a click and a beep, then the black square pushed outwards several inches to reveal a glass rectangle with the top missing containing two knives and a gun he'd designed based on his repulser technology. Natasha's lips quirked in curiosity and she looked at Tony. Tony gestured in encouragement and she pulled out the gun. As he explained how it worked (a lot like the guns she was used to except for the dial on one side to set the intensity of the blast and that it had to be returned to the wall every week or so for JARVIS to charge the battery) Natasha looked more and more both in awe and… worried?

"Tony…" she began softly, a note of hesitation in his voice. "Are you sure you want to give me this? You don't make weapons any more." Tony smiled, he appreciated her thoroughness with her equipment, it spoke to a woman of care and intelligence.

"Just because I don't mass produce them doesn't mean I'm rusty." he assured the spy "I'm not that out of practice."

Natasha shook her head and placed the gun back in the cartridge, pushing on the edge gently so it slot back into the wall. 

"That's not what I meant." she reprimanded gently, closing the distance between them. "You don't like making weapons. I'm sure I speak for the entire team when I say we don't want you to compromise your beliefs for us." 

Tony… didn't know what to do with that. He'd anticipated all kinds of objections about the colour scheme or the closet filled with designer clothes or even the ridiculous luxury that was her bathroom but not this. Not about something she thought he was.. sacrificing on her behalf. 

"I don't want you to change for me Tony. For any of us."

"If you loved me how you said you did you would have changed for me."

Pepper's words came crashing into his head, in contrast to the redhead's , already too close to his mind since the phone call. So he couldn't be blamed really, for what he let slip, he was too run down, too on edge, too… safe.

"Pepper did." the words were barely above a whisper and for a brief blissful second he could hope that they had been too soft to hear, but Natasha's face hardened, her fists clenched and she stepped even closer to him. A better man would have stepped back. 

Tony was never going to claim to be the better man. 

"She what?" her voice was low, dangerous and fucking lethal and Tony couldn't help but flinch at her tone. Perhaps backing away was a good idea. His move back was impeded by a firm grip suddenly on his wrist. "Tony." she warned and Tony flinched again. He hadn't meant to say what he had, but at the same time, he wasn't sure how he'd infuriated the Russian so. Something in his expression made Natasha soften her features, but not her grip. "I'm not mad at you milaya." she murmured, her tone gentle, soothing over Tony's worries like a balm. Whatever is going through Natasha's mind couldn't be that bad for him if she was calling him honey. He so needed to brush up on his Russian. "But I might need to have a word or two with-" Tony's eyes widened at where this sentence was going. 

"No." he interrupted her. "No, there will be no words, no nothing." Tony couldn't figure out which part of the idea frightened him the most, Natasha with her knives and her ninja moves or Pepper with her logic and her words that might sway Natasha to her way of thinking about him. Just no. 

"Okay." Natasha agreed, moving her grip to take Tony's hand instead. "That's your call Tony." 

"Thanks." Tony said, relieved he'd dodged that bullet… speaking of bullets "And the weapons are my call too. I want you protected. All of you. Any way I can." Natasha smiled at him, rubbing circles on the back of his hand. 

"Alright vozlyublennyy."

Chapter Text

Okay, so Tony wasn't expecting much when he went to Clint's floor. Hell, most of the things he'd build for Clint weren't ON his floor. 

At least, not JUST on his floor. 

So Tony wasn't prepared for the sheer… hyperactivity that was Clint Barton excitedly asking Tony how it all worked. There was enthusiastic nodding and attentive questions that showed Clint was actually listening to what Tony was explaining. 

Tony painstakingly took Clint through the JARVIS basics and the TV with Clint bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet. 

Bouncing. 

Like a five year old. 

Seriously, Tony DID NOT want to see Clint of a sugar high. He couldn't even IMAGINE-

"Wow." Clint was looking at the empty bow racks and tony froze. He'd heard of Clint's bow collection and had thought the archer would like to have them somewhere he could reach them, use them, display them.

But now…

With Clint gaping at the empty brackets, expression unreadable Tony had to ask himself if it had been too much. If he'd been too presumptuous. 

No OF COURSE hew as being too presumptuous! Clint's bows were safe wherever they were. Locked done in some top notch security storage somewhere no doubt. Clint wasn't like Tony, he didn't need to be flashy, to show off like some trumped up-

"Tony, this is spectacular." Clint whispered, running his hands over the nearest bracket with reverence. 

Wait…

What?

Tony coughed. 

"This is more a symbolic gesture." he said,  his voice more raw than he would have liked. He really needed to work on hiding things from the team or this could get too deep way too fast. "I don't know how many you have or whether you'd like to keep them here at all but-"

"Thank you Tony." Clint interrupted, saving Tony from babbling on. There was a beeping noise and Clint looked down at his phone then frowned. 

"Everything okay?" Tony asked. Clint didn't look upset though. Clint shook his head in what appeared to be bemusement. 

"So Tash just told me to hug you."  Tony froze, his insides seizing up like they'd been turned into ice. Why would Natasha do that? He'd never explicitly said so but confidentiality in these instances was kind of implied right? Apparently not since she'd just fucking blurted the whole thing out to Clint. "No reason, no explanation, just, 'Hug Tony'." Clint carried on, just as confused. Tony relaxed slightly, okay, out of context instructions were okay, as long as they remained out of context. Clint shrugged. "I'm not big on the whole hugging thing and I don't think you are either so… let's not and say we did?" Clint asked, hopefully in Tony's direction.

"No problem." Tony said, feeling… odd. That was the outcome he'd wanted right? But even so… Clint seemed so sure that he wasn't the hugging type. But why should that bother him? Clint was right. Hugs were too good, too intimate too comforting… and… those were the wrong reasons to not like hugs.

He was in trouble.

He was in so much trouble. 

"So are you a playstation person or an x-box person? Because whichever you are StarkGames'll blow 'em right out of the water." Tony bragged, pulling out his press conference smile. Clint frowned for a moment before his expression went back to the hyperactive toddler and he ran over to the TV.

"StarkGames huh? I didn't even know you made games." Tony felt his smile become more real under the weight of Clint's sheer excitement. Seriously, he was going to make a note to NEVER give this guy sugar, he might literally start swinging from the ceiling. 

"Just for the tower." he said with a  wave of his hand. "It incorporates my 3D tech and that's not commercially viable."

"DUDE!" Clint exclaimed, bouncing over to Tony and seizing him by the shoulders "are you telling me I could play SKYRIM IN 3D!?". 

Tony thought. He hadn't converted SkyrIm yet, but he didn't see any reason why he couldn't. Video game companies only started getting prissy with him when he tried to sell his modified material. 

"Yeah, man, sure." he said, his smile feeling more like a part of his face every moment he looked at Clint's genuine happiness. 

Clint still hadn't let go and now that Tony wasn't distracted he felt himself liking the contact too much like he always did. The hands making him feel warm and safe. Clint's eyes, ever watchful, sharpened and focused on Tony's face and Tony couldn't  look at this man. It only lasted for a second, then Clint was squeezing his shoulders gently and pulling away. Tony stayed composed this time, letting the archer go.

"So… 3D movies?" Clint asked hopefully. 

Tony laughed and nodded. 

Chapter Text

Out of all the people that had moved in, Tony cared about Bruce's opinion the most. Bruce understood him in a way Rhodey didn't, couldn't. Bruce didn't look at him with blank or humoured expressions when he got into the science zone. He nodded and understood and contributed to the point where he was building off Tony's ideas and making them better. 

But he also knew it would be the hardest to get Bruce to stay.

“This is too much Tony.” Bruce said gesturing to the expanse of his lounge room. Tony sighed, he'd tried to make the place look ordinary and humble to try and fend off Bruce's guilt at living in a place so extravagant apparently hadn't succeeded. “I'm going to break everything anyway.” Bruce added, sounding defeated and fuck Tony didn't want any of his friends to give up. 

“I got low, tried to swallow a bullet”

But that hadn't happened Tony had to remind himself, he had time to fix this, ease Bruce away from those dark thoughts. But how do you convince someone who had been hunted, persecuted and treated like a weapon that that wasn't all he was. That Bruce could get past this?

“But the other guy, spat it out.” 

He'd meant to thank the Hulk for that when they met, but, well... busy. 

Tony had a lot to thank the Hulk for as it turns out and he will. 

He just had to convince Bruce it was okay. 

They had all the time in the world though, the other guy had made sure of that. 

“Okay, first of all, you're not going to break anything.” Tony said beginning with the easiest comment. “Everything on any Avenger level is completely, super soldier, Norse god and Hulk proof.”

That had been an absolute necessity, Tony didn't want a parade of construction workers in and out of this place, he liked his privacy. 

Bruce looked at the room anew with this new information. 

“Really?” he asked. “I... I won't break anything?” he asked with hope in his voice. 

“Not a thing Brucey-bear.” Tony assured with a smile, hoping this was helping, he was crap at this helping thing. 

“It's still too much.” Bruce insisted. “I don't really need-”

“Well tough.” Tony snapped, and yeah, this was the opposite of his plan. The plan to be calm and patent as he shot down all of Bruce's excuses but seriously? He knew what gold diggers looked like and none of the Avengers even came close. Why shouldn't he spend his money on them if he wanted to? He certainly had enough of it. 

He wanted to share. 

He wanted to give.

He wanted to be generous around a group of people that he knew wouldn't take advantage of it.

“Excuse me?” Bruce asked, looking shy. 

“I said tough.” Tony snapped, coming closer. Bruce frowned. “It's my money, my tower and my time damnit why shouldn't I spend it however the fuck I want? What else exactly did you expect me to do with a group of superhuman homeless friends?”

Bruce looked cowed. 

“I didn't mean-” he began and Tony sighed. 

“I know.” he murmured softly. “I'm sorry.” he added, not wanting Bruce to look at him like that, like he was something to be feared. 

Even if it was true.

Bruce smiled at him and Tony relaxed slightly.

Good, hadn't fucked up too badly then. 

“You want to maybe take your own advice?”

Not a lot of people could do a 180 like that and not get obliterated by Tony's sharp words in 10 seconds flat. 

Sadly he was now LIVING WITH THEM ALL.

He bit back the cruel line that came to mind, not wanting to see Bruce's wounded face or worse, his back as he left the tower completely. 

“Damnit Bruce, don't you see this is me trying?!” he asked “How many people do you see wandering these floors. Of my home?” Bruce's eyes went wide. 

“No, Tony, I didn't mean-”

But Tony wasn't listening. All this emotional crap was getting on his nerves.

“What else exactly do you expect me to do?” he snapped “I've already let you in further than ANYONE! What the fuck else do you want from me?!”

Wow...

Okay...

That was WAY more desperate than he'd meant to sound. 

Um...

“Of course we see you trying.” Bruce said, sounding tired. He went over to the couch and sat down. Tony followed, suddenly feeling exhausted. “We just want to help. It doesn't have to be this hard Tony.” Tony bristled. 

“And I'm not worth the effort I suppose.” he grumbled. 

“That's so not what I meant. You know that.” Bruce snapped. Tony squirmed under Bruce's too knowing gaze. 

Okay, so he did know what Bruce meant. 

He just couldn't make sense of it. 

How was opening up like this supposed to be easy?

Tony had had to fight himself every day to stay open to Pepper and look how well that turned out. 

“That's not how relationships work Tony.” Bruce murmured sympathetically. 

Okay, wow. 

This day could just go walk off a cliff

When the fuck had he started being this loose lipped around Bruce?

“Trust is good Tony.” Bruce said, leaning against him. Tony wished he had the strength to pull away, but Bruce was warm and solid and... soothing. 

Would Bruce use that against him if he knew?

Pepper had.

She'd soothed his shoulders, calming him, distracting him when he really should have been updating the armour. 

She'd pulled him back into bed, almost making him miss an Avenger's Assemble. 

She'd kissed his breath away to distract him from going with Steve a hundred different times. 

Well fuck. 

Why hadn’t he put that together before?

“Trusting people's never been my forte.” Tony said.

"Nor mine." Bruce pointed out "But here I am." 

Okay now Tony felt like a massive hypocrite. He was asking Bruce to take just as many risks here, living with a bunch of people neither of them had known for more than a year. Even with separate floors it was still the closest Bruce had been to people wanting to get close to him for a number of years Tony imagined, and Bruce's reasons were a high side better than Tony's. 

Tony could try harder. He could do that for them. 

Wow. 

He really could do that for the Avengers.

What was this world coming to?

Chapter Text

Thor in a lot of ways was the hardest to predict. He was kind and generous, but his background was so different from the rest of them that Tony could never tell what he would be okay with. He would be loud and boisterous one minute, then Tony would just say a throwaway line and suddenly the prince was all sombre and serious. 

Like right now. 

All Tony had said was that he hoped Thor liked everything! How was that supposed to be taken badly?

But the laughter was gone, the frown was back and all Tony wanted to do was make Point Break laugh again. 

He liked Thor's laugh. It was loud and hearty and somewhat infectious. When Thor was laughing Dr. Doom would have trouble keeping a straight face. 

Tony had only been on Thor's floor for TWO MINUTES! How could he have gotten things so messed up in two minutes?

Thor came closer to Tony and slung an arm around Tony's shoulders. Tony closed his eyes briefly to memorise what this contact felt like.

"Anthony." Thor said, his voice serious but gentle. "You have made me chambers fit for the finest king. You did not have to go to such great lengths to acquire my presence."

Okay, wow. 

Tony felt the arc reactor jolt slightly.

That hit was WAY too accurate for Tony's liking. 

Whoever thought Thor was an idiot needed to be fired from SHIELD immediately (come on he knew it was a SHIELD agent who started that rumour).

Sometimes he forgot just how old Thor was. How much experience with all kinds of people the god must have. 

Thor made it really easy for others to underestimate him. 

Even the people that should know better, and Tony should DEFINITELY know better by now. 

"Uh… I uh…" Tony trailed off helplessly. Oh yeah, this was giving a VERY good first impression of his hosting skills. He was meant to be showing off JARVIS and the tech he'd put in. Not that he put much in Thor's room, he mostly kept the colours earthy and natural with tapestries and woodwork. Everyone had a TV, that just seemed basic and Tony had an inkling that he could get Thor into movies. 

Thor squeezed Tony's shoulders firmly but carefully giving Tony an unwelcome feeling of warmth and safety. He made himself stiffen and pull away at the contact, he wasn't allowed to get used to this. But Thor didn't let him go so easily.

"Is it not a custom on Midguard to engage in physical contact with one's friends?" Thor asked, his frown turning confused. 

"Only when you want to." Tony made sure to say. 

"What part of initiating the contact made you think it was unwelcome?" Thor asked. "Unless… it is you that does not want to." he added, suddenly looking crestfallen and pulling away.

Shit. 

Tony hadn't meant to upset him!

Upset is usually what happened when he got TOO grabby, not the other way around. 

"I understand." Thor continued and shit Tony felt like he'd just kicked a golden retriever. "Most miguardians find my physical contact too-"

"No Thor, hold on a sec!" he blurted, not knowing what to do, because that? That sounded a hell of a lot like he and Thor shared the same problem and wow was that a crazy thought.

He just knew he couldn't be the cause of such sadness in his usually so happy and enthusiastic friend. Thor looked at Tony now, really looked at him and Tony felt bare under that gaze. And Tony was sure if the guy had x-ray vision or something he was obligated to say something right?

This is where trying got him, helplessly latching on to a Norse God's arm in the hopes that he can say the right thing to make Thor laugh again. Or at least get that sad look out of his eyes. 

"That's not what I-" Tony began lamely, flailing the arm not holding Thor's arm around in an attempt to help him explain. 

All it did was make him look like an idiot. 

Thor just looked even more sad now and fuck, Tony hated sad Thor. 

"This is totally not what I meant!" he yelped, hoping in panic he'd at least be able to make full sentences. "I just- I meant-" he broke off again, closed his eyes, then made the risky metaphorical jump. "Me too."

"Pardon?" Thor asked. 

"Me too." Tony stammered out, unwilling to open his eyes in case he'd read this situation entirely wrong. When Thor didn't say anything after a minute he panicked, thinking it was time for damage control. "I-" he broke off yet again but this time because Thor had pulled him into a hug. 

Tony opened his eyes and gasped in surprise, he wouldn't screw it up this time. Tony just had to keep reminding himself that Thor had initiated this hug. Thor wanted this hug. He was allowed to enjoy this, Thor welcomed it. 

Why was this such a hard thing to accept?

He liked touch. He loved touch. 

"Your life has not been kind to you, Man of Iron, but I assure you: my arms are always open for such embraces." 

Tony did stiffen at that.

"You can't make promises like that." He meant it to come out strong and firm, but it sounded more like a plea. 

"I can." Thor said, sounding determined. 

"I'm quite tactile. You don't know what you're offering me." Tony warned, needing Thor to know. 

No one, not even Rhodey had ever put up with this before. Why should he think these new people would be any different?

"I offer my touch, and I offer it freely and happily." Thor growled, tightening his arms slightly. 

Thor pulled back and smiled at Tony, Tony returned the smile and then Thor laughed and began exploring his room again. 

Good. 

Thor was laughing, that's good. 

"I am grateful for your grand efforts to make me feel at home, Anthony. This is a fine chamber! Oooh pop-tarts!" he ended excitedly, spotting the shelf of pop-tarts Tony had installed on Jane's advice. 

Tony laughed as well. 

He'd spent too much of his life afraid to hold on to people knowing that sooner or later they'd decide he was too much. 

But this time?

Maybe. 

Just maybe it was safe to hold on this time. 

Chapter Text

By the time Tony stepped onto Steve's floor he felt exhausted and Steve could tell. 

"You okay shellhead?" he asked with a frown of concern. Tony didn't think about it, he just groaned dramatically, walked over to the super soldier and rested his head on Steve's chest. 

"People are exhausting." he complained. 

Then he realised what he was doing. 

Or more importantly: who he was doing this with. 

NOT THOR!

Very much not Thor! Steve! Steve who was his captain, his friend, someone he hadn't tested the waters with yet. See Bruce!? This is what happens when opening up becomes easy! You end up being too presumptuous and flopping all over your friggin' captain!

Damn, this was so not his plan! But he'd just spent the better part of an hour with someone who was more tactile than him (something that he never thought would happen, not in a million years) how was he supposed to-

"Hey, no relax." Steve soothed, putting a hand on the back of Tony's neck when he sensed Tony stiffening. "Everything's fine, Tony, easy."

It was unfair how much that simple touch calmed him. How much that solid, firm grip on the back of his neck grounded him, made him feel safe. 

"You remind me a lot of Bucky you know?" Steve asked, rubbing Tony's neck slightly. Tony couldn't see Steve's face like this and he was grateful, he wasn't sure how he'd be able to hide how he was feeling. "He was stubborn, strong, sarcastic." Tony chuckled "But no matter how snarky he got, how mad he was, I'd ruffle his hair, grasp his shoulder and this whole other side of him would come out." Tony stiffened, Steve tightened his grip. "It was only with me or with is Ma but… it was a real honour to see him like that. That he'd let me see him like that. So please, Tony believe me when I say, I understand, and I am so honoured that you trust me with this."

"It was an accident." Tony said, trying to sound tough. It didn't work, not with Steve's hand still a firm pressure on his neck.

"No it wasn't." Steve said, undeceived. "You're too careful."

Steve had a point. 

If it hadn't been a member of the team it wouldn't have even crossed his mind to do this, even if he had just spent an hour with Thor. Not to mention just how much Steve just seemed to… pull out the vulnerable parts of him without even trying.

It was scary how easy this was all coming to him, how much simple touch was effecting him.

Maybe he'd been alone too long. 

"So what if I am?" Tony argued almost automatically. Steve chuckled again. 

"You and Bucky would have gotten on like a house on fire." Tony did dare to look up then, at Steve's smiling face. 

"Yeah?" he asked. Steve nodded, but didn't seem to want to elaborate. Fair enough. 

"So where's the TV?" Steve asked, gesturing at his living room. Tony laughed as he looked around the space. He'd tried to blend 1930's decorating with modern comforts and he thinks he did a reasonable  job. 

"Since you didn't grow up with one I thought it would be jarring for you to have it slap bang in the middle of your apartment." Tony explained, pressing a button on the side of the wall. He wanted Steve to have a way to do this without JARVIS, for those nights he liked being silent. A TV slowly raised from a low cabinet on the far wall. Steve laughed as it raised and clicked into place, facing the couch. 

"Thanks, Tony, that was thoughtful." Tony ducked his head, hiding a small smile, he liked it when people saw the thought he put into things, even if he wasn't sure how to react to such open appreciation. "Really." Steve insisted. "This apartment, heck, this entire building is all just so thoughtful. You didn't have to this you know." 

"Yes I did." Tony bristled. Of course he did, like he'd said to Bruce: What the hell was he supposed to do with a bunch of homeless superhero friends? 

"No you didn't." Steve countered, his voice suddenly sharp. 

And now he was right in front of Tony again, his gaze firm, uncompromising, analytical. Tony tried not to squirm under the scrutiny,  but he knew it didn't work. 

"You do know you're ON the team right?" Steve murmured, still firm, but somehow gentle as well. "You don't need to do better or try harder-"

"I'll do better, try harder. Promise!"

The memory of that drunken pathetic plea almost hit him as hard as Steve quoting his own words back to him. 

"Fuck you Rogers!!" he snapped. How dare he? How dare Steve take something so… private and turn it into some-

"Okay, that came out wrong." Steve conceded, holding out his hands in surrender. "But my point still stands. You don't need to-"

"But I want to!" Tony insisted. "I want to Steve! You are my friends! Your place at SHIELD was so tenuous I couldn't just leave you there! I want to make you things, to buy you things! Emotion and feelings and intimacy and all that crap! I'm not good at it! I don't see a time in the future where doing any of that shit's not gonna terrify the hell out of me but this? Providing for you? That is something I am good at! I'm not doing this to bribe you or- well okay, not anymore-" he amended at Steve's look "I didn't know you when I started the plans for this place. But these aren't just quarters anymore. I've given you access to JARVIS, to my penthouse, to ME!" he finished, breathing hard. 

Oh god

He had. 

He'd given the Avengers more access than he had to anyone before, not Rhodey, not Pepper… not Obie. 

Strong arms engulfed him as Steve pulled him in for a hug, Tony flailed slightly, but Steve's grip was tight and reassuring. Rock solid. 

"You seem to be doing okay with the 'emotional crap'." Steve said, too serious to be teasing. Tony shuddered against him. 

Tony tentatively gripped Steve tighter and Steve made an approving noise. This was so nice. He was warm, safe, lo-

NO he would NOT GO THERE! Not in a million years would he finish that thought. 

See? This is where being comfortable got him. It got him feeling too much, wanting too much. He was already taking more than he ever thought possible, shoving any more feelings into this tower would just be asking for trouble. 

He was not ruining his new… situation by having a goddamn crush on Captain America!

Tony wished he had a better description for what happened next.

But he didn't. 

Tony bolted.

He pushed away, Steve let him, he stammered out some bullshit excuse. 

And then he bolted. 

***

He'd made it all the way to his floor, heart racing when he heard something faintly above him and Clint fucking Barton landed on his back having jumped out of a fucking air vent. 

"arg! Clint! What the hell man?!"

But he knew what this was. Clint must have found the air vent network and the nest he'd made in the centre. Pillows, blankets, food.

"Thanks man. It's perfect." Clint said, dropping to the floor. 

"Yeah, well can you maybe not try to break my back next time?" Tony asked, arching his back dramatically. Clint chuckled and gripped Tony's shoulder, walking them down the hallway. 

"I make no promises, man."

Later. 

Tony could worry about Steve later. 

Chapter Text

Clint was still here.

He'd led Tony into the kitchen, sat him down and made coffee.

And he was STILL HERE.

He'd already given Tony a heart attack for dropping out of the fucking ceiling onto him wasn't that supposed to be it? Aparantly not by the way Clint was not sitting opposite him with his own cup. He seemed perfectly content to just… drink in silence. Tony was quite grateful for the opportunity to think without Steve there with his comforting arms, warm eyes, breathtaking laugh and solid chest to distract him.

Oh GODthat was sappy.

Was he already that hopeless?

How the hell had this happened? He had teammates that he was now living with crushing on Steve could only cause problems. And there was NO WAY Tony was going to tell anyone about this. No WAY. Steve was so strong and capable and Tony? There was no way in hell Tony would even be on his radar, not in that way. First and foremost Steve was straight…

But even without that…

Tony couldn't possibly be what Steve wanted. 

"Tony?" Clint asked. Tony looked up, focusing on the man in front of him. Wow. He'd really zoned out. "You okay?" Tony nodded. "You're not usually so quiet." Tony would have thought that was a jab but… Clint wasn't smirking, he actually looked a little worried. 

"M'fine." Tony said, trying to wave it off, looking into his cup.

"You're not drinking your coffee." Clint pointed out "Is the world ending?" Tony smiled slightly at that. It… did feel like his world was ending, one he'd hoped for a little more time in before imploding. 

He liked Steve he didn't want to ruin a perfectly good friendship he was… feeling however he was. 

"World's not ending." Tony managed to say out loud, Clint didn't stop looking at him though. 

"Did we move in too fast?" Clint asked. "Do you need space?"

Tony couldn't describe the jolt of panic that hit him right in the stomach at these words. NO! No he didn't want any of them to leave! That was one of the reasons this was a whole damn mess in the first place. Before he could think about it too much, or even really register that he was moving, Tony had reached across the table and seized Clint's forearm.

"I'm gonna take that as a 'no'." Clint said with a raised eyebrow. "Tony?" Tony deliberately relaxed his grip. "You're starting to freak me out man."

"Don't leave." Tony growled 

"Okay." Clint agreed quickly. "Wait, the table or the tower?"

"Both."

"Okay." 

There was another silence then:

"Okay, I give, what are you doing here?" Tony said, looking up at the man. Clint raised an eyebrow at him. 

"My kitchen doesn't come installed with Ironman. It's a design flaw." 

Tony choked on his mouthful of coffee. There was only so much one could do to hide shock with a mouthful of scalding hot coffee.

"'M not giving you a suit." he quipped with not quite all his air back

"You know it's very hard for a genius to pull off playing dumb right?" Clint pointed out with a raised eyebrow. 

"S'worked for me so far." 

"Yeah, well, I've known you too long now, sorry man." Tony gave Clint a small smile. He liked that idea, Clint knowing him this well, them all knowing him this well. Tony looked at Clint for a minute, okay, yes, he'd previously declared that he shouldn't tell anyone about Steve but… he'd been alone so long he didn't know how else to deal with things like this. 

But Clint was his friend. 

Sitting across from him. 

"I… uh… I have a problem." he began cautiously. Clint blinked at him for a minute in surprise and then nodded. 

"Okay." he encouraged. Tony took another gulp of his coffee. 

Eew! Clold! 

Tony grimaced. 

"I like someone." he blurted out, his voice rough.

"That's a problem?" Clint asked. If Tony was blushing Clint was kind enough not to say anything. Tony coughed. 

"It's Steve."

There was a moment where Tony could swear he'd actually caught the archer by surprise. 

"Steve?" Clint repeated in clarification. Tony nodded sombrely. 

Except…

Clint didn't seem to think this news was nearly as bad as Tony did because the guy was grinning now.

And then the man had the… audacity to break out into sniggers.

Tony frowned, a stab of pain going through his gut. 

Was Clint mocking him?

Well this was another mess wasn't it? Someone else proclaiming that they cared and wanted to listen to him right up until they actually had to stick to their word. 

Tony felt his posture stiffen and he made moves to get to his feet.

"You know what? Nevermind." Tony said briskly. 

Clint's hand was on his forearm and instant later, gripping tightly, stopping the motion, expression hardened and apologetic. 

"Tony no!" he pleaded. "Please, that's not what I…" he trailed off, still gripping Tony's arm. Tony stilled, not testing Clint's grip. 

He'd been so ready to write Clint off, that wasn't fair.

That wasn't trust. 

"Please believe me. I can't tell you why right now, but I wasn't laughing at you."

Tony stared at Clint hard. 

Unlike most times Clint stayed stock still without fidgeting. He met Tony's gaze persistently half pleading half stubborn. 

Tony swallowed, thinking hard. 

On the one hand, what the hell had Clint been doing if he hadn't been laughing at him? 

On the other hand. 

He was meant to trust Clint. Not just with his life. 

Tony nodded and relaxed back into his seat. 

"You owe me another coffee for that." Tony tried to deflect. 

It didn't quite work, but Clint took the offered life preserver with both hands anyway and got to his feet, taking Tony's now cold coffee over to the sink. 

"Seriously Tony, I love my nest." Clint said abruptly, and Tony outright grinned. 

If people knowing him well enough to know when to change the subject was a consequence in all of this mess then.. well, maybe it was worth all this trouble. Having people that know him well is worth a lot. 

"Did you make the vents wider?" Clint continued, glancing quickly at the ceiling. Tony couldn't help following his gaze.

"And more durable and cleaner." he added, "Don't want you traipsing dust bunnies everywhere Barton."

Trust was hard but…

Tony thinks he could get used to it.

Chapter Text

So apparently the way the Avengers made sure he turned up for movie night was to not tell him about it. 

And send down Steve to bring him up. 

He was so going to kill whoever thought of that part of the plan. 

And he was definitely going to kill whoever's bright idea it was for Steve to just sneak into the workshop while he was muttering to himself and watch with an expression of amusement on his face, leaning on the doorway. 

Seriously?? How long had Steve been standing there?

It didn't help him at all that since JARVIS hadn't announced Cap's presence (and there would be a stern talk about that later), he'd turned around and gave a scream that was in a much higher register than he'd ever admit to. 

"What you working on?" Steve asked with a smirk, walking towards him and stopping a mere foot away.

Damn Captain America and his sexy smirk and his sexy walk and-

STOP!! 

Bad Tony!

"Nothin' special."Tony tried to wave off. 

"Now I know that's not true." Tony shook off the warm feeling in his stomach and turned back to his holograms. He really wasn't working on anything special, just Starkphone upgrades for the board meeting next week. 

"You need anything Cap?"

"Dinner." Tony bashed down the hope he felt inside at Steve's words. "Bruce made dinner, and now we were all going to watch a movie together. You in?" 

Tony took in a deep breath in and out. 

"Or this could all be too much for today and we'll leave you alone." Steve added, trying to back track. 

Tony couldn't help the hand that reached out and grabbed at Steve's arm, just like he did any time one of them talked of leaving. Steve stilled obligingly and took Tony's hand without question. 

"D-don't- don't do that. Needing a minute is not the same as you needing to go back to SHIELD, just gimmie a minute." Steve frowned and turned to face Tony more than before. 

"Tony, under no circumstances is me or any other Avenger moving out of this tower an option that has ever or will ever cross our minds."

Tony gripped Cap's hand like a life preserver and, fuck may be Steve was. 

"If this day has been too much for you, we can let you be down here tonight. Without leaving the tower okay?" Tony smiled at Steve.

"Not necessary."he said, using the hand not holding Steve's (side-note: HE WAS HOLDING STEVE'S HAND!! WHAT THE FUCK??!!) to power down his holograms. He was ahead of schedule anyway. "I'm hungry." Steve chucked. 

"So let's go then." Tony was all prepared, he'd steeled himself and everything, for Steve to let go when they left the lab. 

But he didn't. 

Instead Steve used the grip to tug Tony out of the workshop and into the elevator. Tony was so stunned he didn't even speak until they were on his floor. 

Wait. 

His floor?

He looked at Steve in confusion as the man pulled Tony out of the elevator. 

To exquisite smells of curry and fried rice. 

Bruce knew how to cook alright. 

"Why are we here?"

"Because you're the idiot genius that didn't make a communal floor with all your planning." Natasha said and she strode by, ruffling a very shocked Tony's head as she passed. 

This was... Surreal. 

"Food's almost ready!" Bruce called. "Is Thor here yet?"

"Mr Odindon wishes me to inform you that he will be an additional five minutes." JARVIS announced to the room at large. 

"Okay. Let's get comfortable." Clint said from the couch. Tony ventured further into the room to see Clint spreading what looked like way too many pillows and blankets over the two couches opposite the TV. "And I do mean comfortable, we're gonna have to get super friendly with each other. I think we're gonna need to get another couch for next time."

Oh

Tony hadn't anticipated needing to sit them all in the living room at once. 

Why hadn't he thought of that?

He'd thought to make everything Hulk, supersoldier and Norse God proof, but he'd forgotten that they might all need to sit together?

His brain was weird sometimes. 

Though in his defence he hadn't anticipated this sort of unsaid assumption that in absence of a built communal area that his floor became the communal area. 

"Don't worry, there are still plenty of floors up for grabs. I can make a communal floor, no biggie." Tony was pulling out his phone when Bruce came over and took it from him. 

"Would you use the communal floor? Or would you hide away being shy?" Tony swallowed, not appreciating Bruce's choice of words. 

But...

He couldn't deny the truth in them. 

"Smells good."Tony said with a smile, praying they'd take his lack of answer as acceptance. No one, not even this bunch of crazy people could make him admit he'd be too shy to hang out on a communal floor. 

Bruce gave his own smile back and pulled in closer. 

"If you stay, I stay. Do we have a deal?" Bruce whispered in his ear. 

Oh. 

Oh Bruce. 

And Tony knew, he knew what promising that meant to Bruce. Bruce had a lot more to lose by staying than he did, what was emotional scars compared to the United States Army and a constant fear that you could kill everyone?

But Bruce wanted to tie them together it seems, thinking that Tony would stick to his guns more if Bruce was doing the same thing. 

Damn Bruce and his logical thinking. 

"I- Okay." Tony promised and turned to get himself a plate. Now if everyone else could just stop staring at them that would be great. 

Any minute now. That would be great.

"My comrades!" Thor boomed, announcing his entrance from the elevator. "What grand feast has Banner concocted this fine evening?" Tony sighed in relief as Thor swept into the room, breaking the tension instantly. The dude had a knack for it. Thor passed him with a brush to his arm and a wink. 

Wait...

Thor did that on purpose?

Sneaky little son of a-

How long had he been listening?

Tony went back to scooping the heavenly smelling rice and chicken curry onto his pate while the others made themselves comfortable on the couch.

"Gotta be quick, before we make you sit on Cap's lap." Clint snarked plate in one hand, fork in the other, pointing said implement at the couch. Tony looked up, Natasha and Bruce were already sharing a couch and Natasha tugged Clint down by the sleeve. Thor was sprawled over the second one. For some reason that comment made Steve both blush to the tips of his ears (No Tony DID NOT think that was adoreable... Oh who was he kidding? He was SCREWED!) and glare daggers at Clint. Natasha rolled her eyes and smacked Clint not so lightly on the head. 

"Hey!" He objected. 

And Tony... Tony just stood there stupidly, unsure of the right way to-

"There is no need for lap sitting. I shall make room." Thor announced sitting up straighter and pulling Tony onto the couch miraculously without making his food fly everywhere. God powers, it had to be one of his Asgaurdian powers. Steve was left room on the other side of Thor and Tony was saved from an awkward night with his thigh pressed up against Steve's.

"Fear not, Anthony. You are safe here." Thor murmured, putting an arm around Tony's shoulders, Tony frowned and looked at the Norse god in confusion. "Ease your muscles, you are among friends. You are home." Tony concentrated on relaxing both into the couch and Thor's side. Big Guy had a point.

Home. 

Huh...

Homes were different than houses

Tony hadn't really had a home before, but he thinks maybe this is what home is meant to feel like.