Chapter Four

"No! I won't do it, Tony, I can't do it," Bucky's voice said desperately.

"You have to!"

"No, I don't want to hurt anyone else!"

"You have to do this, it is for their own good!" Tony demanded frustratingly.

"I...I...no I can't I just can't!"

"Bucky do it!"

"No...no you're going to have to do this yourself!" Bucky said frantically.

"What the hell is going on there?" Rhodey asked confused, and Bucky and Tony stepped into view of the camera, not having realised that it had activated during their argument.

Squinting at them and looking faintly alarmed was Rhodey, Carol, Steve, Clint, Natasha and Stephen.

"We're trying to give the worming tablet to the damned cat! The cat that Bucky wanted but is now too chicken to give the tablet to because he is scared it won't like him anymore!" Tony glared at Bucky.

They all became aware of the bundle of blankets cradled in Bucky's arms, a fluffy head with an incredibly grumpy face sticking out.

"I would be more worried about losing my fingers with that thing, it is feral," Rhodey snorted.

"Shhh Einstein can hear you!" Tony glared.

"I can't believe you let the kid name him," Rhodey shook his head.

"Well he needs worming, the vet said so, and as I was not the one to bring him back along with the milk that I popped out to get, I am not doing it!" Tony added glaring at Bucky.

"No you just cooed over him and sent two hours researching the best foods to give him and the best vets in the area," Bucky glared back.

"I am not giving him the damned tablet!"

"Well, neither am I!"

"You have a metal arm, if he goes nuts you won't be minus skin!" Tony said triumphantly. Bucky paused and then scowled at Tony.

"That's cheating," He grumbled.

"That is why you love me," Tony beamed.

"Guys," Carol coughed that it sounded amused more than anything else. "The Rogues are back," She said when she had their attention waving to the additional people in the camera that they hadn't really taken in initially.

"H..Hi," Steve waved at them.

"Steve," Bucky nodded.

"Rogers, Romanoff, Barton," Tony nodded.

"Lang went to see Cassie and Wilson is going through some things with Wanda in regard to the training that she will be doing to control her magic. They wanted to speak to you," Rhodey didn't look best pleased about it.

Bucky bent down and let Einstein go, the grey cat disappearing as fast as his baldy legs would carry him to the other side of the room where he sat glaring at them in disgust. Bucky didn't reach out for Tony, but the other man could feel the potential of the touch there if he needed it.

"What is it you want to say?" Bucky asked.

"We… we wanted to speak to you, see you face to face to talk through this," Steve said.

"Well, I will be in the Compound on Monday for work, we will be able to talk then, we can meet at my lunch break. Tony has made it clear that he isn't ready to talk to you one on one," Bucky answered smoothly.

"Why can't you come now?" Steve frowned.

"Because it is my weekend off, and I am spending it at home," Bucky said patiently.

"Home, you live in the Tower?" Natasha frowned.

"Yes I do," Bucky nodded.

"So, we will be moving back into the Tower after our probation then?" Steve started smiling.

"No, you won't. You will be living at the Compound until the end of your probation, after that you need to have your own places sorted out," Tony answered sharply.

"How are we going to be able to afford that?" Clint snapped.

"You have been informed of that Mr Barton, I do not like repeating myself! You will be paid a wage by the Accords Council, as the rest of you are, from that wage you will be expected to pay rent, bills and buy food, like a fully grown adult," Carol said with an air that she had been repeating herself a lot.

"We have never had to live off a wage before," Natasha said in a disappointed tone.

"Tony, it's nearly time to pick up the kid," Bucky said. Tony looked at him and something seemed to pass between them and Tony nodded, grabbing the keys off the table behind him.

"I will pick up some Mexican on the way back," Tony said, leaning up and kissing Bucky sweetly, causing the Rogues to gawp.

"Get some Churros!" Bucky shouted just as Tony went out of shot.

"Yeah yeah like Peter would let me get away with not getting them," Tony shouted.

"Stay safe," Bucky smiled.

"I will,"

And then Bucky turned around to face the camera. "I am going to make this quite clear, you didn't have to live off of a wage before because indulged your every single need, whim and desire, I have seen the banking information from that time and you took advantage of Tony's kindness and his tendency to go over the top on the people that he cares about. That will not be happening again, and before you start spouting off and calling Tony greedy and spoilt and whatever else you want to throw at him, I was the one that convinced him that after everything that you have done to him, you don't deserve to have his money, and he never needed to pay for you in the first place, he wasn't the one that was in charge of you, SHIELD was, and yet it was Tony's money that footed every single bill,"

"Bucky…"

"Did any of you thank him? Did any of you tell him that you appreciate what he did for you, did any of you think to say to him 'Hey Tony we appreciate you looking after us and spending your money to make sure that we're ok?'"

"He has plenty of money!" Clint argued.

"And? Just because he has it, doesn't mean that he has to spend it on you, and doesn't mean that you shouldn't thank him any less than if he was tight for money and sharing it with you. It was HIS money and he shared it, he shared his home, the food on his table, put clothes on your back. Just because he wasn't tight for it, didn't take away any of the kindness that was meant for the actions of sharing it," Bucky shook his head.

"Bucky you don't understand…" Steve started to say, with that roguish smile that used to get him out of trouble with Bucky, but his old friend spoke of him.

"I understand that your Ma, and mine, would have been ashamed of you Steve Grant Rogers. I don't know about them, I know that you were brought up better than to take for granted when someone else shared their fortune with you. This is no different to when Mr Hudson up the road from us shared that money from his inheritance with Mrs Rogers so that she could afford to buy your medicine, the amount of money behind it doesn't change the act,"

"Bucky, please just come to the Compound so we can talk!" Steve begged.

"I told you, I will see you on Monday Steve," Bucky sighed.

"Why can't you come today!?" Steve snapped.

"Because I told you no!" Bucky thundered. "You can't just demand and expect Steve, we didn't exactly part on the best of terms, and I ain't going to come running because you demand it! This is the first weekend off I have had in three weeks, I am spending the weekend with my family, and I'm going to try and worm the damned cat! I will see you Monday lunchtime. Settle in. Rhodey, Carol, Stephen," Bucky nodded to the others before cutting the line.

"Family?!" Steve, Clint and Natasha spluttered.

May walked into the living room and smiled as Peter rambled away to her about what he had been up to the last few days.

She had to admit at first she had felt bad about how much time he had spent with Tony and Bucky, she had felt as though she was failing his parents and the trust that they had put in her to look after their son. But Peter had flourished in the last year, and she couldn't help but feel as she looked around the room and saw his items and belongings strewn around, that she couldn't have made a better choice.

They weren't struggling to live hand to mouth anymore, and she didn't have to worry every second about the fact that Peter was probably starving with his Super metabolism because he knew she couldn't afford to shop often.

She allowed him to tow her over to the sofa, still nattering away. He spent half the week with her and half the week with Tony and Bucky. She had of course been offered to move in as well, but she had insisted that she wanted to stay in her apartment, she was ignoring the fact that she had a suspicion that Tony had bought her building and that was the reason for the suddenly large amount of repair work that had finally been done to not only her apartment but all of them, and the drop in rent as an apology for it not being done for so long.

She didn't have to panic about being able to afford to feed and clothe Peter, she didn't have to feel bad about how often he came back to an empty house because she had work, she didn't have to worry about what would happen to him if something happened to her because he would be more than looked after. She didn't have to worry about him being out there as Spiderman because he had back up that she couldn't provide.

And he had more people in his life to love him, how could she not want that? The way the three of them were together was adorable. She got to share her amazing nephew with two good men, and how much they cared for him, how good it was for him to have the three of them caring for him showed in how happy and healthy he was.

"And then we…" Peter's story was cut short when May yelped as she sat down and promptly stood back up spinning to see what she had sat on. She stared slightly horrified when she realised it was Bucky's prosthetic arm.

"Oh my…"

"Bucky! I found your arm! Aunt May sat on it!" Peter shouted grabbing the arm and waving it.

"Tony keeps moving it and then forgetting where he put it," Bucky grunted walking over.

"I am so sorry Bucky!" May said embarrassed.

"Don't worry, he's armless," Peter quipped making the two adults look at him.

"You're banned from spending the next week with Tony alone," Bucky huffed grabbing the arm and clipping a cackling Peter's head with it.

"What is so funny?" Tony asked walking in with a massive steaming bowl.

"Peter is catching your sense of humour," Bucky huffed dropping his arm down onto the coffee table.

"You make it sound like my sense of humour is a fungus! And don't leave your arm on the coffee table, how many times!" Tony huffed placing the bowl onto the table and dodged around Peter as he raced for the table to snatch the arm up and put it on the side table.

"It is, it smothers you until you have no choice but to like it," Bucky snorted sitting down next to Peter and starting a war for the bowl.

"Charming! At least my sense of humour is funny robocop," Tony huffed placing down a second bowl in front of May.

"Peter, did you really just use your Superpowers to snatch food away from a one-armed 91-year-old?" Bucky scowled as Peter won their war.

"Yup!" Peter said cheerfully.

"I wish you wouldn't remind me that I am sleeping with a geriatric," Tony huffed sitting next to May as Bucky descended on the mound of garlic bread Tony had cooked.

"Gross, no talking about your sex lives!" Peter grimaced. "Hey!" He glared when Bucky used his distraction to snatch the bowl from him.

"Snooze you lose!" Bucky smirked.

"Animals," Tony and May sighed at each other at the familiar behaviour.

"This is a funny looking lunchtime, Steve," Bucky sighed, not looking shocked at all when Steve arrived in his office ten minutes after he got to the Compound.

"I wanted to see you," Steve said sitting himself straight down.

"And what I want and quite clearly requested of you doesn't matter, because what you want overrules the fact that I have work to do and said that I would see you at lunch?" Bucky frowned crossing his arms.

"I haven't seen you in a year and a half, everything has changed, you're dating Tony!" Steve spluttered looking shocked at Bucky's words.

"Which entitles you to barge into my office," Bucky sighed.

"Bucky I know you feel like you owe him but…"

"I am going to stop you right there, and even though this is positive reinforcement of bad behaviour, we need to get one thing clear. I am with Tony because I love him. Nothing more nothing less, not because I feel like I owe him anything, or he guilted me into it, I love him, and we have a happy life together here, one that is not going to change with you here. I would like to work on our friendship and see if there is something there. But I am not the Bucky that fell off that train, I have been through too much and done too much for him to still exist…"

"You aren't to blame for…." Steve started to say but stopped when Bucky held up his hand.

"I am speaking, you're going to listen, or you leave," Bucky said firmly and waited for Steve to actually nod. "I have worked through what happened, and what I am and am not to blame for. Tony helped me realise with his forgiveness and understanding that even though it was my hands, it wasn't me. The guilt that I do have I have channelled into working with the Maria Stark Foundation, giving back to the world and those that need help. I still have bad days, and I have days where the guilt is too much when I remember the things that I was forced to do. But I have a support system here, and I have a healthy life," Bucky shrugged.

"That's...good,"

"Yes, it is. And this is going to sound harsh Steve, but it had to be built away from you. You look at me and see the Bucky I was, the Bucky that you wanted me to be, the one that you wanted to find and thought would come back once the HYDRA settings were wiped from my mind. I needed to figure out who I was now without that pressure, and it hurt me to see how hurt you were when you realised that that wasn't who I was,"

"I didn't mean to," Steve looked down at his feet.

"I know you didn't, it was a shit situation, but it was what I needed to heal and to be able to be in a better situation,"

"And Tony helped you get there?" Steve frowned at his hands.

"Are you upset about that because it wasn't you that helped me, or because it was Tony that helped me?" Bucky raised his eyebrow when Steve spluttered. "Tony has been there for me and helped me, so had Pete. I have a life here Steve, a good life. I want to try and be friends and see where we stand as we are right now. But, you have to respect my wishes," Bucky sat back in his chair.

"I just wanted to see you," Steve muttered.

"And so ignored what I wanted. Your wishes, wants and beliefs don't take priority Steve just because they're what you want. As it stands I want to be home on time for supper with Tony because it is our first one while Petey stays with May for a couple of days and we have a date night, that means I am going to have to work through most of my lunch now because you have interrupted my work, instead of waiting as I asked and allowing me to be able to talk to you while I had my lunch hour. You ignored that and disrespected what I asked, why, because you're Steve Rogers and what you want is more important?" Bucky challenged.

"If you're going to be like this there is no point in talking, I can see that Tony has gotten into your head!"

"No Steve, you tried to force Wanda into my head and made me not trust you anymore, and realise that you have become entitled and think that other peoples beliefs, wants and desires don't matter as long as you think you're in the right. You're behaviour got into my head,"

Steve scowled for a few seconds before opening the door with fury radiating through his body.

"Steve, you look at me and feel sad because you feel like you can't reach the person that I used to be. I feel the same, I feel sad because I look at you and I can't find the guy that used to be my best friend, somewhere in your head it has become twisted and you seem to have bought into the Captain America Propaganda that you hated, that you used to insist 'I'm just a regular guy from Brooklyn who got really lucky, I make the same mistakes you do and I have the same choices to make that you do'. You are a good guy Steve, and your heart is in the right place, but you have to stop speaking and just doing and start listening before you have nothing left,"

Steve tensed even more before he left the office, slamming the door behind him, leaving Bucky to stare at his paperwork with a sigh.

Bucky flopped face down onto the sofa and groaned into the cushions, the tension and annoyance from the day catching up with him. He started when nimble hands combed through his hair before relaxing as he recognised Tony's scent and touch.

Tony combed his hands through his hair for a few moments before he slid his hands along Bucky's shoulder, gently rubbing it before detaching his prosthetic arm and set it to the side.

"No arm on the coffee table," Bucky muttered.

"You complain that we keep losing it," Tony snorted pressing kisses to his shoulder and then kissed up to his neck. "Rogers?"

"Yeah, he waited 10 minutes, didn't like what I had to say," Bucky sighed again, turning so his face wasn't pressed into the cushions and rested his cheek down so he could see Tony.

"You ok?" Tony asked concerned.

"I will be. I don't really want to go out though," The Supersoldier admitted.

"I didn't think you would," Tony smiled shifting to the side so Bucky could see the bag of take away sitting on the table along with two plates and cutlery, and what looked like some of Thor's Asgardian Mead that could get him drunk.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" Bucky groaned happily, reaching out with his remaining arm, hooking around Tony and tugging him onto the sofa as well.

"You did 6 hours, 15 minutes and 45 seconds ago," Tony grinned.

"I love your brain," Bucky hummed kissing Tony sweetly.

"Most people would hate that," Tony snorted.

"Not most people," Bucky shrugged. "Missed you today,"

"I wish I could be there with you but…"

"I don't want you near them, that would be more likely to bring out Winter, and Carol would not be impressed," Bucky snorted.

"No blood in the hallways," Tony snickered. He wiggled around so that he was more comfortably settled on top of his soldier.

"I just...I want to smack him about the head and make him realise what he is doing, the rubbish that is coming out his mouth,"

"If anyone can convince him, it is you,"

"I feel a bit hypocritical, I'm telling him he can't expect me to be who I was, but I am telling him he needs to be more like his past self,"

"The difference is, you're doing it for his own good, otherwise he isn't going to have many friends left, and he will end up doing something that can't be taken back. He wants past you for selfish purposes," Tony cupped his face with a small smile.

"What would I do without you?" Bucky hummed before Tony could crack a joke he tugged him forward and sealed their lips together.

"Bucky!" Steve jumped about a foot in the air when Bucky walked into his office and found the blond in his office. It had been a week since he had seen him after their chat, so it was quite unexpected, especially as he had two of Bucky's photos in his hands. "You're early!"

"I had to drop Petey off for a field trip he was going on, figured I might as well come straight in," Bucky shrugged throwing his backpack into the corner and poured two cups of coffee.

"Peter," Steve pointed at a photo of Peter grinned brightly at the camera where he was hanging upside down from a web. He had been waiting to surprise Tony.

"Yeah that's him," Bucky smiled to himself putting both cups on his desk.

"I saw...I saw them last time I was in here but didn't get to see them properly. I wanted to see them before we spoke again so I understood more…" Steve frowned to himself.

"I want to share my life with you, Steve, I want to tell you about it," Bucky sighed.

"Tell...tell me about him?" Steve asked picking up his cup.

"He spends half the week with me and Tony, half the week with his aunt. His parents both died. He's an amazing kid though, he has been through so much and been hurt a lot, but he still sees the best in the world, still smiles brightly. Even though he does superhero work, because he is a stubborn little shit and me, Tony and May can't stop him so we just make sure he has boundaries and is safe, he still sees the best in people,"

"So, you're like his dad?" Steve asked tentatively.

"Yeah, he keeps going to call me Pop and Tony Dad, but cuts himself off, we're waiting as patiently as we can," Bucky laughed.

"You never really said anything about kids, how is that going for you?"

"I thought I would be lucky to be able to have a partner with my inclination at the time we grew up, kids would definitely have been out the question. Here though...I love it, having a family. We have another teenager Harley, coming to stay with us so he can start college, we've spent holidays and he's spent a couple of weeks with us so far, but we speak all the time on the phone. Tony and I have been talking about adopting though, a younger kid,"

"Wow...that's…"

"Something neither of us imagined me being able to have," Bucky snorted.

"Doesn't Tony want a kid with his blood? To pass on the Stark legacy?" Steve asked tentatively.

"I think the Stark Legacy is something that he is quite happy to die out. We would both rather adopt and give a home to kids who need it, we see so many of them on the Foundation books, orphans and kids that have been left alone and to foster systems, we know that we can give them the home they deserve. SI is probably getting left to Harley and Peter, and the Stark fortune to them and any kids we have," Bucky shrugged.

"Kids plural?" Steve blinked.

"Tony does nothing by halves, once we take one kid in, I have no doubt that we will have a brood before we know it," Bucky laughed. "We're thinking enhanced kids, like Peter, giving them a home they can feel safe in," He added more seriously.

"I think it is something that you will be really good at, you were always looking after me," Steve smiled a little sadly. "I...don't get angry, but I am shocked at Tony though,"

"I think he was as shocked himself. He found Peter, the kid was out fighting crime wearing a pair of bloody pyjamas! He just meant to make sure that Pete was safe and help from the background, but Pete has such a big heart and so much to give, he just kind of latched onto Tony. May was struggling, it was hard for her to make ends meet and look after Pete, be there for him. I think Tony blinked and suddenly realised that he had become a dad figure to Peter, and a good one at that,"

"He can be so immature though," Steve said.

"Yeah he can, but not when it comes to Peter when it comes to Peter the kid is practically bubble wrapped," Bucky looked at Steve with a sigh. "You're prejudging Tony, on assumptions that you made. How can you judge how he is with kids when you have never seen him with them? I...ugh he's going to kill me for telling you this," Bucky ran his hand down his face.

"What?"

"When Tony is struggling to sleep, he goes to orphanages as hugs the babies and toddlers that are touch starved, he spends hours there hugging babies, singing to them, feeding them and helping the carers out. He also makes sure that they are being treated right while he is there. He's been doing it for over ten years,"

"But that was…"

"When you guys were around yes. Why do you think he wouldn't tell you? Because you would judge him and say that he wouldn't be any good at it. Tony has been desperate for kids for years, he just thought he would be terrible at it and never wanted to say it out loud," Bucky reached out and handed Steve the picture of Tony tucking Peter into bed that Bucky had managed to take one night.

You could see the tenderness on his face and the care with which he was brushing Peter's fringe from his forehead. The kid had given them a heart attack that night, they had been alerted by Karen that he had swung into a building because he was exhausted, when he had gotten back Tony had bundled him into bed and fussed over him while Peter practically passed out right away.

"This is Tony as a dad," Bucky smiled as Steve stared at the photo.

"What about you as a dad?" Steve asked, clearly trying to get onto safer ground.

"So…" Carol said as she sat down on the opposite side of Bucky's desk and looked at him intently.

"Yes?" Bucky sighed putting down his pen and giving their leader his full attention.

"Do you know if Tony has had the Compound have a grudge against the Rogues?" Carol asked and Bucky just stared at her for a few beats before answering.

"Why aren't you just asking Rhodey about this?"

"Because he will lie about it, he feels like they got off too easy, if I knew he couldn't do it I would suspect that he had done it himself," Carol shrugged.

"Tony hasn't done anything. Why what is going on? Do we have a problem?" Bucky frowned.

"Would the Compound, theoretically be able to take action against the Rogues with Tony instructing it to do it?" Carol asked.

"No it wouldn't it would…" Bucky drew off and then covered his face. "FRIDAY!"

"Yes Sergeant Barnes, how may I be of assistance you today?" FRIDAY said in her best robotic, polite voice.

"Do not Sergeant Barnes me Missy, is this you?" Bucky huffed.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," FRIDAY sniffed.

"Ah ha," Bucky rolled his eyes. "It is FRIDAY," Bucky looked back to Carol who was looking a little amused.

"That would explain why it is only the electrical things that are acting up," Carol nodded.

"I will speak to Tony and we will sort it out," Bucky sighed.

"Good luck with that," FRIDAY huffed. "Aside from rewriting my code, which my father wouldn't do Pops, I have another 3 weeks and 4 hours worth of revenge to get," FRIDAY said angrily. And then to prove her point, turned the lights out in Bucky's office.

"Ok, I might not be able to get her to stop," Bucky admitted into the darkness.

Tony and Bucky roared laughing, holding their sides as they watched the events in the kitchen. Clint was fighting with the blender trying to get it to open where it had locked itself, Steve was dodging the ice cubes that the fridge was firing out with amazing accuracy, while Sam used a tray as a shield from the ice cubes and tried to pry the microwave open, Natasha was having a glaring contest with the pantry that was firmly locked - with her inside, Wanda was trying to use her magic on the cooker which had been slamming itself open on the shins and ankles of whoever walked passed - at least she was until 4 stray ice cubes cracked her on the head, and Scott was desperately trying to turn the TV where it was playing tentacle porn...loudly.

"Oh god FRIDAY, this is brilliant, but you really do need to stop," Tony said ten minutes later after they had watched a compilation of the Compound doors refusing to open or suddenly opening on the Rogues, Bucky had wondered why Clint, Sam and Natasha were rocking bruises on their foreheads.

"Three weeks," FRIDAY huffed.

"Why three weeks?" Bucky asked.

"That is the number that I have deemed revenge should be wrought on those who hurt my Father!" FRIDAY said, sounding like a kid who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar and was justifying it.

"You can't keep doing this sweetheart," Tony chided.

"Watch me, or rewrite me!" FRIDAY insisted and then…

"Not again," Bucky sighed into the darkness.

"You have to stop Tony doing this!" Steve stormed towards Bucky, soaking wet and looking exhausted.

"Tony doing what?" Bucky asked curiously.

"The Compound!"

"Ah, what happened?" Bucky asked as an equally wet and grouchy looking Natasha and Clint stormed over.

"Our rooms and any room we tried to sleep in was treated to loud and shrieking heavy metal music, when we managed to find earplugs we were then treated to flashing lights and the windows opening and they wouldn't close. Then when we sat down to breakfast this morning, just about to eat, the sprinklers came on!" Steve motioned to himself.

"Tell Tony enough!" Natasha snapped and Bucky's eyes narrowed.

"I would if it was him, but it isn't, Tony is too busy with other things to be worried about you. FRIDAY is the one that is doing this, and she has insisted the only way she will stop is if Tony rewrites her, which he would never do. She is doing this because you hurt her father, and she is taking revenge on his behalf,"

"He needs to just rewrite her!" Steve snapped.

"Her father, she is a fucking computer, he is just the set of fingers that typed her code!" Natasha snorted.

"If Stark has created something else that can think for its bloody self that it needs to be shut down and destroyed!" Clint managed to say before Bucky had him pinned to the wall by the throat.

"Talk about FRIDAY like that again, and I will rip your tongue out, if you even think about hurting her they will never, ever find your body," Bucky warned.

"What is going on here! Barnes release him!" Carol ordered as she and Rhodey hurried over.

"He threatened to destroy FRIDAY," Bucky said and Carol and Rhodey sucked in breaths, shaking their heads in disgust.

"It thinks for itself it is like Ultron!" Clint hissed.

"SHE is a learning AI, thinking and learning are what she does. You never had a problem with JARVIS thinking and acting on his own when he was looking after you because she is acting out against you, you suddenly don't like it!" Rhodey sneered.

"And for your information, she isn't just a bit of code, she is a thinking, feeling, existing being, just because you can't see her, or touch her, doesn't mean she doesn't exist. Killing her would be the same to killing Vision! And rewriting her code would be the same as sticking me into that damned chair and wiping me!" Bucky added with a glare to Steve. "She has a personality and an understanding of things, she acts the way she does because that is the way she has learnt and developed, the way a human does with a personality, rewriting her is rewriting her personality,"

"But...it's...She's just a computer," Natasha frowned.

"No, she's an AI. Tony creates the basic code, like a foetus, and then it develops and grows of its own accord, she becomes who she is based upon her experiences and what happens during her time, and she is constantly learning and changing. Had I not come to live with Tony, she would be different because she would not have had that influence upon her. And to Tony, she is a person, his child, someone that he spent hours lovingly created and then looked after while she was still a small bit of code, and someone that he has nurtured and watched grow," Rhodey scowled.

"None of you even asked Tony about his AIs?" Bucky huffed shaking his head in disappointment.

"He just rambles on in science terms that you can't understand!" Clint defended, still rubbing his throat.

"He explained it to me in a way I got and I didn't even know what a kindle was," Bucky snorted.

"But, if that is how he sees his AIs and what they are to him then…" Steve said with growing horror on his face.

"Yeah, JARVIS was his son, he loved him, LOVED him, and he basically died in Tony's arms, trying to help you all, and none of you even thought twice about what had happened, or how Tony was feeling about it. FRIDAY is right to teach you...you all a lesson, and not just for what you did during the 'civil war'. Maybe you will learn a bit of humility and thought for other people rather than just yourselves," Rhodey sneered and started walking away, but he paused to pat the wall. "I wouldn't let them hurt you FRIDAY, don't worry,"

"Thank you, Colonel, I have your favourite hot chocolate brewing in your office," FRIDAY to all their ears sounded a little scared, Rhodey turned and scowled at them again before moving away.

"I ain't going to disagree with anything that he said," Bucky shrugged when they looked at him. "And I am not going to stop her now after the things you just said about her and JARVIS, and realising that you didn't even try and comfort Tony after his death," Bucky shook his head storming away.

"You're all attending sensitivity training, maybe being taught to listen to others will actually mean you understand to see things from their point of view and hear what people are telling you," Carol shook her head before turning and leaving them standing dripping in the entranceway.

At least until one of the robot cleaners managed to run over their feet, seven times.

"What is this?" Tony laughed as he finished following FRIDAY's directions and stepped into the bathroom to find rose petals scattered all over the floor and floating in the filled bathtub.

"Pampering you," Bucky shrugged reaching out and tugging Tony forward, slowly easing his T-shirt up and over his head, pausing to press kisses to Tony's scarred chest, before tenderly undoing his sweat pants and easing them down his hips, scattering kisses along his legs on the way down.

Tony's breath caught, and even though he felt the stirrings of arousal, there was something more tender and sweet to Bucky's ministrations rather than sexual, something that made Tony feel worshipped and safe.

When he stood the Supersolider drew him into the safety of his arms, against the solid promise of his body, and kissed him gently, the kiss feeling as much like an embrace as the arms around his waist.

"What has brought this on?" Tony asked when Bucky pulled back and led him over to the bath. "Is this my favourite oils? I thought I had run out," He added as he settled into the V of Bucky's legs, leaning back comfortably against his firm chest.

"You had, I left work early and stopped by the shop, I know how much you like them," Bucky hummed kissing Tony's shoulders.

"So, why?" Tony asked poking Bucky's muscled thigh.

"I wish I had been with you sooner. It hurts to think that people didn't care for you the way that you deserve, and needed," Bucky said simply, drawing Tony back against his chest when he tried to turn to see him, simply picking up a cloth and gently washing his arms.

"Ok...the Rogues?" Tony guessed.

"And because I love, adore and care for you and want to be able to look after and pamper you the way that you deserve," Bucky smiled, giving Tony the kiss he was looking for when he turned his head.

"I love you too," Tony breathed out, that look on his face that said he couldn't believe he was lucky written on his face. Bucky wanted to shout his feelings for him, laying them out like an essay when he saw that look, because he was the lucky one.

"So, happier topics than the Rogues. What do you think about a Summer wedding?" Bucky asked.

"I like that idea, outside?" Tony smiled biting his lip.

"Perfect. You know we are going to have to give Pepper something massive to organise or she will never forgive us," Bucky laughed.

"I was thinking...how would you feel about Rhodey marrying us?" Tony asked nervously, playing with Bucky's hand.

"That would be amazing, better than a stranger, but unless there is something I don't know, he ain't ordained," Bucky frowned.

"I forget sometimes that there are things you aren't caught up on. You can get ordained to marry people now, you buy it and sort it online," Tony laughed.

"Of course you can," Bucky rolled his eyes. "Well, that sorts that out. Somewhere outdoors, Rhodey marrying us, anything else you want?"

"Just you there to be honest," Tony shrugged.

"This is the man who has a heart attack when charity events don't have the right coloured bows on chairs?" Bucky mock gasped.

"As long and you and I are there, and we get married, nothing else matters," Tony shrugged looking at his beautiful ring.

"Sap," Bucky said fondly drawing Tony back for another kiss.

"You!" Steve, Wanda and Sam jumped when a teenage kid pointed at them and started storming towards them. They stared when Bucky walked out of nowhere and caught the kid around the waist and started walking away with him, while the kid kicked and flailed angrily in his arms shouting obscenities, quite impressive obscenities, at them...along with some rude gestures as well.

"Who was that?" Wanda asked Hope as she wandered passed looking amused.

"Tony's oldest human kid," She shrugged.

"That was Harley?" Steve spluttered remembering his conversation with Bucky.

Things didn't go very well for them from there. While they didn't see Harley around again, they had no doubt that he had started working with FRIDAY on her revenge plan.

All their toilets had been clingfilmed. Everything in the kitchen had been superglued down, and as it was their property they had to play to replace it. Clint's bow had gone missing and had eventually been found taped to the ceiling in the grand entranceway. Natasha's Widow Bites kept randomly electrocuting her during training. Steve's shield, which Tony had returned upon his arrival, had gone missing and been found a week later on the roof of the Compound, the normal paintwork had been painted over white and self-righteous prick had been written on instead. Wanda's bedroom kept getting moved around. Scott's Antman suit kept shrinking in the middle of training and took ten minutes for him to get back to normal. And Sam's wings had also got a point job, brainless was on one side of the wings and sidekick was on the other.

The Rogues walked in with their heads held as high as possible, the meetings for all the Avengers were the few times that they got to be in the same room as Tony, and they were still hopeful to repair their relationship with him, though some only because they wanted to make their lives easier, and they weren't going to miss it, despite…

"Liking the new dos," Luke said into the stunned silence of the room as the others just stared at them. And that seemed to do it, everyone fell around laughing.

"I don't even know how he got into our shampoo," Steve sighed tugging at his bright pink hair.

Wanda had a horrific shade of red that meant she clashed horribly with her chosen colour, Natasha's hair was boggy green, Clint's bright bright purple, Sam's bright white and Scott's was an eyesore blue.

"He?" Bucky asked.

"Harley," Steve shrugged.

Tony choked and covered his mouth, clearly scared to laugh and set things off.

"It is funny Tony, and it isn't like we don't deserve it. He's a smart kid," Steve said sadly.

"He would make a good spy," Natasha nodded.

"We have never caught hide nor hair of him," Clint agreed.

"At least it wasn't Nair," Sam shrugged.

"Shhh, he might be listening, don't give him ideas!" Scott yelped covering his neon blue hair.

"I will speak to him," Tony said.

"No, we deserve it, and I don't think you're going to get him to stop any more than FRIDAY," as if to prove his words he took a sip of coffee and spat it out promptly.

"Milk off again?" Clint asked nudging his cup away. Steve gagging seemed to answer it for them. They all took a glass of water from the centre of the table that couldn't have been tampered with for safety.

Tony thought looking back that maybe that was the moment that things started improving between them. Things were never going to be the same again, they were never going to be friends again, never, he would not be able to trust them with that.

But they were going to be able to form a friendly team atmosphere. Enough so that they were there seven months later when he and Bucky stood by a lakeside and exchanged their vows, Rhodey managing to marry them between his emotional welling up.

Peter was Bucky's best man, Pepper and Harley were Tony's. Steve had been sad that he was not asked by Bucky, but his relationship with Tony and the still fractured and delicate friendship with him and Bucky had ruled that out and...he had managed to grow a little and realise that this day had nothing to do with him but making sure that Tony and Bucky were happy.

The thought haunted him that maybe if he had just told Tony about Bucky, he would have been standing at Bucky's side now.

The two were sickeningly happy, and Harley and Peter had let off mini fireworks that they had designed when Bucky and Tony kissed for the first time as Mr and Mr Barnes-Stark.

Epilogue

"Sweetheart," Bucky brushed Tony's hair off his forehead and kissed it gently, waking up his husband from where he was scrunched uncomfortably on the sofa. He carefully took the tiny baby from Tony's arms once he was awake so that he wouldn't panic, and then helped ease him to his feet.

"He was fussing," Tony yawned.

"These teeth are being a bugger for him," Bucky sighed brushing the flushed blue cheek with a gentle finger.

"Daddy? Papa?" A little voice said, and Lilah walked towards them, her light pink wings fluttering nervously behind her.

"Did you have a nightmare sweety?" Tony asked, bending and picking her up when she rushed over to him.

"Ah ha," She nodded into his shoulder, clinging on as though scared he would disappear. She had been four when they adopted her, Xavier having found her in a home where she was being abused because of her clear mutation. Being too young to stay at the school he had called Bucky and Tony knowing that they were looking to adopt, and knowing Tony had the political clout to get the family to sign rights to her over considering they wanted to keep 'the freak' from the world.

She was doing much much better three years later, but the nightmares still came.

Lilah looked down at Jacob in Bucky's arms, the blue a clear mark of his own mutation and the reason he had been left at the hospital by his mother and father for Christine to call them and ask if they would take him in.

"Is he ok?" She asked like the good big sister she was.

"He's fine, his teeth are sore. How about we watch a film and have some hot chocolate?" Tony suggested.

"That sounds good," She smiled a little for them.

Bucky and Lilah got settled onto the sofa with Jacob while Tony started the coffee machine to make their hot chocolates, Bucky putting a Disney film that Lilah loved.

"Dad? Pop?" Peter yawned walking into the room.

"Hey," Tony smiled at him.

"Hey Little Sis, bad dreams?" Peter ran his fingers through her wings gently before dropping down next to her, wrapping his arm around her.

"Yeah," She nodded, perking up a little more when Peter took a cup of hot cholate from Tony and passed it to her.

"I hope that you aren't having a hot chocolate film night without me!" Harley complained ten minutes later walking in as well.

"As if we would," Bucky mock gasped nodding to the last cup of hot chocolate sitting on the table waiting for him.

"Thanks, Pop, Dad," Harley yawned, leaning down to kiss Lilah's forehead. Their little girl was glowing now, the family around her loving and protecting her chasing away the last of her bad dreams.

Bucky hummed softly along with the song the princess was singing to her lizard - 'his name is Pascal and he is a chameleon you heathen' as Tony reminded him - as he looked at his family. Harley and Peter were home for college and it was good having them back again, he had missed the mischievous duo something fierce. Harley was already back asleep, head back and snoring softly.

Peter and Lilah were watching the film with the same wide doe eyes, happily smiling at the film. Jacob was fast asleep safely lying on Bucky's thighs, his little legs twitching and shoving at his stomach every now and then as he sucked his pacifier. Tony's head was resting on his shoulder as he drifted back to sleep, warm and solid next to him.

They had both retired when they had adopted Lilah from the active field in the Avengers, only going out for rescue missions and for things like earthquakes, and they were loving their life together.

He wished that the Bucky he had been when he was drafted into the army could see this, could know that while life was going to be tough, shit and long, this was his future, this was what he had to look forward to and what he would be rewarded with.

Four amazing kids and still counting, not to mention amazing robotic children that he adored. And a bright, amazing, intelligent husband who shone like the sun and drew him out of the darkness that he had been sure was all he had left.

Tony was everything to him, everything he had dreamt of but had been sure would never be his. He had given him forgiveness when he had been sure that that was something that he was not allowed to have, something that he didn't deserve.

He had given Bucky the future, something to look forward to, a life where he looked forward to the next day and whatever that would bring, even if it did bring odd experiments, random aliens and a weird set of friends, including a talking tree.

But more than that he had given Bucky the present, sitting right here at four in the morning, surrounded by his family and watching the same Disney film for the hundredth time, he was happy, content and living for each moment at a time.

He still took photographs of as many moments as he could, his collection now spanning out into the hallway outside his office at the compound, each moment that he could document and capture important to him.

Next to his picture on the centre of his desk of him, Peter and Tony which still had pride of place was a second new one that shared pride of place.

Tony, him, Peter, Harley, Lilah and Jacob all dressed in the most ridiculous Iron Man pyjamas that they had all been able to find and grinned at the camera, Christmas presents surrounding them and happiness bright upon their faces despite the fact that Lilah had woken and dragged them from their beds at ass o'clock in the morning.

His family.

Einstein hopped up onto the coffee table making Bucky glare at him, the damned cat knew he wasn't allowed up there, and only did it because Tony was asleep and Bucky couldn't move because of Lilah and Jacob. Glaring at the cat who just looked back at him unimpressed, Einstein curled up on top of the coffee table to go to sleep, the light catching off his Spiderman tiny sleepsuit Lilah had put him in the night before.

He and Tony had tried to take it off him once the little girl had gone to bed and had nearly lost a pound of flesh before the damned cat stalked off in his pyjamas to sleep at the bottom of Lilah's bed.

Yup, all his family were here.