A man turns into a giant green rage monster when he is upset?

Strange. But Steve rolls with it.

Flying aircraft carrier?

Strange as well. But it is the future after all. Howard Stark must have something to do with that one.

A man calling himself a god and waving a magic stick?

Not unlike the Red Skull. Steve handles this revelation the best.

Alien army invading New York?

Also strange. But Steve can go with it. He's good at going with the flow.

The man fighting beside him turning out to be an actual robot?

That one takes Steve a bit longer to wrap his head around. Why does the robot act so human? Of course, if Iron Man's creator could build such an advanced piece of machinery, then, of course, they could make his mannerism just as advanced. But who thought it was a good idea to give a robot attitude? The amount of sass Iron Man gave Steve on a daily basis was baffling. According to Nick Fury, Iron Man's creator was Tony Stark, who had died a few years ago. Fury also said that Stark had a bad sense of humor, one that he had passed on to his robotic child.

Tony Stark.

Steve wished he had been able to meet the son of his friend. He wondered if he was anything like Howard. He had tried asking Iron Man about Tony once.

"I only knew him for a short time. He built me in a cave. And then he was executed," Iron Man had said.

"Why did he build you?" Steve had asked.

"He knew he was going to die. Mr. Stark made a lot of mistakes in his life. And he was trying to make up for all of them by creating me. He told me my purpose is to make the world a better place." Iron Man had responded.

Steve hadn't asked any more questions after that.

After the battle of New York, the Avengers had moved into what had once been Stark Tower. Now dubbed "Avengers Tower". That had been a year ago. The entire team had become very close in that short time. Nothing like an alien invasion to bring people together. Natasha and Clint were still very private individuals, but they were doing their best. Bruce was a quiet, but kind. He liked to cook dinner for everyone. Thor was still getting used to living on Midgard and had blown up three microwaves and two toasters in the past month alone. He was trying his best.

Iron Man was a strange being. Sometimes Steve forgot that there was no actual person under that metallic armor. Just clumps of wires and oils. Steve didn't like to think about Iron Man like that, though. He liked to think that there really was a person in there. Iron Man acted like a real person. Most of the time. He would often spend time with the team just like a normal person. Watching movies, and playing board games. Iron Man would assist Bruce in the labs, and spend his free time reading books. He joined them in their training sessions.

There was another unusual thing about the Iron Avenger. He experienced emotions. Real emotions. The emotions seemed to be limited to joy, anger, and fear, but they were emotions none the less.

The rest of the team always had questions for Iron Man. Sometimes invasive ones. Clint once asked him if he had to plug himself into the wall at night. Iron Man had slapped him upside the head for that.

Steve didn't ask any more questions. This was the future after all. Why should he be so surprised at a robot who was capable of laughter?

What did surprise him, was the fact that he cared so deeply for a robot.

It had been six years since Tony Stark "died". Six years he had been living as half a human. The first three years had been difficult, but he managed. He was using his new body to help people, and that gave him peace of mind. Tony knew it didn't make up for all his past mistakes, but it was a start. It wasn't until the fourth year rolled around that the loneliness officially set in. Sure, he had Pepper. And Rhodey. And Happy. Those three did their best to be there for Tony, but there was only so much they could do. Tony saw Pepper the most. He had left the company to her in his will, and now she was using it to fund the Avengers. Rhodey would call him every once in awhile, make sure he was still breathing, and let him know how the War Machine armor was fairing. He clearly wanted to spend more time with Tony, but his military job wouldn't allow for it. Happy was head of security at Avengers tower and kept a close eye on Tony. Or as close as he could. Tony had a lot of secret rooms in the tower, allowing him to function outside of his suit without the others noticing. Happy knew about the entrance to Tony's secret maze but wasn't allowed inside.

Tony kept a lot of secrets these days.

Tony entered his bedroom, which was on a completely separate floor than the rest of the team. He shed his armor and limped over to his bed. Walking without his suit was difficult, but he managed alright. It was easier when he wasn't so tired. He had just returned from a rather long mission with his team and was ready to sleep for the next week.

Tony fell face first onto the bed with a grunt. He rolled onto his back and brushed his non-prosthetic hand through his black hair, and down the left side of his face. He refused to touch the right side. The side that was...not him. He had made a facial prosthetic to hide the mess of wires and metal plates that had replaced half of his face. But there was no hiding the glowing blue orb that had been implanted in his eye socket. Of all the things Tony was forced to learn to live with, the artificial eye had taken the longest to get used to. The eye wasn't faulty. He could see just fine with it. He did design it, after all. It was the way he now experienced color that caused problems. Sometimes, he saw everything in shades of blue. Sometimes he saw normal colors. Sometimes his two different eyes couldn't get along and he saw the world in a mess of saturated blues and grays.

"People are looking for you," Pepper leaned in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Of course, she knew how to get into Tony's secret room. It had been necessary early on when he was still recovering and needed someone to bring him food and medication.

"Too bad. My stumps hurt." Tony rolled back onto his stomach.

"Please stop referring to your legs like that," Pepper shifted around uncomfortably.

"Absolutely not. My stumps-"

"Stop. The Avengers are looking for you."

"You said that. Why? Tell them I'm re-charging," Tony didn't move.

Pepper stormed over and wrestled Tony off the bed. "You lost an arm. Again. They're worried."

Tony suddenly burst out laughing. His prosthetic arm had indeed been blown off during the battle, but he wasn't going to bother fixing it until after he got some rest.

"This isn't funny," Pepper gave him a disapproving look.

"Yes, it is. They're fretting over a robot. A robot, Pepper!"

"No, they're fretting over their teammate. Who also happens to be their close friend." Pepper smacked the back of his head. Tony had always been self-destructive, but losing half his body in Afghanistan made him even more so. Pepper just counter her lucky stars that he hadn't sustained any serious injuries since then. Just damaging his prosthetics here and there.

"I wonder if they're this worried about the toaster."

"Tony."

"What?"

"I know you don't see yourself as a person anymore. But they do. Even if they don't know the truth, they still treat you like a human being. They care about you. And you need to stop worrying them all half to death."

"I'll consider it," Tony didn't believe her. Who would care that much about a robot? About him? Ridiculous.

After letting his team know he was alright, Tony spent the next week avoiding everyone. He stayed in his workshop mostly. A hidden room in the tower where he could exist outside of his armor and work in peace. As Tony got to work on building a new arm, his mind wandered to when the Avengers first assembled two years ago.

"How about you take that armor off and we go a few rounds?" Steve had sneered at him. Bruce was watching them nervously.

"It's a little difficult to take off, but sure," Tony decided to humor the captain and unlatched the both the gauntlet and his prosthetic at the elbow. He tossed the arm onto the nearest tabletop.

"What the...?" Steve blinked.

"He's a robot," Bruce blurted out.

"What?!" Steve gasped. "Take off the helmet!" He demanded, jabbing Tony in the chest.

"Can't. My artificial brain is attached to it," Tony lied, tapping his knuckles against his temple. "Like Doctor Banner said, I'm a robot. Removing my armor would be like you removing your skin. I can't feel pain like you can, but it still wouldn't be very pleasant." Tony retrieved his arm and popped it back into place. He wiggled his metal fingers, making sure everything was aligned correctly. The look on Steve's face was just too perfect, and Tony couldn't help but laugh.

Steve took several steps back, startled by the sound. "B-but, you...you sound so...human. And you-"

"I wasn't the first artificial intelligence Mr. Stark created. He used his own voice to program mine. Still want to go a few rounds, old man?"

Steve leaned against the table Bruce was working at, shaking his head slowly. "A lot of things have surprised me about the future. But for some reason, a sarcastic robot doesn't surprise me all that much."

"You look pretty surprised to me."

Steve shook himself, regaining his composure.

"You understand emotions really well, for someone who isn't human," Bruce commented.

"I do my best."

"Why did Fury assign a robot to this team? Are robots that common nowadays?" Steve was speaking to Bruce.

"What? No, no. Well, a lot of people have Roombas, little robots that can vacuum their floors and what not, but Iron Man is unique. I don't think I've ever seen anything so advanced." Bruce explained. "And I don't know why he's on the team."

"Can we trust a robot?" Steve frowned. Tony also frowned, not liking how Steve was talking as if Iron Man wasn't standing right next to him. "I mean, isn't a machine that can think for itself dangerous? What if it decides to-"

"He!" Tony blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Steve blinked.

"I'm a man. Don't call me an 'it'." Tony snapped. "I was built to help people. I can't go against my programming, even if I wanted to. I'm on your side whether you trust me or not."

Steve held his glare for a solid minute before a large explosion rocked the Helicarier, and all hell broke loose.

Steve hadn't been all that friendly to Iron Man after that. But then Tony carried that nuke through the wormhole, and suddenly Steve was all friendly smiles and pats on the back. Apparently, he had proven himself to Steve. From there they had developed a strong friendship.

Tony made the final adjustments to his new arm and attached it to the socket.

"I got your six, Cap!" Iron Man called over the comms. Steve didn't bother looking up. He didn't need to. He could hear the roar of the robot's rocket boots overhead. A repulsor blast, followed by a small explosion and several cries of pain. Steve did look back at that, although he wasn't too surprised to see the truck that had been tailing him blown to bits.

Steve turned his attention back to the forest before him. His motorcycle kicked up mud as he sped through the trees. The rain wasn't coming down as heavy as it had been when they first raided the Hydra facility, but it was still coming down fairly hard. Steve kept his head low, allowing the water to easily roll of his cowl. In the distance, he could hear the Hulk roaring. The Hydra agents had put up more of a fight than expected, so the Avengers had to break out the big guns.

"We got what we came here for. Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Bucky called, rolling up beside the Captain on his own motorcycle. The Winter Soldier was the newest Avenger, having joined only two months ago. This was his first mission.

"Working on it!" Steve responded.

Iron Man suddenly blasted ahead of the two super soldiers, crashing through the treetops and scattering branches and leaves everywhere. "I'm picking up some weird signatures. I'm going to check them out."

"What kind of weird?"

"I'll let you know when I figure it out, Bucky-boy."

"Don't call me that," Bucky groaned.

"Sure thing, Bucky-boy."

Steve caught a glimpse of Iron Man ducking low to the ground, right before he vanished into the hillside. "Alright, Avengers. Let's wrap this up!"

"Any word from the tin man?" Sam leaned out of the Quinjet. His goggles were pushed up to his hairline, his mechanical wings folded neatly behind him. The battle had ended, but Iron Man was still underground, investigating an elaborate system of caves. He had found a few Hydra agents down there, as well as some suspicious tech. He managed to report his findings to the team right before his comm cut out.

"No. We give him five more minutes. Bucky and I will go down there if there's still no word." Steve reported.

"Well, come back inside until then." Sam motioned him in. The Captain was standing a bit away from the jet, using his shield as an umbrella. Steve was about to do as suggested when he heard the roar of repulsors. His face lit up at the sight of the Avengers' beloved robot flying towards them.

Iron Man landed next to Steve with a thud.

"Good to see you in one piece," Steve clapped him on the shoulder. "What happened down there?"

"Bad stuff," was all Iron Man said.

"Care to elaborate?"

"No."

Steve sighed. Sometimes working with Iron Man could be a real pain. Unlike Jarvis, Iron Man could disobey orders. And lie. "Was there anything down there that could pose a threat?"

"There was. I took care of it," Iron Man said bluntly. The rain rolled down his expressionless face. In the dim light, Iron Man's glowing blue eyes looked downright threatening. The metal Avenger was unusually still, his fists balled at his sides. Iron Man was always moving in some way, using his body language to make up for his lack of facial expressions. Seeing him so still was unsettling.

"Are you alright?" Steve frowned.

"Are you?"

"don't change the subject."

"I didn't. We're still talking about injuries. Although, that's not a very fun topic. Let's talk about something else. Like the fact that Thor blew up the toaster. Again. Someone needs to talk some sense into that man before my wires snap. I swear-"

"Iron Man," Steve warned as he circled around him, checking for any damage. Iron Man moved his head to follow Steve's movements but otherwise remained still.

"I'm fine, Cap. Really," Iron Man said. "Just a bit shaken up."

"By what? Iron Man, what happened down there?"

"Human Experimentation." Iron Man's voice was barely audible. He was facing Steve, but Steve could tell his eyes weren't focused on him. "But, like I said. I took care of it. We should go."

Tony paced his lab, wringing his hands anxiously.

"Sir, I believe you are having a panic attack. Would you like me to call Ms. Potts?" Jarvis asked.

"No, no, no. I-I got this...I got this." Tony dropped onto the couch, where he had been living for the past two days. What he had seen in those caves was still fresh in his mind. He hadn't been able to save the person the Hydra agents were experimenting on. And he hated himself for it. Part of him wished he hadn't gone down there. Then he wouldn't have seen what they had done to that person. He wasn't even sure what gender they had been. Most of their body had been replaced with robotic parts.

Just like Tony.

But it was worse.

So much worse.

The person was already dead when Iron Man found them.

Tony started hyperventilating.

After several very long hours of panicking, Tony was able to calm down enough to slip back into his armor. He didn't want to be alone right now. And so, he left his secret workshop to go find the one person who never failed to make him feel better.

Steve.

"Who are you drawing?" Iron Man leaned over the back of the couch, eyeing the sketchbook in Steve's hands. He was drawing a man sitting at a workbench, fiddling with a clump of wires. The man had dark, unkempt hair, and slim fitting clothes, with one of his shoes untied.

"You," Steve smiled. The pencil squeaked when he darkened the jawline. Tony blinked. He was a bit shocked to see just how close Steve had gotten to the real deal. Was his personality that obvious?

"You gave me a human face," Iron Man tilted his head. "And body?"

"I was imagining what you would look like if you had one." Steve used a blue pencil to color in the eyes. No pupils, just glowing blue orbs. Tony chuckled. Steve had gotten that little detail half right. "I actually based you off Tony Stark. Hope you don't mind."

"Nah, it's cool. But if you're going to do that then you should give me facial hair." Tony requested.

Steve drew a thin, curly mustache.

"Not like that."

"Beggars can't be choosers," Steve tapped Iron Man's cheek with the pencil.

"Can I draw you?" Tony took a seat next to him.

Steve turned to a clean page and handed it over, "go for it."

Tony fumbled with the pencil. The gauntlets always made grasping small objects difficult. Steve leaned against Iron Man, head resting on his shoulder as he watched the other man draw. Tony drew his vision of Steve as a robot. The design was a bit like his own, but bulkier and with a patriotic theme. His drawing skills were nowhere as good as Steve's, and it showed. He drew a mustache on the faceplate and handed the sketchbook back to Steve. "Now we have matching facial hair."

Steve laughed.

"Well, look who it is!" Bucky's metal hand clanged against Tony's helmet. He plopped down on the other side of Steve. Tony wasn't all that surprised to see the assasin. Bucky was still getting used to living with so many people and hardly left Steve's side. "Where have you been?"

"I haven't been anywhere," Tony tilted his head.

"Okay, I know this tower is fucking huge...but where do you go? How do you just disappear for days on end?" Bucky waved a hand in the air.

"I have my own private space," Tony said, "where I can tinker with things in peace."

"Huh," Bucky leaned back, hands behind his head. "What do you tinker with?"

"Myself," Tony snickered.

"Is that supposed to be a masturbation joke? Because I don't know how I feel about making masturbation jokes with robots," Bucky made a face. "Ow! Steve! Don't kick me!"

Iron Man laughed. "I have to upgrade myself every once in awhile. And fix any battle damage. I'm also the one in charge of upgrading the gear for all you sad lumps of flesh-" Steve kicked Iron Man in the shin. "Stop kicking people! It's rude. As I was saying. I make the gear. I'm working on some new arrows for Clint right now."

"Huh," Bucky said again, nodding slowly. Bucky was still recovering from his time as a brainwashed hydra soldier and didn't talk much. But he always had a lot to say when he did feel like talking. He also had a lot of questions. Mostly about modern life. But also about how Iron Man functioned. Tony didn't mind. He liked Bucky. The softly spoken soldier was friendly and level-headed. But he also possessed enough sass to rival both Tony and Sam.

Bucky also had a prosthetic arm.

That fact had brought the two closer, even if Bucky didn't know it. Just knowing someone with shared life experience put Tony's mind at ease.

"Stevie, you should draw me next," Bucky suggested, tapping Steve's sketchbook.

"Okay, pick a pose," Steve smiled.

Bucky moved over to the other couch and lay down on his back, one leg thrown over the back of the couch and one hand behind his head. "How's this?"

"Very...um..." Steve's face was red. "Fine. That's fine. Hold still."

Metal clanged against metal. Bucky grunted and jumped back.

"Slow," Iron Man darted forward, kneeing him in the gut. Bucky gasped in pain but quickly recovered himself. He grabbed Iron Man by the head and flipped him onto his back. Even with the thick foam mat, a heavy thud still echoed throughout the training room. Iron Man ignited his boots for a split second, just long enough for him to shoot out of Bucky's grasp.

"I think I'm done for today," Bucky sat back on his haunches.

"We've only been sparring for an hour." Tony got to his feet and twisted his head from side to side. He knew he was going to have a sore neck in the morning and wasn't looking forward to it.

"I said I'm done," Bucky said firmly.

"Okay," Iron Man nodded once. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, no, I just have a lot on my mind. Can't focus too much," Bucky admitted, giving Tony a look he couldn't quite read.

"I hope this isn't you trying to initiate a heart to heart because I'm definitely not the person for that," Tony held up his hands.

"I know," Bucky chuckled. "Kinda hard to have a heart to heart with someone who doesn't have one." Tony flinched at his word choice. Bucky didn't notice and went on, "I'm not very good with feelings anyway." He stood up and stretched. He swung his metal around in a big circle, loosening up the shoulder joint. "Can I ask you something, though?"

"No. But I have a feeling you're going to ask anyway." Tony crossed his arms.

"Do you ever feel like you shouldn't be here?" Bucky asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...look, this isn't my time. Not my century." Bucky shook his head, "And I don't know if I should be apart of this team. You guys are like a family. A family that I don't really have a place in. I'm trying my best to socialize. Cause that's what Steve wants. He wants me to be friends with everyone like he is. And I want that too. But I'm bad at socializing and everyone here is kinda intimidating," Bucky's eyes flicked around the room nervously. "And like I said, you guys were already a family long before I got here. Even if I do get closer to everyone, it still won't be the same."

Tony nodded slowly. "I understand. I don't think I'll ever be a true member of their family either."

"You?" Bucky actually laughed at that. "Oh come on, they adore you."

"In the same way they would adore a pet. Trust me, they don't ever let me forget I'm not human. That I'm not one of them." Tony took a deep breath, although the sound didn't quite make it through the helmet. "You and I are both outcasts, buddy."

"Guess we are. We'll just have to be our own little family." Bucky clapped his metal hand on Iron Man's shoulder. "You know what? You used to scare me the most. But you're just a big softy."

"Don't push it, kid. I could snap your neck."

"But you won't."

"I won't," Tony agreed. He slipped his prosthetic hand under Bucky's and pushed it back a bit. He stared at their hands, metal palms resting against one another. "It's good to know there's someone in this fucked up world that understands me."

"Same," Bucky smiled.

Steve didn't know what had gone down in the training room that day, but the next day Bucky was acting a bit more confident. He was branching out and talking more with the others. Especially Iron Man. A few days later Steve had found the two in the library, enthusiastically discussing rock music. He had seen Iron Man act this way before. If anyone even uttered the word 'science' around him, the bot would go on hour long tangents. But Steve had never seen Bucky this excited to have a conversation. Or this happy. Not since before the war.

"He needs a name."

"For the last time, Clint. Iron Man is not a pet. You can't just-"

"We should call him Sparky," Clint smirked. Natasha hit him over the back of the head. "How about Robert? He looks like a Robert."

"My name is Iron Man, you ignorant swine," Iron Man chose that moment to make his presence known. His metal feet clinking on the floor as he stormed over to the archer. Most of the team had gathered in the kitchen for dinner. Tony hadn't been planning to stick around, but then he heard his name and decided otherwise.

"Ah! Man of Iron! Glad you could join us for dinner!" Thor clapped him on the back, a big friendly grin plastered on his face.

"I'm not joining you. I'm just here to yell at Clint."

"Okay, but isn't 'Iron Man' a little weird?" Clint went on, waving a hand in the air. "I mean, he goes on and on about wanted to be treated like a normal person, so shouldn't he have a normal person name?"

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here," Tony hissed. Clint looked a bit taken aback by the spite in his tone.

"He can call himself whatever he wants. It's not up to you, Clint," Steve said firmly. He gave Iron Man an apologetic look, "he does have a point though. Are you sure you want to keep going by Iron Man? It's no big deal if you want us to call you something else."

"No. I'm sticking with the name Mr. Stark gave me. And that's final."

Steve didn't question anything when Iron Man took his hand and guided him through a maze of hidden hallways. They went down a flight of steps, and Iron Man punched a command into a virtual keypad on a glass wall. The doors slid open with a whoosh of air.

"So this is where you go," Steve looked around the workshop in awe. Robots big and small moved around the area on their own, whirring and beeping at Steve as some form of welcome. As soon as Iron Man stepped into the shop, all of the lights flicked on. Holographic screens appeared all over the place. All in all, the workshop was a downright mess. Tools littered the various workbenches. Mechanical parts were scattered everywhere. There was a pile of tangled wires in one corner. A large robot rolled over to Steve, waving its single giant arm. It made a loud beeping noise and snapped its claw at Steve. "I don't think it likes me."

"That's Dumm-E. He's saying hello. He's an idiot, but he's friendly. Don't mind him," Iron Man pat Dumm-E's arm as he walked past.

"Did you build him?" Steve asked, not taking his eyes of the bot.

"No. Mr. Stark did. I built all the other ones, though," Iron Man explained. "They're like my children."

Steve nodded, looking around at all the bots in awe. He spotted an Iron Man helmet one of the tables and picked it up. He realized it was the one he had worn when they first met. Iron Man had been making small changed to his armor since then. His overall build was a lot more compact now. It was sleeker, the metal plates coming together seamlessly. Steve flipped the helmet over, expecting it to look like the inside of a computer. But it didn't. It was empty. Just a helmet. "Huh," Steve set it back down.

Iron Man had taken a seat at one of the workbenches, his back to Steve.

"So...why bring me here?" Steve leaned against the bench Iron Man was at.

"I wanted you to know this place exists," Iron Man shrugged.

"What for?"

"Because you're my friend and you should know. Also, it gets lonely down here sometimes." He added the last bit in a whisper. "Also, I..."

"...yes?"

"I have a feeling something bad is about to happen. Something really bad," Iron Man put down the screwdriver he had been holding. "If something happens to me when we're out on the field-"

"We won't let anything bad happen to you," Steve assured him.

"You can't control everything. I trust you, Steve. I trust you to bring my body back here and help me get patched up if something does happen." Iron Man looked up at him, faceplate as unreadable as ever.

"I don't know how much help I would be. I still can't figure out my email. But I'll do what I can, Shellhead." Steve tapped his knuckles on Iron Man's helmet in an affectionate way.

"Thanks, Winghead."

Steve jolted awake in a cold sweat, a scream tearing from his throat. Images of the war still flashing before his eyes. Images of good men, of friends, being shot. Blown to bits. Images of Bucky falling. The feeling of the ice-cold water that had engulfed Steve when he crashed the plane into-

"Cap!" Equally cold hands pressed against his shoulders, trying to push him back down. He hadn't realized he had been sitting up until that moment. A pair of bright blue eyes hovered over him. The grip on his shoulders tightened. "Steve, calm down, you need to breathe!"

"No!" Steve threw his fists wildly. One of them collided with something very solid. The pain that flared up in his knuckles forced him to fully wake up. "Ow...Iron Man?" He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and blinked a few times.

"The one and only. Jarvis, can you get the lights? Thanks." Steve shielded his eyes from the sudden bright light. Iron Man was sitting on the edge of his bed, hands still clasped on Steve's shoulders. Iron Man spoke again, "Jarvis said you were in distress. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, just a nightmare," Steve whispered.

Iron Man's grip on his shoulders relaxed, his hands sliding down to hold Steve's. Steve let his forehead rest against Iron Man's.

"You look like shit."

"Thanks," Steve snorted.

There was a long silence before Iron Man spoke again.

"Anything I can do for you, big guy?"

"Can you...nevermind." Steve looked away.

"What?"

"Stay with me? Just until I fall back asleep. Usually, I go to Bucky when I have nightmares, but I don't want to bother him and...yeah."

"Okay." Iron Man shifted around so that he was fully on the bed, leaning against the headboard. Steve moved over to give him room. Iron Man made Jarvis turn the lights back off. "Try to get some rest, Cap. I'll stand guard."

"Thank you," Steve laid back down. He didn't think he would be able to get to sleep after that. But Iron Man's presence turned out to be exactly what he needed. The soft blue glow from the robot's eyes and chest lulled him into a peaceful sleep. The soldier settled in close to Iron Man's thigh, one arm draped over the robot's knee.

Iron Man pulled the blankets up over Steve's still form. He hesitated before brushing a hand through his ruffled blonde hair. "Goodnight." Iron Man whispered.

The next morning Steve awoke to the feeling of cold metal pressed against his face. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, a little surprised to see that Iron Man was still sitting with him. The robot must have powered down at some point. His eyes had switched off, and his chin was resting against his chest.

"Morning," Iron Man's voice startled Steve, causing him to fall out of the bed. Steve poked his head up and found that Iron Man's eyes had flicked back on. "Sleep alright?"

"I did, thank you." Steve gave him a warm smile.

"Okay, but I'm not the one who wants to bone a robot!" Clint shot back, jabbing Steve in the chest.

"Bone?" Steve blinked in confusion. Bucky knew what Clint meant and was doubled over in laughter.

"Thanks for that mental image, Clint!" Bucky snickered. A big smile spread across Clint's face. The three had been arguing over something petty. Steve had taken a shot at Clint's morals, and Clint went in for the kill. "Now that you say that, I can totally see it!"

"I know right?" Clint threw an arm around Bucky's shoulders. "Those two are practically joined at the hip! Steve, you are one kinky son of a bitch!"

"Excuse me?" Steve was even more confused at this point.

"Don't worry, Stevie, we're not judging! We just didn't expect it, is all," Bucky put his arm around Steve's shoulders, pulling both the archer and his oldest friend close.

"Expecting what? What are you guys talking about?"

"About the fact that you're head over heels for Iron Man."

Steve instantly jerked away from his friend. "I-I am not! Absolutely not! I would never have relations with a teammate, that would be extremely unprofessional!"

"So the fact that he's a robot doesn't bother you? You're not making a move because he's your teammate? Wow," Clint giggled.

"Well, that too. Iron Man is a good friend of mine, but like you said. He's just a robot. A relationship just isn't possible."

"What if he loves you back?" Bucky tilted his head.

"I don't love him," Steve crossed his arms. "Not like that."

"Okay, but what if you did? And he loved you back?"

"It wouldn't be real," Steve shook his head. "All of Iron Man's emotions are fake. Computer generated. Anyone, including himself, could reprogram him to feel whatever."

"I don't know, I think he fancies you quite a bit, regardless of programming." Bucky ruffled Steve's hair.

"Doesn't matter. He's a robot. Sure, he can think for himself, but he doesn't have an ounce of humanity in him. I could never love someone like him."

Clint frowned, "just cause he doesn't have skin doesn't make him any less human. It's all about what's up here, right?" He tapped his own temple with his index finger.

Steve sighed, "I suppose you're right. But I'm still not planning on sleeping with a robot, so let's just drop it."

"Whatever you say, Stevie," Bucky laughed.

Steve lounged on the couch in Iron Man's lab, working in his sketchbook while the robot repaired one of Falcon's wings. AC/DC was playing softly in the background. It had been blaring loudly until Steve asked that it be turned down. Steve had tried to get him to play different music in the past, but Iron Man was very enthusiastic about his music tastes and refused to do so. Currently, Iron Man was playing the same song on loop, just to piss Steve off. Steve had half a mind to hit him over the head with a wrench. He glanced up every now and then at the robot who seemed to have made it his life's mission to push Steve's buttons. Iron Man had been in the same spot for the past three hours, making it easy for Steve to draw him in great detail. The conversation he had had with Clint and Bucky a few days ago was still fresh in his mind.

Did he have feelings for Iron Man?

Yes. Of course, he did. Iron Man could be a real pain in the ass at times. He was reckless, hot-headed, and could be downright rude. But he was also extremely caring and considerate of others when it mattered. He could be friendly, and Steve liked his jokes. And he was there for Steve whenever he had a nightmare. Sparring with him was also a lot of fun. Iron Man didn't hold back, and Steve enjoyed the adrenaline. Steve cared very deeply about his teammate and would be absolutely shattered if anything bad ever happened to him. But did he love him?

Steve closed his sketchbook and looked over at the robot once more. He had told Clint that he didn't. But in all honesty, he wasn't sure. He reminded himself that no matter how human Iron Man acted, he was still just a robot.

"How many emotions can you feel?" Steve asked suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Iron Man looked up.

"I know you can be happy. And angry. Sometimes scared. Do you ever get sad?" Steve asked, twirling his pencil between his thumb and index finger.

Iron Man stared at him for a long moment. His blue eyes seemed to bore into Steve's soul. "I do. Fairly often, actually." He lowered his gaze again and picked up a screwdriver.

Steve felt a pang of sympathy for him. Iron Man had said that he often got lonely, so Steve had made it his mission to spend more time with the robot. "What else can you feel?"

"Every emotion that a human can."

"Even love?"

"Even love," Iron Man nodded once.

"Have you ever been in love?"

"Yes," Iron Man said softly, eyes never leaving Steve's. "And it hurts. I wish Mr. Stark had kept that emotion from me. Because I'm madly in love with someone who can't love me back. And it's tearing me apart."

Steve opened his mouth to say something but closed it again.

"Have you ever loved someone, Captain?"

"I have. More than once." Steve couldn't help but smile.

Iron Man must have noticed the smile because his next question hit home, "is there someone right now?"

"I suppose so." Steve hummed. "It's complicated, though. I'm still figuring it out."

They both fell into a comfortable silence after that. Steve silently thanked the gods when Iron Man finally changed the song.

"You should just tell them."

"Absolutely not," Tony snapped, not looking up from the gauntlet he was working on. He was out of his suit, wearing nothing but a tank top and jeans.

"Why not?! Tony, this has gone on long enough. You deserve to live a normal life." Pepper pleaded. "The team cares about you. Their feelings won't change if they were to know the truth. If anything they would just care about you more."

"I don't deserve jack shit." Tony looked up at her, the pain in his human eye all too clear. "And they'd kick me off the team if they knew I'd been lying to them for over a year. Hell, I've been lying to the entire world for six years! Can you imagine what would happen if I suddenly showed my face?!"

"I don't know what would happen. But I'm pretty sure the Avengers won't kick you out."

"It's a very real possibility."

Pepper took a deep breath. "At least tell Steve your feelings for him. Everyone can see that he loves you."

"He'll stop loving me when he sees what I really look like."

"Tony Stark you are impossible," Pepper threw her hands in the air. "Steve loves you for you. He'd probably be over the moon if you told him you were a real human who could show him affection."

Tony scoffed. "He doesn't love me. I heard him talking to Clint and Barnes. He said he could never love a robot-"

"You are not a robot." Pepper frowned.

"Look at me, Pepper!" Tony jumped to his feet, arms outstretched. "Half of my body is a machine! One of my eyes sees the world in shades of blue code! I am most definitely a robot!" He ripped the facial prosthetic off and flung it across the room. Pepper flinched at the sight of his actual face and tried to look away, but Tony yelled, "LOOK AT ME, PEPPER." Pepper forced herself to do as he said. Part of his jaw, his entire cheek, and eye socket was replaced with metal plates. Bits of rubber and wire snaked their way between the plates. Angry scar tissue covered the area where flesh met metal. Tony still managed to keep his facial hair in check, despite everything. Pepper tried to focus on that instead of the machinery.

Pepper took a deep, shaky breath. "You...you are human. You were born a human, and you will always be a human! Your brain is still made of tissue, and your heart is still beating."

Tony slammed his hands on the table, the sound making Pepper jump. He glared at her for a minute before taking a deep breath and hanging his head. "How much longer, though? My heart is all wrong. All messed up. So is my brain," Tony tapped his temple. "The PTSD isn't going to go away. It's all messed up. I'm all messed up, Pep. How could Steve ever love someone like me?"

"Because he's a good person who can accept people for their flaws." Pepper sighed.

"I don't think he could accept this many flaws."

Pepper stiffened. "Tony."

"What?"

"I can't help you. Not if you're going to keep fighting me every step of the way," Pepper said slowly. "If you want to rot away in that tin can, never able to show your face outside this lab, never allowing yourself to be loved...then fine. That's your decision. But I'm not going to stick around and watch you rot. I just can't." Pepper turned on heel and left before Tony could say anything else.

Tony clenched his fists. "ARGH!" In one sweeping motion, he knocked everything off his workbench. For a moment, he got some sick satisfaction with destroying the items that had been in front of him. He spun around and punched the nearest object, a computer screen. The crack his fist left was also satisfying. But he needed something more. Before he knew what he was really doing, Tony was tearing his workshop apart. Smashing half-finished projects, breaking the glass walls, ripping apart the blueprints for the Iron Man suit.

After denting the wall with a sledgehammer, Tony picked up his helmet. Its now dark eyes stared at him. Mocking him. Pepper was right. Iron Man may be living up life, enjoying his new friendship with Steve and the Avengers. But Tony Stark was rotting away on the inside.

"Fuck you," Tony slammed the helmet down on the edge of a table. "Fuck you. Fuck you! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU ALL TO HELL!" He brought the helmet down again and again and again. The armor didn't even scratch. That enraged Tony even more. He picked up the sledgehammer and brought it down on the helmet.

Steve carefully stepped over the broken glass that littered the robot's workshop. He held his shield up, fearing the worst. He had come down to the workshop to talk to Iron Man about upgrading said shield. What he found made his blood run cold. The room was a complete disaster. It looked like a tornado had plowed through. Dumm-E hid in the corner, not making a sound. Someone must have broken in. Which was highly unlikely, considering no one knew this place existed other than him and Pepper. But something had clearly happened. Someone broke in. And that someone might have attacked Iron Man.

"Iron Man?" Steve called. Glass cracked under his boot.

"Over here."

Steve hurried towards the voice. He found Iron Man leaning against an overturned workbench. "Oh, buddy..." Steve's voice was heavy with sympathy as he knelt down next to his friend. Iron Man's armor was riddled with dents and scratches. The glass casing over his arc reactor had shattered, the light behind it flickering. Part of the faceplate was broken off, revealing the machinery underneath. A blue light shone from Iron Man's eye socket. "Who did this to you?" He gently turned Iron Man's head towards him, trying to get a better look at the damage. Iron Man jerked away.

"I did."

"What?" Steve faltered.

"I said 'I did'." Iron Man huffed. "I did this to myself. I...needed to express some anger."

"We have punching bags for a reason. You didn't have to take your anger out on yourself," Steve sighed. "Or your workshop..." he looked around sadly, knowing how much this place meant to Iron Man.

"I did, though. Don't worry about all this. It was going to happen eventually. I'm a mess, Steve." Iron Man hung his head. "W-what are you doing?" Iron Man stiffened when Steve suddenly wrapped his arms around him.

"You look like you could use a hug," Steve pressed his forehead against the cold metal of Iron Man's temple.

Iron Man fell silent, leaning into Steve's embrace. "Sorry," he whispered after several minutes of hugging.

"It's okay. Let's get you fixed up, okay?"

"Okay." Iron Man nodded slowly. In the end, Iron Man sent Steve away, wanting to fix the damage by himself. Steve didn't want to leave him, not after what he had just been through. He was also worried that Iron Man might have another breakdown. But the robot was very determined to fix everything himself, and Steve didn't want to upset him by arguing. So he left.

"Sir, it's nearly midnight, I suggest you retire for the evening," Jarvis suggested.

"Mute," Tony waved his hand. He had finished repairing his armor a few hours ago, but the workshop as a whole still needed a lot of work. Satisfied that all the broken glass had been swept up, he got to work on putting the furniture back upright. Once that was finished, he put his hands on his hips and looked around the room. Still so much to do. But he didn't regret a single thing.

"Sir-" Jarvis started.

"I thought I muted you?"

"There is an incoming projectile," Jarvis announced in his usual bored tone.

"What?!" Tony bolted to his feet, eyes snapping to the window. Sure enough, there was something flying right at the tower. He acted on instinct, calling his armor to him and yelling at Jarvis to warn the Avengers. Jarvis set off the alarm just seconds before the missile crashed through the window.

BOOM

The explosion completely obliterated the lab, causing the entire tower to shake. Tony was vaguely aware of himself falling.

"THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" Bucky screaming as he sprinted down the hallway. The rest of the team was scrambling around the Avengers' personal floor, weapons at the ready.

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it came from Iron Man's workshop!" Steve darted past him, a look of panic on his face.

"Iron Man? What did that damn bot do now?!" Natasha snapped.

Clint shook his head, "it wasn't him, I saw the missile right before it hit!"

BOOM

A second explosion knocked everyone off their feet. The tower seemed to sway for a moment. Large cracks formed along the floor, small sections of it starting to cave in. Steve used his shield to protect himself from the bits of ceiling that were raining down on him. "We need to get out of here! Everyone get to the Quinjet!" They were on the 50th floor. No time to take the stairs.

BOOM

The tower started to tilt. The windows shattered and a large part of the ceiling caved in. "GO, GO, GO!" Steve screamed.

Thor grabbed Bruce and Natasha and used his hammer to fly them to safety. Sam didn't have enough room to use his wings. Instead, he grabbed Bucky and ran. Steve hurried after everyone, but the building was becoming increasingly unstable, and he found it difficult to keep his footing.

"CAP!" Clint screamed when the floor gave out under the super soldier.

Steve let out a scream as he plummeted down several stories. He flailed his arms, desperately trying to grab onto something. His screams were abruptly cut off when he crashed into something very solid. "Iron Man?!"

The robot looked down at the man in his arms, "I got you, Cap. Hang on!" Steve barely had time to secure a hold on Iron Man before they blasted back up. Iron Man swerved through the falling debris. The entire tower was coming down at this point. Iron Man made an abrupt turn, shooting out the side of the falling structure and into the crisp night air. Once they were a safe distance away, Iron Man turned back to face the tower. He hovered in mid-air, holding Steve tightly in his arms as they watched their home crumble. The Quinjet flew off the landing pad just in time.

Steve jolted at a sudden realization, "Pepper! Happy! They-"

"I already got them out. And before you ask, there wasn't anyone else in the building," Iron Man assured him. "Oh, wait..." Steve looked up at him worriedly. "My bots..." Iron Man's voice was quiet. Broken. Steve's heart ached for him.

Iron Man took one last look at the pile of rubble that had once been their home before flying after the Quinjet. The ramp lowered, allowing Iron Man to fly inside. He set Steve down and punched a button on the wall, closing the ramp.

Clint was flying the jet. Steve thought he was going to find a rooftop or parking lot to land in, but he kept flying. They left the city limits in a matter of minutes. "We don't know who attacked us. Or if they have more missiles, we need to get out of here before civilians get hurt," he announced. Everyone murmured their agreement.

Steve did a quick headcount. Everyone was present. And uninjured. They were all in various states of shock. But they were alive. And that was all that mattered at the moment.

Iron Man had pressed himself into a corner. He hardly left the tower, unless for a mission, or if he was accompanying Pepper to Malibu. Steve put a hand on his arm, "you gonna be okay?"

"I'll live," Iron Man spoke softly. "I've been through worse. Where are you taking us, Barton?"

"Safehouse," was all Clint said.