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The battle was finally over. The elation that comes with each victory without casualties kept Tony in high spirits as he flew to the rally point. He was at 40 feet, certainly low enough to see his team without visual enhancement from the suit. So when he turned a building and saw everyone at the rally point (minus himself of course) hovering in a circle, he was instantly worried. He pushed the suit harder, reaching the group of heroes in no time. His landing wasn’t his best but certainly not his worse.

He flipped the faceplate up before speaking. “What happened?”

“The captain attempted a new combat maneuver.” Thor answered jovially.

Natasha stood beside the Norse god wearing a smirk. “Hulk didn’t quite grasp the concept of throwing a friend instead of an enemy.”

Tony wanted to rant about how this wasn’t softball and the Hulk was no little league pitcher. Steve was always yelling at him for being reckless, and now the one chance he had at dishing out a little payback would only fall on deaf ears.

Captain America lay unconscious in the Hulk’s burly arms. The sight was equal parts worrisome and cute. Any time a member of the team fell unconscious during or after a battle was always nerve-wracking. Even so, the way the Hulk cradled Steve’s limp body like an infant made Tony smile. Steve’s cowl-less face was oddly peaceful for a man knocked out by his own teammate.

The big guy had concern written all over; everyone’s favorite green rage monster didn’t look very angry at the moment. More like a fretful mother. “Captain is tired?”

Tony could see everyone fighting laughter at the giant’s innocent question. Unfortunately it fell on Tony to answer. A quick scan by JARVIS informed him of Steve’s injuries: cuts, bruises, and a nasty bump to the head. “Um…yeah big guy, he’s a little out of it after your impromptu ball game.”

The Hulk looked satisfied but of course Clint had to open his big mouth. “At least we know he has a future in the MLB.”

Natasha punched the archer in the shoulder.

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They took turns piloting the quinjet as they made their way back to the SHIELD headquarters. Natasha and Bruce were up front talking quietly between them. Tony, Clint, Thor, and Steve were in the back. Tony was no longer in the armor; his achy muscles thanked him.

The mission had been humanitarian in nature therefore not particularly difficult. It was long and tiring though. The Avengers had been called in for search and rescue, then decided to stay and ultimately rebuild an entire village. Japan had been beautiful despite the devastation they had been called in to clean up. Tony had always enjoyed going there but it was time to go home.

“Hey Thor, pass me a Gatorade?” The first words spoken in over an hour came from Clint.

The Norse god was closest to the cooler and he complied with the archer’s quiet request. A quick dig through the ice proved successful as Thor tossed the last bottle of Gatorade across the aisle. Tony didn’t see the throw, but he would bet his life on Clint catching it single-handedly. A soft curse had him opening his recently closed eyes in curiosity; Tony gaped at the sight that greeted him.

There was Clint, left hand still in the air clutching at the bottle of orange Gatorade, while his right lay awkwardly in his lap. It was obvious he was trying to refrain from moving his dominant arm, not because he’d been injured, but because Steve was using the smaller man’s body as a pillow. The captain’s face was smashed between the quinjet wall and the archer’s bare shoulder, snoring softly and hair mussed. To add insult to injury, Steve was drooling something fierce.

Tony nudged Thor in the arm. They looked at each other, at Steve, at Clint, then back again. Their feral grins reached epic proportions.

The archer knew what they were thinking and glared. “Don’t,” he growled. “Don’t say a damn word you guys.”

All three stifled their laughs because they didn’t want to wake their slumbering leader. Captain America had proven a big help during the mission, taking more shifts than any of the volunteers, as well as letting the Avengers get some rest while he soldiered on. It would be a shame to wake him especially before Tony could snap some photos.

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They were on the Hawaiian island of Maui when it happened. Bruce waited back on the helicarrier docked in Pearl Harbor while the rest had been called in to deal with a massive swine problem. It sounded hilarious at first, but the mission went south fast. Tony didn’t get a chance to laugh.

The island was stunning. It wasn’t Tony’s first time to Maui but he could still appreciate the luscious green foliage and the clear blue waters. The beaches were like heaven on earth and the forests were equally as beautiful if not a little dangerous at the moment. Maui was renowned for its hunting operations especially for its wild boar. Feral pigs run rampant on Hawaii’s islands, no shocker there, but the big surprise waiting for hunters in Maui’s forests were giant mutant pigs. The boars stood ten feet tall with massive forked hooves, slightly jagged along the edges. Sharp tusks at least three feet long jutted from their frothing mouths. To make matters worse, these boars weren’t timid like their ordinary counterparts, but ferocious without the usual imperfections.

Not a single joke was made either by Tony or Clint about the three not-so-little pigs. They had been too busy fighting. Clint had the advantage by climbing into the trees; Tony not so much. The dense foliage made it tough to fly and the team had strict orders from Fury to do the least amount of damage to the forest as possible. He was stuck on the ground for the most part, fighting alongside Natasha as they battled it out with Bacon; yes, he had named it. Thor dealt with one pig alone while Clint and Steve took care of the other.

Tony had thought things were going well despite their disadvantages when Steve suddenly cried out. They were too busy fighting the other two boars to rush to the man’s aid. From the corner of his eye Tony could see Clint diving from a tree to get to the captain’s position.

“Status report!” Tony yelled. He needed to be heard over the squealing.

“Cap’s hurt real bad,” Clint replied. “His legs are busted and he appears to have a minor concussion.”

It was all a blur after that. When the three boars were dead the only thing left to do was make it out of the jungle and to the quinjet by the water. It was a long walk. A walk their captain wouldn’t be making with two severely broken legs. Tony would have flown him to safety but his shoulder had been dislocated during the fight. Natasha reset it for him only to say that carrying Steve was out of the question. She herself was bleeding from a nasty gash to her side.

All in all they were pretty banged up except for Clint and Thor. The latter made a quick and wise decision; he would be the one to carry out the captain. With Clint’s help, he and Tony helped settle Steve onto Thor’s back. The Norse god carried the man’s weight with ease and with surprising gentleness. The captain’s legs hardly moved as Thor walked behind Clint.

They were all exhausted when the quinjet came into view. Tony never realized how heavy his suit was until forced to walk for miles. He also didn’t notice he and Natasha had flanked Thor and ultimately Steve, as if they could shield him from further harm simply by walking beside the blondes. If only the captain could appreciate the military styled formation. Tony was torn between glad and worried when Steve had dropped into unconsciousness about two miles back. His eyes followed the blood where it dripped from the cut on the blonde’s head; he couldn’t bear to look at the man’s legs for fear of getting sick. So Tony stared at muscular arms that drooped over Thor’s equally muscled shoulders, Steve’s pale face tilting inwardly towards the demi-god’s neck.

Seeing a teammate injured was never easy. Even so, it warmed his heart to know that they had each other to rely on when the chips were down.

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Meetings with SI’s stockholders were not Tony’s cup of coffee. In fact, talking with big monkeys in suits is his third least favorite thing. Right behind getting taken hostage and tortured, along with seeing his loved ones hurt. He supposed he made it harder on himself by delaying the meetings using any excuse necessary. His big mouth didn’t help either, but Pepper does her best for the company so he tries to show a little appreciation by attending a meeting or two.

He walked onto the main floor of the Tower and headed straight for the state-of-the-art coffee machine in the communal kitchen. It was everything a man could want and more, and it’s still in the prototype stage. Seriously, he should’ve tinkered around in the caffeine business decades ago because–

Tony stopped. More like came to an abrupt halt. He was in the living room, just passing by really, when he saw the most incredible thing in the history of ever.

The big couch was occupied. Seated in front of the TV–watching some soap opera in a language Tony couldn’t even identify– was Natasha. The former assassin looked the most relaxed he could ever recall, completely reclined with her feet perched on the coffee table while her head lolled back. Her lids were heavy but Tony knew that she knew he was there. Nothing about seeing Natasha cozied up in the living room was particularly unusual. The fact that Steve’s blonde head rested on her lap changed things. The captain lay on his side sound asleep. There weren’t any snores or drooling, thank goodness, but the deep breaths stemming from the man indicated a restful sleep. Something every Avenger, especially Captain America, could use.

Tony opened his mouth to say something. Natasha’s resulting glare clearly demanded his silence; he complied because he valued his appendages. He settled for a fond smile as the super spy’s fingers weaved through Steve’s blonde hair, rubbing his scalp in a soothing gesture whenever the man so much as twitched.

The scene was more intimate then he’d initially anticipated and Tony really hated to intrude. Natasha could hardly be considered maternal but this moment would forever be his fondest memory of her.

He turned on his heel and left. Coffee no longer seemed important.

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Sex with Steve was like riding a roller coaster. There was the wait, the anticipation, the excitement and joy, and ultimately the fall. The fall was the best part like any good theme park ride. Tony’s stomach seemed to roam around his body while his head floated into the clouds. It was all very poetic, but like most rides they must come to an end. Tony was left breathing hard every time; satisfied with the way his bones seemed to liquefy.

After a warm shower the two of them were back in bed. Tony was propped up against the headboard, both hands greedily clutching at his StarkPad in a stroke of genius. Actually, he had thought of an improvement to the helicarrier’s rotors while Steve had been pounding into him without a shred of mercy. It had taken a few times for Tony to get the hang of waiting until he and Steve had reached orgasm before scurrying off to work. He hadn’t done so in months; he was quite proud of himself. Steve’s other stipulation had been that Tony stayed in bed once he was in it thus the handy and portable StarkPad.

It was all so very domestic; the moment peaceful with his fingers flying over blueprints while Steve assumed the position. The position being Steve’s face mashed against Tony’s bare stomach. It used to bother him. A man as young and beautiful as Steve deserved better than an old man with scars being the least of his imperfections. His stomach was a prime example: still relatively flat, but not as sculpted like a decade prior.

Tony risked a glance down. Blue eyes stared back at him, curiosity and affection pooling in the depths.

“What’re you working on?” Steve asked. “I saw the light bulb come on.”

Tony hesitated. “Sorry…I just–”

A kiss on his sternum, then the arc reactor, silenced him. “Tony,” Steve chided gently. “You never have to apologize for being who you are.”

He smiled. What did he do to deserve this man?

“I thought of a new rotor concept for the helicarrier.” Tony replied instead.

“And?” Steve always asked about his work. Sometimes it was frustrating when Tony’s rambling and technological genius interfered with what he was trying to say and what Steve was capable of understanding. Still, it was the thought that counted and Tony couldn’t be happier to bounce his ideas off the man. And so he described his plans to outfit the helicarrier with something much more efficient than what SHIELD’s engineers could cook up.

It had only taken eight minutes to finish the details. He waited for some sort of applause. Yet no response came from the peanut gallery on his stomach. Tony had expected some sort of reaction to his genius only to be disappointed. A peek downward revealed Steve whom had long since fallen asleep. His Adonis face was completely lax. Long lashes framed delicate cheekbones. Red lips parted on every breath; deep inhale, soft exhale.

Steve looked so young and peaceful that Tony didn’t have the heart to disturb him. The man would undoubtedly have sleep crinkles when he woke, blonde hair sticking up every which way. It didn’t matter if Tony wasn’t exactly comfortable. All that mattered was Steve’s innocence and Tony would guard it all night if he had too.

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These peaceful family moments were Steve’s favorite. The team, in full pajama gear, was gathered on the top level of the Tower laying amongst pillows and blankets. Tony had invited everyone into his private space to watch a movie. Film watching was usually held in the communal living room, but Tony wanted to try out a new invention that required a large space of glass.

They waited anxiously as the glass began to fog up. Tony had called it “frosted glass”. Steve didn’t exactly understand how it all worked but the concept was pretty neat.

“Play the movie JARVIS.” Tony instructed.

“Right away sir.” Was the reply.

The movie seemed to hover in the air, not too dissimilar from Tony’s interactive holographic blue prints. The film hadn’t even been released yet according to Tony; something about hobbits and dwarves. It was all so very realistic but ultimately still futuristic to Steve; regardless, he enjoyed the experience. He was surrounded by friends who cared for him despite his lack of technological knowhow. He couldn’t be happier.

It was pretty late when the credits began to roll. Steve was the only one still awake. Tony had used his chest as a pillow throughout the movie and was now hugging Steve like he was his favorite teddy bear. Natasha’s back was pressed against Tony’s, red hair tickling the arm Steve had thrown over the genius. She faced Clint, arms and legs entwined, foreheads touching. Bruce was at the foot of the makeshift bed, at least two different pairs of legs thrown over him; the scientist appeared quite comfortable. Thor was facing the other way completely. Whereas the team faced the glass, Thor somehow found himself perpendicular. Steve’s right ankle was trapped under the man’s shoulder so he didn’t feel guilty laying his other leg over Thor’s torso. The god’s leg also made the perfect armrest. All things considered, the Avengers cuddle pile screamed cozy.

“Did you enjoy the film Captain?” JARVIS asked quietly.

He looked up, even though he’s been informed multiple times that the AI isn’t actually located in the ceiling. “I did. I couldn’t image going on an adventure like that. Seeing and doing all those things when you’re so small.”

The movie shut off and the glass faded back to normal. JARVIS was helpful like that.

“But not afraid,” the AI replied. “I believe that if sir was awake, he would compare the main character to a pre-serum Steve Rogers.”

Steve did his best not to laugh. It’s true. He reminded himself of Bilbo Baggins and Tony wasn’t even awake to enjoy the irony. “And I suppose the team could be mistaken for a horde of dwarves?”

“Precisely. Is there anything else I can do for you, Captain?” JARVIS asked.

Steve thought for a moment before looking at each of his friends. They were all sleeping so peacefully that warmth blossomed inside his chest. “Nah I’m good; thanks JARVIS.”

“Goodnight sir.”

The room fell silent except for the soft breathing of his friends. Steve will probably be awake for at least another hour, but there’s no place else he’d rather be.