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“This should have never happened! I told you they weren’t ready!” Tony screamed as the general ignored him while holding back tears. He had cried for hours over the young mans death, partially blaming himself. He felt burning rage as the general walked off. He considered taking the falcon wings away, but hadn’t actually decided on it yet.
He took a deep breath and turned around, already planning on what he could do to help the young man’s family, when someone placed their hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at the young man with tired eyes, and the young man smiled nervously at him. “Mr. Stark, I wanted to thank you for what you did back there. I was flying with Riley when he fell, and, well…” Tony nodded and sighed. “Sam Wilson, right?” Sam nodded his head and and Tony smiled solemnly at him. “I’m sorry for your loss. That never should have happened.” Sam nodded, and that seemed to be it.
The next month however, Tony was at the VA asking how he could help and waiting for Rhodey. He was taking a break, drinking some water, when he bumped into Sam. “Hey Mr. Stark, what are you doing here?” Sam was smiling brightly at him, and something in Tony’s heart relaxed ever so slightly. “I’m waiting for Rhodey and seeing if there’s anything I can do to support the people here.” Sam nodded his head, then started telling Tony about his own experience here and how it could be improved.
Tony listened intently, taking notes and nodding along. Eventually, Rhodey came back, looking weary but more relaxed. Tony said goodbye to sam, but offered to meet over coffee to come up with a plan. Sam readily accepted, and they exchanged numbers, with Sam promising to contact him soon. As they left, Rhodey was smirking at him.
“What?” Rhodey just shook his head, but from the look in his eyes, Tony knew exactly what he was thinking about. “No, absolutely not. I’m not going to do that.” Rhodey raised his hands and chuckled. “I’m just saying, the last time you looked at someone like that, it was Pepper.” Tony groaned, remembering that he was grateful that he and Pepper were still friends.
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It was two weeks before Sam and Tony could meet, but once they did, it was a little hole in the wall coffee shop that sam really enjoyed. They spent three hours talking about how Tony could help the VA, but also about how Tony could help veterans outside of the VA. They threw around ideas about medical technology, including prosthetics, as well as charities and and job opportunities. After they were done at the coffee shop, Tony invited Sam to the tower so they could start making blue prints. Sam accepted, saying over the next few weeks he would talk to other veterans who this could help, maybe convince them to test out the equipment.
They talked for hours at the tower, designing all the while. It got late at night, and Tony offered Sam a room for the night so he didn’t have to worry about finding a way home. Sam gratefully accepted, borrowing some of Tony’s old clothes to sleep in. The next morning, Tony woke up to sounds coming from the kitchen and a heavenly smell.
He walked out to the kitchen, stopping and staring as Sam finished making breakfast, humming some song and dancing a little bit as he plated the pancakes he made, dousing them with syrup and adorning them with fresh strawberries. A warm feeling filled Tony’s heart. It felt so domestic, and it seemed to fill something in Tony’s heart.
Eventually though, Sam noticed Tony and smiled over at him, and Tony felt his breath catch in his throat. “Morning Tony! Breakfasts almost done and coffee’s in the pot.” Tony smiled back, running his hand through his sleep tousled hair. “Thanks Sam, you’re an angel.” Sam laughed, and Tony was pretty sure this was domestic bliss.
Tony got himself some coffee, then finished setting the table. Sam brought the food to the table, and they ate together in silence. After they finished eating, Tony told sam he’d get someone to drive him home. He walked sam down to the common area, but unfortunately can’t go any further as he has to stay behind to do some work. Sam smiles and waves goodbye, and Tony thinks that’s the end of it before they can next meet, but unfortunately, his happiness quickly gets interrupted.
“Tony, who was that?” Tony sighs as Steve comes up behind him. For some reason, Steve was convinced that Tony was in love with him and was playing hard to get. It had started after Tony and Pepper broke up, and though it was amicable, Tony was still heartbroken. Tony had buried himself in work, hardly leaving his lab and doing his best to stay away from alcohol. When he eventually came out of it, Steve was waiting for him with flowers and chocolates. Tony froze for a moment, but quickly told Steve that he wasn’t ready for another relationship yet. Steve seemed to be ok with it, but from that point onwards, Steve would try and ask Tony out about every two weeks. It was awful and draining and caused Tony to distance himself from the rest of the avengers.
Tony took a deep breath clutching his hands into fists to try and control himself. “It was a new friend who’s helping me with a new business venture.” Tony looked at Steve coldly. It always bothered Steve when Tony looked at him like that, and Tony would take what little he could to distance himself from Steve. “Why did he come out f your penthouse then?” Steve crossed his arms and Tony clenched his jaw. “Because we lost track of time last night and I didn’t want him to leave in the middle of the night.” Steve scoffed, and everything went pear shaped.
Suddenly, Tony was up against a wall, unable to breath as Steve pressed against his chest with super human strength. “I’ve tried being nice Tony. I’ve been patient. I know you’re in love with me, so stop fighting against it.” Tony tried to kick out, he struggled against Steve, but nothing seemed to get Steve off. Tony started to hyperventilate, his vision started to tunnel and his head felt fuzzy, he could see Steve leaning closer to his face, but there was nothing he could do.
Before anything more could happen, a gunshot rang out, and Steve cried out in pain, stumbling away from Tony, who immediately scrambles into a corner, trying to calm himself. He can hear voices shouting, but he can’t make out the words, and then Sam is next to him, not touching him but talking to him.
Tony focuses on Sam, and sees that he’s exaggerated his own breathing. It takes a few moments before Tony catches one, but eventually, he tries his best to match his breathing to Sam’s. After a few moments, his breathing is normal, but he’s still shaking. Thankfully though, he could hear Sam’s voice now, slow and soft and soothing. Tony looked at Sam, and Sam smiled gently at him. That was all it took, and Tony was crying. Sam gathered Tony into his arms, rocking them back and forth, running his hands up and down Tony’s back.
After another moment, he could hear Sam tell FRIDAY to tell Pepper that Tony wouldn’t be in today, that something had happened. He could hear Sam apologizing, and he just went limp. It took another hour before Tony was mostly back to normal.
“Thanks Sam. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t come back…” Tony started to pull himself away from Sam, kind of scared of what he would see in Sam’s face, but all he could see was worry and some relief. “I’m kinda glad that I left my wallet and had my gun on me.” Tony looked around and saw a small puddle of blood on the ground that trailed away to the elevator as well as a discarded not to far away. He nodded, and then Sam helped him up and to his bedroom. Throughout the rest of the day, Sam helped Tony take care of himself, and they talked about everything to try and distract Tony. After dinner, Tony mentioned that this was definitely coming up in therapy, and Sam expressed relief that Tony already had a therapist. When Sam finally left, Tony was feeling mostly normal, and realizing that he was quickly falling for Sam.
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Over the next month, so much changed. Somehow, Sam had gotten into contact with Fury, and told him all about what Steve had done that day and his fear for Tony should he still be around Steve. Fury came into the tower furious, yelling at everyone except Tony, which caught Tony off guard. When Natasha tried to defend Steve, Fury turned on her, telling her she of all people should know that anything like that should be nothing less than entirely consensual, and if she though this was ok, then the red room would be proud of her. Natasha was silent after that, looking pale and ashamed and fearful. Once Fury was done yelling, he took Natasha and Clint and Steve, and told them they would no longer be funded by Tony. Steve tried to protest, but he was quickly shut down.
Suddenly, the tower was empty, and Tony had a lot of time on his hands. He decided to invite Sam to live with him, which sam readily agreed to. He started looking for more superpowered individuals, building his own team and offering help to teams that already existed. He talked with Sam and started testing leg and arm prosthetics, and he spent a lot more tie with his R&D department. He encouraged their experiments, offered advice on designs, and got to know most everyone working in that department. He also spent a lot of time focusing on himself, bettering his mental and physical health. Sam was by him the entire time, encouraging him.
When a month had passed, Tony felt better than he had in years. He felt confident and happy and he was surrounded by people who loved him. It was on a warm and clear night, and Tony was watching as Sam cooked dinner for them. While this past month had been a bit of a whirlwind, Sam had been a constant. He was always there with a smile and a shoulder to cry on when need. Tony was also there for when Sam needed to vent about power tripping higher-ups, people who wanted to take advantage of the VA, and how the government wasn’t focusing enough funding to medical and mental care to veterans.
It was after one such rant that Tony decided to take the leap. “Hey Sam?” Sam sighed and smiled at him, taking another bite of them meal. “Yeah Tony?” Tony took a deep breath and restrained himself from reaching out for Sam’s hand. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out for a date?” Sam smiled and nodded his head, and reached out himself to hold Tony’s hand. After they went to bed, Tony sent a text to Rhodey to tell him he was right.
Rhodey had called him after a few minutes, and they talked for several minutes. Rhodey congratulated him and said he was happy for him, but then proceeded to tease him mercilessly. Tony laughed and shook his head, glad that his friend was right about this.
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Its three days before they go on their date, Tony taking Sam to a high end, private restaurant. Sam seems a little nervous, but he smiles and tells Tony that he’d just never been to place like this and felt a little out of place. Tony nods in understanding, and offers for Sam to plan the next date. Sam agrees and they enter.
Sam’s eyes widen when he sees the price of the dishes, and Tony has to convince him to buy something he’ll actually enjoy instead of the cheapest thing. “Sam, seriously, don’t worry about it, I’m doing this happily. If this relationship continues, you can plan on being spoiled.”
“I’m just worried that I won’t be able to provide you with the same sort of thing.” Sam admits and looks a little ashamed. Tony grabs his hand and smiles at him. “Sam, I’m not expecting you to provide me with the exact same thing. If you want to give me presents, id be overjoyed even if they were relatively cheap or hand made. Otherwise, I’m perfectly happy with just spending time with you.” Sam smiles back at him, and they continue to eat.
They try to keep their relationship secret for as long as possible, but then a picture comes out of them holding hands and walking late at night, smiling and laughing. For a few moments, Tony fears Sam will want to leave, not wanting the attention, but sam just shakes his head and offers to help Tony tell the world about them. Tony nearly cries, and relaxes in Sam’s arms.
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Everything seems to be goin well for them, the public is happy for them, their relationship is growing every day. But unfortunately, things seem to fall apart around them.
It starts when they get a call from Fury, asking for help as HYDRA has infiltrated SHEILD, and their planning an extermination. Tony gets the hellicarriers on the ground, and Sam starts contacting some people who have a stake in getting SHEILD agents out of missions. Tony downloads all of the files to start sorting through them, when one catches his eye. Sam sits next to him, and together they watch as the Winter Soldier kills Tony’s parents. It takes several days before Tony has properly processed it, and sam watches any and all files on the Winter Soldier, and when Tony feels ready, he watches as Sargent James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes was broken down and brainwashed.
He forwards everything to Fury, who promises to find the man. Tony offers all the support he can, telling Fury he’s willing to let James use the BARF technology. Its another month before James was found, and immediately, its obvious that he can’t be around Steve. Steve was enraged when he found he couldn’t see James for at least a few months, and when asked why, Fury didn’t sugarcoat that it was because he was expecting to get his best friend from the forties back, but that Bucky wasn’t there anymore. Steve was deep in denial, refusing to accept the truth, so Tony offered for James to come live in the tower. Fury agreed that that was probably for the best.
After that though, was Ultron. When Steve tried to get Wanda on his team, though leaving behind Pietro, Fury denied him that and gave the twins an offer. Either they went to mandatory therapy and worked under Tony, or they went to a high security prison. Wanda refused to go to therapy, and spat at Tony’s feet, blaming him for all that was wrong in her life. Surprisingly though, Pietro accepted. As Wanda was being dragged off, she was cursing out Tony, telling Pietro he was going to regret this, that Tony was going to ruin his life.
Over the next few days, Pietro was distraught, upset at his sister while simultaneously missing her fiercely. Tony and Sam stood by him for that first bit, but after Pietro was feeling better, he fully through himself into therapy and the job that Tony had given them. He also became close to James, both bonding over the things HYDRA had done to them. Tony was actually very glad about it, as they helped each other get better.
A few months later, Tony and Sam are facing another large threat, known as Thanos, the Mad Titan. They gather all of the heroes they know, Fury bringing in even more, and they plan. They create teams and roles and they start training. When Thanos comes, he meets a planet who’s prepared for him like never before. He’s defeated after several hours, and then its time to count their dead.
They luckily don’t have many casualties, but among them is Steve. Tony feels slightly relieved that he doesn’t have to worry about what Steve is going to do next. He feels guilty that he feels like that, but Sam reassures him that its fine to feel like that.
The world heals and rebuilds over the next year, and Sam and Tony get married. Its a small, intimate marriage. Rhodey walks him down the aisle, smiling and teasing under his breath. Pietro is the ring holder, Fury is the officiator (when asked why he got certified, he just says that you never know what might be needed during a mission), and James is the best man. There are a few friends and Sam’s family. They’re happy.
As the months pass, they adopt Pietro, who nearly cries when they offer. He hugs them tight and thanks them for never giving up on him when. He was being difficult. James becomes a brother and an uncle, and Fury popped in an out to check on them every once in a while.
Tony and Sam continue their heroics, but they dial it back dramatically, wanting to be around for their small family. Tony’s joy just seems to keep increasing, and he feels loved, loving and spoiling his family.