Chapter Text
Steve wasn’t sure what to think of Tony Stark—like, seriously, what to think of him.
After reading his file and Natasha’s profile on him, Steve had thought Tony was an arrogant genius: obnoxious, egotistical, and self-absorbed. Then he met him.
At first, Steve thought the files were right.
But then he saw Tony being kind to Dr. Banner—the way he subtly tried to help Bruce through his self-deprecating thoughts. Or how he put himself in harm’s way to protect a helicarrier full of agents without a second thought. Or the way he faced Loki without his suit—smartly and bravely. Or how he was ready to sacrifice himself in an instant when the time came.
Or the way he personally went out to help clean the city.
Or…
Well, you get the gist.
The point was that Steve had judged Tony too quickly and too harshly without any solid proof. And now he had no idea what to do about it.
As he mulled over his thoughts, a message popped up on his new phone.
A **smartphone**, to be exact—with the easiest user manual Steve had seen in this century.
A gift from Tony.
*Meeting at 12 noon at the Washington DC base.*
The message was from Fury.
Steve sighed, pocketed the phone, and went to get ready for the meeting, which was in two hours.
---
Exactly two hours later, Steve found himself at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, being greeted by Natasha and Clint. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries as they walked toward the designated meeting room.
They were joined by Dr. Banner a couple minutes later.
He looked better than the last time Steve had seen him—healthier, more relaxed, and maybe… happier.
Clint was just about to comment on Bruce’s improved appearance when the meeting room door opened and Director Fury walked in, closely followed by his second-in-command, Hill.
“Where’s Stark?” was the first thing he asked.
“Not here yet, of course,” Clint answered instantly, earning himself a glare from the Director.
“He said he was busy and would try to get here as fast as he could,” Bruce explained.
And thus began the great wait for Tony Stark.
---
It was almost one-thirty and still no sign of Tony.
Steve sighed and glanced at the door again, just about to lose his patience when a small commotion in the corridor caught his attention.
And there he was.
Tony Stark, in all his glory.
A navy blue Armani suit, crisp white shirt, blue-tinted glasses, gold watch, and black formal shoes. He walked toward the conference room with his eyes on his phone, scrolling through God-knows-what, a cup of coffee in his left hand.
He entered the room at a leisurely pace, pocketed his phone, and flashed a dazzling smile.
“Hope you didn’t die of boredom without me.”
“You’re late, Stark,” Fury said roughly.
“Fashionably, Eye-Patch,” Tony replied easily.
He took his seat on Fury’s right—opposite Steve—crossing his legs at the knee and placing his coffee on the table as if he owned the place.
He greeted Bruce with a small “hello” and nodded at the rest of the Avengers.
“So,” he said, his gaze finally settling on Fury, “why the impromptu meeting?”
Fury glared at him for a few seconds, then thought better of it and addressed the room.
“The Council has officially accepted the Avengers Initiative.”
“Of course they did,” Tony said dryly.
“What do you mean?” Steve asked, confused.
“The Council wants attention off the fact that they decided to nuke the most populated city in the world,” Tony explained casually. “Now the media has something more interesting to focus on—the Avengers.”
Steve was surprised to see the three spies nodding in agreement.
“Well, whatever the reason,” Fury continued, “the important thing is that the Initiative is now official. The Council wants all Avengers to live in S.H.I.E.L.D. quarters and report to us after every mission.”
Tony raised an eyebrow.
“Do you really think I’m going to live in the… things you call quarters?”
“Do you have a better option?” Fury asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do. I happen to own a rather large tower.”
“The Council won’t agree.”
“Oh, they will.”
Tony smirked.
Fury glared. Tony stared back.
After a moment, Fury sighed and continued, ignoring Clint and Natasha’s widened eyes.
“The Council also wants you to attend press conferences, charity galas for PR, and security conferences with international leaders.”
The meeting continued for another hour.
Eventually, it was decided that Natasha would represent them at meetings with world security leaders, and at least two Avengers would attend every gala they were invited to.
“Alright,” Fury said finally, standing. “You’re dismissed.”
“Nick, wait,” Tony called, hurrying after him.
Clint leaned back in his chair and placed his feet on the table.
“I’ve never seen Fury sigh so much.”
“Neither have I,” Natasha added.
“Did Tony just disagree with the Council only because he wants to live in his tower?” Steve asked in disbelief.
“I think he did it so we wouldn’t have to live here,” Bruce said quietly. “And it’s pretty obvious none of us want to.”
No one argued.
Because Bruce was right.
And Steve scolded himself for judging Tony too quickly Again.
---
Half an hour later, Tony returned, smiling—this one more genuine than before.
“Alright, guys. Pack up. We’re going on a bumpy ride.”
“Hang on,” Clint said. “Did you just get the Council to agree with you?”
Tony raised an eyebrow.
“What do you think?”
---
Not long after, the Avengers found themselves in Tony’s sleek black Audi.
Tony drove. Natasha sat beside him. Steve, Clint, and Bruce were in the back seat, their bags in the trunk.
“Here we go,” Tony said, speeding onto the highway.
“Uh… I think the airport was the other way,” Steve said cautiously.
“Who said we’re flying?”
“What?” Clint frowned. “Are we driving?”
“Yes.”
“You’re going to drive from D.C. to New York?”
“Yeah. Problem?”
“That’s 228 miles.”
“I once drove from California to New York.”
Clint laughed and shook his head.
In the end, it only took three and a half hours to reach the Tower.
---
“I am never sitting in a car with you again,” Bruce said as they stepped out in the garage. “You drive too fast.”
Tony laughed as he led them to the elevator.
“You’ll get used to it.”
Once inside, he said, “Communal room, J.”
“J as in Jarvis?” Bruce asked.
“Yes.”
“He controls your elevator?” Clint asked.
“He controls the entire building. Say hi, J.”
“Hello, Avengers,” an English voice said smoothly. “Welcome to Stark Tower. I am **J.A.R.V.I.S.**—Just A Rather Very Intelligent System.”
The Avengers greeted him back, somewhat awed.
“Alright, here we are,” Tony said as the elevator opened. “This is the communal room. Your floors are below this, along with a gym, training area, party deck, medical bay, conference room—and mine and Brucie-Bear’s labs.”
“Whoa, that was a lot of information,” Clint said.
“Yeah,” Steve added. “What do you mean *our* floors?”
“My lab?” Bruce asked, stunned.
Natasha simply raised an eyebrow.
Tony smirked.
“Did you really think I’d invite you guys to live here without preparing? Now shoo. Jarvis will take you to your rooms. Dump your bags, freshen up—I ordered pizza.”
And with that, he went upstairs toward his penthouse.
---
An hour later, when Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce returned to the communal room, they were certain of one thing:
Tony Stark might not show it openly…
But he cared.
Each of their floors was clearly personalized to their preferences.
Steve’s was a perfect blend of traditional and modern, complete with an art studio.
Natasha’s had a dance studio and hidden weapons in easily accessible places.
Clint’s featured a target range and elevated perches.
Bruce’s was calm and simple, with science posters everywhere—and an impressive stock of tea.
They gathered in the communal room, talking excitedly.
Bruce went to the kitchen to make tea. Steve and Natasha sat on the couch while Clint wandered into the games area.
Tony returned a few minutes later in a cream-brown suit and black shirt, his jacket hanging over his arm while he talked on the phone.
“Yes, I’m ready—and no, I didn’t forget the gala,” he said. “I’ll eat something and leave. Expect me in an hour.”
He listened, then smiled warmly.
“Yes. Bye. See you in an hour, *cuginetta*.”
He hung up and turned to the team.
“Hey. How do you like your rooms?”
“Oh my god, Tony—the lab is amazing,” Bruce said excitedly, making everyone laugh.
“Yes, Tony,” Steve said sincerely. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
Natasha and Clint nodded.
Tony looked slightly uncomfortable with the praise and fidgeted with his phone, but the elevator dinged just then and he quickly busied himself serving pizza.
“Where are you going?” Clint asked as they ate.
“A gala I can’t escape.”
“So you got a new PA?” Natasha asked.
Tony smiled knowingly.
“Yes, but that wasn’t her. That was Hope.”
“Hope Van Dyne?”
“The very same.”
“I thought the Pyms and Starks didn’t get along.”
“Our fathers didn’t. Our mothers were best friends.”
“And your new PA?”
“Are you interrogating me?”
“No.”
Tony laughed.
“I did get a new PA after you resigned. But she resigned last week due to personal reasons. So now I’m looking for another one.”
“I can be your new PA,” Clint said enthusiastically.
Tony laughed again as he stood up.
“I’ll take you up on that, Bird Brain.”
Clint froze.
“I was joking.”
“Well,” Tony said cheekily, grabbing a coffee to go, “I wasn’t.”
He headed for the elevator.
“Be ready at eight tomorrow morning.”
He waved over his shoulder.
“Don’t wait up for me.”
And just like that, he was gone—leaving a room full of laughing Avengers behind him.
---