Touch Me I'm Going to Scream // [Stucky]

Chapter 10

Caused by some kind of miracle, everyone's in the communal kitchen when Steve enters early in the morning. It's six a.m. and even Ms. Potts is having breakfast at the table, tablet in one hand while she scrolls through the news. Had it been yesterday, Steve would have been glad to see the room so animated but today he had expected a... calmer ambiance.

"Hey," he greets and only Barton lifts his head from his cereal bowl when Steve enters. Tony seems to be searching for the meaning of life at the bottom of his coffee cup and finding out that the answer is forty-two. On the other hand, Natasha is reading something on her laptop; it seems important judging by her concentrated face.

"Hello, Captain Rogers," Ms. Potts says while she stands up and places her plate in the dishwasher. She seems in a hurry but she finds a moment to kiss Tony on the cheek and guide him to a free chair, a plate with scrambled eggs and bacon still steaming. Tony's eyebrows lift as if he hadn't noticed it until now.

"Thanks," he says in a distracted kind of way and Ms. Potts frowns down at him. Steve is curious and wants to ask what is going on but knows it's better not to get into other people's business.

"Could anyone of you three make sure that he gets at least three hours of sleep, please?" Ms. Potts asks with exasperation, one hand squeezing Tony's shoulder when he opens his mouth to protest.

He must have spent the whole night in his lab. Steve has discovered in the last month or so that Tony is liable to do that if he's left unsupervised for a long period of time.

"Of course," Steve answers but Natasha and Barton are already nodding along. It feels like a request too personal for the relationship they have with the engineer but Steve guesses Ms. Potts doesn't have anyone else to ask the favour.

"He'll watch Dora and then we'll tuck him right into bed," Barton quips when Ms. Potts enters the elevator with a thank you thrown over her shoulder. Tony throws bread at Barton's head but Natasha catches it just before it can hit him, then she eats it with a smug smile.

"Ugh, why did I invite you all here?" Tony wonders out loud but Steve sees right through him—he's sure Barton and Nat do, too. If he didn't want them in his Tower he most certainly wouldn't have made a floor for every one of his teammates, each different to accommodate the Avenger's specific skill set. Steve knows Bruce has his own laboratory, Thor a wide balcony where to land when he visits, Barton a shooting range—he hasn't visited Nat's floor yet.

Steve clears his throat to attract his teammates' attention. It works and he finds himself lost for words. "Um, I wanted to tell you that..."

Steve is starting to think Tony has instructed J.A.R.V.I.S. to interrupt him when he considers it less convenient. "Captain Rogers, Mr. James asks if he has permission to come to the communal kitchen."

J.A.R.V.I.S.' words hang in the air for a few seconds; Steve's aware of everyone's eyes on him. He has the feeling he's not the only one who noticed the wording of that sentence.

"Er, yes, of course. Tell him how he can reach me."

Silence.

"I talked with James yesterday." Tony mouths a curt 'aham' and waits for Steve to continue. "Explained the situation he's in." Natasha raises one eyebrow while the other one lowers even farther. The result is an unconvinced expression.

"I told him he was a HYDRA prisoner."

"You're saying he didn't know that already?" Tony asks with a note of astonishment. Steve's somber expression is enough answer and Tony falls back on his chair, lips parted and eyes bright with stupefaction.