The next day came sooner than Tony expected, and by the time both Starks were up, dressed and had eaten breakfast - pancakes for Peter and coffee for Tony - Steve and Bucky had arrived.
"Hey, Steve," Tony said coolly, trying his best not to stare at the brunet's metal arm.
"Hi..." Steve replied as he followed his ex into the elevator. The man looked like shit. He had probably stayed up all night tinkering away in his lab - his consciousness sustained by a mix of caffeine and alcohol. The soldier was used to Tony looking like that: it was a habit of the genius to do that most nights he couldn't sleep.
Steve eyed his boyfriend, edging him on towards the billionaire, almost physically shoving him."I'm Bucky," he finally announced, a small smile trying to break through from his expressionless face.
"Yeah, I know," muttered Tony, tapping the elevator door shut. "Fri, take us up to the penthouse."
"Of course, Sir."
Bucky's eyes widened in confusion, and amazement, as he heard the Irish woman's voice appear from nowhere. It wasn't exactly frightening to him, though, he had always been a lover for technology. He could remember the last time him and Steve went to an expo together... a Stark expo. One that Tony's father had hosted. They had seen a flying car - that hadn't quite worked - and he was now wondering if Howard had ever perfected it.
"You ever built a flying car?" he asked, turning his head away from the ceiling to look at Tony's.
The Stark raised his eyebrows, taken back slightly by the sudden question. "Uh, yeah... I've worked on a few flying cars. Did one for this guy who really loved his cars, once. Think he named her Lola, or something..."
Bucky nodded, clearly impressed that flying cars were now a thing. The blond that was stood beside him, however, looked a little confused. "Why're you asking, Buck?"
"Just remembered the Stark Expo... damn that would have been neat if Howard had managed to get that car to work."
"Ah, right," Steve said, trying to picture the event the two men had attended. That day was something he wouldn't forget - but not because of the Expo - all of that had happened on the same day he had become Captain America... or at least he had had the serum.
The elevator doors opened and Tony guided the two soldiers into the lounge. "Take a seat," he offered, indicating to the black sofa, "I'll just go get Pete."
The pair sat down and Steve put his arm around Bucky. "I hope you like him," he mumbled aloud by accident.
"Of course I will, Stevie. He's your son, how could I not like him?"
Kissing Steve quickly on the forehead, the brunet quickly pulled his arm away from his boyfriend, and glanced at the door: his hearing picking up on the incoming footsteps. Yet, they were too light to be Tony's, and he doubted that the man had sent Peter in alone.
"Hello, Rogers."
"Nat!" Steve announced, standing up to greet the redhead, a smile across his face. The agent was holding a flask, which the blond guessed was not filled with hot cocoa or coffee, and had sat down on the couch opposite then, after shaking the Captain's hand. "What are you doing here? Well I mean other than the fact your live here," he added.
Natasha smirked. "I'm training with Peter, later. Tony asked me to teach him how to throw a decent punch... not sure why though." She eyed the doorway, and watched as the two Starks walked in. "Speaking of the devil..."
"What did you just say, Romanoff?" Tony asked, in a tone of mock offence.
"Nothing," she said, through a plastic smile. An extremely obvious plastic smile.
"Pops!" Peter exclaimed, noticing his other father sat on one of the Tower's many sofas, "Dad never told me you were gonna be here!"
"You didn't?" Steve commented, embracing the fourteen year old, who was now clinging to his shoulders.
Shaking his head, Tony replied, "Nah, I thought I would be a good surprise."
"It was, Dad! It really was!"
Peter eventually stopped hugging his Pops and sat down next to him - finally noticing Bucky. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, earning himself a disapproved glare from Steve.
"I'm Bucky," the brunet replied, holding out his hand, "I have a feeling you might have heard of me?"
"Yeah... I think Pops mentioned you once... or twice, or a bajillion times."
Bucky grinned. "Well I'm pleased to finally meet you, Peter. Your... Pops has spoken a lot about you."
Peter blushed, "Only good stuff, right?" And, after receiving no valid answer, he repeated: "Right?"
"Mostly good stuff, kiddo," Bucky replied, chuckling slightly. "Relax, I'm joking. Yeah, he's told me about how smart you are - and that you've got heart."
"Uh, thanks... I guess. Sorry about my outburst, earlier, by the way."
"That's okay, kid, no offence taken."
"Well, Pete," Steve began, whilst twiddling his thumbs, "There's a bit of news I have to share with you..."
"Yeah?"
"Me and Bucky, here, are... dating."
Peter suddenly stood up, his eyes wide. "I just remembered. I got some homework to do." The teen then ran out of the room, before anyone could question him on his choice of excuse.
"I thought you said you homeschooled him, Tony?" Steve asked, still glancing at the empty space Peter had disappeared from.
"Yeah..." Tony had used that excuse many a times, when he was younger, and quickly decided to cover up for his son. "I still set him homework, though. It helps him learn to deal with deadlines."
"Ah, okay... Me and Buck better be off, then. And don't worry about walking us out, I know the way."
* * *
"What are you doing in here, bud?" Tony asked, walking into Peter's room - a few minutes after Steve and Bucky had left.
"Well... I... Uh."
"Kid, Pete, I covered for you back there, at least tell me what I did it for."
Peter quickly closed his browser - deleting his search history - before spinning around on his chair. "It was just a lot to take in, y'know, Pops and Bucky..."
"And that's it?"
"Yeah..."
"I don't quite believe you, kid," Tony scoffed, "You see, you do this thing with your hands whenever you lie."
"No I don't."
"You're doing it again."
Peter looked down at his trembling hands, hurrying to hide them behind his back. "Fine. Maybe I do do that when I lie."
"So you were lying to me?"
"Now you're making it sound bad, Dad."
"Lying is bad, especially when it involves lying to me," retorted Tony.
"I'm sorry..."
"If you're well an' truly sorry you'd tell me what this big secret is."
"Fine... I've been looking through Shield files-"
"You hacked into Shield's server?" Tony interrupted.
"Yeah..."
"It's fine. I've done it loads - just don't mention it to your Pops, he's got a soft spot for the government."
"Well, anyway, I was looking through some of the files and I came across one which had my parents' names on it."
"Right?"
"They were Shield agents, Dad! Level 7! That's higher than you. So, I skimmed through a few of their files and documents. My father... my birth father, was the person who modified those spiders back at Oscorp."
"That's interesting..."
"Yeah, it is. I also found out that the plane crash wasn't an accident."
"What?"
"Apparently some organisation - Hydra, I think - planned it. They thought that my parents knew too much to be alive."
Tony put his arm around his son, "You okay?"
"I never really knew them. Barely remember them, to be honest. No point crying about it now."
"Crying doesn't make you weak..."
"It might not but it's certainly one of my weaknesses."