252The boys slept in Bucky's room, both for Bucky and Seb's frame of mind. It didn't surprise any of them that Seb had nightmares, waking Bucky during the night. On several occasions in the past ten days, they had even found the little boy cuddled up in bed with Harry in the middle of the night. Sebastian was wary of most of the other adults, loved the house-elves and Padfoot, but was mesmerized by Pepper. The baby liked everyone but was especially fond of Bucky and Tony. Both children loved Harry, who clearly adored them back.
Mazzy was delighted to have more charges to look after and Taffy had assigned a young elf, Elly, who wanted to learn how to be a nanny elf, to help. Lenz allotted a protection detail of house-elves for each of the boys. Bucky had been particularly worried about HYDRA searching for the boys, as the children had been layered with tracking charms and both had subdermal locater chips. Once they were removed, Tony had given each of them one of the bracelets identical to the one Harry wore, which were unremovable and invisible to anyone outside the family.
It turned out both of the children were magical, as Seb had watched Harry summon one of his stuffed animals to give to Grant when the baby was fussing. Freezing, his eyes wide when he realized what he had done, Harry had nearly had a panic attack before Seb threw out his own hand and summoned a toy to himself. Tony could only roll his eyes at an overjoyed Bucky as Tony drew Harry into his lap to soothe him, while Bucky explained to a suddenly scared Seb that having magic was a good thing. Tony figured Grant was most likely magical as well.
Both the boys had advance healing, were at the top of the chart for growth, and Seb had already displayed above normal speed and strength. Bucky had refused to allow the healers to draw any blood from either child for more specific testing. There wasn't a need for it yet, even to establish paternity, thanks to the data they'd found in the HYDRA facility and Bucky's heritage test at Gringotts. Steeljaw had been able to create birth certificates, listing both Bucky and Steve Rogers as fathers, with an unknown mother. Rockjaw had set up trust funds at Tony's request, from his personal vault, for each of his new godsons.
It was mid-morning the following Saturday when Tony and Bucky stepped out of the town car in front of New York Presbyterian Hospital, greeted by Robert Graves who escorted them inside. At the same time, Sirius and Rhodey were slipping into the SHIELD facility at Camp Lehigh under the Potter Invisibility Cloak, and followed Peggy instructions on how to get down to the data storage room. They all hoped Tony's usual showy arrival at the hospital complex would stir anyone watching them into a flurry of activity and draw attention away from what Sirius and Rhodey were doing.
The conference room they were taken to overlooked the river and Bucky set the bag he carried with Tony's laptop down on the table, before walking over to the large windows. Graves stationed himself beside the door as Tony settled himself into a chair with the windows to his back. Healer Addison, who worked on the magical side of the hospital, was the next through the door, nodding at Tony before she moved to greet Bucky at the window. The door swung open again and Tony stood as he recognized Stephen Strange, dressed in blue scrubs and a white lab coat. Behind him was an older man, most probably the head of Neurosurgery, Dr. Kent, dressed similarly.
"Stephen," Tony extended his hand, almost daring the man to not acknowledge that they had spoken before.
"Stark," Strange drawled, and Tony could definitely hear the eyeroll in his tone as they shook hands.
"Ah, none of that, now," he winked at Strange. "Tony, please."
"Tony." Strange practically ground his teeth. "This is—"
"Dr. Kent!" Tony interrupted as he moved past Strange to shake the older man's hand. "I hope the endowment to the NICU has proved helpful."
"It most certainly has, Dr. Stark!" The man was all smiles. "I don't know why you refuse to let us put up a plaque."
Tony waved a hand in dismissal. "No need, Dr. Kent. I'm just grateful to be in a position to help. My mother, unfortunately, lost a baby and would certainly have been pleased with the donation."
The men sat down at the table as their eyes shifted toward the others in the room. Graves stepped forward and set a file folder on the table for Tony, flipping it open to the NDAs the two doctors needed sign. Bucky and Addison moved from the windows to the table and sat down.
"Thank you, Graves."
Tony slid a document over to Strange and another to Kent, before moving back to his seat. Both men read through the pages and Kent signed without question, handing the NDA back to Graves. Strange arched an eyebrow at Tony before removing a fountain pen from the front pocket of his coat, before signing with a flourish. Graves took it and stepped back to his post inside the door, folder behind his back, which he surreptitiously Banishing back to the penthouse.
Tony gave him a wink, before turning to Dr. Kent. "I understand you have worked with
Healer Addison before and will vouch for her abilities for Dr. Strange's benefit?"
Kent was nodding before Tony finished his statement, clearly knowing about the healer's abilities.
"Good," he muttered, getting his thoughts in order. "Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to James Buchanan Barnes, who served in World War II with Captain America—"
"Reports of my death may have been exaggerated," Bucky quipped.
"—he fell from a train in the Alps." He side-eyed Bucky, pausing for a moment to see if he wanted to add anything. "What was not widely known and kept out of the records from that time, was Bucky had been experimented on by Armin Zola when the 107th was captured in Azzano."
"The Super Soldier Serum," Strange interjected grimly.
Bucky gave a sharp nod and Tony knew he was masking how hard it was to have this discussion. Healer Addison laid a reassuring hand on Bucky's right arm.
"While that fall severely damaged his left arm and caused some internal injuries, he was able to apply a tourniquet before passing out. He was discovered by Soviet troops affiliated with HYDRA." Tony paused, his eyes taking in Bucky's pale face." At some point soon after that," Tony set his hand on Bucky's left shoulder. "Bucky regained consciousness in the middle of an operation to remove his damaged arm and attach a prosthetic. The shoulder mount was crude and invasive, and while the arm has been upgraded over the ensuing fifty years, the shoulder hasn't."
Tony met the eyes of each of the doctors. "I have built a new arm and shoulder mount, but the old mount needs to be removed and everything done to make sure the wound is healed, before the new one is attached. At this point, the shoulder causes Bucky constant pain and I'd like to change that."
Strange glanced at Dr. Kent before lifting an eyebrow at Tony. "It sounds like you need a general surgeon, Tony, not—"
"The HYDRA doctors somehow hard wired the prosthetic to Bucky's nervous system, apparently to make the arm more effective as a weapon, so a neurosurgeon with exceptional talent is need to detach and, when the time is right, reconnect the nerves."
Tony tried to maintain the charismatic, easygoing façade, but he was under no illusions to the difficulties the surgery would entail, but he'd be damned if Bucky lost what abilities and dexterity he had now with his arm.
His voice had an edge to it. "This man saved my son's life, more than once, and I only want the best for him."
Both doctors looked horrified and intrigued, by turn as they processed the information, but Tony wasn't quite through.
"Add to that the effects of being in cryofreeze for extended periods of time and what being frozen and thawed repeatedly might have done to his tissues, despite Sergent Barnes' enhanced healing abilities."
Stephen Strange returned his hard look. "Well, I'm always up for a challenge, gentlemen. Do you already have X-rays and scans, Tony? And, Mr. Barnes, when can I examine the shoulder?"
Bucky's face was carefully neutral as he watched Tony, fingers dancing over his keyboard, while he described the specific neurons, synapsis, and pathways highlighted in JARVIS' diagrams to the two doctors. He knew Bucky would have been lost at the terminology if Tony hadn't explained it to him the night before, with JARVIS showing him helpful illustrations. It was important to him that Bucky have all the information he needed or wanted in order to make his choice – something HYDRA had taken from him for so many years.
When they'd removed the arm in the workshop the night before, Tony had instantly seen the muscles along Bucky's shoulders relax. He doubted his friend was entirely comfortable to be without one of his strongest weapons, but he was glad to see the relief Bucky felt. While Tony had knew the arm was a piece of advanced technology, he also knew HYDRA had created it as a weapon, with no thought to how heavy it was or the pain it caused Bucky to wear it.
Tony was pleased that Bucky had taken an interest in the new arm as he crafted it, assisting him in describing what features had been built into the old arm and what he wanted in the new one. Having managed to create any alloy with a blend of the new element, Starkanium, and Adamantium, two of the hardest known metals, Tony was pleased as it was lighter weight but the metal even stronger than whatever his old arm had been made of. Currently, the arm was a pewter gray, but Tony told Bucky they could make it any color he wanted, including flesh tone. At this point, Tony knew Bucky just wanted to be able to hold his children in his arms, which he knew included Harry as much as the younger boys. The Asset claimed his son when Harry was not much older than Seb and even Tony wasn't going to change his mind.
Tony packed away his laptop as Healer Addison nudged Bucky's right arm to alert him that he was the focus of both doctors. He frowned; Bucky seemed have withdrawn into himself as the discussion had continued around him. The last thing Tony wanted to do was to have Bucky feel like he was excluded from what was going on.
"We'd like to examine you, if we could, Mr. Barnes?" The younger doctor asked, his voice held an edge of impatience to it.
Bucky arched an eyebrow at the tone, but nodded as he stood. Glaring at Strange, Tony grabbed his bag as the doctors led the way out of the conference room, a hand on Bucky's arm. Healer Graves followed them, with Graves bringing up the rear, as they moved to a large examination room two floors down. Strange gave Tony a hard look as he entered the room and opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver a scathing rebuke, but Bucky gave him what Tony called his Soldier Death Glare.
"I want Tony to stay."
Barely keeping a smirk off his face, Tony followed Bucky into the room, setting his bag against the wall beside the door. He didn't necessarily worry about Bucky ever reverting to the mindless, automate of his Winter Soldier programming, he also knew this wasn't going to be comfortable. Last thing Tony wanted was for Bucky to have a panic attack and injure the very men who were supposed to help him. Kent had shared a look with Strange but both doctors nodded their assent.
"If you could remove your shirt, Mr. Barnes," Strange directed as Bucky stepped up to the examination table in the middle of the room.
Bucky easily slipped out of the blazer he was wearing and laid it across the foot of the table. Tony stepped in front of him, shielding him from the men's eyes and helped unbutton the dress shirt Bucky had insisted on wearing. Stepping back after giving a reassuring look, Tony grabbed both Bucky's jacket and shirt. Tony stood patiently as Bucky dragged the tee shirt over his head, keeping his hand wound into the cloth of the shirt as he held it on his lap. Looking down, Bucky stared at his hand and Tony knew he was concerned about the doctors' reactions to the scars and the shoulder implant, a feeling Tony was very familiar with.
Tony leaned closer to him, setting his hand on Bucky's right shoulder, as a reminder that he wasn't alone and as a reminder Tony understood how he felt about exposing himself this way.
"Healer Addison, can you make the metal transparent, so we can see the condition of the skin underneath?"
"Of course, Dr. Kent, as long as Sgt. Barnes doesn't mind?"
Bucky inclined his head sharply to indicate his agreement and Tony watched with interest as Addison waved her wand in a spiral with a sharp downward flick. The metal shoulder plate turned transparent and the doctors leaned in close. From his position, Tony could see what looked like a mass of red, ropey scars running along the top of the shoulder, down to what was left of Bucky's natural arm. The mount itself was more intrusive than Tony had thought after studying the scans they had taken in the workshop.
Ignoring the mutters of the two surgeons, Tony tightened his hand slightly as Bucky leaned toward him. He remembered Addison telling them what she'd found out about how HYDRA had replaced the arm, in circumstances as brutal as the conditions under which he'd had open-chest surgery, without anesthetic or care to the pain he was suffering. His nightmares of it still haunted him and Tony had no doubt Bucky had had his fair share of those since the return of his memories.
Tony swallowed hard and turned his attention back to Bucky, checking on his breathing as neither one of them needed to give in to their shared trauma today.
Tony was thankful the doctors kept their exams to x-rays, ultra sounds, and one hands-on exam of Bucky's shoulder. The way Bucky had stiffened, Tony knew it was only the Calming Draught Addison had produced and his presence that kept the man from dropping into a flashback. It was telling to Tony how far Bucky withdrawn into himself when he didn't protest as Tony helped him put his shirt and jacket back on. They left the doctors and healer to discuss the surgery, as Tony put a hand on Bucky's elbow to guide him out of the exam room.
Happy arched an eyebrow as he watched Tony help Bucky into the car, but slid into the car. Pulling into the midafternoon traffic, Tony caught Happy's look in the rearview mirror, but gave a slight shake of his head. Once they were settled, Tony asked JARVIS to put in an order for calzones and the works from his favorite Italian restaurant near Grand Central Station. As they did a slow crawl through traffic, Tony kept a hand on Bucky's forearm and was relieved when the man finally relaxed into the seat.
"We're going to have to come up with a way to put that Calming Draught into an IV for the surgery, Frosty."
Turning his head, Bucky threw him a weak glare. "Well, perfect it then, 'cause you're going to be just as bad when we take that nightlight out of your chest."
Sputtering, Tony splayed a hand over his chest dramatically, drawing a small smile from Bucky. "What—"
"He's right, Boss," Happy piped up. "Gonna have to take that thing out someday."
His old friend's tone held more truth than Tony wanted to deal with at the moment, so he did the adult thing: stuck out his tongue and raised the privacy screen as Happy laughed at him. Bucky gave him a side-eye look before turning slightly in his seat.
"Hey Tony?"
Taking a deep breath to calm any remaining jitters, Tony turned to look at him. Bucky's face had taken on a serious expression.
"Buck?"
The man rubbed his face with his hand, before dragging it through his hair. "Sirius told me about the Godfather ritual he did with Harry when he was born. Could you—would you do the ritual with the boys?"
Tony blinked before meeting his eyes. "I'd be honored, James, if you think it's necessary."
Bucky nodded; his face serious. "Yes, and as soon as possible, please." The blue eyes were imploring. "I need to know that if anything happens, my sons are going to be taken care and, even more important, protected from the assholes who would use them like I was."
"But Steve—" Tony began, but Bucky shook his head hard.
"We don't know when or, even if, we will locate the Valkyrie, Tony. If we do recover him and he's alive, there's nothing to say he'll accept the boys." Bucky looked down. "Children weren't something we ever talked about. Steve didn't want to pass on his medical conditions and I—"
While he'd put two and two together awhile ago, Bucky's voice and infection spoke volumes. "You never thought children were possible, when it was a man you were in love with."
Bucky wasn't even surprised at Tony's comment, just nodded. "Yeah."
Tony reached over and squeezed his knee. "All right, snowflake, we'll do it as soon as we can. I'm sure Arcturus and Sirius know which will be best." He gave Bucky a sly look. "And that means you have to accept those trust funds I set up for Seb and Grant, just like the one Harry has."
Rolling his eyes, Bucky gave him a telling look, but seemed relieved. Tony wasn't sure whether the man was fearful of not finding Steve Rogers or being rejected by him.
"Hey, Buck, tell me about your Steve." Tony leaned toward Bucky, encouragi9ng him to speak.
A soft smile curved Bucky's lips, a faraway look in his eyes. "He was the scrawniest, scrappiest little punk you'd ever meet, Tony. We were just kids when we met, me turning a corner and finding the new kid in school taking a swing at the school bully, who was three times his size. I dragged the kid off of him and sent him on his way, when I turned to Steve, he was wiping blood off his face with his sleeve, one eye almost swollen shut, but he nailed me with the one good eye, that cornflower blue blazing with righteous indignation. 'I had 'em on the ropes!'" Bucky shook his head. "Turns out the bully was terrorizing the little girls on the playground and Steve stepped in; one of them was my own sister, Hannah."
Bucky met Tony's eyes. "We just clicked and were pretty much inseparable after that. Stevie got sick a lot and his ma wasn't always able to stay home with him, so he either slept at my house or I went and slept at his. We always shared a bed, even as we got older – neither of our families had much; we were heading into the Great Depression then. Both are families were lucky – Sarah Rogers was a nurse and made enough to support and feed them, but not enough for the medicine for Steve's frequent illnesses. My da worked any job he could find, and Ma supplemented by washing clothes and being a seamstress. I worked in the neighborhood grocer when I was old enough, stocking shelves, cleaning, and delivering groceries. Even Steve brought money in with his art, either commissions or comics."
Bucky lapsed into silence for a moment, and Tony resisted the urge to fill the gap.
"We shared everything and as we got older, we experimented together." He looked down at where his hand was rubbing along the seam in his trousers. "It was illegal in those days and we never really talked about it, but we both enjoyed it. I would even describe to him what I did with the girls I dated, under the guise of teaching Steve how to be with a woman." He shook his head, eyes glistening.
"After Steve rescued the 107th from Azzano, we managed to share a tent, despite the difference in our ranks." Bucky snorted. "The punk was more than happy to show me everything he'd learned while on the USO tour – those show girls had been excited to further his education!"
Tony couldn't help but laugh with Bucky, the image of Captain America under a pile of dancers easy to imagine. "And Peggy?" he asked softly.
Shaking his head, Bucky gave him a crooked grin. "Scary woman back then, kind of like your Pepper Potts is now. She was the only one who seemed to see the real Steve, before the serum." He met Tony's eyes. "Quite a gal, although I was jealous as hell, and she looked right through me, like I was invisible." Bucky shook his head. "I could easily see she and Steve as a couple, but I'm not sure whether he'd have chosen her over me. Even now, she a force to be reconned with."
Avoiding the landmine Bucky just laid, Tony nodded. "Yeah, Aunt Peggy is quite a woman. Only one I knew who would put Howard in his place when he needed it. Rumor has it that she punched him regularly during the war."
"Yeah, we bonded over punching Howard," Bucky told him with a straight face, failing to hide the mirth in his eyes.
Tony laughed as the car came to a stop and Happy opened the door beside Tony. "Come on, you two, I'm hungry!"
By the time JARVIS let him know Sirius and Rhodey had returned, grim-faced and angry, lunch was eaten, the baby was napping and Harry was reading a book to Seb in his room. Tony took in both men's grimy appearance and the fact they had driven to the penthouse in an unfamiliar van. Getting up, he hurried to the foyer, where he grabbed one of the boxes Rhodey was carrying and pausing to give Sirius a kiss.
"I thought you said there were no problems?" he questioned, looking them over for any wounds.
"There weren't, until we found the hidden bunker underneath a building that shouldn't even be there." Rhodey headed down the stairs toward the workshop. "I don't think you want these in the living room."
Bucky was right behind them as Tony followed the two men. "JARVIS, will you let Jodi and Aunt Peggy know these two have returned."
"Can you send a couple of the house-elves to the van and ask them to bring in the rest of the boxes, please?" Sirius added, setting the two boxes he was levitating on a worktable.
"Of course, Master Sirius."
"How'd Bucky's appointment go?" Sirius asked, head inclining toward Bucky.
"I'm right here, pal," Bucky muttered without even looking their way.
Tony grinned as Sirius rolled his eyes, the evidence of exhaustion in the black circling them.
"Strange is an ass," Tony announced, "though the appointment went well and they should be able to do the surgery soon. We'll have to give the shoulder a chance to heal afterward, but the new shoulder mount will be a million times better than what HYDRA did."
"And the little ones?" Rhodey straightened up, arching his back.
Bucky's whole face lit up. "They are amazing! Although, Seb is having a little trouble with his tummy."
"He's not used to solid foods," Tony interjected, standing back to look at the boxes now littering the worktable and floor. "We just have to be careful what we feed him until his little body gets ajusted to it."
"Bastards!" Sirius spat, dropping down on to the couch. "I think they're worse than the Death Eaters!"
"What is all this?" Aunt Peggy's voice came over his shoulder, making Tony jump.
Grabbing his chest, Tony swung around and glared at the woman, even as she kissed his cheek with a smile. Bucky and Rhodey laughed at the look on his face and Sirius was already asleep on the couch.
"This all came from a secret bunker under what I guess was the original SHIELD offices at Camp Lehigh," Rhodey explained. "Zola somehow loaded his consciousness into a computer system in the bunker in 1972 before he died. These are the data storage units and the main components of the system."
Peggy listened grimly. "I can't believe he was able to do all this and neither Howard or I was aware of his activities!"
Rhodey threw Bucky an apologetic look. "This is just part of it, Director. Zola had a video that he played – doctored up to show-off the Winter Soldier's greatest hits. Unfortunately for him, we weren't impressed, so he trotted out a list of high-ranking HYDRA faithful in other branches of the government. Oh, and videos on their training of Bucky into the Soldier. " He shook his head. "All a ploy to keep us occupied while he sent out an alarm, but, thanks to Sirius, we were able to get out before they found us."
A glance at Bucky's face made Tony want to grimace. "He held a shielding charm until you could get out?" Tony guessed, turning back to throw Rhodey a look.
Rhodey nodded grimly. "Goons in black tactical gear swarmed the building – I think they were actually another of the SHIELD STRIKE teams, Director," he told Peggy, grimacing. "Sirius threw up a strong shield and held it while we got the last of the boxes to the van and got out of there."
"Where'd you find the van?" Jodi asked as she looked around the workshop.
"It was parked on the side of the building." Rhodey wiped his forehead on his sleeve. "I used the device Tony made to short out any tracking devices it might have had."
Jodi nodded. "I'll have one of the Aurors take it to headquarters and sweep it for evidence."
"Thank you, Jodi," Tony jumped into the conversation. "I'm going to take Sirius up to bed so he can get some rest. JARVIS, will you ask Taffy to bring Honeybear a calzone, please?"
"We can work on getting this stuff sorted," Bucky told him, glancing between Rhodey and Peggy.
Tony nodded before concentrating on casting the Levitation Charm and lifting Sirius off the couch. He was able to hold the spell until he'd made it to their bedroom, where he found the duvet already pulled back. As gently as he could, Tony laid Sirius down on the bed, Banished his clothing to the laundry hamper, and covered him up. Pressing a kiss to his partner's forehead, Tony quieting backed out of the room and closed the door.
As he walked back down the hallway, Harry came out of his room, leading Sebastian by the hand. Harry's face lit up when he saw his father.
"Papa! Sebby needs some help!" His son's expression was serious.
Crouching down, Tony took their clasped hands in his. "What seems to be the problem?"
Seb gave him a small smile. "I think I have to go to the bathroom, but it feels different."
Tony stood, lifting a boy in each arm. "Well, why don't we go see what happens?"
He carried both down to the bathroom off the living room, knowing it was closer to his lab in case he needed to call Bucky up. The little boy had been plagued with diarrhea since he'd arrived and they were concerned that HYDRA had damaged his digestive system by keeping Seb on a mostly liquid diet since he was born. The pediatric healer had examined him and told them he would be fine – keep him well hydrated and feed him food with natural fiber. Tony was sure Bucky's eyes rolled as hard as his did.
Setting the boys down, Tony opened the door to the large bathroom and stood back as Harry helped Seb pull down his pants and underwear. He stifled a laugh as Harry chattered on about the book they were reading. Watching as Harry helped Seb onto the child's toilet they'd had installed, Tony reflected back on the changes of the last year. He remembered a time when he would have cringed away from helping any child with their bathroom business, but Harry had cured him of that. His son had only had one brief bout of the flu, something that went through his class last fall, but taking care of a miserable, sick child had cured him of any squeamishness.
"Is it s'pposed to look like that?" Seb asked, voice wavering.
Tony glanced over to see both boys peering into the toilet bowl and stifled a laugh.
"I think so, Seb, that's what mine looks like." Harry looked over at Tony. "Papa, is this okay?"
Working to keep his face straight, Tony leaned over just enough to see normal looking poop in the toilet. "It looks perfect, Seb! Do you need my help to wipe?"
Seb gave him a glare that was pure pre-serum Steve Rogers and Tony couldn't help his grin. Holding up his hands in a sign of surrender, Tony stepped back into the doorway, to supervise as Harry helped Seb finish up and wash their hands.
Their hands were still damp as they each took one of Tony's and he guided them toward the kitchen. Taffy had cantaloupe and jam biscuits waiting for them as Tony lifted Seb onto his stool and Harry climbed up on his own. Just as Tony sat down, Mazzy brought Grant out, his face as grumpy as his papa's got and Tony couldn't resist taking him. A warm bottle appeared at his elbow and Tony popped it into the baby's mouth with a grin.
"There are my boys," Bucky's voice floated over from the direction of the stairs. "I thought I'd have to wake Grant up."
"Mazzy just brought him out," Tony told him, waving him off. "Seb has some news for you."
The little boy's head lifted up from his bowl of fruit, a brilliant grin lighting his face. "Papa! I poop'ded real poop!"
"Well, that's just—wicked cool!" Bucky gave Seb a proud smile. "I think we need to celebrate! Taffy, jam biscuits all around, please!"
Tony snorted and shook his head as Grant grabbed his pinkie finger. How the mighty have fallen! he thought, but he wouldn't change what his life had become in the last year.
Tony stood in the doorway to Harry's room, watching his son sleep peacefully. He couldn't believe it had been just over a year since he'd brought his son home, thin, abused, and scared. They had had a rollercoaster of a year, thankfully more ups than downs, identified threats, survived adversity, and had gained a loving family. And Harry had blossomed and thrived amid the love and acceptance he'd been showered with.
A pair of arms slipped around his waist and a warm body pressed against his back. Sirius had been one of the best things of the past year and, at times, Tony had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Through the years he'd been a notorious playboy, Tony hadn't understood why people settled down, until he learned what it was like to have a strong, loving partner. He grinned as he leaned back into Sirius' warmth.
"Are you done staring creepily at our son?" Sirius whispered in his ear as he nudged Tony down the hallway toward the living room.
"I just can't believe he turns six tomorrow," Tony responded, turning in his partner's arms to give him a thorough kiss.
"Hey, get a room you two!"
Rhodey's voice had Tony lifting his head and shooting his best friend a smirk. His platypus just grinned as he sat on the long couch, arm around Jodi Proudfoot. Pepper and Happy shared an oversized armchair, while Arcturus and Peggy were seated on the small couch. Bucky turned from the window wall, a wide-awake Grant bouncing in his arms and Tony grinned as the fading sunset gleamed off the black metal of his new prosthetic arm.
"His teeth bothering him again?" Tony asked as Grant gnawed on a frozen teething ring.
"Yeah—" Bucky was interrupted by his son patting his cheek with a drool-covered hand.
"Pa!" Grant squealed and then planted a wet kiss on Bucky's stubbled cheek.
"Yes, Grant, we all know you are here," Bucky gave the baby a longsuffering look. "You are supposed to be asleep."
Grant wiggled to get down and Bucky rolled his eyes as he bent down, settling him on his bottom. Without a pause, Grant was crawling across the room and pulling himself up on Tony pants, one hand still gripping the soggy chew toy.
"Ta! Up!"
Grabbing the baby under the arms, Tony threw him gently in the air and caught him. He pressed a kiss to his godson's cheek and cuddled Grant to his chest. They had performed the godparent ritual for both boys on the Summer Solstice, cementing their bond and easing Bucky's anxiety as they prepared for his surgery. Both the ritual and the surgery had gone amazingly well. After the old shoulder mount HYDRA force on him had been removed, had been the first time in fifty years Bucky hadn't been in pain. The implantation of the new Starkanium mount had gone smoothly and integrated with the new arm without any discomfort.
"How's the arm doing?" Tony asked Bucky quietly as the man moved to stand beside he and Sirius.
"Pain free," Bucky told him with a smile. "I know it's only been a week, but it feels like my natural arm."
"Of course it does," Tony smirked as he rocked Grant side to side.
Bucky reached over and ruffled Tony's hair, which he thought was very unfair as the baby occupying his arms sighed and relaxed against his chest.
"You're just jealous of my ability to put the baby to sleep," Tony huffed, still rocking.
"I don't know about that, Tones, you've been lulling me to sleep since you were fourteen!" Rhodey quipped.
Turning toward the bedrooms, Tony threw a pout over his shoulder. "You wound me, platypus!"
Bucky was right behind him as he stepped into the bedroom, Seb sound asleep in the king-size bed. Grant's crib was set against the wall furthest away from the window wall, and, while Tony was delighted that Harry wanted to celebrate his birthday in Malibu, it did leave them short on bedrooms. Laying Grant down, Tony stepped aside so his papa could settle him on his back. Seb stirred but settled down after a minute and Tony couldn't believe how much both boys had improved over the past six weeks. Particularly Sev, who was very bright and absorbed information like a sponge, similar to Harry.
When Bucky joined him in the hallway, they walked together toward the living room, Tony shooting Bucky a smirk.
"I don't know whether you heard him or not, but Seb was reading a story to Harry on the plane." He was proud of the little guy.
Bucky grinned and nodded. "Remus says he's already reading at a first grade level!"
"And Grant should be walking within a week or so," Tony predicted as they walked down the stairs to the living room.
"Lily was beside herself when Harry walked at six months," Sirius laughed as Tony threw himself down on the sofa next to him, slipping his arm around Tony's waist. "Said it ran in her mother's side of the family."
"All my grandbabies asleep?" Arcturus asked with a smile, a brandy glass in his hand.
The usually staid Lord Black had been a surprise when he met the boys, much like he doted on Harry, he'd embraced Seb and Grant completely. Even after Sirius had told him Bucky was distantly related to the family, the first time Seb, following Harry's lead, had called him Grandpa, the look on the man's face had been priceless. Peggy, Pepper, and Jodi had become aunties and Rhodey, Sirius, and a reluctant Happy were uncles. Tony had become Ta, thanks to Grant.
Bucky sat down between the two couples with a sigh, calling a thanks to Taffy when a beer appeared on the low table in front of him. Everyone had their drink of choice; Tony had a finger of top-shelf scotch in hand. He'd cut way back on his alcohol intake since bringing Harry home and had no desire to start up again.
"Any word from the search team?" Bucky asked quietly, rolling the bottle between his palms
Tony took a small sip from his glass, appreciating the burn as he swallowed. "The last storm battered them a bit, but according to the captain, they have refueled, resupplied, and are still on schedule to be in the area we think the Valkyrie went down in by mid-August."
"Well, its optimistic news, at least," Bucky muttered before taking another swig of his beer. "Everything ready for tomorrow?"
"Yes, except—" Sirius paused and exchanged a glance with Tony.
"What?" Bucky asked, frowning at the two of them.
Tony cleared his throat. "Well, apparently, Harry has decided he wants to give the presents this birthday."
"What does that mean?" Pepper interjected, a glass or red wine halfway to her lips.
"He decided he wanted his god-brothers to have presents to open, instead of him getting all of them."
"He's one hell of a kid," Rhodey threw in with a smile. "I've never seen someone who loves so hard."
Nodding his agreement, Tony watched the expressions play over Bucky's face. The man had taken to fatherhood well, especially considering the circumstances, but had insisted on paying for every expense – something Tony wasn't used to. Bucky, in turn, stared him into submission, when he argued that he had his back pay from the Army which meant he could afford to support his own children. Sirius and Rhodey both had agreed with the terms, out voting Tony, as long as Bucky agreed to take a paycheck from SI for being Harry's primary protector and continue to live with them.
Tony was more than relieved when Bucky agreed.
"He was being stubborn about it, wasn't he?" Bucky sighed.
"Exceptionally," Sirius answered. "We were able to keep it to a small toy for each of them and a couple of matching outfits."
"They are cute and all the boys will look adorable in them," Pepper answered, while Tony made a face.
Bucky laughed. "At least Harry was smart enough to ask someone with taste to help him pick them out!"
"To Harry," Arcturus intoned, "an uncommonly wonderful little boy."
Tony's chest felt tight as he lifted his glass to his son, acknowledging the toast even as he wished Lily and James could have been here. Sirius' arm tightened around his waist and Tony leaned into him as he sipped the scotch. His eyes fell on Peggy who gave him a smile, her eyes sparkling with intelligence as Rhodey leaned toward her with a question. He was thankful she had followed Arcturus' suggestion and had a healer examine her after she'd taken a curse on one of her covert SHIELD operations to weed out HYDRA sympathizers. The healer had called in Addison, who had diagnosed her with the early stages of Alzheimer's, early enough to treat with a potion regiment of Regenerative Elixir and Wit Sharpening Potion.
Everyone was staying over at the house and began drifting to bed shortly after their drinks were done. Tony stifled a yawn as he and Sirius were the last two heading for the stairs. Tony had always loved having sex at any opportunity; the physical release had the ability to slow the whirling thoughts in his mind. However, he'd discovered there was something infinitely more pleasurable and satisfying in sleeping, wrapped in his partner's arms, loved and safe. He'd never been with anyone who could calm his sometimes manic nature with a touch.
Harry woke them up the next morning by bouncing up and down on the bed, Seb standing in the doorway looking like he doubted his self-proclaimed brother's sanity. Tony tackled his son and began to kiss him all over his face. Sirius groaned and then yelped as Tony fell back against him, with Harry sprawled over his chest. The sight of Seb, clad in his blue pajamas, hair sticking out every direction, giggling behind his hands as he watched, melted Tony's heart. He wrapped his arms around his son and stood up, stepping over to plant a kiss on the top of Seb's head.
"Let's go wake your papa up, Sebby," he whispered conspiratorially, Harry still laughing in his arms.
Tiptoeing down the hallway, Tony eased the door open to Bucky's room and grinned at the exaggerated snore from the bed he heard from the bed. Made sense that Bucky would have heard the commotion. Setting Harry down, he lined the two boys up and silently urged them forward with a tiny push forward. Grant pulled himself up to stand against the crib rails and watched, Tony scooped him up as the boys crawled all over Bucky.
"Papa! Get up! It's Harry's day!"
"Uncle Bucky! It's my birthday! We gets waffles for breakfast!"
Reaching down, Tony patted one of Bucky's feet as the two children smothered him with kisses. He headed back to his bedroom where Sirius was sitting on the edge of the bed, blinking sleep from his eyes, and plopped the baby in his lap, before going into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, Tony, dressed and hair brushed, carried Grant down to the kitchen. Pepper got up immediately and stole the baby from him, which Tony thought was rude, until a mug of coffee popped up next to him.
"Taffy, you are the best!"
A plate of waffles and bacon appeared next, just as a rumple Bucky walked down the stairs, a boy under each arm. Sirius followed him with a grin, taking Harry from him as they hit the bottom. While Tony ate, he watched his son passed around to everyone for a birthday hug and kiss, before he was settled into the chair beside Tony.
"Eat up, Tesoro, we have a busy day ahead of us!"
The planned beach party had to be relocated to the pool due to high winds, and the house-elves creating a large sandbox in the garden for the kids to play in. Harry's classmates arrived in time for lunch on the deck and a couple hours playing in the pool. Remus and his wife, Sonya, along with Robert Graves and Maggie Garcia joined them for cake and presents. Seb had to be coaxed to open his presents, but ripped into them when Harry showed him the proper technique. Grant was much more interested in eating the wrapping paper, Bucky gently tugged it away from him, and encouraged the other kids there to help the baby open his gifts.
Harry was much more relaxed about opening his presents, sitting beside the couple who gave him the gift as he opened it, more so he could give them hugs and thanks immediately, Tony figured out. He had limited the gifts for Harry to one per couple, not wanting him overwhelmed like he'd been at Christmas. His son happily shared his new toys with his friends, even after Malcom had accidentally broken one of his new action figures. A flick Sirius' wand had repaired the arm.
When it came time for the others to leave, Harry had hugged and thanked each of them again, before giving each of them a gift bag to take home. He'd even put one together for Seb, so he didn't feel left out. Rhodey manned the grill with Bucky helping, making cheeseburgers for dinner on the deck. By the time the sun set, Harry was fast asleep in Tony's arms, Seb sleeping in Bucky's, and Grant already in bed. The boys had requested a sleepover, so Tony led the way to Harry's room, where he tucked the now six-year-old in. Bucky settled Seb beside him, kissing both of their forehead, before following Tony out.
A hand wrapped around his elbow as Tony turned toward the stairs. Looking back, he gave Bucky a questioning look.
"I just wanted to thank you again, Tony, for accepting me and then the boys, for all you've given us, and the—"
"James," Tony interrupted him, his face serious. "You were tortured, brainwashed, and abused for so many years, yet you broke through that conditioning in order to save a tiny, abused child. And stepping in front of a bullet for the same kid – that tells me what kind of a man you are." Tony grinned at him. "And Harry has adopted you, so you are stuck with us now! End of conversation!"
Tony squawked when Bucky pulled him into a tight hug and all he could do was pat the man on the back. "Uh, okay, Buckaroo. I adore you, too, but I was hoping to go down and make out with my boyfriend in the moonlight for a while."
Bucky snorted but let him go and stepped back. "Thanks, Tony. I think I'll just go to bed and leave the moonlight to you and Sirius."
Tony waved him off and went in search of Sirius, hoping everyone else had already gone to bed.