Chapter Text
Tony wasn't referred to as a genius for nothing, he knew Ms. Romanov had some agenda against him, so when everything changed, he took notice. His secretary was no longer asking people about his personality or about his treatment of his employees. Now she was asking people if they’d seen him eating or drinking enough water, she was bringing him lunch after a long stint in R&D. It was frustrating. Tony couldn't think of anything that could have changed her opinion of him so drastically or so fast. Her snooping had completely stopped.
Tony had been in his personal lab for- however long he’d been there, he wasn't exactly keeping track- he was changing the song when he heard a well paced knock against the frosted glass door.
“Come in,” Tony announced, expecting it to be Pepper or Peter.
“Tony, are you aware that you have been in this lab for not one, not two, but three days?” Natasha Romanov asked as she walked into the lab with a steaming Tupperware box in hand.
“You can tell Pepper that once I’m finished updating the tower’s mainframe, I will come back to the normal living world,” he says waving dismissively after nodding.
“You won't be able to do that if you die from malnutrition,” She says with a smirk, sitting the box and a water bottle down on his desk.
Tony rolled his eyes at the obvious teasing and opened the box, revealing a thick fragrant fettuccine alfredo. Tony looked over at Natasha with a surprised expression before using the plastic fork provided to try the food.
“Did you make this?” Tony asked after groaning from the delicious taste. It’d been a fairly long time since Tony had a well cooked homemade meal.
“A friend did,” Natasha said cryptically, shaking her head as her smirk turned into a grin.
“Who’s your friend? I will pay them for more of this.”
“I can introduce you this weekend if your mainframe update is finished by then.”
“Done, block it out in my calendar.”
“Of course Mr. Stark.”
“You and Pep need to stop talking,” He comments quietly at the teasing name.
“Don't forget, Saturday, 3:30,” Natasha said before making her way out of his personal lab and back to her own desk.
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Saturday came for the billionaire almost too soon. His mood had quickly deteriorated from the calm he’d experienced in his lab. Tony couldn't figure out what was causing his mood this time, he hadn't had any nightmares he didn't already experience on a nightly basis, he wasn't under any new stress, and he'd actually been feeling kinda good recently. So why was he suddenly feeling like a garbage dump and on the day that Natasha wanted him to meet a friend of hers no less.
Walking into the bar, Tony wasn't sure if Natasha knew he had a tenuous relationship with alcohol. He was apprehensive about their meeting place. Surprisingly the bar was warm, open, and inviting. There was no smokey haze that Stark had come to associate with most bars, it was uncrowded, and seemed to mostly cater to regulars, it was far from the usual party scene he'd come to know. Low rock music played on a fairly old sound system, there was an empty stage that sat quiet in the corner of the main room, a light thin layer of dust covering the lonely equipment. The edges of the wide bar were lined with booths, but to get to them you had to navigate through a sea of pool tables and cheesy arcade machines. The bar itself was sleek black and crammed with tattered stools about two feet apart along the outside. A dusty American flag hung by a backdoor that said Employees Only .
Tony had to admit, the bar was homey.
Tony was standing in the middle of the main room, surveying the area and feeling only mildly uncomfortable, when he heard Natasha’s voice.
“Tony, over here,” The auburn haired veteran called out to her boss in a friendly tone.
“Ms. Romanov,” Tony says in response and traverses the pool tables to find his way over to the booth she and another were sat at.
“You know you can call me Natasha. You remember Clint right? He was my plus one at the gala,” She smiles gesturing to her companion.
Clint says hello through a mouthful of greasy onion rings which earns a glare from Nat and a snorting laugh from Tony.
“I do remember.” Tony nods with a light smile.
“Do you want soda or water?” Natasha asks as she walks over to the bar, her shoulder length hair bouncing with her steps.
“Pepsi if they have it,” Tony responded, thankful that she didn't offer any alcoholic beverage.
“Natty can you grab me a bud?” Clint calls out from the booth.
“Get off your lazy ass and get it yourself,” Natasha calls back immediately.
Tony smiles softly at the obvious closeness between the two, Natasha came back to the booth with a beer for Clint and a cup of iced pepsi for Tony.
Tony awkwardly takes a seat across from the two.
“My friend who made you the pasta is on his way, I’m sure you two can gush about his culinary gifts when he actually gets here,” Natasha said with an amused smile.
“Oh don't worry we will,” Tony laughed.
The three acquaintances talked for another ten minutes about absolutely nothing before they decided to move their gathering to one of the many pool tables in the venue.
“You're kidding right? The Tony Stark has never played pool? I thought you partied in college?” Clint asked, completely blown away by the news.
“The partying I did in college didn’t involve a whole lot of cognitive function, It was mostly drugs, drinking, sex, and a lot of terrible dancing,” Tony said with a shrug as he aimed the pool cue, “How hard can this game be anyway its all geometry and physics.” Tony completely missed his shot and stood watching the table with pursed eyebrows and a frown, “Huh.”
“There's too many variables to account for if you try thinking like that.”
Tony froze at the familiar voice of Bucky Barnes.
“How so?” Tony asks tentatively.
“Well, you’d have to account for the fact that some of these pool balls are cheap as shit or old as dirt so they're not perfectly round and they have chips in them, the felt is pretty torn on this table, and we’re on a slant so you have to give a bit more pressure when hitting off,” Bucky spoke as he walked up to Tony, taking the pool stick from him and expertly landing two of Tony’s pool balls.
Tony watched Bucky work with a close eye and a pinched expression. The billionaire glanced away from the table, chanced a look at Bucky, meeting the veterans sky blue eyes with his own brown ones.
“It’s been a while Stark,” Bucky says plainly.
Tony looked over to see Natasha and Clint stalking away to the booth silently, everything clicked in Tony's head seeing his secretary turned friend give him a small smile from her seat.
“If I’d known that Natasha was doing this I wouldn't have come I swear, I’m not trying to get in your way or make unnecessary drama between anyone, I’ll go, you enjoy your night, It was inappropriate for me to come here anyway,” Tony rushed through his words suddenly feeling the need to be at a barstool and knowing he wont be able to say no if he stays too long.
“Wait Tony-” Bucky started but Tony was already halfway across the floor fast walking towards the door.
Bucky sighed in relief seeing his boyfriend Steve come through the door at the exact perfect time.
“Tony,” Steve said with a surprised expression.
“I wasn't trying anything, I swear, I was just leaving. I didn't know this was one of your hangouts. Excuse me,” Tony rambles and tries to walk around the blond.
“Wh- I- Hold up, Tony, Wait,” Steve stumbles putting his hand up, “Can we talk before you disappear again?” Steve asked hopefully.
“I-,” He looks behind him glancing towards a startled looking Natasha and Clint and the blank expression on Bucky's face.
“Please Tony?”
“I don't think He’d be okay with that,” Tony said, gesturing to Barnes.
“Ignore that dumbass he’s playing hard to get,” Steve attempts to joke before correcting himself, “Buck is just hurt, neither of us thought that you'd willingly come to meet us and by your reaction I think it's safe to assume that it wasn't a willing meeting,” Steve says with a sigh sending a glare towards Nat and Clint.
“You wanted to meet with me? I didn't think you’d want anything to do with me after last time,” Tony said with a proper amount of misery.
“That's what we thought about you,” Steve said with a small hidden smile laced with grief.
“Oh,” Tony blinked sensibly.
“Do you wanna sit down or continue your game of pool? I’ll warn you, Bucky and I are both pretty good.”
“Yeah sure.”
“Which one?” Bucky asks with an amused smile to his rugged face causing Tony to give a small laugh at himself. Bucky stood leaning on the pool stick, getting chalk all over his hand.
“I’m not very good at pool,” He says objectively.
“Tony Stark admitting defeat?” Bucky asked teasingly, an incredulous expression pulling up his bushy eyebrows.
“Never.” Tony stands up a bit straighter under the veterans’ twin piercing gaze with a smirk that would make Rhodey proud if he were there.
“Okay but don't say we didn't warn ya,” Bucky shrugged.
“Bring it on robocop,” Tony easily shot back.
The three quickly began their round of pool, Steve and Bucky trading off every other shot, which over one wasn't currently shooting ended up helping Tony. Natasha sighed in relief watching the three ease into familiarities.