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Nesreen and Tony
Tony adjusted the holographic video screen as a woman around her early forties eyes suspiciously amber eyes narrowing in on him. “I’m telling mom you are not sleeping, Anthony.” Her Sicilian accent thick as ever while she adjusted her glasses. The woman moved her braids behind her seeing as the dawn of horror covers Tony’s face.
“I am hero… you think that threat wouldn’t work but it works surprisingly well.” He eloquently spoke trying to school his fear into something nonchalance but missing by a mile. He hated that threat, for as long as he knew her, he knows she will make do with that threat. “See here your fibber, I was working on a project and deadlines that need completion. Ask Friday!”
The woman just grinned cheekily, warm cheeks warming at his palpable fear. “Oh Tony, Friday told me you were avoiding sleep like the plague. Now talk to your baby sister yeah?”
All Tony could do was scowl at her as her grinning became cheekier and smugger. Eying the cameras in his workspace he waved his finger at the camera disapprovingly, “Fri, sweetie, you are banned from speaking with my sister on my sleep problems.” He only realized his mistake once the sentence left his mouth. Biting down on a groan he turned back to the holo-screen. “NOT, that I have one, just a preemptive thing, you know.” He forced a wobble of a smile at the woman.
“Sorry boss but I have the main directive to see your health is taken into account.”
“Mhm, right. Not that you have one big brother, but I hardly believe you with the slouch in your shoulders, and the lie on spine.” She smiles more though concern read over her as Tony adjusted himself to sit up more and a look of wakefulness takes over. She always worried about him after a decently terrifying stay in the hospital. She and their whole family is proud of him for making a change and becoming more but the worry is always there. The fear that he won’t come back someday makes it all more nerve-wracking.
The tightness around her shoulders and eyes showed the worry she had for him and his hero lifestyle. The short male frowned feeling the bubbling of guilt and ache, “Nesreen, Nes I am sorry. Honestly, I have not been sleeping. It is for the weak and for evil creatures to plague my wonderfully smart mind.”
“I don’t… I don’t even know if you are making a joke or not. Christ Tony.” She huffed out a laugh with a weak smile. Rubbing her forehead, she looked at her older sibling fondly. “Alright, should I let you tell momma or you tell momma that you are not sleeping well?”
“Have her fly out here with bags of food, teas, and covers?!” He took a moment to think it over. Having to be babied by his mom seems to be less than ideal but being babied by their mom is an excellent way to spend time with her and get spoiled. He has priorities and those get trumped by desires of affection and a mother’s love. “That does not seem so bad… that is beside the point, I can fly out there anyhow. Momma should not have too.”
“I am not hearing a no though.” Nesreen could only smirk at him.
“No, no you are not hearing a no. Alright, I will talk to Pepper about scheduling some meetings, so I have a couple of days with you guys.” Despite feigning exasperation or trying to at least. A megawatt genuine smile spread across his cheeks. It is always a nice way to relax, unwind and spend it with family. He remembers when he brought Rhodey out to Sicily. They were going to stay in Italy, but his mom refused to let him waste money to stay in unhomely hotel. Suffice to say, he and Rhodey had a pleasant time staying at his mother’s home. His sister lived with their mom, and their younger brother stays several miles from their mom and sister. Their Uncle Azan lived in Italy however, but he makes frequent trips to visit their family. The warm memory of his cousins hugging and kissing on his cheeks brought tears to his eyes. “I missed you all.” He sniffed trying to fight back his tears.
“We miss you too Anthony. Now, are you bring Mr. Rhodes?”
“Ew! It is Rhodey or brother’s platypus! Scoundrel, fiend. Mr. Rhodes.” A haughty sniff came from Tony as he turned away from her with a crossing of his arms. “You disgust me.” It may come out as a hiss but the playful glint and warm love he felt for his little sister can not hide. Especially when she snorted into a giggle while covering her face. “To answer your hurtful and barbaric question, yes, yes I am bringing my gumdrop honey bear the first.”
“Tony, that does not work like that and you know it, Mr. Genius.” The tone of the comment came off less heated than her older brother’s, but the same glint of playfulness was there.
Tony flapped a hand at her smirking, “Yeah, yeah, I am not a linguist that is Miceli.”
The siblings stared at each other for a long time after that comment. One snort, another snort, then giggles and wheezes wracked up from both ends of the call. They chatted for a little longer before ending the call. Tony stay there for a bit longer staring at the project covered walls. He pushed a screwdriver around until it swirled counterclockwise before falling off the workbench. He watched as Dum-E zoomed by to pick up the screwdriver. The tug of a smile pulled on his face as he took it from the bot. Nodding, he thanks, he couldn’t wait to see his Sicilian family.
Mecili and Tony
Phone calls were not his favorite, ask anyone. Ask Pepper, CEO or not, he begs her to take half of the phone calls that deal with boring tasks. Ask Rhodes, who helps takes several of the accords members calls. He finished them. He got them revised to decent standards, it got the signatures from those who had outwardly refused to sign them. Those said refusers are back on homegrown soil… never mind he is getting off track, that is all water under the bridge. Bygone, be gone, so forth on sayings of the passing of resentment and shit like that. The point is he hates, hates phone calls! Unless, unless it from his family.
Living in New York and them in Sicily makes seeing them rather difficult. He wouldn’t call it tedious, seeing them is never tedious. It is difficult because he is a hero, the head of projects for his company, and a partial benefactor for the said hero team he works with. Nosey assholes, but a team none the less. That being said, he loves getting phone calls from them because he can speak with them. It is like talking to Happy, Pep, and Rhodey. Even the kids on occasion.
Tony smiled at the incoming phone call as he made a sweeping gesture to have the holo-screen digitalize to show the call. This one is one of his favorites because it is from his baby brother Mecili. Mecili, being the last born and baby of the three, meant he got teased a lot. A whole lot. Not to say teasing isn’t done by him. He savors having Mecili as an (at a four-year age difference) little brother because it meant he can feel the pain that Rhodes has done to him during their time in MIT. Sibling pain type stuff, noogies, tickles, and general good teasing. He also loves Mecili because despite being the youngest, he is also very open and honest. He can read between the lines. He knows his little brother got that knack from their momma. Lucky. Tony knows he is inept when it comes to feelings and emotions. He is like rock or a snail, slow on the uptake for emotions. Shaking his head, he watched as the phone call changed to video.
“Brother, Anthony, Antonio, Tony Tones! Hi!” A male with tightly curled hair greeted excitedly.
Right there is another reason why he adores Mecili being in his life too, he is so fucking bubbly and happy. It is almost infectious. He is still trying figure out how to harness all that bubbliness into a damn bottle and sell to anyone who needs a dose of happiness. Smile becoming more affectionate and softer he greeted, “Hey Bubble boy.”
“Oh, boo on you Tonio. You and your atrocious nicknames.” Mecili chestnut brown eyes scowled at him, resting his arms on a desk. There is books and papers littered around him, pens scattered waiting to be eaten by the nether. He looked tired just like Tony probably does. They are both going to get an earful from their momma. If he dies, he is happy to know Mecili will follow shortly.
Shrugging Tony leaned back in his chair a grin splitting his face, “I have the best nicknames. I am a nickname connoisseur, a measure of knowledge in the world of nicknames. Give me anything I can nickname like a master.” The challenge laid down by Tony and as ritualistic as their calls can go, he knows his brothers like a good game involving words. He is a linguist for a reason!
“Anything?” Tony should be worried by the glint in his eyes, but he is not backing down to his little brother. Not in this lifetime.
“Anything.” Accepting that limitation or unimitated rule.
Mecili smiles turned downright cunning with a hint of evil, “Sex.”
Oh, that is a hard one. He can’t go with the normal nicknames, everyone says those. This sneak. Tony thought for a minute until he saw his brother tapping his watch with a smirk painting his dark-skinned complexion. “Shuffle ruffle.”
“Lame!” The curly-haired man on the screen howled in laughter covering his face. “Try again!”
“Oh, come off it Meci, that was good. Highly PG and you can add a spin to it.” Tony tried to stay serious, he really did but the laughter from Mecili just made him wheeze into his own ugly laughter. They went back and forth about nicknames for sex, the classics to the downright strange ones. They both agreed to say Bam Bam is disturbing and not like to turn anyone on. It was settled that Shuffle Ruffle was not as bad as Bam Bam at least by their own standards.
They talked about what Tony, his, their sister, and Rhodey would be doing once they were out there. It was also after their mom wrestled them into bed. Two out four kids who refuse sleep as children make for interesting tactics used by their mother. There was the bay, boating, creating new words to officiate, making a robot to say those words, giving the robot therapy once it realized what those words meant. They would also do karaoke, dance, cook, and lounge with their mother. Stay up late, recounting their stories they made in the stars. It soothed the anxiety that built up when it came to space. It settle the anxiety when he heard stories about the sea and water. Settle completely, never going to happen, but settle it enough to enjoy it with his family members. The ache in his chest that comes from the metal, the guilt, the sorrow, the remorse also had remnants of longing, desire, and wants. He would be a little envious of his siblings because they had their mom for their whole lives and Howard… took him from that life until he died. His auntie Maria, he called her mom before realizing the lies that were spun to him. He was only 2. He remembers making stuff, little tinker toys at that age but nothing else. Blurs really. He forced up to Howards because of his brain, his intellect. He knows his face is clouding over with distant thoughts, sad intrusive thoughts, but he can’t help to think what if.
Mecili stops, smile falling by inches. He sighed at his older brother. Tony confided to him, their sister, brother Rhodey, their uncle, and their mother about how wanted what they have. There were tears, shouting, apologies. Hugs, family dinner, and short family videos of Tony, him, and Nesreen baby lives. The videos of Tony growing were sparse and few in-between.
Limited viewing of how Tony grew up. The stark, pun not intended, the difference of two-year-old Tony to a 4-year-old trained smiling Tony. It was the only time he heard his mother curse with such fury, such disgust, and pure hate to one man that helped conceived Tony. Nesreen voted to make a time machine to punch Tony’s father in the face and shake their aunt Maria out of her glassy-eyed gaze. Clearing his throat, he saw the snap of attention he got from his big brother.
“It is not your fault. You and mom have a guilt complex that can grow to the size of the moon. It is not your fault though. It was not our mom’s fault. We made up for it. We wanted you jackass or not. You spent years with Aunt Maria in her drug haze and that diablo while barely remembering momma. It sucks. It really sucks. Tony, Tonio, big brother, you are here now. I love you. Sis loves you. Cousins love ya stupid snail emotional ass.” A snort sounded off followed by a sniffle. “Uncle Azan loves you. Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, your real and robot kids love you. Momma loves you. With all her heart. You are her little Flare.”
Sniffling, the short curly hair male had his face hidden in an armor's gauntlet. The tremors shook through his body and his voice came out strained with a rasp. “So many feelings. I can’t handle it. Stop before I die please.” He begged weakly but his cheeks redden, eyes wet with tears and a grateful smile played on his face. Callused hands wiped away drying tear lines as he tacked on. “But…ah I... I love you all too.”
Resounding chirps, whistles, and beeps with Friday's voice replied the same. Mecili just blew a playful kiss grinning. He removed his own set of tears streaks and tears left behind. “See ya in a couple of weeks?”
“Yes. See you all soon.” The call ended with the brother smiling at each other. He told Friday to get the robot kids' straps and portal charging stations set up and to have her preferred device also selected so she can travel in as well.
Rhodey and Tony
He felt a judgmental stare burning into his back as he tries to hunch in on himself. He knows that stare. It is different from Pepper, Happy, and even Friday. He knows this stare since his college days. This burning I am going to smack the shit out of you stare. Turning his head slightly he watches as the colonel crosses his strong arms over his chest. Despite the braces, he is tapping his foot just like their mothers have done to them. Oh god. That stare should be patented down as the mom stare of doom. His own momma nailed him down with that stare and it put the fear of gods into his little broken heart. “HONEY BEAR HEEEEYYY!”
Finger and thumb pinching the bridge of his nose, Rhodey sighed in despair. “Jesus Christ on a hand bike, Anthony Edward Stark-Carbonell-Daw, what did you do?” He continued on without letting his little brother speak, “I come down here seeing the metal arm super soldier leaving food by the door. I mean thank whatever entity out there he had the gall to look ashamed and shy. He literally booked it out like the devil was hot his heels.” Rhodey finished up eying the genius billionaire with suspicion.
Swallowing down a nervous lump, he shrugged, “I don’t know what Barnes wants. I mean most of the time it is food. Other times it is a blanket. Nothing laced with poison either. Friday checked.” He grinned a little despite feeling the force behind it. Seeing the suspicious judgment still resting on the taller black male face, Tony sighed. “I think… it is a guilt complex thing or something. I don’t know.”
“Or it is because you called him Snow,” Rhodey added to the small list of reasons why the metal armed male is leaving gifts. He knows that is the most likely reason because of the way the conference room cameras picked up on Barnes’s blush when the word Snow is mentioned. Rhodey knows his little brother throws nicknames out to his loved ones and friends but last he checked he was Cap’s buddy, not Tony’s buddy. He feels like something got lost somewhere. He worries because of the almost year ago incident. He calls it the incident because it keeps the memories at least at bay.
When Tony added nothing new to that third item on the list of reasons Rhodey knows this been going on for a hot minute. “Friday how long has this gift and food leaving been happening?”
Friday hesitated, lying to Rhodey for was difficult and against her protocols to a standard, “Since boss’s health has been in a decent incline. Besides the lack of sleep.”
“Hey!”
Both ignored the offended and betrayed hey from the man in question. The colonel rubbed his temples in growing bothersome. Super soldiers and their stalkerish tendencies. “Right, I can’t tell you what to do because you are grown ass man Tones, but I will have your back. For whatever reason he is doing this, I am going to have your back.”
“I appreciate it. I mean it is weird, but I haven’t had the heart to stop him. I should talk to him sooner than, later right?” Tony replied wistfully looking at the elder male. He knows he should, at least that way it’ll put the pilot of war machine at ease. That was until he heard a disparaging oh no. “What did I do now?”
“Don’t get kitty huff puff with Tony.” He wagged the finger at the shorter male. “You have a crush on him or at least interest in him!”
“Bah! No!”
“You do!”
“Do not!”
“Do t—” He paused scowling at the coy grin on Tony’s face. “I am not doing that game man.” Despite the heaviness of this conversation Rhodey couldn’t help but smile. He loves this dumbass despite some of his hair-brained schemes.
“Aw, I love the game though. It like mine and Mecili word game or even Nes and I staring contest.” He grinned more resting an elbow on the workbench table resting his chin in hand. “The games are fun.”
“You are little shit.” Rhodey walked over finally to the couch resting his legs and back. “A grade little shit and I thought it was Nesreen.”
“She is a subtle dear platypus. Sneaky Nes is her new name.” Tony smiled grabbing the soldering tool and a piece of machinery.
“I’m telling mom you have a crush.”
“Rhodey no!”
All Three to Each Other
Three siblings of Tony Stark or Daw or Carbonell depends who you asked are in a private video chat. The trip is in couple of days. Plans are set, momma is getting everything ready with an exciting flourish. They are here talking about their lovable smart asshole brother and undercurrent things, namely a crush forming on one metal armed super-soldier.
“I do not approve!” Nesreen spoke with a stern approach arms crossed defiantly across her chest.
Mecili sighed rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. “I mean… we figured that Tony liked them bad-boy types.”
“Yeah, do we all do not remember one Tiberius Stone?”
An agreed two voices murmured about that one. The three of them talked a lot with Tony about his time growing up in a completely different world. That world brought many goods, but many bad moments were there.
Nesreen piped up adjusting her glasses and throwing her hair up in a ponytail, “I will be absolutely positive, I know Barnes is not at fault but is he good to even think about dating?”
“I don’t know. I hardly talk to the guy outside of missions.” Rhodey spoke truthfully. He grabbed a slice of apples by his wrist to bite into one. “I mostly see him though around either Roger or Sam.”
“Right.” Mecili chimed in. “I figured, familiarity and safety. You are saying though, that Barnes started sniffing around after the Nickname was given?” He gotten a solemn nod. Biting his lip, Mecili scratched at his stubble. “Alright, I guess we are supportive of whatever this is. Despite how we may feel, we know what he went through. What happened. We can’t judge, sometimes one hands can become tied.”
Nesreen frowned but brows knitted together knowing what he was referring to and by a similar look on Rhodes's face, he knows this too. Both looked at each other then nodded in understanding. “Fine.” They answered simultaneously.
The woman in the video call pushed a loose braid back, “If he hurts my brother again! I am slitting his throat with a letter opener.” Nesreen stern anger simmered down into worried concern. Logically, she and the males know she wouldn’t. Physically that is not really possible and two she helps people more than she hurts people. “I want Tony to be safe and happy. I’m nervous is all if they somehow become more and something stupid happens.”
“Like I said,” Mecili soothed his big sister gently, “We be supportive. Relationships work better with support. If it doesn’t work out either, we catch Tony in the fall.”
Rhodey nodded in agreeance to Mecili words. “Then we kick Barnes’s ass.” He jokingly added, though, to outsiders listening in, it may not seem like a joke. The soft chuckles received from the other two made him chuckle as well. “Hey, at least we got something to tease him about when we are out there.”
“Oh, you are right!” Nesreen grinned excitedly about these implications.
“Yes, I didn’t know even realize that either!” The youngest of the three grinned merrily at the fun to be had. “Give Tonio our love Rhodey.”
“Yeah, tell Antonio, Nes loves him like a spark loves logs.”
Laughing the tall male nodded ending the three-video call. He slid open his phone to send a quick reply to the billionaire philanthropist.
‘Siblings and I send our <3 like a spark loves logs.’
The quick text sent back said “Hearts are gross. But I will take love.”
Rhodey laughed gently shaking his head fondly.