Avengers Polycule thoughts are keeping me up.
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The Avengers Polycule, like the MCU, begins with Tony Stark (and James Rhodes).
Rhodes and Tony’s schedules used to line up where they were spending more down time with each than without (university). As their lives and the schedules grew increasingly more hectic, they made the mutual decision to step things down a notch, still allowed to be affectionate, still allowed to be in love and call each other boyfriends, but there was a pressure taken off of them to be perfect boyfriends. They still loved each other, but they showed it in a more casual way. I’m writing the fic for this, and I promise it makes sense to me. Like... Maybe they haven’t seen each other in a month, and spoken not very much in that time, but Tony’s still giving Rhodey a “glad to see you” kiss and means it. They’re still together, but there’s less obligation to be present physically. They become emotional home bases for one another. “Maybe we can’t go on a date tonight, but here’s a cute picture of a cat I saw in the street today. You’re welcome, I know it’s a treasure.” (Tony) “Buy yourself a pizza from me tonight. You deserve it. Good job on your presentation.” (Rhodey)
Tony meets Pepper and Rhodey immediately proposes something more open. Tony thinks it’s because Rhodey wants to date Pepper, which, fair. Rhodey does it because he can see that Tony and Pepper are going to get along great, and he doesn’t want Tony to be Tony and screw it up for the sake of his relationship with Rhodes.
He still screws it up for a while, but it’s not for the sake of his relationship with Rhodes, so it almost works.
Tony and Pepper are serious, like, serious serious. It scares Tony at first, just a little because he expected it to be like with Rhodes. Where he was in love, but like... casually. There is nothing casual about Pepper, and when he tells that to Rhodes, Rhodes has to hold his tongue to keep from saying, “Obviously you idiot,” because it’s not helpful and also might come across as more confrontational than he means it to be.
Pepper demands exclusivity that Rhodey never did. “I don’t care if you have relationship with other people, but you’re not going to sleep around just for the sake of it if you want to be with me.”
Tony agrees to those terms readily. Who else does he need when he has Pepper and Rhodey anyway?
The answer is he needs a wizard. A stupidly handsome wizard with great cheekbones, blue eyes, and so much sass Tony could kill him as soon as kiss him.
It both surprises him and pleases him that apparently Pepper needs a wizard too.
With Stephen, things are great. Tony’s had two successful and happy relationships for years, but the triad experience is something new entirely. The dynamic that bringing Stephen into he and Pepper’s relationship gives him is something Tony wouldn’t trade the world for. It’s just his luck that he gets to have it twice.
Maybe luck is the wrong word. Perhaps two genius heads put themselves together to woo the former Winter Soldier into their bed and their relationship. Pepper’s at capacity and not really interested, but she does her best to encourage them. (She tries to keep quiet about the fact that she’s the one who made the subtle nudge at the two of them to go after what they obviously wanted, but when they get too proud of themselves she can’t help but mention it, just to humble them a little. Bucky is amused.
Tony has two triads, and one Rhodey bear when Morgan comes along. Bucky likes Morgan, likes the idea of children, but isn’t really down for raising them. (Stephen and Tony had kind of assumed that if Bucky ever did do the raising kids thing it’d be with Steve, so they’re not surprised or offended.) All of Tony’s partners love Morgan to death, and would probably kill for her, and that’s all he could have asked for.
His little family isn’t so little anymore, and when their various extended partners get together it’s a pretty large group. (Mostly because Steve is a whore, but also because Tony is an unapologetic romantic.)
When Tony finally gets to recline on the front porch of his lake house, his child and nesting partners are near by, and Bucky and Rhodes are just a phone call and a portal away. He’s content, and he’s at capacity. There’s nothing more he could ask for.
Sure, four times the partners also means four times the disagreements, but what’s a relationship without some strife? Some hurdles to jump that will ultimately bring them closer together? Even on bad days, Tony is grateful for the people in his life, and for the love they give him and allow him to give them. He’s grateful for his daughter, and his partners, and every single misstep that brings him to the front porch of a lakehouse, sipping lemonade and surrounded by his loved ones.