The Real Me

Steve was found by S.H.I.E.L.D. and recruited to join them - in his absence a lot has changed: technology, people, superheroes and the title of 'Captain America' and the Vibranium Shield being passed down generationally. He needs time to adjust to the new age and meets someone very interesting online - Tony. When they meet in person, the sparks between them are hard to ignore.
How will Steve deal with his professional, secret life and private, romantic life clashing?

However, Steve isn't the only one with a secret identity: Tony is THE Tony Stark, multi-billionaire and CEO of Stark Industries. What nobody knows is that he is the one piloting the Iron Man Armour. As much as he likes the attention, fame and money, he just wants to talk to someone that only sees him as Tony and he finds that someone in Steve - a mysterious but kind and overly attractive man, that fascinates him more and more each day.

Notes:

I started this story in February and have been working on it on and off as I always do. Since it is set in autumn/winter, I wanted to post it around that time as well lol
It's a nearly finished work in progress and will have about 30 chapters (give or take), so I will update tags as the story goes on!
I hope you enjoy ♥

Chapter Text

Ever since Steve woke up from his 70 year long slumber in ice, he had been lonely. Everyone he knew was either dead, nowhere to be found or sick to the point it was difficult to talk with them properly. The few that were still alive had all changed drastically – grey hair, wrinkles and a different look in their eyes. It was to be expected of course but it was still a lot to take in. While the world and his old friends moved on and kept living their lives, Steve had been stuck in time until he got found by S.H.I.E.L.D. It may have been 70 years for everyone else, but it was just yesterday that Steve fought in a world war.

At least with that organization that rescued him, he had a bit of a plan for the future – it seemed like his abilities were still needed decades later. Before sending him out for missions though, they had given him time to adjust to this new world and learn about it. Especially growing accustomed to all the new technologies, globalization and how fast-paced everything was now had been a challenge, which he needed some time for. It had been 2 months already and he thought he got a pretty alright hang of most things. He still kept a notebook with him to note down suggestions from people in his close circle and things he saw around, which he would look up later at his home on a PC. Yes, he could just use the ‘app’ for it on his phone but he much preferred this old-fashioned way – some things could just not be replaced by modern technology. It’s not like he would see those notes often as he already didn’t use his phone a lot. He admitted they were handy tools, like you could take photos and view them without printing them, call and text people whenever you liked, which meant you were always available – though that could come with its own set of drawbacks.

He wouldn’t have learned any of those things without the help of a certain agent at S.H.I.E.L.D., which Steve got along well with – Natasha Romanoff. She quickly became a good friend, teaching him all kinds of things and listening to his troubles. When he told her he sometimes felt lonely and like he didn’t fit in, she was understanding but suggested to him he could download certain ‘apps’ to get to know people. Apparently people could even look for potential partners ‘online’ – this modern world sure was strange. Her suggestion had been at the back of his mind for a few days already and it was starting to bother him – he just wanted to talk to people, learn and be treated normally. With the anonymity that came with ‘apps’ and the ‘internet’, he wouldn’t be judged based on his past, the people he would chat with wouldn’t know he wasn’t from this day and age – Steve had to admit, it had a certain appeal. Deciding he had enough of the constant wondering, Steve just went for it and googled about which ‘apps to get to know people’ were the best – Tinder and Bumble apparently being the top choices. To be safe, he chose not to use a ‘profile picture’ and just called himself ‘Steve’ – Natasha had warned him about the dangers of the ‘internet’ and told him not to share private information easily.

Especially with his former identity of ‘Captain America’ people might recognize his full name or face. Some records of him in the 40s had survived and it was plausible that the average person could recognize him. For now, Steve wanted to stay hidden from the public. And while he was getting more used to his new present, other superheroes and trained humans could save the day instead. While he was gone many such heroes appeared, which he thought of as a good development. Perhaps they could work together one day if circumstances allowed or literally called for it – Steve didn’t wish for his country and even planet to be endangered, but it was good to be prepared.

Once he would start going on missions and taking up the name of Captain America again, he still wanted to hide his face from the general public. Nick Fury agreed to that wish of his and let a mask be created specifically for him. There had been a few ‘Captain Americas’ after his supposed death, so it wouldn’t be strange for a new one to appear again. Steve just wanted some privacy for now while he was adjusting to the future, or, well, present. It had been a while since he was just a nobody, someone people wouldn’t pay much attention to and he honestly missed that a bit after he became Captain America – that name didn’t just mean protecting people and fighting evil, it meant serving as a public mascot and a symbol of hope and strength.

In 2 weeks he would start going on missions again, with S.H.I.E.L.D. this time, as he had warmed up to this world fairly well and needed something meaningful to do. Until then, he’d enjoy his free time and give these ‘apps’ a try.

A few days later and he already got 5 ‘matches’, which was probably a low number, but talking to 5 new people and getting to know them was a lot. When he set up his profile, Steve quickly realized that this ‘app’ in particular was meant for dating, so he made sure to write into his biography that he was just looking for people to talk with. He also turned on the settings for getting matched with men and women, as he had always been attracted to both. The wider acceptance of the ‘LGBTQ+’, as he learned just a while ago, had been one of his favourite changes in this modern world. It would have been unthinkable to state you were gay in public back in the 40s, which Steve never understood. There was no difference in love, be that attraction towards the opposite or same gender. He knew there were still a lot of people who took issue with that but it was still a drastic and welcome change for him.

Steve got to talk with a few, very different people, which he had interesting conversations with. However, there was one person that stood out to him – Tony. Same as him, he didn’t show his face and he mentioned in his biography, that he wasn’t here to date. Their first conversation started with the other joking that they were ‘a perfect match’. They started asking one another what their reasons for not wanting to date on a dating app were and Tony mentioned, he merely wanted to talk to new people, maybe make friends and just pass the time. Apparently his job had him so busy, it was difficult for him to form proper relationships or take any sort of dating seriously but he still craved human connection. He mentioned he was a top-tier engineer somewhere, but he didn’t let on more – possibly guarding his identity and staying safe like Steve, which he respected.

It really did seem like they were the ‘perfect match’, as they both essentially wanted the same thing. Steve found himself texting him a lot more than anyone else, checking his phone more often and replying as soon as possible. Tony was funny and snappy, but he had many interesting things to say. They teased each other a lot, like when the engineer called his way of texting ‘boomer-like’ or when he commented on Steve’s unfamiliarity with many modern topics as if ‘he had been to prison and only got out now after 25 years’. Well, he wasn’t too far off with that, just by 55 years really, but he couldn’t tell him that of course.

They even started calling sometimes when they both found the time. Steve had already started going on missions by then and there was truly nothing better than hearing Tony’s voice after a day of hard work. It sounded exactly how he expected it to, smooth, sarcastic and overall pleasant to listen to. Since their calls had been mostly late night ones, Steve always asked him about if he ate properly and got enough rest. One time Tony joked by asking if he was his mother only for Steve to reply with “No, but I can be your wife instead~” The sudden flirt seemed to catch Tony off guard as he didn’t respond for a good 3 seconds before shutting him down with a clear sarcastic tone, “No thanks, I have higher standards than that.” The smile in his voice was obvious and Steve could only imagine what he would look like.

If Tony had to use that time to think of that comeback, to calm down or if it wasn’t anything like that at all, Steve didn’t know. But it was more fun to think about Tony getting all embarrassed. Steve told him he was missing out if that was the case before changing the topic. Considering they had no intentions of dating, they sure flirted a lot with each other. Neither of them seemed to take an issue with it, in fact, they were actively flirting more and more after that. Although Steve didn’t expect this development, he welcomed it, even if he didn’t necessarily want to date the man. If anything he wanted to get closer to him, if not a relationship, at least he could maybe gain another meaningful and long-lasting friendship in Tony.

Chapter 2 Chapter Text

It had now been a month since Steve met Tony and they had moved onto a normal messaging app by now. They established a routine of calling at least twice a week in the evenings. Steve had found texting and calling to be one of his favourite modern developments, it was very convenient and made it possible for him to meet someone fun like Tony. There were still so many things he had to learn about messaging, like all the abbreviations, ‘slangs’ and ‘emojis’. Another big thing were punctuation and proper grammar – most people didn’t seem to care about such things when they were texting, Tony even made fun of him for caring about it at all. He even got him to stop putting a period at the end of every sentence since apparently it was off-putting and made him feel standoffish somehow. Steve didn’t quite understand but if it made Tony feel more at ease, he would gladly sacrifice proper punctuation. His new friend taught him many technology-related things and he was amazed by his abilities every time while the man himself didn’t see it as a big deal. When he asked him why he was so illiterate with technology, he explained that he didn’t have access to the internet and modern inventions in his childhood, which wasn’t even a lie. So while Steve liked texting, calling was still his more preferred way of communication digitally. It felt familiar and he got to hear Tony’s voice and talk with him in real time.

And soon he would be able to talk with him face to face… While the two of them grew ever the closer, they had agreed to finally meet face to face on Friday, which was in 2 days. Although it felt a bit nerve-wracking and bizarre to meet someone in person for the first time, not knowing what they looked like despite knowing them well, Steve was excited for it. He had been a bit scared Tony would recognize his face as Captain America but he didn’t really seem like the type of person to know these things. Besides, nobody had recognized him so far and he barely ever heard or saw people talk about the very first Captain America. Natasha and his colleagues also informed him that he was only a short topic in history class at school and only die-hard fans would know his face these days. That calmed his nerves a bit.

But then there was still the matter of finally seeing Tony in person. What did he look like? What would he think of Steve’s looks? He really liked his personality and he was sure Tony felt the same way so appearances wouldn’t matter much but he couldn’t help thinking about it. They had agreed it would be more fun to leave the full ‘face reveal’ for when they actually met, using a specific location and colour coded outfits to recognize each other. Steve already knew Tony was of average height and had dark brown hair with a unique beard and likewise, Tony knew Steve was blonde, clean-shaven, tall and well-built thanks to him being a ‘fitness coach’. Steve didn’t enjoy lying but he needed to make up a job that could be believable when they first started talking so he was stuck with it now.

Either way, they had agreed on their first meet-up, and dare he call it a ‘date’, to be at a local café, that apparently served the best coffee and offered a wide variety of delicious baked goods, according to Tony. Steve would wear a blue scarf and Tony a red one – they should have no issues this way of seeing each other at the big clock just by the café’s address. Looking it up on the internet, Steve thought it looked quite nice and cozy – it had a bit of an ‘old’ or rather familiar feel to it. The reviews were also praising the place and its snacks, calling it ‘underrated’ and a ‘lucky find’. It surprised him a bit, that Tony would know about a more hidden café like this – he seemed like a privileged, well-off man but maybe he frequented smaller businesses sometimes. He wondered if Tony actually looked rich too. Though…what would that even look like anyway, especially in this day and age? Steve had a lot to think about still, like what should he wear? Should he bring a small gift? Would Tony like his cologne or find it appalling like Natasha? She had commented on it a few times before, saying that it smelled like something an old man would wear – well, she wasn’t entirely wrong there given his ripe age of 95, but Steve liked it. And he hoped Tony would too.

Just in case though, he came up with an excuse for why even his cologne had this “old-man-feel” to it. Steve really wasn’t good at lying on the spot and even if he prepared something, people could still tell sometimes. He didn’t want to lie, especially because Tony was becoming really important to him but for now he still had to keep his identity a secret. Maybe once they were closer, a bit more time had passed and they trusted each other more, he could tell him. Besides, Steve could tell the other had something to hide as well though he didn’t quite have proof of it. Whenever Tony’s work or family became a topic, he was quick to change it. He did mention how his parents had both died a long time ago though so Steve could understand not wanting to talk about them. It’s not like he was any different, no, he was in fact much worse, lying about both his work and family and friends. Tony had been vulnerable with him and shared the pieces of him he could but Steve just straight up lied – now he felt even worse about it.

Ding.

A message caught him out of his thoughts. It was Tony suggesting to meet at the café at 4 PM when he got off work for the weekend. Seemed like he managed to make time for him and not overwork himself this Friday after all – Steve felt a bit proud. The blonde had already asked for time off for Friday so he could focus on Tony, he couldn’t mess up his first ~~date~~ meet-up with him.

It was finally Friday. Steve had been getting ready the whole day already, shaving, careful not to cut himself, taking a shower and changing clothes every 10 minutes because ‘Is this really the right fit for the occasion?’. He sighed and tried to calm himself down. It was just a meet-up with a guy he met on the internet. Well, that’s not right either, Tony was much more than that to him already. He was just going to meet his online friend. That somehow didn’t feel right either but that was the truth of the matter. Would they turn into normal friends after meeting face to face? Steve wasn’t really sure about all these new terms and how they were applied and what defined them exactly but he decided to just roll with it.

After 2 hours of changing outfits though, Steve was fed up with himself – he felt like a teenage girl taking hours in the bathroom getting ready for prom. Reluctantly, he decided to send pictures of his fits to Natasha asking which one was the best. He knew she would tease her about how he was acting like a high school girl going on her first date and sure enough, she did. However she did end up giving him good advice so he settled on something classy but not too formal with her help: A beige knitted turtleneck, light blue jeans, brown boots and a brown coat. Originally he wanted to wear dress pants with this outfit but Natasha was adamant about the blue jeans instead since apparently his ass looked better in them. She was still convinced it was a date so he couldn’t blame her for wanting him to highlight it. It’s not like he was against the idea, he decided to wear the jeans after all but it wasn’t actually a date. A part of him would like it to be one but he had to ground himself in reality after all the pep talk she gave him. Now that the outfit was taken care of, he could style his hair like he always did. After finally putting on just enough cologne, Steve was ready, just in time. Of course he didn’t forget the dark blue scarf he bought yesterday so Tony could recognize him. It protected against the cold November temperatures perfectly and went along with his outfit just fine. He sent Tony a quick message that he was on his way before leaving out the door, nervous but excited.

Chapter 3 Chapter Text

Steve arrived at the clock in front of the café at 3.50 PM. He liked being punctual to the point of being there a bit before the set time. That’s why he wasn’t surprised that nobody with a red scarf resembling Tony was there yet – he seemed like the kind of person to be exactly on time or even too late. He sure hoped he wasn’t too late today though, it wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, more like cloudy and cold winds. He got out his phone and let Tony know he arrived at the meeting spot. While Steve was waiting, he observed the people walking by him. In a city like this there would always be people running around, each living their own lives, going to places. November had just begun but he could already spot Christmas decorations and gingerbreads being sold in shops. Seeing the people living here in this country reminded him of his love for people and strengthened his resolve to keep protecting them from any harm. He would do his best as Captain America to keep the peace, their laughter and daily lives.

Steve almost didn’t notice time passing from being lost in thought watching people come and go. Only when it got darker did he realize 40 minutes had passed meaning Tony was half an hour late already. When checking his phone he didn’t see any messages or missed calls from him though. Was work holding him up after all? Steve was a patient person but he couldn’t help but be a bit sad and disappointed Tony hadn’t let him know yet. Did something happen? He was getting cold out here and the café was right behind him with hot drinks and heating calling out to him. Would Tony be mad if he went in first? Wait, shouldn’t he be the one that’s mad considering Tony was 30 minutes late with no sign of showing up?

Fuck it. As he made his way to the café, his ringtone set off – someone was calling him. Tony.

“Hey.. God, I’m so sorry but an emergency came up at work and you just know I’m the only one that can handle it. It’s not going to take too long though, if you still want to meet up today, you can wait inside the café and I will let you know as soon as I can get out of here. I won’t blame you if you don’t want to stick around or never want to talk to me aga-“, Tony seemed to panic a little despite joking around – he was genuinely sorry and that was enough for Steve, who couldn’t help but smile. He was just relieved that his friend was okay and finally called. “Hey, it’s alright. That’s just what comes with being the most important guy at your job, I get it. I’ll wait in the café but don’t let me sit here until midnight, okay?” Steve didn’t let the other man finish that ridiculous sentence and tried to calm him down with a joke. Tony breathed out in relief before returning to his usual sarcastic self, “Does the princess have to be home by midnight?” He chuckled before continuing in a more serious tone, “Thank you Steve, I promise I will make it up to you. See you later, okay?” The blonde smiled, ending the call with a goodbye.

He wondered how Tony would make it up to him but regardless, hopefully he could resolve the situation at work quickly. Steve felt a bit silly forgiving him so easily, almost forgetting how he had been worrying just a few minutes ago but hearing his voice always made him feel so much better. Of course he was still disappointed things didn’t go as expected and he would have to wait for a while but at least Tony was okay and he’d try his best to be as quick as possible. In the meantime Steve could finally go inside and get his hands on a hot cup of coffee.

By now Steve had had 2 coffees, 1 hot cocoa and a heavenly strawberry shortcake and the clock already read 6 PM. Thankfully he always carried a book with him whenever he went outside, be that for reading on the subway, in the park or any old café. He didn’t think he’d need it today but it was just sitting in his jacket pocket as always and he had never been more grateful for this habit of his. Yes, he knew that you could just ‘download’ books onto your phone and always read them digitally on the go like that but Steve preferred the old way, as he did with many things.

That and the amazing drinks and cake made the wait a lot more bearable. At least now he knew that Tony had good taste in cafes, though it would have been more fun to try them out together. Just 15 minutes ago Tony had sent him a message saying he was done with work and would get ready to leave soon, so he should drop by any time now. Steve had even more time to mentally prepare himself now but that somehow didn’t help easing his nervousness – it might have made it worse actually. Now that it was almost time, now that it could be Tony anytime the door bell rang, Steve got really nervous. That’s why he couldn’t concentrate on his book anymore and instead took in all his surroundings (again) and sketched them into his notebook, trying to take his mind off things for just a while. He was sitting in the back, face to the door with a good view of the whole café. Of course, he had put his blue scarf on the edge of the table so Tony would immediately spot it.

Ding.

Another customer. This time it was a man with black sunglasses on, a dark leather jacket, black jeans, platform boots, a light grey sweater and a dark red scarf serving as the centre piece, bringing the whole look together. He had styled dark brown hair and a sharply cut beard pattern Steve had never seen look so good on anyone before. Wait. The man had looked around the café a bit but came to a stop when he spotted Steve’s table with the blue scarf on top of it. He smiled and waved at him before approaching him. That had to be Tony. That was him. Holy shit. Steve put his notebook on the table and got up to greet the man. Tony took off his sunglasses and inspected the blonde before letting out a whistle, “Wow, look at you. Rather fine for an old man, aren’t you?”

“Same can be said about you Tony. You trying to be cool with the sunglasses in winter?”, Steve teased him back, though he was genuinely confused about that part.

Tony clicked his tongue in response, “Nuh uh darling, I am plenty cool without anything on, thank you.”

Steve scoffed. “Oh really? Prove it to me some time then”, he practically handed him that one on a silver platter. Tony smirked and took off his scarf, jacket and sunglasses before sitting down on the bench and getting comfortable.

“I’m honestly surprised you’re still here – happy of course, but anyone else would have taken off long ago and just postponed it”, Tony started the conversation. Steve nodded his head in agreement, while finally being able to gaze into the other man’s eyes. They were dark brown, adorned with beautiful long lashes and laugh lines – he could get lost in them if he wasn’t careful. The wait was definitely worth it but yes, he wouldn’t do this for just anyone. “Yeah, probably, but it wasn’t so bad, I had some things to do and the drinks and cake were amazing. It’s just a shame we couldn’t quite experience it at the same time…” he only wanted to make him feel a little bad. Just then the waitress came to take their orders. “Give me everything he had please”, Tony requested with a straight face causing Steve to stare at him in bewilderment. “What? You wanted to experience it together, so we will.” The waitress couldn’t hide her giggle and accepted the order before asking the blonde if he wanted anything more. Steve however was just a little dumb-founded. That was such a stupidly romantic thing to not just say but actually do and he was 100% serious about it. God damn it. When Steve regained his ability to speak, he ordered a Chai Latte.

“Do you just like everything they offer here? What if I ordered something you didn’t like?”

“I’ve been here enough times going down the menu up and down several times, don’t worry. They love me and my tips so much, they wouldn’t mind if we didn’t finish it all”, Tony reasoned.

“Were you able to handle the emergency though? What happened?”, Steve changed the topic wanting to sate his curiosity.

“Naturally. I am a genius, you know? Someone just messed up on something that had to be done and sent to our client by tonight so they needed the fastest and most adept hands to clean up the mess”, Tony let out a dramatic sigh, “It’s tough being the most capable at your workplace, really, it’s a blessing and a curse. What were you doing all this time?”

“Oh when you finally had time to call poor old me, standing outside in the cold, freezing, I went inside and had some nice drinks, a cake, read a few chapters of my book and made some sketches.” Steve forgave him already but he still deserved a little bit of guilt tripping – a term he learned from Natasha.

“Sketches? What kind? Can I see?”, Tony asked excitingly. It was a bit embarrassing to show his work but it was just the shop and its furniture so it should be fine. Steve opened his notebook and handed it to the other. The brunette seemed quite amazed by his quick little sketches and complimented him on them. As expected, this was definitely embarrassing but he was happy Tony liked them.

“Do you do portraits too?”, the brunette asked curiously. It seemed like he took an interest in Steve’s artistic side, which made him feel a little embarrassed but warm and fuzzy inside.

“Sometimes, but I don’t have much practice with them. I mostly sketch objects, landscapes and animals”, Steve admitted.

“You can just practice on me! I’ll be your muse~”, Tony winked at him but he seemed serious enough to make the blonde consider it.

“Sure, why not. If you’re going to offer yourself up like that, I would be an idiot to turn you down”, Steve eventually replied after thinking about it. It was a good idea to brush up on his skills and practice portraits. The best part was that he could spend more time with Tony. Despite being so nervous before, it all dissipated as soon as they started talking. He had never felt so at ease with someone like he did with Tony, it was almost as if they had known each other for ages already.

“Awesome. It’s a date then!”, the brunette exclaimed. Steve shot him a questioning look, unsure of the meaning of the word ‘date’ now. “What? Young people call anything a date these days. I mean I don’t care either way, it can be whatever you like”, Tony desperately tried to defend his choice of words without saying he wanted it to be a date. His shy, defensive side was even cuter in person, Steve smiled, “It’s a date then.”

Their orders finally came and Tony was busy chugging down 2 coffees, a hot cocoa and a strawberry shortcake while they were talking. “It’s a cute gesture Tony, but if you need help with the drinks, we can share them, okay?”, Steve offered gently.

“Thanks but I don’t need a hero. It’s just coffee”, the brunette wouldn’t accept his offer.

“Coffee at 7 PM”, the blonde reminded him bluntly, making Tony roll his eyes.

“Yes honey, I know. I am used to it so don’t worry.” The blonde sighed.

“You really shouldn’t be used to it but fine, suit yourself”, he gave up and took a sip from his own drink. It was amusing to see him gulp down everything Steve ordered the past few hours. Tony rated each drink and made Steve do the same to truly ‘experience them together’ – he was eating his own words at this point. But that was such a Tony thing to do, he loved it. They kept talking, poking fun at each other, laughing together and flirting with one another, time just flew by like nothing.

“So, how are you going to make waiting for you for 2 hours up to me?”, Steve finally asked, wondering if he had something in mind already. Just then his tummy grumbled loud enough for half the café to hear. Tony eyed him knowingly and let out a chuckle.

“How about I invite you to dinner?”, Tony suggested. Embarrassed, but happy about the offer, Steve agreed. The brunette asked for the bill and paid it in full with a very generous tip. Steve tried to protest, wanting to pay it himself but Tony insisted it was a part of trying to make it up to him so he let him. Next time, he would pay for himself though.

Chapter 4 Chapter Text

While they were walking to Tony’s car to get to the restaurant, Steve had to think about how his assumptions of him being a rich guy might actually hold water. The way he had no issue with giving such a big tip and that possibly every time he went there was crazy to think about for any middle class man and below. Depending on what car he drove, Steve would have definite proof of it. Despite the ‘having to wait for 2 hours’ part, it had been going really well so far. They got along in person just as well as online, perhaps even better so. Having a face to the name and being able to interact in person was different. And frankly, Tony was very attractive, so that may play a part in Steve wanting to meet up with him more often from now on. He hoped the other felt the same, but if he didn’t, he probably wouldn’t have invited him to dinner or stayed for as long as he did. It was 8 PM now and honestly he was surprised the café was open for that long – they weren’t even the last customers so it must be normal for them.

“The wind is really rough at night, huh?” Tony broke the silence. The shiver could be heard in his voice – he must be cold even with his beautiful red scarf on. Steve was really glad about buying his now as well, the wind was truly merciless tonight. The brunette was shaking, the leather jacket not enough to protect him from the cold wind, so Steve took Tony’s hand in his own and brought it into his own pocket of his warm and fuzzy winter coat without saying anything. It took the brunette by surprise for sure but he didn’t protest, instead accepting the warm helping hand.

When Steve set out earlier that day, he didn’t expect to be so blown away by Tony, let alone be holding his hand – but this was of course just because he couldn’t stand Tony freezing and shaking even if the walk to the car wasn’t that long. The fact that the brunette let him and was appreciative of the gesture, smiling at him with those beautiful brown eyes, made it all the more difficult ignoring his heart skip a beat when Tony squeezed his hand in his pocket.

A 5 minute walk later and sure enough, they arrived at an expensive looking black Audi. Tony seemed proud of it as he introduced it as ‘his baby’ and invited him in to sit next to the driver’s seat. He could feel the difference in leather seat quality immediately, his legs had enough space and the heating turned on immediately.

“Nice car”, Steve had to compliment it after it provided him much needed warmth.

“Thanks, it’s one of my favourites”, Tony responded as if it was the most natural thing to have multiple vehicles. Jeez, he really had to be rich beyond belief.

“Don’t tell me we’re going to a super fancy restaurant with a suit dress code, small portions of high quality food and 10 different kinds of spoons, knives and forks.” Steve dreaded the thought of such an establishment. Tony laughed out loud.

“No worries darling, I’m not doing that to you, that would be considered worse than torture. It will just be a chill, albeit high-end restaurant”, he reassured him.

“So no dress code? Because I am not dressed for that kind of stuff, like, I don’t think I even own proper suits like that.” Steve needed to make sure. After confirming Tony was rich, he felt a bit insecure, like he was way out of his league. He knew Tony didn’t care about things like that, but that kind of stuff was just drilled into you from a young age, especially considering his low-class upbringing where they struggled to even make ends meet.

“No dress code. And just so you know, you’d look great in anything, Steve. I love your outfit and style. You may smell like a grandpa but you definitely don’t look the bit and honestly I kind of dig the vibe.” Tony lifted his spirits again. The blonde appreciated the honest compliments despite the little jabs at him – he expected him to call his cologne out after all.

“Thank you Tony. You look rather fine yourself.” He looked at him with a smile on his face. Somehow he was even prettier when driving, or maybe that was just Steve seeing him from a new angle and appreciating his looks once again.

“Why, thank you, I am aware. That doesn’t mean you can stare at me non-stop though.” Tony teased, giving him a knowing look, before focusing on driving again.

“Oh really? Who’s going to stop me? I’m just taking in the sights, that’s all.” Steve countered, now focussed on perceiving all the details of Tony’s face. He could swear he saw his cheeks redden a little at all the attention he was giving him.

“Fine, suit yourself. We’ll be there in a few minutes anyway. Enjoy the view in the meantime, stalker.” He retorted, acting as if he wasn’t embarrassed to have someone, Steve, watch him so closely.

Just like Tony said, they arrived at the restaurant a few minutes after that. Steve had thoroughly enjoyed his few minutes of consensual stalking.

“I’d make a joke about how I feasted so hard on your face already I wasn’t hungry anymore but I still actually want to eat so I won’t.” Tony just rolled his eyes.

“I’d say you’re really fucking cheesy but you didn’t actually make the joke so I won’t. Now get your beautiful ass up so we can go eat something.” Wow, seemed like the jeans actually did what they were supposed to do. Thanks Nat.

The place looked as fancy from the outside as it was on the inside. They saw a few people entering and leaving, all dressed elegantly and as if they had money-shitting piggy banks in their basements. The difference between them and Steve was clear as day, he didn’t fit in here. He tried to remember Tony’s words, reminding himself that these things didn’t matter, that they were all humans just here to eat some good food. As sweat started to form on his forehead and palms, Tony took his hand and gave it a light but encouraging squeeze. He was there with him, supporting him, showing him that class, fancy clothes and stupid manners didn’t matter. Not even Tony himself was dressed eloquently like the other guests but he still had that rich aura about him – he carried himself in a certain way. Steve didn’t fit in, not here not with the people of today be they rich or poor. It was hard to breathe and his heart was beating out of his chest – not in the good way.

“Steve. Hey. It’s okay, I’m here.” Tony was now holding both of his hands, reassuring him, even if his eyes were filled with worry. Steve knew that all that mattered was the fact that he was here with Tony. They would just have a meal together, that’s all. He was safe with him, nothing and nobody else mattered. Steve let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and squeezed Tony’s hands back in gratitude.

“I’ll get us a private room, let me just talk with this guy real quick, okay?” Steve nodded. Truthfully, he didn’t want him to let go of his hands yet but Tony was still in his line of sight, which eased his nerves. Was he getting them some kind of VIP room because of his almost-panic-attack just now? Steve hated being a bother but he wouldn’t complain about the special treatment he seemed to give him – it did make him feel special and warm inside. The way Tony paid so much attention to him, the way he took care of him and considered him, the way he knew how he felt and what he needed to hear, the way they were so at ease with each other and could communicate without words already… It was as if their souls were bound, like they had known each other for many lifetimes. It was an exciting and beautiful, yet terrifying feeling. Steve read enough books to know where this could go, he knew what these signs meant. Needless to say, he was falling for Tony. Hard.

Tony came back and grabbed his hand to lead him to their room. Now that Steve calmed down again, he could see again. Tony still looked really worried and didn’t let go of his hand yet.

“Are you okay? If this is too much just say the word.” Steve smiled, he was so sweet.

“Yes, I’m okay now, thank you. Let’s enjoy this now, I am starving.” The blonde laughed and could see the other’s shoulders drop in relief, smiling. They each sat down opposite of each other of a really big table. In the middle there were a scented candle and some flowers, giving it a romantic ambience. There was calm piano music playing and a waiter brought 2 menu cards, as well as cold champagne. Steve wondered if that was the real deal, if it was just normal to serve champagne as a sort of appetizer in fancy restaurants like this. He was enjoying this for what it was, trying not to think too hard about it. He wouldn’t even ask how Tony managed to get them this VIP room without a reservation – that was a question he would ask himself another time. Probably in his bed, when he should be asleep. Tony took the initiative by pouring a glass of champagne.

“Would you like a glass, milady?” He asked in a terrible British accent making the blonde smile. Steve decided to play along.

“My, of course darling, that would be quite sweet of you.” Trying to keep the laughter in, they clinked their glasses together, enjoying the alcohol. Then they started going through the menu, discussing their options as if they were noble Englishmen – thank God for their private room as their giggles would otherwise disturb other guests who weren't even having half the fun those two were having.

After settling on their order, they waited and talked. It seemed like they would never run out of things to talk about. Nothing could be boring with Tony, that he was sure of. Even in their quiet moments, they simply basked in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s presence nonetheless. After a while the waiter came in with a full on wagon of dishes, serving them on the table, elegantly. They thanked him and dug in – Steve hadn’t ever had such a delicious meal. Part of that could be because he hadn’t eaten something proper since noon but the quality in the ingredients, way of cooking and serving were definitely different from what he was used to. If it was worth the price tag Tony had to pay at the end of it, Steve wasn’t so sure. As long as he didn’t know the amount of zeroes at the end of their bill, he would be fine and pretend it was worth it. This was a make-up gift anyway, you weren’t supposed to see the price tag of a gift and just simply enjoy it for what it was. Steve fawned over how delicious the food was, pointing out exactly what ingredients were used and trying to describe how they melted in his mouth as if he was a real food critic, while Tony ate his meal quietly, nodding in agreement and smiling at the joy of the other. He knew better than anyone that money couldn’t buy happiness, but it could definitely brighten someone’s day when used correctly.

After digesting a bit from finishing their three course meal and several drinks (alcohol free ones for the driver after that one glass of champagne), they made their way to Tony’s car. The cold fresh air hit them as soon as they stepped outside, but it was actually pleasant this time. Looking at his watch, Steve was surprised to see that it was 11 PM already.

“Don’t worry princess, I’ll get you back home before midnight.” Tony teased and Steve rolled his eyes.

“My, aren’t you a gentleman tonight.” Just then Tony stepped in front of him, took his hand, bowed down a little and kissed it like a prince out of a movie.

“For you? Anytime.” He knew it was a joke but Steve’s heart skipped a beat nonetheless. Did he know what kind of effect his actions had on him? The blonde may be squealing inside but he tried his best not to show it. He just laughed it off and walked towards the car. Although he loved the silly flirting, too much of it wasn’t good for his poor old heart – it felt like exploding.

They got into the vehicle and sat in comfortable silence with radio music in the background. Steve would have likely fallen asleep if it wasn’t for the million thoughts in his head and his racing heart. Nothing was happening but it seemed like that’s just what Tony’s presence did to him. They were almost at Steve’s apartment. Soon the day would be over and they had to say goodbye. As they say, all good things must end. They’d meet again of course, but it’s always a bit sad to end a good day.

“I had a lot of fun today Tony. Waiting for you was worth it.” Steve broke the silence as they parked on the side of the road. The brunette met his eyes, a bit surprised.

“I’m glad you waited for me Steve. This was the most fun I have had in a long time, honestly.” They spent a few seconds just smiling at each other, neither of them really wanting to say goodbye just yet. Steve was tired but he still had to clear up something.

“So… Will our next meet-up be our first date or the second one?” His tone was light, could be played off as a joke if needed, but it carried a serious enough tone to warrant an earnest answer. Tony held the eye contact, thinking about it for a few seconds before getting a bit closer.

“The second one.”

Steve nodded, smiling, happy about the answer. He hadn’t been quite sure as he never really went on a date before but it did feel like one of those cliché romance movies and books at some point. They were both smiling and nodding at each other, dragging out the goodbye.

“Well, I gotta go. Text me when you’re home?” Steve needed to get out and scream into his pillow right about now.

“Guess you’re not a kisser on the first date.” Tony acted disappointed and Steve smirked.

“Maybe next time~”

With that he turned to the car door and opened it, getting out swiftly. He ducked down to say goodbye and closed the door before waving after the car until he couldn’t see it anymore. Letting out a deep sigh, he made his way to his apartment, still giddy about his first date. He’d have to process this.

He could already hear Nat teasing him for acting like a teen in love.

Chapter 5 Chapter Text

Just as Steve expected, he couldn’t fall asleep very quickly after their date. He kept thinking about everything that happened, letting it play out like a movie in his head. Even though Tony made him wait for 2 hours, it was all worth it in the end – he made it worth it. Steve could tell that he genuinely felt bad and was trying his best to make up for it. He was shy about calling it a date but having Tony reassure him he saw it the same way… It made him feel all giddy, kicking his feet on his bed – ridiculous really, something that didn’t fit him at all, but he couldn’t stop himself. God, the things this man did to him…

He officially had a crush on the guy, which was a very new experience for Steve but he didn’t dislike it. Quite the opposite actually, he enjoyed having something to look forward to, to feel things he had never felt before. While it was a bit scary, he was enjoying everything Tony made him feel. Even when he was panicking in the restaurant, Tony knew how to calm him down and reassure him. They had known each other for about 2 months now but he already knew him this well, it was astounding. Could this really go somewhere.. romantic? Whatever they had was amazing already but he still wanted more. Steve finally fell asleep dreaming of what Tony and him could be in the future.

The next day, when Steve got back home from his morning run, he saw a text from Tony.

08:25 AM - Tony: Slept well, princess?

Ever such a flirt. Steve couldn’t help but smile – yeah, he could definitely get used to this.

They texted for a while, setting a time and place for their promised ‘portrait date’, which ended up being today. Seemed like they couldn’t be apart from each other for too long. Well, as working adults, weekends were really the only time they could hangout properly. And even on those, Steve had to work sometimes when an emergency suddenly came up. He hoped today would go well without disturbances.

Although Tony suggested the whole portrait thing, Steve found himself genuinely wanting to draw him. Not only would it give him an excuse to study his beautiful face and memorize all his features without being deemed a stalker, he could spend time with Tony and practice his skills.

They agreed to meet at Tony’s place, which was at the corner of the city, still close enough for convenience, but remote enough to have some peace and quiet from the rustle and bustle of the city. The brunette invited him over to cook lunch together. Despite Tony being rich and eating out a lot, he loved homecooked meals and made it a point to cook himself at least twice a week. Usually those days would fall on the weekend, being too exhausted from work to make anything proper on weekdays. Steve was sceptical at first since Tony didn’t strike him as a good cook at all but the blonde wasn’t one to talk – his fried eggs turned black more often than not. He was curious how it was going to turn out, but what could go wrong with making hamburgers anyway?

After a simple breakfast, Steve packed his art supplies in a bag and rode his bike to the address Tony sent him. Google Maps was a wonderful invention, but it didn’t work that well on a motorbike so Steve had to reorient himself a few times. One of those times Steve spotted the café they went to yesterday. He decided to pop in real quick and get some of their baked goods like little cakes and doughnuts – Tony would love them for sure. Steve wanted to get him something too after the brunette treated him all day yesterday.

He got back on his bike, finding the way with only having to reorient himself one more time. It was more secluded than he had thought, the mansion was hidden away by an alleyway of trees – it definitely would be peaceful and quiet here, no doubt. That being said, the mansion was bigger than expected. If he wasn’t sure Tony was rich before, he sure was now. Did working as a top-notch engineer really pay that well? Or was he some kind of… what was the word… ‘nepo baby’? He had read it online before and liked the term describing people born into big money.

Speaking of, he didn’t know Tony’s last name or where he worked and what exactly he did. To be fair, neither did Tony know any of those things about Steve. Maybe they’d tell each other about those details eventually – this was only their second date after all, there was no rush. Steve still had to figure out if, when and how to tell Tony about his real identity anyway. For now, he just wanted to have a good time with him as Steve, not Steve Rogers or Captain America. Tony made him forget about all that and his responsibilities for a short time, which he really needed sometimes. From time to time he just wanted to be himself without anyone expecting him to be a certain way. With Tony, he was free – he only knew him as Steve, the realest and most normal part of him. Admittedly, a part of him didn’t want to tell him, the bliss of someone just appreciating him for the person he was, wasn’t common. But with it came having to lie more often than he’d like to, fabricating his work history and making up excuses. At some point he would have to come clean and be transparent.

But that day wasn’t today. Revealing his identity as Captain America, the very first at that, a man born nearly a century ago was a delicate matter. He trusted Tony but it’d be irresponsible to do it so quickly. And when was even a good time to tell him anyway? Steve needed to plan this kind of thing in more detail and prepare for it. For now, he just wanted to have a cozy date and enjoy himself.

Steve got off his bike and slowly walked towards the entrance of the mansion. Did he really live in such a big house all by himself? Just as he was about to ring the doorbell, the door opened revealing a familiar figure with a cute apron on.

“Took you long enough, slowpoke. I already started prepping.”

“Not my fault you live in the middle of nowhere.” Looking him up and down, Steve fixated his gaze on the purple apron with white dots, white frills and a cute creature on the bottom. He had seen mascots like those around, if he recalled correctly the one Tony had printed on his apron was called ‘Kuromi’. Was he into those kind of cute things?

“With that get-up, you almost look like my future wife.” Tony dramatically gasped in response and clutched his chest, pretending to be hurt.

“What do you mean almost, am I not pretty enough for you?” Steve didn’t think that far honestly, he was too distracted by the adorable sight of Tony in a cutesy apron.

“No, you are plenty beautiful. All that’s missing is a ring.” It was almost scary how easy it was to flirt with Tony – he didn’t even have to think about it. Despite the brunette rolling his eyes at that, his cheeks definitely reddened a bit before letting him enter the house.

The inside was beautifully decorated, more modern than what the outside of the mansion would suggest. There was a lot of space with the high-up ceilings and interconnected rooms. He wondered how a big place like this was cleaned in this age. With the rise of AI and robots, it was probably something of that sort helping him out with cleaning and working, especially since Tony was an engineer. Steve still couldn’t quite wrap his head around these new technologies yet.

Suddenly Tony came to a stop and turned around, making Steve almost run him over. He was able to stop himself just in time but their faces were merely inches apart now. A few moments passed of the both of them studying the other’s face before backing off each other awkwardly. Tony cleared his throat and pointed at the counter with neatly arranged ingredients and tools while instructing.

“As you can see I already prepared. I was just about to season the patties when I heard you arrive. You can cut the vegetables into appropriate bite-sized bits.” Steve nodded, put his bags away and saluted.

“Sir, yes Sir! I may be a failure at cooking but I am confident in my cutting skills.” Tony smiled before pulling out another apron, gesturing Steve to wear it. It was similar to the one he was wearing, just blue and with a white dog-like creature. Steve tilted his head quite like a dog, asking with his eyes if he was actually serious.

“Come on, wear it. No cooking without an apron! Don’t want to get your clothes dirty.” Tony insisted. He was definitely enjoying this more than he should. Steve gave up and let out a big sigh, taking the apron and putting it on. Tony giggled at the sight of the blushing blonde with a Pochaco apron on, teasing him.

“So you do have a cute side to you, look at you~” Yeah, he was definitely enjoying this more than he should.

“Why do you even have these aprons anyway? I didn’t take you for the type to.. like this kind of stuff.” Tony laughed.

“Well, a friend of mine mistakenly bought double the aprons for his wife, so he gave me these 2 as a birthday gift. Probably as revenge for always giving him bad gifts but I honestly grew to love them.” He reminisced fondly.

“That’s a cute mishap. The apron fits you perfectly but… it’s a little small on me.” Steve pointed out. It didn’t reach his knees like it did with Tony and it sat a bit tight on his chest. Thankfully not enough to rip the cloth or make it difficult to breathe though. The brunette smirked.

“That makes it all the better. Now go cut your vegetables!”

They ended up taking an hour to finish making their burgers, but thanks to their teamwork of Steve cutting the vegetables and Tony handling everything else, like seasoning the meat, making special sauces and toasting the bread, it went surprisingly well. Now that they sat down, assembled their burgers and took their first bites of them, they were amazed by how well they turned out. Sure, it wasn’t that difficult to mess burgers up but Steve had a special talent for making anything he cooked inedible. He also had a bias for homecooked meals so Steve may be just a little biased.

Even Tony seemed a little surprised at his hidden cooking talent as his eyes grew wide when he took his first bite. He took his time enjoying the burger, chewing slowly and wearing the most satisfied smile he had ever seen. It was adorable how proud he looked of himself and honestly, he had every right to. “These are no doubt the best burgers I ever had, Tony.” He meant every word but maybe the secret ingredient to these burgers were that Tony was the one making them – he could burn any dish and Steve would still eat it, leaving nothing behind.

“You’re damn right”, Tony hummed, “We’re making this more often.” Tony exclaimed proudly but caused Steve to nearly choke on his burger.

“We?”

Tony’s eyes widened as if he just realized what he had said. “Well, yes… You cutting up the vegetables helps save me time and I can focus on the important parts.” He desperately tried to downplay the rather domestic implications of his careless words. Steve smiled knowingly.

“Of course. The important parts. Guess I’ll come by more often then.”

After finishing their lunch, they took a bit of a break on the couch to relax and digest with some silly animal videos on Tony’s massive TV screen. They both found out that they loved watching these kinds of videos a while back, so they sent each other funny pet videos sometimes. It was quite different from watching them on a phone screen like Steve usually did – even on something as simple and small as this, they were different.

Regardless, they laughed and awed together at various cats, dogs, parrots and more for an hour though it certainly didn’t feel that long. Sometimes they would laugh so hard they had to use the other as support not to fall over on the couch. It shouldn’t be a big deal but every time they would touch, Steve’s heart would skip a beat and this surge of warmth would rise up from his stomach to his head. He felt so incredibly lucky and happy being able to see and hear Tony laugh right next to him and feeling his hand or even head on his shoulder occasionally.

When their stomachs and mouths started hurting from all the laughter, they decided it was time to stop for their own good. Tony urged Steve to get started on the portrait and who was he to say no? Thus the blonde went to get his bags, including the snacks he bought from the café – Tony might need them when sitting still for so long and followed the brunette upstairs.

Apparently Tony had arranged a ‘hobby room’ for this occasion – reminding him once again of the gap between the rich and… everyone else. He had prepared two comfortable-looking chairs and a small table for each of them. Steve put his backpack on his table and left the snacks on Tony’s. “You’ll have to sit still for a while but you can have some snacks for your efforts.” Tony peeked into the bag immediately recognizing from where he had gotten them.

“Awwh.. aren’t you a sweet one, thank you. You mean I can eat some while you’re drawing? Won’t that mess up the pose?”

“Only in the beginning. I’ll tell you when you can eat.” Tony raised his eyebrows, giving Steve a look.

“Okay, daddy.” His sarcastic comment made Steve painfully aware of how that sounded. While the blonde was regretting his choice of words, preparing the canvas and his tools in embarrassment, Tony turned on some music on his jukeboxes for background noise before sitting down on his chair.

Steve decided on a simple front portrait, with a bit of a side angle. He approached the sitting man, adjusting his position, hair and clothes. Being so up close to him was nerve-wracking and his heart was nearly jumping out of his chest but thankfully his fingers weren't shaking. He avoided Tony’s eyes until he gave him a final look-over -their eyes lingered for a moment, both of their cheeks flushing ever so slightly. Steve broke the eye contact first, sitting down on his own chair. “Ready when you are.”

While drawing the brunette, Steve noticed many details of his face, like the mole on his left cheekbone, the perfectly arched shape of his beard and eyebrows, the deep colour of his beautiful eyes, the dark circles under his eyes telling the story of a hard worker, yet the eye lines proving he was a man with humour. Of course he wouldn’t forget the dimples that appeared every time he smiled. After a while, Steve had finished the sketch and was now working on those exact details. Tony let out an exasperated “Finally!”, when Steve told him he could have a snack real quick as he wasn’t working on his face or hands at that time. He savoured that doughnut as if it were the first thing he had eaten in days.

They’d still talk sometimes, not sitting in complete silence with the music and sound of Steve’s pencils as their only source of sound. Though it was mostly Tony talking, while Steve focussed on the portrait. He tried not to let the occasional eye contact get to him. When he got to drawing his lips out in detail, he wondered how they would feel on his own lips – they looked so soft and– Wait, what was he thinking? If this kept up, he’d mess up the portrait Tony had been looking forward to so eagerly. Focussing even harder now, Steve had become quieter, no longer entertaining Tony’s random musings, but still listening.

“Being a muse is tougher than I thought”, Tony complained after a while, “I hate sitting still for so long.”

“At least you can still talk though, so it can’t be that bad, right?”, Steve replied.

“Ah, you finally answered. Wait, are you telling me I talk too much?”, the brunette sounded offended. Silly man.

“No, keep talking. I love the sound of your voice”, Steve assured him, turning the other’s cheeks red in response.

“Should I include that blush in the portrait?”

“No! I’m just warm, that’s all”, Tony insisted, refusing to admit the blonde had that kind of power over him. It was endearing when he was denying the obvious like that – this certainly wasn’t the first time he made Tony blush.

Just when Steve was about to go back to colouring the portrait, his phone rang. A cold shiver ran down his spine. Oh no. Please don’t let it be Nick Fury.

The moment he saw the Caller ID, his fears were confirmed. He answered it with a heavy sigh, obviously dreading having to up and leave now. As expected, he called him for an emergency mission – apparently a highly dangerous group of human traffickers had taken the agents sent there initially. There was little information on what had happened but they couldn’t afford losing any more people, so they decided to play it safe by sending in the strongest they got, which was Captain America. Fury didn’t even give him a chance to agree or disagree, it was an explicit order and he was fully counting on him to be there as soon as possible, like the good soldier he was. Steve wouldn’t disobey or refuse to do his job, this was work and lives were at stake after all. The only purpose in his life so far were being a soldier and saving lives. But he had never wanted to do something other than that as he did right now.

Letting out an even bigger sigh than just a few seconds ago, Steve got up and looked at Tony, who seemed concerned. God he hated this.

“I’m really sorry Tony, something urgent came up and I have to go.” He felt so bad, but there was no way he could tell him the truth. Not yet. Not now.

Tony got up too, unable to hide his disappointment or worry. Still, he reassured him.

“Hey, I don’t know what’s going on but it seems serious. It’s okay, just go.” Steve’s eyes softened, grateful. The blonde approached the other, cupping his left cheek with his left hand.

“Thank you. I’ll make it up to you next time, okay? I’m really sorry. Today was amazing, just so you know.”

With that, he rushed out of the mansion, disappearing into the night on his bike.

Chapter 6 Chapter Text

As soon as Steve went out the door, the house was filled with suffocating silence and Tony immediately felt the lack of warmth. It felt much emptier than usual and he didn’t like the feeling. Usually Tony had no problem living in such a big mansion by himself but now he found it to be too empty, like he missed having someone with him. To have Steve with him, to be specific. He was there one moment and gone the next, Tony was still processing what had just happened.

They were having such a good time together but that phone call ruined everything. He remembered how dark Steve’s expression got once he saw the Caller ID – who could make him look so serious by name alone? The blonde didn’t even have time to explain the situation to him, he just rushed out the door as fast as possible. He had to have good reason to frown and just up and leave like that, Tony knew that, but still, he couldn’t help but feel a little sad. Was it work? A friend in need? A fire at his apartment? A crazy stalking ex? … Was he seeing someone else?

No.

No, no, no.

Tony shook his head, trying to literally shake off those kinds of thoughts. He had always struggled with trust issues, but they hadn’t been a problem until now when it came to Steve. After what just happened though, Tony could feel the doubts and suspicions creeping in. He didn’t want to listen to that pesky little voice in his head – Steve was definitely trustworthy and a kind man with a big heart.

They weren’t even dating or anything, but they did tell each other how they deleted their dating apps and weren’t going on dates with anyone else. Besides, Tony couldn’t be the only one that felt like they had something going on. Something good. He didn’t want to make assumptions, instead wanting to believe in the man. Steve would give him a proper explanation eventually, he was sure.

While calming himself down from having any more bad thoughts, Tony’s gaze swung towards the bag of snacks Steve had brought for him. A fond smile escaped him, thinking back on their day together. The image of Steve in the Pochaco apron was burned into his mind – how could he look so fucking cute but sexy at the same time?! Tony had expected him to be ripped since he was a fitness coach, but fuck, was he hot.

Since it was November, he hadn’t even gotten a good look at his muscles yet but they were still visible enough under those pullovers he wore for him to wonder. Tony’s brain had been working overtime to keep himself from touching Steve’s chest and biceps.

He already thought so the first time they met but the blonde really was a handsome sight to behold. His blue pearly eyes always looked at him with such warmth and kindness, even when he was stressed and apologizing, obviously feeling bad for having to leave so suddenly.

Tony sighed, taking one of the small cakes that were leftover and began to eat it. There were only a few snacks left since Tony had eaten a bunch while posing for the portrait. Of course, he gave some to Steve as well – they both needed the energy. Speaking of, the portrait was right there, with its back turned to Tony so he couldn’t see it. He was too curious not to look though and well, Steve just left it there. Tony would eventually happen to lay his eyes on it anyway even if it wasn’t on purpose. There was no harm in just looking, right?

Having made up his mind, he got up to inspect the drawing. To say he was stunned the second he saw it was an understatement. Steve had been working on the portrait for like 3 hours and it already looked incredible. It wasn’t quite done yet judging from the lack of colour and shading, but it already looked a lot like himself. He wasn’t an expert on art by any means but he couldn’t get his eyes off the portrait. That might sound a bit narcissistic of him but the amount of detail just left him in awe. Steve said he was rusty and out of practice when it came to drawing people but that had to have been a lie or he was just overly critical of himself because this looked really professional.

In fact his art was so good, it made Tony think about investing into him, to give him a chance to make it big and really earn a living with what he loved to do. On the other hand that would mean that once he made a name for himself, Steve would take up other people’s commissions and likely draw their portraits. Something about that didn’t sit quite right with Tony. He didn’t really want to share this joy that he felt at seeing him draw him with such love and detail. Tony knew that he couldn’t stop Steve from drawing whatever and whoever he liked just as he couldn’t help feeling a little possessive. The extra money could really help the blonde out though – while his coach job and hobby artist activities seemed to pay the bills, Tony noticed that Steve didn’t allow himself luxuries. He was the type to rather save most of his money without treating himself to nice things here and there. Tony couldn’t imagine living like that anymore, he was a multi-billionaire now after all. Seeing Steve be conservative with his money was a good reality check for Tony himself but it also made him want to pamper the blonde and indulge him in things he wouldn’t do for himself. Sure, it could just be that Tony’s standards were different for what ‘luxuries’ meant. And maybe he just wanted an excuse to spoil the blonde, but there was no harm in that, right?

While refrigerating the snacks and cleaning up after the mess they had made in the kitchen, Tony couldn’t stop thinking about how their date went so well but had ended so abruptly. This was only their second date but something had happened both times, on both sides. At least on the first one they were able to have an uninterrupted good time, ending it on their own terms. Calling the date short because of a concerning phone call, from a person whose name alone could darken Steve’s face was different – it worried him.

Tony had always felt like he wasn’t the only one hiding something important from the other. Maybe whatever Steve had to hide, could explain him leaving in such a rush, maybe it could even explain why he was so different from other people. Tony joked about it sometimes but Steve really did act like an ex-convict that had just recently gotten out of prison after 25 years, and honestly, sometimes it felt like he had been locked up for even longer. But that couldn’t actually be the case since the blonde barely looked a day over 30. Besides, he didn’t seem like a criminal, while yeah, he shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, Tony did take pride in his intuition – he was never wrong about those kinds of things.

Just then he heard something weird from outside, like an explosion going off somewhere. Speaking of intuition, his gut was telling him this was bad news – probably a big fight with all the more people in danger.

Tony’s company used to create a lot of weapons for war but ever since Tony took over, he changed it up a lot. Rather than weapons, he was more interested in creating armour, gear and better AI technology. That is how he started his own secret little project of the Iron Man Armour, except the only secret about it now was the inventor and user of the suit as there had been many articles, sightings and videos of “Iron Man” in action by now. Not like Tony was against it, he loved the attention and being able to help people without putting his real name out there.

Feeling uneasy, Tony decided to check out what was going on and headed towards his dedicated workshop where his assistant AI ‘Jarvis’ greeted him with a warning of a big altercation at the harbour. Thanks to multiple cameras and sensors he had installed at a bunch of locations, Jarvis could inform him of danger whenever it happened. Tony suited up in his Iron Man armour and flew to the harbour as Jarvis showed him relevant footage.

There was some sort of gang with strange masks dressed in black, fighting a bunch of armed men, presumably security agents of some sort. However, it didn’t seem like it was going all too well for them. Judging from the location of the harbour and the ship full off cargo hiding humans in chains, they were planning on escaping on water.

A human trafficking case… just great.

Chapter 7 Chapter Text

As Tony was flying towards the harbour, zooming in with Jarvis’ help, he noticed a guy in a dark blue costume with a mask on, leading and commanding the agents. Was that the anonymous Captain America that had been the talk of town recently? No way he was struggling with mere human traffickers, right? Sure, they were outnumbered and they kept throwing grenades at them like no tomorrow, but how difficult could it be with that shield of his? Speeding up his boosters, Tony rushed to the scene deciding to help them out as fast as possible.

The new Captain and his team were putting up a good fight, but there was a lot of room for improvement – especially gear-wise. Thanks to their lack of good defences a few have already fallen victim to a variety of different grenades. Those must have fallen over before that newbie superhero came around though because he was the one on the front now, shielding everyone else behind him from the incoming attacks. Quite noble and in character for Captain America. The human traffickers in the front backed off quickly after seeing the Vibranium Shield neutralizing all their firepower.

Tony finally made it to the fight, just in time to see a group of the gang position on top of the roof of the building, out of sight for the people on the ground. Just when a barrage of grenades were about to hit Captain America and the people close to him from his blind spot, Tony quickly grabbed him and flew him up, yelling at him to shield off the incoming grenades from the top.

Once they touched the ground again, Tony sighed in relief.

“I don’t know who you are but thank you.” Captain America’s gratitude in his voice was clear. He turned around to the gang in front of them, who were nervously trying to grab their guns.

“Now, let’s kick some ass.” Without waiting for a response, the Captain rushed towards the bunch, shield first.

As Tony joined him on the attack, taking them out quickly one by one, they somehow clicked well and worked completely in sync with each other as if they had done so a thousand times before. They had each other’s backs, intuitively knowing what to do when this should be the first time they had met. Tony would launch the Captain a bunch more times to help the agents on the ground or launch attacks on the ones on the roof – he seemed to really enjoy crashing down on the enemy from high up in the air. Maybe he should get a flying suit himself.

Unfortunately for the gang, they were not equipped to deal with flying enemies. There were a few times where the Captain had shielded off an attack for Tony or when he beamed his shield just for him to reflect it to an enemy. Their teamwork was strangely smooth but neither would complain about it.

After cleaning up the gang and releasing the victims after about an hour, they were finally able to breathe. It didn’t even feel like an hour, the adrenaline and teamwork with the Captain made the fighting more fun than Tony ever had on his own. Sure, maybe it shouldn’t actually be fun, but it couldn’t harm to at least enjoy beating up bad guys.

“Good work out there soldier, thanks again for your help.”

He sure took the whole anonymous Captain America deal seriously, because all Tony could see were his blue eyes like every third person you’d meet. It’s not like he was any different though – his armour suit completely hid him and he had installed a voice changer just in case. Seemed like this Captain America was the same as him, though he wondered why he chose to be anonymous. Maybe he also had a voice changer behind that mask of his – it sounded a little like an old AI voice.

Also… did all Captains keep up that dumb soldier talk? Tony scuffed.

“Oh you’re welcome, you looked in desperate need of a shining knight in armour. And the name is Iron Man by the way, I’m no soldier.”

“Right… Sorry. That suit isn’t made of iron though, is it? How did you get the name?”

Woah, has he never heard of Iron Man before? Did he live under a rock or something?! Admittedly, that hurt Tony’s ego a little but he figured the other didn’t mean it as an insult.

“The general public decided on it upon seeing me for the first time – I think it was a kid I saved actually. I can’t blame them for not knowing what my suit is really made of but the name does have a nice ring to it so it just kind of stuck. It’s definitely a cuter story than yours, that’s for sure.” He had to stab at him at least a little bit with his words. That didn’t seem to work out in his favour though as it just made the Captain laugh.

While they were talking, more agents gathered around them to clean up and question people.

“So… you made that suit yourself?” Tony nodded in response, feeling proud of his invention.

“If you could make more of those… it might help a lot of people out, don’t you think?” The Captain made a good point. But as impressive his suit was, it was still far from perfect – he came up with modifications constantly and he wanted to produce more of them under his own company. He wasn’t quite sure how to go about that just yet though.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking, Cap.” A sudden, deep voice approached the two of them from the side. A black man with a black coat and an eyepatch joined in on their conversation.

“Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and basically this guy’s boss.” He introduced himself while giving a nod to Captain America. Fury extended his hand and Tony took it, introducing himself as Iron Man.

“You were pretty damn good out there, Iron Man. To be honest we’ve had our eyes on you for a while so now that you appeared right in front of our noses like that, saving us a lot of trouble, I can’t help but think there’s a good reason for that. Wanna join us? Your inventions and superhero activities are sure to help out a lotta people and we can help you do it even better than you are now.”

Fury’s offer did sound pretty good but Tony already had his own plans… kind of. To be honest, he enjoyed being anonymous so much, it wasn’t very appealing to reveal himself as Iron Man to the general public. That made him unable to utilize all the tech and financial support his company could give him though – it was quite the dilemma. If S.H.I.E.L.D. could come to a suitable agreement with him, maybe they could work out something favourable.

“There would have to be certain conditions that we will have to have a long conversation about, Mr. Fury. Other than that, the offer sounds very appealing.” Tony studied the black man’s face for any hints of approval or disdain but he had a perfect poker face on – impressive.

“That can be arranged depending on how that talk goes. Let’s have that one another time though. You two have done a great job for today.” Fury replied, giving the Captain a light clap on the back. They seemed to be close.

“Well yes, but without me, he would have been toast. Literally. Do you know how many times I flew him out of danger? It’s like he took all those risks on purpose just to be carried by me.” Tony sighed, shrugging dramatically. He couldn’t help but poke fun at the blue-eyed, masked man again. Something about him just made him want to tease the poor guy. The victim cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed.

“Well, thankfully you were there. I’m not the only one that enjoyed those fly-by-rides though.”

No way he noticed how he carried him by touching his waist or chest on purpose. Tony had been pining to touch a man’s body, mostly Steve’s, so much so that he imagined Captain America’s body to be his. Now yes, that was admittedly a bit messed up but that wasn’t really anything new for him. It’s not like he did it on purpose or like that was his primary motivation behind flying him around...

“I’m making you flying boosters first thing once Mr. Fury and I come to an agreement. You can’t always rely on your shining knight in armour to save your ass.” Tony announced. And God what a nice ass that was. Definitely worth saving.

Fury purposefully cleared his throat loudly, interrupting their ‘conversation’.

“I don’t mean to rain in on the party but I have places to be and I need your contact information so we can have that talk at a later date.” Right. Business called. Tony gave the man with the eyepatch his business number which should give him some time to mentally prepare having to deal with the Tony Stark. After Fury took his leave, Tony figured it was time for him to head home as well.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, soldier but I’m gonna fly home now. Alone though, sorry.” Tony teased the Captain one last time. The other man chuckled.

“Until next time then, Iron Man.” The masked hero saw him off with a light salute.

Chapter 8 Chapter Text

On the way home and still on his arrival at the mansion, Tony’s mind had been flooded by a million thoughts, trying to process what had just happened. When he flew out to check out the situation and lend a hand, he sure wasn’t expecting it to go the way it did – meeting the new, anonymous Captain America and getting recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D.

The strangest thing though was how well the Captain and him fought alongside each other and as soon as they talked, they’d flirt – it almost reminded him of Steve. Well, not like flirting was something unique for Tony, he had always been a bit of a flirtatious guy – in his younger years people would often call him a playboy. Even with Steve in his life now, he couldn’t stop himself. It’s not like they were a couple or exclusive like that, even if it did feel like that at times, so there was no need to feel bad or restrict himself like that.

Even so, something about the masked superhero felt familiar, like he knew him from somewhere. Tony remembered how he imagined his muscles and body to be Steve’s to sate his desires of touching them without upsetting the man in question himself. So much of that soldier had reminded him of Steve, though that was likely just him being delusional. I mean, who in their right mind imagined someone else as they touched someone’s body?

The Captain had done his best to conceal his face and voice, but even with the only thing visible being his blue eyes, Tony felt a sense of familiarity with him. While the situation was happening, he hadn’t really thought about it, with the battle going on, rescuing the victims and then getting recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. – frankly, he was a bit overwhelmed. Now that it was more quiet around him, he could properly reflect and think back on it, which frustrated him even more because he could not put his finger on why Captain America felt so familiar.

If he joined S.H.I.E.L.D., maybe he could see for himself who the masked superhero really was, what he looked and sounded like under the mask and find out why he felt so familiar to him.

As he was heading to the bathroom to take a nice, refreshing shower after this crazy day, Tony was struck with a sudden thought. Steve. He hoped he was alright – that phone call from earlier still worried him. It had been a few hours already since he left so hopefully whatever it was that had happened, was resolved now. Deciding to check up on him, Tony sent him a quick text message, asking if he was okay. He wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t answer until tomorrow though, seeing as it was 10.30 PM already.

In the shower he kept thinking about his encounter with Captain America. Tony wondered why he had been so secretive, not wanting to share his name, face or voice with the world. Before their encounter today, Tony admittedly hadn’t heard about him a lot but it was definitely not an issue of skill or charisma. The new Captain seemed strong enough to uphold the title and worthy enough of the shield he was carrying, that had been passed on for decades.

As a fellow anonymous superhero, he was naturally curious about another one like him – he wondered what that guy’s reasons were for staying out of the public’s eye. For Tony it was the escape from his daily life – he was already a rather public person, having people follow him sometimes, trying to get their hands on a juicy scandal on the multi-billionaire, philanthropist and genius Tony Stark. People would always watch his every move and while he enjoyed some of the attention, sometimes it got too much, even for him, a self-proclaimed narcissist.

Playing superhero was freeing, he could breathe and do what he wanted to do without malicious people breathing down his neck. It felt good to help people, get a look into the shit that was happening and what real, everyday civilians were struggling with – it grounded him a bit.

Tony would lie if he said that that was all there was to it though. He didn’t really see himself as a hero, fearing that it was all just pretence, an attempt to right his past wrongs, to make up for the bad things he and his company had done in the past. Maybe he just helped others to make himself feel better. Now, what kind of ‘superhero’ was that, right? He couldn’t stop the people from calling Iron Man a hero, and that was fine by him – Iron Man saved people and did good. But if his real name was attached to that title, if the people knew Tony Stark was Iron Man and vice versa, it would feel like he was staining the image he had built for Iron Man. He may lose the people’s love and trust – they may question and undermine his motivations and work.

Tony didn’t like admitting to his insecurities and fears but this was one of the bigger reasons why he had decided to stay anonymous. That is why, depending on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s willingness to accept his terms and conditions, joining hands with them could present itself as a good opportunity. He would never have to reveal his identity to the public and still do his work and pursue perfection in his creations better than he was able to now, without sacrificing the credit of his work.

After getting out of the shower and getting dressed for bed, Tony’s phone lit up with a text notification. Seemed like Steve wasn’t asleep yet, which knowing him, wasn’t a good sign. He knew him to value his sleep, always trying to go to bed before 10 or 11 PM.

10:50 PM - Steve: Hey Tony, I’m okay, don’t worry. I’m sorry for just leaving like that, it was an emergency but things are taken care of now

Tony sighed in relief – Steve was okay. Honestly, if Tony hadn’t been busy fighting bad guys, he might have been worried sick at home.

11:03 PM – Tony: i’m glad you’re alright… you should get your beauty sleep now tho

11:04 PM – Steve: Haha, yeah honestly I am beat. Are you gonna go sleep soon?

11:04 PM – Tony: probably. I’m also exhausted from worrying so much about you

It wasn’t technically a lie, he thought a lot about Steve, their day together and how abruptly it ended and what that could mean. He just didn’t mention the fighting human traffickers in an armoured suit part.

11:05 PM – Steve: I’m really sorry. I will make it up to you, I promise

11:05 PM – Tony: I know you will. Also you still gotta finish that portrait too

11:06 PM – Steve: Oh, you already looked at it? Yeah, it’s far from done or perfect so we’ll have to arrange one more session to finish it

11:06 PM – Tony: FAR FROM PERFECT??

11:06 PM – Steve: Well, yeah. It’s not fully coloured or shaded at all

11:06 PM – Tony: I know but like… don’t you want compensation for it?! that’s a lot of work and time wasted

11:07 PM – Steve: Tony. You are never a waste. I really enjoy drawing you. But you can view it as part of me trying to make it up to you if you like

At this point Tony was laying in his bed, giggling to himself like an idiot in love. ‘You are never a waste’ is straight out of a bad fucking romcom. Tony hated how well that line worked on him even though it seemed so stupid in movies. It took all his willpower to not kick his feet in excitement.

11:08 PM – Tony: fine... so what else are you gonna do to make it up to me, big guy?

11:08 PM – Steve: It will be a surprise :)

11:08 PM – Tony: alright then, keep your secrets. but let’s talk about it more tomorrow

Something gave Tony the feeling that Steve wouldn’t tell him about the real reason why he had left so suddenly and what that emergency had really been about. But that didn’t matter much to Tony anymore. This was only the first time it happened, and their first meeting didn’t go perfectly either because of Tony. Maybe it was just payback or karma for when he made Steve wait. No matter how the blonde tried to make it up to him, Tony had already forgiven him – he knew he didn’t do it on purpose and it was obvious the blonde wasn’t too keen on leaving him there either.

Even so, Tony wondered how else he’d make it up to him though. Flowers? Chocolate? A massage? Allowing him to touch his muscles for a full day? Okay, maybe Tony shouldn’t expect anything and just let himself get surprised by whatever Steve had planned. Especially that last one was very unlikely to happen. But hey, a man could dream.

11:09 PM – Steve: Okay. Sweet dreams Tony

11:09 PM – Tony: oh you bet I will. good night steve

And boy, would he dream something sweet that night.

Chapter 9 Chapter Text

Sunday was a calm and relaxing day – Tony had made progress on his Iron Man suit and followed up on other project ideas. Him and Steve chatted sometimes but they were mostly busy with their own things. The blonde did tell him that he was working on a date idea to make it up to him for leaving so suddenly yesterday. After such an eventful Saturday, Tony appreciated having a quiet and calm Sunday, mostly to himself.

The next day, Tony was mercilessly woken up by his alarm, forcing him to stand up and get ready for work. If he hadn’t been so keen on making progress on his current project and awaiting Nick Fury’s call, he would have stayed in dreamland for longer. While he couldn’t recall all the details, he knew it was a very pleasant dream – the kind of dream that made you want to never wake up. Well, that thought was surprisingly dark. All he remembered was being surrounded by two very attractive men, one of them being Steve for certain. If the brunette had to guess, the other one was probably Captain America. God, how embarrassing – he barely knew the man and already dreamt of him. Deciding to forgo thinking about what it meant having dreamt of two men at the same time, Tony made his way to the kitchen to splash his face with water and make some coffee to freshen up.

When checking his messages while eating breakfast, it seemed like Steve settled on a date idea as he gave him an exact time and asked him for a car. Tony couldn’t help but chuckle. He could already guess what this ‘surprise date’ of his was going to be but that didn’t make it any less exciting. On the contrary, the brunette was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Steve had remembered something small like that from their early days of chatting together. It were moments like these that made Tony feel loved and appreciated, like Steve actually cared about him and liked him for who he was. Not because he was rich or had a high social status – he knew the blonde wasn’t taking advantage of him and his identity. That was more reassuring than anything else.

The hurt of having been left so suddenly yesterday had all but dissipated by now. Something like that could happen one time and while Tony was still a bit upset he only got a vague explanation, he also felt a bit bad for flirting so easily with another man, so he decided not to press the matter. It was time to brush off this incident and see what Steve would prepare for him next Friday.

Steve woke up early on Sunday, feeling the sleep-deprivation and grogginess more than usual on his late-night missions. He had felt bad for leaving Tony like that yesterday but when Nick Fury called, you couldn’t ‘ghost’ him unless you wanted to suffer the consequences soon enough.

The blonde spent the morning thinking up a way to make it up to Tony, settling on an open-air cinema event that was being held this Friday night. He remembered the brunette talking about wanting to go to one again when they were reminiscing and talking about movies in their early days of chatting. Apparently even a rich man like Tony had experience with those.

Frankly, Steve expected those kinds of events to have died out long ago with the modern cinema and even the at-home-streaming services but was quickly proven wrong once he looked it up on the internet. When he was a teenager, him and Bucky would sneak up to those open-air cinemas a few times and watch them together from the sidelines, where they were hidden from any suspecting adults. They couldn’t afford the luxury of buying tickets, let alone drive by with a car back in the day. Looking back, some adults may have seen them but didn’t care enough to call them out for it – they were just kids, poor ones at that, fascinated by movies and the big screen. All that was missing back then were snacks and maybe a heater for the colder nights. But Steve could make up for that this time, except it was going to be with Tony.

Deciding this was the best idea he had come up with, he booked two tickets and noted down things he’d need for the date itself, like snacks and flowers – Steve could be romantic if he wanted to. Of course he made sure to take the night off as well to prevent any ‘unnecessary’ work disturbances. Since Tony took pride in his multiple cars, surely he would prefer to go in one of his – not like Steve had a car in the first place. His preferred choice of vehicle was his old but trusty motorbike, and while it was a nice one, it would neither provide them with enough heat, nor would it be very comfortable to sit in to watch a movie.

First thing Steve did Monday morning was go shopping for snacks and telling Tony to free up Friday night. As expected, when he mentioned needing one of Tony’s cars to get to the date spot, the brunette complied happily, probably guessing the date already from that alone. Sometimes the man was too smart for his own good.

The days leading up to their promised date night went well for both of them – work was as usual with some personal highlights like Steve busting a gang of dangerous drug dealers and Tony finishing up his project. They were both excited to see each other again, which motivated them to do their best at work – more so than usual.

Tony had even had a few meetings and phone calls with Nick Fury throughout the week, figuring out the details of their contract. The man was surprisingly agreeable on his terms and conditions, as well as his collaboration plans with Stark Industries in the future to enable working on the things he wanted to more efficiently without having to hide but still keeping Iron Man’s identity a secret.

On Friday, Tony was able to go home from work on time feeling accomplished. Honestly, this week had been going so great already, he wasn’t sure how tonight’s open-air cinema date with Steve could make it any better. Indeed, his guess was correct and after asking the blonde about it multiple times, he had finally given in and confessed. Tony insisted on the other man sending him a digital copy of the tickets just in case old man Steve lost the physical copies – he trusted modern technology and its conveniences more than the human mind, prone to forgetting and losing things.

As agreed upon, Tony went to pick up Steve at his apartment at 6 PM so they could drive to the event together. When 10 minutes had passed without a sign of the blonde coming out of the apartment after ringing the doorbell, his phone and texting him, Tony got a bad feeling.

Was he not home? Or maybe he was passed out for some reason? Hurt even? Or…

Please… not again.

Ding.

A text notification.

The brunette didn’t want to check his phone and be disappointed. He didn’t want to confirm his suspicions and fears of having Steve cancel on him. On the day he was supposed to make it up to him for last time. Tony didn’t want his awesome week ruined by this one bad thing.

Or maybe it was just like their first meeting – work taking longer than expected except their roles were reversed now.

He found himself clinging onto that spark of hope, that it wasn’t what he feared it was. That Steve was taking longer on the toilet or that he was being held up somewhere – anything that wasn’t the blonde prioritizing someone else over him again.

Channelling all his courage, deciding to just get it over with, Tony got his phone out and read the message.

06:20 PM – Steve: I’m so sorry Tony but my best friend is at the hospital and I need to be there for her

Lowering the phone in disappointment, his chest tightened.

Steve was with his friend.

A woman.

No, no, that part shouldn’t matter. She was hurt.

Or was that just an excuse? The thought of that felt like a stab to the heart.

Fuck. Maybe his friend was actually in a bad condition and here he was being a doubtful little bastard. Steve wouldn’t lie about something like that. At least the Steve he knew wouldn’t. He wasn’t sure if the blonde giving him a good reason this time was a good or bad sign. Tony hated himself for doubting him like that, especially when the reason seemed so dire and serious but his shitty brain was getting the better of him.

Who could he even blame for this? Why did something always have to happen on their dates? At what point was it a pattern and not just a coincidence or really bad fucking luck? What if Steve was lying? What if Steve wasn’t who he said he was and was getting a kick out of toying with Tony’s feelings like this? Did he not want to see him anymore?

But what if he was being genuine and Tony was just imagining things? Making himself go crazy over nothing?

A million questions, emotions and what-if-scenarios started circulating in Tony’s brain, making him dizzy. This happening again was feeding into his trust issues and insecurities more than he liked to admit. He was spiralling, unable to catch himself out of it – helpless in front of his usual greatest asset that was his brain.

With that, Tony stumbled out of the apartment complex and went on a drive, trying to calm himself down. He still hadn’t replied, instead leaving the other on read, being too much of a mess to respond like an adult. That in turn made him feel guilty – how horrible was it of him to feel wronged and upset when his friend was quite possibly hurt right now – hell maybe even her life was on the line! It’s likely that Steve was just being the kind and caring friend he was, choosing to stay by her side and helping her get through this.

The rational side of him understood that. He really did. And yet…

He should be kind and caring towards me instead.

He should be at my side instead.

He should have chosen me instead.

Steve hadn’t even bothered to give him a call, it was just a rushed text. He probably didn’t even notice Tony hadn’t replied yet. This was only the second time something like this happened but it frustrated Tony to no end.

How many more times did this have to happen for him to call it quits and move on? How much longer until Steve would finally choose him above others? Was he not as important to him as he thought?

Fuck, he pissed himself off by thinking.

Somehow Tony ended up near the open-air cinema, the one they were supposed to go to together.

Funny. Hilarious even. Maybe his subconscious took him there, playing a cruel joke on himself.

Since he was there already and had the tickets on his phone, he may as well go and try to enjoy it on his own. At the very least he hoped the movie could distract him enough from the inner turmoil for a while.

Chapter 10 Chapter Text

Technically, it was a tough choice but at the same time Steve knew within seconds what he had to do. When he got a call informing him that Natasha got hurt on a mission enough to put her in the intensive medical care facility at their department, he had dropped everything, including his excitement for the date he had so carefully planned.

If it weren’t for times like these, when else would friends be there for each other? Steve couldn’t let her down like this, especially after he learned that an incident with the Hulk had landed her in the ICU in the first place. She had been assigned to stay and work with him since he would sometimes calm down thanks to her but that method was quite evidently not very reliable. Your friend turning into a big green monster and hurting you severely had to do considerable mental damage, even to her. She was a strong woman in body and mind, no doubt, but that didn’t mean she was invincible.

Steve never liked the idea of using her that way and he was unfortunately proven right just now. He needed to be by her side and support her any way he could, even if it was just by praying the operation went well or mentally – showing that he cared and was there for her if she needed to talk about how she felt about the whole thing.

He hated having to stand up Tony again, especially since it was for the very date that was meant to be an apology for the first time it happened – one he had planned carefully. Steve hoped Tony wouldn’t take it personally, that he would understand he had to be there for his best friend right now, that he wouldn’t have been able to focus on Tony as much as he had liked if he went ahead with the date anyway.

After texting him a quick apologetic message, explaining briefly what had happened, Steve hurried to the private medical department for agents like Natasha. When he asked about her condition, they told him to wait as she was still being operated on. This was nerve wracking.

Losing comrades on the field was normal, unfortunate, yes, but not unexpected. But losing Natasha? No, that couldn’t happen. She hadn’t even lived properly yet. Steve wouldn’t be able to handle another loss like that.

While waiting anxiously on the bench next to the ICU, he spotted a distressed Bruce Banner walking up to him, wearing a face of guilt, sweat and tears rolling down his face. The blonde knew it wasn’t technically his fault so he wasn’t about to blame and charge at him in anger. Instead he gestured to the seat next to him, inviting the scientist to sit with him. Steve reassured him and together they waited for the doctor.

Thankfully, after what felt like an eternity, but was really just an hour, they got the good news that her operation was successful and got permission to see her. Although she was quite bandaged up and pale in the face, she gave them a weak smile when they entered the room. While Banner had been unsure if he should come in, Natasha called him out, knowing he had been there. It seemed like she was doing alright despite everything, though she was still weak – nothing a good rest couldn’t fix. Steve let out a big sigh of relief, feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

They both sat down next to her, asking how she was feeling and catching up about what happened. Apparently the Hulk hadn’t hurt her on purpose, he threw her to save her from an explosion, so the intention was actually good-hearted. Banner was the most relieved and happy to hear that, though he still apologized. Just seeing her being okay and recovering made Steve tune out of the rest of the conversation for the most part – safe for occasionally checking his phone.

He hadn’t noticed the scientist was leaving until Natasha nudged him, demanding of him to say goodbye to him. After he was out of the door, the redhead asked him in a concerned voice, “You’re kind of out of it, are you alright?” Steve gave a weak laugh in response.

“You’re the one in the hospital bed, Nat, not me. So yeah, I’m fine.” She grimaced, obviously not buying it.

“Are you sure you want to be here? You’ve been checking your phone and not talking for the past 10 minutes.” He really couldn’t hide anything from her.

“I’m sorry. I rushed here to see if you were okay and be there for you. So that’s what I’ll do.” He apologized for the lack of attention he had given her, setting aside his phone on the bedside table. Natasha took his hand in her own as best as she could, seeking eye contact with her friend.

“It’s okay, I’m happy enough that you came to check up on me. Now let me guess what has you feeling so out of it.” After a dramatic and purposely badly acted out thinking expression, she finally settled on a guess and immediately hit the bullseye.

“Love problem?” Steve couldn’t hide his surprise, mouth agape.

“Is this what they call a woman’s intuition?” He asked half-jokingly, which made the redhead smile in response.

“There you go, you finally smiled. Now tell me all about it~” She sounded so genuinely excited and curious, despite her weak voice. Steve couldn’t not entertain her – she might appreciate the distraction too.

Thankfully there were no visitation limits in the medical departments here like in normal hospitals because Steve went on to tell Natasha truly all about Tony – how they met, flirted and went on two dates already. Naturally, he couldn’t let out the event of today, which was him cancelling the date he had planned in order to check up on her. When they got to that part the redhead couldn’t help but cringe.

“I’m touched, really, but… Steve, you are stupid.” He laughed weakly, having expected her to react this way yet still looking defeated, burying his head in his hands.

“You care a lot about him.”

“Of course I do. But I also care about y-“, she interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.

“Oh shut up. What if you fucked it up with him because of me?” That question hit him like a brick in the face. He hadn’t thought of that. All he had been worried about was Natasha’s safety, hoping Tony would understand. Once he knew she was okay, his mind had been full of worries about having upset him, especially since he still hadn’t texted him back. But he hadn’t thought of the possibility of losing Tony over this.

“Shit.” Seemingly understanding what went through her best friend’s head, Natasha spoke up again.

“He is ghosting you because you blew on him for the second time. And to make matters worse, it was on the exact day you were supposed to make up for your last fuck-up. I might not know this guy but I bet you he is hurt. Maybe he’s suspicious of you too – I know I would be.” Steve knew that but he didn’t have much of a choice, did he? He hadn’t told Tony about his real job and identity yet so he was aware that that part was his fault but one time was an emergency mission that had lives at stake and the other time was about his best friend getting hurt.

“I don’t know what to do anymore. I know I have to tell him about it all if I don’t want to lose him but.. you know how that’s risky.” Natasha understood the struggle he went through right now – it was part of why she never took dating outside of the circle seriously. But she couldn’t blame Steve for falling in love with a man outside of it.

“I understand. You trust him, right?” Steve nodded. “If you trust and like him that much, he will come around and give you another chance. The important part is telling him about it before you become a couple, it’s only fair to him to know what he’s getting into.” The blonde agreed.

“But how do I make him ‘come around’? What if he doesn’t want to talk to me again?” The tears welling up in his eyes were threatening to spill out. Just the mere thought of losing Tony was enough to get him emotional.

“He’s not gone yet, big boy. Just keep texting and calling him, let him know you are sorry. Hell, snap a picture with me and send it to him as proof.”

Deciding to take her up on that offer, they took a selfie and Steve was typing on his phone, double-checking with Natasha, if his words were any good.

09:46 PM – Steve: [picture sent]

09:46 PM – Steve: My friend has been scolding me about how I’m stupid and I should have just went on the date with you. Maybe she’s right but I panicked and needed to make sure for myself if she was okay

09:47 PM – Steve: If I had gone anyway, I wouldn’t have been able to give you the attention you deserve

09:50 PM – Steve: I am really, really sorry for having cancelled last minute like that. I don’t know how to fix this but I really want to. You’re important to me Tony

“Okay that’s enough for now before you start sounding too desperate.” Natasha warned him. She was right of course, but if it took embarrassing himself in order to get Tony to text him back and give him another chance, he would do it without a second thought. Now all he could do was wait for a reply or at least wait for him to see the messages.

As it was getting late and Natasha needed more rest, Steve got ready to leave and head home.

“Thank you Nat. Get well soon, alright?”

“Yes, Sir. I’m sure you making up with your Tony will help speed up the process, so keep me updated.”

Chapter 11 Chapter Text

Once the movie ended, Tony realized he hadn’t been able to focus on it much, surprised it was already over. A glance at the digital clock on his car told him that it was 9 PM already. He had spent majority of the movie anxious, giving himself a headache from thinking so much. The few scenes of the movie he was mentally there for just made him bitter, thinking of Steve and how much fun this could have been with him there. He would have paid more attention to it and they could talk and laugh about it. Or maybe they would have been distracted by each other the whole time…

Although he spent considerable time thinking about the blonde, he had resisted the urge to check his phone until now. When he saw no new messages or calls from him though, he threw his phone into the back seat, pissed off that Steve hadn’t texted him again. No update on how his ‘friend’ was doing or asking if he was okay. Maybe he was being petty or childish but he didn’t care. He thought they had something but maybe he was wrong.

Tony knew he was low on the list of people Steve was concerned with right now if his friend was actually in the hospital but that didn’t make the bitterness in his heart go away. If anything, it deepened it, confirming that he wasn’t a priority to him at all. Like he could be discarded at any given time like it was nothing – like he was nothing.

Even more pissed off than before, Tony started driving home faster, motivated by only one thing. A drink. Because that’s exactly the thing he needed right now. He wasn’t an alcoholic or anything, not anymore.

After overcoming his addiction in the past, he rarely reached for the bottle. But every time he did drink, it was for social purposes or because he was truly feeling like pure ass and just needed something to numb the pain.

Once he was through his doorstep, Tony rushed towards his alcohol cabinet, which was mostly there for show, but simultaneously functioned as an emergency stash. When gulping down a glass of much needed whiskey, he couldn’t help but grimace, the taste burning his throat and numbing his senses – exactly what he sought out. Satisfied with the results, Tony poured more and more, slowly but surely feeling the alcohol flow through his body, releasing all inhibitors and making him drunk. It felt good. Freeing. The substance made the ache in his heart feel less excruciating – hell, he was even laughing about it now.

When the clock read 10.30 PM, Tony checked his phone again, making a bet with himself to see if Steve texted him. His heart stopped for a second.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your view, he lost that bet because he did in fact receive a bunch of messages and missed calls from the blonde.

Taking a last sip of his drink, bracing himself for whatever was to come, Tony opened their chat. The first thing that he saw was a picture he had sent – it was Steve posing next to a woman on what seemed like a hospital bed. She did seem like she went through shit with all the bandages on her body.

This brought Tony back into reality a bit – Steve wasn’t lying. Of course he wasn’t. Relief washed over his shoulders before he started laughing hysterically. He really was so dumb sometimes. There was no way Steve would lie. Not about something like this. Not when he was also looking forward to spending time together. Yet he doubted him anyway – fuck, he was such a self-absorbed, broken douchebag.

Once he calmed down a little, he read through the rest of the messages. They made him feel even worse about himself but made him smile at the same time – Steve obviously cared about him.

He couldn’t just forget the past few hours and the pain he still felt though, which was only numbed through the alcohol.

While thinking about what to say or do, Tony looked at the picture again. Steve looked like a mess, though he could tell he had been getting ready for their date judging from his get-up – he wore his favourite green sweater and his hair was properly styled. He probably smelled like that vintage cologne as well…

Upon further inspection, he noticed that it couldn’t be a normal hospital though, especially considering how late it was – visitation times would have been long over by now. Was she some rich lady that could afford a private hospital or something? How did Steve even know her? How close were they really?

He should stop thinking in that direction – they weren’t like that. There was no point in playing games with Tony if he was actually interested in someone else. Steve didn’t know who exactly he was, seeming genuinely surprised at Tony’s many luxuries and money spending habits. There was no way he had any ulterior motives for talking to him and going on dates together. Or at least try to.

It did make him think how little he knew about the other man though – she was his best friend but he barely ever talked about her. Tony wanted to know more about Steve and his friends, his life… but he wouldn’t pry. Not when he wasn’t the most upfront and honest man himself.

Either way, they had to talk so he decided to give Steve a call. Yes, he was drunk and Steve would, more likely than not, notice and nag him about it but he needed to talk to him. Tony wanted to hear his voice and let him see his hurt.

“Tony? Hello? Are you okay?” The obvious worry in Steve’s voice felt like a stab in the heart but he didn’t know why.

“Yes mummm I’m okayy…”

“You haven’t responded until now… what have you been doing?”

Tony answered, laughing in between sentences. “I went on a niceee date with myself, I didn’t even need you there. That is what they mean by ‘loving yourself’ right? You know what, please keep standing me up so I can go on more solo dates!”

He couldn’t stop himself from showing his hurt in the most petty way. Although he knew this wouldn’t fix anything and possibly make things worse, the words just spilled out – maybe he was a little too drunk after all.

“Tony…” Steve sounded concerned and hurt – good. He wanted him to hurt at least a little bit, to experience a fraction of what he was feeling. Tony tried to ignore the guilt of making Steve feel bad. For choosing someone else over him. For making him feel shit about himself and letting his head get to him. For making him pick up that cursed bottle and down it. He had to blame him even if he didn’t really deserve it.

“Are you drunk?”

“So what if I am. Can’t a man enjoy a drink at the end of a date anymore?”

“That’s not what I meant… Look, I know you’re upset and you have every right to be and I’m sorry…” Steve sounded dejected, like a sad puppy begging for forgiveness.

"Just let me be a petty bitch for a minute. I know I'll forgive you and give us another chance.” Tony complained before continuing. “Rationally speaking, I know it was out of your control. Hell, I would have done the same thing if it was my best friend that had been hurt. So yeah, I understand, really, I do. I’m not big enough of an asshole to blame you for being the kind and caring friend you are." Tony paused, gulping down the last drop of his drink – the next part needing a little more courage. “But I'm still hurt you chose someone else over me. I feel like I’ll just always be your second choice. I might not have any right to feel this way but fuck, I can't help it. It just sucks, you know?”

Tony didn’t give a fuck anymore, he just wanted to let it all out, including the tears that were starting to fall down. He let out a weak laugh. “I was even questioning whether or not you were actually going to see your friend in the hospital until you sent that picture. You can’t lie to save your life and yet, I doubted you. Hell, I was fucking jealous of an emergency patient. And here I am having the audacity of getting upset when you were just being a good friend… I’m horrible." While making fun of himself, he wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his sweater.

"Tony...” Steve started in that soft, angelic voice of his. “You’re not horrible for that at all. It's okay to feel these things. I never wanted to hurt you but I’m sorry I did. I know how difficult it can be when the mind and heart tell you different things… It’s my fault you had a shitty evening and I apologize.”

Tony sniffed every so often but at least he wasn’t crying anymore after Steve reassured him. “I just don’t know how much longer I can handle this. How many more times I can be stood up in a row before I leave.” The brunette hated how weak his voice sounded but this needed to be said. “If you don’t want to go on dates anymore, simply say the word. We can just be friends if you prefer-“

“No.” Steve cut him off immediately, the idea seeming unthinkable to him. “I can’t just be friends with you, Tony. You’re already more than that to me. If you let me, I’d like to take you out again, try to fix this. No interruptions, just us.”

“You can’t be sure of that. Something can always happen. In fact, none of our dates have gone smoothly so far. Maybe it’s a sign we should stop.”

“Or… it’s some sort of test. Maybe we’d be too powerful together so the universe is doing everything to hinder us, who knows?”

Tony smiled. “That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.”

“And since when were you the type to care about spirituality?”

“Touché.”

They both giggled and sat in comfortable moments of silence, appreciating the light heartedness they were still capable of, until Steve started talking again with newfound optimism and determination in his voice. “Listen, I really like you Tony, so I don’t want to mess this up. Because this… what we have is special, no matter what. So can you please give me another chance?”

How could he say no to that? How could he ever say no to this man? If he had been right in front of him, pleading him with those big puppy eyes of his, he was sure he would have caved in already. What’s one or two incidents when they always had a good time when they were together? Maybe it really were just unlucky coincidences and his brain was simply spinning it in a negative way.

“It might be the last chance you get.”

“That’s fine by me. Let me make this right. For you. For us.”

“Alright.” Tony hummed in agreement, before his stomach grumbled loudly. He could hear Steve smiling on the other end of the line.

“You didn’t have dinner, did you?”

“Guilty as charged…” Tony groaned. Did he even have anything at home that he could eat without much effort in preparing it? He didn’t even feel like getting up from his sofa.

“I could cook you a soup… It will even help your hangover tomorrow.”

“It’s late though, I don’t want to force you to-“

“Open the door, Tony.” Just then the door bell rang.

“There’s no way you’re already here.” Tony got up, needing to confirm if it really was Steve in front of his door.

“Not already. I have been here since just before our phone call started.”

When Tony opened the door he did in fact see the blonde standing there in the cold, cheeks red from the cold. He couldn’t help but stare, not believing he had been there for the past, what, 15 minutes? This was sobering him up better than a bucket of water.

“Come in.” He let him inside quickly after regaining his composure, closing the door quickly – the cold was relentless at night. “You madman, why didn’t you say anything before?”

Steve removed his shoes, jacket, gloves and scarf while answering. “I wasn’t sure you wanted to see me. But when you didn’t answer for so long and I was on the road already, I had to check on you.

“Right… Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought you couldn’t cook?” Steve laughed.

“Yes, but I do know how to cook a great hangover soup. My mum taught me – it’s pretty much the only thing I make that tastes good.”

“Oh, great cause my head is already buzzing. You’ll have to get the ingredients from my pantry yourself though…” Tony paused, suddenly falling victim to a dizzy spell. It took a lot of effort to remain stable on his two feet and focus on walking properly when his world was starting to spin. “I need to sit down.”

Steve immediately knew what to do, supporting the smaller man with his own body and getting him to sit on the sofa. He went away for a second to grab a glass of water for him, which Tony took with a grateful look, gulping the whole thing down in one go. Who knew getting drunk on an empty stomach was a bad idea?

The blonde refilled the water for him and gathered the necessary ingredients – thankfully they had cooked together before so he knew his way around the kitchen at least a little bit. As Tony was sitting, sobering up and praying he wouldn’t throw up, he watched Steve cook – he had a good view from just opposite the kitchen. From the way he was preparing the ingredients, boiling the water and seasoning the soup, it was obvious he had prepared that particular soup many times before. He trusted that it would taste good.

Tony knew that he was lucky to have someone care so much about him – that’s all he ever wanted after all. But that’s exactly why it was so difficult to believe it was real. He was aware of his trust issues and being unable to let himself have good things. It’s not like he did it on purpose, he truly wished things would be different with Steve – and they were. Steve kept proving that to him. He was patient and understanding, more than he should be, really.

Just then the blonde walked towards him with a bowl of soup and a spoon, placing it on the couch table. “There you go, Tony. Be careful, it’s hot.” Tony had to chuckle.

“I know that, silly. Thank you.” Tony took a spoonful and blew on it to cool it down before tasting it. Steve sat down next to him on the couch, watching him in anticipation.

“Holy shit, your mother is awesome.” They laughed but Tony meant it – he never had a better soup in his life and that wasn’t just the hunger or alcohol talking.

“Yeah, she was. Hers tasted even better but I’m glad you like it anyway. I can’t guarantee it will help your hangover, but it should at least fill you up.”

“You never had this after drinking?” Tony was surprised. Sure, Steve didn’t seem like a heavy drinker but…

“I… I don’t get drunk.”

“Oh. Like, you don’t want to? I totally understand that – it can really suck sometimes.”

“No, I can’t. I’m just… built different, I suppose.” Steve had a little trouble explaining and Tony sensed it wasn’t an easy topic for him so he dropped it.

“I see. I haven't had a drink in a while so it hit me a lot harder.” Tony chuckled awkwardly. “I.. I’m sorry for… doubting you and blaming you even though I knew it was my fault for letting myself spiral. The alcohol made it worse but there’s a reason I put the bottle down years ago.”

“It’s okay Tony, I don’t blame you, so don’t blame yourself either. Let’s just move past this.” With his big, warm hand on his back, Tony felt reassured and like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He had felt guilty and upset but this time was on the both of them.

They sat together in comfortable silence as Tony was finishing his soup. He could already feel his headache lessen so Steve’s mother had probably been right to call this delicacy a hangover soup. Full and satisfied, Tony let out a big yawn – it was almost midnight already.

“I guess it’s time for you to get some rest.” Steve smiled at him fondly and got up, heading towards the door.

Something inside of Tony urged him to stop him – he couldn’t leave. Not now. Not today.

“It’s too late for you to go outside and drive now.”

“Why?”

“You’ll freeze to death.” Steve raised his head slightly, understanding what this was about.

“Alright. Where do you suppose I sleep then?”

“I got a guest room of course. But you can also sleep in mine, if you like.” Tony silently thanked the remaining alcohol in his system for the courage to invite Steve to his bed like that. The taller man smiled.

“Sure. Someone has got to keep an eye out for you after all.” Tony hummed, satisfied with his reply. The blonde approached him again and offered his hand to help him up. Just as he took it and stood up, Steve quickly but carefully, lifted him bridal-style.

“W-what are you-“

“This way is quicker, trust me.” Steve carried him up the stairs like he weighed nothing and sat him down on his bed. Needless to say, Tony was a blushing mess. As the blonde went to get water from the kitchen, Tony changed into his pyjamas and set out bigger clothes for Steve to wear.

He came back with a water jug and two glasses, placing them on each bedside table. Spotting the clothes Tony chose for him, he thanked him quickly and stripped. First he removed his shirt, revealing his incredible six pack and insanely perfect arm muscles. If Tony had just an ounce less self-control he would have…

“Enjoying the show?” Steve teased, smirking – he knew exactly what he was doing.

“Yes, actually. Be grateful I’m only staring.”

After stripping down his pants, revealing his thighs, Tony was nearly drooling. Those could crush someone’s skull, no problem.

This had to be some kind of fever dream. In fact, it was a miracle Tony didn’t get a hard-on right then and there.

Steve turned off the big light and laid down on his side of the bed. He sighed as his body hit the soft mattress. “Wow.”

“Comfortable, huh?”

“Very.” He turned to face the brunette. They were just smiling at each other for a few moments.

“Crazy day, huh?” They laughed in agreement.

“I didn’t expect it to end here after what happened but… I’m glad it did.” Tony admitted.

“Me too. Now come here, I’ll keep you warm.” Steve invited Tony into his big arms and who was he to reject such an enticing offer? He cuddled up to him and laid his arm over his tummy with a grip that he wouldn’t let go of. The sound of Steve’s heartbeat calming down and the two of them breathing in sync made Tony relax.

They ended up falling asleep shortly in each other’s arms.

Chapter 12 Chapter Text

The following week had been rather calm though something had shifted between Steve and Tony – in a good way. They would call more often, check up on each other and say good night and good morning everyday. It certainly helped in easing Tony’s mind and reassuring him that both of them took what they had seriously, even if they weren't putting a label on their… relationship. Maybe it was the vulnerability and honesty, maybe it was the cuddling and sleeping together or maybe it was that hangover soup. Probably a mix of all. But they were a little more open with one another, about their feelings for each other at least.

Steve even sent a bouquet of flowers consisting of nicely smelling red and peach roses to Tony’s mansion. He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel all giddy and warm inside upon receiving them and learning the meaning. As every child knew, red roses symbolized love, lust and romance and peach roses conveyed a sense of gratitude and sincerity. The meanings fit too perfectly for it to be a coincidence and knowing Steve, he probably made sure to get the right flowers for the occasion. Even if Tony never looked up the meaning and therefore never got the real message behind them – the details mattered to him. That’s just the kind of man Steve was and it’s one of the reasons why Tony fell for him so quickly.

As cliché as getting flowers from someone you liked was, Tony now fully understood why it was used so damn often in romantic media – it really did make him feel loved and appreciated. With their feelings a bit more in the open now, perhaps their relationship could progress even further soon… He had gotten a taste of seeing Steve half-naked and sleeping next to him and now he wanted that again and more. Sadly Tony also knew that they shouldn’t rush things, no matter how badly he wanted to. There was a lot he had to tell him still and he was sure it was the same for Steve.

During the week, Tony had gotten a call from Nick Fury, who invited him to a meeting to discuss how they could help each other out in more detail, as well as their terms and conditions for a contract. While they were still figuring out the details of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark Industries working together, the brunette kept a low profile by going to his office in disguise. Fury hadn’t been too surprised Iron Man was Tony Stark since the design of the suit was ‘too intricate for it to have been made by your average Joe’. The main surprise for him laid more-so in the fact that Tony actually wore the suit himself and actively put himself in danger. “There is no danger when I’m the one wearing the suit, I built the damn thing – nobody knows it better than I do.” His confident smirk and cocky attitude got the other man laughing – he couldn’t argue against it. At least the man was actually as good as he claimed to be.

Over the course of several days, they reached an agreement. Broadly speaking, Tony would get to keep being anonymous as Iron Man and Stark Industries and S.H.I.E.L.D. would become official partners. This gave more resources to S.H.I.E.L.D. and a valid reason for Tony to work on his inventions with proper company-funding without having to hide away and have a team that supported him in his endeavours – specifically enhancing the Iron Man suit, making more like it and creating upgrades for the other ‘superheroes’. All things considered, it was a win-win for both parties – all that was left now was creating and signing a proper contract, before they could finally execute their plans, which would take at least another week. In the meantime, Tony started preparing Stark Industries for their new partnership.

Fury promised to keep Tony’s identity a secret which eased his mind a little – he was the first one he told about his double life, which felt odd, considering he barely knew him and would essentially become his boss in a way, but he wouldn’t be the only one for long. He wanted to tell the people closest to him about it soon… either before the partnership became official or right after.

That meant Tony would very likely get a lot busier starting next week, which he told Steve right after he came to a final agreement with Fury. This coming weekend may be the last they had for themselves before Tony would work even on the weekends to get everything set up properly as soon as possible. He saw something really good and useful in this partnership so he wanted to pour his all into it, even if it meant less free-time or sleep.

Steve was happy for Tony as he told him he got a great business opportunity at his workplace. He may not know what that meant specifically but he was proud of him for stepping up the career ladder. However, Steve still disagreed with the sacrifices Tony would make for his work – if Tony had any choice, he should value proper rest and a healthy work-life balance above productivity. Steve himself was still in the process of achieving that – if it was even possible for someone like him in a field like his. That’s why he decided against lecturing Tony about working on weekends, as it would only make him feel and look like a hypocrite.

Instead, he told him to relax this weekend, so he could have more energy for the next. Naturally, he suggested that they could relax together, as in, go on another date. Although there was a hint of fear in the both of them because of the possibility of something happening again to disrupt them, making it possibly their last date, they always had a good time being with each other, so they made plans anyway. No risk no fun, right?

Nevertheless, Steve was too worried something could mess their date up again, especially knowing that this may be the last chance Tony would give him. He had to tell him the truth this weekend – it was just a matter of finding the right words and timing.

Chapter 13 Chapter Text

At last, the weekend rolled around and the both of them prepared to go out and spend the whole day together. Steve rode out to Tony’s mansion again to pick him up on his motorbike. He didn’t get to ride it very often anymore but whenever he did, he enjoyed the feeling of the wind against his body and the illusion of freedom – even if it was really damn cold. However, with Tony hugging him tightly from behind, he didn’t focus on the wind but the warmth against his back and around his torso. There was just something about someone, no, Tony leaning on him that just felt infinitely better than riding alone. He had to wonder if Tony was scared or just wanted to hold onto him – Steve knew he wouldn’t admit to either though, at least not without cracking a flirty joke.

After 20 minutes they arrived at their destination – a restaurant with a bowling bar. As both of their stomachs were already rumbling, they decided to eat lunch first and then burn those calories with some bowling. They both savoured their meals, even letting the other try their dish to compare. One may think they had done so a thousand times already from how casually they fed each other a spoonful of their respective foods – almost like it was a tradition of sorts. In reality, it was the first time they had done so, but perhaps it could turn into a tradition yet.

Once they finished, they each grabbed a soda for their upcoming bowling match and secured one bowling lane. Luckily the place wasn’t too busy with only 3 other groups playing.

“Prepare to get absolutely obliterated.” Tony announced confidently, grabbing a bowling ball with his right hand. Steve was flustered for a second but regained his composure quickly, however the faint blush remained. He was sceptical of the other man’s confidence but played along anyway after clearing his throat.

“Sure, show me what you got.”

Just seconds later Tony proved his words correct – a strike on the first try. The brunette turned around with a victorious smirk on his face. “Try to beat that, pretty boy, bet you can’t.”

The blonde smiled, both because of the compliment and the cocky smirk on Tony’s face. He gladly took him up on that challenge and got up from his seat.

“Okay, okay I admit you are better than expected. To be honest I am surprised you can even lift those so effortlessly.” He glanced at the bowling balls next to them.

Upon realizing the jab at him, Tony protested vehemently. “I can’t believe you thought I’m weak! I actually am quite muscular thank you very much. Do you want to see? I can show you right now.”

The brunette looked a bit too ready to strip off his sweater right then and there just to prove himself. Unsure if he would actually do it or not, Steve hurriedly laid his hands on the other’s waist, stopping him from removing any clothes or move much at all, really. Grabbing him by the waist so suddenly didn’t only surprise Tony but the blonde as well. However now that he felt his delicate waist, he didn’t want to break the physical touch just yet, even if it was just through a sweater. He slowly moved his hands up, applying slight pressure to his chest, shoulders and arms to really feel the muscles he was so eager to show off to him just a few seconds ago. Once he was done ‘inspecting’ his upper body, Steve stopped at his hands and held them, nodding in satisfaction.

“Seems like you do indeed have some muscle. My apologies.“ Then he brought one of his hands to his lips and gave it a light kiss, before leaning in to whisper in his ear. “If you’re so eager to show me, you can do so another time, in private.”

He enjoyed the view of Tony being flustered for a few moments before finally letting go and heading towards the bowling ball rack. The blonde took one of the bowling balls to begin his turn, knowing Tony was still staring at him, all red in the face, watching his every move from behind, much like Steve did before. And much like Tony now, Steve too was a blushing mess just two minutes ago because of the other man, even if Tony didn’t realize it or the reason behind it.

Without thinking much about the shot he was taking, mind full off the man just behind him, Steve failed to reign in his strength when he let go of the bowling ball. A very loud and concerning sound came from just below him. It turned out that the heavy bowling ball he had just thrown created a very disruptive hole on the lane it was supposed to roll on.

In that moment he could feel everyone’s eyes in his direction and a deep sense of embarrassment and guilt coming up in him. He felt like a child that was caught breaking something very important by a dozen adults – well, that situation really wasn’t far off what was actually happening.

The blonde turned around slowly, clenching his teeth with a face that obviously read “Shit, I fucked up big time.” When his eyes met Tony’s, his companion broke into a laughing fit, breaking the awkward silence in the bowling hall.

“Pfftt- You didn’t have to try that hard to beat me, you know?”

“Go ahead, laugh at me but this is going to be a pain in the ass to pay the damages for.”

“Oh?” The brunette quickly recovered from his laughing fit. “Do you want it to be a literal pain in the ass?”

“W-what are you saying!” Steve couldn’t help his thoughts heading into a specific direction, causing his cheeks to redden slightly (no, not those cheeks).

“We both know what I said, sweet cheeks~”

“You’re insane.”

The blonde was now more flustered and embarrassed than worried about payments or probably being banned from this bowling bar forever. He felt a little better admittedly, but the problem wasn’t solved yet. If anything, he was surprised none of the staff came by yet to yell at him. They might even sue him, causing him to go in debt or worse…

Almost as if Tony sensed the despair in the blonde’s head, he interrupted his rather depressing train of thought.

“Don’t worry, I can pay for it.”

That indeed caught him out of his catastrophic thinking. “I can’t ask you to do that Tony! You may be rich but I can’t just leech off-“

“You didn’t ask me. I am doing it because I want to and I am one stubborn bastard.”

“Why would you-“

“That was very entertaining and I had a good laugh. Can’t I pay for that if you’re not accepting donations?”

Steve couldn’t really argue against that, he knew Tony would just keep sending him the money no matter how many times he returned it. It was smarter to just give in and accept his help.

Just then a very shocked and upset-looking staff member slowly approached the scene. Tony patted the alarmed blonde on the shoulder with a reassuring smile. “Let me take care of it, alright?” He then met the employee halfway and explained the situation in his own charismatic way. Once he wrote up a check for them, the supposed manager of the place didn’t just stop furrowing their eyebrows, they even smiled. Just how much bonus did Tony give them as reimbursement? Actually, Steve didn’t want to know. He’d just feel guiltier for allowing this situation to even happen and letting Tony take care of his mistakes. While it was certainly nice to have someone be so kind and willing to take care of things for you, he didn’t feel like he deserved it.

After seeing how Tony managed to appease the manager, Steve felt courageous enough to go over and apologize personally. Naturally, they weren’t exactly excited to see him but they thankfully accepted his heartfelt apology anyway. Surprisingly they didn’t even ban him from their establishment – money sure was power. However, it still felt inappropriate to stay so they both left the place after everything was settled.

Once outside, Steve let out a deep sigh. “I’m really sorry… and thank you. How about we check out the stalls at the market next street? I heard the street food and drinks there are worth a visit.”

“Lead the way, superman.”

“Tonyy….” Steve whined for a second before he rolled his eyes and started laughing with him. Now that they were outside, he had to admit, that it was pretty funny. Besides, seeing Tony laugh like that made him laugh too, no matter if he wanted to or not.

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The Real Me

yuminty

Summary:

Notes:

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

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Chapter 11

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Chapter 12

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Chapter 13

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