A/N: I've decided to upload all my fics into a single account. eye of the beholder until let the walls break down were originally only uploaded to my AO3 account, callingthequits. Then I went back to my roots and thought, "Hey, why not post it on Fanfiction too?" so here I am.

I'd just like to make a note that this story is listed as Incomplete because, simply, that is what it is. I have no plans to continue this. Chapter 2 was written because of audience demand; not because I had any concrete plot I was working on building. So despite the fact that I may never write more, this is not Complete, simply because it really isn't a complete story.

Basically: Don't get your hopes up.

"Hi," Steve says. But Tony doesn't hear him.

Why?

He just might be too far for that.

Three tables too far.

He sighs and leans his head against the cafe window. Shield HQ, the little cafe shop just a few blocks from his house (a few meaning about ten or fourteen, he doesn't really care), was where he could succesfully Not Stalk Tony without being seen. Steve prides himself on that, because most other aspiring supervillains didn't exactly have the guts or skill to Not Stalk someone. He would honestly like to find out where Tony lives, but, er, the only possible way to do that is to follow him home. And Steve doesn't really like bringing his Dr. Horrible persona to his normal, everyday life, so that's out of the question.

Well, he could also just ask. But Steve can hardly talk to Tony when he's two meters away, so, yeah.

Why is it that the heroes get all the happy endings with the girl, and villain has to be alone for potentially the rest of his or her life? It's unfair and whatever the hero-villain equivalent of racist is. The villain never gets to be happy. What kind of a world is this? Steve thinks, grumbling into his coffee. Maybe the villain is evil, but everybody has to have a chance! They're all people in the end! If-when he takes over the world, he is so changing that.

Maybe he can get the girl then. In Steve's case, however, it's the attractive man with the goatee who probably doesn't even know his name. He groans, and his head decides to acquaint itself with the table. Tony Stark. 26, CEO of Stark Industries, highly intelligent, and highly breathtaking. Steve knows some things about him. He's loud and occasionally annoying and acts like a total asshole, but he isn't, and Steve knows that. He has a heart condition and is a bit asthmatic and personally invents everything SI sells. He has a PA named Pepper Potts and is one of the richest men on the planet. He supports a hell of a lot of charities, some of them he funds with his own pocket money, and he generally wants to shape the world up for peace and trying to save it. He's famous but he prefers to go undercover, trying to be normal. He also really likes coffee, knows Nick Fury, funds Shield HQ, and that is why Steve loves this place.

He's also single, which might be the most important part.

"Thinking about Stark again, Steve?" One of the waitresses asks him, serving him a plate of buttered toast. It's Natasha, one of the people he might be able to call a friend every once and a while. She's dangerously sexy and Bucky might have a small (read, ginormous) crush on her, but doesn't really respond to his advances. Once, on her off time, she made a quip about his "rippling pectorals" and gave him a sidelong glance. Which he didn't notice, because Tony was apparently on an afternoon jog, and as such was wearing running shorts and a sweaty t-shirt. When she noticed that he was drooling into his cup, she followed his direction of eyesight and said, "Can't fault you for your taste. Mmm."

Of course, because she's Natasha, she also yelled out, "Nice ass, Stark!" To which Tony responded by giving her a wink and a pose that deliberately put his backside to her line of sight, and since Natasha was sitting by him, meant Tony's backside was also on Steve's line of sight. He was sure he would end up with his face in a permanent shade of red and an eternal cold shower because, um, to put it lightly:

Damn.

Ten syllable damn.

Feeling something rising in his pants, he determinedly shakes his head to remember that he is in a public place. He coughs, and once he notices Natasha giving him an unimpressed look, he says, "Um, sorry, what were you saying?" Because, honestly, he doesn't even know how long he was out for that one. Tony is very distracting. When-if Steve ever gets the chance to talk to the amazing man three tables away from him, he's sure he'd be even more so.

He hasn't really seen Tony smile yet, but god forbid when that happens, because then Steve will pick up all his pace on becoming a supervillain so they can rule together.

He isn't even close to kidding.

Natasha looks at him for a moment, lips curling downwards, then rolls her eyes and leaves. Steve doesn't even notice anymore, he's too busy watching Tony.

And Tony? Well, heck, Tony doesn't notice. Tony doesn't know he exists. So Steve watches Tony drink his coffee, make small talk with Phil, the sunlight shining in his eyes and making him look like an angel. He's not smiling, but he's not frowning either. His mouth isn't a thin line of impassiveness, and he's not smirking. Steve isn't sure if there's a word for it, actually. But he looks content, at peace, and maybe even the slightest bit happy. He's all alone in his table, but he doesn't seem to care, watching the streets outside. He's always alone when he comes. Steve noticed that. Steve notices near close to everything when it comes to Tony.

He chokes up and stares down at his coffee and toast, not wanting to acknowledge the part where he wants to go to him, sit by Tony, and for the both of them to be not alone, not anymore. Because Bucky is great, he is, but he's almost never there at the house, not like he used to. He misses feeling wanted.

But he sits there and watches Tony leave instead, just like he always does.

Because in the end?

Steve doesn't want to acknowledge the part of himself that's already started to love a stranger.