I don't own the Avengers. If I did, I would make sure Tony slept and ate better. And stayed away from toasters.
...
Steve stared at the door. Just stared at it. Tony Stark had left him more dumbfounded in just five minutes than all the technological advancements of the last seventy years.
Not that that was a bad thing right now.
The super soldier hadn't said anything, hadn't been able to say anything, and now he wished he had. Watching Tony all but run away from him was the most heart-wrenching sight he'd ever seen, and it left him feeling cold all over. Outwardly he was calm – outwardly he was always calm – but inside he was so many things, his mind unable on focus on just one. Surprise. Joy. Panic. Worry. Happiness. Trepidation. Wonder. Determination.
It was the last one that set his jaw and propelled him forward, stumbling slightly, towards the door. He wasn't sure what he was doing. He didn't know what he should say. But Steve knew he had to find Tony and tell him something. That he was wrong. That he was right – oh, so right, in every single way. That he was not dull, and certainly never boring. And so much more.
Standing in the doorway of his room, Steve looked down the hall both ways, not really seeing it. Lab. Tony would be in his lab, probably blowing something up and pretending everything was okay. JARVIS didn't even ask Steve for a passcode, sliding the doors open as he approached. Tony was bent over one of the tables, doing something scientific and probably dangerous, and Steve felt a small twinge of worry course through him.
"Tony."
The dark haired genius startled, and looked at him, but before Tony could speak Steve continued, "Tony, I think you need to listen to what I have to say."
Of course, now that he'd said that he wasn't sure what to say next. "Uh, well...I'm sorry if I don't say the right words, if this doesn't sound right. I haven't done this much, but I need to tell you this. I need to tell you...well, a lot, and I know it won't be very eloquent and I'm already not sure what I'm saying. But I need to tell you...this. All of this. Tony, I could never hate you, and more than that, I could never leave you. You've come to mean more to me than I thought you ever would."
Steve took a deep breath, and looked down at his shoes nervously. He was having trouble looking directly at Tony, yet he couldn't help but smile softly as he spoke. "I'd take a chance on you…I'd take a chance on you a hundred times over. I want to be there for you, with you. I like being near you, I like holding you close when we're just together. You make me happy, ridiculously happy, when we're just talking alone. I feel more comfortable with you than with anyone else I know. I...I trust you. You make me feel safe in ways I haven't in a long time.
"I don't care if you're not perfect. I'm not perfect either...no one is. I don't want you to be perfect, I just want you to be you. I like you the way you are. I love your enthusiasm, your humor, how excited you get when you talk about something you're interested in."
He shifted awkwardly, glancing up at Tony. He wasn't sure whether the other's silence was a good sign or not. "I don't know when I started to think about you so much, to care about you so much. When you started to matter so much. I just know you do, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I want to say I know, completely, what I think and feel about you, but the truth is I don't. Not fully. But what I do know is that you make me happy. You make me feel...complete. And I don't want you to run. I want you to stay. I want to stay. Here, with you. I...that's my reply."
Steve smiled, shy and a bit nervous, and held his hand out to Tony.
...
For J, even though you already know my reply.
