Disclaimer: not mine.
Tony Stark had a problem.
After the fight with Loki and the Chitauri, he invited the Avengers—with the exception of Thor; Tony felt much safer knowing that Odinson was going to be keeping a very close eye on his trickster brother (and with the smoldering looks he'd been giving his brother, Tony was fairly certain Loki wouldn't be leaving Thor's sight any time soon). Anyway, Iron Man invited the other Avengers to take up residence in the tower he was in the process of rebuilding; a new headquarters, if you will. All of them agreed. Bruce Banner was slightly more difficult to convince, but once Tony assured the man of 'in-case-of-Hulk' safety measures and his own, state-of-the-art lab, Bruce was most compliant. Tony felt perfectly confident and sure about his decision until about a week in.
Most of his time was occupied by design plans for the tower and upgrades to his suit. When Tony did emerge from his lab, it was usually for alcohol, sustenance, a shower or bed. Only one brought him out more than the others, so therefore the billionaire hadn't been seeing the light of day recently.
That changed when he laid eyes on Captain America one day.
Now—don't judge Tony too quickly. He'd see the Cap' more than he'd ever seen anyone, except for perhaps Pepper or Bruce. Captain America's leadership and Iron Man's desire for 'The-Way-of-Stark' (copyrighted 2012, Stark Enterprises) were very frequently at odds. Not to mention Steve Rogers seemed to love sitting him down and giving him stern lectures.
Every other time he'd glimpsed the Cap', the other man was either wearing his spangly outfit or a tastefully colored flannel shirt tucked neatly into a pair of jeans.
Lately, though, it seemed as if Tony was always catching Steve either coming back from the gym or heading to. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the Captain always seemed to be shirtless.
To be fair, Tony was a little crooked around the edges. He'd been dubbed a playboy simply because his sexual interests varied. Sure, he usually preferred women, but only because there were very few men who could capture his attention for more than five minutes. And—given his current arrangement—none of them had worked out very well.
Very few men were able to do to Tony Stark what Steve Rogers did the first time he walked into the kitchen without a shirt on.
Tony was rummaging through the fridge with one hand secured firmly around a tumbler of whiskey. Muttering to himself over how the ratio of health food was overwhelming against that of cheeseburgers and cake, he stopped when the hair on the back of his neck prickled, indicating that he was no longer alone in the room. He knew he wasn't in any danger; JARVIS would have warmed him immediately. So, curious, Stark pulled his head out of the fridge for a few seconds to take a look and almost regretted his decision.
With a glass of water in his right hand and the left clutching at the soft, fluffy towel thrown across his shoulders, Tony thought Steve looked like a god.
The towel was catching stray drops of moisture dripping tantalizingly from the darkened stands of hair that now hugged Steve's forehead and neck. His cheeks were a bright strawberry red and Tony found himself wondering if the color was from the shower or the workout. A few water droplets that managed to escape the absorbency of the towel ran free and wild down his rock-hard chest and chiseled abs. The man was so well-muscled, but not obscenely so; everything just seemed to be perfect on him. The water that glistened off his chest was teasing Tony, seductively inviting him to lick them from the Captain's body. Tony's chocolate brown eyes traced the muscle definition around Steve's hips, continuing on until they were hidden by the loose-fitting brown sweatpants—and damn it all if Steve wasn't wearing those pants as low as he could on his hips…so low that Tony thought the image should be illegal.
Once he had finished his appreciative once-over, Tony made the mistake of glancing up to see if Steve had noticed.
Steve had noticed. Noticed well enough that when Tony looked up, his eyes locked with the steely intense gaze of Captain America.
Tony had been expecting his heated look to raise a question or a mild protest from the old-fashioned American icon. Instead, one of Steve's eyebrows was raised and his eyes only contained curiosity. A word was never exchanged. Tony intended to keep it that way.
Grabbing the nearest container of vegetables, Tony stood abruptly, careful to keep his front facing the fridge (having the Cap' see him at half-mast was not something on Stark's to-do list today). Shutting the door with a foot, Tony left the kitchen and returned to the lab.
Food sitting forgotten on a shelf somewhere, Tony buried himself in modifying the power output his thrusters produced. He was playing with the weight of the suit as a variable in power consumption when he realized he was using the weight in the wrong part of the equation. And that he was attempting to solve it for the third time.
Groaning, Stark rested his head in his hand and picked up his tumbler, not even caring he was still holding his pen. In one quick gulp, the whiskey disappeared down his gullet, warming his insides and adding to the fire already burning.
The image of Steve standing in the kitchen was haunting him, committing about half his brain's power and focus. Tony wasn't aware he was daydreaming about what he would to Steve's body if given the opportunity. The alcohol was what brought those thoughts to the forefront when the warmth of his belly shot to his loins. All the salacious images he was imagining finally gave him a full-on erection.
Tony didn't even hesitate to reach down and palm himself through the thin material of his pants. A moment later he was reaching past the elastic and stroking himself.
Thoughts of pinning the Captain against a wall, ravaging his perfect neck and those soft, pliable lips were dancing in front of his eyes. He would tease the other man until Steve was begging him for more.
"Mm…Steve…"
The pair would be butt-naked a few moments later—Steve moaning his name and spread wantonly and invitingly underneath him.
"Steve…"
Then, just as Tony had Steve flipped over, taking in the beautiful sight of his ass, ready to surround himself with a game-changing pleasure—
"Ah…!"
Warmth spread through his groin and suddenly Tony was releasing into his own hand, most of it getting absorbed by his pants.
Breathing a little faster than usual, he removed his hand, barely hearing the elastic snap back against his skin. He absent-mindedly grabbed a rag from a nearby workstation and cleaned up.
Now using the logic that the distraction was remedied, Tony returned to work.
It wasn't too long after that incident that Iron Man began to notice that he was having a problem.
Tony now realized that whenever he left his lab or his room or—hell—if he went anywhere in the tower, he was destined to lay eyes on a gorgeous Captain America—without a shirt, wearing shorts, form-fitting pants or a combination of any two.
He was starting to think that Steve was doing it on purpose.
Try as he might to ignore Steve, or not lay eyes on him, Tony always failed resisting the urge—it was like a guilty pleasure; indulging in something so sweet it was wrong. Sometimes he retreated back to wherever he came from to rub out the issue. Other times he opted for a cold shower to quell the overwhelming urge to act out his latest fantasy.
Then, one day, Nick Fury arrived at the tower and gathered them together.
"I trust civilian life hasn't made you all fat," he said, standing at the head of a table in one of Tony's conference rooms. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked at each Avenger in turn.
"If it has it means my friends haven't been using the gyms I've built them—which is very rude, by the way. I'm very insulted right now. Also, not my fault," Tony said everything in one light-hearted breath.
Fury chuckled. Bruce shook his head. Natasha snorted. Clint remained stone-faced and Steve smiled. Christ—Steve's pearly whites brightened the room. Tony smirked smoothly in the Captain's direction before turning his attention back to the dark-skinned spy.
"Regardless," clearing his throat, the corners of Fury's mouth turned down. "The Avengers Initiative has finally been approved. The World Security Council even scheduled your first official mission."
"Mission?" Steve's brow furrowed as he glanced briefly at his teammates. "What else could possibly be wrong?"
"Two days ago Thor sent a disturbing communication which indicates that the Chitauri have returned and have a new purpose in mind."
"Returned? To Earth?" Barton wanted to know.
"No, not to Earth."
"They're attacking Asgard?" Putting two and two together, Natasha had a pretty decent grasp on the situation already.
"Oh, so apparently a nuke and my selfless sacrifice wasn't enough? The least they could do is let six months pass instead of three." Rolling his eyes, Tony fiddled with a pen. He was trying so hard to keep his eyes off Steve. Captain America was leaning back comfortably in the high-backed leather chair. He sat only half-facing Fury, wearing an almost too-tight undershirt. Every muscle was hugged and Tony couldn't help but imagine every dip and curve completely exposed, dripping wet and—
"Your sacrifice was enough to stall them and allow us to regroup." The spy managed to pull Tony's head away from inappropriate thoughts at the conference table.
"Is Loki leading them?" Bruce asked.
"We don't know," Fury sighed. He turned away from the heroes to look out the window. "All signs unfortunately point to yes."
"Signs? Is he leaving obscure notes hidden in paintings?"
Steve shot him a look—Tony was starting to take on a tone that was a little too snarky. Stark replied by sticking out his tongue. He watched as the corners of Steve's mouth twitched a little.
"Loki's missing."
A pregnant and ominous silence filled the room. Tony's eyes caught the knuckles of Clint's clenched fist turning white.
"And Thor wants us to help him find Loki." Laying a hand on Hawkeye's arm, Natasha looked at Fury, waiting for confirmation.
Nick nodded, his back still to them. His shoulders drooped a little.
"Why does he need our help?" The look on Banner's face was pensive, like he was running a thousand scenarios a second in his head; and most of them bad.
"Because the Asgardian soldiers are holding the Chitauri back and are spread too thin. Most of them haven't even forgiven Loki for the incident here on Earth." Fury turned back around. His one good eye looked at them tiredly. "Thor believes he's innocent."
"Question." Tony raised his hand. Everyone turned to look at him. He pushed his chair back, stood up and paced a couple of steps. He stopped with one finger in the air. "How are we going to get there? I thought the Bifröst was going to take well over a year to repair."
"They have the Tesseract—" Steve started, but was promptly interrupted.
"If Loki's loose that probably means the Tesseract's missing as well, right?" he folded one hand under his elbow and started stroking his goatee.
"Wrong on this one, Stark," Fury answered. "The Tesseract's there, safe and sound under lock and key. We're still assuming, however, that the Tesseract is their primary target."
"So Thor's going to use the Tesseract to get us to Asgard. Is that safe?" All eyes turned to Banner.
"Excellent point, Dr. Banner," Stark was quick to agree.
"Thor says that it's safe enough. He did want me to warn you that you may experience a slight tingling sensation."
Steve's face visibly paled. "Tingling sensation?"
"He's probably referring to all of our atoms coming apart at the seams and reassembling on Asgard," Banner said without hesitation. The pallor on Steve's face went from white to slightly green.
"Think of it like a gentle tickle. Only…on a subatomic level. Subatomic tickle." Stark tried to reassure their fearless leader, but Steve didn't look any more sure about the idea.
"When do we leave?" Clint asked, his voice coming out tight and choked. His fist remained clenched and his body was rigid. His eyes were burning a hole in the wall behind the master spy.
"Tomorrow morning. The portal will open on the roof." That, apparently, was all Clint was going to stomach because he abruptly stood and exited the room in a tense silence. The Avengers watched him go. "It'll be a long trip so I suggest you pack accordingly." And with that, Fury left the room as well.
Only after the door clicked shut did anyone speak. To everyone's surprise, it was the Captain. It seemed like he was trying to psyche himself up for the trip. "Sounds like a vacation, huh? We bring the party, they supply the booze?" he let an awkward grin cross his face.
Tony could feel his jaw drop a little. "Did—did the Cap' just make a joke? One that didn't involve Nazis or zombies?" a soft chuckled escaped his lips.
Captain America just shrugged, his awkward grin morphing into a crooked one. His blue eyes glistened with mirth like a crystalline ocean.
Regretting his friendly banter because of the jolt of pleasure that shot down his spine, Tony resisted the urge to bend Steve over the table in front of their friends.
"I'm a quick learner. JARVIS has quite the movie selection."
"You mean I have quite the movie selection. Remember, JARVIS wouldn't have them if it weren't for me. No worries, though, you can thank me later." Stark let it slip without meaning to. He meant it every bit the sexual innuendo it was. Flirty was a natural state of being for Tony Stark and it would be the easiest way to judge whether or not Steve Rogers was even remotely interested. Watching intently, the only part of the other man's face to move was just the barest of eyebrow quirks. "Still, I'm glad someone could assist in bringing you back from the stone age," he smoothly continued.
"I dunno," Agent Romanoff said, cocking her head. "It's rare to find a gentleman anymore. Maybe we need to take him somewhere so he can't be corrupted by you."
"I vote we wait until he's talking about his racks being black and yellow—then we'll stage an intervention," Banner said in a light voice.
Of all his accomplishments, the one Stark was most proud of was the fact that The Hulk had become more relaxed since arriving at Stark Tower. He'd even started opening up a little bit and was letting himself enjoy the act of teasing with his teammates.
"I don't get that reference and I'm really hoping it's from an Indie film and not a musical reference." Bruce shook his head at Tony. He promptly excused himself, muttering something about needing more than a toothbrush for their upcoming trip.
"I suppose it's just an age thing, eh, Mr. Stark?" Steve winked at Tony and Tony was pretty sure something was melting somewhere.
The billionaire playboy philanthropist threw his hands up in mock surprise. "Age jokes? Now I'm really offended. Natasha—" the brunette turned to the spy. "Natasha, I need an adult here."
With a small smile, the Russian shook her head. "'Fraid you're on your own for this one, Stark. Good luck." Then she too was gone, leaving Steve and Tony with the most conversation they'd had in months.
"I don't believe this. Some friends you are."
Steve stood and stretched, the hem of his shirt rising up enough to give Tony a glimpse of the gorgeous skin beneath. With a sigh, he let his arms drop back down to his sides. He caught Tony staring and gave him a wicked grin. Scratching the back of his neck (subsequently lifting his shirt again) Steve moved toward the other man.
Tony's breath caught in his throat, lost in his head. When the Cap' moved forward, Tony's first thoughts were that Steve was going to grab him by the shoulders and plant a wet one firmly on his lips. He was secretly hoping because he'd always wanted to get it on in one of his conference rooms, but was never given the opportunity and he couldn't think of how it could be any hotter than if it were Steve and—oh, dear. He was babbling.
Instead of playing out his fantasy, Steve merely clapped him on the shoulder and leaned in close; his breath was ghosting over Tony's ear and it sent a shiver down his spine. "I should go pack. We'll pick this up later, hm?" he gave Tony's shoulder a soft squeeze and started walking off, letting his hand drag lightly partway down his arm. Tony's skin was strangely cold after the Cap' left.
Yes. Tony Stark indeed had a problem.
By the time Stark woke up the next morning, JARVIS had his bags ready to go, along with a fresh cup of coffee. He felt like he needed an entire pot at the moment. After their private conversation in the conference room, Tony went to his lab to take his mind off what the Captain said. But he was to find no reprieve that evening. He tried so hard to ignore the way his voice sounded so close to his ear. How sexy and inviting it sounded—a complete one-eighty from the typical image that the symbol of America portrayed. And Tony liked that. He liked that a lot.
Still sipping his coffee, Tony stooped to collect his bags before tossing them over his shoulder and heading to the elevator.
Three floors up, Steve Rogers joined him.
Thankfully, for Tony's sanity and libido, Captain America was wearing a shirt. Shirt or no…this is not what I need right now…Feigning that he was still half-asleep (and if his tousled hair was any indication, it was working) Tony nodded in the other man's direction—oh, hell, who was he kidding? The half-asleep act wasn't an act at all. In fact, had someone else not walked in, he would have hit the top floor snoring away in the corner of the elevator.
The blonde returned the greeting, moving to stand next to his comrade against the back wall. As he did, the wake of air he left behind smelled faintly of cinnamon and soap and damned if Tony didn't love the smell of cinnamon. It took a second for him to realize that the other man was standing close enough for the scent to continuously infiltrate his nose; their arms were almost touching. If he didn't know better, he would assume that Steve was purposely invading his private bubble…tantalizing him, teasing him and breaking down that final wall…
Thankfully, the elevator chimed when it did. Clearing his throat, Tony gestured for the Cap' to go first. "Age before beauty," he said with a mischievous, flirty grin.
Rogers offered a small smile and stepped out. Tony's eyes immediately fell downwards, watching the muscular rear-end that no one should be allowed to have. He was pretty sure there was a little extra sway in those hips today.
He keeps doing that and I'm going to need a drink. He sighed. The man of iron needed to get laid—and soon.
The pair were the last to arrive. Natasha, Clint and Bruce were waiting patiently, one bag apiece resting at their feet.
"I trust everyone slept well?" approaching from the roof-access stairs on the far side, Nick Fury was looking a little less stressed than the day before. Agent Hill and another S.H.I.E.L.D operative that Tony didn't recognize followed close behind. "Thor will be opening the portal soon."
"Great. I'm still on to the fact that after months of convincing people Stark Tower isn't an alien beacon, we're going to completely shatter the image."
"Opposition noted and not cared about," was Fury's curt retort.
"You know that doing it on the helicarrier would act as an EMP—" Banner started.
"—and send everyone else hurdling towards certain death; I know, I know. As fun as that sounds I don't want to join them…" Tony sighed, looking mournfully at the tower under repair.
"This is also the most convenient spot, given that all of you are in one place," added Fury, perhaps a little too smugly.
"That so? Okay, guys—" Tony waved his hands as if dispersing his teammates. "Deal's off. When we get back, daddy's kicking you out of his basement. Except for you," he pointed to Bruce. "You can stay."
Crossing his arms over his chest, Steve snorted.
"Problem, Spangles?"
"You'll get lonely. You couldn't go a week without us."
Tony shrugged. "I could. It'll be you crawling back wanting access to, like, everything awesome in here."
A sudden thunderclap interrupted their conversation. Everyone looked up to see the sky darkening in a circular cloud barely bigger than the diameter of the roof. It swirled and turned black before lightning flashed and hit the floor not five feet from the Avengers. The bolt of electricity expanded into a blue-green column large enough for all five to stand in.
"Quickly now, before Pepper has to deal with any more bad press." Tony ushered them into the portal.
"Good luck and Godspeed," Fury shouted, his trench coat billowing in the fierce wind that stemmed from the wormhole.
And in an instant, they were gone and the air was eerily still.
Once, Tony and Bruce had a debate about what it would feel like being teleported. "Betcha it feels like you're being gently disassembled and reassembled in a painless, intrusive way," was Tony's theory.
"Or it would be an electrifying experience that all but tore you apart at the subatomic level while hurdling through space at three times the speed of light."
Tony conceded now that their debate was a draw. The experience was definitely electrifying as he catapulted weightlessly amidst a blur of blue, white and green. However, he also felt strangely disconnected from himself, like he was literally coming apart at the seams. He assumed it was a method of preventing the breakdown and disintegration of the human body as it traveled so fast, not unlike water tension being broken for divers.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the world came to a startling halt. Going from a million to zero in half a second disoriented Tony quite expertly. He stumbled forward, throwing his hands out because he knew there was no way he would be able to regain his balance. A soft thump greeted both his face and ears before he hit the ground; something soft broke his fall. A few other thumps followed. When he looked up, Tony was relieved to see his fellow Avengers had deigned to join him in his faceplant.
"As much as I'm enjoying the cuddle, Tony…you're heavy—" grunted a voice from below him.
"Sorry princess," he said quickly, extricating himself from Captain America. Tony offered a hand and Steve took it graciously. As soon as Cap' was on his feet, Tony released his hand, curling his fingers into his palm, feeling the warmth that was there. Avoiding eye contact, Tony busied himself helping Natasha stand.
Dammit, Stark, not now. He willed himself to think of anyone's grandmother naked.
"Friends!" a deep voice roared from behind them. A grinning blonde was beaming not far from where they stood. His eyes were shadowed, his face troubled, but for his Midgardian friends, he could always spare a smile.
One by one they embraced. "How have you been holding up?" Black Widow asked quietly.
Thor looked sorrowfully at his companions. "The Chitauri have grown stronger since last we fought. Our casualties outnumber theirs two to one." A muffled, far off explosion further darkened the demi-god's expression. "But still we fight. The people of Asgard cannot thank you enough for coming to our aid."
"I think this is Fury's way of apologizing," Bruce chuckled, wringing his hands and glancing over his shoulder. While he had gained confidence in keeping The Other Guy contained, new places continued to make his anxious; mostly because the people would be very unprepared for the situation, should it arise.
"You are still a welcome sight in trying times," Thor managed another smile. "But, come now! Let me show you to your quarters and then the Allfather has requested an audience."
"Will there be snacks? –what?" nudged by Steve, Tony turned and shot him an innocent look. "I'm starving."
"I think there are more important things than snacks right now," came a low growl.
All eyes shifted to the one man who said the least when Nick Fury dropped the bomb. He was strictly admonishing, not being rude. Between the fact that Loki had taken his brain for a joyride and the fact that said man was now on the loose, Tony could understand the man wanting to get right down to business; as long as snacktime remained sacred and untouchable.
"Hey—you want to save the world on an empty stomach, I won't stop you. But you should really let me try and enjoy what could be a last meal." A smirk graced his face to let the archer know he was kidding. Hawkeye's scowl only deepened. Natasha laid a soothing hand on the man's shoulder and Clint looked away. She gave Tony a warning look.
"Stop antagonizing," Cap' whispered. He leaned in close to Tony and the smell of his aftershave had an almost-dizzying effect.
"But it's so much fun…" Tony whispered back, not caring if his voice or eyes were a little more lustful than they probably should be. If Steve noticed, Tony only got a sigh in return.
Clearing his throat, Thor gestured for his companions to follow.
"So how long as Loki been missing?" Both Natasha and Bruce were flanking Thor, eyeing the stone-silent guards around them.
Tony missed Thor's answer because Steve suddenly dropped back, walking in synch with him.
"That wasn't very nice of you, you know."
"When have I ever been 'nice?' That's a completely foreign concept to me—"
"Oh, hush. You've got a heart when you want one."
"Yeah, full of shrapnel trying to tear it apart; that's useful for making people feel good."
Steve nudged him again. "Barton's having a hard time here. He's trying to contain himself, but…" Captain America let his big beautiful baby blues drop to where Clint's hands were clenched into such tight fists his knuckles were turning white. They seemed to be doing that alot. "So play nice, maybe?"
"Make me," he replied, not unkindly. It was just the opposite, actually. A warm glow rose to Steve's face. "Is that a blush, Mr. Rogers?"
The color darkened. "It's your fault."
"Untrue; you started it." With that, Tony quickened his pace to come alongside Agent Barton and started talking to him.
Thor paused out a long corridor. The walls looked like ivory; smooth and well-polished—gleaming, almost. "These will be your accommodations. I will allow you to draw straws for each room, so that there is no fighting." Thor raked a hand through his hair, leaning up against the wall. The Avengers weren't sure if he was joking or not.
"Or we could just rock, paper, scissors for them. That sounds fair."
Black Widow pushed past Tony and into the corridor. She looked into the first room on the left and walked in, setting her pack on the floor. "Dibs," she called, poking her head back out, waving at her teammates to pick their rooms. Barton snagged the room across from Natasha. Banner grabbed the one next to her, the Cap' got the one next to Barton and that gave Stark with the last one on the left.
The interiors were nice and spacious. There were no windows but that didn't bother Tony Stark; not one bit. And Steve was just across the hall—maybe Tony would get some more eye-candy. Inside the room where no one could see him, he let out a conniving bark of laughter. There was at least one idea running over and over in his head. Maybe he would get an opportunity to try it out later on. He clapped his hands together and went back into the hallway. "Is there room service?" he asked Thor.
A confused looked passed over the blonde's face. "Room—what? All of our rooms are self-service." Thor recalled the phrase from his Midgard adventure.
"Definitely not the same thing."
Ignoring Tony, Thor said: "let us not keep Odin waiting. He is very eager to meet Midgard's mightiest heroes. Normally there would be a great feast to welcome our guests. However, in these trying times…"
"Snacktime?" Banner snickered.
Thor offered a wan smile. "I'm afraid you are not seeing Asgard at its finest and for that I apologize."
Tony waved him off. "Quit apologizing and I might think about forgiving you."
"Very well. Come."
The talk with the great Allfather was long and arduous, boring, dry and formal. Tony disliked all of those things. They caused his mind to wander to places they shouldn't go. But, he filled it with ideas of how they could track down Loki. He'd need to collaborate with Banner about a few things, but he figured they'd be able to take care of it rather easily. The Chitauri on the other hand…ugh, Tony was so happy to be heading back to his room.
Judging from the dark sky and the flashes of light that were clearly explosions, there was quite a battle raging outside. Occasionally, he would see a wounded soldier being helped or carried to the infirmary.
Captain America, Black Widow and Thor were gathered with Odin, talking strategy. Hawkeye was interrogating the guards with Banner, trying to pick up any trace of Loki. Tony, for the lack of anything better to do, retired to his room and removed a suitcase from his expertly packed bag. As he undid the latches, the tech inside sprang to life. With a swipe of his hand all of his blueprints committed themselves to display in front of him; during the trip to Asgard, a bit of inspiration had struck him.
Tucked away in his second pack was another suitcase. His Iron Man suit was condensed in there, surrounded by all the necessary equipment for modifications to be made right there inside. Tony gave himself a little pat on the back for that one; after countless hours of traveling, with precious little access to a lab, Tony created that little beauty for when he was on the go.
Hours passed, but Tony was completely unaware. His thrusters were adjusted using a new equation that struck him through the wormhole. Night settled over Asgard and the muffled sounds of battle slowed.
"Knock, knock."
Tony turned abruptly, startled by the voice at his door. When he saw who was standing there, a quick flip of his wrist made the on-screen image disappear.
"Hey, Cap'."
Steve gave a quizzical look to the screens hanging in mid-air, but thankfully said nothing about what may have been on them. Tony's motives for updating the Captain America suit weren't entirely selfless and he really didn't want to explain anything when it was still in the prototype stage.
"You've made your lab portable?" he asked, coming to sit next to Tony on the bed. The billionaire was all-too aware that their shoulders were once again almost touching. His heart fluttered a little in his chest and the arc reactor shone a bit brighter.
"Kind of," replied Tony. "It's actually just a system that allows me to play with my suit."
"Just yours?" Steve wanted to know, reaching forward and pulling back the file Tony tried to hide.
A faint tinge of red hit his cheeks. "Well, okay. Everyone else's too."
"Really now?" with a cock of his head, Steve asked the one question Tony was hoping he wouldn't ask. "Can I see the others?"
"Erm—well, I haven't quite gotten there yet…"
Steve giggled. "I see. So what modifications did you have in mind for my spangly suit?"
Tony was really enjoying he sarcastic humor Steve was bringing to the table. It made him feel more human and less like the American god he portrayed. It gave him personality and Tony was getting hooked. He smiled while playing the image on the screen, turning it this way and that. "Well, I started with a basic reinforcement of the exoskeleton. I want to use the same material from your shield to line the Kevlar; makes it a little more blast resistant. You with me?" Cap' had a glassy look to his eyes and Tony didn't want to confuse him.
It seemed like he'd startled Steve out of a daze because the man jumped a little when he spoke. "Yeah—I got you."
"And…that's as far as I've gotten. I just started when you walked in. How was the meeting with Odin?" Tony relegated all is materials back into the suitcase.
Steve shrugged. "We've been etching out a battle plan." He pulled a scroll out of his jeans pocket and unfolded it on the bed. "Basically, the Chitauri are streaming through a portal—here." He pointed to the far west end of the map, near some mountains. "The plan is for the Avengers to flank them, push them towards the portal where Odin can close it. After that—should be easy pickings."
Nodding, Tony's eyes danced over the map, his brain trying to see other patterns and possibilities. The mountains formed a natural chokehold, so that did seem to be the best course of action. "What about Loki?"
"Odin wants to wait until the Chitauri aren't a threat."
"What if he is behind this and gets away? What—"
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
Well, damn. There went Tony's thoughts of Steve coming to his bedroom to take advantage of him.
"Okay, I lied."
Tony's eyebrows must have disappeared into his hairline because Steve chuckled.
"I snagged you this."
Where he pulled the bottle from Tony didn't know or care. It was a simple glass bottle, unmarked, but a light amber liquid swirled inside. He had a really good idea of what Captain America brought him.
"And me without a candlelit dinner…" he said wryly, uncorking the bottle and taking a swig. When the warm mead settled in his belly, he passed it to the other man.
"I suppose we'll just have to improvise," Steve replied, taking his own chug out of politeness and for the taste. They both knew he couldn't get drunk. He handed the bottle back, watching Tony guzzle some more. He licked his lips. "I was thinking we need to be a little more…proactive on finding Loki. Thor seems pretty distraught."
"Mm…" Tony murmured, smacking his own lips and sighing. The Norse knew how to brew some mead. "Thor's probably just missing his fuck buddy."
Steve almost spit out his mead. He coughed so hard that Tony quickly reached back and thumped him hard between the shoulder blades. When Steve could breathe again, Stark rubbed soothing circles on the area he just pounded.
"C'mon! Am I the only one who noticed how they looked at each other?"
"But—they're brothers!"
Tony took another gulp, a happy sensation falling over his head. "You don't remember Thor telling us he was adopted? I'm sure the standards are a little different here on Asgard."
"Different? How?"
"Well…" Tony kicked one leg up so he could lie back against the headboard, his other foot steadying him firmly from the floor. "If I'm recalling my Norse correctly, homosexuality wasn't a big deal." Actually, Tony was pretty sure that was complete bullshit, but if the Cap' bit, he had a devious plan.
"Is that how you feel?" Steve asked, his face expressionless.
Tony chose his next words carefully. The mead made him feel a little bolder than usual. "I've…dabbled a little on the 'other side.'" A mischievous smirk emerged.
"Yeah? You? Billionaire, playboy, philanthropist?"
"Ah, you forgot genius—I get the best of both worlds, you see. You can't knock something until you try it, right?"
"I've never…" Steve trailed off, biting his lip, looking like he was lost in a memory.
"You've never tried anything with another guy?"
Instead of becoming an embarrassed, babbling mess like Tony expected, he simply said—unabashedly, mind you—"I've…thought about it. But I've never had an…opportunity."
"You, Captain America, the icon of the greatest nation—oh, yeah. I could see how that presents a problem." Tony laughed at himself, polishing off the last of the mead. "Well, what about now?" he prompted rather abruptly, setting down the bottle and remaining half-seated.
The Cap' leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. "You mean here in Asgard?"
"Sure, why not?" Tony shrugged in what he hoped was a nonchalant way. In reality, his heart was thrumming in his chest. "I'm sure there are plenty of Asgardians who would jump at the chance to bed you…"
Steve suddenly looked up and locked eyes with the man of iron. The heat that was burning behind the azure perfection was intense, utterly hypnotizing. Stark felt himself being drawn farther in. Captain America moved until he had Tony trapped up against the headboard, hands on either side of his head. Not once did either man break eye contact. "And what about you?" Steve asked, low and sultry, inches from Tony's face.
A barrage of sensations hit Stark all at once: lust, passion, surprise, desire…all of them fought for dominance in his head. This was clearly not exactly what Tony thought would happened—but hell, he would take it; an opportunity to make all the cumulative fantasies over the past few weeks come true. Oh, god how he ached; his voice caught in his throat.
Steve leaned in closer until the space between them was paper-thin. "I've seen the way you look at me, Tony…" he tilted his head slightly, bringing his lips tantalizingly closer to the other mans.
"Is that why you've been shirtless and flirty lately?" Stark was only half-joking, but when he received an affirmation, he couldn't take it anymore. He brought his hand to the back of Steve's neck and pulled him in until their lips were finally touching.
It was everything Tony dreamed of—and more. A groan arose from deep in his chest as those lips—so soft and pliant and warm and oh so absolutely delicious—moved against his. That sneaky devil was seducing me this whole damn time… Tony drew breaths with his nose, not wanting to release the perfect mouth ravaging his own.
Tony's hands wandered down Steve's back, past his perfectly curvaceous ass—he would deal with that later—and wrapped around his thighs, pulling the man down so he was sitting in Tony's lap.
They finally broke apart, Steve whining a little. Tony kept his hands firmly on the Captain's legs. "You—you've been planning this all along, haven't you?" Tony finally accused, only a little breathless.
A devilish look caught in Steve's eyes. "Since that look you gave me in the kitchen," he admitted, shifting his hips so he could tease Stark a little more. "I wanted to be the one to pull one over on the genius billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark." Pausing, Steve searched deep in Tony's chocolate depths. "You mad?"
Tony burst out laughing before pulling the other man down again. "Only because you didn't do this sooner…would have saved so many tissues…"
Two things.
First: the dirty part of this will be on my website soon. The link is in my profile.
Second: Should this become a multi-part fic? This seemed like the perfect place to end it, but I also know how to continue. Let me know in the reviews. I hope you enjoyed!