AN: So, this random thing just happened. I've never really thought about this pairing, then they go get all gooey with each other. I dunno why these things happen, but they do. Enjoy, I guess...
It's prison, again, only this time it's super max and he doesn't have Luis talking shit to pass the time.
Not that he can really complain, he made his own bed, now he's gotta lie in it. It wasn't as if he didn't know helping Cap out was the stupidest thing he could do, but man, when Captain America asks for help, you don't say no. Well at least he couldn't, not when he'd had a crush on the guy for years and this was his chance to meet him for real. Like once, he even tried convincing Hank to call in the Avengers, for the opportunity to do just that.
Come to think of it, being locked up here might be totally worth it, because those muscles, damn, and he got to touch them, wrap his hands around them and squeeze. Holy fucking shit, he can't believe he actually did it, but he's so, so glad he did. Not to mention he thinks he was actually kinda useful during the whole airport battle thing.
Anyway, one day when they are doing absolutely nothing as usual, Cap shows up. He's just there, busting them out, and Scott almost fucks up and gets them all caught, because he can't take his eyes off the Captain, can't get over how hot it is to see him being badass, to know that in part he's doing it for Scott's sake. Captain America is breaking the law for him.
"Lang!"
He stops just before he leans against an emergency call button.
"Umm, yeah. Right. Sorry."
But his knowledge of electrical engineering helps get them back past the security system, so it's all good.
They end up back at some safe house in Wakanda that Black Widow arranged. Yeah, Black Widow who is apparently on their side now, and has contacts in Africa. He doesn't bother questioning it, anything is better than the Raft.
The house is in the country, and maybe strictly speaking, being a wanted fugitive and all, he shouldn't be outside, but he's been cooped up too long already.
Gazing over golden fields where rhinos graze, he can't help thinking about Cassie and how cool she would think this is. She loves animals, especially big, ugly ones. He hopes he hasn't let her down by doing all this, but if he knows his girl, he thinks she would be pretty pumped that he got to be an Avenger. Well sort of.
Hank and Hope probably won't be so forgiving, but they can't argue the value of field-testing equipment, and the new gear works.
His musings are interrupted when Cap approaches. The guy is a little intimidating, he's so serious, and Scott grasps for something, anything, to say.
"Thanks again," he babbles. "For getting us outta there."
"Least I could do," Cap shrugs.
Scott takes the opportunity to look at him. He is a specimen, beautiful really, but it's the underlying emotion that catches his attention more than the physicality now. They've all paid a huge price here, but for what Scott still isn't really sure. It never occurred to him to question it though, not when Captain America needed him.
"Technically, the least you could have done was nothing." Is it okay to joke? Too bad if it isn't, right now it's all he's got.
Cap's lip pulls up in the smallest hint of a smile and something tense inside Scott lets go a little.
He still doesn't know what to say though. What do you say to a living legend who's in the midst of a crisis? It's not like he really knows the guy, but that's not to say he won't do anything in his power he can to make this better. He wants Cap to be okay.
Maybe he should just be honest.
"I'm a little outta my depth here," he admits. Fighting a dude in a bug suit is one thing, but this whole shitstorm, well it's playing with the big boys. And violence isn't really his thing, he tries to avoid when possible, but he knows that's not always an option. "Just tell me if there's anything I can do for you." Is that too much? He doesn't wanna sound like a stalker, but maybe he is just a little bit. Who drops their whole life to fly across the world because a stranger asks? Albeit a famous, handsome, superhero stranger. Crazy people, that's who.
"Why?" Cap questions.
"Umm..." Cap's watching him, waiting for something, maybe trying to figure out if he's worthy. Of what, Scott can't exactly say. "Is this a test?"
The question seems to jar Cap for a second, and he wonders what invisible mine he's just stepped on, because everyone has issues, even Captain America it seems.
"No," he says with a shake of his head. "Just wondering why you don't hate me yet, I guess."
"Oh c'mon," Scott says, not really buying it. "Look at you. You're incredible! Ridiculously good-looking, super strong, I mean, the muscles... You're Captain America!"
He looks down at his hand and realises he's groping the guy again.
Cap looks down too, and Scott pulls his hand away.
"Sorry..."
"I was."
"What...?"
Scott kinda lost his train of thought when those pretty blue eyes landed on him.
"I was Captain America. It's just Steve now."
"Oh..." It's funny how that changes things, makes him just another person with a broken heart. "Steve..."
All he means is to test it out, but it comes out sounding much more reverent.
They're just staring at each other, and Scott's feeling a little lost when Cap, no Steve, steps forward and pulls him into a kiss.
He's all hard muscle and commanding strength, and the kiss itself is firm, yet still gentle somehow, maybe like he's a little afraid of his own strength and what it can do.
Now the question is, what do you do when Steve Rogers kisses you out of the blue? Shut the hell up and kiss back would seem as good an idea as any.
Steve's crushing him close and it's clear he needs this. Scott wants to give it to him, give him anything he needs, whatever that might be. Eventually though, he'll need to breath too, and very regrettably he has to pull away.
It's Steve who speaks first.
"Sorry. I'm sorry. I dunno why I..."
Scott presses his hand to Steve's firm chest, can't resist, then looks up into his blue eyes. Beautiful eyes with something sad and broken behind them.
"You did it because you wanted to. It's okay..." What he means is that it's okay for Steve to want things for himself. "You've given a lot already." He's not sure if that came out right but guesses it must have when he finds himself being kissed again. This time he's ready for it, and he surrenders, let's Steve control it while still taking what he can for himself. It's hot, it's needy, it's fucking incredible, and how the hell did he get this lucky?
It's heading one way, but Steve's old-fashioned, honourable, which makes it hard for him to separate sex from other things like love and commitment.
He pulls his mouth away, but still holds Scott close. Like he's fighting himself, but he doesn't have to.
"All you have to do is ask..." Scott reminds, voice breathy and hopeful. He meant what he said. Anything for Steve.
"I can't make any-"
"I know," Scott tells him, silencing him with a kiss, because he's the same, he has other commitments already, but they can worry about that later. He wants this. This little bit of reprieve right here and now. "Let's just take what we can, while we can."
Steve nods and leads him to a bedroom.
The sex is great, Steve's obviously done this before, with a guy, he doesn't ask who despite his curiosity.
Steve works him loose and then lays back.
"It's better for you this way," Steve tells him, as he helps Scott position himself over Steve's hips. "You can control it."
He stops and thinks for a second then about the abandon of sex combined with super strength, it must be a battle for Steve not to accidentally hurt his partners. But Scott trusts him, and he lowers himself, letting the super soldier fill him. He's stretched wide, whole body throbbing and humming with need. He can't ever remember it being like this, wanting it so much.
He splays his hands on Steve's naked chest, looks down at him as he moves, wanting to feel this connection every way he can. But the physical side of it overwhelms him, steals his ability to think beyond the bodily pleasure.
He comes, with Steve Rogers inside him, feeling his orgasm all the way to the tips of his toes.
Steve comes too, buried inside him, hands gripping the mattress, which he actually tears a chunk out of. It falls to the floor as Scott flops forward to rest his head on Steve's chest. He can feel Steve's heartbeat racing and thinks to himself what an achievement that is for an irresponsible burglar from San Fran. He also feels this position is gonna get uncomfortably sticky real soon, so he rolls off Steve and wipes them both clean with the sheet. The whole bed is gonna need replacing anyway.
"What will you do now?" Steve asks, as they lay there side by side, Scott still catching his breath.
He doesn't want to read too much into it, doesn't want to let himself believe that Steve Rogers is asking Scott Lang to stay, rather than Cap simply wanting to make an ally of Ant-Man. But still, the concern in his voice...
"I can't go on the run. Cassie needs to know where her dad is, even if it's prison..." He doesn't want to go back there again but facing up and accepting the consequences of his actions is the right thing to do. He wants to set a good example for his daughter. It took him a long time to learn that his actions have consequences for other people, not just himself. Maybe he can negotiate house arrest or something.
Beside him, Steve goes still.
"You have a daughter?"
He sounds shocked. Maybe he never thought about having kids...
"Cassie. She's great. You'd love her."
"That's not... I mean, if I'd known, I never would have dragged you into this..."
What's done is done, and Scott has no one to blame but himself. He didn't have to help Steve, he made that call for himself.
Back to the original question though... They've all talked about running, about laying low, avoiding the law. For Scott, it's a 'no', he can't go with Steve no matter how much he'd like to stand by him. Steve isn't an idiot, he knows this thing that's flared up between them can't come first, it's disappointing and aches a bit, but that's life. Still, he wants to soften the blow if he can, let Steve know it's not his fault.
Steve's thinking too, and he nods to himself, reaching the same conclusion as Scott.
"She comes first."
She does, there's no question.
"She's my little girl," Scott agrees.
Feeling Steve shift a little, like he might get up and go, and not wanting this, whatever it is, to end just yet, Scott props himself up on Steve's chest to hold him there. Not that he has any chance of achieving that with physical strength, but he hopes he can do it in other ways and for other reasons.
He waits until Steve looks him in the eye, until he's really listening.
He can't come first, but one day, he could come a very close second. Maybe he already does.
"Don't think this isn't hard for me. I'd stay and help out if I could. For you."
"I..." Steve begins but can't seem to decide on what to say, so he gets his point across by pulling Scott down into a deep kiss. He loves this, so much, and under other circumstances he thinks he'd like to make it a regular occurrence.
Steve rolls them over and Scott lets him. Let's Steve Rogers fuck him again, on top this time, slow, precise, blue eyes locked on his, the penetration more than physical.
When it's done, when they are both wrung out and beyond regret, he lays there panting, a heavy body on top of him. It's so good, and for a second he wishes the whole world would fuck off so they can stay like this indefinitely, but that isn't the reality they exist in.
He trails his fingers over Steve's hot, slick skin, over the bumps of his spine, and turns his head so his lips brush Steve's temple.
"This won't make me change my mind..." He tries to make a joke of it, because that's better than hurting.
Steve huffs out a laugh, breath hot against Scott's neck, and he turns his head so they're looking at each other. Too close, yet somehow still not close enough.
"I didn't expect you."
Scott thinks he's missed something here.
"Expect me to what?"
Steve pulls back a little, searches his face, fixes him with a curious look.
"To make me feel like this, I guess. I wasn't looking, I've been too focused on everything else, the politics, the missions, the drama of it all. Bucky. But you..."
He pauses, gives Scott a little smile, one that makes Scott go all gooey because he thinks it's something not many people see, then he leans in and presses a soft kiss to Scott's lips.
When he pulls back, the smile is gone, replaced by something more serious and profound.
"You came out of nowhere and cut through it all, you make it all seem okay. Like maybe I wanna try having a life outside all this one day."
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he'd be the reason for those words to come out of Steve Rogers mouth. In a way, it feels like they've known each other for years rather than days. And he wants so much to explore this, see where it might go.
"Now you're really making it tough..."
Letting go is gonna be damn near impossible, but he'll do it because he has to. For Cassie.
"I don't mean to. I'm just trying to be honest."
"I'm not complaining..."
It's funny how something can be so wonderful and so painful at the same time. They share another kiss because for now they still can.
"I wish things could be different too," Scott admits, touching Steve's face, wanting so badly to have more time to get to know this incredible man. Relationships are hard, and he's not saying that's what this would be, but a chance to try would've been nice.
"Maybe one day..." Steve dreams, wrapping him up and Scott lets him. Neither of them believes there's a hope of it happening, but for a little while longer, they can pretend they do.
xxx
"Is this old footage?" Steve asks, heart pounding, hardly daring to believe that Scott Lang could really be here, knocking on the door, still the same as ever. Precious memories of their short time in Wakanda flood his mind.
He'd needed Scott then, and Scott had been incredible. Open and funny and giving. Nothing ever seemed to get him down, and that optimism is as valuable to Steve as any weapon now.
"No, it's live."
Steve is up before he knows it, racing to the door, flinging it open and pulling Scott into a tight hug.
"Okay, okay," Scott wheezes. "Kinda gotta breath here too."
Steve eases off a little, moves enough to look at Scott's face, into those calm green eyes.
He wants to say so many things, about how he's missed him, how that time in Wakanda has stayed with him, how he knows it's crazy but he thinks he might be in love.
Scott gazes back at him, expression softening.
"I know, me too," he offers, understanding it all without a word. Steve can't not kiss him then, so he does. They've all learned the hard way there's no time like the present, that every moment could be your last.
Scott allows it, more than that, returns it, and it feels as vital as air. Like a recharge even, a new reason to fight and renewed belief that he can do whatever needs to be done.
They only break apart because Nat is there, clearing her throat in the most unsubtle of ways, reminding them they have a job to do.
"Well maybe I missed you a tiny bit," Scott says, as though it's not completely obvious after that kiss, and Steve smiles for the first time since before the snap.
"If you two are done," Nat says impatiently. "Lang, I'm assuming that sharing saliva with Steve isn't the only reason you're here."
"It's a pretty great one though," he says, giving Steve a grin. "But yeah," he continues, turning to Nat and getting serious. "Not the only one."
"You lost someone?" Nat guesses. It isn't much of a leap, everybody lost someone.
"Yeah," Scott agrees, looking up at Steve again, something desperate in his eyes. "Up until five minutes ago, I thought I'd lost everyone."
That means a lot, and Steve gives Scott's shoulder a squeeze, because it means something terrible too.
"Cassie?"
Scott nods. Steve pulls him back in, wrapping him up in a tight hug.
"We'll get her back," he promises. "We'll get them all back."
"I know," Scott says, curling in against him, letting Steve be his comfort this time. "Now that I've found you."