"Are we on a date? Because this feels like a date."
Tony grins at his own joke. It's his style to make things awkward and uncomfortable and he especially loves doing it to Steve. He has to work doubly hard now, though, because after months of living together, Steve has pretty much been inured to the worst of the worst.
"Not unless you're playing for the other team."
"I play for both teams."
Steve smirked. "Does Pepper know this?"
"Christ, Rogers. Pepper's been a party to it." He hopes for any kind of reaction, a slight widening of the eyes or a little intake of breath, but Steve only laughs and Tony can't help but laugh with him.
"Seriously, though, what the hell are we doing out here?" he asks again, looking up at the sky. When Steve had hunted him down and told him he needed help with something, he'd been imaging something different. Something like fighting Skrulls or closing otherworld portals.
Not stargazing.
"We're out here because it's good to appreciate the simple things in life," Steve answered, eyes glued to the sky. Tony followed his gaze and scoffed.
"Stars aren't really that simple, Cap. A thousand things in the universe have to be aligned for stars to be born."
"And yet, miraculously, despite the largness of the universe, it happens anyway."
The words are profound, and they hit Tony in the chest like a sledgehammer.
"Never thought of it like that," Tony admits after a time. Steve merely nods, but Tony feels it's important to add, "Thanks for inviting me."
Steve looks at him and smiles gently. "Always."