Avenger Towers - 12/31 21:27
"Steve." Tony does a shout-whisper, nothing, he doesn't even stir. "Steeeve." He tries again, leaning over the sleeping blond and pawing at his shoulder. He rolls onto his side and clumsily swats Tony's hand away. Right, so you'll wake up to a call to Assemble. But you sleep through somebody shouting in your ear. Tony rolls his eyes in the dark. "Rogers! Wake up!" He darts out the way narrowly missing being clocked in the jaw by Steve sitting bolt upright. "Whoa!" overbalancing, he ends up sat next to him on the bed.
Awkward.
"Tony! Christ!" There's a beat silence. "Err… Why are you on my bed? Scratch that- Why are you in my room?" Minor panic over, Steve rubs the sleep from his eyes as Tony stands.
"There's something on the monitor." He states, congratulating himself for dodging the potentially Freudian slip on answering Steve's initial question.
"So?" Steve yawns and stretches making every muscle flex and ripple under his too-tight shirt. Tony coughs, does his best impression of nonchalance but steals a glance anyway. Too obvious, keep hold of your skivvies, Tony. "Fury would have called if it was something we needed to attend to."
"It's the holidays. I'm not even sure Nick Fury's in the country right now. I mean, even we're on a skeleton crew." He gestures between himself and Steve before pausing. "Wait, you aren't supposed to be here either…" Tony trails off eyes widen in realisation "You were out with Sharon…" Steve's gaze drops to his lap.
"You know that big important thing she had to tell me? Well, turns out it was that she was leaving me."
"Oh…" Tony fidgets, "I'm sorry to hear that… You OK?" Steve answers with a shrug, opting to change the subject rather than answer.
"So, what's this thing on the monitor?" Tony jumps at the chance to steer the conversation away from broken hearts, feelings and somebody dropping the inevitable 'There's plenty more fish in the sea' cliché.
"Right! Well, there's a massive energy draw over New Jersey," He starts leading the way down to his workshop aware of Steve's bare footsteps behind him. "Specifically, over Pine Barrens." He mumbles but damn Super-Soldier-near-bionic-ears hear it.
"Tony, that's Area 13. That's not our turf. Have you been spying?" He can feel Steve's berating glare on the back of his head.
"I prefer monitoring Steve." He glances back over his shoulder in time to see him shaking his head. "Energy pulls flag up because ones of that magnitude usually mean somebody is either building or using a weapon." He huffs "And, we're Earths Mightiest Avengers. Everywhere is our turf."
"Fine. Show me." Steve gestures with a wave and saunters after Tony, who's bringing up various screens and statistics from his battered leather chair that's been patched up with crosses of duck-tape.
Steve leans down with an arm on the desk to get a better look at the screens, dangerously close to Tony who deliberately lets his chair rock back on busted bearings, he can catch the scent of metal polish and the heady tang of the black coffee Steve likes to drink-Tony's pretty sure he'd drink it straight from the percolator if somebody didn't stop him. Cute.
"I see your point," Steve agrees with a slight nod. "So, what do we do?"
"You're the Captain Steve. You wanna go check it out? Or is 'spying' on Area 13 against your morals?" Tony smirks.
"It's monitoring Tony." Steve paraphrases. "Besides, it will take my mind off… You know… things." Nothing quite like being dumped on New Years' Eve-Ouch.
"Don't worry Cap," Tony stands, clapping Steve on his back as the cliché tumbles out of his mouth before he can stop it. "There's plenty more fish in the sea." He feels shoulders stiffen under his hand. Oops. "Sorry, too corny?"
"A bit."
Area 13 New Jersey – 12/31 22:38
"Well, lookie here! The Avenger boys have come to see how the Monsters get things done!" Timothy Dugan strolls over to the new arrivals holding his arms outstretched in camaraderie. A dented fedora in one hand and missing a large portion of his uniform and synthetic skin off his forearm. He grasps Steve's hand, shaking it vigorously. "Captain! Good t'see ya!" He booms. Steve manages to wrestle his hand from his grip. "You too Anthony, even if you don't have the curtsy to lift the plate up on that thing." Right on cue, the gold faceplate flips up, Tony flinches to speak. "There's a good lad, respect your elders. Well, chitchat aside, to what do I owe the pleasure."
"Something on your base is pulling half the juice out of the power grid. We came to see if you needed any help." Dugan raises an eyebrow at Steve.
"You're a bad liar Captain, you always have been. You're snooping."
"Monitoring." Tony cuts in.
"Is that what you're calling it? C'mon boys follow me, I'll show ya." Dugan leads them deeper into the Area 13 complex, a monolith of adjoining warehouses sat atop and maximum-security prison for housing errant Supernatural beings. He draws a stogie from what's left of his overall pocket and sparks it up blowing a cloud of fragrant smoke up into the windowless corridor. "This one's a real treat for ya." He says around another pull on his cigar as he pushes open a pair of double doors and leads them out onto a balcony. He gestures for them to come and stand by the metal railings and look out into the chasm below.
There's a cage, an enormous buzzing electric cage with something monstrous pacing inside. It draws up on its hind legs and thunders a menacing bellow of a roar. It ricochets off every metal surface. It makes a tiger sound like a kitten. A low snarling responds from the corner of the balcony. "Easy Reyna, He didn't say anythin' about your mama." Dugan eyes his teammate as he emerges from the shadows, some eight-foot armoured Werewolf. He chuckles when Steve and Tony both jump and raises his eyebrows at the way Steve puts himself between Tony and the Warwolf. "Werewolves and Manticores don't get along. Mind you Manticores an' anything don't seem to get along. Damn thing nearly took my arm clean off, dented my ever-lovin' fedora too." Dugan holds his hat up in dismay, takes one last drag on his cigar and flicks the stub into the cage below, much to the occupant's disgust, sparks fly up as it throws itself at the bars. "Quit your whining! You've caused me enough trouble."
"I think we've found your energy pull Tony." The detail of Steve's face that's exposed looks decidedly pale. Tony nods in response.
"Yep, these cages'll hold until the moon comes back up. Then poof!" Dugan does a theatrical wave with his hands. "Damn things turn to dust. New moons always bring them out. Though not usually this big. It's takin' a bit 'a extra juice to keep him locked up." He turns back to Tony and Steve who couldn't look more out of place in Area 13 if they tried. "So, mystery solved boys. You can run along now," Dugan checks his watch, "or you'll miss the fireworks. I'm sure you don't need Reyna here to show you out." He draws another cigar from his pocket.
"Nope, we'll be fine. You seem to have everything under control here, so… Happy New Year!" Tony's never been a dog person or a Werewolf person.
Avenger Towers - 12/31 23:48
"Area 13 smells like wet dog," Tony huffs when he and Steve arrive back at the Tower. Steve chuckles pulling his cowl from his face and heads to the kitchen. "Note to self – don't ever go back. No matter what, ignore any kind of weird shit you see on the monitor above Pine Barrens." Tony shouts after Steve removing his helmet and doing his best to fluff his hair back up.
"Or maybe don't use your tech to spy on people?" Steve emerges chugging a bottle of water to the point where the plastic sucks in on itself and cracks. Tony's eyes flit to the way Steve's throat bobs with each gulp. Great be more obvious Tony. "Come on, it's New Years' Eve, it's almost midnight, come watch the fireworks." Steve points towards the panoramic windows in the common room. "It's a clear night, no moon." The edges of his lips twitch into a smile.
"Ha-ha, the mighty Captain America makes a funny." Tony sulks, but clanks over to the window still in his armour and stands next to Steve. "OK, spying was my bad could we maybe not mention it again? Please?"
Right on cue, the sound erupts from the street below as the countdown to midnight kicks off.
10…
"Steve, I just realised."
8…
"What?"
7…
"I don't have anybody to kiss at midnight!" Tony looks genuinely disappointed.
5…
"Oh my God," Steve slaps a hand to his face laughing. "What are you fourteen?"
2…
"You know what?" possibly about to make the worst decision of your life here Tony. "Fuck it!"
1…
"Tony-mmph-"
0…
Tony's lips disappear from his as quickly as they came, Steve finds himself staggering backwards in surprise and looking down at a blushing Tony as fireworks started to light up the city. "Err… Happy New Year Captain?" Tony shrugs, Steve had never known him look so unsure of himself as he went to rub at the back of his neck, forgetting that it was damn near impossible when you were still in armour. "Well, I should, you know…" a very pink eared Tony doesn't even bother with an excuse before he goes to leave. Steve panics and grabs for his arm.
"Tony, wait. What… what was that?" Tony can't really go anywhere with Steve's hand clamped on his wrist, so he dares to make eye contact.
"It was, you know-New Years' kiss? A bit of fun." Tony's mouth has never been so dry in all his life. He so wants Steve to buy his poor excuse.
Let it be said that Steve Rogers was no fool. He had seen through Tony from day one, every stolen glance and lingering touch they had shared. He hadn't told Tony why Sharon left him, he had wanted to; felt it on the tip of his tongue when he woke up with Tony sat next to him in bed in the strange limbo between consciousness and unconsciousness where anything seems possible. Tony, I didn't love her, and she knew it, she knew she would never be good enough and she was right, she wouldn't because she wasn't you. Because you never leave my mind, I'd already lost my entire world when I met you and when I saw the new world dancing in your eyes, I never needed to look at anybody else because nobody else could ever compare.
Steve says nothing, instead he pulls the Iron Man by his forearm until his chest plate clanks against his scale; loops his arms around his back, gentle enough to not dent his armour, firm enough so he can't get away, he leans down resolving the height difference to ghost his lips over Tony's that quiver under the featherlike contact; then Steve is screwed.
The moment their lips touch there's no going back. It's devastated because nothing is ever going to compare to the first time he kissed Tony Stark. The way he goes ridged then melts against his chest, gauntleted hands that slide around his waist and pull their hips together. The slight smile he feels curl on the edges of Tony's mouth before he lets him in. The way their teeth catch because neither can get close enough. Even the universe applauds them with an encore of fireworks erupting from the street below.
Had anybody of been watching it would have looked like a perfectly timed movie kiss. Captain America and Iron Man against a backdrop of the New York skyline whilst fireworks explode overhead- they don't have anything on the fireworks that go off in Steve's brain when they pull apart and Tony utters one-breathless-word- "Bedroom."