Well, since everyone was asking for Tony's view on the matter, here it is. I'm sorry if this is crap, but I kinda liked how it turned out. Also, bit of mixed universes but nothing too alarming I think. I just included Happy to our ecuation.

Going up the stairs when sunlight was already filling the workshop, Tony stopped to analyze a hole in the wall that had not been there when he went downstairs that night. His fingertips brushed the border, making a few more crumbs fall to the floor; then he examined his hand while curling it into a fist, and then it clicked. Steve.
He had watched him go and stood there filled with a strange sensation. He couldn't name what he felt but then again, he wasn't much in touch with feelings, at least not enough to know.

Had Captain America just accepted to have some sort of a crush on him?

Tony blinked many times, but then, unable to answer to himself he decided to ignore it.

As he decided to ignore how Steve was avoiding him, or anyone for that matter. He did fine not knowing so he just ignored it plain and simple. It wasn't until Pepper mentioned it when he learned that he knew. She joined him downstairs where he had spent the past two hours trying to figure out a code that should be easy for an eight years old, but somehow it was resisting to him, and he couldn't go on with the security code in the tower if he didn't had that bit.

Dammit.

"Phil would have liked to come over and fill in with the tower' arrangements"
"Who?"
"Coulson"
"Oh, yeah. Tell him I'll be there"
Pepper sighed, knowing he wasn't listening at anything she said, or he would know she was only talking assumptions for obvious reasons.
"Tony is everything okay?"
"Uh? Yes. Why?"
Tony barely shifted his eyes from the computed to glance at her.
"You're distracted"
"I'm not"
"Yes you are" She paused, biting her lip "Does it has anything to do with Steve?"
"What?"
"Captain"
"I know who Steve is, Ms. Potts".
He eyed her like she was dumb, and she rolled her eyes. She didn't knew whit this man anymore
"Well, he hasn't popped out his floor for like three days, and there's a hole in the stairs' wall "
She made it sound like a very dramatical disaster.
"I don't see the connection" He frowned
"The connection is that you haven't noticed. See? Distracted"
"I saw the wall. How am I supposed to know about Steve?"
She smiled warmly, looking up at him
"You're always watching him."
"I'm not"

He did, Pepper knew that. Somehow, he always knew at what time did he get up, if he had have coffee certain morning, or where he was, or how he liked his bagel without ever asking. But it was only Steve, always Steve.

"What did you do to the poor guy this time, Tony?"
"What do you immediately suppose it was me?"

Now it was her turn to look at him like he was a newborn. He smirked, letting her know he wasn't even fooling himself. Tony Stark had many virtues, but he was also very flawed, and that was actually being gentle. He was really fucked up. Finally, he gave up with the computer and dropped in the chair, looking up at her just for a second when she walked towards him just to rest her hips on the desk just as Steve had done that night.

"I told him I was going to propose to you"
"Uh?" she blinked, utterly alarmed "But Tony, me and Happy—"
"I know. I didn't mean it"
"Then why did—… wait, how did that made him mad at you?"

Tony sighed, unsure of what to say. Had everything gone as he thought it did? Every time he thought about that night it confused him even more, so he avoided the subject even in his mind.

"I don't know. He was here the other night, asking how was it going between you and me" he watched her smirk comprehensively "I told him I added you to the lease, and then I… you just told me about you and Happy, so I asked his opinion about marriage and…" he shrugged "He thought I was going to propose you and I didn't say otherwise…" Tony looked up to meet her blue eyes, feeling odd for what he was about to say "And he said he was glad that you were the one to make me happy. He didn't look any happy."

Tony looked down at his feet again. Oh god, the expression on his face…. He couldn't get it outta his head. It's basically what blow the whistle. He didn't needed to say it. Pepper got it right away. She was that smart.

"Oh" she murmured "Oh" she said it again with a note of surprise, thinking exactly what he thought when he saw him "What did you say?" she demanded, almost accusatory.

"I told him I had friends" he smiled amused

"Tony!" now she was being accusatory and he didn't liked that not even a little bit

"What?"

"… Do you love me?"

"You know I do" he frowned. Did she miss the whole point or…

"That tell me the truth" she required, looking at him with the serious ways she used to deal with him when he was being a clod "…What do you feel for Cap?"

"What?" What did she meant with that? Was that even a question? Well, a part of him knew it was a question but it didn't felt like a legitimate question and it drive him nuts immediately

"Do you love Steve?"

"No!" he bit his lip. The reply came out too harsh and it tasted bitter in his mouth, like gall. But she looked at him with a softened expression, tilting her head to get a better look on him "Why not?"

There was this long silence that made her think he wasn't answering. The blonde took a sep towards the stairs to leave him alone, but then he spoke, ever so softly.

"Nothing to be scared of"

Tony looked up for a second again, but he couldn't bare Pepper's look, so he went back to his examination of the floor and sighed. Why would he still pretend he fooled anyone? He knew there was a reason for the emptiness he felt that night after Steve left, the fact that he couldn't get him out of his head, or the bitter taste in his mouth when answered her question. But he didn't wanted to know that reason because thinking about it was the scariest thing he ever felt and Tony Stark didn't do fear. He avoided it if he had to, but he didn't feel it.

"Are you scared because you're in love?" There was tenderness in her voice and she squatted to look into his eyes, placing a hand over his shoulder

"No" he sighed "…Because I don't want to"

And when he looked at her, all his fear was written in his face like it does in a little kid's after a nightmare.

Wadayya think? Should I make another chapter or what? ;)

Küsses!