Chapter 3
The Two of Us Melting Together
"There needs to be an easier way to get a round of questions going because for some reason I can't think of anything," Tony whine as he ran a hand through his hair.
"I could ask you a question and we both give an answer, then you do the same and repeat?" Steve offered. He watched as Tony thought it over, before nodding.
"You wanna start?" Tony asked him as he moved so he was snuggled into Steve's side as much as he could.
"Sure," Steve replied, smiling. "Uh, favorite color?
"Red. You're isn't the color scheme of the flag is it?"
Steve snorted and shook his head. "It's purple, actually. Your turn."
"Hmm," he hummed. "Summer or winter?"
"Summer. Not too fond of the cold anymore," Steve mumbled. Tony could feel the small amount of fear and shame that Steve was promoting through the bond, so he took one of Steve's hands in his and kissed his cheek.
"Luckily for you, I prefer the warm," he couldn't help but grin when the fear and shame disappeared immediately. "Your turn now."
They had then continued to ask basic questions like books, the few childhood memories that were positive. As they ran out of possible questions, Steve decided to ask a different kind of question.
"What was the best decision you ever made?" Steve asked, noting the quick glance of surprise that past over Tony's face.
"Well that's definitely a step up from favorite color."
"If it's not something you wanna talk about-" Tony quickly cut Steve off by kissing him, smile as he pulled away.
"I never said I had a problem with it. Just seems like maybe we should see if we both don't mind asking deeper and personal questions," Tony explained.
"What if it's a question we don't feel comfortable asking?"
"Then don't," Tony told him. "The best decision I ever made was probably building the Iron Man suit. There have been some trauma and other life events surrounding it, obviously the nuke into space takes the cake, but it's also brought me some great things."
As he finished, he was still smiling as he looked over to Steve and his grin grew when he said the small blush on Tony's face. "How about you, Spangles?"
"Joining the army," Steve replied instantly. "It too has done some great and horrible things for me."
"Why did you want to join the army?" Tony could feel Steve hesitating as the question rolled around in his mind.
"A number of things, actually," he finally after a few minutes. "My father was in the 107th during the first Great War and I thought I'd make him proud by joining when I could. Unfortunately, without the serum I wouldn't even be here. I wanted to prove that size doesn't matter, that if you're driven enough, you want to help, and that's what I wanted to do. Just to help stop the bullying."
There was a pocket of science between the two after Steve had finished. Tony was sending comfort and love through the bond, hoping that it would help Steve fight off any nightmares that wanted to make themselves known.
"Can you tell me about my dad, Howard, the Howard Stark you knew," Tony blurted out, not particularly caring that it was Steve's turn to ask a question.
He had thought back to the day on the Helicarrier after Steve had fled the lab. How he had told Bruce "That's the guy my dad couldn't stop talking about." He knew now that it was more likely the Tesseract that made him said it but sitting next to Steve right now, he knew that the both of them knew a different Howard Stark.
Steve looked over at him, holding his gaze and was obviously confused by the questions.
"Are you sure?" Steve asked.
Tony nodded in response. "Positive."
Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Steve stared down at his lap as the memories from long ago surfaced. "The first time I had seen him was on a stage at the World Exposition of Tomorrow. It was really flashy and all for a presentation of a flying car. That was the night I met Doctor Erskine."
Tony remained quiet as he waited for Steve to continue.
"I didn't see him again until the day I received the serum. After the doors to the pod opened, he was there to help me out and the look on his face was, he was just so surprised and shocked that the thing had actually worked," he chuckled slightly at the memory. "It wasn't until a few months later when he was flying me over the HYDRA base that I saw him again and accused him and Peggy of 'fondue'."
Tony raised an eyebrow as he felt shame and embarrassment over the bond while a medium blush cover Steve's face. "You're who he got that from?"
Steve shot him a confused glance. "Got what from?"
"Fonduing," Tony replied, his hand waving around in the air as he continued. "The few times I walked in on my parents he told me they were having some fondued. Me, being the genius I am, was confused as why he was using fondue as a euphemism for sex."
Steve couldn't help but blush deeper. "Sorry," he mumbled, making sure to avert his eyes from Tony.
Tony kissed his cheek and rubbed his back. "Not like you could help it big guy. Now continue in the Captain Rogers view of Howard Stark history."
Steve gave him a small smiled and nodded. "Well after he risked so much to help me get back the 107th, it was kind of hard not to want to please him. After I got promoted, I definitely saw him a lot more."
"How about your shield?" Tony suddenly blurted out. "I know he made it but he never told me the story behind it."
Steve's smile grew. "It was a few days after the rescue when we were in London. He was showing me all these different prototype shields. Some were bulky, others just ridiculous looking. I tuned out most of what he was saying, it didn't matter really. Most of what he was saying went over my head anyway."
Tony couldn't help but smile as he saw and felt Steve getting lost in the memory.
"There was one that was sitting on the shelf below the others that caught my eye," he went on to explain. "Howard told me it was a prototype but, it just felt right the moment I picked it up. Something clicked," smiling at the memory, Steve rubbed a hand over his face.
"There's really not much more that I can tell you. Once the missions started my being more frequent, the only time I'd see him was for briefings," he finished, sending Tony an apologetic look.
Making sure Tony projected understanding, he took one of Steve's hands in his own. "He never stopped looking for you, you know."
"Fury mentioned that," Steve mumbled. Tony frowned as he felt a great amount remorse through the bond.
"It's not your fault for anything that he was after the war," Tony stressed, squeezing Steve's hand. "He was a bastard, but that was on his own accord."
"Doesn't change the fact that I wonder what it would've been like."
"What would've been like?"
Steve gave a small shrug. "If I hadn't crashed. If I had been around maybe you would've had a better father."
"Again, not your fault. Maybe in another universe that happened but I'm glad that it didn't happen in this. This means we get to be together." Tony felt it was kind of strange that just being around Steve changed his behavior, how he talked and how felt, but he wouldn't change it as he felt the waves of love coming over the bond.
"So it's your turn to ask me something. It can be angsty as hell or a unicorn farting rainbows, your choice," Tony insisted, hoping to get Steve's mind off anything too depressing.
Steve gave him a small smile as he thought about his next question. "So, who are the important people in your life that I should know about?"
"There's only a few who reach the Tony Stark level of worthy enough to know me," Tony replied. "Well, obviously the first you've already met, is Pepper. There was some things, some feelings, some everythings between us but at one point she was literally my lifeline. I owe her so much."
"You mentioned a Rhodey, earlier," Steve stated when a short silence came upon them.
"Oh, right!" Tony exclaimed, smirking slightly. "He's gonna have a real fun time meeting you. Rhodey's his nickname, boring name is James Rhodes. He's currently a colonel with the Air Force. He's probably the one person I'll admit to be closing enough to feel like family to. He also has one of my suits, operates under the handle War Machine."
Steve was grinning the entire time as Tony told him all about Rhodey, Pepper and he couldn't wait to meet Happy after all the things he had heard. He was just so happy that Tony had a great people who helped him.
"I know this might be hard," Tony began, biting his lip. "Was there anyone around before you got the serum?"
After sending a wave of calming emotions through the bond to let Tony know that he wasn't crossing any line, Steve nodded and cleared his throat before speaking.
"Bucky. It was always Bucky. It was one of those friendships that you can't explain why it happened but it just did. I was this scrawny, sick kid who was too stubborn for my own good but he was always there when I needed him."
Tony wrapped his arms around Steve as they both were overcome with so many emotions, they couldn't tell them from another.
They sat here in silence. No words were spoken, movement wasn't needed. It was just them. This continued until they both had calmed down.
"So, I think there is something else we're going to need to discuss," Tony began, sounding slightly hesitant.
"What's that?"
"What we're going to tell the team."
"I hadn't thought about that," Steve admitted, slouching slightly in his seat. "Everything lately just seems like one big jumbled mess and I don't know where anything goes."
"I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think this whole 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' thing was a one time deal," Tony explained. "Which also means we should probably tell Fury."
"What do you think the repercussions would be if we kept this silent?" Steve asked, turning his head to look at the other man.
Tony crossed his arms as he began mapping out different situations and outcomes. "There wouldn't be anything too extreme. Our biggest risk would becoming compromised in the field for one reason or another but it might just be better if we're honest about."
Steve nodded. "I think Agent Romanoff may already know."
Tony snorted, shaking his head. "That really shouldn't be surprising, knowing her. What makes you think that though?"
"Something she had said on the jet, 'you could tell him you know,'" Steve explained.
"She must be bonded too. It's written somewhere that those who've bonded can see and sense, in a way, others who are also bonded."
"So, how are we going to do this?"
Tony sighed. "It might just be easier to handle it as it comes. Obviously it might be a while since we see anyone else, except Banner but Shakespeare in the Park is definitely someone who we won't see frequently."
"Basically just tell them next we see them," Steve summarized, nodding to indicate he agreed.
"Now, I suggest as it's getting late, we should head to bed and we can continue our game of 20 questions tomorrow," Tony suggested, flashing a grin towards Steve who couldn't help but chuckle in return.
"Sir, Director Fury is requesting access," JARVIS announced.
"Shit."
Author's Note: I am so incredibly sorry that this took so long to get written and posted. Real life got in the way, real life also included getting a Captain America tattoo, but I still am so sorry it has taken this long. Posting this is slightly different than the ones I post for Criminal Minds. All the stories I post for Criminal Minds are finished before posting and are beta'd versus this going through self beta. Just wanted to clear that up. f
