Two Weeks Later

Steve awoke with a hum, sunlight crossing across his eyelids. He buried his face deeper into the pillow, arms skimming across the cool sheets to tuck beneath his head. Everything was perfect, he loved waking up here. Here, in Stark Tower, where nothing was demanded of him. No one gawked, no one snapped pictures, no one asked or wanted anything of him.

Tony certainly didn't want anything from him.

Steve hummed again, this time laced with desire.

Tony didn't want anything Steve wasn't willing to give.

The blonde's cheeks reddened at the thought. He only allowed these kinds of thoughts in the morning, those minutes when his mind was still foggy from sleep and everything seemed possible. He rolled over onto his back, giving a small yawn and stretching his arms above his head. His body curved up, each muscle flexing and giving him a low endorphin rush.

"Oh" Steve gave a husky laugh, looking down "That's not the stretching...at least everything still works down there."

It seemed like a certain part of him had woken up first, and that part of him was very interested in the thoughts of Tony. The blonde let a hand drop down to his chest, biting the side of his lip and giving the room a look over. No robots...and JARVIS wasn't paying attention...what was the harm? This wouldn't be the first morning he'd indulged in this particular activity. And how could he resist with the hardy fuel of last night's dream?

Steve's hand slid down his chest, lashes fluttering closed at the sensation. He slowly sank back into the dream, filling in the bits and pieces he was already forgetting. It wasn't hard, the whole thing had seemed so real. He imagined fingertips trailing across his hips, fanning along the curve of his thigh and oh-so-close to the most intimate part of him. Warm breath on his knee, his inner thigh, the rasp of stubble along the sensitive skin.

He grasped his hard flesh, gasping and rocking his hips up into the imaginary mouth. Oh, that talented mouth. tongue and teeth had worked across his flesh so carefully, so knowingly...it had driven him mad. A head of dark hair between his thighs, face hidden as he lapped at all the sensitive spots. When he touched that hair, heard that deep moan...he'd nearly jolted himself awake. He couldn't live with himself if this was Howard touching him, if this was his old crush's mouth on him.

"Wait, s-stop."

"Shhh, Cap, I got you."

Steve moaned out loud, flushing deeply as he remembered how much harder he had gotten at the sight of Tony's face. The man was grinning, lips shining with pre-cum, as he grabbed the blonde's thighs and spread them further.

"I'll take care of you."

"Please" Steve murmured out loud "Tony...please..."

And only after he'd made the man beg had he finally swallowed him down, overwhelming the blonde with sensations he had never felt before. He couldn't stay still, it just felt so good.

With an embarrassing groan and arch of his back, Steve spilled over his hand. He could clearly see Tony's smoldering eyes gazing up at him, mouth filled with his cock, as proud and lusty as an alpha lion. He worked himself slowly, letting the last bits of pleasure seep through his body. As he came down from his high, his cheeks became flushed more out of shame than anything else.

And it was shameful. He'd come so quick and hard from just the thought of another man's mouth on him. And not just any man, but the man who'd been nice enough to open up his home and life to a stranger. Even if the times were different and these feelings were considered more normal than before, it was terrible to think about Howard's son like this. Hell, it was awful to think of Howard like this.

Steve rushed to the shower, thoroughly disgusted with himself. What would people say if they knew their Captain America, their super hero, was pleasuring himself to the thought of another man pinning him down and completely ravishing him? He ran into the shower, ignoring the intense heat, and made sure to scrub all the evidence away.

That dream...Steve ducked his head beneath the spray, wiping the sleep from his eyes. It had started off so innocently, as it always did. A man with dark eyes and hair would touch him, kiss him, lay him out on the bed. They'd whisper and touch, let the heat build up between them. Usually it ended before anything could really happen, but this time was different. Most of the time it was faceless, but those few times when he was too deep in sleep to control it – that face would be Howard. It would be Howard touching him, Howard nipping his neck and kissing his chest and touching his-

Steve shook his head sharply, knocking away those thoughts.

But for the past few days that man had been Tony, from start to finish. The touches had gotten hotter, the kisses deeper, and the actions had become much more incriminating.

The worst part?

Steve enjoyed every single moment of it.

How could he not? To have someone so powerful, brilliant, and handsome pay attention to you? To give you all their devotion? All their passion? He imagined it would be more than intoxicating. Those few times when Howard had just stared at him...it had taken his breath away.

Steve smacked his fist against the tile, hanging his head to let the water beat down onto his shoulders.

He really needed to stop comparing Howard to Tony. It wasn't fair, it was downright rude. Howard was...gone now. Tony was the one bringing him into his home, he was the one giving him food and board and company until he adjusted. The only thing the two of them had in common were those smoldering dark eyes and the ability to make Steve's heart flutter in his chest.

Slowly, Steve took all those developing heart-breakingly-tender feelings and packed them deep down inside his heart. He suppressed them, hiding them, and set a wall around them. He couldn't let this little infatuation ruin his growing relationship with Tony. That man was his lifeline, his greatest connection to this new world, and he didn't want to destroy it over a few fleeting feelings.

Steve tipped his face back into the spray, screwing his eyes shut.

At least, he hoped they were fleeting.

xXxXx

"There you are!"

Steve popped out of the elevator, following Tony's voice towards the kitchen. They'd developed a meal routine, they shared breakfast together and (if Tony wasn't busy) they would order in dinner and eat it in front of the TV. It was one of the best times for the genius to catch the captain up on the world around them, flipping between the news and tv movies between bites.

The mini-TV on the counter was currently on the news, the perfectly coiffed blonde on there giving a report of a tragic mining accident somewhere in California.

"I had sausage omlettess brought up" Tony put the box on the counter "Did you manage to keep the pizza down?"

"Oh yeah" Steve slid onto the stool, taking up the fork already placed there "I think I'm ready for all the good stuff now."

Tony's smile was hidden behind his mug of coffee, the reactor light growing briefly.

Steve paused with a bite of egg halfway to his mouth, "Tony...does that make you happy?"

"Hm, what?" Tony snagged a bite from his own box, passing by it to get to one of his wall panel screens "JARVIS, we're going to test portable suit #089 today."

"Very good, sir."

"Did you know your..." Steve bit off his reply, smiling to himself when the man turned around and gave him the most bewildered look "Nevermind."

Tony raised an eyebrow, but didn't push it. Steve started chowing into his dish, keeping the small smile the whole time. He had a little suspicion that the arc reactor (Tony insisted he stop calling it a torch) glowed a little when the genius was pleased. He'd seen it a few times before, but mostly about science-y things. This was the first time there had been a little glow about him, and it made him feel good. He was sure if he had a light in his chest it would practically blaze whenever Tony gave him that toothy smile.

Steve ducked his head and shoveled more food in his mouth, pushing away those thoughts.

"So!" Tony stopped on the other side of the counter, his second cup of coffee in his hand "I have a meeting, then I plan to bury myself in the lab for the next two days. Do you think you can handle being alone for that long?"

He swallowed, "I won't see you at all?"

Tony looked surprised, "I didn't mean that.What I meant was I'll be down there if you need me."

"I'll try not to bother you" Steve promised "You're an important man, I can't keep you to myself all the time."

"You could" Tony tightened his grip on his cup, chest heaving with his slip-up "Your...reintroduction into the world in a lot more important than some silly toys of mine. JARVIS, cancel #089's testing phase-"

"Yes, sir."

"No" Steve cut him off "JARVIS, reschedule it. Tony, it's alright, I'll find something to do."

Tony downed the rest of his coffee, tossing the dish into the sink so hard it snapped the handle clean off, "Good, that's settled. If you'll excuse me, I have to go put on a suit that cost more than the lives of anyone I'm going to meet today."

And with that, Tony disappeared behind the fountain and up the stairs to his personal area.

Steve took another bite of omlette, watching the man go with a sigh of regret. He wished he was smarter. The more he hung around with Tony, the more he wished he was a genius like him. The man didn't exactly make him feel stupid, but he was involved in a world Steve could never hope to keep up in. He'd never been down to the lab, but he assumed it was filled with everything Tony Stark and state-of-the-art. It was Tony's favorite room, that much was true.

He finished up his breakfast, deciding a trip to the gym was necessary.

xXxXx

Steve kept himself occupied for hours. It was wonderful to just roam about, doing what he wanted, having whatever he wanted. He hadn't felt so free in...well, since ever. When he was younger he'd fought to survive, scraping together whatever money he could, using his wits to keep food in his belly. Before the project, poverty had been his jail. After, the government. Who was his jailer now?

Steve went through a light work-out, raided the fridge for more food, explored the flight deck outside the tower, found the picture-and-picture device on the TV, counted and boggled at how many types of alcohol Tony had, and then went back to the fridge.

It was wonderful.

xXxXx

It wasn't until three days later that Steve realized something. He had been sitting on the plain tan couch of his living room when it happened, shoveling raspberries into his mouth while watching some type of monster hunting show with angels and demons and whatnot. Though completely far-fetched, it was rather entertaining. It was only when he ran out of berries did it start.

"Swell" he sat the bowl down, licking the juice from his fingers "JARVIS, can you ask Miss. Potts to get more berries next time she grabs Tony's groceries?"

"Certainly, Captain Rogers."

"Thanks" Steve sat back, pleased by his progress. He was getting more and more comfortable with technology. He winced, remembering the incident with the ice dispenser in the fridge. Maybe he should amend that: He was good with a TV and JARVIS, but that was only because Tony had spent about an hour teaching him about the remote control.

The moment Steve's fingertips touched the remote to turn up the volume, he remembered the genius.

"JARVIS?" Steve stood up "Where's Tony?"

"I believe he's still in the lab, sir."

"It's been three days!" Steve was baffled "Hasn't he eaten?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"JARVIS" there was captain written all over his voice "Answer me."

"Master Stark gets very busy, sir, and sometimes he forgets he's only human."

"Is that a very nice way of telling me he's been down there for three days without surfacing?" Steve stormed toward the elevator, practically punching the button "I knew it, I knew he would pull something like this. JARVIS, I'm going to need access to the lab. Can you get me in?"

There was another long pause, then, "Yes I can, sir."

"If Tony's angry, I'll take the blame" Steve assured the AI, pushing the button for the floor above him "He's probably up to his eyes in...metal bits. Howard was focused like that too."

"I don't suggest mentioning that in front of Master Stark."

Steve's brows knit together, "Did Tony have an issue with his father?"

"I believe Master Stark is the one to ask about that."

"Just more for us to talk about" Steve muttered, the doors sliding open to reveal the bachelor pad "What will Tony eat?"

"There's raw steak in the fridge. Miss. Potts brought it this morning from the butcher down the street."

Steve pulled a face, but he was determined, "Can you...can you help me, JARVIS?"

"It would be my pleasure, sir."

xXxXx

"Stupid thing" Tony was prying the metal off his arms with thick pliers, the blood on his cheek making it itch "JARVIS! Recalibrate the measurements for the suit for about an inch and a half. It nearly took my arm off this time."

"Right away."

Tony grunted, face scrunched up as he tried to get the metal out of his arm. It wasn't quite cutting into his skin but he was getting worried by the paleness of the limb. It had been stuck on for almost ten minutes and he wasn't sure how long he could go without circulation before he was in the red zone.

When he'd stuck his arms into the portable suit, it was not supposed to clamp down this hard. The bite of the metal into his elbows had surprised him so much he'd jerked back and caught himself in the face, the edge of the forearm cuff splitting the skin across his cheekbone.

This portable suit thing wasn't going nearly as well as he'd hoped.

"Tony?"

Tony paused at the sing-song tone, whipping around to face the stairs. He quickly moved in front of the portable device, curling his arm behind him to hide the mishap. He couldn't stop the smile that stole his lips when he saw Steve pushing his way into the lab, carrying a tray with a bottle of water on it along with a covered platter.

"It's been three days" Steve offered as explanation "I was getting worried. JARVIS told me you hadn't eaten anything."

"Traitor" Tony muttered, then raised his voice "Whatcha got there, Cap?"

"Uh, food" Steve set the tray down on the cleanest surface, turning to face the scientist "What are you working on?"

"Oh, this?" Tony kind of gestured behind him "Nothing. Just, you know...tests and stuff" he grinned and half-leaned back on the table, easing the pressure on his arm a little "Hey, shouldn't you be watching the news or something? Or working out? Or just generally not being right here?"

Steve looked hurt, and that just broke the inventor's heart, "Not that I don't love having you down here with me, I'm just-" he pulled a face "-kind of busy."

"Master Stark has gotten his arm caught in his suit."

"JARVIS!" Tony snarled, cheeks tinged red in more than discomfort.

"What?" Steve walked around the man, pulling him aside to reveal his arm trapped in the metal of the suit's arm "Why did you call for help? Give me just a moment."

"Steve, don't" but Tony couldn't really stop the blonde from grasping the metal joints, looking for a weakness "It's nothing, I'm getting it right now."

"Oh be quiet" Steve grasped what he was sure was making the panels clench, and with one twist he broke it in half. Tony gave a groan of relief when the panels fell away, the whole arm unit folding back into the shell of the portable suit. Strong, sure fingers worked across the genius's arm, encouraging blood flow and looking for any breaks.

"Does it hurt?"

Tony couldn't answer, he could barely breathe. He was practically plastered against Steve's side, his arm held helplessly in front of the blonde for his inspection. For a moment, Tony let his head rest against the man's thick arm as his other hand came up and touched the wide plane of his shoulder blade. And a glorious moment it was. He breathed in the man's clean scent as deeply as he could, allowing him to massage the life back into his limb.

"Thanks" Tony's voice was almost too low to hear "Feels good."

"You need to be more careful" Steve scolded lightly, fingers quite firm along the underside of the man's arm "JARVIS, from now on I want you to alert me if Mr. Stark here goes on for more than five hours without eating. I don't care what I'm doing."

"Sir?"

"You heard the man" Tony replied lazily, enjoying the special treatment.

"Alert system in place, Captain Rogers. Should I extend that to sleep as well?"

Tony cracked open an eye, "Don't push it."

"Yes" Steve insisted "I want to know if he goes more than twenty five hours without a nap."

"Twenty five?" Tony picked up his head, giving the man an incredulous look "I can do thirty five, easy."

"Twenty five" Steve gave him a serious look "I know you're amazing, Tony, but you can't run like this forever. A nap and a meal now and then will not slow you down."

Tony grinned, "You think I'm amazing?"

"I think you're brilliant, but insane" Steve corrected him, releasing his arm and taking a step back (a bit more red on his cheeks as well) "I think it's time you sat down and ate something, don't you?"

"Depends what you brought me" Tony flexed his fingers, strong hands leading him over to the table where the tray was "I'm not really hungry. I need to get this-"

"I know what you need" the blonde sat him down, pushing the man down twice before he would stay still "Food, and then a nap."

"I don't nap" Tony scoffed, but his protest died when the cover was removed to reveal two huge steaks that look positively sinful "But I do eat food."

"It's all yours."

Tony grabbed a fork and knife and cut a small piece, "Just a little..."

One bite and he was done for, dropping the knife and spearing the meat in the middle with just a fork. He bit and tore through it with just his teeth, barely breathing past the mouthfuls of food. It was ridiculously good, he couldn't believe the damn-near-perfect captain had managed to make these all by himself. He was down to the last bites before he looked up, finding the solider looking around the lab with a wide-eyed puppy gaze. He smirked in triumph, polishing off the steak.

"Impressive, huh?" Tony waggled his eyebrows at the blonde who was currently trying to keep from gaping "You like?"

"It's really something" Steve was breathless "You built...all this? These robots and gadgets...all yours?"

"Oh yeah, all me" Tony started in on his second steak like a human being, practically hacking it in half with his knife before shoving it into his mouth.

"You're a mad scientist" Steve peered at the specs on one of the computer screen, recognizing it as the blueprints for the portable hunk of suit on the table "A real life mad genius."

Tony gave it a moment of thought, "Thank you!"

Steve took a turn about the room while the other ate, quickly finding the queen sized cot off in the corner of the lab. It was packed thick with blankets to make it comfortable enough for a billionaire used to Egyptian cotton sheets.

Tony took the time to stuff his face and admire the soldier's rounded backside in those jeans. He was pretty proud of himself, he'd managed to order Steve's wardrobe simply on eyeball measurements and all the clothes fit perfectly. This was much better than having Pepper mother at him, she'd never brought him such tasty meals in the lab before. If Steve wanted to be his nanny, then by God he'd buy the man a lace apron and a pair of french panties to go along with it.

Or was that a maid? Semantics.

Whatever it was, it would fuel his next personal shower session.

"You know...if running around upstairs doesn't do it for you, you could always come down here with me" Tony offered, keeping his eyes on his plate "If you're going to take time away from JARVIS's actual use, you might as well watch me yourself. I could always use an extra tool, and you're quite strong, Cap."

"You're lucky" Steve called, reaching out to touch the virtual board but pulling back at the last second "If I didn't know you were always like this, I would say you were being mean."

Tony back-peddled, going over what he just said. He dug his knuckles into his head for a moment, then flashed a smile.

"It's my charm, Spangles, don't knock it" Tony crammed the last of the meal down, taking a pause to swallow it down "And nutrients achieved! Now that I've leveled up, I'm going to get back to-"

"Nope" Steve came over, putting a hand on the man's back "You're taking a nap."

Tony dug his heels into the floor, "I'm going back to work."

"You're going to sleep" Steve pushed, but the man wasn't budging "If you don't nap, I promise to stand here and stare at you in a disappointed manner."

"Oh, you're so scary" but Tony couldn't really find the strength the fight the solider off for very long "Stop it, I'm not taking a nap like a kid!"

Steve forced the slighter man over to the bed, forcing him to at least sit down on it. He dropped to a kneel in front of the man, daring to rest his hands on either side of his hips to keep him in place. Steve searched the inventor's eyes, finding them tired and bloodshot.

"I'm worried about you, Tony."

The honesty in his tone shocked the other, he couldn't help but look up to willingly meet the captain's gaze, "You can't be serious?"

"I am" Steve assured him "But I'm only going to say this once, so listen close."

"You've got my attention" Tony replied, crossing his arms defiantly.

"This is your norm, I understand that. You've always skipped meals and sleep to keep your attention on your work. Your focus is admirable" Steve's smile was tender, kind "But I'm here now, and I can't help but be concerned for your health. I want things to be different. For the better, I promise."

"I don't need change" the brunette insisted "Pepper already tried that."

"Well I'm not Miss. Potts, now am I?" Steve's hand strayed, laying lightly on the man's thigh "Is it so bad that I want you to eat and sleep more?"

Tony let the silence linger longer than he should have, "What do you suggest?"

"I suggest me" the blonde pulled back, sitting on his heels "I can come down here with you. Give you company, watch the time while you work. I think it would be good for both of us. But if you want me to leave you alone, I will. I'll go upstairs and I won't bother you down here ever again. If you think you need a little help, then take a doze and I'll go sit across the room and watch the television."

" 'Take a doze' " Tony relented, easing further back onto the bed "You are precious, you know that?"

Steve's cheeks colored, but he didn't waver. Tony huffed and plopped down on the bed, rolling over onto his stomach.

"You see this? You see me? I'm napping."

Steve sighed in relief, "Thank you, Tony. Sweet dreams."

Tony buried his face in the pillow, hiding his smile.

What an old-fashioned sweetheart he had for a nanny.

xXxXx

Steve was thumbing through Tony's books when he heard JARVIS at a whisper.

"It's been two hours, Captain Rogers."

"Thanks" Steve started toward the other side of the lab "I can't believe he stayed down for two hours."

"An accomplishment, I assure you."

"Okay, Tony, time's up" Steve came around the order, cutting himself off at the sight in front of him.

Tony was sprawled out on his belly, one of his arms hanging off the edge and face half-buried in the pillows. His dark hair was sticking up all over the place, a little greasy from days of not showering. He was snoring contently, completely relaxed and deep within the world of sleep.

Steve touched his chest, feeling a deep throb there where his heart was. The sight of the billionaire so vulnerable made him...it brought up those feelings he'd tried so hard to suppress this morning. Those icky complicated emotions were making his heart swell. Going with his gut feeling, Steve walked over to the bed.

He started at the shoes. He slowly unlaced and worked off the inventor's shoes, pushing the under the bed. He grabbed one of the softer looking blankets pushed up against the wall, unraveling it before gently laying it over the sleeping man. Steve's fingers trailed up from the blanket, letting them skim across the dark locks. He leaned in, heart fluttering like a trapped bird, and found himself wanting nothing more than a kiss.

Tony hummed and rolled onto his side, completely facing the blonde. He tugged up the blanket, arms tucked up beneath the pillows. The temptation grew with each second, Tony's open look only fueling the fire. At the last second he raised, dropping the kiss on the man's warm brow instead.

"Goodnight" he choked out, standing up quickly and getting as far away from Tony as possible "JARVIS, can you dim the lights over there?"

"Yes, sir. But not too much. He is prone to excitement when he awakes in dark places."

"Oh" Steve brow crinkled "Why? Does it have something to do with how he got his arc reactor?"

"Indeed."

"I've been afraid to ask him about that" Steve sat down at the work station, grabbing the blank sketchpad he had found in one of the spare boxes lying around. He flipped it open in front of him, stealing one of Tony's pencils as well.

"May I speak of a personal matter, sir?"

"Yes?"

"If Master Stark were to talk about it to anyone, it would be you. It's not something he shares with the commonwealth."

"Not even Miss. Potts?"

"No, sir, I'm afraid not. He's dicatated the details to me, but I'm a poor substitute."

"He trusts you" Steve tapped the pencil on the table "And you think he trusts me that much?"

"I do."

"Okay, I will" Steve stroked the lead on the paper, a few ideas in his head "Let's be quiet for a while."

"Yes, sir. All phone calls and messages will be sent directly to Miss. Potts for the next four hours."

"Make it five."

There was amusement in the AI's voice, "Five it is, sir."

AN: So, this story is really slow going, I know. But I feel like I need to make them earn it. If I just jump in it's really unrealistic. I don't really know what's stopping me from just getting into it. But! I am going to make an outline tonight, give myself a few scenes to look forward to, and get this story where it needs to be. I didn't just want to throw Steve onto Tony, I wanted to make him apart of his life. An essential part. I have a feeling I'm going to just dump all my Steve/Tony feels into one story and get it over with. So look to this being a large story, or it'll have a sequel, or something.

That's neither here nor there.

Remember to look me up on tumblr as 'emono-omae', I get most of my ideas from the photosets there of Stony

PS: I'm not begging for reviews, but I promise you that every review I get drives me to update even faster and better than before. I look forward to your feedback more than I do my next meal. Again, not begging, but it really makes me happy