Notes:
It's done! Apologies for the wait but here it is the final two chapters.
Also, just a warning, the first section of this chapter has some sexual content that toes the line of the M rating a bit. Nothing too obscene but, yea, its hard to tamper the heat between these two.
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DAY 6
8:03 am
Tony woke up in Steve's bed, in Steve's arms. They had both lost their shirts somewhere and Clint's bed was empty, thank fuck, because he was as hard as a rock in his boxers and never more grateful that he was the little spoon.
Until Steve groaned in his sleep and pulled his arms tighter, lifting his hips so they brushed against Tony. A moan accompanied Steve's movement, a soft little thing that curled at the spot behind Tony's groin. The man did it again, and again, grinding on his ass and moaning as if it provided the source of all of Steve's pleasure.
"Tony," the man moaned and damn, his cock throbbed at the word spoken so desperately.
He couldn't help it, he knew the man was sleeping but he wanted to feel it, the proof of just how much Steve wanted him. Even in his sleep, or maybe especially then.
Tony scooted his hips back until he felt it, Steve's cock pushing back against his stomach under Tony's weight. He had felt him on the dance floor as they grinded together but yesterday there had been thick denim and the fabric of his suit in the way. Now there was only the thin material of their boxers and Tony could feel every slide against satin.
The lust was always there now, since the fire between them simmered into this Thing, since this Cruise forced them together, weakened the need to resist the pull of the man. But Tony, for maybe the first in his life, placed a stilling hand on the hips grinding against him.
Steve whined in his sleep and Tony tightened his hands in response to the needy sound. The pressure of his hands, the movement, and maybe even his need, forced Steve awake.
"Tony," he said, again, the only word he'd said all morning and it was enough to utterly destroy his will; his hips lurched back against Steve, pulling a rough moan out of them both. "I was dreaming-" Over his shoulder, he watched Steve's face so soft with sleep, glare at him. "Why'd you stop us?"
His face flushed and he hoped Steve would blame it on arousal and not sheer mortification. Tony let his head fell back against his shoulder, an imitation of their dance the night before but in reverse; from one dance floor to another. "I'm not going to lie to you. I want to fuck you right now more than almost anything I could be doing on this planet, and most of the known universe, for that matter. I want to turn around, grab you, push you back into this too-small bed and show you pleasure you haven't experienced in decades, if ever." Steve's lips parted during Tony's speech, and he wanted to taste, so he ran his own mouth from the curve of Steve's shoulder, up his neck and jaw, to pierce at the plump skin of his bottom lip before following the bite with a fierce kiss. Steve moaned into it, moaned his name again and it was enough for Tony to remember himself.
"But-" Tony pulled back, whispering against sensitive skin. He felt Steve grind into him, an unconscious search for relief, and resisted following the movement. This was the time, with Steve focused on him, on them, on what they could be. Some might call it manipulative but Tony Stark considered it efficient. "-There is one thing I want more than to fuck you right now and that's to ask you a question."
The man turned his head, blue eyes curious and clearing of lust. He pushed back, sizing Tony up less than an arm's length away. "What?"
A steady breath could do wonders, but at the moment Tony could only managed a sharp, jagged one. He would continue anyway, because he needed to know where he stood, needed to know before he fell too deep.
He let the corner of his smile curve, casual, and deepened it so the crinkles along his eyes seemed genuine. Casual. Casual was key. "Are we a Cruise fling or something more permanent?" Instead of letting Steve answer he barreled on, nearly tripping on his own tongue. "Need to know if I should clear my schedule, move some things around, dry clean my most form-fitting suits." He cringed at his own words, he used to be better at this, except, no. Tony's pretty sure he never actually initiated this conversation before, he was always the one fending them off. And now here he was, rambling about suits and schedules, like he could really clear anything for very long, that's one of the reasons everyone left-
Steve's laugh, still heavy with sleep, interrupted his spiral. "I'm interested to see what you clearing your schedule would even look like."
He tried to turn back onto his side so the man wouldn't see the growing panic on his face, but Steve had other ideas. Strong hands tightened against his biceps and Steve's gaze searched his, all at once too serious, not causal in the slightest.
"I shouldn't have teased." Steve's voice was oddly soft, like he was approaching a spooked horse and Tony hated it because that wasn't who he was, he didn't need to be coddled. He straightened his shoulders, let Steve's hands remain where they lay, but relaxed under the touch. Lifting his eyes to meet Steve's was easy then because, as he had expected all along, there was kindness there, kindness and a desire to understand.
"I just want to know where we stand."
The warm hand on his cheek was a surprise, so was the other one curling along the back of his neck. Steve's kiss short, chaste. "Where ever you want to stand, on this Cruise, in New York, Earth, Milky Way, you name it."
Tony wanted to believe but that was nothing new. What was new was the feeling that settled in his chest, calmed the nerves in his stomach when he decided to let himself trust Steve Rogers.
9:47 am
"Aye, friends! I did not expect to see you Poolside so early this morning."
"Aye," Tony groaned the word, gripping his food tray with an unsteady hand, "I am not ready to be out of bed."
"It's our last full day," Steve reminded.
"It's not our last breakfast, though."
In reality, Steve knew the other man just wanted to be back in that twin bed. He had pulled away from Tony shortly after declaring his intentions and led them both into the bathroom. The incredibly tiny cruise shower could not fit them both but steam filled the room and they took turns under the spray. And Steve kept his hands to himself, and so did Tony, and now they were here at breakfast being a Thing that included something other than flirting and grinding because-
Steve had lost the plot somewhere around imagining Tony in the shower. "We thought it'd be fun to have breakfast by the pool." His words were for Thor but were just as much a reminder for himself.
"You," Tony clarified. "You thought. I wondered aloud if the sun would be bad for my hangover. It isn't, by the way, I feel no worse than before. In case you were worried."
"Well that's good." Steve pressed his lips together, smiling at Thor when he met his eye across the pool. It was empty this early, most of the passengers only just waking up from a late night at the dance club or casino. The weather was cool, despite the cloudless sky. "We wouldn't want to miss out on the views."
"I would point out that we are in the middle of the ocean, but I find I like being all alone in the middle of the nowhere, so I'll refrain."
"Behold!" Steve teased towards Thor, "He found something about this cruise that he doesn't hate."
"Hey now, let's be fair," Tony tried to speak over their laughing. "I still hate a lot things about this floating hotel."
One of the random photographers that circulated the ship picked that exact moment to hold out a camera to Tony and Steve, asking if they wanted a photo. Tony rolled his eyes on impulse but Steve laughed next to him as the flash went off.
12:02 pm
"You asked which event I'd like to attend. You shouldn't be surprised I chose the ballet from that horrible list," Natasha said as they waited for the house lights to darken. From their spot in the balcony they could see the orchestra preparing in the pit and Tony shifted in his seat next to her, like he'd never sat through an opera or play before, and this one hadn't even started.
She spared a glance over her shoulder, looking for Steve. This cruise had smoothed a few things out for the Avengers, and while this one wasn't as important as managing the Hulk, well- It was nice to know something, or someone in this case, could settle Stark's excessive fidgeting.
"I thought Hydra would've ruined the ballet for you," Tony said, leg bouncing as he turned to look for Steve as well.
"They tried but I'm an expert at compartmentalizing."
Tony's foot shook against the railing in front of them as he bit his lip, fretting about the ballet or hydra or Steve.
And ah yes, there was Steve now. Dressed in khakis and a navy blue button up, the man had combed his hair and even included a black tie to his ensemble, despite the early afternoon hour. Clint, who had been dozing on Natasha's opposite side, woke long enough to tease the Captain about the tie before returned to his nap. Steve's face reddened but he straightened his shoulders, pulling at the garment in question. "It's for the ballet?"
"Rightly, so," Natasha nodded, suppressing a smirk but she chose to keep the laughter in her eyes. "A little formality is appreciated, even in this day and age."
"Russian's are weird." Tony reached out for Steve's wrist, pulling him into the seat next to him and not letting go. She watched as Steve turned his hand under Tony's, the matching half-smile they sent to one another as the lights dimmed. The opening notes of Swan's Lake emanated from the pit and Natasha leaned back in her seat, satisfied even as the sound of Clint's soft snoring broke through the music. She knew, on the other side of him sat Bruce with a delighted grin and Thor with his own wide-eyed fascination. She knew theater would be a good choice.
2:07 pm
"I promise it's not that boring, it's shuffleboard on the upper deck," Bruce said, and it wasn't until his hand closed easily around Natasha and Clint's shoulders, that he had to take a moment to hand it to Fury. In Calcutta he went without physical contact for weeks and now here he was, gripping Clint and Natasha's shoulders, easily the weakest among the team and they didn't even wince.
"You're not proving your point, Bruce." Clint's yawned and stretched with such an intensity that he swayed on his feet over the aisle of the theater. Bruce caught Natasha's eye over the man's shoulder and her tiny head shake indicated she did not know the source of the man's exhaustion.
Nonverbal communication - check. Dammit, Fury.
"Did you get any sleep last night?" He finally had to ask because he had retired earlier in the evening than the rest of the Avengers and it looked like the man had hardly slept a wink.
Clint snorted, then shook his head and actually slapped his cheeks a few times. "The bow of this cruiseship is not comfortable, no matter what Stark seems to think."
"I haven't made it up there yet," Bruce said, following as they continued up the stairs to the exit of the theater. The elevators greeted them in the lobby and Bruce ushered them into a waiting one, pressing the button that would lead them to shuffleboard. No one complained.
"Well, you're running out of time." The jolt of regret that shot through Bruce was a surprise. His desire to extend this cruise, this fishbowl of an experiment, required him to award another point to Fury.
When the elevator door opened, another glorious blue sky greeted them. Like most of their time on the ocean, there was nothing surrounding them but the sea. The hum of the engines absorbed most of the noise from the deck below theirs where a pool, bar and DJ were entertaining a sizable portion of the guests. As they continued along the walkway they passed a line of children waiting to go on the waterslide and Bruce didn't even tense. Clint and Natasha were beside them, he could already see the others waiting by the shuffleboard. He was safe, they were safe, the Hulk slept easily inside him.
Clint stopped short a step, he had resolved himself to this stupid game of shuffle-water but he hadn't expected the sight before him. "What's the Funnie doing here?"
"You mean Fun Engineer Dok?" Bruce asked.
"Yes, I mean Fun Engineer, Dok." He mocked the words, teeth grinding. Natasha walked by and swatted his arm, not even pausing to see if Clint would fall in behind them, Bruce at her tail like he had been since the mountain. He knew, she knew, that he'd follow along too and he wished he could hate her for it. Maybe he should leave all the hating up to Tony, that would be good for his psyche.
"What do you have against the guy?" Natasha asked over her shoulder, words soft enough that Clint had to step forward to hear her finish the question. And then he was following along like it was his idea all along. Oh, Black Widow's special web of manipulation.
"He's always around us."
"It's his-"
"Before you say it's his job, I know, okay? He's paid to make sure we have fun. It's literally in his name."
"Are you always waiting for the other shoe to drop?" Bruce asked and Clint's jaw snapped shut. He hadn't expected the two of them to gang up on the one of him but it didn't matter anyway, they were already at the part of the deck designated for shuffleboard.
Steve was there, orbiting Tony like he had his own gravitational pull, and Natasha went to Thor's side to browse through a shelf of long cue-sticks designed for hitting the circular disks scattered all over the floor. "I think I saw this game at an old folks home once," Clint said, foot reaching out to kick at the nearest disk, it slid easily over the court, stopping not far from a painted pyramid that Clint assumed was the goal.
Natasha lowered a cue-stick to the disk Clint had kicked. It went flying down the shuffleboard on its way to Clint until Fun Engineer Dok reached out and picked up the moving disk. He used the disk to point at Clint, frowning. "You know, I think you're supposed to call them Assisted Living Facilities."
Clint growled at the man and wished for his bow. He wouldn't actually harm the Funnie, but it would be funny to see the fun man squirm in his fun sailor pants. Cause his bow wasn't just a tool for evil, a fact he had finally started to remember.
Kind of annoying, though, that it took Fun Engineer Dok to remind him.
3:34 pm
Steve and Tony could only take so many jokes about being stuck together like butter on bread. They'd meet each other's eye and laugh with the rest of the team, but soon that turned to eyerolls and then clenched jaws of annoyance.
When Clint announced he was going to go for a last spar in the gym, Steve jumped at an opportunity to show them all how wrong they were- They could do separate activities for hours, even days at a time. Well, maybe not days, the cruise would end tomorrow and they'd see each other at dinner.
But they could point to this moment right now as an example of their independence.
They both thought, separately, that it shouldn't be this hard to leave one another.
Then, they both cursed Fury.
Tony was never really one to spar without his suits, so he followed Bruce back into the elevator and down to the lobby of the ship. Like always, the piano crooned in the corner and the bar was busy, there were even a few familiar faces by now.
What was new was that all along the sides of the room and the two upper levels that surrounded the lobby were photographs lined for sale. Every photo taken on this ship, onboarding and disembarking, out on excursions and in the dining hall for meals, this cruise had documented all of it.
They wandered idly for a bit, Bruce pointed out the ones where people looked annoyed and they made it through columns after columns, laughing so much that when they reached the stairs they climbed to the next level of photographs without question. He was looking at one column of photos that looked to taken of a magic show, about to exclaim his hatred of magic to Bruce when he heard the man gasp.
He turned on his heel, ready for a fight, but all he saw was Bruce with a photo. The man's shock had morphed into amusement by the time he turned the photo and Tony could see the six of them disembarking at their first port. In the photo, Bruce's worry was clearly evident on his face and they all had leaned in close towards him.
On the rows of photos behind Bruce, Tony saw that there was more copies and when he saw the one towards the end of the row, with Clint flicking off the photographer and Steve's face turning with disapproval, he knew, "Oh we are buying this one."
"I suspect we may be buying more than just the one," Bruce said, his hand reaching out by Tony's knee cap to grab the photo taken just that morning of him and Steve by the pool. His face was clearly in motion but not blurred, mid eye-roll as Steve laughed next to him. The sun caught at the corner of the photo, the golden light from it casting a ray over them both.
It was beautiful; Tony would never have hated this cruise so much if he knew it would result in something like this. He was already picturing it on the mantle of the Avengers Tower and it wasn't alone either, there were others there too, all the photos they had taken throughout the week. "Yeah, no, we're going to find and buy all of them."
"Always so thorough, Stark."
"Well, yea," he smiled, wide and real. "We're the brains balancing out the brawn, after all."
5:59 pm
He found Tony at the casino and Steve was not surprised in the slightest. Something about the bright lights and excessive bells and whistles screamed Tony. What did surprise him, was that it was Thor at the center of attention and not Tony Stark. The God had a woman nestled under each bicep and Steve watched as Tony leaned over his shoulder to blow on the dice for luck after the two beautiful women took their turn.
The casino was located next to the lobby, and Steve kept to the corner of the room as Tony explained the game to Thor. He looked intent to learn, and the pile of chips in front of him showed that he was a pretty good student.
Thor said something to Tony that caused the man to throw back his head with laughter and Steve wondered, how had he gone so long without understanding this searing want that caught at his breath.
A lady with silver hair cheered behind Steve, as her slot machine rang out money and blasted the word, "Winner!" over and over again. He clenched his teeth at the sound and, after one last look towards Tony, left the casino.
Across the room, Tony had felt Steve's eyes on him. Maybe that was the new normal now, an invisible link that connected the them, a hyper awareness that Tony preened under. He couldn't help but show off, laugh louder, smile wider, with those blue eyes on him.
"You are distracted now, my friend," Thor whispered over his shoulder as the man next to them took his turn with the dice. "I noticed Steve has left-" His smile turned into teasing, "-And now I suppose you will be leaving too?"
Tony shook his head. "I'm here to teach you the finer games of humanity."
The woman under his right bicep reached out to touch Tony's shoulder. "I think we've got this handled." Tony, who would not take the word of some random woman when it came to Thor, caught the man's eye and raised an eyebrow.
"Arlene is right, my friend. They know the game very well and are much more eager to assist than you, I can already see your attention has followed Steve out the door." The woman, Arlene, curled closer into Thor, her hand moving from his bicep to his pecs. On the other side, the woman's face carried more amusement than seduction as she watched her friend regard Thor's muscles. It was like Thor hardly noticed, his attention fixed on Tony and it was enough to make him forget about Steve, if only for a moment, so he noticed when Thor broke eye contact, a flicker of sadness and the blush that followed. "It has not been long since Jane and I.. Since- She ended it. This is….," he sighed, hand coming up and gesturing to the craps table, the slot machines, the women under his arms. "It's an effective distraction and one that does not require your assistance. Go, be with the Captain."
And it was still hard to agree, even after Thor purposely boxed him out from the craps table with a smile and finger wave directed to the door.
Tony was numb to the noise as he left, thoughts on Thor and Jane, what he remembered of them and the grandiose of their love. Thor was always so bright and big, and when he was with Jane it was like all that joy was focused on her entirely. And now they were over, Tony could empathize and he hated couldn't help his friend more.
He pushed at the door hard, but it carried his weight easily as the wind from the outdoor deck pushed back against it. Weak, always so weak whenever it really mattered and Tony, well, he hatedit.
He heard one last bellow from Thor before the door fully shut behind him. Is this what it would be when they returned to New York, everyone fading back into their own lives? Steve in his crappy apartment in Brooklyn; Bruce, Clint and Natasha hidden away in SHIELD, Thor probably homeless now without Jane. The tower had become a headquarters of sorts but there was a yearning now for something more permanent than a waystation for Avengers business, he wanted the team to call the Avengers Tower home.
He thought of the photo he had found earlier, the one by the cash register now tucked in his shirt pocket.
As soon as he turned the corner, he saw him. The long corridor of the upper decks allowed him to watch Steve for meters before he'd sense his presence. He sat on a lounge chair, legs spread on either side to leave room for his sketchbook. A handful of color pencils surrounded it and Steve idly ran his fingers over them, deciding on a color. A bit of hair fell over his eyes and Tony felt the ridiculous urge to hurry his stride, just to push it away.
Steve noticed his approach eventually and the smile he greeted Tony with caused a flutter of panic to grow in his chest. He wanted this too much. Steve, the Avengers, all of it.
"Come check out the sunset," Steve greeted, pulling an empty lounge chair closer than necessary. Tony laid down next to him, crossing his feet at the ankle. The sun continued its descent, turning the sky from dark pink to bright orange, not the glimpse of a cloud to break its form. "I'm going to miss these sunsets," Steve said, picking up an orange pencil and shading around the shape already on the page. "Though, I bet you get some good ones from the tower, too."
"That we do," Tony agreed. "You're welcome to them whenever you want."
Steve snorted. "I'm sure you don't want me in your hair all the time."
Where once Tony was a ball of motion, feet bouncing to a beat, fingers drumming on crossed forearms, the next moment he suddenly stopped. The change in Steve was immediate. He dropped the pencil to the sketchbook, turned into the space between them seeking answers to unasked questions.
"Move into the Tower." Tony couldn't stop the words from bubbling over, or the ones that followed next, spoken with just as much certainty. "All of you, spies and Gods and whatever we're considering Clint to be. It makes sense, emergencies happen all the time and if we're all in one place then-"
"Yes, definitely."
Tony's snapped his mouth shut, eyes drifting back over the setting sun. He focused on it for a moment and let the silence grow between them. "You'll each have your own floor," Tony told the sun. "And even if this thing between us goes sour-"
"I know you won't kick me out, come on." Steve reached over, his hand covering most of his forearm. He loved how it felt, to be under Steve's hands and if the day ever passed where he no longer had the privilege, well, he'd like to think he was a good enough man to face that head on. Or maybe he'd just move back to L.A.
And there they were already, fatalistic thoughts he couldn't shake. Only this time Steve was reaching out, a hand under his chin and then their eyes were inches apart -their lips inches apart- and Tony's breath caught in his throat as he forgot entirely about consequences and fate. "I can't speak for the other Avengers, but I'm in. Whether this-," he kissed the word into the corner of Tony's mouth, "-is a thing or not."
"Okay," Tony whispered into his skin, so on board for whatever was happening between them, what seemed to be continuing and growing past this seven-day experiment. Steve reached up to grab onto Tony's shirt, pulling back when his hand bent around a photograph.
He was pulling back before Tony could even realize the change of direction. "What's this?" He asked, hand slipping into Tony's front pocket and pulling out the folded photo, opening it after a nod from Tony. He watched Steve's face as he recognized the photo, taken after Crafts of his drawing. It was the Family Tree Steve had drawn of the team, Bruce with his Hulked out hand, Thor's enormous biceps, him in the Iron Man suit. "Where'd you get this?"
Tony shrugged. "They're posted all over the lobby. Bruce and I rummaged through them-"
"And bought all of them, I'm sure."
"Well," Tony said, eyes wandering back to the safety of the sunset. "Maybe I'll be redecorating soon."
"Will be redecorating soon," Steve said emphasizing the word. "The Team will want to move in. Now hand me that photo, we're going to watch the sunset and draw everyone their own personal Family Tree."
"We are?" Tony asked, unable to hide his smile.
It seemed to take Steve a great effort to look away from Tony's eyes and face the page, pencil in hand as he nodded. "Yes."
8:07 pm
"It's fine," Natasha hissed under the dim dining lights towards Bruce. "The fire is not going to jump from the parade of dishes onto our table and into your lap. Yes, fire is bad; yes, fire on a ship is bad, but this parade is nothing more than special effects."
Bruce let out a deep breath. He knew she was right even as his instincts screamed at him to hide away from the Volcano Fire Chili. Her hand was a cool weight on his thigh and he could focus on that instead of this ridiculous tradition of showcasing their meals. He pulled off his glasses and rubbed at his forehead. It was a hundred times worse today, their last dinner aboard and their second Captain's Night. And there went another tray of burning Baked Alaska."
Next to him Clint snorted and the glare Natasha sent in return was near deadly. "Oh come on, it's a little bit funny, the Hulk, the big green monster responsible for ravaging cities, is afraid of flammable food."
"Do you see the Hulk here?" Natasha asked. "Because all I see is a pyrophobic Bruce."
"It's all right, Natasha," Bruce broke in because they were making a bigger deal out of this then it warranted and he liked when people, like Clint, cut the tension with humor. It brought the focus onto anyone other than himself. "It is a bit ridiculous."
"Well good," Tony cut in. "Now that someone else has said it."
"Tony!"
"What? Steve, it's pretty silly, you have to admit. The fire is contained. He's certainly doing better than the first night when fled from fear."
"Can we just eat yet?" Bruce asked.
"No, first you have to meet with the Captain," a familiar voice said from a nearby column. "It is Captain's Night after all. Good Evening, Avengers."
"Fury," Steve and Clint said at the same time, the others chose to glare at him except for Thor who stood up and walked over to the man, shaking his hands graciously.
"This has been a wonderful adventure, Director Fury. Midgard has such fine amusements."
"Thor, sit down," Tony said as he pulled at the sleeve of his suit jacket. "We're mad at Director Fury."
Thor's face turned with confusion. "But he sent us our Hawaiian garb for tonight's midnight feast and organized this grand seascape of an adventure."
"He forced us all onto this ship for seven days," Clint reminded.
"Without my suits," Tony added.
"Or my hammer," Thor said in reply. "And I am still grateful."
"Well yea, but you're a God. You don't require the hammer to get you out of trouble."
"It sure helps, though," Natasha pointed out and they all nodded in agreement, ignoring Fury. All except for Steve who pinned him with a glare.
"Why are you here?" Steve asked, when he realized no one else was going too. They were all waiting for him to take the lead as their Captain, the leader of the Avengers.
"I've been manning this ship since your first port."
"You can Captain a ship this big?" Steve could easily read the disbelief into Clint's question, and he had to agree.
"I'm a man of many talents."
"Apparently."
"And mind games is one of them," Tony pointed out and Steve kept his eye on Fury, tried to see if there was any remorse behind the cold pragmatism. If there was, Steve couldn't find it. Fury crossed his arms over his chest, a satisfied smile directed straight at Tony.
"It worked, didn't it? You're all buddies now."
Before Tony could raise to Fury bait, Steve cut in, "And you know this because you've been watching us. Why?"
"You could've left at that first port. There was an airport, planes ready to go straight to New York. Not a single one of you looked into it." His shoulder lifted in a dismissive movement, like he couldn't really be bothered with any of this, like it was all some pastime for Director Fury. "I wanted to know why."
Clint banged his fist onto the dining table, shaking the china. "Your sick! You put us in this fishbowl after something like New York, and for what? To watch us deal with trauma. Is that how you get your rocks off?"
"Do I have to remind you that you're an SHIELD asset, conditioned to do as he's told?"
Steve stepped forward, anger coursing under his skin. No one will speak to his team member that way. "He's an Avenger."
Fury didn't even flinch as Steve drew closer. "Do I have to remind youthat the Avengers report to SHIELD?"
"Well, not anymore," Steve demanded, not knowing where the words are coming from but knowing that the others would back him in up a second. "We're a team and we will make our decisions as a team."
Tony stood, throwing his napkin on the table and pointing to Fury. "Your little experiment is over. We're off this ship tomorrow and then this team can decide if they want to leave SHIELD-issued housing to move into one of the only places SHIELD can't turn into an experiment, Avengers Tower."
"Wait, what?" Bruce leaned back in his chair, finger fiddling with the corner of his napkin. "You want us to all move in?"
Tony shrugged and under the casual gesture, Steve could see the vulnerability. It hid in the way his shoulders hunched forward, how his teeth came out to bite at his lip for only a second and Steve saw through it all. His words came before he even thought them though, "It makes sense strategically. We'd all be together in case of an emergency, it will allow for a coordinated training schedule, we can work on our weaknesses. It has a medbay and a laboratory-"
"It actually has two medbays and five laboratories but-"
"We get it, Tony, you're rich, you don't have to sell it," Clint interrupted. "But tell me about the good stuff. Gym? Sparring ring? Olympic sized pool?"
Tony lifted a hand and raised one finger, "Yes," and another then another finger, "Yes," and then one more, "And yes."
Clint clapped his hands once. "Well, I'm in."
"Me too," Natasha agreed. Bruce and Thor nodded. "I would be happy to call the Avengers Tower home when I am on Midgard."
Director Fury's arms loosened from across his chest before twisting them behind his back. Steve still couldn't read his expression, even as the man shook his head and swayed on his heels. "This is some hunky-dory level bullshit."
"I think it's time for you to go, Director," Tony said, their waiter approaching the table, ready to take their order.
"Yea," Clint agreed. "Don't you have a cruiseship to run? And stay out of the camera room, you creeper Big Brother. Steve, Thor, have you read 1984, yet?"
Tony snorted. "Have you?"
Pointedly ignoring Director Fury with the rest of the table, Clint replied, "Three times. You'd be surprised how many times you'd find it hopping trains."
"That's actually not all that surprising." At Tony's words the Director turned on his heel and walked away from the table.
Steve's eyes followed the man out the door but it was Bruce to first break the silence that had fallen across the table. "I guess we call that a win?"
10:38 pm
Steve followed Tony down an increasingly narrow hallway. The others were behind and they all exchanged increasingly worrying glances, except for Clint who looked pleased as could be, hand gripped around the curve of his bow.
"Am I going to have to duck at any point in this adventure?" Bruce asked.
"Yea," Natasha reached passed Steve to push at Tony's shoulder. "We aren't all pint-sized."
"Hey! I'm taller than you."
"Are you?" She raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't be so sure."
"Either way, you'll all manage fine. Once we get outside they'll be plenty of room."
"And how many 'Do Not Enter' signs will we be passing by the time we get there?" Steve asked and Tony pivoted on his foot, finger raised to Steve's chest.
"Now don't you start with me, Captain. Even you know some rules are mere suggestions." Though Tony spat his words and dug his finger deep into Steve's chest, he could easily read the teasing in his tone, the easy way he currently led the group to a private sanctuary he had carved out on this ship.
A weight had lifted from the man's shoulders now that the entire team had agreed to move into the Avengers Tower.
Steve had many thoughts about Tony before this trip. He had thought the man a genius, but selfish. He had thought the man attractive, but self-obsessed. He had never applied the words vulnerable or uncertain to him, and definitely never considered a life with him outside of the Avengers Initiative, but now Steve wanted to do anything he could to keep that excited, boyish, semi-devious expression on Tony Stark's face. And he was one hundred percent certain that Tony felt the same way.
He reached out to slide their hands together and followed along the hallway.
There was a door at the end with another 'Do Not Disturb' sign and under it plaque that read 'Bow Entrance, Starboard Side.' "Here we go!" Tony pushed open the door and a rush of wind whipped into the hallway, Clint knew to brace for it but Natasha flattened against the wall with Bruce. Thor stood easily against it, letting the wind wave into his hair as he shook his head, clearly enjoying the sensation.
"A little warning next time?" Natasha suggested, yelling over the wind.
"Thor seems to be enjoying it," Tony shouted back before walking through the doorway. Steve followed, hand still connected with Tony's and good thing too, because on the other side of the door was a sight that caused Steve's feet to stumble.
There were so many stars. Even with the lights of the cruiseship, the undeniable darkness of the ocean night allowed a blanket of them to show from one horizon to the other. He had not been to space before, but Steve imagined that this was what it was like for Tony when he sped that missile into the sky, so beautiful and so terrifying, and he gripped the hand in his even tighter.
They were safe here, on this ship, with their team.
Once they got passed the wind tunnel, the bow was more insulated. High walls bent around the pointed front of the ship. The lower they sat the easier it was to hear, which Tony demonstrated by sitting crossed-legged in suit worth thousands of dollars.
"See?" Tony leaned back onto his hands as the others still stood beside him. "Now, here there is nothing to bother you. No Fun Engineers or photographers, no scheduled activities, meals, just you and the water and sky- Like the navigators of times past."
"Tony Stark, I never pinned you as a romantic," Natasha said, crouching down to sit next to the him.
"Sounds like realism to me." Tony replied as Steve sat down behind him, legs sprawled out on either side. The others sat as well, all except Clint, who stood in front of them awkwardly, with his bow hanging from his shoulder. "Is there a reason you asked me to bring this, Stark?"
Tony tilted his head to the side, pensive for a moment. "Have you shot it since New York?"
The question was asked so bluntly, that Steve wondered if Tony now felt he had the right to know these things about his team, his family.
"What's it to you?"
"Well, this seemed like the best place to practice on this ship. It's better insulated from the wind, it's long, and it has us all here."
"And why would that matter?"
"Everyone likes a cheering squad."
"Aye!" Thor lifted a giant fist. "We shall count your bullseyes!"
Clint looked away, towards the very front tip of the cruiseship. The bow felt rough under his hand and he knew what they were doing. He could tell when he was being goaded into shooting his bow. What Clint didn't understand was their motive. Did they want to prove some point? Or was this really just about Clint getting comfortable with his bow again?
"Come on," Natasha prompted because of course she did. Natasha knew him better than any of them and she knew how the weight of his bow had shifted from comforting to haunting. With every pluck of the bowstring, he felt one step closer to the battle, when he was nothing more than a man brainwashed to kill each and every one of the people sitting before him.
And now, they wanted to help.
A bubble of emotion choked in his throat, and he turned on his heel so they wouldn't see it. "I'm going to need a target." Tony stood at his words, pulling something from his pocket as he walked towards the tip of the bow.
"I have just the thing."
Clint couldn't see what the man was taping to a wooden column until he backed away. Taped to the post was a picture of Nick Fury in full cruise Captain regalia.
"That should help."
And Clint could only laugh, lifting the bow before Tony even made it back to the group because this was what he did, he shot bows and arrows, and no one was going to take that away from him.
With each bullseye into Fury's belly his small audience cheered.
11:43 pm
He had two Hawaiian shirts in his hand and Tony did not hate it. He was warm in Steve's lap, their shirts blanketing Tony's chest from the wind. Moments before, Thor had pulled the hideous garments from his pants pocket and, as the God tried to persuade the others to join him for the buffet, Tony focused on trying to figure out the engineering behind Thor's pocket. Because no one had even noticed the shirts until they appeared from his pants.
"Why is this so important to you, Thor?" Natasha asked, tone curiosity mixing with her wariness.
"There's another one!" Clint interrupted, pointing up into the middle of the night sky.
"What's that?" Bruce asked. "Four shooting stars?"
"Beats my record of two." Tony commented, reaching over to poke at Thor's pocket. "Magic?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps I will tell you at the midnight buffet." Tony groaned but he was already pushing up from the deck.
"Friends!" Thor implored. "There will be towers of chocolate! Waterfalls of lobster, mountains of shrimp-"
"Wait-," Clint gripped at the lavender Hawaiian shirt in his lap. "Why do I have to wear this for all of that?"
Thor stripped his own shirt and pulled on a tangerine colored one that stretched a around the shoulders. After he finished buttoning it, he flexed his arms, lips pulling wide with amusement. "When we all wear grand Hawaiian shirts, we will all have matching garb. A uniform."
"Yea," Natasha nodded, pulling her pale yellow shirt on over his black leather top. "But so will everyone else at the buffet."
"Aye, but they matter not."
"You want us to wear uniforms?" Steve asked as he grabbed the two shirts out of Tony's lap Steve slid the red shirt over his own head before doing the same to Tony with a blue one. Tony could not remember the last time someone had dressed him but he imagined it must have been Jarvis, and he was probably less than six years old. Tony could feel the pout on his face and Steve, goddamn him, looked far too amused.
"I can't believe I'm wearing a Hawaiian patterned shirt, what if someone sees?"
"Come on, blue looks good on you Iron Man."
"I can say the same thing about you in your sports car Red."
Steve looked up at Tony from under thick eyelashes, eyes dancing with triumph as if he had achieved something, getting Tony into this ridiculous shirt. "Really?" He picked at the fabric, lips pursed as he tried to hide his devious smile. "I could've sworn I told Thor to have Fury bring me one in Iron Man red."
And Tony couldn't help himself, didn't even want to try, he just propelled forward and kissed the man hard. Thor, unwilling to have his teammates sidetracked, grabbed a shoulder of each of them and lifted them to their feet. When Tony felt the ground settle under him, he pulled uncomfortably at the cheap cotton around his neck and looked at all of them in their multicolored shirts. "We look ridiculous."
Bruce chuckled. "But, I guess together we'll conquer this Hawaiian Shirt Feast."