WARNING: Nudity and sub-text smut at the end of this chapter. Minor groping, but nothing overly explicit. Don't like it, sorry, but I think they deserve to get laid.


Tony Stark twitched at his shirt sleeves, his heart pounding in his head as he watched Bruce and Natasha dancing and laughing at each other under the golden glow of the lanterns; Thor and his Jane sitting at one of the many tables dotting the area surrounding the dancefloor; Clint and Coulson laughing together, Clint's arm protectively over Phil's shoulders as the flash bulb of an antique camera went off blindingly. The guest of honour of the event was no where to be seen, and it was making the host a jittery mess.


Captain America stood before Loki's cage, smirking. "What have you done?" Loki hissed, eyes wide and furious.

"I've come back to the world in which I belong. With you behind bars, and me able to thwart you without a drop of blood spilled." Steve hefted the weapon through the cage, the tip not quite touching under Loki's chin, "You are a man of your word; I am a man of mine. I will destroy this weapon in exchange for...two weeks. Two weeks before you make any moves, and the sword that can kill you will be gone forever. Do we have a deal?"

Loki seethed, but his hands were tied with the light shining in Steve's eyes, "...Deal."


Tony's breath caught as Steve walked into the apartment in the tuxedo. His hair was slicked back in that 40s way that would make Tony swoon if he'd let it.

Blue eyes skated around the room quickly before falling to Tony, a smile that made Tony's heart beat faster spreading over Steve's face.

Steve had to fight to stop himself from sprinting into Tony's arms; it was the hardest thing he'd had to do yet.

But the closer Tony got, the weaker Steve felt. Steve was a shaking mess by the time he and Tony were within earshot, and he was completely helpless by the time all it would take for them to be touching was Steve's hand on Tony's arm, and his lips crashing down on the billionaire's.

Steve's mouth was swollen and his cheeks flushed when he let Tony go, his heart working so hard in his chest he thought it'd give out, but Tony hadn't kissed him back.

"Th-That was...a surprise…" Tony mumbled, straightening his jacket and his cuffs with a propriety that just simply wasn't Tony Stark.

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that…" Steve managed, voice strained and gruff. Steve's heart broke all over again: What if Tony remembered? What if they all did? God, the things he'd done, and-

Tony's hand was on his lower back, and for a smaller guy he was still strong enough to take Steve's knees out from under him, but that mostly because Tony was kissing him stupid and breathless, nipping his lower lip gently and looking up at him with smouldering eyes, "Rogers, you're acting like you haven't been here in ages. Are you alright?"

Steve didn't know how to answer that, but he knew he needed Tony to be kissing him and holding him and there was no replacing the safety he'd feel in Tony's bed. "I-I'm fine. I just...I need you to help me with something, Tony. And I need...I need to confess something. To you. I need you to listen to me."

Tony hushed him gently, honestly worried, and he readily accepted Steve yanking him into his arms, rubbing his hand through Steve's hair, "Where do you need to go for this?" Steve's fingers slipped between his, and Tony was led out of the party, Bruce and Natasha watching worriedly; Coulson almost moving to go with them.

Tony was confused as Steve led him into Tony's room, asking JARVIS to lock the door behind them.

"Steve, you're kind of scaring me now. I-" Steve's tongue shut him up, and Tony felt helpless in Steve's arms, taken by surprise yet again, but this time by the brazenness of it, and how much it felt like he was coming home.

Steve took Tony's hands, sitting them down on Tony's bed, and that'd have to do, because Tony would be calling for Bruce to come make sure he was okay if he took this much farther just yet. "I have so much to answer for, Tony…I don't even...My head hurts just trying to figure out what's happened, but I have to tell you everything. Even the things you think you know. I have to stop what's happened from ever happening at all."


A week had passed before Loki saw the soldier again, flanked by the genius and the doctor, all carrying a machine. "What is this?" Loki hissed.

Steve deposited what he was carrying on the ground in front of him, smiling winningly. The hilt in the belt of the supersoldier made Loki flinch away, untrusting. Steve drew the hilt-and that's all it was. A hilt.

"You've destroyed the weapon. You've lost your leverage-"

"Actually, that's where Bruce and I come in. See, Steve probably couldn't've destroyed it if he'd wanted to without us. It's just that durable."

"So we melted it down, and made something with it. I think you'll quite like this, honestly. It's right up your sadistic little alley." Bruce and Tony set down their cargo as well, and Tony pulled out a remote, flicking it into operation. A force field sprang up around Loki's cage, the god flinching back away from it. "You see, we've designed this little bugger to...well, zap you, for lack of a better term."

"In the immortal words of our dear Agent Coulson: If you attempt to leave, or play any games, we will taze you and watch Super Nanny while you drool into the carpet." Tony smirked, cheeky bugger that he was.

"Have a nice incarceration." Steve said magnanimously, smiling like an angel and lazily saluting.

"You'll never leave behind that darkness, Captain-"

"He doesn't need to, Loki. He's got a flashlight." Tony came to stand beside Steve, tapping his fingers against the arc reactor and looking up at the blond with an apology in his eyes.

After hearing everything that had happened to Steve; everything that had gone on, in the war against Loki and WWII, Tony had all but disappeared from Steve's side, hiding out in his lab to create Loki's cage. Honestly, Steve hadn't known what else to expect. It didn't stop him from being sick every night Tony failed to even say hello to him, let alone refusing to say goodbye. Bruce had told him it was a defense mechanism; Thor had assured him Tony would love him like he always had; Jane told him that Tony needed time; Coulson that, if it came down to it, he'd taze Tony and let Steve sit on him until the supposed-genius sorted everything out. Clint and Natasha tried to stay out of it, but Steve got the feeling that Clint was the reason Tony had finished sooner than intended: SHIELD had a gun which would make the target unbearably itchy. Clint had only had to use it on Tony once, but the motivation stayed.

Returning to Earth, Steve moved slowly, trying not to get hopeful when Tony took his hand, "So...if you love me, and I love you, and you've seen some alternate future in which things went wonky because of one of my stup-"

Steve kissed him, "It was my fault. My doing. I was vulnerable. I still am-"

"No one is perfect, Capcicle. We all have our Achilles heel: what I want to know is, even with Loki mindfucking you, why on earth would you blame yourself for anything that happened?"

Steve licked his lips, ducking his head. He and Tony sat down, and Steve was rather indescribably happy how close they were on that couch. "Before...you pulled the trigger…" Already, Steve was choking up, "you...asked me what you'd-what you'd done. To me. Like it was your fault I'd been so damn weak…" Steve swallowed around broken glass in his throat, tears building in his eyes, "It wasn't you, Tony. It was never you that made me weak. You made me vulnerable and impatient and frustrated with myself to the point of tears, Tony, but you never made me weak. If it hadn't been for you, I would've been lost completely to Loki's...tricks. I would have given up. You gave me something worth fighting for, and it wasn't because I'm a soldier or a good man or anything you claim I am: it was because I was in love with you...because I still am in love with you, and probably always will be. Truth is, Tony; it was my fault. You embrace your demons, you put a leash on them no matter how hard they bite, and you use them to be...for lack of a better word, beautiful. But I...My demons are stronger than I am. And they know it."

Tony's fingers on his chin were barely there, gentle but insistent, and Steve would let Tony take or have or do whatever he wanted, always. "Steve...the things you told me. About the war. You've never…you've never told anyone else, have you?"

Steve shook his head silently, still scared to meet Tony's eyes.

"Steve, you already know you were my sanity. I've spent the last week trying to figure out how I could do this without...without ruining you-I know, I know. You keep saying it wasn't me, but part of it-"

Steve's hand was threaded through his hair, his lips capturing Tony's, before the billionaire would really even know he was about to be kissed.

"Part of it was me, Steve. Part of it was my doing and-mmph." Tony opened his mouth for Steve's tongue, his arm threading around Steve's back, his body pressing forwards into the attention instinctually.

Steve broke from his lips softly, looking up at Tony with a shining innocence and goodness that made Tony's heart squeeze, "Stop it, Tony. Stop blaming yourself for what happened with Pepper, stop blaming yourself for something that will never happen-"

Tony's eyes lit up briefly, and he smirked as Steve replayed his words in his head, taking Steve's arms from around his neck and laying Steve down against the couch. "Stop blaming yourself for something that will never happen, Steven…" Tony breathed, kissing Steve before he could reply.

It was long hours of heat and kissing before Steve or Tony were willing to stop long enough to speak again. Steve's suit was thrown haphazardly over the other side of the couch, his white undershirt rumpled with one of Tony's hands between his shoulder blades, both of them panting and swollen in the lip, "See, you're used to this. My head's spinning." Steve snorted at Tony's words, shaking his head as he kissed Tony's throat, Tony's other hand in his hair.

"So it took you a week to come up with a way into tricking me into admitting that it wasn't my fault?"

"No, it took me about fifteen minutes. I just...You told me I said I love you. Which I do, don't get me wrong, it's just the action of me speaking the words that makes me wonder how you managed to get under my skin like that. I don't trust anyone, least of all myself, but having you...that would have been a whole new world for me. Everything would've been different."

Steve nodded once, "Everything was."

Tony watched Steve lower his lips to the arc reactor glowing in Tony's chest, laying a kiss there. "I want what you had, Steve. I want what we had."

Steve smiled at him, rising up to kiss his lips. "I don't…" Steve whispered against Tony's lips, smiling, "I want us to have better than what we had."


"So, lemme get this straight. Loki's lonely." Tony said, to Steve's nod, "He wants someone who appreciates him, 'cause he's a geek in a realm full of jocks." Steve nodded again, glancing up at Thor over Tony's shoulder even as his boyfriend grinned conspiratorily at him, "So he hatches an evil plan to take over Earth because we'd appreciate how smart he was." Steve nodded one last time, laughing as Tony yanked him into his lap, wrapping his arms around Steve's waist despite how much bigger than Tony he was. "He should maybe spend some time in a human high school." Tony theorized idly, absently scratching Steve's back in a half-scratch, half-rub that had Steve purring like a cat.

Thor blundered by them as Steve let himself go lax under Tony's attentions, one blue eye slipping open to watch the god go. Steve broke into a slow smile, leaning back so that he was using Tony's chest as a back-rest, "Think he took the hint?"

Jane sidled up to them, trying very hard not to smile, "You just tricked my boyfriend into figuring out what was wrong with his brother, didn't you?"

"Sorry." Tony told her, not sorry in the least, "We figured it'd be best if he was led to the information rather than just being told what he needs to know."

Jane nodded, silent for a long, long moment, "Good job, guys. Thanks." Steve smiled sleepily at her, his eyes more than half-closed as he lounged on Tony's lap.

"Sorry, Jane, but I think our sleepless leader needs his naptime." Tony smiled, shifting Steve slightly and grabbing a blanket.

"You make me sound like a kid playing Captain America with a tea towel cape…"

"Hey, I was that kid, don't knock it 'til you try it!" Tony poked Steve in the abs and winced, making Steve laugh.

Steve began to disentangle himself, readying to stand, "We're going to bed."

"You're the one that's tired." Tony protested, folding his arms over his chest.

Steve raised an eyebrow at him, a challenge to actually fight him on this, and Tony shook his head, grabbing Steve's offered hand and letting the supersoldier heave him upright. Smiling, they walked together to Tony's bedroom, Steve slipping in first, comfortable with Tony in ways that astounded him still. Steve unbuttoned his shirt, toeing out of his sneakers and shimmying from his jeans, looking up when Tony was in his space, his hand hovering over Steve's skin as if scared to dispel the mirage with a touch.

But Steve was kissing Tony, full and hot, and Tony's hands were on his skin then, just for something to hold onto. Steve broke the first with smaller kisses, resting their foreheads together.

"I'm gonna love you…" Steve didn't have to finish, Tony kissing him again. "I wouldn't need a second chance…"

Tony pulled away from another kiss, panting, "Steve, you're-" Steve didn't want to hear it, Tony could read that much from one look. "Steve, no. I skipped over all the things that got us here, remember? Give me...give me a moment." Steve stifled a shiver as Tony's hands drifted over his skin, his heart swelling in his chest. Tony had wonder in his eyes as he kissed Steve again, "You owe me a dance, Rogers." Tony told him softly, kissing him firmly and then pulling away.

"JARVIS, something slow, please." Steve requested quietly, and light piano filtered down to them, the same singer of the song they would've danced to starting softly as Steve reached for Tony. Steve was in his boxer-briefs, and Tony was fully clothed, but it didn't feel to Steve like he was laid vulnerable, or like it was unfair. Tony held him close, resting his head against Steve's shoulder as they swayed, and it felt like he'd finally gotten back to where he should've been. "I would have given this up to save your life, but, God, Tony, I am so damn glad I don't have to."

"We've lost enough in this war, Steve. We've given enough. It's wrong to think that we've earned this; it's wrong to take it for granted; but I feel in my heart that I was meant to love you, that maybe this is the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel. You were my sanity, my redemption...what makes us perfect is that I'm yours, too."

Steve smiled at him then, leaning forwards to lean their foreheads together. Tony slipped his fingers between Steve's, his hand brushing over Steve's back as they held each other and swayed. "I'm ready for this, Tony." Steve whispered against Tony's skin, turning his head to kiss Tony lovingly.

"Does this count as me taking your virginity again?" Tony asked, laughing, "I get to be the guy to take Captain America's virtue-twice!"

"Sure." Steve murmured indulgently, smiling sweetly.

"JARVIS, give us firelight." The room glowed and flickered as if Tony did have a fireplace in there, and Steve laughed right up until Tony was kissing him, pressing forwards until he'd fallen back into bed, Tony slotting between his legs like he fit. Tony sat up a little to tear his own clothes off, and Steve almost protested, only happy with Tony's skin against his, "This I regret not remembering." Steve smiled, lifting his hips to help Tony dispose of his boxer-briefs, "Tell me about it."

Steve moaned softly as Tony nipped a path from just under his ear to his shoulder, his tongue running halfway back over the bites until he was attaching his mouth to Steve's neck, sucking hard. "Y-You...you marked me...on my collar, my hip…"

Tony rumbled in approval, moving his mouth to Steve's torso, looking like a beggar faced with a feast.

"You...You s-stopped, every time I tried t-to make you go-uh!-faster." Steve looked debauched now, and Tony's white teeth flashed a cocky grin against his nipple. When Steve cut off into panting moans, Tony froze, his mouth infuriating millimeters from Steve's stomach.

"You're not talking, I'm not kissing." Tony told him firmly.

Steve groaned, sighing, "Y-You made a crack about how I started out short and then the serum enhanced everything on top of that…"

Tony chuckled darkly, the sound skittering up Steve's spine as Tony licked the blade of his hip, "And how did you feel about that, Steven?"

"Y-You were...already w-working me open...I-I...still can't bring myself to care."

"Hm…" Tony hummed, in the way Steve would have if faced with any one of the insane calculations that Tony could just flit through. "I took it slow, didn't I?"

"Hours." Steve gasped out, legs open indecently. "I was a shuddering mess...a-and you just made me go higher…" Steve whimpered, hands skating over Tony's skin as the billionaire rose back up to kiss his mouth.

"So, what do you want me to do to you?" Tony asked teasingly, his hand snaking down as his mouth toyed with Steve's ear. Steve bucked just a little, arching up into the attention.

"Tony!"

"You'd kill me if I stopped and made you talk right now, would-WHOA!"

Tony was pitched over, flying onto the floor on the other side of the bed; Steve was taking control; and Tony hadn't fallen off his bed quite so safely since shag carpets and all their glorious padding went out of style.


Okay, so: I know that this isn't really smut, but it's as good as it's gonna get for now.

Already, my lovely little muse has given me an idea for a sequel, so watch out for that (currently considering the title "Sky High"...Yeah, probably gonna be the title. Just 'cause I'm a giant loser.), and the sequel will not and probably could never be quite so sob-inducing. I hated myself while I was writing most of this, so I can only imagine how you guys felt. Anywho, it looks like it'll be a fun piece instead of being...well, agonizing.

I got a question about how I write Thor, and I am actually appalled at myself for not having mentioned this sooner: My Thor is referencing a Tumblr called "Avengers Shouldn't Text", which is why he has a prediliction for Adele and speaks in all capital letters. It's entirely possible that I fucked up Thor's way of speaking, and I'm sorry for that, but to my defense, I've been kind of rushing myself to update before anyone kills me.

Thank you all for sticking around, I hope you guys enjoyed this and will enjoy Sky High when it comes about.

TTFN, lovelies.