Tony woke up with a strange tightness in his chest. He rubbed at the reactor but it wasn't from that, not completely. He'd given Steve a choice the other night and he was anxious for the answer, a regular Schrodinger's cat that he just wanted to beat to death with a stick. It was bittersweet. If Steve said yes then he was setting them up for God knows what long-term, but if he said no then there went every wet dream he ever had as a teenager. He was sure his reactor would give out.
Tony reached for the mini-blood reader he'd invented, but stopped at the last second. No, he didn't want to know, not right now. He needed about a gallon of coffee before he could deal with this.
Tony made his way down the steps, running his hand under the glass waterfall there and scrubbing his face with it. He really needed to sleep more, he mind was starting to get a little dull. He could hear voices drifting in from the kitchen, he caught his name and paused. He crouched by the wall, tilting his head and listening intently.
"And you're going to say 'yes'?" Pepper didn't sound surprised.
"Of course" Steve replied, sounding just as serious "How could I say 'no'? He's smart, handsome...I trust him more than I've trusted anyone."
"Even after what he did?"
"...I don't know what you're talking about."
Tony eased off the wall toward the kitchen, keeping out of sight. Pepper knew. Of course she knew. How the fuck did she know about what happened yesterday?
"Steve" she sounded like she was giving that Don't fuck with me look "You can't hide anything from me. At least nothing that happens in this building. I know Tony can be hard to handle, so I'm going to ask you again: Are you sure you want to start something with him?"
"People don't chose each other, their hearts do" Tony could hear the blonde's blush in his voice.
Pepper sighed, "He'll probably break your heart."
The super soldier laughed softly, "He's worth it."
Tony leaned against the wall outside the kitchen, laying his head against it and hiding his smile.
"Good" Pepper chirped, the clink of a spoon stirring a drink coming from the kitchen "So, you knew Howard?"
"Did you know him?" Steve was surprised.
"I was his secretary, kind of" Pepper laughed "Don't look at me like that! I'm serious. I wanted to know what he was like when he was younger."
"Just as arrogant and full of himself as Tony, trust me" Steve's voice was fond "When I first saw him he won a crowd over with a smile and a malfunctioning flying car."
"Huh" there was a pause "When did you see him?"
"I think it was 1943. It was at the World Exposition of Tomorrow, kind of a fair thing with rides and games. I was there on a fake date" there was a scrape of a fork on a plate "He looked sharp and had everyone's eye. He had these beautiful dancing girls. The whole thing was pretty flashy. He declared to the whole world that he was the next big thing."
"Yep, sounds just like him."
Tony picked his head up, a hundred different ideas running through his head. Pepper had been getting on him to plan out the Stark Expo for weeks now, it was still a few months off but it was significant. He'd kind of written if off as a 'PR and Pepper' thing, but there was a note of awe in Steve's voice that made him second guess his decision.
Bigger, better, brighter...oh yeah, he could get into this. Tony would outshine his father in every way. What better way to start his new relationship with Captain America than to show off his money and skill? If he could impress Steve like Howard had...
Tony got up, heading into the kitchen with a new swagger and a grin.
This Stark Expo would be one to remember.
xXx
Three Weeks Later
"Are you sure this will work?"
Steve nodded, setting down the stack of pizzas Pepper had flown in from New York just a few minutes ago, "Every evening he comes up to have dinner with me. It's our deal."
Pepper poured the wine, brow furrowed, "You made a deal? With Tony Stark? I hope you got it in writing."
"A couple weeks ago he told me I couldn't come down to the lab anymore" he replied "He said he was working on some secret project and I couldn't see it. I agreed not to bother him if he agreed to have dinner with me every night."
"How in the world did you convince him of that?" Pepper collapsed onto the couch, kicking off her heels.
Steve smiled sweetly, "I can be very persuasive."
There was the familiar thump-thump of someone climbing the stairs, Tony appeared covered in grease and sweat. Oil slicked his hair and stained a few places on his cheeks and neck. There were dozens of electric burns along his hands and arms, a thin slice running up his forearm. He looked like he'd been hard at work for hours, on what they could only guess.
"You've been avoiding me" Pepper accused, startling the brunette "You've been hiring and sending plans out for the Stark Expo without bothering to include me. I thought you didn't want anything to do with it? I seem to remember a certain someone declaring that they wanted to concentrate on being Iron Man and that it was up to me to make this whole thing happen."
"You know me" Tony came over to the table, flipping open the lid and inhaling deeply "Everything with my name on it has to be awesome, and if I left it up to you it'd be totally lame."
"Well, what are you planning exactly?" Pepper handed over a glass of wine, which was waved away "Seriously?"
"I'm good" he mumbled around a mouthful of pizza, glancing at Steve to find the soldier smiling approvingly "You'll see the plans when I want you too. It'll all be fine. Trust me."
Steve got up to get the genius some water, and once he was out of earshot Tony leaned in to whisper to his Vice President, "I'll send you every plan I've made if you swear not to tell Steve about any of it."
Pepper got it, she smiled behind the rim of her wine glass, "Outdoing Howard isn't going to prove anything."
"Whatever you say" he kissed her temple "Promise?"
"Promise" she watched the soldier come back over "You owe me."
"Always."
"Here" Steve handed him a glass of ice water "Try to stay hydrated."
"I'm fine, Spangles, don't you worry your pretty little head about me" Tony gulped it down gratefully "But I'm going to have to skip tonight. I'm right in the middle of something and-"
Tony found a full pizza shoved in his hands, the super soldier still smiling despite the news.
"Here, take it."
The inventor paused, setting down the empty glass, "You're not mad?"
"I can't be mad at you when you're doing what you do best" Steve tapped the box "Try to eat all of it, alright? I don't want you wasting away."
"Yes, darling" Tony got up close to the blonde, tilting his head and planting a kiss on his cheek "Doesn't he make the best wife, Pep?"
Steve went red up to his roots, Pepper only laughed.
"Laters" the hero darted off towards the stairs with the pizza, disappearing back into the lab without so much as a look back.
"I told you" Pepper reached for a slice herself, plating it like a decent human being "Tony's very flaky."
"I don't mind" Steve touched his cheek, it had been the first proper contact they'd had in more than a week "He's busy. You saw how he looked, Pepper, he's working so hard...I can't really be angry, can I?"
xXx
"Are you one hundred percent sure the measurements are right?" Tony asked for at least the hundredth time, welding one of the shoulder plates to the new suit "I swear if they're off even a inch, I'm going to let DUM-E run your next tune-up."
"I assure you, sir, the measurements are spot-on."
"They better be" the billionaire scowled "If he can't fit..."
Tony didn't even want to think of it.
"Is the other one ready?"
"Yes, sir, of course. You finished it last week."
Tony barely shrugged, "I forgot, sue me."
He grabbed the bottle off the table, slurping down some of the contents with a scowl.
"Are you sure you should be pushing yourself this hard? Your toxicity-"
"Shut up" he snapped "This needs to be perfect. Everything has to be perfect. I don't need to explain myself to you."
"Is this more of your plan to make Captain Rogers to fall in love with you?"
Tony cringed, "If you could *not say that again, that'd be great."
"It's rather obvious, sir. You're acting out of character."
"Well..." he flicked off the flames, setting down the tool "Seriously, JARVIS, shut up. People are stupid, they do stupid things every day. Why can't I be stupid for once?"
"Because you're not stupid, sir. I don't understand why you're trying so hard to-"
"JARVIS!" Toy barked, cutting off the AI "You're a system, not a person, you're not supposed to understand!"
"You programmed me well, sir. I am your companion. If you would explain."
Tony rubbed at his chest, almost able to feel the toxic lines of reactor in his chest. How could he put it into words? He always knew what just to say and how to say it, but this was different. What he felt for Steve...this...devotion? Love? Affection? How did he say it? How the hell did people put these emotions into words?
"I'm trying my best" Tony forced himself to try and say something "I think about it all the time...about Steve and my dad and seventy years...about how he's going to be Captain America again...and this is what's best. This is what I want to give him."
/This is how I want to show my love./
"So just let me do this" Tony pushed off his goggles, scrubbing the back of his hand over his eyes "Okay? Just...support me on this."
The AI paused nearly a full minutes, "I always support you, sir."
"About time" Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose "Pull up the plans again."
xXx
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."
Steve blinked awake to warm sunlight slanting across his chest, the blinds cracked open just a foot or two. He sighed and muttered, trying to clear the fuzz from his mind. He wet his lips and tried to talk, but his voice cracked. He cleared his throat and tried again.
"Tony?" he raised his head to look around, then dropped it back into the pillow. He turned and curled up on his side, tucking his pillow up under his head. He must've imagined it.
"Good morning, sleepy head."
No, that teasing voice was disembodied and real. And it wasn't JARVIS.
"Mmm, Tony?" Steve was still having trouble keeping his eyes open "Where are you?"
"Uh...I'm just...working."
Tony's voice was coming in over the speakers, there was some background noise that he couldn't decipher. The soldier's brow furrowed, he stretched himself out and tried once more to wake up.
"You don't have to call me from the lab" he assured the other "You can just come up here."
"Thanks, but I'm not there. I'm doing work...outside."
There was the sound of metal on metal, then the mechanic cries of robots.
"What's going on?" Steve sat up "Are you in the suit? Are you fighting?"
"I'm just doing a little favor for Fury" Tony grunted, then laughed "These things are nothing. They're like...mechanic dogs or something. Fangs, claws...made completely out of metal. You know, the usual. About two dozen of them. I've got them lower than half."
Steve tossed back the covers, "I can help!"
"You're not quite out of retirement yet, Cap. Chill."
Steve slowly laid back down, the inventor sounded like he had it covered.
"Don't worry" Tony didn't even sound out of breath "They're not the reason I called."
Steve covered his face with his hand, repressing a groan, "You should be concentrating on the fight."
"But you're more fun."
"What is it?" Steve rolled onto his back, glancing at the clock "It's seven in the morning. I was planning on sleeping in today."
"Well that sounds fun, but let me propose a better plan."
A blonde brow rose, "I'm listening."
"Eat, work-out, wash up, then get your sweet ass in your best suit" he could hear the inventor's grin "The Stark Expo's tonight and I want you to look sharp."
Steve opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off.
"As my date, of course."
"Your date?" Steve was surprised, lips slowly curling up in a smile "Your date...huh."
"Do you have a problem with that?"
The blonde rubbed his hand over his face, his smile morphing into a stupid grin, "No, not one. Dinner before?"
Tony scoffed, "Of course."
"Try to get back in one piece, okay?" Steve pressed his face into the pillow "I'm going back to sleep."
"You'd think you'd had enough of that."
The blonde chuckled lowly, "I'll never have enough sleep."
"Alright, Sleeping Beauty, I'll leave you to it."
Yeah, I know, short chapter with nothing in it. But I'm real busy right now and I can't make it. I promise, in a week I'll be moved into my new apartment and be done with Math. So until then fanfic is at a crawl. Just throw an alert on me or the story and be patient with me, loves, I won't stop writing
I promise to try and make the next one longer and more fulfilling. PLEASE don't be angry