He Brought You

Steve really hated technology. He didn't understand it. His apartment was empty, and the only thing he found to do on the lonely and very boring Saturday was to tinker with the technology Nick Fury had left him. The tablet device, he found, was only good for reading a book or watching movies or videos. It was an entertainment device. He liked his iPhone a lot. It had more use to him than anything else he had tried to learn to use. He had a television, but he didn't find it as much use to him, unless he wanted background noise, but for that, he could use a radio.

Tony was also bored in his penthouse. Television was out of the question; summer programming sucked. He had no projects to tinker with, and the Iron Man suit was in the best condition it could ever be. Pepper was away with her parents in D.C. for the weekend, and the Avengers were all disbanded and doing what they would normally do while undercover. He sighed, and picked up his phone. "What the hell am I going to do today?"

A notification popped up on his screen from Facebook. Steve had challenged him at the game Robot Unicorn Attack. He sighed, but realized Steve must have been as bored as he was to play the game. He dialed him up. "Hey, Cap."

"Why is it when we're allowed to go on with our regular lives, it's always more boring?"

"I can't answer that for ya, Cap. So hey, you're obviously bored then. Why don't we meet up in Central Park?"

"To do what?"

"Nothing in particular. Maybe if we put our very bored minds together, we can figure something out."

"Unfortunately, I don't have anything better to do, so swell idea."

Steve and Tony met up at a bench in the park. "You haven't happened across anything to do yet, have you?"

"Not a clue…Today is going to be more boring than I thought."

Steve plopped onto the bench and stared at the clouds floating in the sky. Tony caught himself staring at the man in front of him, and averted his attention to something else. Steve pulled out his phone and looked to see if he had any notifications from Facebook. Tony couldn't help but laugh. "What?"

"How does it feel to be converted into a conformist?"

"What do you mean?"

Tony sat and pointed to the phone in Steve's hand. "Conformity…You're using a cell phone."

"How is it conformity? I would have no means of communication with anyone. Fury told me that no one really sends letters anymore…"

"You could see them face to face. See, technology has made you lazy."

"Me? Lazy? I wake up at five every morning and run around the city over ten times! What do you do? Sleep until seven, and then what? You use as much technology as I do."

"Whoa, Cap…chill out. No need to get defensive about it. Sheesh."

Steve stood up. "I don't even know why I agreed to this…" He shoved his phone back into his pocket. Tony got up and followed him as he walked away. "Hey, Cap! Wait! You can't seriously be angry at me."

"You tend to cross the line quite a bit, Mr. Stark…"

"I'm not my father, so stop calling me that."

Steve stopped walking and looked at him. "Your father was one of my good friends, son…if he knew that this was how I will remember the Stark legacy, he would be ashamed."

Tony clenched his fists. "You don't know me, so don't try to!"

"Mm…hate the feeling, right?"

Tony didn't know Steve could be so cold. "Did you learn that while you were a Capsicle?"

Pain erupted within him before he knew what had happened. He collapsed to his knees and looked up. Steve towered over him. "What am I, something you manipulate for your own entertainment? A toy? Am I a game to you, Tony? I may be naïve, but I am not stupid. You don't know what I've been through, and it's not like you even care. The feeling is mutual. I give up on trying to be your friend…I will fight beside you, even though you're only going to fight for yourself…"

Tony watched Steve walk away.

Tony stared at the blank screen of his phone. "What am I, something you manipulate for your own entertainment?" He frowned deeply, and threw the phone across the room. Pepper walked into the room carrying a luggage case. "I'm back…"

He remained silent. She set the bag down and walked up behind the couch and looked over it. "Oh no…you're sulking."

"I am not sulking…"

"You are…what happened?"

"I'm not sulking…"

"Was it one of your girlfriends?"

"Pepper…" He looked at her pointedly. She frowned.

"Come on, Tony…"

"I got into a fight with Steve…I pushed beyond his limits and he became angry with me…"

"So, why are you sulking, then? I didn't think you two were the best of friends anyway."

His vision seemed to zone out for a moment, and then he looked back at her. "I realized something while I've been sitting here…"

"What is that?"

"He's actually really important to me…"

"You may be a genius, but you're extremely blind."

"What are you talking about?"

"I could see it before you even realized it, Tony…"

"Me and Steve? No. No, no…He probably won't even talk to me now!"

"It wouldn't hurt to try, Tony…make it better, or try to. I won't save you this time."

"Great," he mumbled, and got up to retrieve his phone from where it had landed. Pepper left the room to go to hers. He dialed Steve's number and listened to the dial tone. After one too many rings in Tony's mind, he picked up. "Tony?"

"Yeah, uh…Hi."

"What is it?" Steve's voice sounded hoarse, and Tony heard him cough slightly.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm -" he stopped talking and coughed violently. "—Fine."

"I'm not so sure about that, Cap…I can be at your apartment in no time…"

"Don't bother, Tony…I'm fine, and I definitely don't need your help."

"Sorry, Cap…I've made up my mind." He hung up the phone. "Hey, Pep! I'm going out…be sure to have dinner waiting for me when I come back…"

"Where are you going?"

"To Steve's apartment…I got a hold of him, but he doesn't sound too good."

"Oh, okay!"

Tony walked up to the door of Steve's apartment. He rapped on it, and then opened it. "Steve?"

He closed the door and walked into the room more, searching for Steve. "Hey, Steve…Croak if you hear me…"

He heard coughing from inside another room. He opened the door slowly. "Steve?"

He looked inside to see a very pitiful Steve laying on his stomach on his bed, his head stuffed into his pillow. He walked in and up to the bed. "Steve…"

Steve looked at him, his normally glossy blue eyes were blood shot and had lost there sheen. "You look terrible…"

"I feel worse…"

"Glad I came then, right? I brought soup!"

Steve groaned. Tony touched his arm lightly, but quickly withdrew his hand. "Damnit, you're burning up. Steve, this could be serious!"

Steve rolled over onto his back. Sweat dampened his brow and his hair stuck to his face. Tony touched his forehead, with the same reaction. "Soup isn't going to do jack shit! You need to go to the hospital! No, I'll call Bruce! I don't trust those doctors…" He pulled out his phone, and dialed for Bruce. Steve watched him with weary eyes. He was distracted by the sound of his breathing and the heaving of his chest as he prepared for a coughing fit. Tony, who had turned around as he talked on the phone, turned around to look at him. He coughed dry and hard; he felt like his chest would collapse on itself. "Hang in there, Steve…" He sat next to him and rubbed his back. "Hurry up, Bruce…"

Bruce arrived half an hour later. Steve had drifted into sleep by then, and Tony kept vigil on him. "There may not be much we can do, Tony…he may have to suffer through it for a few days."

"No pills? Nothing?"

"It's possible…A drip, maybe…but its his body's reaction to it that I'm weary about…This may all just pass through in a matter of hours, or it may take normal time…"

"Try…something, anything, and everything."

"Of course…I wasn't going to come here and do nothing."

He examined Steve's symptoms, and took his temperature. "We need to reduce his fever before we can do anything…It's dangerously high."

Tony filled a Ziploc bag with ice and brought it into the room. "Sorry, Cap…we gatta put you on ice…" He placed the bag on Steve's head. Steve opened his eyes. "Hey…Bruce is here…we're reducing your fever."

He shivered slightly. "It's…cold…"

After fifteen minutes of ice therapy, Bruce checked his temperature again. "No change…Tony, we need to bring him to the hospital…they're the only ones with supplies to deal with this…"

"Okay…"

Steve awoke in the hospital. He jolted up and looked around. "What…"

His head felt a little foggy, but his body felt stronger and healthier. Tony was asleep in a chair beside him, his head leaning on the bed. "Tony…"

Tony lifted his head quickly. "Shit…I fell asleep…" He looked at Steve. "Steve! You're awake!"

"What happened?"

"We had to bring you here…your fever was too high for us to handle…"

"Oh…Thanks."

"No problem…you were pretty pitiful…You feel better now though, right?"

"Yeah…"

Clint and Natasha walked into the room. "Steve, how do you feel?"

"Great…"

Clint patted his back. "I thought you were invincible, Captain."

"To a certain extent…"

Natasha handed him a large envelope. "They're cards…Fury, Thor, and a few others felt the need…"

"Thanks…" He set the envelope aside.

Natasha stepped back. "I have some things to do…I'll see you around, Steve…"

"Good-bye…"

Tony got up. "Tweety and I will be your escorts home today…"

"Oh boy…"

Fifteen minutes into their car ride home, the medications the nurses had given Steve finally got to his head. The wheels on the bus go round and round...round and round...PETER PAN!" he sang in tune with "Wheels on the Bus", "The sausage on the farm goes quack moo bark all day long!"

Tony was trying to hard not to laugh, and Clint was failing. Steve was gone, and they knew it. "I'm a little acorn brown,
Lying on the cold, cold ground
Everybody steps on me
That is why I'm cracked you see
I'm a nut tch, tch
I'm a nut tch, tch
I'm a nut, I'm a nut, I'm a nut tch, tch

I can sing and I can dance
I wear ruffles on my...
sorry, boys, guess again
I wear ruffles on my dress…"

Tony lost it and laughed uncontrollably. He had to pull the car over to keep from crashing. Clint was lost in laughter. "Called myself on the telephone
Just to see if I was home
With myself I made a date
Had to be there by half past eight.

Took myself to the movie show
Sat myself in the very first row
Wrapped my arms around my waist
When I got fresh I slapped my face…"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAH we HAHAHA we lost HAHAHAHAHA we lost him!" Tony exclaimed.

"Daddy's beard is long & gray,
Growing grayer day by day,
Mama eats it in her sleep
Says it tastes like shredded wheat…"

"I can't breathe!" Clint screamed, still laughing.

"Coca cola came to town
Pepsi cola shot'em down
Dr. Pepper fixed him up
Now we all drink 7up

Seven up got the flu
Now we all drink Mt. Dew
Mt. Dew went up the mountain
Now we all drink from a fountain."

"I do believe so," Clint called between breaths.

Steve sat silent for a few minutes. Tony hadn't moved the car at all. "!"

He lost all consciousness, and his head slammed into the window. "And…he's gone."

They drove to Stark Tower and carried him inside. Pepper heated up the dinner Tony was supposed to have three days earlier and made him eat it, while she made something for Steve to eat when the medication wore off and he wasn't mentally insane.

Tony walked into Steve's room on the Avenger's Floor in the middle of the night; his insomnia was acting up and he had nothing better to do. He hadn't noticed Steve was awake until he reached the bed and saw his blue eyes staring at him in the dark. "Shit! Steve, don't scare me like that…Jesus…"

"Sorry…" he said softly. "Tony…I want to apologize…"

Tony shook his head. "I should be the one to apologize…"

Steve looked at him. "Don't say a word, Steve…"

"I won't…"

"Please don't hate me, Steve…You're a really good friend to me, I can't deny that…I hate myself for what I said to you…I deserved a lot more than a knee to the stomach could give…"

"I don't hate you, Tony…"

Steve sat up and Tony sat on the edge of the bed. "You're not a toy to me, Steve…nor are you a game or a thing to manipulate for my entertainment…I care…I really do…and I—"

Steve pulled Tony's head forward and crashed their lips together. Tony was absolutely shocked for all of about four seconds. "Stop talking, Tony…"

Tony was genuinely intrigued. "That wasn't the medication, was it?"

"No…"

"So…"

"Tony…I really like you…beside the fact that you can be a real ass…"

"You see…that's what I find I like about you, Steve…you're a great person; kind, caring and quite attractive…you're flawless."

Steve felt his face heat up. "R-really?"

"We're complete polar opposites…but the chemistry is so right."

Tony smiled at Steve, and Steve smiled back. "Opposites attract…man were they right."

Unfortunately, this beautiful moment was disbanded in the morning due to Natasha being transformed into a cat.