Chapter 10: More

The world hadn't ended after all. At least Tony's hadn't.

He had expected something cataclysmic. But Steve Rogers didn't exactly inspire destruction; he was actually the most calming influence Tony had ever had in his life.

Steve had seen him—seen him for everything he was. And nothing had blown up. No planes had fallen from the skies. No tsunamis had destroyed the city. It was like nothing of interest had taken place at all.

But Tony could feel that something had changed. How is it that one simple "Thanks," could put so much into motion? He wasn't sure. Maybe it had something to do with the Tony Stark motto: "Go big or go home."

He had certainly gone big.

Things were different. Things were so different now, all thanks to one little word.

"Thanks."

The word that erased all the awkwardness, repaired their fragile friendship, and most importantly, finally showed Steve the man hiding behind the egotistical, untouchable image of Tony Stark.

It had been an amazing sight, watching all of his defenses fall down. And in their place had stood a man humble enough to say thank you, and bold enough to resist the urge to run.

A part of him felt privileged to have been there, but another part of him was hopelessly confused about what it meant.

Only one thing was for certain:

He'd have to get to know Tony all over again.

For real this time.

"Hey Rogers, you hungry?"

Steve froze at the fridge. Tony grinned.

"You're a big guy, Rogers. You're not as quiet as you think."

"S-Sorry, mine is empty and I was just—"

"Just trying to steal my food," Tony finished matter-of-factly, scooting in next to Steve and peering into the freezer. "Hmmm. Ah, here we go. Let's make some chicken."

"Tony, I… I don't know how to cook," Steve confessed, running a hand through his hair bashfully. Tony laughed as he threw the frozen chicken cutlets onto the counter.

"Of course you don't. You don't even know how my digital oven works."

Steve smiled and shrugged in agreement. "That's true."

"Grab the oregano, will you? It's in that cabinet in the corner."

After a few moments of careful searching Steve plopped the spice onto the counter. "What else do you need me to do?" he asked, watching as the oil Tony had just poured into a pan bubbled from the heat of the burner.

"Unwrap the chicken and put it in the microwave. Now, the microwave is the black box on top of the—"

"I know what a microwave is, Tony."

Pretty soon, the tension had completely dissolved and they were talking like two old friends who had known each other for years. It was unexpectedly easy, Tony noticed, to fall into a pattern of cheerful interactions with Steve. He was easily impressed and easily pleased. For once, Tony felt like he didn't have to try so hard. With Pepper, it had always been too much work and not enough progress. He understood that now.

When the chicken was about halfway done, Tony badly burned his hand on the pan and proceeded to utter a string of colorful curse words that echoed throughout the kitchen. After checking that he was all right, Steve collapsed into a fit of giggles that soon moved tenfold onto Tony.

And that was when he saw it. Steve had previously been doubled over laughing, but then he'd raised his head to smile at Tony, and it hit him like a freight train. That smile. How had he not noticed it before? There was Pepper's crooked grin, right on Steve's face. His laughter and smile quickly faded away.

It wasn't concerning to him that Steve had Pepper's smile. There wasn't anything terribly unique about it. He had even found it a little childish at times.

No, what truly concerned him was that he liked it much better on Steve's face.

"Stop smiling like an idiot and grab the plates."

Steve saluted Tony jokingly before grabbing two plates from the cupboard. He was beginning to get to know this kitchen, and by extension, Tony. It was a nice change of pace to spend time with him without wanting to tear his head off.

He set the plates on the counter and Tony gently slid the chicken off of the pan. Steve's eyebrows shot up as he watched three cutlets land on his plate and only one on Tony's.

"You feeding The Hulk or me?" Steve asked jokingly as Tony quickly seasoned the chicken trio.

"Don't even pretend you didn't eat an entire ham the other day—I saw the bones in the garbage. You may look pretty but you eat like a truck driver," he replied flippantly, cracking a smile as he cut up his chicken.

"Hey, I can't help that I have a superhuman metabolism!" Steve sputtered, incredibly embarrassed that Tony knew about his ham binge.

"Eat your chicken, Rogers." Tony went to sit down at the table and set Steve's plate in front of the seat beside him, gesturing for him to come over.

They ate in companionable silence, Steve being sure to cut his chicken politely and resisting the urge to just stuff all of it into his mouth.

It was nice, the silence. It wasn't heavy or awkward, and it wasn't uncomfortable. It was simply two people who'd had one hell of a year, sitting and eating dinner together.

But a comfortable moment like that couldn't last. Not when it came to Steve and Tony, it seemed.

Steve had just finished his meal and was heading over to put his plate into the automatic dishwasher when it happened. Tony had just set his dishes inside and when he turned around, he bumped abruptly into Steve's chest.

They could have just moved apart and it would have been over. Simple as that. But something made them stay. Their gazes locked, their breathing stopped, and their pulses quickened in unison as if belonging to the same body.

The air was charged. Steve could feel it, like tiny strands of electrical wiring were buzzing just above the surface of his skin. And he knew Tony could feel it too.

Tony's eyes, which had previously been a locked door, were now a window to Steve. A window into everything he felt, everything he wanted, and everything he tried to hide. And as he looked into his eyes, he saw the things Tony had tried so hard to conceal were there, calling out to him.

They were more. They were more now. How much more, or what they were more than, Steve didn't know. He just knew it, as if it was some old, ancient truth that he'd always felt deep inside his soul but had just now recognized.

Tony didn't tear his gaze away. He couldn't, and neither could Steve. They stood there at a standstill for a few moments before Steve made up his mind. Tony's hands were shaking, and Steve could hear his own heartbeat drumming frantically in his ears, but he couldn't turn back now. He had to know.

He leaned in ever so slightly, waiting for Tony to flinch or push him away. Even expecting him to.

But his expectations were discarded as fast as Tony's sudden move to action, as he closed the gap between them and crashed his lips onto Steve's.

It wasn't a long kiss by Hollywood standards, but it was certainly memorable. Full of desperation and an impalpable urgency, the pressure of Tony's lips on Steve's was so forceful that it was almost painful.

They pulled away as suddenly as they had met and locked gazes. Steve's hand had latched itself onto Tony's arm and Tony's hands were gripping his shoulders, and they stood there still touching, unsure of how to pull away or if they even wanted to. Steve marveled at how small Tony looked in this moment, made even more so by the naked vulnerability flickering in his eyes.

Steve opened his mouth to say something, anything, when JARVIS' robotic voice came onto the intercom. Tony twitched away from Steve at the sound.

"Mr. Rogers, you have a guest here to see you. I've sent them up in the elevator. They said it was urgent."

A sudden burst of air rushed from Steve's mouth and he realized he'd been holding his breath through the entire experience. Tony looked like he was going to be sick. Steve backed away slowly and a few seconds later heard the elevator bell ring.

He turned around, not knowing what to expect, and his heart caught in his throat.

A young woman stepped off of the elevator, and he blinked rapidly to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

Brown russet curls framed her porcelain face, and her red lips were tilted up into a tender smile.

No. It couldn't be.

He raised his gaze to meet hers and found himself staring into an incredibly familiar pair of fierce and searching eyes.

"… Peggy?"

Author's Note: Hello everyone! So sorry for the delayed chapter, I've been very busy. I've been working nonstop and I went on an excellent road trip for a few days with my best friends. I had so much fun! But I've been dying to write, and I finally got past some pretty stubborn writer's block and finished this chapter. I've been waiting and waiting to get to this point, and I hope it was as beautiful as I wanted it to be.

Please, please, please review! I can't update without knowing I'm still doing a good job!

Much love,

magicinthemoonlight29