A/N Oh thankyou guys for all your reviews! This is my most successful story! And it makes the others look so amateurish but let's not get into that. Your reviews (and faves and follows even from those people who seem to have something against reviewing) seem to have lifted my spirits in the way you blow up a balloon again after it deflates – my English teacher would probably have something to say to me about "sensory imagery" if she read this. Let's all pray people from my real, non-virtual, outside of fanfiction life (except for my friends) never ever ever read my stuff. Ever. You know after reading those wonderful reviews and seeing all the sympathy towards Steve I feel all . . . flurried. No, is that a word? *Checks dictionary* ok yes it is so we'll go with "flurried". I'm all "what to write, what to write". Do I appease my fans and have Natasha push Clint off a really high building after slowly killing his arrows right before his eyes, or maybe have Tony suddenly overwhelmed with feelings for Steve and they kiss and get married in the one paragraph? Or maybe both?
Nah. We'll go with this instead.
Chapter Eleven – Let's face it. Everyone Knows
Steve certainly doesn't like awkward silences at the best of times, and right now is no exception. Steve, Bruce, Clint, Thor, Natasha, Pepper and Tony are all seated around the dining table in the kitchen eating dinner – or at least in the main kitchen, the one they all use and sometimes specifically for scheduled "bonding" purposes. Like now, for instance. Although bonding often involves talking, which they are not, Steve notes curiously.
Even Thor who usually manages to "delicately" demolish his food and still be the chattiest one at the table at the same time is silent. So naturally, Steve is highly suspicious. Either they are up to something or they know something . . . Steve feels his face grow warm just imagining the whole team knowing his supposedly secret crush on Tony.
Although, the only two people in the whole entire world who know are Pepper and Clint. Steve glances diagonally across the table at Clint, who is already staring at him. Clint averts his eyes and reaches for his drink. Steve doesn't miss the fact that Clint quickly looks over at Natasha, his expression blank but the give away that something is amiss is the fact that there's an undecipherable meaning in Clint's blue eyes.
Natasha disregards Clint's look and says to Steve, 'Steve, would you mind passing the tomato sauce?' Steve reaches to grab the tomato sauce and then sits back in his seat, holding the bottle.
'Um, Steve, the sauce?' Natasha prompts. The rest of the team either sneak glances at Steve or watch him openly. Something is definitely going on.
'Sorry, Natasha what was that? I can't hear you over all the talking the rest of you guys are doing.' Steve replies sarcastically but not unkindly. He gives Natasha the sauce and then leans his elbows on the table. 'Seriously guys, is something going on?' He catches Clint's eye and stares straight at him as he adds, 'anything that I should know about?'
There's a chorus of mumbled, "no's", "just lost in thought's" and "hard to talk when I'm eating's". The Captain just shrugs and lets the subject drop. Picking up his fork and stabbing a piece of broccoli, he takes a quick look at Tony, who is seated at the head – or end – of the table. Tony seems to be innocently enjoying his meal, although he also keeps glancing at Clint and then at the suspiciously quiet Thor, and Steve guesses that Tony also suspects something's going on.
Steve feels relief at the fact that if something is going on Tony doesn't seem to be in on it. If something feels amiss, it is a consolation to know that Tony Stark is not involved. But then that also means whatever it is could be something serious.
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After a dinner of some polite and meaningless talk, Tony retires to his room while the rest of the Avengers – including Pepper – go about their own thing. Although Tony notices with interest that Pepper, Clint, Natasha and Thor all head to the same place – and Tony knows this because he figured something was going on, and immediately checked the cameras as soon as he got to this room.
Tony selects the channel for the camera in the lounge room on the floor below as he follows their journey down the elevator and out onto the floor. The lounge room is a cosy, sort of snug room with a warm, happy feeling about it, despite being large and modern. That lounge room is the one they all go to when they decide to watch movies together or play video games and stuff – kind of like how they use that particular dining room/kitchen for bonding purposes – fun, relaxing stuff, which is how Tony knows he'll definitely want to listen in to what these guys are about to talk about, because of the concerned, almost guilty expressions on each of their faces that show that the four of them aren't there for fun and games.
Thor and Clint sit on one sofa, Natasha and Pepper sitting in the identical one opposite.
'So, you guys wanted to tell me something? Clint?' Pepper pipes up. Clint clears his throat.
'Ok, Pepper, please don't be mad,' Pepper raises an eyebrow, 'but I kinda let slip to Natasha about,' Clint drops his voice, 'Steve's crush.'
'By "let slip" he means came running straight to me with the news.' Natasha feels the need to add. Pepper immediately shoots a glare in the archer's direction.
'Anyway, we were discussing it and Thor overheard and so we interrogated him about what he heard exactly and we ended up filling him in on the whole thing.' Clint continues.
'It greatly confused me for Tony played a trick on me a couple of days ago where he led me to believe he and Steve were in love. But then Steven confirmed it was merely a joke and now, I am a bit perplexed after finding out that Steven does in fact like Tony Stark.' Thor explains to them.
'Steve has to know about this, you know that right?' Pepper says after a moment of thinking. 'I don't like secrets between a family, especially one like ours, and especially where the excuse for keeping said secrets is to "protect" someone else.'
'Yes, I agree, Pepper. We shouldn't keep this from Steve, which means we have to tell him – and you – everything.' Natasha nods at the same time Clint goes, 'Nat! We haven't discussed telling them that!'
Seeing that Pepper – and Thor of course – are looking at them in a confused and weary way, Natasha sighs.
'Fighting Loki was easier than this. Anyway, Thor overhearing us is not the whole thing.'
'Oh God, seriously?' Pepper groans. 'Sorry, go on.'
'Thor overheard us,' Natasha continues, 'because Clint and I were talking about how Phil Coulson told Nick Fury about Steve's crush. Phil knows because he was on speakerphone while I was talking to him, and Clint barged in and Phil heard everything.'
'We made him swear not to tell Fury unless it somehow affected the team, Steve's crush that is.' Clint adds. 'But he still said something to Fury.'
'And you still went ahead and told Natasha, even after I made you swear not to repeat anything!' Pepper points out, frowning.
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Oh, crap, Clint you are in such deep sh – Tony can't help feeling a little amused at Clint's predicament and a little annoyed that none of them have told him about Steve's crush – well, Tony already knows, obviously, but only Bruce knows Tony's knows. Wow. Complicated. And all Steve wanted was a friend to confide in with his feelings in the first place. And now Tony feels sorry for Steve. He already tried to make it up to him for tricking Thor – of course, Steve probably overreacted a little because he was sensitive about the idea of us being together, Tony guesses – but that didn't end well. So Tony's not exactly in a hurry to try to cheer up Steve in any way.
The right thing for the whole team to do is come clean to Steve before anything else happens – but as soon as Steve finds out that people other than Pepper and Clint know, it's probably all going to just blow up in the team's faces. And Steve will probably be so embarrassed he might just quit the Avengers or save the world on his own next time or something.
And Tony finds it hard to admit, but where would the team be without Steve? Not just on their missions, but back home, since Steve is a source of companionship, comfort and humour for them all. Clint and Tony get into a heated argument? Steve steps in and breaks it up before it can turn into something more. And if Bruce is feeling a little on the angsty or anxious side, Tony knows that he has Steve there to reassure him.
And where would Tony be without Steve? Steve taught Tony about putting others first and apart from that one half lecture half argument; Steve has never put Tony down in a serious way. He's encouraging and kind and exactly the type of person everyone looks up to. Sure, people get jealous of Captain America, but that's because they know they'll never be the kind of guy he is – smart, sensible, a one of a kind guy with a gorgeous exterior and an even more beautiful interior, a guy who will never let you down, and if he does let you down on a very seldom occasion, he'll have you back on your feet before you know it.
Tony finds it easy to admit that he's lucky to have Steve, but finds it hard to admit that the team needs Steve and more importantly, Tony needs him. Tony needs Steve.
A/N Aw, that's adorable, Tony. ANYWAY! I have already written chapter twelve and I'm ready to post it but I won't until I get ten reviews for this chapter. What can I say? I'm a review-addict.
