This is being cross-posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 19 December 2020.
Disclaimer: All non-original characters, plot points, quotes, and information belongs to Marvel and Marvel Studios, and anyone else that may own any part of it. The story plot and dialogue belongs to me. I do not write for profit.
Down the stairs, Steve wandered, tugging on his long-sleeved shirt as he went. The Avengers facility was relatively quiet this morning, but he supposed that was because most everyone had disappeared for the holidays. Only a few of the regulars remained, and a skeleton crew of cleaners. For all intents and purposes, the Avengers were on a well-deserved break.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Steve decided to make some coffee before figuring out what he was going to do for the rest of the day. Entering the kitchen, he found Tony sitting at the island, face in his hands. Slowly, Steve paused in the doorway as a frown formed on his face. Tony had told him he was heading out to Malibu for the holidays, yet here he was instead.
"Tony?" he asked quietly, not wanting to startle the man. They were all still a bit trigger happy when it came to being surprised—no reason to end up in a scuffle so early in the morning, especially on Christmas Eve.
Tony lifted his face out of his hands and gave a half-assed smile. "Hey, Capsicle. I'd offer you some coffee, but I think I drank it all."
When Steve glanced at the coffee pot, he did find that it was recently used and emptied. "That's alright. I can make some more." He wandered over and began to clean out the pot while keeping an eye on Tony. "What brings you here today? I thought you and Pepper had plans."
Tony scoffed and tried to force a laugh, but it sounded hollow. "Flew all the way out there only to find out that she's been seeing someone else."
Closing his eyes, Steve slowly exhaled before turning around to give Tony a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I had no idea."
"How could you? I didn't know either," Tony said, smoothing one hand across the island top. "We haven't been together for ages. I just thought maybe she'd give me yet another chance since it was the holidays."
"That can't be easy," Steve said and resumed making coffee. "So are you just going to stay around here for Christmas or did you make other plans?"
"Aside from getting back at four in the morning and drinking an entire pot of coffee wishing it was whiskey, I haven't thought about it." Tony sighed heavily and shook his head back and forth a few times. "I should have known something was going on with her when she didn't fly out here for Thanksgiving."
"I won't pretend to be a dating expert," Steve said as he turned on the coffee pot, "but maybe this is a good thing."
"I'm alone once more," Tony said, sounding utterly forlorn. "Surprise, surprise." Rising from the kitchen stool, he clapped his hands together and then gathered his empty mug to put into the sink. "I" m going to go grab a shower and pass the fuck out for a while. Enjoy your coffee."
"Thanks," Steve muttered as Tony left the kitchen without another glance.
When the coffee finished, Steve poured himself a mug and sat down in the seat Tony had vacated. Sipping and thinking, Steve wondered if Tony was going to be okay, or if he'd go into a spiral. After Bucky had lost Nat last year, he'd spiralled out of control until finally, they'd had to intervene and put him back on the ice for a while.
They couldn't really do that with Tony, but there were places the genius could go and medicines he could take to help bring him peace. Setting down his half-empty cup of coffee, Steve hated the idea of having Tony go through any of that. There had to be a better way to pull him out of a funk before it even began. As he sat there for a bit longer, Steve started to form a plan.
"Hey!" Steve called, rapping his knuckles on Tony's open door. The man in question was lying face down on his bed, arms and legs spread out as if he'd just collapsed there and never moved. "Are you awake?" There was incoherent mumbling to which Steve said, "What?"
Groaning, Tony rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "I never really fell asleep."
"I had an idea," Steve began, walking forward and crossing his arms at the end of the bed. "If you're up for it, that is."
Tony's brown eyes met Steve's blue. "What is it?"
"I looked into some places in the city that were open tonight and thought we could go have dinner and celebrate a bit," Steve explained, quirking a single eyebrow. "What do you think?"
"Why would you want to celebrate with a sorry sap like myself?" Tony asked, now pushing himself up into a sitting position. "I'm sure you had some grand plans for the night that didn't involve trying to cheer me up."
"I actually didn't have any plans at all," Steve said, sighing. "With Bucky indisposed and everyone else off doing their own thing for the next few days, I was planning on ordering in and watching holiday movies and baseball reruns on tv."
"That sounds awful," Tony replied, scrunching up his face at the very idea. "Baseball reruns? Who even likes baseball live?'
"A lot of people, actually, but that's not the point." Steve sighed and shook his head at Tony's antics. "Listen, if you're not up to it, I can cancel everything and just order some Chinese for us instead. It's up to you."
Pursing his lips, Tony stared at Steve a long few minutes before finally springing up from the bed. "Are you sure you don't mind hanging out with me tonight?"
"If I minded I wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of making our plans," Steve said, rolling his eyes. "Is this your way of saying you want to go?"
A smile crept onto Tony's features, a genuine smile. "Yeah," he said, clapping Steve on the shoulder and giving a little shake. "I think it sounds fun. Give me a bit, and I'll be ready to go. Meet you by the door in ten minutes?"
"Perfect," Steve said as Tony dropped his hand. Backing away to exit the room, he added, "And no need to get all dressed up for tonight. We're doing things my way, so nothing fancy."
"Aye, aye, Captain!" Tony agreed teasingly, causing Steve to laugh.
Still chuckling, Steve just shook his head and left Tony to get ready for their night out in New York City. Still unsure how this night was hogging to go, Steve tried not to get his hopes up at all. He wanted to cheer up his comrade and friend, as well as enjoy the holiday in the city. If it all backfired, then he'd feel even worse for Tony, and himself too.
It took closer to fifteen minutes for Tony to meet Steve at the front of the facility, but Steve wasn't mad. He'd known that Tony was prone to taking his time so as Tony met him, the car was brought around by the driver. "Are you ready for some festivities?" he asked, Tony, opening the door for his friend.
"You are way too cheerful, but yes, I am," Tony said as they exited the facility and climbed into the car. "I could have driven us."
"I know, and so could I, but I thought this would be more relaxing," Steve explained, clicking his seatbelt into place. "This way we can simply enjoy the night rather than worry about parking and city traffic."
Tony slid into the seat next to Steve, their arms brushing slightly as he put on his seatbelt. "Always thinking everything through, aren't you?"
"It doesn't hurt to have a plan," Steve mumbled, staring ahead as he thought about how close they were seated. "Do you want to know what ours is?"
"Sure," Tony said, giving Steve a sidelong glance. "Fill me in as we drive. I'm dying to know what you think is going to make this day better."
So that's what Steve did, and by the time they reached the city, Tony seemed to be in brighter spirits. Steve had arranged for them to have dinner at Del Frisco's Grille and then take one of those silly tours of New York. Neither of them was unfamiliar with the city at this point, but it was fun to hear all the ins and outs of the city they loved. As they arrived at the restaurant, Steve and Tony were chatting amicably about the city and what they might be hungry to eat.
"I'm going to order some wine," Tony told Steve after they were seated. "I hope you'll let me pay for this at the very least."
"Wine?" Steve said, scrunching up his face. "Not that I don't enjoy wine from time to time, why don't we get some beers and keep this slightly informal?"
Laughing, Tony held up his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine. I forgot I've got to trust your judgement tonight."
"Is that really so hard for you to do?" Steve asked, opening his menu. "We've known each other for how long now?"
"Less time than it actually feels," Tony replied, winking.
They ordered some beers and burgers before launching into more conversation. Steve tried to keep the topics light and fun, avoiding any mention of Pepper or the Avengers in general. They laughed and joked, sipping and eating to their enjoyment. It was probably the most relaxed either of them had been in the longest time, if they were honest.
As the check arrived, Tony again begged to pay, but Steve still turned him down. "This was my idea. Just let me do this for you."
"If you're sure," Tony said, standing and stretching before reaching for his coat. "If we get dessert later, that's on me though."
Smiling and putting his wallet back into his jean's pocket, Steve said, "That's fine. Now, let's hurry, so we don't miss our tour."
The tour took them all over the city, but as they passed by Rockefeller Center, Steve suddenly had an alternate plan. He grabbed hold of Tony's arms and tugged him up out of his seat. The tour guide and driver of the doubledecker bus allowed them to exit early, leaving them on the side of the busy New York street.
"What's this all about?" Tony asked as the tour bus carried on its way, leaving them behind. "Our driver thinks we're going to meet him back where the tour began."
"I know, but we can call him at any time, and he'll come pick us up," Steve explained, making sure his hat was snug. It was rather cold this Christmas eve. "Come on, I had an idea."
Frowning, Tony allowed Steve to lead him toward the giant ice rink outside the Rockefeller Center. "Ice skating? Is this your big idea?"
"Yeah," Steve explained, as they approached the booth to get skates and pay. "I hadn't thought of this before, but it's the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve."
Tony shrugged one shoulder. "I haven't done this since I was a kid. Sounds fun, but this means I get to buy us hot chocolate afterwards."
Laughing as he paid for their skate rental, Steve said, "Are you always this pushy on a date?"
"A date?" Tony asked, accepting the skates from the worker and then pausing.
Flushing, Steve hurried to rectify what he'd said. "I didn't mean a date, Tony. It just slipped out, I swear." He took his own skates and hurried to sit down on a bench. Face flushed with embarrassment, he said nothing further as they silently changed out their shoes for the skates and prepared to get on the rink.
When they'd stored their shoes and made their way to the edge of the rink, Tony cleared his throat to get Steve's attention. "Look, I really appreciate tonight, Steve," he began, only to be interrupted.
"I'm really sorry about the date comment," Steve rushed to say. "I know you're not ready to do that sort of thing so soon after Pepper. You just broke up with her yesterday. I want you to know I'm here for you as a friend, and maybe something more if you ever want that. Although, if you don't, then that's fine too."
"I'll be honest with you," Tony said slowly, watching the other skaters go round and round in front of them. "You and I have had a difficult relationship over the years, but it never occurred to me that there might be something more there than friendship alone."
"I should have been more careful with my words," Steve said quietly, his eyes focused on the large tree displayed across from the rink. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry," Tony said, nudging Steve with his elbow. "Maybe I missed the signs along the way… No matter what, I'm not going to hate you. I've been there, and we've done that. The past is in the past, and I'm more interested in the future… Even though sometimes I feel like I don't deserve happiness."
"We've all had a rough few years," Steve said, turning to face his friend. "We've seen some shit." When Tony smirked at his use of language, he narrowed his eyes. "Don't even comment, let me finish. None of us is perfect, and we never will be, but that doesn't mean we don't deserve happiness. We all have the freedom to celebrate and love whoever we want, including you."
"Are you saying you love me, Capsicle?" Tony asked playfully, but there was a vulnerability in his eyes too. He took a step toward Steve, the blades of his skates clinking slightly.
"I'm saying that…" He sighed and ran a hand down his face. Tonight was turning out to be one of those times where he couldn't stop putting his foot in his mouth. "I don't know what I'm saying. I just want to be happy, and I want that for you too. Whether that is with me or someone else, I'll feel good about it. Tonight was about cheering you up, and I hope that's what I accomplished."
Tony was silent for a moment, though he never did stop looking at Steve. Finally, as Steve was about to break the silence and cancel the rest of the night, Tony reached forward and grabbed hold of the taller man's scarf. Gently, but with purpose, he tugged him forward and kissed him right there in front of possibly hundreds of tourists and other New Yorkers.
Steve's eyes went wide with surprise at first, but then his sense kicked in, and he wrapped his arms around Tony and simply held him. The kiss didn't last very long, but it was enough to show Steve that even if they didn't rush into anything right now, there might be a future for them after all. When Tony relaxed his grip on his scarf, Steve retreated, almost wanting to keep his eyes closed forever in case he opened them to find Tony laughing at what he'd just done.
When he did risk opening his eyes, he was surprised to find Tony looking flushed and at ease. Not wanting to ruin the moment with questions, Steve simply smiled and took Tony's hand. Carefully, he led them onto the ice where they began making a slow circle around the large ice rink. Tony never let go of his hand, which he took as a good sign.
There would be time tonight, tomorrow, or whoever knew when for them to discuss where exactly this would go between them. Tonight, though, they would spend the rest of Christmas Eve enjoying each other's company and celebrate the holiday to take their mind off of the pain and hurt from their pasts. There was absolute freedom about Steve and Tony as they laughed and joked, the promise of what came next forming in the back of their minds.