I was overwhelmed at the response to this story. Thank you so much!
I'm still trying to figure out the formatting, so bear with me.
Thank you all so much!
"Welcome back, Mr. Rogers."
Steve looked around, shocked, and then, realizing, nodded a greeting to the AI. If Friday had not locked him out, that was a good sign.
The first of many, he hoped.
The captain instantly started toward the elevator for the living quarters. It wasn't that the teen in his arms was heavy, he was simply more likely to be comfortable in a bed than in a government traitor's arms.
And then what was he going to do?
He'd cross that bridge when he came to it.
The elevator dinged and Steve stepped out into the living room, glancing around. A redhead quickly rose from the couch and turned to see who it was, her face splitting into a smile when she saw him.
"Steve! What are you-" she froze, the smile dropping off her face.
"What are you doing here?"
Steve really couldn't blame her. He'd covered up the murder of her only love's parents and then damn-near killed him when he found out. And then he'd dumped Tony Stark and left him for dead, having the nerve to send an apology letter like some second-grader.
Pepper had every right to be mad at him.
"I know, Pep," Steve said quietly. "You have no reason to act civil toward me. All I can say is that I'm sorry. I acted rashly, and from what I've heard, Tony's payed the price."
He glanced down at the sleeping child in his arms.
"This kid have a bedroom or something?"
"Ah..." Pepper didn't look surprised. "And then there's Pete... doing everything the rest of us are too scared to..."
Steve couldn't help but feel responsible for Peter's position as he followed the CEO down the hall to a bedroom with 'Underoos' stenciled on the door. She opened it and walked right to the bed to turn down the covers for Steve to lay the child down. The following minute was touching, if nothing else. Pepper slipped the boy's shoes off and then covered him with his blankets and tucked him in.
The boy slept on, oblivious to the kiss Pepper placed on his forehead and the words whispered in his ear by the proud matron of Avengers Tower. Then, she turned and beckoned Steve out of the room.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y., activate Kid Lighting."
Friday hummed in response and the lights dimmed to a set level.
"Activate Sleeping Baby Monitor Protocol."
There was a resounding click. Pepper paused for a moment.
"Watch over him, Fri."
"I always do, Boss."
Pepper closed the door and then lead Steve back to the living room.
"That child's the only thing that keeps half of us going," she informed him. "Tony's down in his lab. I'll let you down there, but only he can unlock the door to let you in."
She hesitated, looking at him hard.
"Upset him, Captain, and he'll be the least of your concerns."
No one threatened Captain America and didn't earn a smart or aggressive response, and yet Steve only dropped his chin in a small nod.
"I'll try my best Pepper. I'm only trying to help."
"I know you are."
She laid her hand on his shoulder and looked up at him with soft eyes.
"Thanks, Steve."
She turned and walked out of the room, only glancing over her shoulder to call: "Fri, take him down. And for God's sake, don't let them kill each other."
The elevator opened obediently and Steve stepped inside, leaning against the wall as it closed and started its descent underground.
Steve had only been in Tony's lab once before, back when they had been friends. From the elevator, there was a steep flight of stairs, which was the only way to reach the lab at the bottom, secured behind a bulletproof glass door that was almost taunting to anyone on the other side.
You could see in... but you couldn't get it.
Steve's heart stopped as he peered through the glass, hoping against hope that Tony was asleep on the couch or taking a meal break. But the screens were up, and Tony Stark was flipping around on them, creating complex joints and working with screws that had more confusing names than half the words in an Asgardian dictionary.
He raised his hand to knock on the door and then froze, his heart thudding in his chest.
Why was he nervous? During their last encounter, it had been Tony on the ground, his terrified eyes pleading for his life as Steve had loomed over him. Tony didn't intentionally hurt his loved ones, and if his current state was any indication, Tony still cared.
Even after everything he'd done.
Steve raised a hand and tapped lightly, watching as Tony nearly startled as he whipped around on his stool to face the door. He saw the engineer's lips form the word: Cap, and then he staggered unsteadily from his seat and stumbled over to the door, opening it a crack.
"What happened?" he asked urgently. "What's wrong?"
But that was all Steve needed the door to be open. He pushed his way into the room and closed the door behind him, leaning against it.
"Why do you assume something's wrong?" he shot at Tony. Tony arched an eyebrow.
"Why else would you be here?"
Ouch...
Steve's heart sank.
"Tony... maybe my letter wasn't clear enough. I'm sorry. That's on me."
"What are you talking about?"
Steve rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Tony, where's the phone I gave you?"
Maybe, he theorized, in a fit of temper, Tony had thrown the phone away. Maybe he'd dropped it, or pitched it against a wall and broken it. That had to be it. He'd wanted to reach out to Steve, but he hadn't been able to.
These thoughts came crashing down as Tony's hand slipped to his pocket and he pulled out the flip-phone - as brand new as the day the captain had slipped it into the package - and passed it to Steve.
Steve held it in his hand, feeling the weight in his palm as he stared down at it.
"Do you ever think about using it?" he questioned quietly.
Tony's face drained of blood.
"There was no reason to. There were no emergencies. Nothing you'd deem important. I assumed that-"
"Damn it, Tony!"
"What?!"
"I'd know if the world needed me!" Steve nearly shouted. "I was watching the news! I had spies! I would have known! That phone was for you!"
"I..." Tony stuttered. "I don't understand."
Steve stared at him for a moment, and then he sprang forward and grabbed Tony's shoulder it one hand, the other going to the back of the neck. He reminded himself to be gentle as he pushed Tony in the direction of the bathroom and faced him toward the mirror.
"What do you see!"
"Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist." He broke out of Steve's grip and spun back around to face him. "No suit, remember? That's all I am, and you know people who have none of it worth ten of me."
It was hard for Steve to forget the painful words he had inflicted on a man already as broken as Tony had been. He'd never looked on him as Tony Stark, at that point. Just Howard's son, who had never and would never live up to the legend.
What did you do, Howard?
"Tony, I'm worried about you," Steve said quietly. "A lot of people are. You have a lot of people who care about you. Not least your Peter. Do you know how much nerve it probably took to come and find me?"
"What?!"
Tony froze and stormed past Steve, and for a moment, the captain was worried he was about to watch Iron Man go completely dad-mode. But Tony only strode over to the computer and clapped his hands.
"Pull up Spider-Man coding."
Lines upon lines of coding filled in on the blue screen and Tony started scrolling through them, his eyes moving at lightning pace as he read through them. Finally, he paused and selected three lines, quickly replacing the code. He scrolled to the end to make sure, and then he saved his work.
"He's in his bed up in the tower?"
"Placed there by Pepper and myself."
Tony sighed.
"He's getting it when he wakes up."
Steve moved quickly to Tony's side and spun him on his chair to face him.
"Don't, Tony. He cares about you."
"And I care about him!" Tony let loose, shooting up to his full height. "That's why I give him those damned rules! That's why I have all the settings, and the suit! If I lose him, I've lost half the good in my life!"
Steve stared at Tony, stunned, but he wasn't done yet.
"What happened to losing together, Cap? That was the ruling. That was the the agreement!"
Tony's breaths heaved in and out with force as he shook his head slightly.
"I lost, Cap..." his voice broke. "I lost, and you won... and that wasn't together..."
His breathing became quicker and quicker, and then Tony dropped to the floor, and Steve quickly followed, trying to reach out for him.
"Breathe, Tony," he reminded. "You have got to breathe!"
And then, not knowing what else to do, he shifted forward onto his knees and wrapped his arms around the slight, trembling body of the engineer.
"Tony..." he whispered. "I'm so sorry..."