Slight warning for this chapter. There are references to abuse suffered by some of the other Avengers in the past. It's nothing major but just be prepared. Also Tony makes a reference to a really nasty past relationship. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'll see you at the end.
A couple of days after that disaster of a press conference Steve finally got the courage to ask Tony out on a date. Well, it wasn't so much courage as it was a spur of the moment thing brought on by some very choice clothing.
Here's what happened.
Steve had been having a very productive day. It was a Friday which meant that most of the team was training or going to their therapy sessions. Steve had actually suggested that all members of the team find a trusted therapist to help them. With the way their lives were it was important for their health. Plus almost none of them had had decent childhoods. Tony was abused and in the public eye all the time. Bruce was abused and he saw his father kill his mother. Clint was abused and had travelled with the circus before becoming an assassin. Nat had her whole ordeal with the Red Room. Steve had grown up sick and poor and then trust into a new century where everything was different. And Thor had the weight of leadership of a whole civilization resting on his shoulders.
None of them had it easy and Steve just wanted to make sure that everyone was working through things and making an effort to get better. He never wanted to see any of his team hurt themselves like Tony had back when Loki attacked.
But back to Steve's productive day.
He'd actually gotten a lot done. He'd had a bit of a breakthrough in therapy about his feelings about the past. He'd gotten in a really good workout that left him feeling energized and great. He'd finished up one of his newest pieces of art that he was for sure going to hang up in the common room. So yes, Steve had been productive and was feeling great. He didn't think anything could make the day better.
Well, Steve was sorely mistaken.
Steve was mid-conversation with Clint in the kitchen when he heard the stomping of boots emanating from down the hall. There wasn't a call to assemble so he had no clue who would be wearing boots inside. So, Steve went to investigate and immediately ran into the corner of the wall when he saw who was making the noise.
Standing just outside the kitchen was Tony, but with his new outfit, he looked so much more different. Tony was wearing black combat boots that were the source of the noise. To accompany those boots were a pair of black ripped skinny jeans and a black Metallica tank top that showed off Tony's arm muscles. Tony was also wearing a few small leather bracelets on his right hand and had a small silver stud earring in his left ear. He also had on a touch of mascara to make his doe eyes look even bigger.
He looked like a 90's bad boy mixed with early 2000's goth. And Steve thought he looked hot… and distracting.
"Oh my god, Steve! Are you alright?" worried Tony the second he saw Steve walk into the wall.
Steve just nodded and looked up at Tony sort of awestruck from his place on the floor. But, before Steve could even begin processing what he was seeing, Clint walked into the hallway after having heard all the commotion.
"Yo Stark! What's with the bad boy get up?" asked Clint as he looked over the scene.
"My therapist said that I should dress how I actually wanted to when I was a young adult to help associate this new body with some positive memories. So, I went out shopping and I may how gotten my ear pierced while I was at it." Explained Tony with a smile.
"Well, it looks good my dude." Complemented Clint before he went to go finish his food, but not before shooting Steve a look.
"You sure you're alright Steve? Here, let me help you up." Asked Tony as he reached out for Steve's hand. He helped Steve to his feet and the two looked at each other for a second before Steve lost the battle with his emotions.
"Tony, will you go out with me?" blurted out Steve and the words caught both of them by surprise. Tony's eyes widened before a light blush dusted his cheeks. Steve just stood there and waited. This might not have been how he wanted things to happen but it was happening and he wasn't going to back down.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Steve. I'm no good for you. I couldn't make any of my past relationships work and that was before Loki fucked me over." Whispered Tony as he looked down at the floor. Steve just took his hands in his and pulled him close.
"Well, I'm not your past relationships. This is something new. We're both heroes, we've had similar experiences. I already know that you get lost in your head sometimes and I don't care. Tony, you're amazing. I want to go steady with you. I want you in my life. I want to try." Spoke Steve and Tony pulled back a little bit.
"I just don't want to mess things up." Sighed Tony.
"But you want to try." Commented Steve and Tony nodded.
"I want to try. I really want to try."
"Great." Smiled Steve. "Then be ready tonight by 5. I know exactly where we're going." Tony nodded and stood there a second before looking back up at Steve.
"It'll be 5 in like half an hour Steve."
"I know but I'm all gross from working out. Meet me in the garage by my bike."
And with that Steve was off with a huge dopey smile on his face. He'd just scored himself a date and couldn't be happier.
Steve had never showered faster in his life. Even in the army when all his showers were regulated he wasn't even as fast as he just was. Steve wasted no time. He even got dressed quickly. He got dressed in a white t-shirt, jeans, and his old brown leather jacket. He wanted to keep it simple but he was also well aware that he looked smoking hot in a tight white shirt and jeans. He'd never gotten any complaints other than Clint once calling him a thot. Steve wasn't sure what that meant but he took it in stride.
Once Steve was all dressed and ready he made his way down to the garage. It was in the basement of the tower and Steve opted to take the elevator in lieu of trying to run down all those damn stairs. Hulk had complained enough about those stairs for that to be a large enough deterrent. Once Steve opened the door to the garage he was very happy to see that Tony was already there waiting for him.
Tony, to Steve's delight, hadn't changed his outfit. The only thing he added was a black leather jacket to keep out the chilly evening air. He smiled as Steve approached but there was still an air of nervousness in his eyes.
"You ready to go?" asked Steve and Tony nodded.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see." Smirked Steve as he sat down on the bike. Tony sat right behind him and Steve smiled as he placed his arms around his waist.
Steve revved up the bike and soon they were off. They sped through the city and out of Manhattan towards Brooklyn. The two smiled and laughed as they rode around taking little back streets with Steve pointing out things that were still the same from his childhood.
They eventually stopped at this little hole in the wall place run by this old Italian couple. Steve had a sneaking suspicion that Tony would like it based solely off of the amount of pasta Tony ate on a regular basis. When Steve stepped off the bike he turned around and saw Tony smiling at him.
"I thought you might like this place. I discovered it back before the Battle of New York. Plus I know you like pasta." Smiled Steve and Tony let out a little chuckle.
"You know I'm half Italian, right? My mom was born and raised in Sicily. I was born with a love of pasta good pastry."
"Wow, that's pretty neat. Have you ever been?" asked Steve as the two entered the restaurant and got seated.
"I went once with my mom when I was about 10. Howard was away on business and my mom thought it would be fun to take me on an actual vacation for the first time. It was nice not having to worry about school or building things for Howard. It was nice. I got to run around and explore and I got to meet my grandparents. They died of old age shortly after but it was nice to get to meet them." Smiled Tony as he recounted the memory. Steve smiled too. He was glad that Tony at least had a few good memories from his childhood.
"I'd love to see Italy again someday. The last time I was there was during the war."
The two chatted for a little while before they ordered. They were having a great time telling stores and laughing. Tony almost lost it when Steve told him about the time the Dum Dum Dugan walked in on Peggy Carter changing on accident and looked terrified for his life.
"Aunt Peggy never told me about that! I can see why though." Spoke Tony as he continued to laugh.
"You know Peggy?"
"I do. She was the only one who could really keep Howard in line. I can't visit her as much because she thinks I'm Howard and I can't really handle that. Although, maybe with this new look it'll jog her memory a bit. I wonder if she'd like this new look?"
"Well, I can't speak for Peggy but I can quite definitively say that I really like this new look, Anthony. Although, knowing Peggy she might be a little affronted by all the back clothing. She always did like a pop of colour."
"You know my name wasn't even supposed to be Anthony. Mom wanted to name me Antonio before Howard got a hold of the birth certificate."
From there the conversation and flirting flowed like a fine wine. They both learned new things about each other that they hadn't gotten to talk about yet. Steve took the time to compliment Tony on every little thing he could think of. He knew that Tony was a flirt and Steve could play just as dirty. And, getting to see the blush that was painted across Tony's cheeks was a reward all on its own.
By the time they'd gotten back to the tower, it was already dark out. Well, as dark as you can get for being in Manhattan. Steve sometimes missed seeing the starts but he understood why Tony didn't. Months ago Tony had told everyone what he had seen when he took the nuke through the portal and now all of them were working together on preparing for another space invasion.
"I had a really fun time tonight." Smiled Tony as he and Steve walked back towards what they now called their room. "I've never really been out on a date like that before. They've always been so formal in the past. This was nice."
"I'm glad you liked it. I've wanted to ask you out for a while. I'm so happy that you agreed."
"I'm happy that I said yes. I've sort of had a bit of a crush on you for a while but I didn't know what to do about it. I really hope that things work out." Spoke Tony a bit sheepishly and Steve smiled back.
"I hope so too."
And with that Steve leant down and gave Tony a sweet kiss on the lips. Sparks flew as the kiss deepened just a little bit and Tony ended up fisting his hands in Steve's shirt. Steve, on the other hand, was ecstatic. He'd been dreaming of this moment for a while now and it was just perfect. Tony just felt so perfect wrapped in his arms as Steve held him and kissed. Steve smiled a bit and made the move to deepen the kiss further but the second he felt Tony tense up a bit be backed off and broke the kiss. He didn't want to overstep any of Tony's boundaries.
"What's wrong Tony? Is everything alright?" asked Steve as he stared at Tony. The man's eyes were a bit downcast and Steve began to worry.
"I um… I don't really know what the protocol for this situation is. I've never really been in a normal relationship and to be honest I um… I… I don't think I'm really ready for sex yet. Not with this body." Spoke Tony sheepishly. This was definitely one of those situations where Tony wanted to lie but just found that he couldn't. Stupid Loki.
Steve was quick to pick up on what Tony was saying. He could feel how tense Tony was. How there seemed to be a little bit of fear in his eyes. Almost like he was waiting for Steve to get mad at him for not being the crazed playboy that the media had painted. But Steve knew better and he wasn't going to let Tony feel uncomfortable.
"Tony, we don't have to do anything you're not ready for. To be honest, as much as I'd like to have sex with you I don't think I'm ready yet. I still have some things I need to work through. For now, all I want to do is hold you and see you smile." Murmured Steve and Tony just sagged with relief.
"Thank you." Whispered Tony as he head fell against Steve's shoulder.
"Tony. Anthony. I will always respect your boundaries. Being comfortable in a relationship and with sex is important. I'm going to do anything without your consent. Consent is important." Spoke Steve soft but sternly. He needed Tony to understand that he would never hurt him or take from him.
"Not with me. Never with me." Whispered Tony and Steve stiffened. He knew Tony had it rough but he'd been hoping that nothing had gone as far as this. "I didn't really want to be a playboy. It made me uncomfortable. But nobody really ever asks. My first girlfriend at MIT didn't ask. She ticked me and told me that I'd do it if I loved her. Then she stole SI designs from me and fucked off."
Steve had no words. He hated that there were people out there who just took and took from his Tony. His sweet Anthony who played fetch with his bots and had an unhealthy addiction to coffee. His Tony who yes, had made mistakes in the past but most of them were made from misplaced trust and grooming. The whole thing with Obadiah Stane still creeped him out once he'd gotten all the information. But, there wasn't anything Steve could do about the past. All be could do was make the future better.
"I promise you, Anthony. You'll never have to go through anything like that again. I'm not going to let things like that happen anymore. You're safe. We're both safe. We'll protect each other." Cooed Steve as the two sat down on the bed.
They stayed there for a while before slowly pulling apart and getting dressed quickly for bed. Soon enough Steve was laying on his back while Tony rested his head on his chest. There wasn't a whole lot of talking. There were a lot of big feelings in the past few minutes and neither really had much to say. They just wanted the comfort of the other.
Tony was the first to fall asleep. Steve stayed up a little while longer. He was a little too keyed up to sleep. He kept replaying the events of the day in his head. He'd finally asked Tony out and they'd kissed. He just knew that Tony was made to be with him and Steve just knew he had to make up for all his past mistakes to make this work with Tony. He wanted to make this work.
But for now, all Steve knew he needed to do was get some sleep so that he could spend more time with Tony when they both woke up. He fell asleep with a smile on his face and a warmth in his soul that he hadn't felt since going into the ice.
Hmmm, I wonder who that ex-girlfriend was? Any 616 people and people who read a lot of fics will know who I'm talking about. So… our boys are finally together! Who's excited?! I sure am. Everything will work out exactly as it's supposed to. Also, consent is important. Pass it on.
On an unrelated note, I'd like to say that my cat Cheddar is a dick. I just took him outside in the back for a little walkabout like normal and I turned my back for a second to check on the garden and he managed to jump the fence into the front yard. So naturally, I freaked out and got my whole family looking. Turned out that the dickface jumped over the other fence to return to the backyard by the compost bin. So if the last few paragraphs seem a little bit on edge that's because I just had to deal with that.
See you soon. -Shadows
