Steve's healing really started to pick up once he was awake for longer stretches of time. It was kind of jarring to see, in all honesty. Most people would hear about the accelerated healing and think there were no drawbacks, but that wasn't quite true. It had surely kept Steve alive through his ordeal, but it was currently doing him no favors.

Now that the serum had taken care of the most dire injuries, it could focus on other things. Unfortunately, one of those things was the painkiller the hospital was pumping into Steve. It had been working before, when the serum had to work hard just to keep his heart beating, but now that the worst of it was over, it was burning through that before Steve could feel any relief. Steve insisted it was fine and nothing he couldn't handle, but Tony saw all winces Steve couldn't quite hide. And with the amount of injuries that Steve still had to heal, it would be days before he was back to normal. Days of pain they couldn't do anything about.

"You're healing nicely, Mr. Roberts," Steve's primary doctor said. Tony purposefully didn't catch her name because he wasn't planning on chatting with any of the staff. The only reason he wasn't kicking up a fuss was the fact that everyone who came into the room had signed airtight NDAs that would result in pretty much a treason charge if broken. The quick healing made it impossible to avoid people knowing something was up.

"I'm feeling a lot better," Steve replied kindly. Tony noticed how tight his jaw was though. "Any idea when I'll be able to get out of here?"

"Eager to leave, are we? I'll try not to take offense," the doctor chuckled. Tony had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. There was nothing worse than someone making lame jokes when you were waiting for information from them.

"I'm sure there are other patients who could use the space and resources more than me."

"Well, seeing as you aren't really at risk of succumbing to your injuries at this point, I may not be opposed to discharging you. We can't really do much more than we already have," the doctor said, checking over his chart again. Tony had the thing memorized at this point. "I'd feel better if you had someone staying with you to help you out for a few more days."

"Uh, I have a room and there is always staff around-"

"He's staying with me," Tony interjected, leaving no room for argument. Steve gave him a surprised look, but didn't say anything. "I have state of the art equipment and can get anything in the world to my doorstep within the hour. He'll be in the best hands."

"I guess that settles it. I'll go get the paperwork started and a nurse will be in shortly to get you ready to go," the doctor said, smiling before exiting the room. Tony was glad that didn't turn into a fight. He would win, of course, but that was time he didn't feel like wasting.

"Tony, thank you for the offer, but you really don't have to do that. I've already taken so much time out of your busy schedule," Steve sighed, looking up at him through those floppy bangs. This kid really was going to be the death of him.

"Let me stop you right there," Tony said, holding up his hand. "We can do the whole song and dance of you telling me that you'll be fine on your own and me repeating that you're wrong or we can skip it. Either way, it ends in you flying back to New York with me and staying in the tower. So why don't we choose the easy option?" Steve opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally nodding and admitting defeat. Steve didn't look like he was up for any kind of fighting at this point, but Tony would take advantage of that fact if he needed to.

"I can take care of myself though, so don't think you have to take care of me. And I'll pay you rent for however long I stay," Steve insisted.

"If I charged what the space was worth, it would be in the tens of thousands per month," Tony chuckled, watching as Steve blanched at that.

"Well, I can do any maintenance around the tower that you need. We used to do that to get a few dollars shaved off," Steve offered.

"I have robots and staff for all that stuff."

"But Tony-"

"Steve, you can pay me back by getting better and never putting yourself through this again," Tony said, raking his eyes over Steve's still battered body. He didn't want to be put through this again either. "If I had needed a place to crash, would you have opened your home to me?"

"Well, yes."

"And would you have charged me anything?"

"Of course not, but-"

"No buts. If you can show someone kindness, so can I. You don't have a monopoly on it."

"Says the guy with multiple properties," Steve mumbled under his breath.

"See, that was a good joke." Sort of. "We should play that game. You don't have to move much, so you'll be able to rest. I could probably even program a robot to take your turns for you."

"I'm not that much of an invalid."

"No, but there is no shame in taking it easy when you need to."

"I spent most of my life taking it easy because I had no choice. I never thought I'd have to deal with that again."

"Steve-"

"I know it's not the same and I really do appreciate what you're doing for me, so please don't take offense to my sour mood," Steve sighed. "I just never want to be the person who has to be taken care of. It's my responsibility to help people."

"Steve, you've been helping people almost nonstop from the moment you got the serum. You deserve the break. Look what happened when you pushed yourself too far," Tony pointed out. Steve looked away ashamedly. "I'm not saying that to make you feel bad. You have to take care of yourself if you want to be able to fight another day."

"Maybe you're right," Steve mumbled.

"Hold up, could you say that again? I want to record it and use it as my ringtone," Tony said, patting his pockets.

"Very funny," Steve scoffed, but Tony caught the hint of a smile flash across his face.

"And you've got a lot more of my sparkling personality to look forward to while we're roommates."

"Lucky me."

"Oh, come on. I'm not that bad."

"Actually, I mean that. I am lucky to have you," Steve admitted, looking up at him sincerely. "I know we haven't always left things the best, but you still stuck with me and I really appreciate it. Our talks were the only thing that kept me going."

"I have been told that I'm a very good conversationalist," Tony smirked. He didn't want to admit that he'd come to count on their talks as well. Most people in his life only dealt with him because they wanted something, like a business deal, money, or just contact with The Tony Stark. Steve was the polar opposite, wanting nothing but what he could also give back.

"Mr. Roberts, are you ready to get out of here?" a peppy nurse asked as she walked into the room. Tony could practically feel his blood sugar spiking from being in her presence. They really needed to get back to New York to be around normal people who would sneer at you for walking too close to them on the sidewalk.

"Yes, thank you," Steve replied politely.

"I believe that's my cue to step outside for a moment. I got a change of clothes for you in this bag next to your table."

"You didn't have to-" Steve started, before Tony gave him a pointed look. "I mean, thank you."

"You'll get the hang of it eventually," Tony chuckled as he walked out of the room. He didn't go far, just right on the other side of the door. But he took advantage of his brief privacy to pull out his phone and send a message to Fury.

They'd been in correspondence ever since Tony found out for sure from Steve that he had nothing to do with what happened. He still didn't fully trust Fury, but he was the best in they had at the moment. If they were going to be dealing with Shield, might as well be with someone he knew they could depend on in a crisis. And Tony was going to be dealing with Shield.

"Sorry Mr. Roberts, but it's hospital policy," the nurse said from inside Steve's room. Tony poked his head in, snorting when he saw Steve stubbornly glaring at a wheelchair that the nurse was trying to cajole him into.

"Ma'am, I can assure you that it is really not necessary. My legs are perfectly fine."

"Steve, are you giving the staff a hard time?" Tony asked, adjusting his tone so it sounded like he was talking to a child.

"The opposite actually. If I walk on my own, that's one more available nurse and wheelchair for someone who actually needs it," Steve pointed out.

"I think we've been spending too much time together. Your negotiation skills are improving," Tony chuckled, before giving the nurse a shrug. "I don't think you'll change his mind. How about if we promise to not sue if he eats it on the way out?" The nurse was looking between the two of them, flustered.

"Thank you for understanding," Steve said gratefully, not waiting for her response. He stood up from the bed as if he was perfectly healthy, before striding out of the room. Tony raised his eyebrows at the nurse before trailing after him. Steve was already waiting at the elevators by the time he caught up. At least he wasn't bullheaded enough to try to take the stairs.

They stood in silence until the doors finally opened and let them into the thankfully empty elevator. Steve was as poised as ever until the doors closed, then he slumped tiredly against the side of the car.

"I probably should've told you that we have a pretty long walk to get to the car," Tony said regretfully. Steve paled a few shades and there was a bit of discouragement in his eyes, but he set his jaw and tried to stand a bit straighter.

"That's fine. I can handle it."

"I'm joking. There is a car right outside the door."

"Funny."

"Maybe that'll teach you to stop being so stubborn."

"I'm not," Steve said, sounding very close to a whine.

"You are. They were only trying to help."

"I don't need their help. I've got you, right?" Steve was looking at him through those damn bangs again and Tony could feel the rest of his lecture slip away. He was going to have to talk to Steve about cutting his hair because it was basically a weapon at this point. It probably wouldn't help though. Steve had wormed his way into his heart and there was no turning back.

"Yeah Steve, you've got me."