"Hey, Boss!"
Tony turns away from the car he was working on to face Happy.
Happy stands tall and flashes him a grin "We got you an artist" he says proudly. While most of the time he tries to keep things on the down low, not drawing too much attention to himself and his gang. It was easier to do what he does when he was out of the minds of the locals and the police. But he had been working hard on his Aston Martin for months and wanted to do something special with the paint work.
Only problem was finding a good artist who didn't run away when they realised who he was.
Behind Happy stands a tall, blond Adonis who looks like he just walked out of a fitness ad or some military recruitment propaganda.
The man wasn't at all what he would've expected of an artist. The blond stands proud, hands held stiffly behind his back. Normally people he gets Happy to bring in for him are terrified. This man looked him dead in the eyes. It wouldn't take a genius like himself to tell there is something different about this man.
"What a pleasure. Tell me, my tall, blonde delight, what is your name?"
"That's unimportant." The man dismisses with a wave of his hand, further shocking him with his boldness, and steps forward. "I come here on my own free will. I know who you are and I am not afraid. I know what you do… and what you can do for me. I will do what you ask of me, but it will not be for money. Money is of no importance to me right now, I will do this for an exchange of favours"
Who was this man? He would almost think the man didn't know who he was dealing with, but that was obviously not the case. What did Tony have that this artist wanted?
Tony steps away from his car and walks over to the man, cleaning his hands off with a rag "Well, I certainly haven't had anyone talk to me like that for a while." He says. Around him his men have their weapons locked on the man, but the guy is unaffected "You are bold. But what makes you think I'd accept your terms."
"You're a smart man, Stark." The man says with a smirk. "I can see that I have intrigued you. I'm not what you expected, that much is clear. You have questions and want to know the answers. If you kill me or refuse, you may never know them"
Tony pauses, taking a moment to soak this all in. "What is it you want? What is it that I can get you that you can't get anywhere else?"
"I need an identity." The man says simply.
Was that all? He was honestly disappointed. "Fake identities are easy," He scoffs "You can't possibly be telling me that you can't get one yourself. They're like, what, a dime a dozen"
"No, not fake. An actual one." The man growls, his voice low and frustrated, glaring at the men targeting him. "Look, I can't get into the details… but, I am not from around… 'here'."
An immigrant then? Or a fugitive maybe? A dangerous criminal? An assassin on the run from his employer? Okay, so maybe this could be interesting.
The man continues. "SHIELD? I think you've heard of them." Ah, things were maybe starting to make sense. Yeah, he's heard of SHIELD, had his run-ins with them. They were there when he took down STARK INDUSTRIES from Obadiah Stane and rebuilt it into to the underground organisation it was today, tearing down the damage created by his old company. "Well, they're after me. I have no identity of my own in this world. It makes things difficult. I… I don't even have a home. I've heard you're mighty slick with computers, and that you can get into anywhere you want. Make me an Identity, and I'll do what want."
Well the man was certainly interesting, he'll give him that. He'll see where this goes.
"Okay, I think we have ourselves a deal. Let's talk"
Tony looks up from his tablet as Steve slips into their room. The man picks up his up his sketchbook from the side table before flopping down onto their bed with a huff.
Stretching out his arm, he invites Steve into the space beside him on the large bed. Steve stretches out beside him on his stomach.
He runs his fingers through Steve's hair as he draws beside him on their bed. The sound of the pencil dragging across the paper soothing to his ears.
When they met nearly three years ago, he had no idea who he was talking to. Captain America himself. Alive after 70 long years frozen in ice. A wanted man after running from SHIELD. A homeless artist with nothing, not even a name.
Tony smiles to himself. In a few days it will be the anniversary of their deal, the day 'Roger Stevens' had walked into his life for the first time. He plans to propose to Steve.
A mob boss and a government fugitive. They were a right pair.
The End
Notes: For the MHEA Harlequin Hoopla, Suspense Prompt - Feb 2nd: Mob AU
Quid pro quo [Latin] is a phrase meaning an exchange of goods or services, in which one transfer is contingent upon the other; "a favor for a favor".