Steve takes the lift down as far as the communal floor and then sets about preparing the massive batch of coffee for when the others start arriving.
'Is anyone else awake, Jarvis?' Steve asks quietly.
'Agent Romanov shall be coming up shortly,' Jarvis replies promptly. 'Agent Barton is unlikely to wake in the next hour, but seems strangely fond of coffee that is... past its best. Doctor Banner is asleep, but his alarm is set for 8am, which is in fifteen minutes time. Prince Thor is, as far as I am able to tell, still off world.'
'I'll set the machine running then,' Steve fusses with their mugs for a minute and then checks, again, that he's put in enough beans.
'Captain,' Jarvis breaks the silence, 'may I speak with you?'
Steve looks up in surprise,
'Of course you can. What's on your mind?'
'You seem troubled. There is little I can do to reassure you, but sir is ok.'
Steve nods,
'I wouldn't have left if I thought he wasn't.'
'Sir appreciated your presence, even if he did not say so,' Jarvis adds.
'Yeah?' Steve laughs dubiously. 'I'm not sure I was very helpful. You talked him down.'
'You were of far more help than some,' Steve doesn't question the censor in Jarvis' tone.
'I scared him,' Steve sighs and sits at the kitchen island. 'Will he even want me around Pete anymore?'
'Captain,' Jarvis pauses before continuing, 'sir rebounds from these episodes very quickly. I do not believe his desire to be alone is due to any fear of you.'
'You think so?' Steve smiles hopefully.
'If he feared you,' Jarvis replies, matter-a-factly, 'I would have shot you.'
'Reassuring,' Steve laughs, 'thanks.'
'You are welcome, Captain,' Jarvis would clearly be smirking if he could.
Steve sits in silence for a bit and his mood sobers again,
'Is he ok, Jarvis? I mean with everything that's happened to him in the last week, is there more I can do?'
'What you have been doing is sufficient,' Jarvis replies. 'Anything extra that you might do can only be at sir's request; he does not appreciate what he would see as meddling.'
'You were telling me something before,' Steve remembers. 'Something that you didn't want Tony to know you were telling me?'
'I was attempting to hint towards what you have just discovered,' Jarvis agrees. 'Sir had one parent who neglected him, one who actively abused him and a parent-like mentor who tried to kill him; he is unlikely to trust his son with many people.'
'He's only ever left Pete with me,' Steve realises.
'Yes, Captain.'
'That's... He really trusts me, huh?'
'He is trying.'
'I didn't think...' Steve's mind races. 'I mean, I knew we were friends now, but until a few weeks ago I still thought he meant to be mean every time he teased me.'
'Sir occasionally apologises in strange ways,' Jarvis tells him, and then adds 'and sometimes before anyone realises he's done anything that needs apologise for.'
Steve laughs,
'Yeah, that sounds like Tony.'
'Agent Romanov's arrival on this floor is imminent.'
'Ok,' Steve gets up and goes back to the coffee machine, 'thanks.'
'Steve,' Natasha greets him as she comes in. 'I thought you were having breakfast with Stark?'
'I did,' Steve nods, 'he's getting ready to see Colonel Rhodes now.'
'Oh,' she doesn't look convinced but accepts her coffee without complaint.
'Pancakes?' Steve offers.
'Alright,' she agrees. Her expression remains pleasant but her gaze sharpens.
'We...' Steve turns his back to her as he gets out the ingredients he needs.
What can he tell her? Tony wouldn't want him to tell her the truth.
'I think I've been spending too much time with Tony,' he settles for something that is probably true.
'He can get a bit much,' Natasha agrees blandly.
'Oh, no,' he disagrees before thinking that he could just let it slide, 'it's not that.'
'No?'
'I'm jealous,' he blurts, and realises it's true.
'Of Tony or of his son?' Natasha asks.
'Of... what?' Steve turns around. 'Why would I be jealous of Pete?'
'You'd like a baby then?' she smiles innocently but her eyes are laughing.
She's teasing him.
'I would,' he agrees. 'And stop that.'
'It would be one hell of a way to pop that cherry, Rogers,' she gives him that look of hers.
'Good morning,' Bruce steps into the kitchen and eyes them both.
'Bruce,' Steve smiles, 'I'm so glad you're here. Sit, have a coffee,' he pushes a mug into his hands, 'I'm making pancakes.'
'If you think I'm going to stop talking about this just because...'
'What are you working on?' Steve talks over her. 'Anything interesting going on in the lab?'
Bruce is clearly trying not to laugh at him,
'Do you really want me to describe my experiments?'
'Do you know anyone who might be interested in hooking up with a blonde super soldier?' Natasha asks.
'Really, Natasha? Over breakfast?' Steve groans.
'I'm just trying to help you, Rogers...'
'Sure you are,' Steve shakes his head and dishes up the first batch of pancakes. 'Just eat your food.'
'I thought you'd be having breakfast with Tony,' Bruce sips at his coffee.
'I did,' Steve flips Bruce's pancakes one at a time. 'He's playing with Pete and waiting for Colonel Rhodes to arrive.'
There's a silence behind him that makes him think his team mates are exchanging a look.
'Oh, come on,' he turns around and wields a spatula at them, 'not you too, Bruce!'
Bruce smiles and shrugs apologetically,
'Sorry, Steve,' Bruce tells him, 'but we do worry that you... well... don't have that many friends.'
Steve shakes his head and turns back in time to flip the pancakes again,
'Really, I appreciate the concern, but you can't just push me at SHIELD agents and expect me to sleep with them.'
'No,' Bruce agrees, 'but as far as I know you haven't actually given any of the people Natasha has suggested a chance.'
Steve shrugs and turns to put Bruce's breakfast in front of him,
'I had enough of being set up with people I don't know for a lifetime, thanks.'
'Ask Tony out,' Natasha advises. 'Worst he can do is say no.'
'I'm not going to ask Tony out,' Steve rolls his eyes at her.
'Why?' Bruce asks innocently and then looks surprised at himself. 'Sorry, Steve, of course you don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable with.'
'I don't think we'd be a good match,' Steve summons up a smirk, 'do you?'
'I could see it,' Natasha counters.
So can Steve.
'We'd drive each other insane,' Steve laughs.
'I don't know,' Bruce shrugs, 'you've been getting along much better. Especially since Pete arrived.'
This is killing him.
'By that logic I could be dating all of you.'
'There would be far too many dicks in one bed for me,' Natasha deadpans.
'My god, the mental images,' Bruce wrinkles his nose.
'I didn't mean...' Steve knows he's blushed scarlet by now. 'Why are we friends?'
'Proximity,' Natasha smiles sweetly.
