Pete falls asleep on the way home and his team mates are silent as he fumes.
Clint bales almost before he's stopped the car but Steve hovers around looking like a kicked puppy.
He pops the trunk so Jarvis can reform the suit and then goes to the back door to retrieve his son.
'Tony...' Steve tries before trailing off.
'Rogers?' he asks blandly and doesn't miss Steve's flinch.
'I swear this will never happen again,' Steve has one hell of a moping face. 'I'll never let go of his hand, I'll wear one of those bizarre headsets that you have or Jarvis can just come with us and...'
'Rogers,' he interrupts and tries not to enjoy the resulting cringe.
'Please,' Steve actually begs, 'please, Tony. I will never let this happen again. Not with Pete and not with Jim...'
'Will you stop?' he snaps. 'It's over. I fixed it. No harm done. Just forget about it.'
Steve dithers as Jarvis picks up the bag of toys from the trunk.
'Dada?' Pete lifts his head briefly but then settles back down.
'Do I need to go back to the Tower?' Steve asks quietly.
He'll admit that the look he shoots at the other man doesn't actually answer the question.
Jarvis falls in step with him as he walks to the Mansion entrance. Alfred opens the doors as they reach the top step,
'Welcome back, Master Stark,' Alfred steps to the side. 'Will Captain Rogers be joining you?'
He turns to look down to where Steve is still standing by the car,
'Yeah,' he looks straight into Steve's eyes. 'Let him in.'
Pete's still sleeping so he puts him down on the sofa as he gets back to work. Jarvis settles the armour in sentry mode and stands beside his brother.
He's completed the sensor net installation in the hallway, and the small room between the ballroom and the entrance hall, now he's doing the blue lounge and next he'll tackle the entrance hall itself.
He masterfully ignores Steve standing below him for over half an hour before Steve finally speaks,
'Thank you.'
He sways in the air and looks down,
'What?'
Steve is watching Pete but looks up at the sound of his voice,
'Thank you.'
'For what?'
'Implying that you'll forgive me?' he receives a crooked smile.
'Wasn't your fault,' he looks away.
'Not true,' Steve disagrees quietly.
'He's a Stark,' he lands and glances at Steve before looking back at the drill in his hands. 'I should have sent Jarvis with you.'
'Jarvis is the only way I've found to keep track of you,' Steve offers him a weak smile.
He offers a small smile in reply,
'Sorry I shouted.'
'No,' Steve denies instantly, 'don't. Clint was an ass.'
He shrugs,
'I made my kid cry.'
'I made him cry first,' Steve shoots a look at Pete.
'Do you want a drink?' he asks suddenly. 'I really think I need a drink.'
'Don't you have... work?' Steve gestures vaguely at the ceiling.
'It can wait,' he shrugs.
He'll just have to add working into tomorrow night to working through tonight.
'Then I'd love to,' Steve offers him an adorably shy smile, 'if you really want me to join you.'
'Sure,' he shrugs again before waving Steve to a free sofa and fetching a decanter and two tumblers from the cabinet on the wall. 'Here,' he pours two generous measures and hands one over to Steve.
'Thank you,' Steve has carefully sat as close to the arm of the sofa as he can.
'Cheers,' he clinks their glasses together as he sits down next to Steve.
Tony probably stayed seated for all of five minutes before he was up and working again.
There's conversation now though. If it can be called a conversation when Tony does more than ninety percent of the talking.
It's nice just to listen to Tony's voice.
After a while Tony's monologue tails off into the occasional comment to Jarvis so he decides to slip away.
Maybe he'll go for a quick run around the grounds...
'Captain Rogers,' Pepper makes him nearly jump out of his skin.
'Ms Potts,' he stumbles to a stop.
'Walk with me,' she instructs.
Some part of him is a good soldier after all because he falls in step with her without a word.
'Captain,' she leads him to a library and gestures him into a seat before sitting across from him, 'I owe you an apology.'
'Oh,' he blinks at her in surprise, 'ma'am, that's...' It's still not really ok. 'You're Tony's friend; I understand why you'd keep his secrets.'
She nods in acknowledgement,
'Still; I'm sorry Tony didn't tell you sooner.'
He shrugs,
'Did you ask me here just to say that?'
'No,' she crosses her legs and leans back. 'Captain...'
'Steve,' he interrupts with a smile of his own.
'Steve,' she agrees. 'I need you to tell me what you want from Tony.'
He stares at her as his brain short-circuits.
'What?' he manages to ask quietly.
'Steve, you like Tony,' she tells him straightforwardly. 'I know you told him so and I know that he turned you down.'
'If you know that,' he realises he's sitting very rigidly but can't make himself relax, 'then you know it doesn't really matter what I want.'
'Humour me,' she smiles.
'Why?' he scowls.
'Because Tony is my best friend.'
'He doesn't want to be with me,' he feels his scowl slip and looks down at his lap.
'Imagine he did,' Pepper persists. 'What would you want? What would be your ideal scenario?'
He shoots her a pleading look,
'Pepper...'
'Please,' she stares at him. 'Steve, what would you want with Tony?'
'Why?' he drops his head into his hands.
She just looks at him.
'Everything!' he blurts. 'He's Tony... He's...' his mind spins. 'Why are you asking me about something that will never...?'
'Tony thinks you'll be a bad match because of him!' Pepper interrupts. 'He thinks the world of you.'
'You think I should... ask him out?'
'What would you want from him?' she presses him.
'I would...' his mind is still spinning. 'I'd move in with him. We'd raise the boys together...' he falters before finally admitting 'I'd marry him, if he'd have me.'
Pepper smiles at him,
'You are so sweet.'
'Yeah,' he scoffs and drags his fingers through his hair.
'Thank you, Steve,' Pepper stands up.
'Right,' he agrees, confused, as he stands as well and is shown to the door. He falters and turns back to Pepper when he reaches the hallway, 'I'm in love with him, Pepper.'
His heart can't decide if it wants to swell or lodge in his throat.
Pepper puts a hand on his arm and squeezes before closing the door between them.
Now he really needs that run.
