Tony

You ever walk around like your head is in the clouds? Let me tell you. I've been up in the clouds. I fly through them almost daily, but there's nothing like having your head up in the proverbial clouds. I thought I knew love, I really did, but nothing compared to what I've been feeling these past few months. Yes, Chelle was a few years younger than me, but neither one of us let that get in our way. She kinda has a thing for older men, and who am I to deny her?

When Pepper and I broke up, I was sure I'd never be in another relationship. Being with her had changed me. Yes, I knew it was for the better, but when we broke up, I retreated to my old ways. I was the playboy I had always been. But for some reason, I couldn't seem to follow through with any of them. Yes, I could get hard. But for some reason, I just couldn't get them into my bed. Not that they weren't willing, and not that I didn't want to... I just didn't want to. I didn't feel like fucking any of the countless women who threw themselves at me. Maybe that's why I was so drawn to Chelle Frost.

I had decided to attend a party I had been invited too without even really caring what the party was for or who was hosting it. From the moment I had stepped inside, everyone was celebrating because I was there. It was almost six months after the Avengers and I had taken down the Chitauri and three months after Pepper and I had ended our relationship. Even though it was best for both of us, it had taken me this long to break out my shell. No one knew just how deep I had receded and the reasons why, no one except for Steve.

Steve was the only one who knew Pepper and I had broken up because we couldn't continue on the way we were. We couldn't work together and be in a relationship. She found out she resented me in ways that a lover never should resent a lover, and I would have rather break up with her than to fire her. I couldn't run my company without her. I had made her CEO, but when we broke up, she didn't want that title anymore. We both agreed it would be best if we went back to me being the CEO and her being my personal secretary. Things were better this way and now I couldn't be happier.

When I saw Chelle for the first time, I wanted her. I had spent enough time being alone and for once, someone made me feel like I wasn't alone in this world. Yes, I had Steve and the rest of the Avengers, but there wasn't anything like sexual companionship. Seeing Chelle made me feel something that I didn't think I even wanted to feel, but I couldn't control myself. But I had fallen into my old habits.

I had taken her to bed, and then as if I couldn't be even more like myself, I left before she woke in the morning and had Pepper clean up my dirty work. She and I fought more later that day than we had when we had actually broken up.

"I can't believe you, Tony! Did what we have mean nothing to you?"

"Oh, I get it! If I'm not with you, I can't be with anyone?"

"NO! I don't care who share your bed with, Tony! But you made me take out your trash once again!"

I felt bad for doing it, I did, but that was all that was said about it. I didn't ever ask her to see the women I took to bed out in the morning. A part of me would always love Pepper, but we were better off working together, not being together. She even told me she was happy I'd found someone else to make me happy when she found out I was with someone new. I knew it had to be hard on her, but she made the best of it.

"I'm glad you're happy."

And I am happy. And now I was about to make my best friend as happy as I was. Chelle wanted to hook her best friend up with Steve, and I was about to make his day.

"Jarvis, where is Steve?"

"Captain Rogers is in the kitchen, sir."

"Thank you, Jarvis."

Walking into the kitchen, I found Steve sitting at the counter, buried deep in his sketch book. He never shared what was in those notebooks, not even with me. I made a mental note to make him a virtual sketch pad for his birthday and to teach him how to use it. He may like his rock and chisel, but given the right tools, he could have an infinite space to save his drawings, and they could have far more detail than pencil or charcoal could do for him. I was sure he'd still like his ancient tools, but I wanted to help him adapt to the world he's now been in for several months.

"Hey, Cap!" I swallowed a laugh when he practically jumped off of the bars tool he was sitting on. Turning my head, I brushed my finger over the slope of my nose down to my cheek, clearing my throat. I knew I shouldn't get so much pleasure out of spooking Captain Spangly-pants, but I couldn't help myself sometimes.

"Tony." Steve cleared his throat as well, adjusting himself from almost falling off the stool. "I didn't expect you to be home."

I grabbed an apple, and took a bite, chewing it up. "I was about to head out, but you're coming with me."

Steve stopped mid doodle. "No hot date tonight?"

"Double date. Now put your doodles away and lets get going."

Steve stared at me for a moment before hopping up off the stool and gathering up his stuff. "I'll be right back."

"Yeah, you will. Meet you in the garage."

Steve was to his room and down in the garage in less than five minutes.

"This isn't going to turn out like my double dates with Bucky, is it?"

I looked over at him briefly as we drove out of the tower basement. "Have you seen yourself? If I didn't already have Chelle under my spell, she and her friend would be drooling all over you, Spangles."

I looked over at Steve coming to the top of of the garage driveway, noticing his ears turn pink. He was embarrassed. I didn't understand. If I looked like him, I wouldn't feel so insecure about myself, but then again, maybe he was still living in his smaller body's head. I didn't understand that way of thinking. I'd always been secure in myself. And if I wasn't, I faked it so no one ever knew.

"What's her name?"

Turning out into traffic, I headed toward the restaurant. "Erin Shane. She's Chelle's best friend."

"That's a pretty name."

Smiling to myself, I was almost as excited for the night as I knew Chelle was for this night. She had to find out when Erin was going to be in the city. Chelle was here shooting a movie and Erin was in Texas filming an independent film up until yesterday. It had been months since they had seen each other, and even though Chelle would have loved to spend the night with her best friend alone, she wanted Erin to meet Steve even more. Seeing Chelle's excitement was a huge turn on. I was really looking forward to tonight.

On the way over, I told Steve all I knew about Erin. Alright, so maybe it was mostly about the movies she's been in and a few things Chelle had told me about her, but I told him everything I could. He sat in the passenger seat as interested in what I had to say as I was when Steve would tell me stories about his time as Captain America in 1943. It was amazing to see how interested he was in this girl he hadn't even met yet. If this was any indication of what was going to come, this was going to turn out as good as Chelle and I hoped.