Chapter 4: Inscape


Let's Continue!


"Where's Steve?" Natasha asked, as she readied the Avenge-Jet for international travel. The dials had become un-calibrated from neglect and it would take a couple of minutes to adjust them. Normally Jarvis would be at the ready with the machinery, but she wanted to double-check for herself. She was old-school like that.

"I'll get him-

"No!" Tony exclaimed loudly, interrupting Hawkeye. All turned to face him, eying him quizzically, even Bruce (who normally kept to himself) questioned Tony's sudden outburst. "I-I'll get him, just worry yourself with getting the Avenge-Jet ready." Tony finished, taking a deep breath once he left the platform and stepped into the Tower.

His footsteps echoed through the halls and towards their shared area. He took another deep breath to settle his nerves once he made it to Steve's bedroom door. He knocked softly, then promptly let himself in. He'd never seen a body so still while in slumber. Steve lay like the dead, his breaths taking minute intervals between inhale and exhale. Tony's entire core shook as he leaned in to touch Steve's face.

"Steve, you need to wake up." Tony whispered, playing around with a random strand of the blonde's hair. The Halfling remained still—apparently Tony's words couldn't penetrate the barrier into Steve's death-like sleep. "We need to do some avenging, you know, your specialty." Tony reminded, sitting down on the little space so he could better run his fingers through Steve's silky hair. The side of the bed dipped with the weight of his metal armour, but even that did nothing to persuade Steve into re-joining the land of the living.

A week had passed since their encounter with Dracula, a week that involved many late nights in the lab testing Steve's blood and researching on a cure while simultaneously trying to ignore the feeling of utter despair if they couldn't find one in time. Tony's bruises healed, yes, but it would only be a matter of time before people asked what the matter was. This was strange enough as it was, there was no need to get the others involved.

Tony tried for three minutes straight to shake the man into wakefulness, but no amount of rough shoving aided his task. There was only one thing he could think of doing that might work.

Tony placed his wrist against the closed mouth, it did nothing but mash Steve's lips against his flesh. He tried again, this time pulling Steve's jaw down so his tongue would taste his wrist and feel the pulse beneath. Not soon after, Steve took a deep breath and with his eyes still closed latched onto Tony's wrist with abandon. He rose slowly, pulling the wrist closer to his mouth with his hands until he was practically strangling Tony's arm.

"O-okay there, Captain Leech, let me go now." Tony's voice always shook when Steve bit him, the numb feeling had gone away a couple of days ago, but the aphrodisiac effect it had on his body remained, and was sometimes stronger contingent on how hungry Steve was. It always surprised Tony how hungry Steve could be after one day.

Steve was normally pretty good at obeying Tony when he said enough was enough, however, presently Steve was fatigued. He spent the last few nights tossing and turning as insidious thoughts cascaded within the confines of his skull. All that they had in common were Tony and feeding. He didn't want to give his thoughts any merit, seeing as he never once thought of Tony as only his food source. Nonetheless, he was in a momentary trance where his death-sleep and his waking state were merged into one and he couldn't find the strength in him to stop his body from doing what it wanted. It was instinct—it made him more reluctant to let go.

"Steve, please." Tony's face felt hot and his heartbeat increased. There was a threshold Tony didn't want to ever cross again, so whenever he came close to it, he made Steve back off. It was the safest way to keep this completely professional. When he did allow himself to test the limits of said line, he could feel himself breaking away from that clinical professionalism, and delving deeper into this dark twisted form of servitude. If Steve was in nirvana every time he fed off Tony, then right now Tony was knocking on heaven's door.

Tony tugged his arm away as softly as he could; he could hear the smacking pop that shouldn't have sounded as filthy as it did. Steve looked up, his pupils were so dilated that they dwarfed the blue irises. It took a second for the hazy look to clear, and his eyes to refocus on reality.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, after looking Tony up and down; the billionaire held himself tight against the bed, his entire frame shaking slightly. His suit hid most of his embarrassment, but he could guess that his cheeks were bright red flags on either side of his face.

"Yes." Tony huffed out, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from groaning. The effects of the venom always lingered in his system for a couple of minutes. They always managed to make him weak at the base of his pelvis, and sensitive to touch. "We need to go; the Avenge-Jet is waiting." Tony explained, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

If he could bottle Steve's venom and sell it as a drug, he would be twice as rich as he was now. And that's saying something.


Fighting in the daylight slowed Steve's reflexes by at least half. There were a few close calls and a definite hit from one of the flying projectiles. It didn't hurt; it was just annoying to be out of his element. The others didn't seem to notice much, they were all too preoccupied with fighting their own foes. All but one, Tony kept a very close range to Steve, sometimes stepping in if he thought Steve couldn't handle it.

There was something they needed to talk about. It had been a week, albeit a maddening week. Tony waited 'til the last possible second to feed him and as soon as they started, he panicked and pulled his arm away. He could eat other things, sure, but his metabolism burned through regular food like water.

Steve had suggested they bag some blood, but Tony adamantly refused. He said it would be a biohazard, and completely suspicious if any of their teammates were to find out. So for now, Steve had to wait patiently for that one blessed hour where he could feed. And in between that, they stayed up all night trying to find a 'cure.' They've performed all manners of tests ranging from bloodwork to research, and nothing they could find helped their case.

Steve had anticipated that the Serum and the venom would equalize in his body, creating this hybrid effect. Tony theorized that one would eventually break, the Serum couldn't hold out forever, and neither could the venom. It was only a matter of time now.

But Steve had another theory, he believed the longer he stayed hungry, the more the scales would tip. And though the trade-off would be 1%, it would eventually be that percentage that would destroy the Serum completely, and truly make him a Child of the Night. But he hadn't voiced that opinion with Tony as of yet.

So, when he was awoken to the taste of the sweetest resource in the entire world (to him), he couldn't help but latch on and drink until there was not tomorrow. He couldn't even identify the sounds coming from the arm, the blood was all he could think of, how sweet it was – how delicious it tasted against his tongue, and how it smoothed the constant ache in his throat. And then the moment was gone, snatched up again like a premature ending to a lovely dream.

But once he had his wits about him, Steve would notice a couple of things about Tony's body. Over the last week he's been able to identify particular scents emanating from his comrade, the obvious one was a distinct scent that screamed TONY whenever he walked into any room. The longer he stayed in the he room, the more scents he could recognise though, for example, Natasha smelled like lavender roses, Thor like a rainy day, and Hulk – like metallic grass. Tony's was different though, it was a conglomeration of all the things he loved in life and loved in the billionaire. It was different, and it stood out.

It wasn't all, however, that he could pick out Tony's scent. Eventually he noticed little differences the more time he spent with the genius; especially when he fed.

The first one was fear; it had a strong acidic scent that left a bad aftertaste in his mouth after each feeding session—It made the blood bitter. So, Steve worked on calming Tony down every time they met. It's been working thus far, and Tony normally relaxed almost immediately now. There were still some things that scared him though, like the moment right before Steve bit. It always managed to incite fear, and that really couldn't be helped.

The second scent was a mixture of scents, serotonin, dopamine, and other endorphins seemed to rush through Tony's system and it flooded Steve's brain, adding to the taste, and every time he fed it felt as if the levels were increasing. Instead of Tony becoming more tolerant to the venom and adjusting to its effect he seemed to be more sensitive. Completely defying all rules, but we were dealing with the supernatural here, so the regular rules didn't apply.

The third, and probably most surprising, was testosterone. This one took a bit of deep inhaling to figure out. It's hidden under the endorphins and almost impossible to taste. Every time Steve fed, the last thing to reach its normal level in Tony's body was the testosterone.

The genius would hide behind the mask of indifference, but his body was an open book. Steve always wanted to tell him, do something to alleviate Tony's obvious (at least to his nostrils) frustration. But it would be crossing a line and possibly never returning from it. Ever since this whole half-vampire thing, Steve has been trying to respect Tony's space as much as he can after feeding. This thing they did was of course, not normal friend behaviour. He figured that because it was so incredibly intimate, every second Tony had to subject himself to it made the billionaire hate him just a little more each day.

That was another scent hidden under the cacophony of the others; it was darker, more acidic than fear, but it always came after he fed. Steve wanted to help Tony, but he didn't know where or how to address the situation. So, like children walking around on eggshells, they tiptoed over the topic.

But they eventually needed to talk about this.

ooOOoo

"That's enough." Tony said as he removed his wrist from Steve's eager mouth. It was the first time that Tony had let him feed twice in a day, so he wasn't going to complain.

"Have you made any headway on any of the tests we've conducted so far?" Steve asked, trying to sound interested at the prospect of doing more tests to combat this disease.

"No, well, not exactly. Your blood is quite potent, in just twenty-four hours it has been able to absorb the other blood cells and replicate at an alarming speed. I had to burn it so it wouldn't spill over. Other than that discovery, there doesn't seem to be anything else I can do. I'm afraid to ask Bruce, he would be able to connect the dots and I don't want this coming out." Tony answered, sighing at the end of his explanation.

There it was that acidic scent that sent small daggers through Steve's heart.

"Tony, I know you hate me with all you have right now, but trust me, if there was a way to get around all this, I would do everything in my power to do so. It wasn't as if I asked to get bitten." Steve said sincerely. His entire body slumped on the counter and his blue eyes reflected the deep sadness within. He hated causing pain in Tony, as minimal as it was.

"Hate you? Steve, I don't hate you, I hate myself, I hate this situation, and I absolutely detest Dracula. He's the one who got us in this bind in the first place. I could never hate you for this; for once this isn't your fault." Tony corrected, patting Steve on the shoulder.

"What do you mean 'for once'? When has anything ever been solely my fault?" Steve asked, and then thought better about it. "You know what, don't answer that."

Tony smiled and Steve was able to discover another scent that he fell in love with immediately: happiness.

ooOOoo

It was easier to watch Tony sleep and not be tempted to bite him, after Steve got over the initial hurdle between hunger and protection, it lay clear where his allegiance lay.

He was, however, tempted with another deadly fruit. Tony's body lay beneath the sheets, completely pliable and just within reach. It filled Steve's head with dark thoughts that ventured too close to the crux of the matter. He was a virgin, sure, but he knew how these things worked. For some unknown reason, he knew that their experience together (Steve's feeding and Tony's comfort) would be bettered if they commenced a relationship. He didn't know why, but something told him that that's how Dimitri and Mendeleev's relationship started. If he ever encountered them on the flip-side, he might ask them.

It was getting around that time for Steve to leave before Tony woke up. Something stopped him though, a small voice coming from the blue sheets.

"Don't go."

It was obvious that Tony was still asleep, but his awareness of Steve's presence must supersede his slumber.

"I won't if you don't want me to." Steve replied, softly.

"Don't go." Was the only reply before Tony turned on his side and put his back to Steve.

Steve stayed until the first signs of the sun's rays, and even then, he stayed a little longer.


Tony woke up with that feeling again, the one where he knew he was missing something but couldn't quite place it. He instinctively rubbed his right wrist as he got ready for the morning… or late morning.

His sleeping schedule seemed to slowly adjust itself to Steve's own circadian rhythm—it wouldn't be long before the two of them synched up. He felt so ostracized from all his other teammates; they never had to deal with this. But he wouldn't want them to deal with this. He was the only one fit for the job.

Well that was different, not long ago he was complaining about being a drudge, now he was claiming sole proprietorship. But it was true, the idea of anyone else but him providing for Steve like he was, made his blood boil and his skin crawl; he was jealous of the mere thought of it.

He needed to find a cure for this and quickly.

This thing was bigger than the both of them, and if they weren't careful, it would get out of hand. And Tony was loathed to find out what that would entail.


Another week passed by with as much progress as the first, which is to say, no progress at all. Tony's sleeping schedule was about three hours off from Steve's and somehow, no one else seemed to find it strange that the two were suddenly missing from all daily activates. It seemed that if they both showed up for work (AKA avenging) it was good enough for everyone else. And besides, it wasn't as if the others couldn't just walk into the lab to find out if they were still alive or not.

That being said, Steve's midnight escapades to Tony's room became more frequent and lasted longer. Tony never spoke again, but Steve had the distinct feeling that his presence alone had a calming effect on the billionaire. He only wished he could say the same for the wakeful Tony. Every time he fed, Tony would stiffen up and shut down his face until he reached a point where he couldn't take it anymore and pulled away. They've yet to have the talk, but Steve would allude to it as best as he could.

On the same night, he broke one of his unspoken rules and traced a line from Tony's forehead to his chin. "Tell me what I can do to make you want this, I'll do it, I swear." Steve wasn't expecting a reply; it would be ridiculous to expect a reply from a sleeping body.

"Keep… biting…" Tony sighed into his pillow, his fists balling up next to his head.

"Are you…" Tony wasn't cognizant of their current conversation, and Steve duly noted that, but he couldn't get around the fact that Tony was dreaming about him. And if his nose was correct, it had managed to increase his testosterone levels in his system to the breaking point.

It would be quite counterproductive and, not to mention, embarrassing if Steve stayed any longer.


Tony took a deep breath as he tried to fix the contraption before him, it used to come so easy, but now he was too distracted, too preoccupied with trying to keep Steve fed and his mind intact. Juggling these responsibilities made him feel like he was conducting a balancing act.

The door opened automatically to let Steve in, what was the point keeping him locked out, the inevitable would come whether he was ready for it or not.

Tony looked up from his work; his breath caught in his throat when looked into Steve's mercurial eyes. There was something different about him, lethal almost, the sensation that coursed through his body didn't feel right.

This was not his Steve.

"How are you Tony?" This was the same question he always asked; Steve was always worried about his health, his well-being. He'd engage in long talks, sometimes spanning hours before he bit Tony, all in the sake of calming him down.

But this time the question was laced with a deeper meaning, Steve didn't care if he personally was okay, he was only asking because Tony was his only food supply – and if Tony was sick, so was his blood.

After discovering this distinction, Tony's entire body froze, he couldn't move an inch from the table and he felt sequestered in his own lab–in his own skin.

Steve quietly made his way to the paralyzed Tony, stopping and standing too close for comfort. As Steve toyed with Tony's hair he said, "You seem tense, is something wrong?" The mock concern was clear as day in his voice, but Tony answered anyways, though his mouth felt full of cotton and his throat closed involuntarily.

"You seem different today. Have you done anything I should be worried about?"

Steve grinned widely, his sharp incisors on full display; this was the first time Tony had ever laid eyes on them.

"I just woke up – Steve pushed Tony against the counter and leaned in – what could I possibly do in the span from there to here." Steve murmured against the heated skin of Tony's neck.

"I-I'm not quite sure, you could have snuck out for all I know." Tony answered back, unable to speak above a whisper.

"Mm, you would know if I left, you can feel it – this connection we share, it works both ways." Steve mouthed against the flesh of Tony's neck.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to play with your food?" Tony asked, irritation masking his fear. If Steve was gonna bite him, he might as well do it and get it over with, and though this wasn't their typical way of standing, Tony was too tired to argue – besides, something told him Steve wouldn't oblige if he did.

Steve chuckled, placing small kisses along the alcove where Tony's neck met his shoulder sending small shivers down his spine.

This was new; Steve never showed any affection during his feeding sessions, it was probably due to Tony's efforts to keep it as professional as possible that didn't allow him the chance.

Tony wasn't about to say he liked it, but he'd be lying if he said he hated it.

Involuntarily, he arched his neck closer to Steve's mouth which had proceeded to suck lightly on the pliant skin. Tony's hands made it to Steve's shoulders pulling him closer to his body; regardless of what this new phase was about, Steve still needed to feed, and Tony was his provider.

Tony felt a small pinch in his jugular, but before he had time to react, his senses were flooded with that strange aphrodisiac that was uniquely Steve's. Tony allowed himself a couple of minutes of intense pleasure. The experience was unlike any other he'd ever had. But he had to stop it (always had to) so it wouldn't get out of hand.

"Tony, don't." Steve begged, his voice hoarse, once he sensed Tony's reluctance kicking in. "Tell me what I can do to make you want this, I'll do it, I swear."

That line sounded different, it sounded like the Steve he knew, the one who would ask permission before he bit, the one who would stop immediately after Tony told him to. This was the Steve Tony was accustomed to dealing with, and he seemed so far away, almost out of touch.

"Keep biting." Tony grumbled, pushing Steve's head down so he would be motivated to resume. And resume he did, biting down with vigour. In the same breath, he cleared the counter behind Tony and placed him on it, achieving a better angle. Tony's legs and arms encircled Steve's entire abdomen—like a boa constrictor. His entire brain clouding with that welcomed intoxication, but what followed felt strangely out of place. It was too… familiar. As if he'd done it before, which he knew he hadn't, not like this.

As Tony's body became more excited, he noticed things started to fade in and out of existence. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late, and he had woken up to a mess in his own sheets.

ooOOoo

Tony found himself in a similar situation the next night, the only thing that had changed was the tool in his hand.

He knew he wasn't having a lucid dream when Steve stopped at the door and asked if he could be let in. Like the answer would be anything but yes by this point.

"How are you Tony?" It was so subtle, the difference between Dream-Steve and Real-Steve, but there it was—the proof was in the inflection.

"I'm doing well Steve, thanks for asking." Tony's answer was always the same. Nothing changed from day to day, except for Tony's feelings towards the situation, those were always evolving.

Steve walked calmly towards the counter where he was working and leaned down, a tactic he employed to make himself look smaller. Tony noticed this every time, but it wasn't until now that he knew why Steve was doing this.

"I'm not scared of you, you know. It makes no difference to me if you bang your chest and claim to be a man." Tony said, his tone bordering sarcasm.

"I know you're not afraid of me, but I like to think that this whole situation makes us both nervous, so instead of complaining – maybe you should just give me your wrist and get this over with." Steve said tiredly. If Tony cared to admit, the blonde was starting to look a little thin, his cheeks were a bit hallow, and his usually lively skin took a sickly-white pallor – and that had nothing to do with the venom in his veins.

"But weren't you thinking of…" Tony trailed off realizing, just in time, what he was about to suggest. It was repulsive, how far he'd fallen from his dignified ladder. He presented his wrist without complaint, enough he was exposing himself as it was, it was not quite necessary to do some more damage.

Steve took a deep breath and bit, letting his mouth fill with Tony's blood until it reached maximum capacity. He gulped the liquid down, whining internally when he forced himself to let go, but this was for Tony. The billionaire was tortured by their current predicament, even his dreams were plagued by this. He'd take as little as he could and find the rest of his nutrition elsewhere.

When Steve let his wrist go, Tony looked at him in surprise. He hadn't felt anything just yet.

"W-hat, Steve what?" Tony sputtered as his wrist lay on the counter seemingly untouched; even the normally blossoming rash remained centred at his wrist.

"I'm done, thank you. I feel satisfied now." Steve replied, doing everything in his power to not look at that wrist riddled with his bite-marks, it made his head spin just thinking how much more he could be getting… but no, this was for Tony.

"Bullshit!" Tony exclaimed, surprising the both of them.

"How can you tell if I'm full or not, it's not as if you know any other time." Steve retorted, lifting himself to his full height and practically gliding out of the room.

Tony was left standing there with his mouth open and his body aching for a little more.

"Jesus Christ… I'm an addict."


Steve spent a good forty minutes walking around downtown New York. Everyone smelled wonderful, and that thought had him walking faster and breathing slower.

Eventually he found an upscale restaurant that didn't require he be in a tuxedo.

"Table for one, please." Steve said, he looked around the semi-crowded room, "somewhere near the back, please."

"Right this way sir." The gentleman behind the podium said, guiding Steve and his menu down the aisles. "Here you are sir; your server will be right out."

"Thank you." Steve said. He opened his menu and went straight to the meats; the only thing he could think would suit the bill was a stake. If he could just order it raw…

"Hello sir, my name is Trevor and I will be serving you tonight. Could I start you off with something to drink?" The waiter caught Steve off guard, his scent… it mirrored Tony's almost identically. Steve had to blink a couple of times at the short blonde in order to make sure it was indeed a different person. Steve's throat started burning again and his gums were aching as he restrained his incisors from bursting through.

Steve cleared his throat and looked through the menu to distract himself and the awkward silence.

"Ah, what do you have?" Steve asked after finding it seemingly impossible to locate the beverages.

"A selection of the finest wines and champagnes, we also offer mixed drinks and the complimentary water." Trevor recited from memory; Steve nodded along with the list but decided that water was probably the safest choice.

"And while I get you that, are you ready to place your order?"

"Yes, could I have the steak please, raw?" Steve asked completely missing his slip-up.

"Do you mean rare, sir?" Trevor asked a bit confused.

"Of course, yes, they're so alike you know." Steve floundered, his entire face going red.

"Of course, no worries, we all make mistakes." Trevor said smiling brightly at him.

Steve calmed down after that, the boy's reassurance kept him from making a break for it as soon as the coast was clear. He kept toying with the idea of getting the young boy alone, maybe he could have more than two dinners that night… no, that would be wrong.

"Here you are sir; I made sure he prepared it extra-rare for that added flavour." Trevor said placing the food in front of Steve and winking.

"Thanks." Steve replied, eyeing Trevor and making sure he noticed. The waiter blushed, hard, and quickly walked away before he embarrassed himself.

The taste of cow-blood was the human equivalent to eating food with not salt: bland, but filling. It was the fullest he'd felt in weeks and no one had to suffer except for the cow and his bank-account.

He was finished with the steak in record time and soon ordered another. By the time he was done with the second serving, most of the patrons had left the establishment and Steve felt isolated amongst the empty tables.

Trevor made his way to Steve's table a little slower, it did not go unnoticed by the Super-Soldier that the young waiter had undone one of his buttons and ruffled up his hair (all probably violations of his code of conduct and dress code) to impress Steve.

"Should I send your complements to the Chef?" Trevor asked, taking a liberty on account of Steve's vivacious consumption of the meat.

"Indubitably." Steve replied, a small smile gracing his features.

"So… do you normally go to restaurants alone?" Trevor asked, leaning in a bit more than he had to in order to reach for the plates, incidentally baring his neck to Steve whose filled stomach did nothing to alleviate the strong need to bite into the white flesh.

"Mm, not always, usually when I do go out to eat my teammates come with me." Steve replied after a second thought.

"Teammates huh, do you play a sport?" The young waiter asked as he stacked the plates on each arm.

"Something like that." Though that was an outright lie, explaining to him that he saved the world on a regular basis would not have gotten him closer to whatever he was trying to achieve.

"How interesting." Trevor said letting the last word hang on his tongue, his smile becoming more coquette as the night grew darker. He walked away with the plates and that's when Steve noticed a presence fast approaching. And it was angry.

"Sir! Sir! You need to state your name; you can't just burst in here! Sir!" The distressed front-man said to the man making his way towards Steve's table. Steve on the other hand raised both his eyebrows in surprise.

"What are you doing here Steve?" Tony asked murderously, he was trying to walk through the thin man and give Steve a piece of his mind, but he was also trying to deal with the completely irrational jealousy that had stemmed from seeing Steve flirt with the waiter.

"Eating, I thought that was what you did in a restaurant." Steve replied with a dead-pan expression on his face.

"Sir, if I could please have your name." The thin man asked in a pleading tone.

"Stark, Tony Stark." The genius finally relented and provided his name to the smaller man. In turn, his eyes widened and he apologized non-stop for not recognizing him sooner.

"No worries, it's not the first time someone's forgotten about me." Tony said looking pointedly at Steve.

The older man apologized again and retreated to his little podium near the entrance. At this time Trevor was returning with the bill, a dopey smile on his face until he realized the gentleman he was serving was no longer alone.

As soon as Trevor looked at Tony he swallowed his entire tongue, and it was not because he was now apparently serving Tony Stark either; when the billionaire looked at him it was as if Trevor's entire soul had been sucked out and spat on.

Tony's forced smile put the poor waiter on edge, causing his little heart to beat faster and Steve to notice the strong display of dominance play out from the side-lines.

"What is it that you'd like to order sir?" Trevor asked, proud that he didn't trip over his own tongue when doing so.

"The Chef's special. And some of that white wine I hear so much about." Tony answered, his sucrose-like attitude was worse than any other form of intimidation.

In a not-so-subtle move, Tony moved his hand to place it on Steve's clasped ones, making sure Trevor saw every second of it, leaving the waiter broken-hearted, and Steve utterly confused.

"Tony, what are you doing here?" Steve asked, slowly removing his hands and taking the bill from its confines.

"I got worried, you weren't returning any of my calls and I was afraid you were doing something irrational. And I was correct, what are you doing flirting with baby-blues over there!" Tony asked, making sure to keep his voice level with the tone of the environment.

"I didn't realize that I had any obligation to keep a monogamous relationship with someone who I didn't share anything with." Steve replied, perhaps a little harsher than he intended.

Tony's entire face collapsed in on itself. He thought they had… but Steve was right, they had nothing together. He was only fooling himself into thinking otherwise.

Steve was even more confused, he thought that was what Tony wanted to hear, wasn't he always harping about keeping it professional?

Before he could ask, Trevor interrupted, bringing the select items Tony had ordered. Funny, Tony's appetite just flew out the window.

"Tony-"

"No, Steve, stop right there. I get it; I grossly miscalculated where this thing was going." Tony said biting savagely into the seemingly tasteless food, though he knew that if he weren't in this current mood it would probably be delicious.

"And where exactly was any of this going – Steve leaned closer so that their voices wouldn't be heard by prying ears – Every time I try to get closer, you push me away. I've been starving for the past two weeks all to placate you, and then the moment I do exactly what you want, you freak out. I don't know what you want Tony." Steve confessed.

Tony locked eyes with Steve for a second then looked away; he stuffed his mouth and avoided answering the question.

It took Steve a moment to realize the slight blush on Tony's cheeks, the moment he breathed in again every other scent was dulled and his fangs came pushing back down with a vengeance.

"Would it be so surprising if I said I didn't know what I wanted either." Tony murmured. He took another bite to mask his uncharacteristic bashfulness.

Steve didn't know how to rebut that.

"We need to talk, but not here, somewhere we won't be interrupted." Steve said at last, pulling out his wallet to pay for the meal.

Tony agreed finishing his food with renowned vigour.

ooOOoo

The car ride was awkward to say the least, they were in a confined space and neither of them spoke a word. Steve started making his way to the lab when Tony grabbed his arm and pulled him towards their shared area.

"It would be safer if we did this in the bedroom." Tony said seriously, he didn't specify what this was. He wasn't quite sure if he knew either.

Tony suggested they take a shower and return in thirty minutes. They both needed to clear their heads before any more words transpired.

Tony warred between taking a shower or a bath, in the end he decided on a bath. He needed something to submerge himself in, a physical manifestation on how he was feeling. The water and bubbles clung to his skin like another layer, he wanted nothing more than to submerge and never resurface. But that train of thought was quite dark and he had a responsibility.

Steve on the other hand was itching to get this conversation over with; he took a shower in record time and donned his comfiest clothes. He wasn't quite sure what to do since Tony's door was still closed, so he simply paced in front of it. In his mind, he went over all the questions he wanted to ask, all the things they had put off.

To believe that this all started out with a kiss.

Steve was lost in thought when the door suddenly flung open and Tony stood on the other side.

"You should come in—I can hear you thinking from the bathroom." Tony said, making room so Steve could enter his bedroom. Tony thought twice about closing the door, and even more about locking it, but in the end, he decided to do both.

Steve stood awkwardly in the middle of Tony's large room, it was the first time he'd been in there via invitation, the overwhelming scent of him made his head dizzy— like it always did.

"You can sit on the floor or the bed, whatever you need to do to get comfortable." Tony said, still hovering close to the door. It was strange having someone in his bedroom for no other purpose but for speaking.

Steve decided to sit on the edge of the bed, as to not overstep his boundaries. Tony sat close enough to call it casual. His heart beat fast and both of them knew Steve could hear it.

"What is it that we need to talk about Steve?" Tony asked, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Cutting right to the chase, are we?" Steve asked with forced nonchalance. Tony met his eyes then and said, "What, was there anything else we needed to talk about, a preamble to this conversation perhaps, or were you gonna ask me about the weather?"

"No need to get so defensive, I was simply saying… you know what, fine. You know what I want to talk about?" Steve asked firmly.

"Yes, come on, I'm dying from anticipation here!" Tony replied.

"Us Tony, I wanna know how far you are willing to take this. I am completely content with leaving it the way it is. But when you send mixed signals, like at the restaurant, I don't know what to make of them." Steve wavered at the end, his feelings mixing with his words. "I'll go as far as you'll let me, I won't push you. But I need to know what's going on. We can't dance around the fire and not expect to one-day fall in."

Tony felt that overwhelming need to comfort Steve, the same one that had overtaken him that day in the hole. He couldn't stand to see Steve so hopeless, with his entire frame slumped so solemnly. But at the same time, he had to realize what Steve was saying, the Super-Soldier was willing to take this thing to a whole other level.

This required some deep thought from Tony.

It seemed like forever before the genius said or did anything. Steve was starting to feel hopeless with the situation.

He was about to take everything back when suddenly Tony grabbed his hand. Steve gasped when the billionaire placed his fingers on the base of his neck letting Steve feel how badly Tony's heart was beating.

"Every time you're near my heart gets like this. I can't control it and I know you can hear it. The only time it calms down is when you feed. There are other things too, I can't deny you anything; saying no to you is like trying to swim in a pool of concrete, basically impossible. And let's not get started on the irrational jealousy, if you even so much as look at anyone my body starts to bristle up and I see red. It can't be helped… a-and another thing that can't be helped is-

"I know, you don't have to say it." Steve interrupted, his hand now rested more fully on the flesh of Tony's neck.

"Normally these things could be resolved in the privacy of my own time, but even that is dwindling, if you haven't noticed you and I are the only ones awake now. And besides, I don't want to do it myself… I don't know why, but it's very frustrating." Tony confessed, his cheeks going from pink to red in a matter of seconds.

Steve placed his other hand on Tony's cheek, the billionaire looked up into the twin pools of care and longing… it was too much. The first to move was Steve; he pulled the genius into the kiss. It was just the pressing of lips at first, but then it developed into something much more adventurous. Steve let his previous kiss with the billionaire influence his current actions, and much like the last time, it yielded the same results.

Steve's saliva held small traces of venom in it, making Tony's body react similarly to that of a man who's been separated from something he loved for too long.

It didn't take long for Tony to become rabid and for the kiss to turn into a battle of dominance. Steve's hands had made their way to Tony's hips and Tony had managed to climb into Steve's lap, running his fingers through the blonde's hair.

Tony came up for air, since Steve was seemingly Aquaman and could hold his breath for minutes at a time.

Tony didn't mean to say it, or at least, he didn't mean to sound so wrecked saying it. But Steve kept kissing and sucking on his neck that it kind of just came out. "Bite me." Tony begged, his entire body on high alert for that one moment where the venom would flow in his veins again.

Steve actually growled at the command; he pulled Tony closer by the waist until there was nothing separating them but their clothes and bit, he was still cognizant enough to be gentle on Tony's skin.

The billionaire couldn't help it, he moaned, his entire body going limp in Steve's arms as the blonde fed.

Tony could feel the point of no return fast approaching, but before he could even think to say anything, Steve switched locations. The build-up receded some as his body tried to reorient itself and redirect the blood flow. This pattern continued for several minutes, enough to let Tony get used to the rise and fall of his body. At the very least, when Steve was finished Tony didn't feel as if he had a rock in between his legs.

That being said, he was still very much wrapped up like a present around Steve. Tony excused himself and climbed off, promptly getting under his sheets and covering himself up.

"That was different." Tony commented a little bit later, after both their hearts had quit pounding.

"Yeah…" Steve was happy; a goofy smile replaced his normally serious face. He was full and satisfied. And, as an added bonus, Tony didn't seem quite so upset.

"Whatever you did, you should do it again, but not right now. I need to go to bed." Tony buried himself under his sheets then peeked out of them for a second to whisper. "You can stay if you'd like to."

Steve felt himself turn red, he would have come in a couple of hours later regardless, but it was nice to have a proper invitation. Tony ordered for lights-off and buried himself deeper under the sheets, his body language indicated that Steve was more than welcome to join him on the other side, as long as he kept his own body above the sheets.

And it was in this moment right here, that their relationship started to shift. Things started to change between them; whether they liked it or not.


Yayyy, another day another chapter! Please tell me how you enjoyed that instalment.

[EDIT: JUL-29-2017 Another day, another dollar… more like another nickel]