Chapter 13: Paradise

Good things can't last forever. Steve had learned that lesson too many times to count. So he was determined to make the best of this… whatever it was.

He'd woken up feeling more well rested than he had all year. Tony was still sound asleep, curled up against him and murmuring incoherent words. It was surprising to say the least, because Steve had been expecting to wake up and find that Tony had left, whether it was because of a nightmare or because he just couldn't sleep. But he had stayed all night long, and there had been no screaming or tossing and turning on his part. It had been completely peaceful.

Deciding to be a bit more forward than usual, Steve leaned down and began gently kissing Tony's ear to wake him. A low moan escaped from Tony's mouth and he turned around to gaze at Steve sleepily.

"That's not fair," he murmured, "I can't sleep with you doing that."

Steve leaned down and caught Tony's lips in a deep kiss. "Kind of the point," he murmured as he pulled away. Tony huffed in annoyance but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

It was all incredibly surreal. It really was. A month ago, Tony was a bitter enemy that Steve could barely stand to be in the same room with. And now, the room didn't really feel right unless Tony was there. It was incredible, how fast and how much things had changed.

"Do you mind telling me why you're looking at me like that?" Tony's voice abruptly cut through Steve's thoughts and he realized that he'd been staring directly at Tony the whole time he'd been mulling over the recent turn of events.

"Because I'm happy," Steve replied simply, grinning as he propped himself up on one elbow.

Tony rolled his eyes. "You are so cheesy," he said in mock annoyance. Steve laughed and Tony chuckled a bit as he sat up.

A few moments passed in silence, and Steve was about to say something when Tony reached out a hand to gently brush a piece of his hair out of his face. It was a simple gesture, but Steve noticed that the second Tony's hand touched him, the air around them suddenly felt charged, like it had that day in the kitchen. His hand brushed against Steve's forehead as he pulled it away, and the trail it left behind was hot. Steve closed his eyes at the feeling, and Tony took this as his cue to steal a kiss.

The second their lips met, Steve anchored his hand in Tony's hair and pulled him close, as close as possible, imagining he could absorb Tony through his skin and make them one utterly complete being. Tony moaned in satisfaction against Steve's mouth and wrapped his arms around his torso. His skin was flushed and warm, and Steve relished the feeling of it against his own.

He had never been this close to anyone. And if he never was again, he wouldn't be upset. Because the way he felt—right here, in this moment—was enough to last him for a lifetime.

Paradise.

Soft lips, warm skin, a hand buried in his hair, another pulling him closer… Yes. This was paradise. And though Tony had never dreamed he would experience it, especially in this way, he accepted this tiny sliver of bliss without question. This was his moment, and he was going to hold onto it until it slipped through his hands and disappeared forever, as dreams always did.

With a great deal of effort, he pulled himself away from Steve and cupped his cheek with his right hand, taking a moment to look into his eyes. The normally clear blue pools were covered with a thick mist—a mist of lust, vulnerability, and something Tony did not dare name. Steve opened his mouth to say something, but all that came out was a shaky exhalation of breath. A subtle flush crept across his cheeks and something inside of Tony melted away.

Tony kissed him then, fiercely, and Steve made a small sound of surprise but immediately accepted him.

"You," Tony whispered between kisses, "You, you, you…"

You.

When Steve had first woken up from his seventy-year sleep, he'd wondered why. He'd wondered why God had kept him alive. Mostly because after his transformation, he'd had an incredibly hard time reconciling his new super soldier self with his faith.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Would God be angry with him, for allowing himself to be altered in such a way? Would God still accept him if he were no longer truly human, especially because he'd been completely aware of the outcome of his decision? But this new super self had been created to help people, so did it really matter? Would God punish him, or judge him, for what had been done to his body with his full permission?

He still didn't really know. He'd always thought that if God were truly upset with someone, He would make it known.

Steve knew well enough that most people in this time, Tony included, didn't believe in God. But this, though discouraging at times, did not dissuade him from his faith. And so he'd waited for God's mighty hand to strike him down and show him that He was disappointed.

Now he knew that God had forgiven him. He knew that there was a reason that he had woken up, a reason that he had survived. And that reason was lying next to him, staring up at him with shining eyes.

This was the moment where he wanted to say everything out loud. How he'd been drowning in a terrifying and unfamiliar world before Tony had reached out a hand and pulled him out. How, for months, he had been researching ways to stop his heart. And, most of all, how Tony had saved his life simply by giving him a reason to live.

"Tony," he whispered, his voice wavering.

"Yeah?" Tony whispered back.

"I—"

"CAP? CAP? STEVE, ARE YOU HERE?"

Steve jumped at the far-off, but incredibly loud, shout of his name. He immediately recognized the yelling as Clint's, and his blood ran cold at the sharp edge of panic in his comrade's voice. He and Tony immediately jumped up and rushed to the door together, but halted as soon as they realized how strange this would look to Clint if he came bursting in. Tony, thinking fast, leaped into Steve's closet and wedged himself behind some clothes just as the door swung open.

"Steve!" Clint was out of breath and Steve's heart picked up speed as he took in his appearance: His hair was completely disheveled, his clothing streaked with blood, and his body covered in open wounds and bruises. Clint met Steve's gaze with wild, terrified eyes.

His voice came out gravelly and raw. "I need your help. Stark's, too."

"What happened? What's wrong?"

There were a few moments of silence as Clint let the question sink in. Steve could have sworn that he stopped breathing.

Finally, with an eerie calm to his voice, he replied.

"Natasha's been taken."

Author's Note: HI I'M SORRY I'VE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. I started school, lost all of my free time, and got a major case of writer's block for this chapter. I think about this story every day, I swear, and all I want to do is write it. I'm hoping that this will be enough to tide you guys over until the next update. I just wanted some sweet little fluff parts before we get into another action-packed section. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. I was smiling at pretty much every sentence I wrote... They are just too precious. :')

Forever yours (because ending this story will probably kill me so I'll have to write for all eternity I guess),

magicinthemoonlight29