A/N: Guys, I don't deserve you! Thank you very much for the reviews, and the nice comments! (they are sittig copied into small notes on my table top :)) You have no idea what they mean to me! *n* I love you so much!
So have an extra long chapter :) hope you'll like it
Sketches
~Chapter 9~
~*You tell or I hack?*~
"Uh, sorry. It's awkward" Tony huffed a nervous chuckle in Steve's neck and with tentative moves, as if he didn't want to scare the beast he just tamed pulled back from Steve's arms. "Not to mention cheesy as fuck. Sorry" Tony flashed Steve a shy grin and just stopped his hand to rub at the back of his neck uncomfortably.
Steve was reluctant all the same to let Tony out of his arms, but now at least he knew that yes, Tony was actually here with him and he wasn't to be shaken awake by some compassionate passenger on the underground. And there was nothing to deny – it was so sweet he already felt his back teeth ache and rot to the root.
However, the easy air was blown away as Steve was still too dumbstruck from joy and relief to come up with any coherent sentence not to mention get his mouth to form anything competent and not just a softly fading idiotic goofy grin, and Tony still proved to be prone to jump to silly conclusions, such as despite everything he wasn't really needed –
"You know I can go if I'm bothering you right now and maybe call you later for a beer or something, I have my car–"
"You are not going anywhere drenched like this" Steve's delighted smile slipped into a stern frown, reaching for a tone he hadn't really used any more, only when he really had to kick Peter's ass at work to get moving, because he could be that much demanding – commanding – and you just could not say no.
He opened the door and gestured toward it. "I invited you first after all"
"Only to your doorstep" Tony mumbled under his breath as he eyed said part of the house suspiciously, but Steve could see the tension and insecurity flowing off the determined set of his shoulders.
"Don't be stupid" Steve smacked Tony on the arm lightly for good old times' sake and was further relieved when Tony cracked a grin – easy and mischievous and let himself be ushered into the warmth of the apartment.
"It's still not really big, we basically just changed city but now at least you would have a bigger closet to fill up with junk"
Tony rolled his eyes and sent him an exasperated half-stern look as if accusing Steve of being a hypocrite with calling him stupid before.
"Hey! Those were WIP projects of my restrained genius" Tony sulked as he toed off his training shoes.
Leave it up to Tony to wear those with a suit. The brand didn't register in Steve's mind but despite being soaked they looked expensive and classy and definitely unworn.
Steve really had a lot of catching up with Tony and wearing and having expensive things. He told himself the strange pang in his chest was just some kind of home-sick feeling. It was his own fault not googling the guy in the first place so that the difference wasn't so enormous. Not that he couldn't appreciate the white shirt that wet just clung to Tony's flexing muscles as he struggled with his other shoe, but he really missed the old worn jeans and baggy jumpers.
"-eve! Earth to Steve, you in there?"
Steve tumbled into the shoe rack Tony's snapping fingers in front of his face caught him so off guard. When Tony tumbled into him with a small surprised yelp did he only realise that he caught Tony's wrist instinctively. He let it go immediately when he caught glimpse of the other's painfully rounding disbelieving eyes.
"I'm sorry!" Steve apologized and helped Tony back to his feet. For a bare second he could see the whitened marks on Tony's wrist where he'd squeezed too tight.
Guilt flooded through him with overwhelming waves, but he tried to shrug the haze away quickly and focus his attention back to Tony.
He felt from very far away a soft rippling that hummed of insecurity and doubt under the fog of a kind, superior smile.
"You know, I really can go, it's no big deal"
"Don't be stupid, Tony, I meant it" Steve tried to cover up his uneasiness with a frown and then remembered he should release the tension somehow he added "I'm just not used to the overwhelming awesomeness of having Tony Stark under my roof."
Tony chuckled lightly and it was all bright and sunny, even though Steve should have switched on the lights long ago. The only reason they weren't engulfed in darkness was because Steve also forgot to close the door. That would explain the small shudder shaking Tony's frame.
"Sorry, really. You were saying?" Steve quickly shut the door and reached around Tony for the switch, his hand and then arm both coming in contact with Tony's shoulder "Jesus, Tony, you're freezing cold!" he exclaimed before the other finally could have a chance to restate his question. Statement. Whatever. "Come on, I'll get you something warm"
Steve beckoned Tony to follow him and headed towards his room to dig out a jumper.
"How did you even get so wet? Didn't you say you were with car?"
"Well, yeah, but have you been outside? Rain's just pouring out from heavens" Tony shrugged from his position, leaning with his shoulder at the doorframe, hips tilted slightly out, his eager eyes scanning in the whole room. The mess Steve had left in his troubled hurry, his drawing tools and appliances scattered on Mrs. Frankenstein (the full given name of his desk was Mrs. Frankenstein's Genius Creepy Monster, but that was simply too long), the freshly washed and ironed clothes piled on his bed, the canvas stretched and empty hidden in the corner behind layers of papers and folders, and his only potted plant in the window. Poor little thing was dying for some sunlight.
"It's just a few steps altogether"
"Yeah, and how do you think my brand new Volvo would look like in front of this building?"
Steve turned back to level Tony with a funny look. Definitely need to do some catching ups on Tony Stark's new taste.
"Exactly" Tony drawled satisfied, then let his arms dingle at his sides casually while focusing his attention to Steve's broad back "Maybe you'd answer me while you dig up your whole wardrobe. So you're still living with your mom?"
"Yeah. How d'ya know?"
"I'm sure half of the shoes at the entrance are way too small for you, darling"
"I don't have anything to deny. I know it's not really cool to still be living with your mum at 27, but the flat I rented just burnt down before I could move there-"
"Man, that sucks" Tony winced.
"- it was a few months ago actually and I haven't found a new one yet. Maybe for the new year, you know" Steve shrugged. It wasn't that bad now. He lost a good part of his rent but luckily he hadn't moved all his stuff there yet. So now he was also working hard not only for his tuition fee and to help out his mother but to be able to move out finally. "How did you know where I lived, by the way?"
"Well, since you forgot to insert your address next to the invitation…"
"Damn, sorry, I didn't really think about it"
"So it wasn't a real invitation?"
"Of course it was! I told you so! I'm sorry, really!"
Tony's gentle chuckle interrupted him, and Steve looked up to meet warm brown gaze for a second, before it regained its usual cover of witticism. "You know I have the best tech on earth, right? And I'm a genius. Didn't take more than three minutes to find out where you live"
"And I should feel secure because of that?" Steve stared at Tony with disbelieving eyes, because how? Okay, he should watch some more TV maybe.
"It's not a problem for me to look up people in databases. Unlike others"
"Tony, I-" Steve was about to apologize, sincerely, because now he was feeling really awkward skipping to look up what'd happened to Tony so far –
"Don't feel bad about it, sweetheart for a second. I'm quite grateful actually" and Tony smiled again without the tense curves he usually showed. "You wouldn't find nice things there. And you know how the tabloids are sometimes. But they can be quite entertaining after a scotch and if your boss isn't whining in your ear about them"
"It must be hard" Steve said on a gentle tone.
Tony only shrugged. "I'm used to it. I've been in the media ever since I was born so, no big deal"
"Here, take this one"
Steve rose to his feet and handed a big blue hoodie to Tony.
"Yay! My favourite Captain jumper!" Tony exclaimed all bright and sunshine and quickly stuck his arms into the jumper, when Steve finally caught his elbow.
"You seriously want to put it over that wet shirt?"
"It's not like I haven't had worse. It's all cool, Steve"
"Yeah, that's the problem. Cool. You'll catch a cold"
"But Captain hoodie!" Tony whined like a four year old, when a 'because I said so' would explain why the world moves, and Steve had to laugh. A happy, untainted sound.
"No, I won't allow that" He stated firm but on a soothing voice like when addressing a small petulant child. "Take that shirt off first. So that it can dry and you will be warm and cozy"
Tony glared at his outstretched hand for a while with an adorable pout but eventually his shoulders slumped in surrender and threw the jumper back at Steve's head. Steve peeled the clothing from his face with a wide grin and waited while Tony undid all the buttons of his shirt, to reveal that he had a no less soaked tank top with some strange round blue symbol on the chest underneath.
"Yes, Mom! Imma take all my wet clothes off" Tony rolled his eyes exasperatedly and threw all of them at Steve, before quickly snatching the hoodie and sliding into it.
Deep down Steve might have felt a bit disappointed that he couldn't catch a glimpse of the now nicely toned chest. He had to satisfy with his arms. Not that it was so bad at all.
Tony hummed in contentment as warmth engulfed him finally. Not the same as it had been with Steve's arms around him, but the feeling was close. He pulled the jumper around himself tighter, snuggling into the warmth.
"I'll hang your clothes to dry and get you a towel, and also get you something to warm you up from the inside. Sounds good?"
"Steeevee, I love you!"
The long-drawn happy whine accompanied Steve to the bathroom where he had to fight a bit with the twisted and annoyingly wet sleeves of the shirt. A small suspiciously motherly sounding voice was sulking irritated about Tony treating all his stuff so uncaring, as if he had so many and so much better at home, so that he could just throw them away into the corner. Then he had to correct himself. Actually, Tony probably had a whole wardrobe as big as his flat. As a billionaire he probably could afford that…
Steve made his way into the kitchen to see what he had to offer.
"Coffee or tea, Tony?" he shouted over his shoulder. Lucky that their flat was only big enough that he didn't have to cry out too loud.
"Coffee anytime" And shame that the neighbours wouldn't appreciate Tony's chosen volume level as a response.
Of course. Steve smiled a small smile under his breath as he turned on the kettle. He'll have to apologize for the lack of quality, since neither Steve nor his mother were addicted coffee drinkers, so they only stored some packets of 3 in 1, but Tony didn't really have a choice if he wanted coffee. He should be grateful for the warmth.
"I only have some 3 in 1, is it also okay with you, or… Tony, you good?" Steve's smile faded immediately when he spotted Tony pegged down in front of the framed pictures lined up on the bookshelf.
"Mm-hmm" Tony hummed in agreement – a hollow sound compared to his previous cheerful shout. He turned towards Steve but only with his torso, eyes glued to one photo in particular. "So, was I a prophet calling you Captain all those years ago?"
Despite the warmth of the room, Steve felt cold, his insides crunched, and he had to fight the lump in his throat as he couldn't take his eyes off Tony and where his unreadable gaze burnt a hole into the picture of Steve in his uniform with all his insignia. It's not like he wasn't proud of what he'd reached. He was indeed very proud and liked that picture very much. Only the memory of how much trouble he had gone through to look good enough and not deadly pale and someone who just returned from the dead so that he could lie to the very first time to his mother about his time at the military.
"It was quite just honorary before discharge. I was a sergeant actually…" he wasn't really keen on telling the whole story, and he really hoped Tony would put it aside until he himself felt like trading stories.
Tony hummed again and rubbed at his elbow.
"Afghanistan?"
"Yes" Steve said, his voice stifled but the word cut painfully harsh in the heavy silence.
Tony tilted his head to the side, the tendons in his neck tight, the set of his shoulder stiff and determined.
"I joined the army short after graduation" Steve spoke up when he realized that they weren't going anywhere, so he set his jaw, squared his shoulder, good old habits long before they gained a military undertone, and began to sum up what might satisfy Ton's curiosity. "Served there for four years two months. Then I was shot, discharged and sent back home to heal. I didn't join again. Mum's happy, I'm fine. That's it"
Long silence settled between the two again. Steve didn't realize that he'd clenched his hands into fists while he was speaking, so now he nervously curled and uncurled his fingers, his stare fixed at the back of Tony's head, and silently praying that Tony'd just leave it.
"So I'm afraid I'll have to steal your Captain America hoodie" Tony said in the end and turned back at Steve with a small lopsided grin.
Thank God!
"Captain America?" Steve shot back incredulous and quirked a sceptical eyebrow in response.
"Well of course. It's blue and has a star and red and white stripes. And yours. Can't be more American with the flag plastered on it"
"You are strange. And who said I'm giving it to you?"
"As if I needed your permission. I'll just simply not take it off. Knowing you, you won't tear it off me" there was that old smirk that made the previous heavy moments forgotten. Steve didn't feel like correcting Tony in his belief that he wouldn't get his jumper back so that he wouldn't have a half-naked Stark as a result. He missed the point of military and the scale of nudity happening there.
"So, 3 in one is perfect. As long as it has caffeine in it" Tony walked passed Steve as he heard the kettle whistling. "I caught a few hours of sleep last night and already had like seven cups today, so I don't think I'd really need any more caffeine-punches"
"If you say so"
"Just with lots of sugar, please?"Tony chimed, again as a kid who was just about to go for his first day at school and was all too high already from the anticipation of the new experience.
"How 'lots' exactly?" Steve levelled him with a suspicious look as Tony spun the kitchen chair on its hind legs and straddled it, folding his arms on the backrest.
"Half sugar, half coffee" Tony chirped.
"And you just said you don't want to be on a rush"
But Steve complied anyway. It was comfortable. Sugar and Tony seemed to grant an easy atmosphere so that they hopefully could avoid any similar conversation like the previous one in the living room. Well… How is Steve going to draw up a tactful enough question to find out why Tony had left? He was a great strategist, but this proved to be Level 9 difficult question, with further hindering effects of Tony speaking all the time.
"So, hey, what's up with you either way?" Tony asked "We just missed this usual how-to-start-a-normal-conversation part with all the hugging and happy bonding."
"Umm, I'm good" Steve tried and failed hiding his smile as he presented Tony his mug of awfully sweet coffee. "A bit tired, but very good"
"Aww, come on, Steve! Give me some more! You can't go with just these barely more than one word answers!"
"You make up for that on my behalf" Steve laughed as he saw the pout on Tony's face, and turned back to ready his own tea.
"That was a low blow, Rogers" Tony took a long gulp of his drink not caring for the burn. He must have burnt off all the nerves on his tongue and throat.
When he set the mug back on the table and Steve took his own seat as well Tony levelled Steve with an even, calculating look with a dangerous glint behind the façade.
"Tell you what. You have two choices: a) you tell me everything I wanna know, what happened with you, skipping the war stories, because I've already had my fair share of them with Rhodey, or b) I hack every possible database still this night and learn every little dirty secret of yours"
"As if you could do that" Steve challenged, because seriously – what a drama queen!
"Try me" His eyebrows rose to daring heights and a shark sharp smile graced his features.
Steve had no doubt in that very moment that he was safer opening up, especially since Tony offered willingly that he could skip elaborating on his time with the military. He found out where he lived in minutes, so…
"Okay, but there aren't much to talk about" he came around with a withering smile as he watched Tony devour his coffee. "How can you drink it so sweet?" he winced.
"I can assure you, I don't have any habit that can be considered even as slightly healthy. Can I get some more?"
Tony was still Tony. How else would he pull the watering pleading puppy eyes so effectively again on Steve?
"What do you say about hot chocolate instead?" he offered, and felt warmth filling his whole body as Tony perked up immediately.
"Have I mentioned that I love you?"
"It might have come up" Steve answered with a smile and deliberately ignored both the small pang and hopeful fluttering in his chest.
"Pepper never gives me hot chocolate. Or I have to plead with her for hours and then she'd make me do awful lot of paperwork…" Tony sulked so far. "Okay, so it's been bugging me for a while" Tony shifted on his chair excited. The sugar and caffeine were taking effect on him. Steve dreaded the time it'll have a disastrous effect on his either way prone to be too quick for any normal being speech-speed. "And I have only seen one picture of you and – umm, Carter? Peggy Carter? in your room"
Steve made some noise that hopefully encouraged Tony to go on.
"So are you two – you know, together?"
"Nope"
"But were you? Please tell me, you made a move on her"
"Why, Tony? Why are you so interested in this so much?" Steve asked and he caught glimpse of Tony wince and opening his mouth to back out, but Steve smiled at him just in good time to stop him. "Yes, we were together during last year at high school, but actually broke up after I joined the army. We are good friends ever since. Though just for the record, it's not really the first thing you discuss on a 'first conversation'"
"Well, sorry, I'm not really good at small talk" Tony huffed and scratched the back of his head. "I'm like the ask blunt and straight ahead type, and you might have not noticed but I seriously lack a brain to mouth filter most of the times. Pepper threatened several times I'd end up dangling from the ceiling if I don't make up something for it, but I haven't sufficed yet"
Always talking about Pepper. Steve had heard the name in the talk show and could match it to Ms. Potts, but didn't know much more about her. She was Tony's boss maybe?
"Okay, never mind. I'll just need some time to get used to it"
"Okay. Cool. Well, I can tick out on my to-do list the 'match a hot blond up with the scary British chick'. Great. Now it got a nanomilimetre shorter"
"Sure. You with someone?" Steve sat back to the table stirring his refilled mug and passing Tony his.
"Which part of 'playboy' don't you know?"
"Pardon?"
Where did that come from? Steve stared at Tony with comically round eyes.
Tony just mirrored his expression, pressing the back of his hand to his forehead accompanied with a tragic toss of head. "Please tell me, you know what a playboy is"
"Of course I do!" Steve gasped and frowned to emphasize he very much did, thank you for the assumption, but be kind and tell me what it has to do with my question?
"So?"
"…So?"
"You're going to art school finally?"
"Wait-wait-wait! You didn't answer my question!"
"What question? You are just avoiding mine"
"No, you didn't answer if you had a girlfriend or not"
"I'm sure I already did before you even asked" Tony quirked an eyebrow confusedly high, then seeing Steve's annoyed frown let out an exasperated sigh and slowed down to explain, like you do to a small child who can't keep up with you. Well, Tony wasn't particularly good at slowing down, but at least he tried. "I simply assumed you watched the show from last week, where I just stated for like the millionth time that I'm living the careless life of billionaire playboys. Which, in all sense means that I'm absolutely not a long-term relationship material, and as of much, don't have a girlfriend. Nor a boyfriend, before you ask. But you surely wouldn't, I'm just being generous."
"Yes, I'm at art school" Steve said. He had his explanation, thanks. Good. Fine. Now he answered too. "It's my second year, and –" A polyphonic tune interrupted him.
Steve looked at Tony sheepish and apologetic – until he saw the pained and flabbergasted expression scrunching up the genius's expression.
"Tell me it's only my ear ringing!" Tony whined. His eyes really were begging him to say so.
"No, sorry, that's my phone"
"Answer it, damn you, I need to hear it a bit longer and I'm destroying it"
"No need to get violent" Steve scolded half heartedly as he stalked out the room to fish his phone from his jacket.
"It doesn't have the right to be called cell phone! More like a brick! I don't even bother to identify that rock of ages thing!" Tony shouted after him, absolutely as displeased as he sounded.
Steve only laughed as he stumbled to press the answer button of his old little Nokia 6230. He only knew the number because all his friends were teasing him with it for more than five years now. It was a bit small in his too big hands, but it was a loyal little thing, and served him just right.
"Steve Rogers"
Steve barely had the chance to call in, before a dear but obnoxiously irritated voice interrupted him and making the blond laugh under his breath.
"Why do you have a phone if I can't reach you anyhow, man?"
"Sorry, Bucky, I was out..." Steve tried to tone down the amusement in his voice not to irritate his friend any further.
"And left your phone at home" He could feel the evil eye even through God knows how many miles.
"Yes"
"You're probably the only human being who'd live happily in the 40's" Bucky rolled his eyes from the other side of the line "Were on a date finally?"
"Umm, no" And Steve rather turned his eyes heavenwards, so that he wouldn't have to see the curious glint in Tony's eyes through the doorway.
"Then there's no way I could forgive you. So, prepare yourself, bro, I'm coming home, and from three days on, we're going to get wasted!"
"Bucky, you know that I'm having exams and-"
"Hey! You haven't seen me for two years and this is how you welcome me?"
"If you're such a drama queen-"
"Then I'd better stay here a bit longer for a later departure, maybe someone shoots me and gets me out of your hair, Mr. Exams-are-more-important-than-my-best-friend"
"Jesus, Bucky, all right, all right. They can wait!"
Bucky laughed triumphant and Steve wondered if he even threw his fists up in the air like he usually did.
"Man, it's still too easy to emotionally blackmail you. You're too nice"
"You're working on changing it" Steve growled, pressing his fingers onto the bridge of his nose as much as to ease the nerves as to hide the smile, even if it was still obvious in his voice.
"But you can't take back your word!" Bucky exclaimed victorious. "I gotta go, Steve, just wanted to warn you, so clear your schedule for Monday! Kiss Sarah for me"
"I'll. Bye, Buck, take care!"
"Sure, sure. I can't kick the bucket two days before departure. I hope they don't fuck up anything. See ya!"
Steve hung up shaking his head with a small disbelieving smile. Of course Bucky would joke it away.
So taking Monday off. He needed to remember that. His mother would be overjoyed when she finally comes home from her friend. She'd been worrying about Bucky not giving any further life signals for three weeks when he announced that it looked like finally his unit would come home. Even though she didn't give word to her worries, Steve knew her enough that she was thinking about Tony leaving. Because Tony also left when everything seemed to be fine and perfect, and Bucky could be the same. Especially that he was in a war zone where anything could happen…
On specially dark mornings they just met each other's gaze, secretly knowing that both of them were thinking and fearing the same, while on the outside they changed kind encouraging smiles, that said 'Have a nice day, darling!'.
"How come you always look distressed when talking to Barnes on the phone?" Tony's amused tone jerked Steve back from his thoughts.
"How come you always assume that without even looking at me?" Steve retorted, but the edge was lost in his delighted mood.
"Steve, baby, if you devote your life to piss everyone off for so long like me, you know where you could insert a jab, no matter what" Tony glanced up at him from under his lowered lashes and smiled mischievously.
Steve was suddenly utterly grateful for not taking a sip of his cooling cocoa. It would have been awkward sputtering it out onto the other's definitely high-tech and even more expensive tablet.
"Well, I'm definitely not distressed. I'm very happy as in fact" Steve insisted. "He's finally being withdrawn from Afghanistan"
"Lucky, that his unit is among the first ones" Tony hummed and tapped a few things away on his tablet shoving it away to the edge of the table, leaning back a bit in his chair and devoting all his attention back to Steve quirking an eyebrow in question. "So. Art school?"
"Oh yes! I'm doing my second year and have one more to finish. I'm studying everything. More or less, art history is very interesting, the teacher makes it quite enjoyable and gives a lot of individual projects, but she's a bit scary as in having her mood swings. From one lesson to the other, you know" Tony hummed, and his eyes brightened up, following all the widening movements of Steve's hand, then wandering all over his body and face, settling comfortably when he caught his gaze as Steve went on about his courses.
"… I prefer drawing figures though. Objects and the vases are cool too, and I never knew how difficult they really are, until Mr. Crook fussed with me during all the first month, that my sketches were pathetic and how did I even get in, and no worm would covet this apple not even if it was the last one"
Tony burst out laughing – a chilling but only on a very nice way, like glimmering pearls rolling around a thick carpet that's warm under your bare feet.
"Seriously, I'm quoting!" Steve joined him. "He was even worse off with Clint – a friend of mine. Poor guy wasted a year at Fine Arts before he realized that wasn't his thing-"
"But he still got in? Aren't those prelim shits all damn hard? I mean, applicants flee crying and all"
"Well, you're not entirely wrong" Steve mused. "He was good, a bit eccentric, and always said 'This classic shit is boring'"
"I already like him"
"But everybody should know the basics, before they can revolutionize"
"But sometimes you just gotta run before you learn how to walk" Tony shot back, then acknowledging his victory in the non-existent argument dismissed his words with a generous wave of his hand. "So what's with your harpy teacher and your friend?"
"Well, we were drawing rectangles-"
"Jeez, those are boring"
"Did you too?"
"Had some free time and the girls got boring at engineering, so I took some courses from architecture. You may never know when you're gonna design your own home" that quirked a smirk in the corner of Tony's lips.
"Wow. Aren't you something?"
"Well, thank you dear. So, rectangles…?"
Tony deliberately ignored the hidden huge question mark in Steve's comment, that would have inquired for further details about Tony's studies, but probably this is the only way he was going to learn anything about Tony's past. Small hints here and there that wouldn't really add up to a whole round story. Tony just always turned the interrogation back at Steve. And you know what? The way he showered Steve with his attention, he couldn't care less.
"Yeah, and cubes. Clint drew the edges of his cubes… I don't know how to put it – they just weren't straight, no, don't dare to joke it away, or I won't tell this story!" Tony just hold up his open palms in the universal sign of I mean no harm, don't worry, and don't give me the evil eye!
"They were just crooked. Not two were parallel. They were hollow, that's it. So Mr. Crook were walking around and criticizing everyone, and when he reached Clint he nearly got a stroke, I swear! At first he went all pale and then all the blood flushed back to his face. He tore the paper off of Clint's tablet, showed it around the class – I swear, we thought he was going to rip it apart. 'This is the profanation of visual art, how the hell did you get a black hole in the middle of this pitiful cube? I can't even call this thing a cube. It's just a thing…' and on and on, giving Clint a piece of his mind"
"The old bastard just can't appreciate creativity"
"Well, sure. It was awful. But the black-hole is being quoted ever since. Poor Clint. He never came back to class"
"I can absolutely understand him" Tony scoffed.
"Yeah, me too. I never bothered him with it. After the first semester though, he disappeared from all the classes. He changed major, now he's in photography. He's really great at that"
"Like everyone-is-great-because-I'm-Steve-Rogers-and-too -nice-to-tell-otherwise or great-great?"
"I mean great-great" Steve ignored the wiggling eyebrows. "You should see his pictures. They have a very unique point of view. Like literally too. Clint is awesome at crawling up to places no sane person would, and he has great eye to catch the best pictures ever"
"Hmm… Maybe I'll check him out sometime. I'd need to get a present to Pepper anyway so that she isn't so pissed with me" Tony's attention and calculating mind shifted for a second away from Steve and he already felt its loss. Before he could question who this Pepper was exactly, Tony turned his charming smile and intelligent warm gaze at him and Steve already forgot that he felt sour for a moment. He wondered if Tony could wrap everyone around his finger with this little dizzying trick "How are your other friends?"
"Umm, I don't have that many of them" Steve tried his best to define who he and Tony called friends, and what he should tell about them.
"My mistake. I mean, best friends?" Steve only blinked at him owlishly at that, which elicited a chuckle out of Tony. "You're the type of guy, everyone likes. So obviously if I made a poll at your school and ask them about Steve Rogers, everyone would say 'oh, yeah, I love the guy!' or 'sure, he's my friend' because everyone would like to have a friend like you-"
You too? screamed Steve's mind all of a sudden and he quickly averted his gaze and took a sip of his drink so that he wouldn't blurt it out and ruin the whole delighted chatty mood with such embarrassing topic again.
"- so rephrasing: who are you hanging out with? When you're not creeping after me"
Only the playful tone of Tony's words saved Steve from beating himself over with apologies and stuttered half sentences about the whole sketch-book incident. Plus Tony didn't give it back to Steve, so that obviously meant that he'd accepted it as a gift so-
"Well, as you know, I have Bucky, but we haven't really had the chance to hang out, because he's being withdrawn only now-"
There was a small flinch, a barely visible twitch that hardened the edge of Tony's lips and made his eyes darken. Steve assumed it was because Tony thought Steve was about to go into sharing his war stories, which he probably had grown tired of. For someone who had never been to war or never experienced the good sides of the military like the solidarity in your team, the old stories, reminiscing can grow boring after the first few. And Tony said he had his own fair share already, so Steve thought better of it, and no matter how much he loved Bucky, he'd rather start speaking of his other friends.
"- and Peggy, but she moved to Sacramento, so I haven't seen her either for a while. We talk sometimes on Skype, but she has a lot of things to do. Umm, I already mentioned Clint, he's obsessed with high places. He claims he sees everything better from a distance. And Natasha, she's Russian exchange, she can be scary, and I wouldn't get involved with her in a drinking game-"
"Never start drinking with Russians. Unless you want to end up absolutely wasted for the rest of the week. They start with vodka the moment they're born"
"In her case it just might be right" Steve admitted reluctantly with a frown. Because if you saw Natasha? She would scare a bear with one twitch of a perfect eyebrow. How they ended up as friends, he couldn't exactly recall, but they made a nice little bunch of strange people. Steve loved them. "They are like inseparable with Clint. Then sometimes there's Darcy and Jane, but they are from a different college, so we don't meet up all that often. And there's Thor. Well, with him, I have absolutely no idea what he's doing at Fine Arts"
"Thor? Like Thorsday Thor from Norse mythology?" Tony's eyes rounded in disbelieving amusement.
"Yeah" Steve grinned, because Tony hadn't even seen the man. He was bigger than Steve, blond, and blue-eyed and just absolutely Norse with the way he spoke and acted. He was generous and quite impossible to piss off. Clint had tried a few times, but he had never succeeded so far. Thor didn't really care if the teachers didn't fancy what he'd done. He was more than fine and satisfied in his own little world of edges and corners and Norse knots and curves. They were quite nice to look at, even though strange to the ordinary onlooker. Steve told as much to Tony, and from the glint in his eyes he could tell that Tony liked him all the same.
Steve was about to start introducing his colleague, Peter to Tony, when he realized that Tony was lost in his thoughts ever again. When Steve fell into silence, not to bother him, and no, he wasn't sulking, Tony jerked out of the whirlpool of his mind.
"Does Thor happen to have a slightly psychotic British sounding and yet all the same Norse brother?" Tony asked all of a sudden.
"A brother?" Steve frowned in thought, flipping through the conversations he had with the guy.
"Yeah with the name, Loki?" Tony prodded further and all of a sudden it dawned on Steve. The only time Thor's bright mood dimmed was when someone mentioned his brother and tried to make fun of him.
"Yes, he does! How did you know?"
Tony chuckled and leant back in his chair, just far enough so that he still wouldn't fall.
"He might have tested everything he's learn at psychology on me"
"Wait, what?"
"The world is quite small, and he was the only one who actually managed to analyze me from all the – how many? – seven psychologists I faced"
"You talk about them as battles" it sounds too much like Thor, well…
"You can say that" Tony laughed, but now the sound was sharper. "Well, Loki was the only one who saw through me and threatened to throw me out a window if I tire him with any of my shit. And trust me, he would have done that without much thinking. He's my favourite psycho"
To be honest, Steve really didn't know how to react to that. He wasn't that much of a snarky type to insert a witty come-back or make a joke about it. Maybe Tony would, so a cover of silence wouldn't stretch out over them. But Steve didn't mind. He remembered that his mother used to say that when silence falls to a room it's because an angel flew by. It was just superstition, but it felt nice. Steve had liked the concept of angels ever since he was a kid. It was nice to think that someone is looking out over you. And he felt blessed in that very moment. He got back his friend, Tony was here, and everything was going just fine – except for his project, but he felt he couldn't care less this very moment.
Well, the tired comfortably warm feeling lasted only until Tony spoke up again, questioning him about that empty canvas in the vacant corner of his room, and he had to admit out loud that he didn't know what to paint.
Okay, that wasn't entirely true. He had a vague idea, but it was quite blurry and shapeless still. Steve had played with the idea of asking Tony for some help, since it was somehow connected to him (was there anything in the past week of Steve's life that wasn't?) but now he felt too embarrassed to put his thoughts into words, and bend it a way that Tony wouldn't know Steve actually wanted to draw him.
Uhh… it felt even worse this way. He started to believe that his fascination with the man was nearing obsession. Oh, dear!
But he wasn't the only one with obsession-issues.
The introduction was that he wanted to try out some new things, like sci-fi – for Tony's great amusement, because he'd never imagine Steve with the high-tech stuff, especially that he was carrying around a cell-phone that would survive a T-Rex attack. When he finally got to sketch out his basic idea, and Tony's witty remarks died away, he could recognize the change in his eyes and the way he leant on the chair that he was interested and more than happy that his assistance was needed.
At first Tony's posture spoke of calculating tense attention, when a dog is listening intently for order, then his eyes grew slightly distant, but the light in them gleamed excitedly and he relaxed more, folded his arms on top of the backrest and laid his chin on top of them, his gaze following all gestures of Steve's hand and registering all lines of his pen in his mind from an observing distance.
"So an armor?" He asked, voice and the look of his face dreamy until his eyes flashed with something crazy, something unearthy light of creation.
"Yeah, a suit of armor or something. You know, the one you can wear and would empower you for all the super-hero stuff. Most of all flying" Steve realized only then that he probably had the same feverish gleam to his own eyes.
"I thought you were never much into flying"
But you've always been.
"Times change" he shrugged it away.
"And what, do you want wings for that?"
"No, No! It would be cool, but not as a start. More like to have some rockets in the boots or something. But I don't really know how those things work"
Tony rubbed at his chin thoughtful for a moment and signalled only with his wiggling fingers that he'd need the pen and some paper to sketch on.
"For that, you'd need some stabilizers. There would be other means per se, but that can't be that difficult to create…Do you want to make the full armor?" he asked Steve between some drawings that didn't really make much sense for Steve.
"Something in the making process would be cooler. With displaying the plans and schematics somehow on monitors and hung up papers. That would be cool"
Tony sent him an incredulous look at that.
"Sure, but that would mean no paper, darling" he smirked. "if someone could build a suit like this, and I'm going to just call it a suit from now on, there won't be any paper based schematics. I'd be affronted. More like holograms. They are even cooler. And much more fun. Holograms, tablets, holo-screens"
"There's no problem with preferring the traditional materials. This is why I asked your help." Steve might have pouted at this point, but who cared. He loved brainstorming. And it wasn't even just a storm with Tony around. It was closer to a hurricane, which won't let you out of its grip.
"I'll show you a hologram screen next time, baby, because you're impossible. You'll realize you couldn't live without tech. My tech, actually" were the words Tony bid farewell to Steve two hours later, leaving him utterly tired, happy, with exhausted butterflies fluttering in his stomach, and wondering how he's going to make out anything of the huge pile of paper Tony'd sketched full with his ideas.
He forgot entirely that he didn't learn why Tony had left six years ago. And the thought didn't really emerge in him afterwards either. The only thing Steve cared for was that Tony was coming back.
TBC
A/N: Uhh, extra long, and just thinking about the next is going to be even longer... how are you dealing with me like this?
Sorry, I'm not entirelly satisfied with this one, but I wanted to update, you were so kind to me...
About the next chapter, guess who's coming? Well, I never thought it would happen but quite recently I've fallen for Bucky. Real. Hard. The gifs and pics of the new Captain America movie on tumblr aren't helping at all, neither the amazing Bucky/Tony fic I can't go on reading because I worry for my feels, and still have an exam this Wednesday... so... In the next chapter Bucky is happening. I hope you won't abandon me for that. ^^;