A/N: Two chapters in one day... wow :D
Have some Rhodey in this one ^^
Sketches
~12~
~*Surprise, surprise*~
Steve thought he wouldn't see much of Tony the next week until Friday. He seemed very busy and even though Tony seemed to take his job lightly, Pepper on the other hand tried to get him as much done as barely didn't kill him. So it was a huge surprise when one early morning, they weren't even officially open he found himself face to face with a grumpy, not yet fully awake Tony Stark at the café.
At first Tony didn't recognize him just mumbled his order (two triple espresso, no milk, no sugar) and his eyes didn't open up until he caught scent of his precious beverage. Then his eyes rounded comically big and just stared back at Steve (who didn't rub the back of his neck in his usual sheepish manner because both of his hands were taken by Tony's order). As soon as his genius mind got over the shortage Tony lit up into a bright grin and they chatted (Tony tried to flirt with Steve – his usual mode for talking) until the customers couldn't take up with the fact that Tony Stark was standing in front of them in line, they were in a hurry too.
For some reason Steve hadn't had a better Monday at work, even though he had to do most of it alone because Peter was out on some kind of school trip, and at home Steve just fell in bed half-dead, yet his heart felt light and he still found it in himself to smile.
In all honesty Steve was surprised that he was so lucky that he bumped into Tony again. At the café non the less. It was just nice. Nice and filled Steve with warmth and looking for the times the billionaire sauntered into the shop. Even despite the rushes that Tony seemed to drag along himself wherever he entered Steve fell into bed with a content smile all the time, saving his project for those days he didn't have a shift to work.
There were these crazy days at the café, and not just those crazy days when Peter thought – more likely didn't think at all – that it was a good idea to bring one of his more instable than stable school projects to his working place. Steve had to give him lecture after lecture about accidentally blowing up coffee mugs and bags of coffee beans.
Steve finally grew out of the role of being Bucky's little brother and he just got one himself.
However, now it was again the Tony type of crazy. Steve didn't expect the billionaire to saunter back into the little café shop ever again (hope and expectation are two entirely different things), not to mention this week when he was supposed to be buried under tons of work. But here he was with a tall Major at his side.
"Hey cupcake, how's it going?" Tony called out just after entering the shop not even caring to take his sunglasses off now inside.
"Hello Tony," Steve smiled but couldn't help himself to stand at attention – for the great amusement of the Major when he looked Steve over from head to hip (as much as the counter allowed). "What can I get you?" he managed to swallow the sir. Military was fading in small parts after all.
A muffled yelp registered in the back of Steve's mind along with the horrible clinking of shivering glasses and utensils on a tray. He quickly sent a warning glare at Peter to indicate that the other guests were waiting, pull himself together!
Surprisingly Tony missed the minor freak out of his number one fan. It was surprising because Tony seemed to have a sixth sense that tingled every time he was in danger of having to be nice with fans. For the record he seemed quite miserable and dead on his feet, even though the smart suit and the reddish shades hid it well. When Steve turned back to them Tony wasn't any more responsive – they shared and exaggerated glance with the Major, who poked Tony unceremoniously in the ribs earning a nasty glare.
The Major sighed, "An Espresso for me and something ridiculously expensive and sweet for him with so much caffeine it'd kill any less idiotic human."
"You're always so sweet to me I might just have you," Tony retorted but the man just shot him an unamused look to Tony's greatest dismay.
"Alright," Steve smiled, it came easy to him on these days. "It might take some time, please take a seat."
"Thank you, but we'd rather –"
"Thanks darling we'll be just over there," Tony cut in and waved at the small table in the corner at the window.
Steve could still hear the protests of the Major as Tony pushed the larger man toward the table.
"We don't have time for you to pick up your boyfriend, Tony –"
Boyfriend..?
"Come on, Rhodey, we haven't had coffee together for ages. We still have 30 minutes and I'm also willing to start our super secret negotiations here."
"We do those in closed offices for a reason—"
Tony just scoffed and laughed at it good naturedly.
"Man this is Tony Stark!" Peter appeared suddenly at his elbow and Steve nearly knocked him out with the mug in his hand. Subsiding instincts…
"And Major must be him. Man, I'm so excited. I so need to tweet this – I'm shivering – am I shivering? God! How am I going to serve like this? I'll spill everything –"
Steve stood up from his crouch with a sigh putting some extra sweet chocolate syrup on the counter and placed his hand on Peter's shoulder. The boy was really trembling with tension.
"Peter if it's such a big thing for you, you can go up to him. I'm sure Tony'll answer you whatever you want from him."
Peter looked a strange mixture between flabbergasted that Steve didn't feel for him meeting his idol – or whatever Tony was for him – and super excited. If it could go any higher. The later won obviously and all giddish and bouncing on his feet Peter looked longing in the direction of Tony and his companion.
It was just that moment when Tony pocketed his pen he was poking the Major with along with his Aviators and went to the showcase of biscuits eying them curiously. Steve nudged Peter in the side.
"Come on, serve him, you can chat with him a bit that way."
Peter looked like a deer caught in the headlights. First all colour drained from his face then he flushed an even brighter shade of red than Steve did when Tony started flirting with him.
"No. No! Steve you go!" Peter hid behind Steve's broad back and pushed at him to go.
Steve chuckled and called back over his shoulder, "We have other customers though," then turned to Tony, "Found anything you like?"
"Which one has berries in it?"
Steve smiled bright at the still sleepy childish curiosity.
"These cupcakes have blueberries, the others are with orange I believe but on the top the chocolate flavoured ones have cherries."
"The cheesecake over there?"
"Not really. I mean it has strawberry syrup on top but cheesecakes usually don't include berries."
"Shame," Tony mumbled.
Steve noticed that more and more people filed into the café – which on the one hand was good for business but on the other hand he preferred it quiet and friendly and without people staring at one another – which they were. However, it only seemed to bother him, Tony didn't pay them much mind even though he was the target of the stares. He was simply too engrossed in choosing his perfect cake. Steve contemplated offering a bag of dried blueberries with the cheesecake Ton looked so longing at – not that he couldn't buy the whole shop if the idea crossed his mind without so much as straining his credit card, but apparently sleepy Tony could behave quite like a normal person.
The coffee machine chose that moment to deem the Major's coffee ready and Tony also came to a decision.
"Both cupcakes and cheesecake then," he announced with a grin.
Steve took his card and offered to bring everything together out to their table. Tony nodded but decided he'd accompany Steve on his short way.
"Who's the nervous kid?"
"He's Peter. Your number one fan," Steve said pushing the small pair of swinging doors open with his hip.
"Really?" Tony looked back at Peter and flashed him one of his trademark half-smiles.
"Really."
"Poor kid."
Steve decided to ignore the strange tone of this note. "If he faints here on me I'll hold you responsible for it."
"Now I feel challenged," Tony smirked under his breath. "Hey, I forgot the introductions!" he smacked himself on the forehead as they reached the table.
"Steve, this is Rhodey, my other best friend and occasional nanny."
"Last time I checked you only have one best friend," Rhodey said and stood up to extend his hand for Steve, "Major James Rhodes."
("Show off," Tony muttered under his breath.)
Steve shook off the urge to stand at attention again and tip it off with a salute too. "Steve Rogers," he bit off the Captain part – that even though he never had the occasion to use it automatically came to his tongue even two years into his discharge. It's all Tony's fault for calling him different versions of Captain all the time.
The gears of his mind slowly put the small pieces of information he knew about this man. Tony had mentioned him in the interview… what did he say? They were going to the same university and he was the one who used to beat some sense into Tony's thick skull…
"Well, Pepper is my best friend and I believe she prefers to stay No1. so that leaves you honeybear as No2. —"
"You're full of bullshit today man, you know that?" Rhodey effectively cut off Tony's rant and took his coffee with a nod and a kind glint in his eyes from Steve.
"I feel compelled to draw you off my list of friends."
"Out of all those two? Please, feel free. You're not mine anyway either –" Rhodey suddenly looked surprised and serious at the same time and looked from Tony to Steve and back to Tony quickly while a small glint of amusement sparked up in his dark eyes. "Wait, Steve as The Steve,"( Yes, Steve could hear the capitals) "you only talked about when you were total wasted then couldn't shut up about?"
Steve felt some strange warm feeling stirring in his chest at Tony's embarrassed little grimace he tried to hide with a cough.
"The one and only."
"I'm not sure if I should thank you for keeping him alive or not just yet," Rhodey turned to Steve with a grin.
Tony pouted in the background eyeing the suspicious mountain of cream and sugar syrup that hid his coffee.
"You'll certainly curse me when you have to deal with Tony on a sugar high," Steve said smiling. It was good to know that there were people who meant a constant presence in Tony's life, and it was even better that such people could handle him.
"It's coffee and as horrible as he is, they make a perfect match."
Tony grumbled something on the other end about coffees and quality.
"It's easier to have a talk with him when he's just as stubborn as usual and better concentrated."
"It would be much easier if you'd finally bring me something acceptable to sign."
"The military is trying very hard Tony –"
"Yes to push contracts down my throat," Tony snapped then just as a side-note looked up at Steve, "Rhodey is the military liaison at Stark Industries."
"Because you refuse to have more than one meeting with anyone else."
"I only haven't kicked your sorry ass out yet because we're friends. But man, do you ever read what shit you bring me?"
"Of course I do. And from the last pack you should have agreed on at least two if not three."
Steve politely excused himself before the two would get too engulfed in their argument about military contracts.
When their 30 minutes break was over Tony's blood sugar level was as high as the Mount Everest and he was bouncing on the balls of his feet and gesticulating so wide poor Peter could barely duck out of his way with a tray of glasses. From the suffering groan of Major Rhodes Tony's babbling hadn't made any sense to anyone but himself anymore. Rhodey was on the phone – probably warning Pepper Potts about Tony's current state – but he still spared a friendly farewell wave to Steve.
Steve decided he liked Tony's friend.
It became a habit that Tony and Steve called each other once a day.
(In the beginning Tony called Steve more often, because "accidentally" he set Steve's number on dial-when-you-need-someone-to-moan-about-things-yo ur-other-friends-just-give-you-The-Look-for, and then Steve decided to pay back by calling Tony every single time he had some trouble making out his illegible handwriting. (Tony surprisingly answered every time.) Then it became a habit. Quite quickly. In a day.)
Steve listened to the rings of the dial.
Three. Four.
Maybe he should just hang up. Tony always picked up after three tops, so he must be sleeping for once. Miracles happen after all, and if there was a time when Tony was up earlier than Steve (even if Steve didn't really count that occasion, because Tony hadn't been sleeping, so it's entirely different) so it can also happen that Steve is up later than the billionaire. Tony had a lot of things to do after all and they never seemed to ebb. Steve once caught a glance of Tony's schedule and even if Tony attended only half of the meetings as he claimed (but since he was still alive it must be at least 2/3 of them in real) it still made Steve wince. On top of that whenever Steve decided to call him in the middle of the night and also in the morning when Tony was still awake –
The guy definitely needed sleep—
"Hey Cap," the drowsy tone interrupted his thoughts.
It was followed up by a slurry curse of another voice.
"Why can't you switch the damn thing off? I thought we were sleeping."
Steve felt immediately terrible.
"We were. So. Wassup?"
Damn, Tony was with someone! Did terrible have any other levels? Because Steve felt even worse than terrible now. Awkward and embarrassed topped off by something dark and bitter he refused to name but it was still awoken by his newest realization.
"Sorry!" Based on the twin groans from the other end Steve exclaimed too loud so he cut back on the volume as he spoke up again, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother, really. I'll just hang up and let you go back to sleep—"
"Stebe—"Tony started on a whiny tone, "Don't hang up on me, Steve."
"No, I'll just do that, sorry, I'll call back in the morning."
"Don't—!"
"Gimme that," a short pause of wrestling, grunting and whining on Tony's end later the second voice spoke again.
"Please, Steve don't. I won't be able to put him back to sleep if you don't tell him why you called." It was Rhodey. Major Rhodes. Now that his voice wasn't so raspy by sleep Steve could recognize him as Tony's other best friend.
"O-okay" Steve stammered out embarrassed. Still that other unnamed feeling didn't want to dissolve.
"Tony!"
It was Steve's turn to wince away from the phone after the exclamation.
"What?" Tony sounded offended, "You're squirming too much. 've never complained before."
"If you want to use my shoulder as your pillow shave first!"
"Not a chance. Don't be so grumpy Platypus, gimme Steve back."
There was a sigh – Rhodey – a thump – Rhodey smacking Tony probably on the head – and yet another whine – Tony.
"Sorry babe, what's up?" Tony's voice didn't clear up and was half-muffled by Rhodey's shoulder, Steve suspected. Finally the uncomfortable, disturbing and highly likely jealous feeling was a bit blunted by the affection in that drowsy tone. "Don't worry you're not bothering, otherwise you wouldn't have my number. I was just near Philly and dropped by for a visit at mum's – I mean Rhodey's mum, but she sorta adopted me for the breaks at MIT and stayed here the night."
Tony's brain to mouth filter was functioning even worse while half-asleep.
"And would have died if you had to sleep alone," Rhodey groaned, but StarkPhones were really good to pick up all the surrounding sounds.
"Okay. Umm. I only called – It's not that important," Tony made an indignant noise that effectively shut Steve up. "Umm, so I was just going through your notes and couldn't read all of them. And I'd just feel bad if I had to make up all the numbers, you know?"
Steve felt his ears burning. It was a pretty petty issue to fuss about, especially that he dared to deem it so important that it can't wait until morning. While in real he just wanted to talk to Tony a bit – it helped him fall asleep – and now he felt bad that he woke Tony up when he finally got some sleep, even if Rhodey possibly had to haul him off to bed. And the bad feeling over this thought clenched his guts, which didn't ease his situation at all, no matter how much he liked Rhodey and that Tony had such good friend, the picture of Tony curled up at the other man's shoulder was too disturbing –
-until Tony spoke up again on that special way that ensured Steve that he was the middle of Tony's universe.
"It's all right," Tony murmured gently, "Bring it on, baby, I'll help you out anytime."
"It's really no big deal, Tony if you'd rather not –"
"Steve, it's actually easier now. My mind is finally one-tracked. It's easier to concentrate y'know? And I'm always happy to help you sweetheart."
"They are just numbers," Steve mumbled but couldn't decide as he reached out to tug the crazy sheets in front of himself who he was trying to convince.
"I can recite the Fibonacci over 86 267 571 272 in my sleep, so. Shoot."
The word after that impossible number was soft and light and warm and so well aimed that Steve couldn't hang up even if his room was set on fire that very moment. If Tony's voice was so gentle the whole time murmuring the correct equations –
This promise was enough to make him float.
It was fulfilling itself. The single numbers and alphabetical and sometime Greek symbols filled Steve's ear and soon they were flying on their own, Tony murmuring altered equations, carefully and gently instructing Steve where to draw the lines.
By the time the words blurred into an unintelligible slur and then turned into soft snoring Steve's head was resting on top of his desk, eyes dazed by a distant dreamy fog a soft smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.
Wibbly-wobbly lines and equations.
They made Steve stupidly content and happy already half-swallowed by dream-land as he eventually hung up.
The happenings of last night made Steve forget how fast Tony could travel.
Well in correct order the first surprise came in the form of Bucky standing dressed up in his doorway, grinning at him conspiratorially with that mischievous glint into his eyes that's always made him the girls' favourite. Bucky frowned at Steve as he took in his friend's attire, rumpled shirt, messy hair and the worn look on his face. The next hour Bucky made it his mission to get Steve ready for the party.
That's the second surprise. Steve totally forgot about the party he promised Bucky. He wondered standing under the spray of the shower how he'd managed that. Bucky had been calling him since Wednesday to make sure his best friend won't back off. Then he remembered Tony. Yesterday Tony was still in Philadelphia. Was he going to come back to New York just to go for a party with Steve and Bucky? Jesus, what was Steve thinking to invite the two of them along?
The third and biggest surprise greeted Steve after Bucky stirred him out of the apartment and they were faced with Tony Stark dressed in casual black jeans, shirt and suit jacket with his irreplaceable Aviators grinning at them as he pushed himself off of the hood of the sleek white Audi.
"Hey guys," Tony waved.
Bucky just waved back and clapped Steve on the back to get him moving again.
"Hi, wow," Steve stammered and he'd slap himself for sounding so stupid. He wasn't a junior in the face of the one he adored! "Weren't you in Philadelphia the last night?"
"I was," Tony grinned. "But Rhodey kicked me out because he didn't want to spend his leave listening to Pepper screaming at me through his webcam. You need a ride?"
"Isn't it too small for all of us?" Steve eyed the shiny car suspiciously.
"It's bigger on the inside," Tony said and opened the door, "Barnes you get the backseat."
"That's not fair," Bucky protested, but Tony interrupted him with a shrug.
"Either that or you stay here."
"But if it wasn't for me, Steve would be still covered in paint."
"This is why I offered you the seat and not the back next to the engine. And trust me, people say it scares them for life riding shotgun next to me."
This seemed to convince Bucky to crawl to the back. Tony pushed the front seat back to its place and held the door open to Steve. Steve gave him a strange look at that but Tony just winked and smiled even broader.
"Do we have a plan for how we'll get back?" Steve asked as he buckled his seatbelt. He glared at Tony as the other promptly skipped it and just started the engine.
"I'll drive you home if that's what you're worried about," Tony said checking the rear mirror upon Bucky's grunt that the engine purred to life just behind his back and it was tickling.
"I don't think it's a good idea," Steve frowned and tried his best to suppress the urge to lecture his friend about driving after drinking.
"I have experience driving drunk, and let me tell you, there are people who claim I drive safer drunk than sober. I can outdrink anyone and still drive better than them. I haven't crushed any cars drunk," seeing the twin horrified looks on both Bucky and Steve Tony laughed and smacked Steve lightly on the shoulder while he drew ahead a Sedan on a smaller space than it should be possible, "I won't drink, boy scout," and took the next corner at such speed that flattened both Steve and Bucky on the window.
Steve was about to get what Tony meant about riding shotgun next to him…
A/N: So second chapter and we still don't have anything going on. Next chapter, I promise!
What I don't promise is when I'll upload next. I have a Frostiron fic (still tha same) that still needs a lot of work to be done and for that I have a deadline. So I'll disappear again. (Plus my internet access is an unstable thing too so...)
I hope you still like it and thank you for sticking along so far! :))