Aryes: Hey guys~! I have chapter 3 up! Yeah! I hope you guys are liking it because these two together are fantastic! I love them together! :) They are adorable. I hope to put it all out and this is tecnically day 2 of training~! So yay! These bond a whole lot kinda and I give you some background info on both (unsure if it's factual for either but this is my twist on their lives) I hope you like it a whole lot!
Warning: Yaoi! (Male x Male!) If you don't like, please discontinue reading this story, if not, keep reading. There are also drinking, references to past abuse and traumatic childhood so yes, if any of this disturbs you please discontinue reading, don't say I didn't warn you!
Disclaimer: Don't own Avengers or any Marvel franchise. Sorry.
Step 2: Secrets of Armageddon (4 days left till the Party~!)
The next morning was a pleasantly quiet occasion as both met up for breakfast, Steve at the oven making a batch of blueberry muffins and flipping some fluffy perfect pancakes on the stove when Tony came in another suit. This morning he wore a brown one that was a lighter shade than his hair along with a darker shade of brown for his pants and shoes which looked unsurprisingly stunning on Tony. He wore a dark pair of shades and wore a trademark playboy smile as he spotted a pancake being flipped by Steve casually. Steve glanced over at Tony and evaluated the man as he watched the blonde slide the pancake on a plate. There it was again, the blinding smile of Steve Rogers as the man stacked them neatly, was he really that happy that he was eating with him? There was a whole pile waiting for someone to eat them and Tony was definitely willing to help make that happen.
"Woah Stark, who knew you came out of the bat cave in the morning?" wondered a voice out loud, the familiarity of it instantly translated to one man. The billionaire's nice morning smile dropped as if gravity had pulled it forcibly from his tan face as he gritted out, "Hello Barton, so glad to see you." Tony turned, his eyes widening slightly to see that there was not just Clint but also Bruce and Natasha, now Tony understood why Steve had been so happy. Everyone was practically here this morning minus Nick Fury and Thor. Tony didn't hesitate to keep talking though if only to hide his genuine surprise. "So you both are here as well? I thought for sure you were in the Northern side of Africa this month for sure," Tony trailed as he glanced at Banner who simply threw a confused but a general understanding look as he responded, "Actually I completed my work early, so I booked a flight back to check in on you all before going to Russia."
"I am being sent on a mission in a few days also, but i will be out of the country for a few months this time." That was all that Romanov said before the blonde set down a plate full of pancakes, syrup, butter, and forks. Everyone had their own plate set out, and Steve's smile was still there but as Tony glanced at it he could swear the teeth were too close together as if they were being grinded together painfully, but that was none of his concern plus it was probably Tony not being fully awake. Everyone who was not seated sat down almost immediately as the food was placed down and some of them reaching for the gallon of orange juice or the gallon of milk to pour in their cup.
Tony sat next to Steve while Barton and Romanov sat opposite of them, Banner sat at the end of the table and seemed to be pacing his time eating while the others rushed in blind hunger. Funny how the Hulk could control his hunger but everyone else could not. The brunette billionaire savored each bite thoroughly, even though he practically inhaled the beautiful food that had been set before moments earlier. He loved everything about the pancakes they were just perfectly how Tony liked them and even though Barton was there (that fact alone usually ruined his meals) the food was simply too astounding to ignore.
Everyone left one by one until Tony was the last, Steve over in the kitchen area as Tony ate his 3rd helping. "Your going to make yourself puke if you eat that much Tony." Ah there it was, the Steve Tony knew oh so well, the mothering Captain America. "I will not, your cooking is so good that I would never waste it in such a way."the brunette said confidently and he heard the dish sounds coming from the sink stop. "Right," the sound of Steve's voice was rather dull and sad and did Steve just agree with him?!
"Are you sick?" asked Tony completely dumbfounded by the attitude change and Steve turned to look at him with a look that just said, 'Really Tony? Really?' But the blonde never answered the question and that left an awkward silence as the soldier went back to doing dishes in the sink. The brunette stood up and deposited his plate in the sink, unable to think of anything else to really say through the silence,so he left to go to his meeting instead of bugging the blonde more which was probably the most mature thing to do now. As Tony left to get in the elevator, Jarvis surprised him from his thoughts. "Hello Sir, the Forretta corporation has just arrived in the meeting hall. I wanted to let you know that they are very impatient and have caused your workers quite a lot of trouble."
"Huh, they aren't usually like that are they?"asked the brunette and Jarvis replied with a sigh, "I am afraid so sir." "Hey Jarvis, what was the mental status of Steve?" there was a silence following the sudden question and then Jarvis said one word that caused Tony to think of Steve all day, "Panicked." The word caused the brunette billionaire to think of something to do after dancing practice with Steve. He would show Steve something to get his mind off of whatever was panicking him. They were going to go to a club and he would dance with Steve, but not the Waltz. That was Steve's area of expertise, but Tony considered himself the samba his area expertise along with the Tango.
He had always been made for the strange sexy rhythm that came with it and he had been a rambunctious kid that had loved to shake his hips. It was coincidence that Steve knew how to dance as much as him, their childhood circling dancing which gave them both a stability. Tony had grown up without the love of a mother, perhaps that was why he felt the need to please women so much. The blonde was still a mystery to the brunette and it was irking him because he could look up the back story of everyone else, but Steve, Romanov being the exception, but Tony wasn't interested in her past. Right now, the Captain was the object of his curiousity, the man usually clammed up from prying eyes. Captain America was too perfect and it bugged Tony to want to find the chip on his shoulder, it made him want to see the vulnerable Steve Rogers.
"Sir, why are you laughing?" Tony caught himself as the automated voice caught him the act, "I am enjoying the great uses of my genius Jarvis." "Sir, what are you planning?" The automated voice implored and the billionaire laughed again, the second one much more mischieveous sounding than the last as he sneered and said, "Oh you'll see Jarvis. After all," Tony started then paused for dramatic affect then continued, "it takes two to tango." Jarvis implored further on his master's rather unusual phrasing and tone, but Tony would not speak anymore of it and changed the topic to the upcoming meeting as he strolled out of the elevator.
The feeling, or rather, the emotion Steve Rogers was feeling could only be called disappointment. You see, when the other Avengers came down the stairs to partake in breakfast, Steve had felt so warm and happy. He hadn't seen them all, except Natasha in a while and the blonde solider had hoped that they could have a get together someplace since so many of them were in the Stark Tower at once, but it seemed that once again Captain Rogers was being unrealistic. They were all busy people, each with their own schedules and missions from Shield. It wasn't like Steve was unused to being alone, but rather he was unused to feeling so out of place. He was just so far behind everything, desperately he had been trying to catch up to everyone and everything.
The days seemed to move on without him, but lately he hasn't been feeling completely lost. Tony, as much as Steve seemed to clash with him, the man really was trying to learn the waltz. That type of hard work was something even he could admire, the effort he was putting in for the woman that he loves? The blonde really was unsure of their relationship considering Tony still slept with someone every other week, and the only reason he knew that was because Jarvis would inform him that he would need to make Tony some home remedy to the man's massive hangovers and make extra breakfast and coffee for his companion.
Honestly, the day went faster than usual, mostly because he watched some old movies, one especially intrigued him because it had been a movie that him and Bucky had wanted to see before they had went into the army. It was a film about a man who got accepted into a fake corporation and had to run away with his family in tow to America. It was quite a common plot back in the days when Steve had been born, but now as Steve compared everything to technology nowadays. Movies were one thing that the blonde soldier had to get used to for sure, the stories much more abstract and plots more complex. The thing that thrilled Captain America the most so far about movies though were the graphics themselves, it was beyond the blonde's comprehension but he was enthralled none the less with it.
So, now looking back at the older movies he began to feel himself become almost bored with the movie, but even then he promised himself to stay awake for the sake of one day being able to Bucky about the movie. It was a sad far off thought, even if it was unlikely to reach Bucky anymore, for all he knew his best friend was dead. Steve felt himself drift into a fretful sleep, his mind scrambling back to the terrible past that both boys had shared. he felt himself falling to sleep and tried desperately to stay awake, but even he didn't have the strength to ward off the extreme amount of mental fatigue he felt building. At some point during sleep he might've heard the sound of Tony and that sent his thoughts spiraling even further into his mind, he couldn't even open his eyes to check, but he smiled briefly as he simulated how great their dance lessons would be today.
There was something nice about getting off of work earlier than expected, maybe it was the fact of having free reign over the rest of your day, but the brunette billionaire had something else to do today. At 5 was dance practice with Steve and Tony couldn't miss out on that, especially since he planned to take the blonde out someplace to unwind, he owed that much to Captain for making countless breakfasts, lunches, and dinners (Sometimes not even in that order). Plus, there was also the immense fun to be had of watching Steve's reaction to him bringing the blonde to a nightclub. Tony felt a smile break out across his face as he thought of how the Captain would react to the strange grind and bump dancing that they have nowadays. He could really see Steve saying that it wasn't real dancing.
During the time that he had taken to get in the elevator, Tony had changed into a normal looking black tank top and blue jeans since Steve had made it clear yesterday that he didn't care what they practiced in. So, when Tony strolled in to find Steve on the couch of the living room made him confused, well more than a little actually, because Steve rarely took a nap anytime. The man always preaching about how he should stay awake only during the day, because that's why the sun was out or something. As the brunette came closer he felt his eyes do something strange, his eyes seemed to observe everything about the Captain in almost an instant as his unconscious body lay on the living room furniture. The brunette smirked in a half smile, the Captain clearly didn't understand vulnerability very well. The man's body was facing the TV and his head resting uncomfortably on the armrest, one arm tucked next to his torso, the other resting atop the big cushion behind him.
Another thing that caught Tony's attention was the clothes Steve was wearing. The most casual he usually saw Steve was when he had a pair of large sweatpants and an t-shirt of some kind, it seemed though that Steve actually knew how to dress comfortably normal like. The man was only sporting a pair of blue boxers and a white tank top that showed off his muscles. It also showed how much the blonde was sweating in his sleep. Tony glanced back over at the screen, which showed the home page to Netflix, then he looked back at the luminescent skin of Captain Steve Rogers, America's hero in boxers. It seemed like a very strange position to be sleeping in.
"Hey, Cap! Are you really asleep?" Tony asked skeptically as his elbows pressed against head of the large living room couch. The billionaire leaning in for a closer look at the restless blonde haired man clutching the couch cushion with the arm next to him. The brunette examined the blonde a bit closer, the man's face wrinkled in a painful fearing way, hands grasping the couch beneath him like a lifeline. "Jarvis, mental status on Cap now please." Tony commanded and was not disappointed as he heard the automated old voice speak, "Sir, it seems that Captain Rogers is experiencing another nightmare and this one seems to be causing him much pain." Tony glanced down at Steve one more time and then quickly looked at his watch and sighed. He had actually wanted to start practice early so they could go out tonight.
"Oh Come on Cap, you sleep now of all times?" the billionaire murmured softly, his eyes settling on a black marks peeking out of the boxers, the mark directly beneath his hips on each side. 'No way...It couldn't be a-' thought Tony but he felt a cackle escape and fruitlessly he tried to cover his mouth. The sound still escaped sounding only slightly muffled, luckily though, the blonde was in a deep state of unstable unconsciousness. "Hey Steve, do you seriously have tattoos?" Tony asked softly, the question was rhetorical though because that was the most likely answer. Tony, being the curious nosy neighbor type of guy, gently reached down to lift the boxers up a bit on one side, all the while though Tony is wondering what the tattoo would be of. Maybe it was something American or better yet, something extremely embarrassing. As the brunette pulled up he could see the colors black and red, the black spelling a word in cursive, a large red star at the end of the cursive.
'Bucky', the word written in cursive was Steve's best friend's name on his right leg. The one person that had actually survived to this time period other than Steve. "Damn, that's deep," Tony muttered as he let the flap of the boxers back to their original place. Then his brown dark eyes spotted the other side of his hips, the ink was a maroon colour from what he could see standing where he was and he leaned down and gently pried up the other leg of the boxer and was met with a cursive lettering of maroon with a blue flower underneath the last letter 'y', the word was a name. Peggy. Tony felt himself cringe, he didn't know that person but he could only assume it had been someone close to Steve in the old days. Then, Tony looked over at Steve's pain stricken face and he felt himself feel pity for the man. Well, for a little bit.
"Hey Cap, come on. Wake up!" Tony shouted as picked up a pillow from beside the solider's feet and smacked the blonde harshly with it. There was a startled sound emitted from Steve after Tony's 4th or 5th hit and the blonde shouted to let him know it. "Woah! What the-! Tony stop it!" Steve exclaimed as he angrily tried to grab the pillow away from his attacker but Tony avoided all the clumsy tries and chuckled Steve's attempt to try and grab it with both hands. It was almost sweet how Steve looked so sleepy but kept trying to stop Tony from doing something, maybe they should sleep deprive Steve a little more.
Meanwhile, Steve gave up after a minute and just pleaded Tony stopped hitting him because he was indeed now awake, so generously, Tony decided his torture of Captain America would cease. The blonde looked outside and wrinkled his eyebrows, and glanced back to Tony with a confused look, "Aren't you still supposed to be working?" "I gotta say, I love hearing that from my resident moocher," Steve flushed indignantly at the statement, "Hey, that's not fair. I was just asking it because you have never really been home before 4:30." Tony smirked as he looked over at the wall clock that said 2:05 and smiled, "Well, I got off early because I finished everything early, I own my own company remember, my lunch break is 2 hours if I say so." Steve frowned and then glanced over Tony's new attire then down at his own and gasped.
"Nothing to be ashamed out Cap. Everyone walks around in their underwear once in a while." Tony admonished with a slightly feral grin as he finished the rest of his jab, "Not everyone with tattoos of his best friend's name and a woman on his thighs do though." The brunette snickered as he saw Steve's ears flush but the man chose to walk away rather than reply to such an obvious instigation and Tony being who he was, followed Steve into Steve's territory, the kitchen. It seems Steve was going to make lunch while ignoring Tony, "Anything you want to eat?" The brunette smiled brightly and tapped the blonde' shoulder, the taller man turning around to see Tony holding up a card. "What is that?" asked Steve hesitantly and the evil grin on Tony's face became smaller as he replied simply for Steve's sake.
"Let's go order dinner, my treat okay?" Now this statement made the blonde almost fearful, Tony never offered something nice like that so Steve gently held the knife in his hand a little tighter as he said, "You can't be Tony! So who are you?" Steve asked cautiously, his own voice helping him affirm it and the brunette scowled and asked, "What?" "You don't ever to buy us anything but drinks and that's just so you can get us drunk so you can hide away in your workshop for days. So I ask again, who are you?" Steve asked the grip of the knife was clenched in his hand tightly in case something obviously wrong came out. "What Cap'n Crunch? Are you scared that I am going to fatten you up and eat you? I mean seriously dinner isn't that big of a deal to put on my card, or did you forget I am a billionaire?"
"There are too many variables here that you never do!" Steve pointed out and Tony got a little pissed and shouted loudly, "Really? Variable, Cap? What are you, a high school science teacher? Since when is taking a coworker out to dinner such an alien behavior?"
The blonde narrowed his eyes and pointed the knife with one hand at Tony now and said, "Since the fact that you have never taken any co-worker out to dinner! Not just that, the fact that you're home earlier, and the fact that you know about the tattoos really sum up some strange behavior."
Tony rolled his eyes, something he rarely did, and then he replied, hoping to clear up such a strange misunderstanding, "No, I came home early because I wanted to practice, then I kinda saw you on the couch in your undies and saw your tattoos peaking out so I just lifted your boxers to look-" "Tony! Privacy!" Steve panickedly cut in in shock, but Tony retorted quickly, "Cap, you're in my house, only I get privacy. You forget Jarvis records everything anyone does in the Stark Tower, so he only listens to me." The brunette watched as the shock of that statement settled in Steve. Quickly, Tony watched as Steve seemed to rid himself of outward emotions, the blonde breathing in and breathing out. "Only you with your big ego would brag about Jarvis listening to you," Steve said and stopped, "Alright, I'll go with you."
"Yes! That's the spirit! Put on your best and most comfortable suit you own Captain! We are going to eat like gods!" Tony made an extravagant gesture with his hands like he was pleading to the sky and the brunette swore he saw an inkling of a smile on the Captain's face, but as he turned the blonde was already heading back to change clothes. Tony stood still, watching Steve with a trance like stare as the man walked down the hallway, but soon pulled his eyes away. As soon as he heard the tell tale shut of a door, he spoke, "Jarvis, cancel my appointments tomorrow." There was a pause then an instantaneous response, "Sir, there are no appointments tomorrow until 2 o'clock. Why do you ask if i may?" The brunette was somewhat astounded as he leaned against a counter top, Jarvis was an AI who was actually curious. The thought that Jarvis was special that way warmed up Tony's core slightly as it hummed a little, indeed Jarvis was the greatest technology Stark Co. had.
"I need the morning off because I have a feeling I am going to come back home and get really really drunk. Call it intuition or just a guess." Tony stated out, moving his hands slightly into a more comfortable position only to jump at the AI's voice again, he hadn't expected a response, "Hopefully sir, Mr. Rogers will have a better influence on you tonight and you may come home without being highly intoxicated as you usually are."
The brunette scoffed a little, but couldn't help hope that things would turn out the opposite. He wanted to influence Steve enough to open up about what's in his dreams and if Tony has to get him intoxicated to do so then he would make the drinks keep on coming. First though, Tony wanted to know why the Capsicle was acting weird and he had a feeling that that too would need a bit of alcohol to solve. The billionaire smirked at the what he thought Steve would act like when he was drunk, perhaps he would be a sad drunk, crying and everything, but Tony personally liked the idea of an angry irrational Captain America.
As much as Tony wanted to think upon the subject, he first needed to somehow sway the idea in the blonde's mind, make it tempting to the other wisely straight laced American hero. The brunette licked his lips at the scent of the big challenge he was to face so that his own plan would be realized. It would be hard, but the billionaire always loved a hard day that ended with a couple thousand drinks at the bar and a chick around his arms. He wasn't an infamous playboy for nothing, there was a reason no one complained when they slept with them, he was indeed a good lover in bed, or so he had heard.
As Tony sat on the couch waiting for Cap to get on his best clothes, Tony paused wondering what Steve would think the phrase 'good clothes' meant. "Wait a second, Cap!" the billionaire said as he quickly followed where the blonde had been walking to. The brunette rounded the corner and saw Steve walk out in a flannel plaid shirt and a pair of black dress pants. Tony couldn't help but start laughing at the sight causing the blonde to slightly red and saying, "What?" Tony just repeatedly said the word, "No" through his fits of laughter and dragged the man back into his room to go through the clothes.
"It's not that funny Tony," Steve stated as the man beside him shook a little with laughter again and he replied, "Yes it is. I can see the headlines if I had let you go out in public, "America's Hero, The Great Captain America Having Wardrobe Troubles." He felt himself curl up his fist slightly at the rude comment but Steve breathed out slowly and considered himself lucky that Tony actually told him that they were going to an actually good place to eat and not somewhere where he could actually get away with wearing his flannel shirts at. He pulled at the polo that Tony had told him to wear, it was a bright cyan blue (something Steve didn't understand at all except that it was a bright weird color of blue) and a pair of blue jeans.
"We need to teach you how to be fashionable in this modern age Cap." Tony remarked with an air of superiority and Steve felt his face cringe visibly at his words. The blonde turned his head toward the window of the limo with a sigh as he thought, 'It doesn't matter Tony, there's no one who I would meet outside the tower and it's not like there's anyone I want to impress anyway.' "Think of it Cap! You getting thronged by the female masses because I helped you!" Steve's face completely went blank as he just looked at the brunette who seemed proud of the thought and the blonde went speechless at his comment.
The other man looked at him with a smiling face as he completely changed topics again, completely confusing the heck out of Steve! "Hey, do you know how to tango?" the taller man sat confused for a second before he answered, "Well, when I was young I did train somewhat with some tango dancers from Queens." Steve shivered at the thought of that team of misfits who scared the begeezus out of him with their crazed eyes when they spoke about money. "So you know how the dance works, do you think you could follow a tango dance?" the brunette asked him and Steve got a bad feeling in his gut from the way Tony was looking at him with bright twinkling eyes.
"Yes," Steve muttered and then he regretted responding as Tony gave him the most Cheshire grin he had ever seen from the man. It was almost too bright with his bright white teeth for Steve to handle and he hoped that whatever was exciting the brunette would stop. "Quit smiling like that," Steve commented with a side glance at Tony but the other man scooted across the red felt seat to where the other resided, by a window in the back of the limo.
"What are you talking about," the brunette's smile got even wider as he saw the other man glance over at him more as he spoke, "You are planning something Tony and I am not sure I want to know." The other man sat up properly and sort of grinned in a smirk like way that was rather smug, "What? Did you think your dinner would be completely without some sort of catch? Your more gullible than you look Capsicle." The blonde felt his face burn with anger as he slightly shouted with an angry gaze, "I knew it! You weren't just being nice, I was right!"
"I never exactly said you were wrong to begin with...," Tony trailed off and Steve almost punched the man as he saw those brown dark eyes slide over to him and a small curve of the man's lips, he was mocking him!
"I swear one of these days Stark, mark my words, I will punch that smug looking face of yours." the tall man said with firmness while clenching his fist and the other man popped open a bottle of some sort of champagne. "Really Captain, you'd ruin this handsome visage of mine?" Tony inquired knowing with the way he was bugging Steve the answer would be something along the lines of 'gladly'. "No, violence wouldn't solve that terrible personality trait you seem to possess," Tony gaped slightly at the uncaptain-like remark and he saw Steve smirk a little but swiftly hid it again. The brunette still saw it though in the bright blue that twinkled with the merit of his remark.
"I'm shocked that you see it that way! In my opinion it is one of my many charms, well along with being a billionaire and handsome!" Stark commented with evident pride and then he looked at Steve and said pointedly, "At least I have more appeal than the straight laced Captain America." As soon as the words left Tony's lips Steve felt pain deep somewhere in his heart and the pain must have shown on his face as the billionaire's own face changed to one of concern and confusion. The other man obviously tried to look closer but the blonde quickly turned away as he felt himself shrink slightly in the corner of the car.
Suddenly, Steve swore the car was too small for the two of them as he felt the other man staring at him closely. "What Cap'n? Did you think I was serious?" Tony laughed after that and Steve cringed because it was a forced laugh which made the blonde's stomach churn. Steve clutched his other hand tightly as he whispered, "You know you don't have to force yourself." Tony responded with a rather dumb sounding, "Huh? What are you talking about? I am taking you to dinner to have a good night. Plus you are teaching me to dance, so think of it as a payment of some kind." Steve stilled visibly and looked out the window with a sad face.
'So that's the reason? I guess that figures, I mean who would want to spend time with me without there being some sort of ulterior motive to it?' the blonde reasoned with himself, and here he thought that Tony was wanting to be friends or even just being nice, but no it had to do with feeling guilty for making him teach him to dance. Steve forced himself the negative emotions swelling in him and forced them down just like before...when he first came to this new age. All the sadness, anger, or the hollowness deep in his stomach so he put on a good face for everyone like always. The blonde breathed out a shaky breath and heard Tony say, "You okay Cap? You aren't crying are you?"
The blonde turned back to the brunette with a blank face and he changed the topic they were on, "So where are we eating at?" The topic change was apparently welcomed by Tony as he started talking about the place they were going to, but he felt the billionaire's sharp gaze on him at all times throughout their limo ride to dinner. Steve didn't mind because he was used to faking with a smile and a gentle voice, just like always, but the gaze turned into a glare as the automobile stopped, they were at their destination. As Captain Rogers exited the vehicle he felt the other man grab his wrist and pull himself out of the limo, his eyes still on Steve.
"Why are you staring at me?" asked Steve, but he was interrupted by the sound of cameras taking pictures behind the bouncers little path dividers and then came the noise. The sound waves from the people surrounding them almost made Steve go deaf! They were shouting and catcalling for a photo and while Tony was used to such treatment, Steve was not. The blonde started to panic as some people pushed at the boundary holders and the security for the place they were going, he started getting nervous that they would jump him.
Tony walked in front of him, checking backward at him and the other man smiled in that smug look that drove the other hero up a wall! He was probably laughing at him and how he looked right now, probably as scared as he felt and the other man made a gesture towards the doors of what Steve would classify as the "billionaire's club". The place was a huge tower and the front of the building looked simply magnificent and more than the blonde would ever make in his lifetime working at even S.H.I. E.L.D for 10 years. As soon as they both walked through the door, the taller male grabbed at Tony's black suit and made the other man turn with the gesture.
"Aren't I under dressed for this type of place Tony!?" Steve whispered out urgently, his face burning as he felt the scrutinizing eyes of people on him, most likely disliking his appearance. Their curious looks were like lasers on the blonde's back and it gave him a very bad feeling that was akin to what he felt on the battlefield, but this was a completely different battlefield, one that even Captain America didn't want to get caught up in. The taller man focused on the billionaire in front of him who gave him a look over quickly and smiled a genuine smile, "Nope, you're fine."
Slightly, Steve felt the panic overtake him for a moment as he whisper shouted, "I don't belong here Tony! This place is..." The blonde trailed off as he couldn't pinpoint the word until he whispered it out and immediately regretted it, "...dangerous." The brunette smiled a snicker that showed him trying to contain laughter and Steve flushed slightly and quickly glanced around the place. There were couches of pure white with black patterns and walls of black and gold designs that covered the walls. The flooring was a sleek green and purple, leading to a marble looking room with a large ballroom dance floor that made Steve gasp at its beauty.
"Isn't it nice? They have a band that plays later and since you are teaching me the waltz I think it is only fair that you understand how I danced before, it may make it easier to teach if you learn what I already know, or at least that's how I see it." the brunette commented beside him, but the blonde was transfixed by the dance floor once more until a hand flew in his face causing him to jolt back. "Earth to Captain! You alive? Is it really that amazing?" Tony said and Steve just looked at him in utter surprise as he said, "Are you saying that you don't have the urge to just dance on it? To see how far your feet take you on it? To see how great it would feel to..."
Steve trailed off as he stared starstruck at the dance floor again getting sucked into its beautiful glow from the chandelier lights above. It was almost ethereal in its glimmering and once again Steve felt his body feel the urge to dance it so strong he leaned forward. "I mean if you really feel out of place here, we can always go back to the tower," Tony said almost coyly, his gaze stuck on Steve and the blonde clenched his fist at the all knowing smirk the man had on his face. The taller man turned himself and looked downward and proclaimed with a practiced smile, "I am fine now. I guess I am not used to all this attention. I just kinda feel out of place without suit like everyone else."
"Mr. Stark! How nice to see you here! It's been a while," a woman said and both men looked over in the direction the voice came from and the brunette's face seemed to changed to a sweeter one. "Marielle! I haven't seen you in a while. You are looking beautiful as usually," Tony replied, walking right up to the woman. The woman in question was a black haired woman who looked like she was in her late 30's and she wore a bright orange dress that illuminated her very brown eyes. The dress was very short, nearly above her half thigh, it was wonderful and yet, Steve found it somewhat scandalous.
"Oh my, who is this strapping young man? Is this the famous Captain America?" The woman asked as she turned to look at him and the blonde's face turned a bit red at the word 'famous'. "I'm not that famous am I?" mumbled Steve, he wasn't used to talking to woman like this Marielle. Natasha, he could speak about missions and things, but this was a woman that had nothing to do with his work. "Oh yes! I think every woman in this club want to talk to you or Mr. Stark! Why I wouldn't be surprised if you find yourselves surrounded by young women once I leave you!" the raven woman said with a smile as she saw the blonde turn slightly red.
"Well, it was a pleasure meeting your friend Tony. Nice meeting you Mr. Rogers," the woman commented before giving Tony a very strange look and walking back into the casino part of the club where everyone seemed to gather. The brunette came back over to Steve and seemed to be smiling, "Hey Captain, your face is really red. Are you blushing?" Tony teased trying to poke the taller man's cheeks, but Steve swatted away the hand invading his personal space with ease. "No, I just didn't know that I was that famous..", Steve said with real confusion to his voice, he had thought he had kept his image down low.
"What? Being famous is great! I mean look at me Cap, I am living the good life. Plus, the company that comes with being famous is great," Tony said and his eyebrows went up and down on the word 'company' which confused him. It must have shown on his face when Tony slapped his face and sighed as soon as the sentence left his mouth, "The company I speak of includes women Cap, lots of beautiful high class women." The blonde felt his face burn again and the brunette grinned and said, "What's wrong Cap? Haven't you ever talked to a woman other than Romanov, Peggy, or your mother?"
For a brief moment he remembered a memory he wanted to just disappear. One where his own mother had thrown down a glass bottle on the ground, she had been drunk that day. Back when Steve had lived with his mother and father, though it had only been till he was 10. He already had known that he wasn't a wanted child. His mother had been there everyday to remind him of that and even when his father came and went from their lives, it was obvious to him that his mother hated them both. Brooklyn was a hard town back then and his mother knew that the only way to survive was to stay with her father no matter what he did to her. She used to get drunk and one time she told him everything that he knew and everything he didn't want to hear.
'You look so much like that dead beat father of yours...I really hated him...Did you know that Steve? That man is the worst...He beat me like no other and you know what...You're gonna be just like him. Hey Stevie, you wanna know I secret I haven't told anyone...I really hate you. You remind me of him so much. I wish you would just disappear sometimes, one less mouth to feed after all...Guess what Stevie? Love is a waste of time...There is no love in love, they'll just throw you out...If you ever fall in love Stevie, just run away...You are only gonna hurt them, after all, you are just like your father...Well, that's if anyone can love someone like you. Flawed, completely useless, what a joke...'
Reality was brought back to him in an instant when Tony clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Cap, you wanna sit down? You look a little out of it. Are you running a fever or something? I thought idiots couldn't catch fevers?" Steve quickly removed the hand from his shoulder and said with a smile, "Oh, I am fine. I just was thinking about what you said that's all." Tony gave him a hard look, one that was serious and concerned all in one look and the blonde felt his plastic smile he was putting on fade a little in the presence of such a piercing gaze.
"You're acting strange today," Tony murmured and Steve frowned as he replied a little defensively, "So are you." Both stared at each other for a quiet moment of silence and then the smaller man gave a sigh and had an uneasy smile as he said, "You know what? Let's get a drink." Steve frowned again on a little deeper, "I can't get drunk Tony." Tony smiled and replied with a mischievous look in his eyes, "Well, I still can. You can just eat while I drink AND eat." The blonde wanted to retort something but found no point in saying that drinking was bad anymore. Steve watched as Tony grinned after a moment of silence, perhaps taking silence as consent, and Steve followed the brunette to pub part of the place.
The pub was actually very extravagant and expensive looking, the bottles on the wall were ones that Steve only vaguely recognized as top tier names. Along with stools to the bar there were also tables, it seemed the pub was a restaurant and bar rolled into a high class place of dining. Steve sat down at an empty table for two and Steve seated himself as well, and swiftly, two waitresses came over to their table. One was red haired with brown eyes and the other was blonde with green eyes, both were looking very extremely peppy. They both smiled and practically crooned to Tony, "Welcome back Mr. Stark~! Would you like the usual?"
Tony smiled coyly and said, "You know it except we'll skip desert today. I have a guest with me so you'll have to excuse it this time." Both women looked over at Steve Rogers with wide eyes and they smiled, "Oh, of course! Are you Captain America~!? That's so amazing~! What would you like to eat or drink today Mr. America~?" Steve felt a blush rising from embarrassment, never had he ever been called 'Mr. America'. That was too precocious! It sounded like he was looking down on people! He didn't want that. "Ummm..You can call me Mr. Rogers,...please," the blonde said a little lightly and the girls took it in full stride, "Of course Mr. Rogers~!"
Steve glanced over at Tony and felt his blood pressure rise in anger as he saw him enjoying his embarrassment. "Steve, they can make anything you want here. I am serious, like, anything at all! It's pretty great! Right girls?" Tony commented and the girls nodded, their gazes staring at Tony and Steve thought of what he had been craving lately. "Umm...Can I have...some beef stew if that's possible at all?" shyly Steve looked at them, because beef stew was a hard thing to procure in such a short time frame. He felt embarrassed for even asking for something that difficult but he had been craving it and Tony did say anything so...
"That's great! We'll get you some right away~!" the girls cooed sweetly and smiled brightly with confidence, which completely baffled Steve. As the girls hopped away, Steve leaned over with a pained expression on his face as he asked, "Can they actually make that in such a short amount of time?" Tony smirked and gestured, "Look around this room Cap, the question is at this point is what can't they make?" The blonde had to agree as he looked around the room that it certainly had the aura of possibilities. The table a deep cherry wood with a stunning finish, marble counter tops, and a floor that felt as though you should be sleeping on it rather than walking on its beautiful blue surface, it was definitely a room that encouraged one to go wild.
"Mr. Stark, I have your special drink you requested!" one of the girls from earlier held a big bottle, a little bottle, and two clear shot glasses. Wait, 2 shot glasses? "Wait, what do you mean special drink," the taller man asked casually in confusion and the billionaire just smiled and asked, "Hey Cap, are you sure you can't get drunk?" The question surprised Steve and quickly he replied, "No, but when I drink I feel nothing at all." Tony smirked, "Alright, fair enough. Hey Cap? Wanna have a contest, see who can get drunk first?"
The blonde looked at him blankly and then murmured, "I just told you that is useless Tony." The billionaire stared evenly at the blonde and said, "Okay. Humor me then. I'll drink this though," Tony showed the smaller bottle of a weak strength beer, "While you get to drink shots of this!" The table shuddered as the brunette slammed the bigger bottle on it, and Steve was surprised it didn't shatter on impact with the nice study wood. As the bottle settled, the blonde actually was able to study it more but two things popped out to him, 'Alcohol content 65%' and 'Armageddon'. "Armageddon? Alcohol content is 65%!?" Steve read with a confused and disbelieving look and he saw the billionaire's eyes glint a bit at the word.
"This is the world's strongest beer! If I get drunk before you, then you win." Tony said and Steve clenched his hands in frustration. "Tony, what part of 'I can't get drunk' don't you understand?" Steve asked and Tony replied cooly, "The part where I get drunk even if I am wrong and you get to prove me wrong. Well, that's if you're that confident." Steve felt perturbed at the fact that Tony seemed so easy going, but then again it could be the man was just aiming to get drunk anyway and wanted to drink with someone. "Okay how about we sweeten the deal? What do you want if I am wrong about this?" the brunette asked and Steve paused, what would he even ask for?
After a moment he remembered something perfect for this time, "You have Jarvis measuring our emotion levels and surveillance of us all at the tower. I don't want them on for me." Tony raised an eyebrow casually, "Why? Got something to hide Cap? Is it something dirty?" Steve glared at Tony, but as usually the man took no need of his visual cues and kept prodding, "You can share anything with me! I am being truthful here. You can tell me anything and I would never tell another soul. So, how about you tell me all your secrets that are biting at you and I will tell Jarvis to exclude you from security measures unless there are factual reasons to do so." The blonde felt his face give away his hesitation, but Steve was pretty sure he couldn't get drunk.
"Alright, I'll take your bet Stark, but I feel the need to tell you again that I probably won't get drunk," the blonde commented and then once again he felt uneasy as the brunette smirked as he usually did when he was feeling confident. "Well, I guess we'll see then won't we? Alright, let's have a toast then!" The brunette cracked open the caps on both bottles and poured each of them a shot of them. "What should we toast to?" asked Steve curiously and he held back a smile as Tony's face contorted in a strangely comical way. Then, Tony shrugged, "Well, I will drink to the fact that our hero work has a break!"
Steve nodded to this and said, "I will definitely drink to world peace." As he said that he picked the shot glass and downed the very surprisingly smooth drink in a second. Steve slammed it down and stared at Tony who apparently done the same thing, except it didn't seem to go down as easily as Steve's drink had. The brunette coughed and made a very cringe worthy face as the main spoke roughly, "I forgot this stuff is pretty vile...on the throat. So...was yours any better?" The blonde smiled and replied haughtily, "Yes, it went down smoothly and tasted rather nicer than what I was expecting actually." The billionaire nodded, "Yeah, that's the strongest beer on earth right now."
Steve felt his surprise become visible as he whispered in awe, "Really? Wait! 'Armageddon' means essentially 'the end of the world' right?" The blonde paused as he saw Tony light up the other man grabbing the bottle from his grasp rudely and looking at it with the same awestruck feeling the taller man had felt earlier. "Yep, the age old telling of Dooms day, the good ol' Apocalypse," the billionaire said in jest and seemed to have fun looking at the design on the bottle.
After a moment, Tony handed it back and then the blonde himself looked even closer at the picture on the bottle and instantly was struck at the amazingly plain looking bottle. It was black with white horns (well that's what Steve thought it was, but he wasn't sure), the yellow word 'Armageddon' written in a blood chilling font. Underneath the writing was the sentence, "The World's Strongest Beer", and it made Steve raise an eyebrow, 'Modest much?'. With a quick movement, Steve poured himself another drink and downed the liquid again even quicker as he felt the pleasant burn across his throat.
The sound of glass filled through the room as an hour passed, the conversation topics changing so quickly that Steve couldn't keep up with it. The blonde found his conversations rather pleasant despite the rapid pace of topics. They were discussing many things that Steve found mind boggling, some technology wise others more political, Tony though actually explained things to Steve instead of leaving him out of the subject. Though, the blonde started to lose more of his wit then he thought, everything was so slow yet so fast but at the same time, it was still a pleasant discussion.
"You know what Tony?" Steve asked casually, he looked over at Tony who had been downing the same amount of drinks he had, but still looked sober as the sunlight. "What?" asked Tony, the man smirking as he followed up his question. "You and I aren't that different," the taller man said a hushed, almost as if realizing it himself as he continued, "We both grew up a little crooked." The pale man watched as Tony's shot glass hit the table top and the man raised an eyebrow, "Oh really, I thought America's boy scout hero grew from the perfect family. All of them leaders of justice in some way or something like that?" That was when Steve gave a dark look and softly whispered, "No, it was nothing like that."
In all honesty, Tony was barely even drunk yet, a few drinks of the stuff he had was barely getting to him. On the other hand, Captain America was obviously getting a little drunker as the evening moved on, it was in his body language. The billionaire saw all the signs that pointed towards his hypothesis that the Captain could get drunk, it just took a bottle of expensive alcoholic beer to do it. It was all there, the slump in his posture, the dazing look, the mild look of confusion, the different demeanor, the rosy cheeks, everything was clear as day to Tony. He had to stop himself from laughing when the Captain started getting all serious. Especially when the pale man started to talk about more personal things, like childhood.
"So what was it like huh? Was it like mine, a father who was a constant drunk workoholic bastard and a mother who was never really home?" asked Tony bitterly feeling that he had the Captain beat in terms of crappy childhoods. "Did she love you?" the question was very hushed and the billionaire looked at the blonde who's blue bored into his, in them was a sorrow unlike any other. "Yeah, I think she did," Tony breathed out, tearing his eyes away from Steve's and the the other replied, "Well, that makes one of us." Then, they were both encased with tension and silence which was broken by the Captain, "Was Howard a violent drunk?"
Tony felt his face warp into disgust at his father's name, but he chose not to comment and just answer, "Not really, he wouldn't hit us, but he would throw things on occasion." The brunette felt the other Avenger staring at him so he decided to ask more because he was now curious. "So your dad was a violent drunk then?" blue eyes stared into him at the question they were hauntingly reminiscently dark and the billionaire found himself grounded, his ears perking to listen over the sounds of their environment. "Funny, the great Tony Stark wants to hear about me when all he ever care about is himself. What a terrible joke," the Captain was distraught as he brought a hand up to his eye and dug it into his blonde hair.
In truth, Tony was somewhat intrigued about Steve, Boy Wonder, pitying himself in front of him. If there was one thing Tony thought he would never see Captain America do, it was wallow in self pity without a reason. Steve had always been some sort of a mysterious elusive character from the comic books until he had come out of his icicle and now Tony knew why, the man never opened up to anyone so this was chance to really learn what made the blonde tick and that was enough to make Tony curious. "Yeah, I do," Tony said firmly raising his eyebrow and the pale man paused and just replied, "fine." The man took a drink before he began to speak plainly, as though he had rehearsed it many times, "Well, to start, I wasn't really wanted in my family. I was a mistake. My father was a street smart thug and my mother well, she was there for the money. Brooklyn was a hard town full of crime back then so to stay safe and live she stuck with him, even if she did hate him. I was born in a town where street smarts kept you alive and if you didn't have any...well you either starved or got shot."
"My mother never liked or loved me, she put up with me because she didn't want to be alone with him. He beat her less when I came in the room, and he never stayed too long, he came and went when he pleased. I apparently looked a lot like him when I was young, so she would hurt me in his place, funny how I didn't die from all the cuts and wounds she gave me some days. One day though, she died going out to get her cigarettes, a shot to the head. I stayed home wondering if my father would even come back. In the end, he didn't come back at all."
"By that point I got shipped off to my Auntie, who happened to own a dance floor. When she was younger she had danced in some pretty amazing places but she got sick and though we didn't know it back then, she had cancer. It was a slow but deadly cancer so she didn't die immediately but she never knew when she would so she quit dancing on the big stage. Then I came along, I was 10 or 11 at the time but I was warped enough from childhood. I wasn't nice like I am now, I was a lot worse, but I had Bucky too. Bucky had been though it all with me...If he hadn't been there, I don't think I would've turned out the same. I would've been irreversibly evil when I came to her."
Throughout the story at this point Tony had noticed all those small details people never noticed about Steve Rogers. The man's body language had always been strange to Tony, it always seemed as though the blonde wanted to help people but not be near them, almost as though he was distancing himself. Now that had always struck Tony as strange, but now he understood, because he did something very similar to that himself. Steve was afraid to let people in, but while Tony felt he would disappoint people when it came to serious matters, Steve was all around feeling like he should have never existed, probably felt like anything related to love was a lie. Tony's mother and father loved each other, but Steve never got to experience any type of love and that hit Tony straight at home. No wonder the guy was a stiff when it came to anything related to what many considered to be fun, the man had only seen the dark things that came from love, alcohol, or flirting with women.
Then suddenly, the brunette saw the man's face change to something like warmth as his voice sounded almost in awe as he started to speak again. "But my Aunt changed all that though when she took me in, she changed my world entirely. She was the one who taught me how to waltz and she danced with me a lot. She was my reason for living and she helped me become who I am. My values, my heart, everything was changed for the better when I met her. I wanted to dance her one last time, but she died too soon. When she died I went with Bucky, we wanted to join the army together and...you know the rest of the story." Tony felt his heart clench as the other man finished his story, they really were more alike than he thought. Everything made him compare himself to Steve and for some reason he felt like he wanted to punch himself for all the things he had done to the blonde.
It was only just now Tony realized the man was really a lost soldier. It all made more sense now, there was a reason for why he was easily embarrassed, his trust issues, his need to hide problems, his need to berate Tony on everything he did, Steve's environment was the reason, not the man's attitude or personality. The brunette felt as though he had just ran into an obvious brick wall and he felt stupid now that everything was so clear. "I think you might've been right," Tony looked up to see the Captain nursing the shot glass in his hand, who's blue eyes never left it, "I...am probably saying stupid things so I...think...I think I may be drunk." Steve finished with a sheepish smile and then turned to the other man with a blinding smile that made Tony's face heat slightly at its intense genuine charm.
"I guess I gotta tell you a secret right?" the blonde was absolutely clearly drunk and Tony felt himself think of all kinds of things that he could ask, all the way from dirty questions to deeper thought provoking ones. He settled on the question he had planned to ask earlier, "So, what's been bugging you Steve? I don't mean normal type stuff, I am talking about the nightmares you've been having." That smile that was on the Captain's face disappeared quickly enough as Tony expected but what he didn't expect was what Steve did. Steve looked from side to side nervously and then looked very pained as he spoke, "I don't want to talk about it." Tony lifted an eyebrow and then stood up quickly, "Then how about when we return to the tower. You owe me a secret and I don't really care if we are here or not so let's go back."
The brunette watched as the blonde waited a moment, nodded, and then stood up to follow behind him back to the limo that was parked out front for his convenience. "Are you sure you're not drunk enough to throw up, because I really don't want you upchucking over my favorite car." Tony smirked as Steve's panicky look turned to one of indignation as he shouted, "I will not!" The brunette smiled and retorted as they slid into their seats, "You know what Steve? You act like a kid when you're drunk." The blonde's face on closer inspection was a cherry red and the man seemed dazed. "What's up Cap, you going on a space ride or something?"
The blonde man's stellar blue eyes were square on him, hazed, but clearly looking at him. "You called me by my name," Steve mumbled slightly and Tony's brows furrowed in confusion. "I did?" asked the billionaire and the other man startled him with the brightest smile at him. Tony's heart doing a little jump at the sight and nice words that came out of his mouth, "You never said my name before….It sounded nice coming from you...Can you say it again...Just one more time?"
The words were soft and pleading, those blue eyes tempting him to do some kind of sin to the blonde, and since he was slightly drunk he even considered it. What the Captain said was true though, he had never really called the man by his name, he had always avoided it, but never really noticed till now. Saying his name out loud now made the situation more real. "Steve, you're drunk," the brunette said plainly and the other man smiled and leaned closer when he smiled, "Yep, all thanks to you! Nat will probably gut you for it though." Steve laughed while Tony let out a smile, he decided he liked drunk Steve, he was probably a mood driven drunk, but the cheery side was so different from how the Captain acted normally.
Then, all of a sudden, the Captain's laughter died down in a rush and the other man's furrowed his brows. They sat in the still tense silence for a while until the taller man started to speak, "You said you wanted...to know about my nightmare right?" The blonde said, flopping against the stark red seats on the other side of the limo, Steve hid his face in pillow and layed down on the comfy bedding. Tony could see the slight way the man deflated as he sunk deeper into the seats, probably falling asleep. "Yeah, I noticed your emotional patterns in your brain going off on Jarvis' radar and I want to know why you have been so down looking today like it's the end of the world." The billionaire noticed the other man cringing at the words.
"Well,-" "-Sir, we have arrived back at the tower," Said the driver, interrupting their conversation and Tony noted that the moment the driver spoke, Steve had jumped at his voice. "Alright, let's get inside and talk when we get up there alright?" Tony eased toward the very drunk man, Steve seemed to register as he nodded, maybe he was even sobering up a little with all their serious talking. The blonde let himself be pushed by the billionaire toward the building and into its grand doors. The place was quiet as most of the staff had departed for the day and Tony went straight to the elevator with the Captain in tow. Both were silent as they went through the emotions, Tony though felt the silence was actually comfortable. He could tell the other was deep in thought as he tossed a casual look behind him in the elevator to see the blonde watching the floor intently and surprisingly the man met Tony's eyes once and quickly looked away again.
"So, are you gonna tell me?" Tony asked, somewhat curious if the righteous Captain America would fold on their promise. The billionaire chanced a glance backward and saw the other man's blue eyes burning into his own brown ones with vibrant life, completely different from the glance he had received earlier. Steve was definitely sober now, there was no doubt in Tony's mind. The taller man grabbed his right arm with left hand and seemed to shrink slightly. "I...I don't know...," Tony wasn't entirely surprised at the response, even Captain America with all his righteousness and decisiveness has doubts. Tony understood it though, so he decided to see if he couldn't push Captain America a little more.
"My nightmares are about this," The brunette said, his fingers brushed over the fabric above his arc reactor, the blue light that pooled through were shadowed by his fingers. He looked at his fingers and felt himself shiver slightly, it was a bit odd for him to have nightmares but when he did it usually consisted of his arc reactor, his metal heart. He looked over at the blonde, wondering if the man even heard him at all and to his joy he had. The man's blue eyes stared at his fingers, seemingly entranced but at the same time Tony saw them look somewhat curious almost earnestly at his arc reactor. He could understand why anyone would be amazed or at the very least frightened but the taller man looked at it in curiosity.
"Why?" Tony was caught off guard by the question and responded on instance, "What?" Tony was dumbfounded by the man's question, but the bright blue's stared straight at him in the eyes and came somewhat closer, pointing at his arc reactor. "You were brought back into a world you belong in, you are able to change the world with your skills Tony. It saved you, why on earth would you fear it?" Steve asked, his eyes darker as he stared at Tony's core with intensity as though he was gauging it for something. "Really now?" The billionaire asked, his eyebrow arched and Steve nodded back at Tony. "Do you wanna touch it or something, because you keep staring at it," Tony remarked and somehow he knew what the answer would be from the drunk Steve.
"Can I really touch it?" The blonde asked and Tony rethought over the proposition, "only after you tell me your nightmares!" The brunette made the line very clear and he almost saw the other man pout. The elevator dinged as they reached the Avengers level, the door opened silently and Tony watched as Steve led them to the couches next to the huge TV where the blonde had been asleep earlier that morning. Both men settled onto it, Tony leaning back and Steve looking down at the floor with his hands together. The brunette felt slightly impatient and threw a glance at Steve, waiting for the man to start.
"Um...My nightmares aren't crazy different from anyone else. I just dream about things you'd expect, the time in the army, childhood, and people that are...gone now," the words were left in the air and instantly he knew who Steve was talking about, or rather whom. Both stayed silent for a moment, "Bucky and Peggy right?" The blonde's fists clenched together and he looked slightly away from Tony, a small yes from the man answering his question. The Captain tended to surprise Tony, but he had to watch as the taller man seemed to shrink in front of him and started to shake badly. It had just started with a small thing, a small nervous bouncing of the leg that transformed into a full on body tremble.
Then, the billionaire heard the noise, a small sniffle from Captain America, "Are you crying?" Tony asked the question in awe, it seemed that drunk Steve showed more emotions to him. The other man didn't answer and then the smaller man saw a few sparkling drops fall from his chin, even though the Captain had hidden his face, he could not hide the tears. Tony could honestly say he had no idea what to do, "Were the nightmares that bad?" All Tony could do was sit there as Steve started to talk, the man's hands going up to his face. "I can't take it…All I see is them, the old Bucky…Peggy…Howard…Hydra…My mother…my father…all of them are in my nightmares! I can't escape! They are always there and the blood! The blood…"
Steve's voice cracked as he held his hands outward as though he were watching them, watching some bloody vision. Tony scooted closer and as he got close enough to see Steve's face, he froze again. There was full blown terror in his eyes, it was similar to a man on drugs, his pupils dilated, and his breaths coming faster. The tears were still visible, his blue wide eyes never leaving his own hands, and it was easy to see that he was entranced. The brunette reached outward tentatively, worried that he would startle Steve, but the blonde seemed to not even see him at all. He touched his hand and squeezed it, the small action doing nothing to the blonde who was stock still. "Captain, you gotta stop punishing yourself," Tony said and he felt his own life flash before his eyes, he could see all the times where he punished himself, at least until Pepper brought him back from that dark place.
'Someone needs to do that for you, bring you back after being stuck in the darkness. It's probably a lot worse for you, so I guess I will bring you back,' Tony sighed as the thought interjected his logic. His brain was telling him to leave Steve here, but Tony knew he wasn't able to choose that option. He just didn't have the heart, or rather the arc reactor, to leave Steve now, not when he looked so much like he did in the past. Tony looked up at Steve and was surprised to see the other man looking back at him. Those blue eyes glistened as they stared at him, his own eyes getting lost in the captain's sweet blue ones. Tony felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of him, his hand that was touching the paler hand started to burn slightly at the touch, inching to move.
"I'm not punishing myself...I am just..," The blonde sputtered and looked down at Tony's hand with a crestfallen look as his other hand gently placed on top of the billionaire's, completely encasing Tony's hand in Steve's hand, the hands squeezing together subtly. "I am just afraid of losing everything all over again. I am scared that everyone I know now will disappear or change like Bucky did. I am afraid and I- I just hate it so much! I want to be with everyone, because...I feel so fucking alone! Damn it...Damn it... I'm sorry...Please just forget I said any of that! I'm fine you know! I'll be okay..," said Steve and the man started to cry again, Tony felt the wet liquid fall onto his arm and watched some fall on Steve's hand that held his tightly like a woman in labor.
He understood him, the brunette remembered feeling like that before, he remembered how he compared himself to poison, something people were afraid to touch, but during those he would drink or have some sex to cope with the feeling. It was obviously that Steve had had neither of those to rely on, the man had just lived with his problems and he never cried or whined about it to any of them. Guilt settled in his stomach so he had to somehow change it. He wanted the darned feeling to go away, and he needed to help Steve. "It's not your fault Cap, really it isn't. We are a bunch of super heroes, while the rest of us are zipping around doing our own thing we kinda forget about everything else. We should be the ones apologizing, not you. Don't you dare blame yourself for being human Cap," Tony was glad his voice didn't shake as he spoke, because this topic was very ironic coming from him that even Steve would laugh off.
"No...I am not even human anymore, I am just a science experiment. Just like the first time we met, 'everything that makes you special came from a bottle'. I remember you saying that Tony and you were right on that. Everyone else in the Avengers deserves to live happily, even you Tony, even if you don't believe me...but me, I'm not even a hero! I am just...a burden to you all," the blonde finished and suddenly Tony grabbed the blonde by the shoulders and shook him slightly to where the other man was shocked.
"You are not a damn burden Rogers! You're a hero! I was wrong about you, because I didn't know anything back then. Now that I know you, I think you are more than a hero! Every hero strives to be like you, because you have the courage that many of us don't. You face your fears and are stronger than all of us! You don't have to fly around or use super powers to be a hero, Cap," The billionaire said exasperatedly and he felt his stomach flutter when the blue eyes widened and a blush spread on the man's already flushed face. "Really," the bigger man asked, his eyes seeming to search his endlessly. "Yeah, you are the golden boy for a reason Cap, it's probably cause you have a big freaking heart of gold," the billionaire muttered as he let go of his shoulders.
"Tony?" asked Steve after a few moments of silence, and the other man looked over at the blonde who was laying languidly on the couch next to him looking somewhat happy after being complimented, "What?" The other man smiled a weird smile, "I think I am drunk." Tony 'hmm'ed in response as he watched the other man look over at him again, their eyes meeting in a weird moment of peace. "Hey Cap," said Tony after a moment and Steve also 'hmm'ed in response. "We aren't going to disappear," the brunette replied softly and that caught Steve's attention as the man turned again towards him. His eyes were almost regretful as he said, "Oh no, you guys have before. Just this time you decided to appear before me Tony and not disappear to your lab."
He looked down at the couch and softly smiled, "This is the first time I have talked to somebody for so long that I have to thank you. It makes me remember how nice it is to have someone to talk to or have fun with. Especially being able to dance again without hating myself...you made me want to dance again. You made me remember the feeling that I used to have when I did, the feeling of caring and being cared for. Even if it is just for a silly reason like covering up a lie...I want to thank you...thanks for being with me...Tony... " The blonde started drifting off into sleep, his eyes slipping shut as he sank into the couch.
It wasn't a sudden action, but Tony was amazed at the slow progressive nature of sleep in Steve. The Captain was out like a light and the billionaire found himself getting to be about the same way as he felt himself sink into the sweet oblivion of sleep. His thoughts were speaking to him loud and clear, he wanted to be able to dance with Steve tomorrow, not just tomorrow, but more. He briefly remembered the way that Steve had danced with Natasha and he felt a pang in his heart when he remembered the expression that the taller man had when they had danced across his ballroom floor.
In his mind, he couldn't forget that face of bliss almost as though the Captain had experienced something wonderful. The peaceful face that the blonde had now was soft andhappy, perhaps he would even sleep well. Without a thought, Tony reached a hand out to Steve's face, his hand caressing the curve of his cheek, and Tony was amazed at how soft the chiseled face was. "Hey Cap," Tony asked and waited a moment and continued when no answer came from the sleeping form, "I won't disappear anymore, now that I know someone needs me...My family never needed me and Pepper and Rhodey could live a whole lot better without me, you know? They just have everything they need and I only give them trouble...Same with my parents."
Tony waited for a moment, an sign that Steve was listening, but there was none so he continued with conviction, "I wonder Steve, do you even need me? Do the Avengers need me? I want to stay with all of you, because I know how bad it feels, to be so alone to the point where you think it's better to just...disappear. I just thought I was doin' everyone a favor, but you and the others, you all live the same type of life as me. Some of us want to just go away and hide but people like you Steve, you're different. You are still searching for people even though you have people who have either left you, gone, or died. You're still strong enough to want to be with people...I don't even deserve the sympathy of others, because I am just a jackass."
Tony felt his lip wobble slightly at his own words and his eyes sting with his holding back of his tears. He reached up to brush them away when he felt a light touch and he looked to see that Steve had touched his arm with his hand and was looking at him vaguely. The pale hand grabbed his wrist and the man started to nod off again, but before he did, he said words that the billionaire would never forget, "You're not a bad person Tony. You may be hard to understand, but I feel I am starting to. You're just scared, like me, but I promise...I won't...leave you Tony. I need you...We all need you...so please," the Captain said and watched as the man looked at him with sad sleepy eyes and the man nodded off again, his hand slipping from his wrist, "Don't..leave me...alone...again...I was so...so..alone."
Then, the brunette was sure the blonde was asleep, his breathing evened out and Tony still sat in shock. He wanted to ask him why he said all those things, but he couldn't help but to start falling asleep. His eyes drooped pleasantly and his head started to clear. 'Sleeping here wouldn't be that bad. Plus, he told me not to leave him alone, and no one else will be here tomorrow.' that settled Tony's argument for sleeping next to Steve. "Jarvis," the billionaire asked softly and Jarvis spoke back softly, "Yes sir?"
"Can you please cancel all my appointments tomorrow," Tony responded and Jarvis responded back, "I would advise against it, but I will tell them sir." "Thanks Jarvis, good night," Tony said and Jarvis bid him a goodnight as well. The brunette felt himself slide so that he would be laying downwards flat on his back, while Steve stayed upright. The night made him sleep and he wondered briefly how Steve would deal with his hangover when he hadn't had one for a long time. It made for a nice dream as he slept into the night, and he smiled slightly as he remembered the blonde's words.
"I won't leave you Tony. I need you."
Aryes: Yay! I hope you guys liked this chapter! It was definitely long~! If you have any advice or something that would help the plot along let me know :) You guys keep me going! Thank you for reading this chapter~!
~Aryes