Son,

I hope this letter finds you well. I'm writing to keep you updated on my well-being, as I'm sure you are worried (if your last letter was any indication). I am doing okay, well, as okay as you could be in the middle of war. How are you adjusting to your new job? Fury is an old friend, so remember to treat him with the utmost respect. By the way things are faring, it seems that the war will be over soon. I'll update you more as I know more.

See you soon,

Gen. Rogers

Steve closed the letter and picked up some parchment paper and a pen. His reply letter was quite short compared to the others he'd written, but he wasn't quite sure what to say (and he made sure to note that in his letter). He was happy that his father was alive and well; considering that when General Rogers left the army—Steve was three years old—he had no intentions to return. But when duty called, he was always the man to answer.

Steve sealed the letter in a new envelope and stopped by the Western Union to send it off before he picked up Tony and Clint for work.

ooOOoo

Steve reddened a bit as he remembered last night. He felt as if they'd gotten somewhere, crossed an invisible line they were both unaware existed. He wanted to keep going, keep crossing boundaries that would make some people uncomfortable. He was getting ahead of himself, but then again, he'd never felt like this before.

Tony walked down the steps (Clint right behind) and the sight of him never failed to make Steve's heart stutter and reset every time. He now understood why men would go to war for this feeling. It was so succinct, incredibly different to anything else or any other emotion that would or could be elicited by someone else. Every sensation was different when it came to Tony, his ears were more alert to the sounds the other man produced, and his eyes were glued to the body and followed them with almost a machinelike precision; his skin felt electrified whenever they touched. He could go on for hours on how his senses would change as Tony evaded and stole his concentration, but they only had a couple of minutes to get to work on time.

ooOOoo

"I was thinking that maybe we could go to a showing of a movie tonight." Steve said during his lunch break with Tony and Clint. It was the first time since he had arrived to the factory that he was able to sit with the duo in an amicable atmosphere.

"I've never seen a movie before." Clint confessed, absentmindedly, then he realized that Steve wasn't specifically talking to the both of them, but was much too polite to say it otherwise. "But I have plans tonight anyways, so count me out if you're going." Clint continued, though, even if he hadn't had a plan, he still wouldn't have gone.

"I've never seen a movie either." Tony said, biting thoughtfully into his sandwich. "But I keep hearing they're a ton of fun."

"Yes they are, very fantastical, there are these large screens in a theater, similar to that of a play. Live orchestra, popcorn, refreshments; it's quite a treat." Steve said excitedly, then he sobered as Tony skeptically looked at him. "That is if you are interested in going, of course."

"How much for a ticket?" Tony asked, contemplating going on an overnight outing with Steve, not bothering to correct the man in telling him that he'd never seen a play either.

"You wouldn't have to worry about the cost. I'd take care of it." Steve declared, a bit more hopeful.

"I can also take care of it, that's why I asked." Tony said, his pride being put slightly on the line. Clint rolled his eyes as he noticed how his brother would get ready to defend the little dignity he had left. He wondered how Steve would take care of this one.

"Oh of course I know you can take care of it, I never doubted that for a second; however, on this occasion, it would be my treat." Steve said, trying to do damage control before any damage could be made.

Clint was impressed by the way Steve handled Tony's random emotions. They would be okay, and he'd just slowly fade into the background as they fostered something greater than friendship. At least he hoped they would.

"A treat?" Tony asked, unsure. He was very unused to anyone doing things for him without an ulterior motive. Clint was the only person he could trust in this world, and as much as his infatuation with Steve grew, it still didn't erase the fact that he knew virtually nothing of the man except the very surface. Trusting him with his past was much different than trusting him with his life.

"Yes." Steve replied, very close to retracting the offer since it didn't seem as if Tony was all that interested.

"I suppose, since it's just this once… I wouldn't be disinclined to go." Tony said, brightening the rest of Steve's day with those words.

The remainder of the work-day was as monotone as any other day at the factory for the duo. But something was bugging Tony about Clint.

"Why did you back away so suddenly from going to the movies, it wasn't as if Steve said only I could go." Tony asked Clint as they loaded the final boxes unto the belt.

"Because, Nostradamus, he was only asking you. He may not have said it directly, but it would have messed up any other plans he had as a consequence, if I decided to go." Clint said, winking at Tony.

"You think he has other things in mind besides the movies?" Tony asked. After last night, he wouldn't be surprised. He should stop leading Steve on if he had no intention on following up on a hollow and unspoken promise.

"Well, maybe. He doesn't seem the type to do anything absolutely risky or illegal, yet he has also been the type to surprise me when I least expect it. But then again, he's harmless." Clint replied, contemplating the different sections of Steve's personality and mannerism that he's managed to scrounge up over the past couple of weeks. "I don't know Tony, he isn't gonna kidnap you again, if that's what you're thinking." Clint said; what he meant to say is that if Steve did happen to kidnap him, this time, Clint had nothing to do with it.

For the remainder of the shift Tony tumbled with his troubled thoughts; he wanted to trust Steve, (apart from the momentary emotional outburst) the man had given him no serious reason why he shouldn't. And besides, isn't this what he wanted, to get closer to Steve?

ooOOoo

"Why do we always end up like this?" Tony asked as he unlaced his work boots, ready to enter the shower; they were finally fixed, so no more awkward touching.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, removing his stained top.

"The only two in the locker room. It's as if the entire world evacuates and we become the lone survivors." Tony said.

"Wouldn't that be a dream?" Steve joked, a small smile appearing on his lips. Tony shook his head in response, but smiled too. It seems as if the magic of the picnic still lingered.

They showered quickly, leaving no room for conversation, exited the building, and made a beeline towards the car.

"You will enjoy yourself, I hope, I know the movies aren't for everyone. But they're quite entertaining if you give them the chance, it's like a story unfolding before your eyes." Steve gushed like this all the way to the movie theater. As Steve explained the many movies he'd seen, Tony noticed how they were getting deeper into the city as more establishments appeared, more lights, more people, and more cars. He smiled slightly, since he'd never really gotten a chance to explore the city in depth since most of the time Clint and he only came here to conduct errands.

"I'll enjoy myself; by the way you speak, it's as if this movie is the greatest invention ever." Tony said.

"Well… it keeps us distracted for an hour and thirty minutes. And in the state this world is in currently, we could use with a little distraction." Steve said, morosely.

Tony nodded, affirming his claim. He'd read the news, he knew the Germans were close to giving up. It was still such a bloody and unnecessary war. He was just glad he didn't have to be a part of it.

Steve's mood brightened again (though it was a bit more subdued than before) as they entered the theater. The receptionist was a small young man with a bellboy's hat and red vest. The entire theater was washed in red: red carpet, red ceiling, red walls, red, red, red. It was as if they were inside an organ.

Tony marveled at the shining lights as he wondered over to the posters showcasing the past, current, and future film productions. Some of them looked as ridiculous as they sounded; The Eternal Conquest, Her Passion, etc. It was as if someone transposed a romantic play into a movie.

Steve paid for two tickets, the receptionist looking at the both of them strangely.

"Don't try anything funny mister." The receptionist warned as he unwillingly handed them their tickets.

"Excuse me?" Steve asked, taken aback by the sudden rudeness.

"You and that gentleman over there, don't try anything funny. We don't normally see his kind over here." The receptionist clarified, or at least tried to.

For a brief moment Steve went into panic mode. Did Tony and he have some form of tag that separated them from every other man?

"I still don't understand what you mean." Steve said as calmly as he could.

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude but, we don't normally see lower-class civilians here. They're not normally well equipped for this sort of luxury so if you could…" The receptionist said, losing some of his courage as he realized how angry Steve was becoming.

So it wasn't because of their nature, but rather because he thought Tony was poor.

"Glad to see the clothes on a man's back and the way he keeps his hair dictates his riches." Steve said, stepping away brusquely from the counter to get Tony and pull him away from the posters. He decided to overlook the rudeness for now, since he'd already gotten the tickets.

"Are you alright?" Tony asked, noticing immediately how Steve's eyebrows furrowed into a scowl.

"Yes, no need to worry over that now." Steve said, sighing and letting his anger flow through the exhale.

They made their way to the concession stand where another boy, similar in stature, and identical in clothing, greeted them. This time with a smile and a friendly hello.

"What would you gentlemen like?" He asked, his green eyes and slicked-back hair sparkling from all the lights adorning the various counters and contouring his face in a light yellow glow.

Steve turned to look at Tony who had a childlike wonder on his face. "Everything?" He questioned, having a hard time making up his mind. Then he returned to his senses and shook his head. "I mean-

"Everything it is." Steve said smiling brightly. The receptionist smiled too and began to take one of each candy, treat, and a large tub of popcorn.

"Steve, wait, I didn't mean that." Tony said shaking his head. He didn't want to overstep his boundaries.

"Nonsense, go big or go home right?" Steve said, removing the appropriate amount of money needed to pay for the snacks.

"Steve." Tony said a bit defeated as the big brute picked up the bucket of popcorn with one arm and attempted to pick up the other items with his crippled arm. Tony sighed and started to pick up the candy. "Let me." He said, his arms running out of room for all the sweets—he'd have to leave some of them for Clint, he knew his brother would kill him if he didn't bring him some souvenirs from the movies.

"You know you didn't have to purchase all the snacks right?" Tony said, uncharacteristically apologetic.

"It's fine, I wanted your first time here to be a special one. I remember the first time I came, it was an experience." Steve stated as he picked some of the popcorn from the very top and placed it in his mouth. "And I know all the options can get overwhelming." He continued.

They found their seats near the middle of the movie theatre, they were quite early and only a few patrons had found their seats.

Steve's willingness to please him still bugged Tony and he tried to explain himself once more. "Look Steve, I don't want you to think that I was taking advantage of this kindness that you're showing me by spending all of your money, that's not who I am." Tony said.

Steve turned to look at the troubled man and sighed. "Tony, you didn't take advantage of anything, I wanted you to enjoy yourself so if you really feel indebted to me, then in order to repay me you should enjoy yourself." Steve enunciated, making sure that Tony understood that he wanted to do this for them.

"I-

"No, hush, enjoy yourself." Steve said with a steely determination to keep Tony from feeling as if he owed him anything.

"But-

"No."

Tony took a deep breath and looked at the mountain of candy he had in his hands. He picked one up and ripped it open slowly, the smell of chocolate and caramel overrode his sense of guilt for enjoying this free outing and he took a small bite, then another, then another until the entire candy bar disappeared and he was left with the wrapper. He took a small sip of his refreshment and couldn't keep the smile off his face as the carbon bubbles filled his mouth.

"Okay, I'm enjoying myself. Thank you." Tony said as he ripped into another candy bar.

Steve smiled and dug into his popcorn with more gusto.

The movie began soon after and Tony was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't one of the ridiculous romances, but rather a comedy. He was also surprised to find how entertaining the movie was. The jokes landed perfectly and the entire theater seemed to be in one mind as to the hilarity of the show.

Tony seemed to relax into his chair as the night progressed. He looked to his left quite often to see if Steve was enjoying himself as much as he was. Steve looked so pleased with the movie he wasn't even paying attention to Tony, which gave the smaller man some freedom to trace the other man's profile with his eyes. He turned back to the screen so it wouldn't seem as if he were ogling.

There was a short, fifteen minute, intermission where they were able to throw away the candy wrappers and wash their hands.

"How are you enjoying the movie?" Steve asked, hyper-focused on Tony's answer.

"It's absolutely everything you said it would be. I haven't had that much fun since I was a kid." Tony replied, a little hyped up on the sugar he had consumed.

"I'm glad; we should do this every week." Steve said excitedly.

"Haha, sure, but next time it will be my treat." Tony said, with an edge of seriousness.

"If you say so, Mr. Stark." Steve said, glad that they could get along so well. All that unpleasantness from before seemed to fade away as they enjoyed the rest of the movie, the second half was a lot shorter than the first, so the movie spent less time in the atmosphere and more time wrapping the story up.

Tony was able to save a total of four candy bars for Clint and they both managed to finish the rest of the popcorn and refreshments.

As they exited the theater, the receptionist from before waved them goodbye, this time with a little less incredulity.

"Oh, what a night." Steve sighed, contentedly, as they entered his car.

Tony nodded along, wondering why he had ever been so worried about Steve and 'ulterior motives.' The man was a perfect gentleman. "Too bad it has to end now." Tony said, sighing into the air.

"It doesn't have to, you know, end." Steve said, in a moment of boldness.

"Get out of here, what else could we possibly do tonight?" Tony asked skeptically; it was already quite late, and though they didn't have work tomorrow, Sundays were normally the days he and Clint went shopping for groceries.

"We could go over to my house, since you've shown me the curtesy of inviting me into yours, regardless of how brief that moment was." Steve offered tentatively.

Tony's heart skipped a beat from both fear an anticipation, maybe it was too early to judge if Steve was the 'perfect Gentleman' after all.

"What would we do there?" Tony asked.

"Nothing like that, I have some records and paintings I'd like to show you… You're the first friend I've made since the war started and I enjoy your company. My house is ultimately too silent with my father gone. And now Bucky…" Steve said, his intention wasn't to guilt-trip Tony into going with him, but what he was saying was, nevertheless, true. He was incredibly alone in such a large house; the walls and floors seemed to shout with every step, compared to how silent everything else seemed.

"Okay, I'll go. But only because I've never personally owned a gramophone and I'd love to see one up close." Tony said.

"Great!" Steve exclaimed, probably a bit too excited.

ooOOoo

The drive there was a bit longer than Tony expected. He noticed that Steve lived on the opposite side of town, near the private condominiums, almost in the outskirts. They took an unexpected right into a woodland area and stopped in front of a large, two story house, fully equipped with electricity. No wonder Steve was so keen on paying for the tickets, from the looks of it, the man was loaded!

"You live here?" Tony asked a bit amazed and a bit terrified to exit the car.

"Yes, my great-grandfather built this house from the ground up. We Rogers come from a long line of Generals and Captains. Serving your country does come with some benefits." Steve said looking at his house as if he'd seen it a million times; which of course he has, he lives there.

Steve killed the engine and stepped out of the car, he turned around waiting to see if Tony had exited and noticed how the man was still in the car, his skin a bit paler than usual.

"Tony?" Steve asked.

"Coming, sorry." Tony said as he opened the car door. "I've never seen such a large house up close before. My mother use to work as a maid when I was younger and sometimes she would take me to help her, but it was always to apartments, never to a proper house. It looks like something straight out of a fairytale." Tony said.

"Yes well, it feels as empty as it looks mystic." Steve said, echoing his statement from earlier.

"Let's go inside then."

ooOOoo

The inside was even larger than the outside, if you could imagine. Tony marveled at all the luxuries he'd never been a part of.

"So many paintings… how can you afford all of this?" Tony asked, transfixed, as he fingered the painting's frame.

"My mother was an artist, believe it or not. I sort of followed in her footsteps. I'm not nearly as good as she was though." Steve said.

"Incredible. Absolutely." Tony was speechless. The entire house seemed to shimmer with twinkling lights, the floor a nice tiled interior, a piano to the far end, a sprawling staircase, a deck in the back, and fully furnished rooms. He could see, however, with such a large house, how one could become quite lonely.

"I feel so out of place. I didn't know… if I knew, I would have tried to dress better." Tony said, feeling inadequate in his clothes.

"Don't worry about that, it's just a house, you're not disrespecting the walls by being dressed the way you are." Steve reassured as he pulled out a record and placed it on the gramophone. A sweet melody began, one that Tony didn't recognize.

"Care for a dance?" Steve asked, extending his hand to the other man. Tony wanted to refuse immediately, but what harm would one dance do?

"I'll warn you, I've never danced with anyone before. So I apologize in advance." Tony said, taking his hand. Steve shook his head and waved his concerns away.

"It's easy, I promise, just let me lead." Steve said, pulling the shorter man close.

It was different, Tony realized, willingly pressing up against Steve's chest. They swayed slowly back and forth into the living room and then the hall, they made it through the dining hall and then back again until the record needed to be flipped.

"You said you weren't as good as your mother, but if your mother created masterpieces, what can you do?" Tony asked lowly, scared to break the atmosphere they'd formed with their slow dance.

"If you care to go upstairs, I could show you." Steve replied, his blue eyes holding a small bit of mischief—like a kid up to something no good.

"I'm not gonna regret saying yes, am I?" Tony asked.

"I sure hope not." Steve teased, leading the man upstairs, much like a cow to slaughter. Tony could still hear the echo of the song, like a ghost, through the hallway.

There were even more rooms upstairs, some marked with names like bathroom or storage, and others (Tony presumed) were bedrooms.

They stopped by one unlabeled room, it was dark inside so Steve flipped the switch to reveal a room filled with covered canvases and a tarp-covered floor that held many stains from paints. Some patches were fresher than others but, they all seemed to culminate underneath the current canvas.

"I've never really shown these to anyone so, I hope you don't judge them too hard." Steve said, uncovering some of the tarps. Most of them were beautiful scenery in different stages of sunset. Others were more abstract, but select few were of actual or imaginary people.

Tony was speechless (for what seemed like the fifth time that day) as he phantom-traced the brushstrokes on the canvas.

"These are unbelievable." Tony said in awe. It was an absolute wonder how someone as big and strong as Steve could paint such delicate scenes.

"Thanks." Steve said, his cheeks reddening a bit from the praise and embarrassment of exposing himself with something as personal as his art.

"I wish you would have told me earlier. These are absolutely…incredible; I can't find another word to describe them." Tony said circling around each painting until he reached the one in the center. Steve hadn't uncovered that one so he waited patiently for the sheet to be removed.

"This one isn't done." Steve said, protectively hovering over the final painting.

"I'm sure it's just as wonderful as the others." Tony reassured with a smile.

"No, this one is personal." Steve said, keeping a safe distance between Tony and the uncovered painting.

"I won't tell." Tony promised, morbidly curious as to what Steve could possibly be hiding behind the tarp.

"It's not that simple Tony. I just… this one is mine, okay?" Steve said sighing in defeat.

"I don't quite understand, aren't the others yours as well?" Tony said, misunderstanding Steve's statement.

"Well, yes, but I don't care for those as much as I do this one." Steve said, still assuming the position of guardian for the painting.

"Well, if you insist, I can't quite overpower you and invade your privacy. Though I know, that whatever it is, it'll be just as great as the others." Tony said, a bit disappointed that he didn't get to witness Steve's magnum opus.

They exited the room and stood awkwardly in the dark hallway, the record still played on downstairs, it must be quite a long song.

"I guess I should be going." Tony said, trying to break the tense silence that somehow overcame the otherwise peaceful afternoon.

"Do you have to? I mean, I have a couple more records, and some wine if you're into that." Steve said turning to look at Tony.

"Steve… what you're doing, I appreciate it. But you seem to be using me as a substitute for loneliness-

"No! No, tha-that's not it at all I just-

"Just what?" Tony asked delicately.

"I just enjoy your company, and I feel like we don't get enough time in the day to enjoy ourselves. At least, I feel that way…" Steve felt a bit stupid then, he was probably pushing Tony into this friendship and damaging the little he had managed to save.

"Apart from Clint, I don't have many friends either…" Tony said, trailing off into God knows where. He was just as lost as Steve seemed to be. They were the only two of their kind that he knew of. But did that mean that they had to push anything further than it needed to be?

"You don't have to stay, let me get my jacket and keys and we can go." Steve said, walking away from the tense air.

"Steve, wait." Tony tried to say, but the man was already halfway down the stairs.

Tony almost followed the man, until he realized that this may be the only chance for him to view the elusive painting. He made sure Steve wasn't trekking back upstairs and bolted into the room. His heart hammered hard in his chest as he turned the dim light on and pulled the cover from the painting.

One of his hands found their way to his mouth as he let out a quiet gasp. He recalled, vaguely, falling asleep at the picnic, he had been so stressed that day that the only way to cope would be to sleep it off. But he hadn't realized he'd been sleeping long enough for Steve to detail every part of his face, the picnic, and the forest around them.

He felt a small sense of adoration and flattery that Steve would find him worthy enough to be placed under his brushstroke. Then the creeping sense of dread overcame him as he realized he wasn't the only person in the room. Steve had returned and was looking at him with a mixture of both fear and betrayal.

How was he going to explain himself this time?

A/N: I know, I know, I'm an asshole; that's a cliffhanger and a half if I've ever read one. I guess you'll just have to wait until next week for the great reveal.

P.S.: I think it may be a bit late to say this, but the characters are OOC, even if it's just a little bit.