Thanks for all the love this has been getting. Its very much appreciated.3

Waking up this time felt a lot more comfortable, Tony thought dryly. His ribs ached and he felt a little dizzy, but other than that, fine.

"Hey, Tony. Are you feeling better?" Natasha was looking at him genuine concern. This was weird. He always knew Natasha as calm, blunt, and unreadable. She never showed this much emotion.

"Yeah, a lot better." He said, and he meant it.

"Tony, what year is it? Actually, the month, too?" Natasha said, worried looking.

"What kind of question is that?" He scoffed.

"Just humor me."

"All right. Um, April 2011?"

Natasha closed her eyes for a second. That would be about 3 months since he met her. The Avengers hadn't "assembled" for another month or two.

Tony was looking at her strangely, his face scrunched together in concentration.

She got little agitated by it. "What?"

"I don't know. You just seem...different. And a lot nicer to me, now that I think about it," his eyes widened. "We're not...you know...?"

Natasha's eyes widened as well. Tony thought they were...dating? Any other day if someone had assumed that, she'd laugh. But now it was Tony assuming, Tony who was married happily. It wasn't often that Natasha was rendered speechless, but she didn't really know what to say to Tony. How was she supposed to tell him that he was married to Steve, a man that he didn't even know he'd met? Telling him that probably wouldn't go over too well. She was just about to open her mouth to finally speak when the door opened and in walked Steve.

"I brought some pictures and stuff from-" he stopped and looked up then, eyes widening when he saw the man sitting in the hospital bed. He was awake. "Tony." His voice sounded a bit hoarse and he just stared for a moment, before breaking the gaze to put the armful of stuff down. Swallowing, he looked towards Natasha with raised eyebrows, as if to ask if there was any change in his husband's memory.

When Natasha shook her head slowly, Steve sat down in the extra chair by Tony's bed and avoided his questioning gaze. Natasha, to break the awkward silence, took the cardboard box off the end table near the door and offered it to Tony.

"I don't like to be handed things," Tony smirked, making both Steve and Natasha chuckle. The tension faded a little but not as much as Tony would've felt comfortable with.

"All right, here," Natasha rolled her eyes as she scooted closer to the bed, putting the box on his bed. "You can sort through it yourself."

The man stared at it for a minute, and then looked from Natasha to Steve. "How much have I lost?"

"What?" Steve jerked his head up to Tony's face, alarmed by this question. It hadn't occurred to him at all that Tony might be aware of any memory loss. Now he wished he'd taken the time to ask.

"How much don't I remember?" Tony snapped. "Stop acting like I'm going to break apart. What day is it?"

At the question, Steve shifted uncomfortably in the chair. He didn't really know what to say to that. Sure, he could just straight up answer the question, but actually saying something like that would most likely get Steve upset again. Sure, it might seem silly, but that's just how he was right now. Just when he thought the tears were gone, he could feel a lump forming in his throat again.

Not to mention, he sure as hell had a good reason to feel emotional. His freaking husband had lost his memory- it was to be expected that he was upset!

"Um..." he fiddled with his wedding ring and looked away, avoiding Tony's gaze and expectant request of,

"Well, someone spit it out."

Natasha cleared her throat and said quietly, "It's December, Tony. December 2012."

The words were so softly spoken Tony almost missed them. December 2012, that's...that's a couple months short of two years! Feeling like a hole had just opened up in his heart to add to the one he had in his mind, he sank back down into the pillows. Anything could have happened. People could have died people he was close to. And the company? His heart raced as he stared at the ceiling, struggling to comprehend that that was then, and this was now.

Now was frightening.

Steve swallowed after a moment and motioned to the cardboard box. "I brought some things I thought might help," he said softly. "Pictures and stuff. It could trigger a memory, maybe, so..." he trailed off and shrugged lightly, not knowing what he would say when Tony found the photos from their wedding. He just had a feeling it would be awkward. The man didn't know he was married, after all. How would he take that? After all, "playboy" had kind of been part of Tony's agenda before Steve.

"Of course," Natasha spoke up then, "you can look at the photos whenever you're ready to, Tony. No rush."

Tony blinked from his shocked daze and glared hotly at the cardboard box. "I don't want to laugh and smile and...fucking pretend like it was good old times. I want to remember."

Natasha sighed a little. "That's what the pictures are for, Tony. To see if it will trigger anything."

Steve closed his eyes and turned his head. This sort of reaction from Tony was something he wasn't surprised by, honestly, but he didn't like it. He wanted him to be willing to look through their pictures and /try/, not just get pissed because he couldn't remember.

Tony just huffed angrily and ran a hand down his face, and then something suddenly occurred to him. "I...I have a wedding ring on my finger," his voice was bewildered as he brought his hand from his face and looked at it. "I'm married?"

Steve shot a look to Natasha, panicking a little, but Natasha smiled wanly at him before turning back to Tony.

"Yes," Natasha said after a moment in response to Tony's mini freak out over the ring on his finger. "You're married."

The same look of bewilderment stayed on the billionaire's face. "Well, to who?" he demanded. "Who the hell did I marry?"

Slowly, Steve held out his left hand, to show the matching wedding band on his finger. "Me," he said very quietly, still looking away.

"What?" Tony gasped slightly, looking, really looking at Steve for the first time. "I-I don't...I don't even know you...but I do. I don't. But...you know me."

Steve smiled, pained. "That's about right."

He couldn't process this. He was married. He was married to a man he doesn't even remember. When had they even met? When did Tony decide to actually settle down for a long-term relationship? He's only had one long girlfriend back in his early twenties, and it didn't appeal to him again after he was dumped. He tried to remember talking to Steve, falling in love, kissing him, even, because that's what Tony always remembered when he was trying to remember a long lost girl looking for more love.

Steve leaned back in the chair and rubbed his face. "Kind of crazy, I guess," he said quietly and then looked towards Natasha with a sort of 'help me' kind of expression on his face. For once, he didn't know what to say to Tony- what could he? This Tony didn't know him, didn't love him. What was he supposed to do?

The door opened then and in walked Clint, balancing four cups of coffee. "Heyo!" he called out. "Doc said you could have a little bit of coffee," he looked to Tony. "Gotcha some. Got everyone some, really."

"I'll need it," Tony said quietly.

Clint frowned; what had he missed? He seemed to keep missing all the important conversations lately, which was strange, since he could usually catch a conversation anywhere. Steve looked like he wanted to shake Tony's shoulders and yell something at him.

"We, um, filled Tony in a little." Natasha winced.

"Oh," Clint said, handing Steve and Natasha their coffees and walking over to Tony to hand him one, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you saved the world!"

Tony took the coffee and drank greedily, thankful for the caffeinated beverage at a time like this. He really did need it. "Saved the world? Course I did," he shrugged after a moment, his hands still wrapped around the coffee cup. "Anything else important happen? Don't tell me I've got a kid or some shit," he muttered. "Good lord."

Steve sucked in a breath at that. No, they didn't have a child, but the thoughts of their conversation regarding adoption suddenly began flying back to him. They'd just begun looking into the process before the accident and he had been so excited; a family with Tony would be like a dream come true. He let his mind wander now, as he imagined the man holding a tiny little baby in his arms and cooing down to it. God. He could see it so clearly, he wanted it so badly, and it hurt.

But. No. Tony didn't even know who he was now, so that couldn't happen. Not for a while, if ever.

Tony regarded Steve's silent shake of the head and nodded, clearly not taking the hint. "Probably a good thing. I'm awful with kids."

"Oh, I think you've improved, being a superhero and all." Steve said lightly, smiling as Tony grinned. For a split second, and he savored it, it was like old times. Keep talking to him. Tell him stories, make him laugh. Maybe...maybe this will turn out all right after all...

"I need to get out of here."

"What? Out of the hospital? Tony, you've been here for 2 days." Steve told him. "They sure won't let you go that quick with a head injury."

"Are you sure you're not my adopted mother, you hen?" Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling, and Natasha lightly slapped him on the arm as Clint laughed.

"Most days, it feels like I am," Steve teased back.

Tony chuckled a little before he looked to Steve again. Tony couldn't imagine the frustration he must be feeling. Steve clearly loved him more than life itself, and Tony couldn't return the favor anymore. Roles switched, he'd be angry. He'd be furious...he'd not be able to handle it at all, actually. When problems arose, he liked to run until he could bounce back with an idea. Not a plan, just a little idea that form into a plan after it was put to action.

Tony couldn't think of any ideas to fix this. "Steve, I..."

Steve looked at him, his smile fading but holding a hopeful edge. Innocent blue eyes. Hardened, but still innocent and so...honest.

"I'm sorry I don't love you anymore."

Ouch. So Tony knows that he's married to Steve, and he's "okay" with it...for now.