Chapter 7: I love you, Pepper

Tony ran directly to his lab and barricaded himself in there like it was the freaking zombie apocalypse. That had done it! What the fuck was he doing? He had cheated on Pepper, forced himself on Steve and then runned away... again. That had done it he was sure. The kid would really hate him for real now and he totally deserved it!

By the same time a shadow of Steve walked from the gym. Dead in the eyes, hair as a haystack and covered in hickeys. He didn't even notice the team in the living room and just walked by them with a dazed expression. He wobbled to the kitchen and downed a glass of water in one drag. Thor was the first to approach him.

"Stephen! You are a mess? Did Anthony find you?" Steve looked confused a second, first noticing someone was talking to him at that moment.

"Pardon?" Thor repeated his question.

"Tony was... yeah... he found me... but then he ran off... again. I don't know where he is now," As Steve was answering the question tears started to well up in his eyes. He didn't even register it happening before they were running down his face dripping onto the floor.

"Steve?" Bruce asked with a gentle voice. Steve lifted hesitant a hand to wipe his cheek and looked almost surprised at his own drenched hand.

"Oh boy," he muttered.

"Guys I'm sorry. I'm not really feeling that well. I think I will go to bed now." With that said he slowly turned around and trudged away disappearing into his own room .

"I don't think he fixed their problems. I think he made them worse," Bruce mumbled.

"I must declare that I have reached my limit!" Thor growlet.

"If I see him hurt my precious Steve just one more time I might plant Mjölnir in his skull. Oh my poor Stephen! He doesn't deserve this!"

Tony could hear the thunder all the way down the lab which could seem like Thor was angry. Probably at him. The thunderer and Steve was to be considered BFF's after all. Tony had been walking back and forth for at least a half hour. He had really tried to gather his thoughts but it seemed impossible. What could he do? He couldn't possibly just dump Pepper just like that. And even more important. Was he in love with Steve? What the fuck, if so!

"Okay... okay... okay! You can deal with this," he muttered. Damn he needed a drink or ten... thousand.

"No! Don't drink! You have to be sober to deal with this! Fuck fuck fuck crap fuck! Okay you can do this. You go out of the lab... and find Steve... Yes... And then you have a long talk. You apologize for assaulting him and leaving him like a little bitch because he's totally not! And then you hug and everything is rainbows and kittens and friendship." Tony was babbling now as he dangerously approached his stash of liquor.

"And then you call Pepper and you too have a long talk and she will probably cry and slap you... maybe I shouldn't tell her..." His hand was opening the cabinet now, all by itself. He was reaching out after a bottle of the strongest stuff he had in stock when he was interrupted by a strict knock on the door. Tony jumped out of shock and spilled some colorful curse words.

"Tony? Tony! Are you in there?" It was Pepper's voice and she didn't sound amused.

"Shit..." Tony whispered.

"No! No! Mr. Stark is not at home please leave a message!"

"Tony! Open the door or I will go get Thor to open it... with Mjölnir! We need to talk!" Tony felt his blood freeze in his veins. How the fuck did she know?

"Okay... I go get Thor then!"

"No wait!" Tony walked over removing the couch barricading the door and defeated let the door slide open.

"Come in then," he muttered. To his own relief Pepper didn't look like she was going to kill him. She, infact, didn't look like a woman who had been cheated on at all, but she didn't look too pleased either.

"This isn't working out, Tony!" She said as she stomped in. Tony looked like a big questionmark.

"What?"

"Us Tony! We have been going like bunnies for a week but you are still not present at all!"

"What are you talking about? I was present! I was right there in bed!"

"Yeah... But your head was someplace else! For god's sake Tony! You have been moaning his name in your sleep all week! And don't pretend like it's nothing! I have seen the way you're looking at him! And you have been doing that since you casted your eyes on his star spangled ass the first time! But this has escalated into something I can't control, and we can't have that. I'm always in control!"

"B-but..."

"YOUR GAY! Gay for Captain freaking America! And he is just as gay for you! Don't pretend you haven't noticed! Watching you two is like watching FREAKING BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN!" Tony had to wipe a little spit from his face as he pouted.

"Pepper. Don't be stupid! Of course I'm not gay. Have you any idea of how many women I have slept with? Okay... I must admit I have checked his sweet ass out at several occasions and I just might have developed a tiny crush on him, but for fucks sake haven't anyone? I mean look at him! He's just so dreamy... and sweet... and dance like an elf prince... and have the prettiest eyes and..."

"TONY! Give me your arm!" Pepper cut him off. Tony was so perplexed that he just did as he were told. So that was how it felt like? Pepper took his arm and started shaking it, and to Tony's big surprise his hand started dangling like crazy. His wrists were almost as loose as Steve's.

"Oh... my... god..." Tony whispered.

"Pepper I... I... What now?" Pepper sighed with a sad expression.

"I have to leave you... No don't look like that. This is for the better and it was not like we were going to last forever. I knew that from the start and at the moment I think this relationship is ruining us both and not to forget soldier boy up there. Let's face it. He just crazy about you, and I am scared that he will plant that shield in the back of my head if I don't back off real soon." Tony couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"He would never. You know that." Pepper smiled.

"I know. But I still want him to like me." Tony smiled but he couldn't stop just one single tear running down his cheek.

"I still love you, Pepper," he barely whispered.

"I know. But not in the girlfriend-way." She leaned forward pressing a small kiss to his cheek. Then she patted him on the shoulder.

"Now go and get your soldier boy!" She said with a wink and a smile. Tony nodded and rose to his feet and started to walk away. Halfway over to the door he changed his mind and ran back dragging the woman into a tight embrace.

"Thank you Pepper," he mumbled down her hair.

"I will always be there."

Steve was laying in his bed trying to convince himself that getting the serum injected had hurted way more than he was hurting now. Damn you Tony. Why did he always have to make things so difficult. Steve heard the door open. It was probably Thor who would comfort him. Footsteps approached and soon he felt the weight of someone else on the bed. He still didn't bother to react. Maybe he would go away if he thought Steve was asleep. He didn't like the thought of his team members seeing him like this. Then he felt the other body crawling under the blanket. And gentle lips on the bare skin between his shoulderblades. He tensed up a moment before Tony's voice was whispering gently into his ear.

"I'm sorry."

At first Steve didn't respond to Tony's approach but then the broad shoulders started to shake.

"Steve?" He only got a sob in response. - Crap fuck shit! I didn't make him cry! Oh fuck I totally made him cry! - Tony thought as he tried not to panic. He had only seen Steve spill his not so manly tears two times before and it had been horrible, but this was definitely topping everything, because this time it was entirely his fault. And it was the most horrible thing he had ever felt. Probably something alike the feeling of smashing a puppy with a baseball bat.

"Steve! Please. I've been a jerk okay, but you're just driving me crazy. I seriously feel like a mix between a schoolgirl and a dog in heat when I'm around you, and it is freaking me out. So much that I completely forgot to think about how you might feel!" Tony could hear the desperation in his own voice.

"I'm terrible. I know. It was me who gave you that incredible long speech about accepting who you are and stuff, and then I can't even accept my self. Pretty pathetic huh?" He swallowed. Steve was still not reacting. Still sobbing.

"Well I just came to tell you that. And that I might be in love with you... or something like that. I don't know. I'm not really good with all that feelings stuff." Steve suddenly shifted and turned almost violently to face Tony. He looked furious but with pathetic, red eyes and tears streaking his face.

"Tony you are probably the worst of all the people I have ever known! How dare you?! One thing is putting me through this madness, but what about Pepper? Sometimes I doubt if you even THINK!" Tony smiled a sad smile.

"Well about Pepper. We had a serious talk today. Apparently I have been moa... saying your name in my sleep all week and most likely meant that I was crushing hard on you or something. She told me a lot of things I wasn't aware of. Like that I am gay and that she couldn't control that, and that she had to leave me. And then I told her that I would always love her and we hugged and cried, but it was not messy at all, and I actually feel great about it! Like it was the right thing to do, because I clearly doesn't love her the right way and stuff and now I'm rambling but anyways, I have just had the healthiest break up in my life I think." Steve looked a little confused.

"So you're not together anymore?"

"Nope!"

"Because you're..."

"Apparently are into Super Soldiers now," Tony cut him off with an awkward grin. It took a couple of moments for Steve to let the information to sink in. Tony leaned in planting a soft kiss onto his lips before he could reply. Steve's face betrayed him and cracked into a small smile.

"So can we fuck now?" Tony asked. Dead serious.

"NO! I'm still mad at you! That before was the first time anyone had touched me like that, and you almost violated me! You're a jerk! I can't be with a man I don't trust!" Tony flinched at that.

"But Steve I thought you liked me too?"

"I have never said that!... Oh who am I kidding, I totally do! I am completely head over heals for you! This sucks!"

"But then why can't we..." Steve cut him off with a groan.

"I need to know where I have you! You have runned off two times already and I don't want that to happen again! Have you any idea how much that hur..." This time it was Tony who cut him off but with another kiss. A little longer than the last one and with him gently biting down on Steves bottom lip as he pulled away, leaving the soldier panting, face slightly flushed.

"Seriously Tony. You make me wanna kill myself sometimes," Steve muttered really trying to keep up his 'angry face'.

"What I was going to say was, I can't be in a relationship with you before I know you will take this seriously and I am not just some 'experiment'. That does also mean no sex! You got it?"

"Yeah yeah I understand. No Fondueing..." Tony muttered with a slightly grumpy voice. Steve's eyes widened.

"How did you...?"

"My father had so many good stories to tell!"

"Now I know who you have your jerk-gene from."

"Ok. I'm sorry about that. But can I atleast stay the night?" Steve sighed rubbing his eyes.

"Why?"

"Because I want to be near you," Tony answered with big, sad puppy eyes. Steve groaned irritated. Why did he always have to do that.
"...Ok," he muttered and added a 'no touching!' as he eyed Tony's 'a little too happy face'.

"No touching." Tony repeated. Steve turned away again so he was facing the wall. It didn't take long before he felt Tony's arms wrap around him. Steve sighed inside his head. Of course he couldn't bring himself to push the other man away. And of course this had to be the best he had felt in weeks. Jerk.

So thank you very much for the nice reviews! I'm glad that you guys find the story amusing c: New chapters will be up soon!

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