Tony isn't sulking. He definitely isn't sulking.
"Tony, quit sulking already," Steve says.
In response, Tony just narrows his eyes and glares moodily as the super soldier tapes up the last of the boxes. He's not the problem here. Steve is. Steve is the one who's leaving, after all. It just doesn't make any sense to him, despite the many times they've discussed it.
"I just don't see why he can't move in here," Tony says, leaning against the door frame. "I mean, let's be honest, there's way more space here than that crappy little apartment—"
"It's not crappy," Steve interjects disapprovingly. "I like his apartment."
"But why doesn't he want to come here?" Tony asks.
"Phil likes his privacy," Steve says with a shrug. He straightens up and places the roll of packing tape aside. "I know you've asked him a few times and believe me, he's considered it. But he prefers having his space and thinks it's better for the team if he maintains some kind of professional distance."
Tony snorts. "There wasn't much 'professional distance' happening when I walked in on you two on the roof last Christmas."
"Really? Are you really bringing that up again?" Steve asks, looking entirely unsurprised. He sighs. "Look, he feels bad about this, okay? He knows you think this has something to do with you personally, but it doesn't. Would it make more sense for both of us to be living here? Maybe. But Phil asked me to move in with him and I want to. So I'm going to."
Tony plucks the packing tape off the counter and rolls it between his hands.
"But what if we have to Assemble?" he asks.
"I'm not that far away," Steve replies. "And besides, I spend most of the day with all of you regardless. Where I hang my hat at the end of the day isn't going to make much difference."
"If it doesn't make much difference, why not just stay?" Tony presses.
"Because I want to be with him," Steve says.
He says it in that frank, earnest sort of way that most people can't seem to pin down; it's something that's just trademark Steve Rogers. It's that bare honesty that makes Tony's skin crawl, because it's not the verbal dance he's perfected over the years, the dance that most of them engage in day after day, and it leaves him feeling defenseless. It's hard to whip up a snappy comeback when you're not afforded any openings. He can see that his silence is making Steve feel guilty, but he can't bring himself to say anything. There's nothing he can say. Phil's no Yoko Ono, but it still feels like they're breaking up the band.
"Tony, I appreciate everything you've done for me and I know Phil does, too. But this is…" Steve says, letting his sentence run off. He pauses and then tries again. "This is important to me. Don't misunderstand, living with all of you has been great but I'm not in a relationship with all of you. I'm in a relationship with Phil. Even when we've been alone together here, we were never really alone. Having something that's just ours is something I need."
Tony understands. He's not stupid; he knows how hard Steve's tried to build a life for himself and he know how hard it's been building off of nothing. It's no surprise that the guy craves permanence, needs something concrete in his life. And, barring the whole death scare, Phil's been pretty solid in that regard. Which isn't to say that the benefits have all been one-sided. Apparently Steve isn't the only one who can do with some grounding; Phil's got a string of failed relationships nearly a mile long. But it's hard keeping anyone around when you're married to your work. Luckily, Tony muses, they're all but cut from the same cloth with their insane work ethic and somehow, somehow they manage to click just so.
"Well, the place is always open to either of you," he says offhandedly. "If this whole apartment thing doesn't work out or, you know… whatever."
"Thanks, Tony," Steve says, clapping him on the shoulder.
Steve knows the other man means well, but it's odd in the most hilarious way how he's taking the whole matter to heart. With the number of times Tony had tried to get Phil to move into the Tower with all of them, you'd have thought they were the ones dating. Tony had spared no expense in trying to woo Phil into moving in with all of them, but the agent declined each and every time. Each failure only seemed to drive Tony to try harder the next time and Steve half-wondered if he might be showing up to a smoking crater where Phil's apartment used to be.
"That the last of it?"
They both look up at the sound of the agent's voice.
"I'm never going to get used to the casual look on you," Tony says with a shudder at the sight Phil presents in a sweater, jeans and sneakers. "Ugh, it's creepy. Seeing you without a suit is like seeing you naked."
"Clearly this is upsetting to you," Phil answers. "I'll make a memo to dress more casually from now on."
"You'll give me nightmares," Tony insists. He covers his eyes with one hand and waves the other at the door. "Take your boyfriend and get out before my eyes start to bleed."
Phil shakes his head with a smile and looks to Steve. "Ready?"
"Ready," Steve agrees.
"Oh, fine," Tony huffs dropping his hand away.
In the end, he helps them carry the remaining boxes out and does his best to look entirely put out by the situation, but he's not fooling either of them into thinking he's truly angry.
"Well, I hate to say it," Tony declares as they lock up the back of the truck, "but I'm really happy for you two dumb bastards."
"Your happiness means all the world to me," Phil says.
"Hey. I'm being serious. Why don't you ever take me seriously?"
"…is that a serious question?"
"You know, Phil, one of these days someone is going to strangle you with your own tie."
"Is that before or after JARVIS goes rogue and kills you in your sleep?"
"Oh come on, that's… wait, what has he told you?" Tony asks. He shakes his head. "Never mind. The point is… I wasn't really on board with this idea. But this isn't about me or the team and I think this'll be… good. For you. As a couple. This is a good thing."
Phil quirks an eyebrow at Steve to see if the soldier is thinking what he's thinking, which is namely that Tony is saying this more to convince himself and less to convince them. Judging by the look on Steve's face, this isn't even the first time this has happened today. He wonders just what kind of fate he had abandoned his partner to in deciding to make separate trips.
"So I sent a new bed over to your place," Tony says. "It should be in by the time you get back. Just in time for you to christen it."
"God, Tony," Steve says, the words coming out as a half-groan, half-laugh.
"This is worse than my mother when I went off to college," Phil sighs. "At least she only slipped a box of condoms in my duffel."
"I could send over a—"
"Tony. No. I'm sure whatever you were about to say would have been very generous, but please, no," Steve interrupts quickly.
"Tomorrow's my day off, but there are a few files I still need you to look over," Phil tells Tony. "Mind swinging by the place?"
"You seriously couldn't have brought them with you today?" Tony snorts.
Phil shrugs. "Must have slipped my mind."
Tony sighs and shakes his head. "Okay, okay, fine. Since I know you're just going to heckle me until it's done anyway and it's impossible for me to enjoy your day off if you're blowing up my phone."
"Just come by when you're free," Phil says, holding out a hand.
"Right, got it," Tony says.
He reaches out and shakes Phil's hand after a moment's hesitation. There's a silent exchange between the two of them that Steve can't quite read before Tony lets go. The soldier and the billionaire shake hands as well and there are a few words in parting before Steve climbs into the passenger's seat and Phil turns the key in the ignition. Tony pats the side of the truck and steps back as they pull away, his hands shoved in his pockets. Steve doesn't look to see if Tony watches them drive off, just looks straight ahead and reaches across the divide to pat Phil's thigh with a smile.
It's a big change, this whole moving in together thing, but it's progress. It's moving forward. It's gaining ground.
Tony watches the truck pull away and drive off until he can no longer see it. The whole thing is strange. It's going to be strange without Steve around on his floor, strange having the two of them off doing their own thing. But it really is a good thing, he knows that. It's just that, he supposes that some part of him always assumed that Phil would one day move into the Tower with all of them. Finding that wouldn't be the case was… odd.
It doesn't mean things have to change, though, not really. It's not as though either of them are leaving and it's not as though Phil's apartment—or their apartment, he supposes—isn't close by. They'll just have to readjust, that's all.
Besides, Phil had said to come by tomorrow and if that isn't an excuse to throw a ridiculous house warming party, he doesn't know what is.
"…you don't think Stark's going to try to throw some kind of party here tomorrow, do you?"
At Phil's question, Steve looks up from the box he's unpacking with raised eyebrows.
"You invited him over, what do you think?"
"I don't even know why I bothered asking."