Tony calls him the next morning to ask about the dress code and give Steve the code to his parking garage, staying on the phone until Pepper grabs it and dismisses Steve with a quick, somewhat possessive, "Mr. Stark has a meeting now."

And Steve spends the phone call smiling and pretending to be someone who hadn't spent most of the last day replaying everything he'd ever said to Tony.

And then he spends a full hour trying to decide what to wear, folding and unfolding and rehanging clothes until finally he decides on a pair of golden khakis, a navy blue polo, and his brown leather jacket. There's so much pressure, now that he knows Tony will care how he looks.

He kind of wants to pick up flowers, but he doesn't want to look too eager.

So he shows up empty handed, fifteen minutes late on the assumption that Tony will take a long time to get ready. He's right, of course, and spends the next twenty sitting in the foyer, taking in the opulence of Tony's mansion. It makes him more comfortable than his apartment, though. It's full of old paintings and old sculptures, and at least out here, seems like it belongs in a different era. Like Steve.

He's bonding with a building now. Great.

His reverie is interrupted by a noise at the top of the stairs, and he looks up in time to catch Tony sliding down the banister.

"Kind of thought I'd scared you off," he says, by way of greeting.

"I don't scare that easy."

Tony just smiles, a somewhat infuriatingly superior smile. "So you just like turning me down."

And Steve imagines that's supposed to be a joke, but he doesn't get it. "Pardon?"

Tony laughs. "I'm just giving you a hard time," he says. "I'm over it. Barely ever think about it. Didn't mean a thing." He wrinkles his nose and winks, and this time Steve can definitely tell that he thinks he's joking about something.

"When did I turn you down?"

Tony cocks his head. "Uh, well, the party, to start with."

Steve's silent for a minute, and then he realizes what Stark has to be talking about. "You mean that party where you just walked up and insulted me? How'd you expect me to react?"

Tony raises his eyebrows. "You really thought I was insulting you?"

Well, of course. "The first thing you did was ask if I knew 'what my problem was.'"

Tony looks almost offended. "I repeatedly asked you if you'd like to loosen up. With me. Very suggestively."

"Do you always open with an insult?"

Tony smiles. "Yeah. Your hair is stupidly blonde. Go out with me."

Steve rolls his eyes, but he can't help the smile that spreads across his face.

"Uh but, backing up a bit, you really had no idea?"

He's not about to admit that, out loud. So he shrugs.

"And, wait, what about the three times you agreed to go out with me and then canceled?"

Steve blushes.

"Wow." Tony's face breaks out into a huge grin. "Wow, you're unbelievable."

He thinks he should be embarrassed, but he's not. All he can think about is the fact that Tony's wanted to go out with him as long as Steve has. But he also needs to stop this line of questioning before Tony puts two and two together about their first date.

"Shall we go to dinner?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Tony says, smile still on his face. "But seriously you had no idea? Nothing? Really?"

Steve rolls his eyes, holding the door open, a subtle hint that Tony pretends to ignore.

"I guess it makes sense though," he says. "I mean, because probably everybody you ever talk to is hitting on you. What with that boy next door look and those muscles and everything. So you probably don't even notice it, do you?"

"Dinner?"

"Right, okay, sure," Tony says, finally walking past him. "I mean, am I right about that, though? I'm pretty sure I am."

Steve pauses before closing the door, so he can watch Tony's butt flex as he walks down the steps. And then he feels a little embarrassed for looking, but it makes him feel liberated, too, and he likes that.

It's a long walk through the garage, and Tony seems to expect him to be more impressed by the cars than he is, so he makes a show of looking over each one as they pass. The are impressive, actually when he takes the time to really look at them, all sleek and streamlined, but he'd still rather look at Tony.

But he can't do that while Tony's sneaking glances at him, so he just contents himself with the thought that Tony'll have to hold onto him the whole way to the diner.

When Tony sees his motorcycle, he raises an eyebrow and says, "I was kind of expecting a car."

Steve smiles. "I have a second helmet."

And Tony takes another look at the motorcycle and shakes his head. "Uhh yeah, we're not doing that."

It's like a rock in Steve's stomach, except that the rock is covered in acid and he hates himself for how quickly it hurts him. He used to have better control of his emotions, he used to be strong and now he can't even –

"I mean, I'd be fine with it," Tony says, running a hand along the seat, squatting to take a look at the engine. "But imagine the publicity if someone takes a picture of me riding on the back of a motorcycle with you."

So Steve reluctantly picks one of Tony's cars. And maybe it's better, in the car, because it's a pretty long drive to the diner. He picked it over any fancy restaurant, because those all feel like Tony's world. He wants to impress him, of course. But he wants to do it on his own terms.

They sit in Steve's booth, a little one in the corner, and he sits in his same seat, the one that faces the wall, and finds himself a little bit glad that Tony doesn't know he comes here alone and sits there alone. He feels like Tony wouldn't understand that.

Steve introduces Tony to Carol, wondering if she'll think it's strange that this is the first time he's brought anyone with him. And he really hopes she won't say anything.

"Pleasure to meet you," she says, fixing Tony with an easy smile. "And what can I get for you, Mr. Stark?"

Steve wonders why he didn't realize that she would know who he was. Of course she would. Everyone does. The world wasn't like this when he crashed into the ocean.

When he looks up from his menu, something that he's only looking at as a way to not to get caught staring at Tony, his stomach does a little flip. He wants to be imagining it, the way that Tony's looking at Carol, his whole face lit up in a smile, lightly touching her arm as he makes some joke about his order.

Steve's not sure what to do. Tony doesn't think it's a date. He probably took one look at the diner and decided no one would take the great Tony Stark to some dump in the middle of nowhere if they were expecting anything other than a polite meal and some feigned friendship.

And then Carol leaves, and Tony raises an eyebrow at him. "I'm sorry, that was incredibly rude of me," he says. "I forget to turn it off, sometimes."

Steve shrugs, the feeling returning to his legs.

"Oh, and uh, am I right in assuming you don't want anyone to know what we're doing here?"

"I um – I guess I hadn't really thought about it," he says, and then he shakes his head, and because Tony's looking anxious for a decision, he makes one. "No, I have. I don't want anyone to know."

Then he pauses. "Why do you ask?"

"Because uh, this," Tony says, pasting on a big smile and raising his eyebrows, and Steve turns around to see two young women walking up to their table. "Yes, I'm Tony Stark. One autograph, no pictures, any breaking of these rules and bodyguard here may have to restrain you. Any other questions?"

The girls look at Steve and giggle, and then they look back at Tony. "Why do you have a bodyguard?"

Tony smirks. "New rule, no questions. Now, who should I make this out to?"

Steve watches as Tony flirts with them, and he knows it's not personal and it's probably not possible that Tony's interested in women who are that young, but it's still not what he expected out of the night.

"Jerome? Jerome, the young women would like to see your biceps." It takes him too long to realize that Tony's talking to him, and then because he's caught off guard he just rolls his sleeve up and tries not to die of embarrassment as the girls exclaim over his muscles and ask to feel them.

He's so very glad when they leave, and he breathes a sigh of relief and looks at Tony, who raises his eyebrows and smiles mischievously at him.

"Jerome?"

Tony seems delighted at this objection. "I'm quick on my feet."

"I don't even know them," he adds, still trying to process what just happened. "Why do they even care what my arms look like?"

Tony smirks. "Caught yourself in the mirror lately, Cap?"

"There is no way that was normal."

"Eh, you're right. Consequence of being with me. People don't think of celebrities as strangers."

"Speak of the devil," he adds, putting on that same forced smile.

And Steve sits there as Tony talks to the man, pretending to be interested in the menu and pretending that everything isn't falling apart right in front of him. He can't believe he was so stupid. He should have considered the fact that Tony's an international celebrity.

He's definitely ruined this date. If he can even call it that. He wouldn't blame Tony if he just wanted to leave and never see him again. And well, at least he needs to tell Tony that it's okay, to leave. That he doesn't have to stay here for Steve's sake.

He just hopes Tony will want to leave together.

And as soon as they're alone again he apologizes, maybe a little too much, but he really doesn't want to ruin this, he really wants Tony to like him and want to be around him and this, this isn't how to do that. And he says that they can go somewhere else, he doesn't mind, and then he swallows and offers that maybe they could go do something else. And he wonders if that's a little too much of an offer to have sex with him again, but he's not sure what else to do.

And Tony just smiles at him throughout, and then he rolls his eyes. "Narcissist."

"I – pardon?"

"I'm calling you a narcissist," Tony says, raising an eyebrow at him, and Steve's not sure but he thinks that's a good sign.

"I understood that part."

"Oh," Tony says. "Great. They do say communication is the most important part of any relationship."

Steve waits for Tony to go on, but he doesn't, he just looks at Steve with this look like he's completely amused by himself.

"I'm just not clear on why you said it."

"Ahhh," Tony says. "Well. See, you apologized for something you have no control over. That just seemed a little self-centered."

Steve shrugs. "Well, I picked the place."

"And I was aware of the potential ramifications."

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I was planning to. But I'm trying this new thing where I listen occasionally between bouts of talking. And then you said it was your favorite restaurant, so, I figured I should check it out." He winks, and that simple gesture makes Steve feel special, makes him feel warm from the inside. "And if we leave before the food gets here that really defeats the purpose of that, doesn't it?"

Steve's not sure what to say to that, so he nods and fiddles with the menu.

"You're a good man, Jerome," Tony says, pasting on that smile, again, and Steve covers his face and groans.

When the check finally comes Carol places it in the middle of the table, and Steve's so sure that he's going to pay that he doesn't even reach for it, he just casually pulls out his wallet and when he looks up Tony's already sliding a card into the slot.

"I'm paying."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Don't be an ass," Steve says, blushing and wanting to take it back the moment he says it. But Tony just quirks his eyebrows and passes him the check.

And Tony's been very nice and polite for the entire dinner, but as soon as they get in the car he gives Steve a serious look and says, "What's the deal with Shield?"

"Pardon?"

"What kind of hold do they have over you?"

"I owe them."

And Tony scoffs. "You don't."

Steve shrugs. "I wish I didn't. But I do. I didn't exactly have any money left over when they unfroze me. Before the reward money they paid for everything."

"You have money now. Why not sever ties?"

"How do you know I haven't?"

Tony smiles. "I know everything."

His question had been a joke but now he's pretty sure Tony means it. "How do you know?"

Tony shrugs. "I'm in the system. At Shield. Fury realized he couldn't keep me out so he put me in charge."

"Oh."

"I've been kind of keeping tabs on you," Tony says, sort of apologetically. "Not... in a creepy way, or whatever. Just, making sure they hadn't, you know, turned you into one of them."

He feels like that should bother him, but it doesn't. "You mean, no navy blue skin tight suits?"

Tony laughs. "No, I mean, well, I don't trust Fury. I know that I'll never be able to, and I can work with him fine, I'm okay with that. But with you, and Clint, and Natasha, and Thor, it just feels like maybe I could."

Oh. So it's not just him. "Because we fought together that one time."

"It's more than that," Tony says. "Don't you think so?"

"What about Bruce?"

"I live with him," Tony says. "No need to wonder."

Steve knows Tony knows that he's avoiding the question, but Tony doesn't push it. He just takes a moment to curse out another driver, and then he changes the subject. Sort of. "Have you thought about getting a job? Then you could pay them back and be free to pursue... other things."

"I came pretty close to joining the army," Steve says, and he's not sure why Tony seems to dislike that. "Except then I found out what that's like nowadays. There's no need for a super soldier when it's all about the weapons."

"What would you want to do?"

Steve shrugs. "What I want to do isn't practical."

"Tell me anyway."

"I wanted to be a comic book artist, before the war," he says, and smiles, thinking back on that. "Never thought I'd be in one."

"And I liked being an Avenger, actually," he adds, because Tony's got him thinking about it again. "As short as that was."

"That's not over," Tony says. "We're still Avengers."

He nods, doing the best to make his face agree. He knows Tony's still an Avenger. But Steve's not really. He's not sure he ever was. He wants more than anything to be like he was six months ago, by which he actually means 70 years ago, but he feels like that opportunity has passed. He can't miss 70 years of the world and then expect to join in like he can still be a valuable member of the team.

He changes the subject, and Tony raises an eyebrow to show that he knows what Steve's doing, but he starts talking about himself anyway.

They get back to Tony's garage, and it's difficult, but Steve's steeled himself. He can tell Tony expects him to come in, so as soon as he's stepped out of the car he swallows and says, "I, uh, don't want to come in."

Tony hesitates, looking at Steve as though he's not quite sure what to make of him. "Are you sure I can't persuade you to change your mind? I mean, it's kind of de rigeur to come in after a date these days. Just, you know, for a bit. You can leave whenever you want."

Steve meets him behind the car, stands just inches from him. "My date, my rules," he says with a smile, settling his hands on Tony's hips like it's not a big deal to him that he's touching Tony there. "Guess you'll just have to ask me out again."

And he pulls Tony closer, kisses him once, chastely, pulling away before Tony gets a chance to try and make it something more, because he's not sure he can resist that.

"Goodnight," he says, already walking to his motorcycle as he does so because he's afraid that if he sticks around it's going to be obvious what sort of effect Tony has on him. He doesn't want to feel like the only one who's head over heels just from kissing.

And he looks back, once, before he leaves, and Tony's still standing behind the car, smiling, watching him drive away.

The next morning he wakes up to a blinking red light on his answering machine.

"Hey Steve, it's Tony." He's whispering, which explains why Steve didn't wake up. "I hope I didn't wake you up, sometimes I forget that not everybody's awake at 3 a.m.. And you should really just get a cell phone. Think about it. But, I didn't call to lecture you on your technology choices. So is it rude to assume that you're free tomorrow night? Because I have tickets for the Rangers game, and I was really hoping you would join me."

He goes to see Peggy feeling overwhelmingly happy for once.

And he walks in the door with a smile, and he's almost to Peggy's room when Theresa intercepts him, pulling him into an empty room with a strange look on her face.

"You're him, aren't you," she says. "Captain America."