Work Text:
Steve was fuming. Even now, hours after the mission when they had already retuned to the tower from the debrief.
It unsettled Tony a bit if he was being honest, their captain might not be the calm saint people pictured him to be back in the day as well as now, but openly raging? That was new when there wasn’t HYDRA involved.
Dinner turned out to be a tense affair which everyone caught on immediately. There was none of the usual chatter, Clint wasn’t joking about the villain-of-the-day and Natasha wasn’t offering dry comments. Tony was convinced that everyone on the table was aware of the reason for Steve’s horrendous mood but no one felt obliged to adress it.
Instead, when everyone silently put away the dishes, he received a wry grin by Bruce along with a tiny squeeze before he fled the communal area.
He was the one Tony wouldn’t held that behaviour against, after all the poor guy still grew twitchy whenever someone started raising his voice. Someday, Tony had decided, he would try to figure out how much of this uneasiness was Hulk-related and what were aftereffects from a youth spend scared.
The kitchen had cleared quickly after that, leaving only Steve and himself without real means of distraction. The dishes and leftovers were put away neatly and even the counters shone spotless. Tony didn’t have to turn around to feel blue eyes drilling into his back,
“Oh come on, Cap, it wasn’t that bad. Don’t get your patriotic panties in a twist over that.”
Even after four months of relationship, Tony still seemed like he couldn’t help but say the wrong things at the wrong time. And god knew he had tried to be better, more so then ever before. But for reasons unknown, riling Steve Rogers up was his second nature.
Right then Steve took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, hands braced behind himself on the counter top. Absently Tony wondered how close Steve had been to flipping at dinner, or if the anger had just came back when the rest of the team was gone. He wasn’t sure which would be preferable.
“It wasn’t that bad? Tony, you nearly died today! You jumped headfirst into a fight again, hopelessly outnumbered and without waiting for us as back up!”
“Well, it worked, didn’t it?”
Obviously that was the wrong thing to say since Steve’s mouth set into a hard line.
“That’s not the point Tony. We almost lost you, not for the first time. You willingly put yourself in danger and expect us to just accept it?”
Tony shrugged, in his opinion it would make a lot of things easier for both of them. But Pepper hadn’t shared this kind of thinking either, so Tony decided to keep his mouth shut. He was still trying not to screw things up as much as he could, he didn’t want to lose Steve.
“That’s not going to work! This has to stop!”
Instantly Tony’s blood ran cold.
“Until you’re ready to understand, you’re benched Iron Man.”
While Tony managed to breath again a thought jumped into his mind. How was he being the unreasonable one? If he hadn’t acted in time who knew what would’ve happened? How much of downtown would’ve gotten destroyed? How many civilians would’ve died? How could Steve not see that?
And since he had slipped into his role of team leader with using Tony’s mission name, he felt obliged to defend himself.
“I think-“
“This is not up for discussion. You’re dismissed.”
~
“Sir, Captain Rogers requests permission to come into the workshop.”
Tony groaned and absently pushed the hair out of his face where it had decided to ignore his normal hair style.
“Shall I send him away?”
Funnily enough Tony had programmed his favourite AI to be something that Pepper called “good influence”. Jarvis was able to share concerns as well as judge Tony for being an idiot. And with Jarvis it was acceptable, because Tony trusted Jarvis. Maybe more than actual people, who was he kidding, he definitely did it.
Right now Jarvis didn’t sound judging though, despite Tony getting himself into danger again. That normally made the AI go all protective and creative to go around protocol. Today Jarvis seemed to be on his side of the ordeal, or at least neutral, which ironically made him want to invite Steve in more than the opposite.
“Nah, let him in J.” And then as an afterthought “is he still angry?”
There was a beat of silence and Jarvis’ voice had softened a bit.
“No, sir. But he looks troubled.”
Well, if that wasn’t surprising.
True to Jarvis’ assessment Steve really appeared to be feeling guilty.
“Heya Cap.”
Still, Tony didn’t really feel like being back to being too friendly, he still very much remembered his reasoning to be pissed earlier.
“Tony, I-“
Steve shook his head strong enough that his hair got a bit out of the strictly decent order. Tony liked it better that way.
“I realised that I might’ve overreacted earlier.”
When he got no reply other than an expecting eyebrow, Steve added: “Not that I think it’s okay for you to endanger yourself, but I should’ve handled it differently. Asking you for reasons and things like that.”
That sounded a lot like one of the team had talked to him, Tony would bet on Bruce.
“I had my reasons”, he agreed and when the captain actually wanted to know, Tony explained.
“I’m sorry too, Steve, I mean I know how it is to worry about people. I should've warned you. It’s not as if I would’ve been innocent in that whole thing.”
His boyfriend actually smiled at that and a moment later Tony found Steve’s warm and soft lips pressed against his. Warm hands sneaked around his back and pulled him close against the broad chest.
Steve did that a lot, keeping Tony close, even in his sleep, definitely a sign of understandable abandonment issues on his side. And even if that sometimes bothered Tony, super soldier metabolism turned Steve into a living furnace, most of the time it was actually quite nice.
And right now Steve seemed to do it as well, as if to assure himself that Tony was still there and alive.
Damn, Tony did feel a bit shitty at this realisation.
~
Later that night, when the two of them were curled up on their bed, Steve playing the big spoon, Tony sighed. The best thing of the whole mess today was definitely the sex.
It wasn’t as if they usually were rough or even overly kinky, but this night had been a whole new level of gentleness.
Steve had been so incredibly soft, holding Tony while thrusting slowly and deep. The look on his face had been one of utter emotion and joy of still being able to be in bed with him.
It felt as if this shimmering in those shimmering blue eyes was live.
Tony’s stomach clenched at this thought and he let out another sigh.
Naturally Steve noticed and gently squeezed him tighter.
“What is it Tony, are you okay?”
Oh god, why had Rogers to be so goddamn good?
“Yeah yeah, just worn out.”
Tony smiled when he felt his boyfriend trying to hide his face in his hair, chuckling slightly embarrassed.
It was unbelievable that they actually got together, that Steve was able to look at him like that, even though he knew Tony.
“I won’t do it again. I promise.”
They both knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold this promise, but it was the thought that counted.
“Thank you, Tony.” Steve answered nevertheless.
Maybe, Tony wondered, they would actually be okay. Maybe this would actually work out for them.
What a terrifying thought.