Archive of Our Own ^beta

Steve wasn’t an idiot. He knew how a lot of stuff in the 21st century worked: the radio in his apartment, the coffee machine at the library, even his phone. He had bought himself a smartphone a few months after he was ‘woken up’.

The radio was easy to work out, they had radios in the 1940s and he could read a manual perfectly fine. The coffee machine was a little more troubling for him. After a few attempts, he asked the young man behind the counter for some help. He’d joked with the man, saying that he’d never used one before and that he only owned instant coffee so the machines were new to him. But the phone.. the phone was a new one for him. He’d read the manual and had a look online using the library computers, but most of it was just instinct for people. Unfortunately, Steve didn’t have that instinct.

He’d got the basics. Like the calling and even the texting was working out for him. Apps were a whole new level of confusing, a new level of scary for him. He’d fought Nazis, but now he couldn’t download solitaire on his phone? He wouldn’t settle for that.

Steve was persistent, he kept trying to open and download apps of all kinds. He was proud of the first app he managed to download which was a cooking one, it gave him recipes and the nutritional value of each meal, which he used nearly every day. He’d made all sorts: lemon chicken, minestrone soup, a lasagne, even a couple of cakes. It kept him busy when he wasn’t out avenging or travelling for missions. His army back pay meant he didn’t have to get a job if he didn’t want to, he’d thought about volunteering at the museum but maybe that was pushing his luck a bit.

The second app he had gotten was a game, it wasn’t solitaire but it was relaxing. He had to look after a bunch of various plants. He’d check the app every morning to water them and then leave them, it was as simple as that. It became a routine, to water his virtual plants and then get up and go for his morning run around Brooklyn, sometimes pushing into New York if he had more energy than usual. The plants game wasn’t really what he was looking for, he felt bad deleting it, worrying about his several cacti but quickly getting over.

The third app he got was called Twitter. He had overheard a few people on the subway talking about it, something about a thread and that it was funny. No harm in looking, he thought to himself as he set his shopping down on his kitchen counter, taking out his phone and searching for it in the app store, putting his shopping away as it downloaded.

He made a quick dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, sitting down at the table with his phone and a glass of water, opening the app and frowning slightly. Make an account? Steve sighed softly before typing out his full name. He paused at his date of birth, still putting in July 4th, but changing the year of birth, maybe 1990 would be appropriate for this account.

The world wasn’t ready to know that plain, old Steve Rogers was Captain America. It was the one thing that he’d asked of Fury, just to keep his name out of the public light. No one knew Steve Rogers was Captain America, not even Iron Man. Not even Tony Stark. He did initially feel bad for concealing his identity, but what was the point of people knowing? He didn’t want to be hounded by the press like Tony was. He was all over the TV and the radio, slandered in newspapers and magazines for no reason, Steve didn’t want that for himself. Tony didn’t care, it was how he had been brought up, to always be in the limelight. Steve had just given up his limelight, that’s all. He didn’t want or need recognition for the stuff he did as Cap, they weren’t the same person, Steve liked the clear line between the two.

It was easy to make the account. He didn’t add a picture for his profile but added a header, which was a picture of New York he’d taken when he had been out for an early morning run and had managed to capture the sunrise. He kept it simple, following a few news accounts and various celebrity suggestions, laughing quietly to himself when Tony’s account came up, clicking the little follow button and having a look through his account, smiling when he saw pictures of the Avengers, a few science articles he’d retweeted with captions like “this is utter genius, why didn’t I think of it?” and “how dumb, imagine thinking like this” with various angry faces. He stopped when he saw an article referring to himself. ‘Should we trust a science experiment?’ Steve frowned, he had read slander articles before, but he wasn’t even looking at the article, he was reading Tony’s comment. “Amazing to think that this age of reporters would rather shit on a national hero than report real news like renewable energy being ready to power the world.”

Steve read the caption a few times before clicking the little like button at the bottom of the post, feeling a weird sense of respect fill his chest. Iron Man and Captain America hadn’t really ever got on, neither had Tony Stark and Captain America, but Tony had never defended Cap like this before, not that Steve had any knowledge of, it was usually childish bickering then both of them going their separate ways. That was the main reason Steve didn’t stick around after missions, the number of invites he’d declined to go for food or to just hang out with the team purely because of his and Tony’s arguments. It was silly, really.

Steve carried on down Tony’s page, laughing at some of the jokes made at Hammer Industries and their attempts to copy the Iron Man suit, actually reading some of the articles Tony had retweeted about technology and even some of the slander articles about the Avengers, which Tony had all called ‘dumb’ and ‘pointless’.

He ended up following various different Avengers accounts, some praising the group and some dismissing the group. A lot of arguments stemmed around the damages that were caused when New York was invaded, but a lot of those comments were shut down with common logic like ‘a few broken buildings is probably better than an enslaved world you idiot’, which Steve completely agreed with. Plus, he knew for a fact that Stark had funded various clean up schemes, all of which had done extremely well in restoring New York and its boroughs.

He looked down at his cold plate of food and blinked a few times, he’d been on his phone for nearly 40 minutes reading articles and laughing at comments made by the public about the ridiculous articles. He set his phone down and stretched his arms over his head, groaning as his back popped, getting up microwaving his food. He ate quickly, washing his dishes in the sink and leaving them out to dry, heading back to the table and picking up his phone, frowning when he heard a buzz, not from his phone. He looked over to the pager sat in his key bowl, flashing the Avengers ‘A’. He rushed into his room, opening his wardrobe and the back panel of the wardrobe, showing a small compartment that contained a black bag, with all his suit and boots in, picking up the shield from beside the bag, slipping it into the bag and then over his arm. He headed back to the front door and grabbed his phone, his keys, and the Avengers pager. He headed out his door, locking it quickly and rushing down into the lobby, nodding at the SHIELD agent who was stood at the door, following him into the black car parked outside.

SHIELD had been helpful with his request to keep his identity secret. They planned to pick him up any time he had a mission and it would always be the same team who were by secrecy, they’d deleted a lot of personal information from several files which had been made back in the 40s, he was grateful for that.

He quickly shut the door, feeling the car pull off, quickly undoing the bag and taking his suit out and doing his best to change into it, huffing as he pulled the tight leather over himself. He saw the driver glance into the rearview mirror a few times but mostly ignored it, he was used to the staring. He finally managed to get his suit on, pulling his helmet on and fastening the strap tightly under his chin, slipping his arm through the strap of his shield and taking a deep breath, closing his eyes and rolling his shoulders slowly. Just another mission.

The car stopped at the headquarters about 15 minutes later, Steve rushing out and striding into the building, following one of the guards down various hallways until they came to the hanger where Natasha was stood, arms folded.

“Nice to see you again, Cap,” she watched him until he stopped next to her, not letting him return the greeting before she turned and headed into the jet. He watched her head in, following her in.

“Same goes for you, Widow, what’s the brief?”

“A drug smuggling operation is happening on the waters, they want to find the tanker and take them out,” she replied, taking a seat in the co-pilots chair.

Clint spun around in his chair, “nice to see you, Cap, let’s go get ourselves some drug smugglers, huh?”

Steve nodded, taking a seat in one of the chairs, strapping himself in, setting his shield down at his feet.

“You really seem too happy about stopping drug smugglers,” Steve told him, looking over at the archer who just grinned in response and turned back around, starting up the quinjet.

Steve settled back in the chair, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths when the jet set off, that was something he would never get used to, the pressure in his chest when the jet roared off the runway.

“Stark’s meeting us there, said he’s updating his scanners or something, I tend not to ask about all the tech stuff but figured you’d wanna know,” Clint called back to him, flicking a few switches on the panel above his head.

“As long he’s there, that’s all that matters,” Steve replied, keeping his eyes closed, breathing through the rumbling of the jet. Planes still had him on edge, they weren’t a pleasant memory putting it lightly. He’d spoken to a few of the SHIELD issued therapists about his situation but he didn’t really feel like he was getting anywhere with talking. It wasn’t something he liked telling people. Cold water had been an issue too, he hadn’t admitted to anyone but the idea of cold water made his heart clench in his chest, made his blood freeze.

It wasn’t long until Natasha left her seat to bring Steve a file, clearing her throat quietly and waiting till Steve opened his eyes, looking up at her and thanking her for the file, taking it and sitting up straighter before he opened the files, having a quick read of the pages. A large drug smuggling organisation, moving cocaine and various other class A drugs into the country from places, some in South America and some in Europe. Steve wasn’t really sure why this was Avengers work, but they hadn’t had a mission in a while and it seemed large enough to catch the attention of SHIELD so Steve wasn’t one to question it.

The ride didn’t take too long after he’d finished the file, setting it on the seat next to his and unclipping his seatbelt, heading up to the front of the jet, hand on the back of Clint’s seat.

“Is Stark already here? I can see the ships but not him,” Steve asked, frowning slightly as he scanned the area of ocean in front of them, counting 3 ships on the water.

“I’m here, Cap, keep your hair on,” came the smooth voice from other the intercom, a flash of red and gold appearing next to the windscreen.

“Good, you take the furthest boat, keep the perimeter, make sure no one gets away, me and Widow will get dropped down on to the first ship, you’ll have to help us over to the second boat once we’ve cleaned it out. Everyone know their roles?”

“I’m sure I can handle that, thanks, Capsicle,” sarcasm practically dripped through the speakers, the roar of his boots sending him off in the direction of the further ship.

“Let’s go, Widow. Drop us down on the rear of the closest ship,” he told Hawkeye, watching Clint nod before flying them closer. Steve headed back into the seats, picking up his shield and settling it on his arm, rolling his shoulders again. He moved over next to Widow, watching the hatch slowly open before jumping down and landing on the cold metal of the ship.

“No chatter on the line, let’s do this properly.”

“When I say keep a perimeter, I mean it, Stark! You let some of them slip away and now we’ve lost SHIELD’s element of surprise!” Steve yelled, keeping a tight grip on his shield and jutting his chin out slightly, glaring at the other man as the armour practically dissolved around him, slipping up into the centre of the glowing arc reactor in the centre of the man’s chest.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but I seem to recall actually getting them in the end, Captain,” Tony scoffed, rolling his eyes before glaring right back at the taller man.

“You were sloppy. That’s all there is to it. Me and Widow kept the two ships under control while you were doing God knows what up there. Maybe the low oxygen has gone to your head.”

“Captain America’s swearing? Damn, I must have annoyed him. I did my job, Cap, we caught them. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a fortune 500 company to run,” he bit back, turning on his heel and storming off down the hallways of the compound.

Steve sighed heavily while pinching the bridge of his nose, letting his shoulders sag, glancing at Clint and Natasha who quickly looked away.

“Don’t let him get to you, Cap, he’s just annoyed he let you down,” Clint told him, a tired smile on his face.

“I’m not too sure about that, Barton, he’s stubborn and one day it’s going to cost us. I’m heading out, make sure you two rest up for the next mission,” he nodded his head and started to make his way back to the entrance, relief washing over him when he saw his transport already waiting for him.

He nodded to the agent stationed at the car door, watching him open it for him so Steve could slip inside and settle back against the soft leather seats, undoing his helmet strap and pulling it off.

The Captain took a few deep, steadying breaths before tugging his red leather gloves off, folding them over his knee. He knew Stark was stubborn, he’d always been like that, but he usually did the right thing in the end and actually listened to Steve, listened to the plan as a whole. When Tony Stark got something into his head, it was hard for anyone to shift that idea from him.

Steve liked to think he was a good leader, a solid and just leader who made solid and just decisions for the sake of the team, but when the time bomb that is Tony Stark is added into the mix, he always seemed to lose his head a bit. Whether it was his stubbornness or his inability to listen to his orders, Steve couldn’t place a finger on it.

He didn’t like to think it was his smooth voice or his cool demeanour that got to Steve, but he was only human.

He arrived back at his apartment fairly quickly, making short work of changing into his civilian clothes. He stuffed his uniform back into the bag at his feet, collecting it and thanking the driver as they pulled over, letting Steve hop out and fish for his keys in his pocket, heading into the building he called home.

Steve never intended to spend as much time reading political and social articles on Twitter than he did. He’d read about strikes, government shutdowns, riots, marches. He’d ended up following a lot more accounts that all talk about the events going on in the world that the news didn’t cover. He still watched the news and read the newspaper daily, he bought it every morning when he’s coming back from his run.

He was often infuriated by the number of malicious comments made towards people and especially towards the Avengers, but he was also blown away at how much support they got as well. He’d seen a lot of young people retweeting a picture of Clint at a cafe with Bruce, and he had his hearings aids in, most of the captions were thanking him for being so open about a disability. Steve had known Clint needed hearing aids for a long time, but he’d never talked to Steve about it, not that he expected him to, really. But it warmed his heart to know that people could relate with Clint, could find comfort in the fact that even superheroes lived with things like that.

He saw a lot of accounts that edited pictures of the team, some with himself wearing little flower crowns, or somewhere their suits had been changed to be different colours. He saw different accounts that attacked a lot of the actions of the teams, calling them ‘war-seekers’ and saying that they don’t own up for their actions. Steve scoffed as he read it because he knew Tony donated a lot of money back into the community via different cleanup organisations and donated a lot of money to local charities to help those people affected.

He’d never actually retweeted with comments before until he saw an article about bringing back conversion therapy. Steve knew vaguely what it was, he’d read about it in a few other political articles about LGBT rights, but he hadn’t seen anyone actually think it was a good plan to bring it back.

He’d read the article a few times before pressing on the little symbol and bringing his keyboard back, his blood boiling as he wrote.

‘Sick to my stomach. People can’t be cured when there’s nothing wrong with them. Fuck anyone who thinks otherwise.’

His thumb hovered over the ‘send tweet’ button for a few moments before nodding and pressing it, watching the tweet upload. He set his phone down on the table, moving over to his window and taking a deep breath, rubbing his hands over his face. He left his phone on the table as he cooked, a favourite of his from when he was young, a hotpot his mother used to make on special occasions. It took him a while to get the everything set up ready for the oven, fumbling to open the oven while holding the large pot in his hand.

He went back to his phone to set a timer for his hotpot, blinking down at the number of notifications that filled his screen, all for his twitter account. He scrolled through the notifications, people commenting about how right he was and that the therapy solved nothing, some just had little pictures of hands clapping. He had at least 26 new followers, he was quite proud of that really.

He steadily gets more confident with his comments, retweeting a few more articles about LGBT rights and showing his support for many of the young people who have been to marches and taken various pictures of signs and of the parade. Steve had tweeted and shown his support for every single person. He’d started going more political, calling various New York politicians out for their comments towards the Avengers and to people in New York. One politician tweeted about the problem of homelessness in New York and that he didn’t like seeing people sat in doorways. Steve promptly responded with: ‘if you don’t like it, fucking do something about it then. Start by not being an asshole and doing some good work for once in your life.’

The followers came as part of his tweeting, a few people even messaged him thanks for standing up for people, he’d recently called a politician out for making faces during a speech told at a women’s march and the lady who gave the speech thanked him, Steve wasn’t really sure why, but it made him happy to know that people were seeing his voice.

His favourite past time was arguing with Nazis he’d found that out when he saw a demonstration in Brooklyn with a group of men and women carrying big flags with swastikas plastered all over them. Steve had never felt his blood boil so quickly, storming over and ripping one of the flags down off the pole it was attached to, ripping it in half and throwing it to the ground. He’d carried on ripping down flags until two of the men rushed over to him shouting about it being time to cleanse America.

“America only needs cleansing from assholes like you! Take your ‘values’ and fuck off back to 1942!”

He was quickly moved on by some of the police officers who wanted to keep the peace, but Steve was amazed they thought that there was peace when there’s Nazis parading flags around. It made Steve feel sick.

He was amazed to see a video of himself on Twitter that night tearing down flags and shouting at Nazis, the caption on the original video wrote: “A true American hero” and Steve felt insanely proud, the video had nearly 25,000 retweets and thousands of comments supporting him. Some of the comments complained about him taking peoples right to free speech away, but he didn’t care about those comments.

He eventually retweeted the video with a caption of: ‘gotta make assholes like that scared to show their ugly faces and ugly values’.

What made his day though was when one notification came through on his phone at around 10pm a week after the incident; Tony Stark liked this tweet.

He didn’t post anything for a long time after the Nazi video partly because he wasn’t over that Tony had like one of his tweets but mainly because he had to go on a mission down in Rio with the team that lasted significantly longer than they’d planned, gone for a month instead of a week. There was an infestation of some kind of alien spreading through the towns, the bug-like aliens laying eggs all throughout the sewer system, new creatures bursting out into the dry air and hot sun just to attack them again. The aliens themselves seemed to scrambled a lot of their equipment, making Tony’s scanners useless in trying to locate the main source of the bugs, which turned out to be a queen, three times the size of a bus squashed down in a tunnel system under the city.

The fight was long and hard, most of them getting injured down in the dark sewer, the smell getting to their heads, the cramped spaces forcing them to argue. Steve had suggested to Bruce to head back up to the surface in case he hulked out, Bruce nodded and headed back up, only to be cut off by the swarm of bugs and forced to hulk out, causing much more damage than they were planning on. The fight ended hours later after Thor and Hulk manage to pull a joint attack on the queen, attacking her head on and essentially popping her, the team getting covered head to toe in gunk.

The city was heavily damaged by the destruction, but they’d saved the city and its inhabitants, that’s what should have mattered. But no, politicians and anti-superhero groups attacked the team, calling them reckless and calling for their removal. It didn’t bother him, he’d had this kind of abuse before back in the war, people didn’t believe in the Avengers, but when they attacked the Avengers, they really just attacked Tony.

Most of the hate was directed to him, Steve couldn’t understand why they were all involved, he hadn’t seen any Thor hate or anyone else. There were posts calling Tony a ‘war-warmonger’, saying he only lived to destroy.

Steve frowned reading all the comments on a post that slated Tony for promoting war, pressing the retweet button and taking a deep breath.

‘Iron Man is one of the greatest heroes that’s ever lived, if he wasn’t around, New York would have been destroyed when Loki attacked. Simple as. Get your head out of your ass.’

Send tweet.

Steve set his phone down, glaring at it for a few seconds before getting up off his sofa and heading into the kitchen to stress eat.

He came back to his phone roughly an hour later as he was heading to bed, picking it up and carrying it into his bedroom, scrolling through his notifications before stopping in the doorway, clenching his phone.

1 new message from Tony Stark.

Steve froze for a moment, Tony had messaged him? Had he found out Steve was Cap? He hadn’t told anyone who he was except the few SHIELD agents who worked with him. His shaky thumb clicked on the message, slowly heading over to his bed and sitting down on the edge as he read Tony’s message.

TS: You’re going to make enemies if you keep saying I’m the best. You’re also going to make my ego grow and it really doesn’t need that ;)

Steve read the message a few times, a small frown on his face as he read it before laughing quietly, tilting his head up and looking up at the blank ceiling before back down at his phone, laying back into the soft throw covering his bed.

Did he reply? Did he leave it? Did Tony want a reply or did he expect Steve to leave it?

He set his phone down and just lay in the fading light for a while, closing his eyes and listening to Brooklyn traffic outside his window; the shouts of the people and the honking of cars horns echoing in his bedroom. He inhaled deeply, before slowly sitting up again, taking the phone from off the bed and bringing the message up again.

SR: It was more about putting assholes in their place, but you can take it as an ego boost if you’d like to.

He couldn’t explain why his heart was beating so fast, or why his hands were shaking as he set his phone down next to him, or why he felt the way he did. It was only Tony.

But that’s the thing, it was Tony. Tony Stark, and all his ways of making Steve lose his head, whether that was on a mission, or like right now, sat in his apartment waiting for Tony to say something back like a teenager who’ve just told their crush they liked them.

Steve didn’t know if Tony knew about his secret identity, he would be surprised if he didn’t if Tony hadn’t figured it out despite claiming to call himself a genius. Steve had never doubted Tony’s intelligence, not once, but this? Maybe this would doubt his common sense, not so much his intelligence.

Everyone knew who Iron Man was, it was basic knowledge, even children knew that Tony Stark was Iron Man. Steve had watched the interview where he revealed his secret, he’d paused the video and laughed at the look on some of the reporter’s faces, even the look on Miss. Potts face made Steve laugh. It was just such a Tony Stark thing to do, it amazed him. Sure, it was arrogant and didn’t really help him in terms of privacy but now, he had nothing to hide, nothing to worry about. Steve spent a lot of his time tiptoeing around people to keep himself hidden. His team didn’t even know.

But Tony Stark was just an enigma that Steve would probably never understand.

Steve felt his phone vibrate next to his leg, looking down at the screen to see Tony’s name shining on the screen. He opened the message and scoffed, which turned into soft laughter.

TS: Honey, I always love a good ego boost. But seriously, you’ll get enemies.

Steve rolled his eyes after he’d read the message, it was sweet really, the little warning. Maybe Tony really didn’t know who he was. He wouldn’t have warned Captain America to stop defending him, he probably would have told Cap to carry on.

SR: I’m more than capable than handling bullies. It’s all I’ve ever done.

Steve set his phone down once more, leaving it on his bedside table and pulling the charger in, watching it light up before going. He didn’t know whether he should be talking to Tony like this, is it wrong to talk to someone while knowing them but they didn’t know you? Was there even protocol for things like this? It made Steve’s head spin.

He headed into the bathroom, picking a towel out of his cupboard and turning the shower on. Maybe the hot water would ease his head.

However, hot water can’t fix all problems, Steve sighed as he made his way back into the bedroom, pulling on a clean pair of boxers and a white t-shirt, rubbing the towel through his hair to dry it. He closed his curtains, switched his lamp on and his main light off before settling in bed, picking up his phone and staring at the new notification on the screen. Another Twitter message.

The argument went through his head about whether he should answer it, frowning before nodding slightly to himself and opening the message.

TS: Well, by all means, continue. It’s nice to have people on your side. Even if they are keyboard warriors.

Steve frowned as he read it, keyboard warriors? He closed Twitter and quickly opening Google, typing the phrase in and reading through some of the searches.

keyboard warrior
Dictionary result for keyboard warrior
noun
INFORMAL
.
a person who makes abusive or aggressive posts on the Internet, typically one who conceals their true identity.

He wasn’t abusive, they were criticizing the Avengers work, without them it the city would have been completely destroyed and the bugs would have been allowed to spread to more and more places. They stopped the infestation.

He opened Twitter, typing faster than he had in a while to respond:

SR: I’m sorry, but I personally believe the Avengers were doing good work, sue me if I’m wrong, I’m sure you’ve got the money to do so.

He slammed the last bullet point in place, sending the message and locking his phone, slamming it down on his bedside table. He was trying to defend him! And he goes and is an asshole about it! Steve scoffed, laying back in bed and turning the main light off. That was the last time he helped Tony Stark out on the internet.

TS: I’m sorry, honey! I didn’t mean to upset you, it was just a little joke, but not a very funny one otherwise you would have laughed. I’m only teasing, I promise. I love it when people defend my honour.

Steve left the phone open on the message as he ate his breakfast, half a loaf of toast with jam and 3 oranges. He was still annoyed, still angry to have been called a ‘keyboard warrior’, sure what he was doing essentially fit into the description of that person but he wasn’t abusive or trying to offend anyone. He just wanted people to know when they were wrong.

The repeated use of ‘honey’ sat with him. Tony didn’t know him, was Tony always this sweet with people? Maybe not sweet but.. different. Steve had only ever seen the Tony Stark that was encased in Iron Man. He had never seen the inner works of Tony Stark, never the man out of the hard shell he flew around in. Steve had never really met just Tony, not Tony Stark, just normal Tony. Maybe this was him?

Steve didn’t reply as he ate breakfast, he kept the screen on the message, washing his dishes and humming a song he’d heard on the radio the other day. He kept himself busy, reading the paper he’d bought on his morning run and going through each section meticulously, ignoring his phone to his absolute best until it buzzed again. Steve sighed through his nose, setting his paper down and picking his phone up, showing another message from Tony.

TS: Are you still mad at me? I can’t have my only protector mad at me ):

Steve stared at the message, eyeing the little sad face on the end before smiling, closing his eyes and letting his shoulders relax. He opened them again, before typing out a reply.

SR: I’m not mad, just amazed you use smiley faces in your messages. You don’t seem like the kind of guy to do that.

Steve stared at his phone for a few seconds before jumping at the buzzing from the Avengers pager sat in his key bowl. He shoved his phone in his pocket, rushing in his bedroom to collect his gear before quickly making his way down to the lobby, nodding his head to the SHIELD agent, getting into the black car out front of his building.

Steve liked technology, he thought it was great. But fighting killer robots that could shoot a similar kind of repulsor that Iron Man could wasn’t his idea of helpful technology.

The team had been flown out to London, Clint in the pilot's seat with Natasha next to him, just Steve sat in the back with his shield. Iron Man and Thor would be meeting them there, he believed Iron Man, but Steve didn’t think Thor had any idea where London was.

Steve heard the commotion before he saw it, hearing explosions from outside the Quinjet, getting up and settling his shield on his arm.

“We’ve got trouble, Cap! Looks like they’re using some kind of portal! They’re just pouring through it!” Clint yelled back to him, setting the jet down in an open area, filing out with him and Natasha.

“Stark, look out for a portal they’re using, you might be able to figure it out,” Steve told him through the comms, already running off in the direction of the action.

Steve heard a scoff in his ear, “might be able to figure it out, who do you take me for, Cap?”

“Someone who might not be able to figure it out. Clint, Natasha, keep a perimeter up, don’t let anything go further than the jet, I’ll go find the action, send Thor my way when he arrives.”

“Sure thing, Cap,” Clint replied, running off with Natasha.

It wasn’t like the mission ended badly. They stopped the robot threat, they got the portal closed and destroyed all the remaining bots running around London streets. It was just messy. Majorly messy.

Clint had fractured fingers and ribs, Natasha had sustained some form of head injury, which ended in Steve carrying her back to the Quinjet. Steve himself had broken an ankle from a nasty fall but it was already healing. Bruce and Thor were nowhere to be found, but that was normal for the pair, they would take time to rekindle and calm themselves before they joined back with the team.

Tony was in the worst state than them all, armour falling off from various parts of his body exposing his ripped undersuit caked with blood. His hairline was similar, crimson dripping from his dark hair on to his tanned skin. He was limping on his right side, holding his helmet in his left hand, raising it ever so slightly when he was the trio heading back to the Quinjet.

“Don’t suppose I can catch a ride with you guys? Mines bailed on me,” he joked, but the exhaustion was clear in his body, the sagging limbs, the tired smile.

“Sure thing, you doing alright? You went dark a while back,” Steve shifted Natasha slightly in his arms, settling her more against his chest and shoulders.

“My comms went down after I got hit, a lovely EMP frazzled me so I had to do things the old fashioned way, you would have been proud,” Tony answered, grinning slightly but letting it slip off quickly when he saw Natasha’s bleeding. “Everyone else okay?”

Steve felt himself smile slightly, nodding his head towards Tony, keeping his arms tight around Natasha, she was awake he could tell, but better to leave her be.

“Clint’s got a few broken fingers, his hearing aids got all smashed up, too, he’s keeping quiet until he’s got the ones from the Quinjet in. He thinks Natasha’s has a head injury, maybe concussion but he can’t be sure. We need to get her back as soon as possible.”

“And you?”

The question caught Steve off guard. It was obvious he was fine, there’s never any question whether Steve was fine or not. It was a given Steve would be fine. Captain America was never not fine.

“I’m fine, Stark. I always am.”

“You aren’t always, you broke your leg a few months ago, that was nasty.”

“My healing factor took care of it like it always does.”

“I wasn’t talking about wounds, but that’s alright. Let’s just get back, I want to go home.”

For the first time, Steve agreed with him and lead them back to the ship.

A few months passed and Steve was getting bored, he hadn’t been called up for any missions, Natasha contacted him and told him to take some time off for a while, but that was all Steve did between missions.

He’d read most of the books he was advised to, the only ones remaining were Dracula, The Hunger Games, To Kill A Mockingbird. He’d watched a lot of the films that were recommended too, seen the sights of New York. He was just sitting and twiddling his thumbs most days.

He’d occupy his time with Twitter, with working out, with cooking. He’d get the odd message from Tony, which was still weird for him, showing him an article that he thought Steve would enjoy. His life went on.

It was Sam that had told him about the pride parade that happened every year in New York. They’d just finished a run, sitting down in Central Park to rest when he brought it up.

“What are you doing this weekend?” Steve asked, leaning back on the bench and taking a deep breath in, breathing in the fresh air and general New York air.

“I’m going to the parade with Riley, you should come,” Sam replied, opening a bottle of water and taking a few gulps.

“Parade? What, like a carnival thing?”

“No, like the pride parade, the one for LGBT people to go to, happens every year, it’s always good. Everyone dresses up, paints their faces and stuff, Riley bought these like matching t-shirts for us, they’re gagworthy but they’re funny.”

“Do you need a ticket?”

“Nope, you can just come along, me and Riley can meet you and you can come with us if you want to, you can buy a flag and stuff there if you wanna wear one.”

“Yeah, yeah I think I will come, thanks, Sam.”

And that’s how Steve ended up with two bisexual flags painted on both cheeks and a trans flag tied tightly around his shoulders, covered in glitter, grinning and strolling along with Sam and Riley.

Sam was wearing the gay flag in the same fashion as Steve, Riley opting for it on his cheeks instead, but wearing rainbow coloured sunglasses. They opted out of the gagworthy t-shirts.

The more people he passed, the more he grinned, his face ached from it. He’d never imagined he could walk so freely and represent himself the way he was. He’d had a few people come up to him and ask if he was the Nazi-punching guy from Twitter, he laughed every time he was asked and nodded, shaking his head when the people thanked him,

“It was only right someone tried to stop them, just glad I could help really.”

The trio had watched some of the performers, blushing furiously when one of the singers grabbed his hand and lead him up on to the little stage at the side of the parade, dancing with him during the song, ignoring Sam and Riley who were recording the whole thing. The singer thanked him after the song had finished, winking at him as Steve headed back off the stage, still red in the face.

Sam laughed as he came back over, “wow, Mr. Superstar, you’ve got yourself a fan!” He gestured back to the singer who was fanning himself while talking to the guitarist, glancing at Steve every now and then.

“Shut up, he was just being friendly,” Steve retorted, shaking his head and taking the water bottle from Sam’s hand, taking a swig.

“Oh sure, and me and Sam are just friendly, Steve,” Riley added, bumping their shoulders together.

Steve rolled his eyes, finishing off the water in his hand and putting the bottle in the bin. “C’mon, I’m, starving, let’s get something to eat.”

The day carried on, they watched more performers, bought various little trinkets from the stalls. Steve ended up with a little enamel trans flag pin and a matching bisexual flag one that he attached to the front of his shirt.

They headed down into the subway, waiting for the next train when Steve heard the commotion. A group of men were shouting at a group of teenagers, the oldest probably about eighteen while the other three looked younger. Two of them had the same flag Steve had on his shoulders, the men shouting slurs at them, throwing bottles on the ground near their feet.

Sam couldn’t grab Steve in time before he stormed over, shoving one of the men.

“Hey, what’s your fucking problem? Leave the kids alone,” he told them, moving to stand in front of the teenagers, staring down the three men.

“You’re fucking one of them too, you dirty fuc-” he couldn’t finish the sentence as Steve’s fist collided with his nose, sending him flying back on to the platform ground.

The other two men were visibly stunned for a moment before rounding on Steve, rushing forward and charging on Steve. They were easy enough attacks to predict, ducking a punch and countering with a fist to the stomach, winding the smaller of the pair. He was distracted momentarily and got a punch to the jaw for it, but recovered quickly to replicate his first punch, sending the last man crumpling to the floor, blood spurting out and covering his shirt.

Steve stood huffing slightly, before turning to the teenagers. “Are you guys okay?”

They all looked up at Steve and nodded, shaken but otherwise okay.

“C’mon, I’ll take you home, which way are you heading?” He asked, smiling when the eldest-looking told him Brooklyn, “I’m heading there too, my friends are waiting for me over there, let’s get out of here.”

Steve led the group back over to Sam and Riley who were just staring at Steve, mouths open slightly.

“Steve, buddy, I know you’re big but I didn’t know you could beat dudes up, what the hell?” Sam asked, shocked but grinning at him.

Sam’s attention quickly shifted to the kids behind Steve, asking if they were okay while Riley checked Steve’s knuckles for breaks, cleaning the blood off them with a tissue.

The four teens, Steve now knew as Peter, Gwen, MJ, and Johnny, were all extremely thankful for Steve, thanking him and confiding in him about their fears that something like that would happen.

“It’s happened to me before, I only want to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

It took a few hours to take all the kids home, Johnny getting dropped off first, then Gwen, then MJ and finally Peter.

Steve stopped at the bottom of the steps at Peter’s building, the boy hesitated before throwing his arms around Steve tightly, pressing his face into Steve’s shirt.

“Thanks again, Mr. Rogers, you’re a really great guy,” Peter told him quietly before letting go and running up his steps and disappearing into the apartment block, his blue, pink and white flag blowing behind him.

Steve stood their quietly for a few moments before smiling to himself, shoving his hands into his pockets and heading home.

It took a few days before Steve saw the video. It was bizarre watching himself shout at the men, throwing punches then turning to help the teenagers behind him. It was bizarre to see so much support, so much love when Steve was used to hatred and slurs.

The comments overwhelmed him a little, he was sat quietly with a cup of coffee reading through the support, ‘what a hero’, ‘A TRUE TRANS ICON’, ‘fuck get me a man like that’. There was some hate, there always is, but there’s more positive than negative.

He retweeted the video, smiling as he wrote the caption, ‘make transphobes afraid again! P.s the kids are all okay’. He pressed send and then left his phone, finishing his coffee and then going to do his washing up, putting the radio on as he completed a few chores around his apartment, coming back to his phone a few hours later.

He had at least 80 messages off people, around 200 people had followed him and even more had retweeted the video, all with their own acts of support. He glanced over some of the messages; some with compliments, some with thank you messages, some even with people confiding in him. One person even asked if he would punch their transphobic father for $40, Steve actually considered that one.

But one message caught his eyes, one from Tony Stark.

TS: Wow, honey! I’m getting all flustered watching you be an amazing person. How do you keep managing to surprise me?

Steve huffed out a laugh, going on to Tony’s feed and staring at the comment had added on to his own retweet of the video.

‘This is what a true American hero looks like. Someone who isn’t afraid to fight against what’s wrong with this country.’

Steve flushed slightly, he wasn’t used to praise from Tony. He didn’t really get this level of praise from anyone, he couldn’t blame Tony when he said it went to his head. He finally understood.

He opened the message from Tony again, typing out his response.

SR: It’s probably because you don’t know me, I might always be this amazing, people just happened to catch this on camera.

The message back was almost instant, Steve glanced at the clock, smirking when he realised Tony was probably in one of the board meetings he liked complaining about.

TS: Well, I’d very much like to get to know you then. How about a coffee?

Steve then set his phone down, frowning slightly. What was the harm? Tony didn’t know Steve was Captain America, he would have said something to Steve if he did.

Steve brought up Sam’s number on his phone, quickly dialling the number, Sam picked up just as quickly.

“Hey, man, you okay?”

“Tony Stark wants to get a coffee with me.”

There was silence on the line for a few moments, “I’m sorry, I think I misheard you, you said Tony Stark wants to buy you a coffee.”

“Yeah.”

“Steve, man, I need more information than that, you can’t just tell me that and expect to know what the hell you’re on about.”

“He’s been messaging me on Twitter, like for a few weeks now. He sent me the video of me beating those guys up in the subway and then like..”

“What? He suddenly asked you out?”

“Basically, yeah. What do I do?”

“I mean, fuck, dude, does he know you’re Cap?”

“No, that’s my main dilemma. What if he recognizes me?”

“Well.. he hasn’t yet so I don’t see why you can’t get a free coffee with him, it might be fun.”

“Are you crazy?”

“Are you? Just go for it, you might see a new side to him. Just because Cap and Iron Man don’t get along, doesn’t mean Steve and Tony can’t.”

Steve frowned, going silent on the phone, letting Sam continue.

“I gotta go, man, my next group is soon, text me if you need any more of my wise words, but really, what’s the harm?”

Sam hung up, leaving Steve alone with the thoughts he had supplied.

It took Steve a few hours before replying to Tony, trying to keep his hands steady before typing the message out.

SR: Sure, coffee sounds fun. Let me know when you’re free, you seem like a busy guy.

Again, the reply was almost instant from Tony.

TS: I’m sure you’re much more interesting than board meetings, how does Friday sound? After 3 would be better for me, but it’s nothing I can’t drop.

SR: Don’t drop your work for me, 3:30 work for you?

TS: Sounds wonderful, honey. I’ll see you then ;)

On Thursday night, Steve already had his outfit laid out on his bed, frowning at it before changing the shirt on his bed again for one in his wardrobe. The black jeans he’d gone with instantly, Riley told him they were good to wear. But he just kept changing everything else about the outfit. Does he go casual with a t-shirt? Is a shirt too formal for coffee? Are trainers acceptable? Should he wear boots? The options were too much for Steve.

He had currently settled on a pair of black jeans, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket that Sam had directed him to when they went shopping a few weeks ago. He frowned at the outfit for a few moments before sighing, letting his shoulders sag.

He heard a buzzing coming from his kitchen, leaving his clothes and heading into there before spotting the flashing Avengers beacon in on the counter. The date was quickly pushed out his mind, rushing to grab his gear and head down to be picked up by the black SUV outside the building, settling in for the ride to SHIELD.

Steve hadn’t expected to be hospitalized after what seemed to be a simple mission. He expected to finish the mission and go home early Friday morning, sleep until 10am and then get ready for this day.

He hadn’t expected to fracture both legs, crack 6 ribs, get a concussion and puncture a lung. But, life is unpredictable sometimes. He was in the hospital for a few days, only being able to leave after he stopped wincing every time he moved. The team came to see him, but he asked to be kept anonymous, either keeping his helmet on or keeping the curtain closed when he needed to take his helmet off. The team thought it was strange, but they didn’t complain. Even Tony seemed relieved he was okay, although seemed down about something. Steve just couldn’t place it.

He finally left the hospital on a Sunday night, limping up to his apartment, thanking the SHIELD agent who drove him home. He set his shield and bag down next to the door, going to the sofa and collapsing down on to it, closing his eyes and immediately falling asleep.

He woke late Monday morning, groaning as he got up, heading to the kitchen area and quickly making himself a mountain of eggs on toast, turning the radio on and listening to it as he ate. He cleaned the dishes away and found his phone in his bedroom, plugging it and leaving it charging for a while before coming back to it.

He had a few messages from Sam, a couple of emails, but what he noticed was the 5 Twitter messages from Tony.

Steve’s blood ran cold when he saw it.

He forgot about the coffee.

He slowly opened the messages, wincing slightly as he read them.

TS: hey, honey! I realised I don’t know where you live so I have no clue where to pick you up from

TS: let me know soon as you can, I’m thinking someone downtown for it?

TS: you there, Steve?

TS: ):

TS: Okay, I don’t know if it’s me but it usually is, I get if I’m too much, it’s overwhelming for most people, I’ll leave you alone. I’m sorry.

Steve hurried to message him back, fingers flying over the keys as he wrote.

SR: Tony, oh my god I’m so sorry, I’ve been in the hospital the past few days and my phone’s been at home, I really didn’t mean to miss it.

Steve left his phone on the table, going to open the windows, letting himself breathe in the New York air when he heard his phone buzz, scrambling to grab, trying to ignore how pathetic that felt.

TS: Hospital?!?! Are you okay, honey? Don’t worry about me, what happened?

Steve then realised if he told Tony what had actually happened, then he would basically be telling him that Steve was Captain America. What was a good enough lie?

SR: I got hit by a car on Wednesday night.

TS: WHAT?? oh my god, are you okay? Is someone with you? You can’t be on your own at a time like this!!

SR: I’m okay now though, my friend came round before and he said I’m okay, it wasn’t that bad.

TS: You got hit by a car!!!! I’m gonna send you a get well package, what’s your address???

SR: You don’t have to do that, Tony.

TS: I want to, come on. Let me help make you feel better, even if it’s through material gifts.

Steve rolled his eyes but ended up sending Tony his address, grinning when the man sent back a little smiley face that was blowing a kiss.

He got up slowly, collecting his gear from where he dropped it when he came in, throwing some of his stuff in the laundry basket before taking his shield into his bedroom and placing it at the back of his wardrobe.

Steve wasn’t sure if giving Tony his home address was the right idea, but the only thing in the apartment that could connect Steve and Captain America was the shield, the uniform, and the little Avengers beacon, which were all easy to hide. He felt guilty lying to Tony, but it was for his own good.

Steve woke bright and early the next day, smiling as he felt no pain in his legs, taking a deep breath and testing his newly patched lung and ribs.

He went into the bathroom, showering quickly and then changing into a new set of clothes, some grey joggers and a t-shirt. He was towelling off his hair when he heard a knock at his door.

He headed into the living area, heading to the door and opening it, looking down at the man stood with a large parcel at his feet.

“Are you a Mr.Steve Rogers?” The man asked, looking up from the tablet he had in his hands.

“Yeah, that’s me, what’s..” he gestured to the package.

“It’s from Mr. Stark, told me it was to help you ‘get well soon’, but you look fine to me.”

“I was in a car accident a few days ago,” Steve told him, glancing down at the parcel, “I didn’t think Tony would actually send me something.”

“And how is it that you know Mr. Stark?” the man asked, narrowing his eyes at Steve.

“He saw a video of me fighting Nazis and then another one of me punching transphobes.”

“Oh, you’re that Steve,” he nodded, “this is for you then.” He picked the parcel up, struggling with it slightly but refusing Steve’s help as he walked it into his apartment, setting it down on the couch, before wiping his hands on his black suit pants.

“Thank you, will you thank Tony for me?” Steve asked the man’s back as he was walking away.

“Sure, you could always just message him though,” and with that, the man closed Steve’s door, leaving the parcel and himself alone.

He didn’t open it right away, he turned the radio on and made himself a cup of coffee before settling down on the couch with the box in front of him. He tore past the tape and opened it up, raising his eyebrows at the amount of stuff that Tony had packed.

On the top, there was a little note that had his name written in slightly messy handwriting, he picked it up and set it on the table before looking back at the box. There were several packets of expensive looking dried fruit; blueberries, apricots, even banana chips. He picked up the packets and moved them on to his table, looking back at the box. There were all sorts; socks with little Iron Man helmets on them, a packet of coffee from a place in Brazil, a bar of soap that smelled of lavender, a few books nestled towards the bottom, a bar of chocolate and another little box at the bottom.

He picked out the little box first, taking the attached note and reading it, ‘a Tony Stark original’, he smirked and opened it up. It was a little wind-up toy of a robot holding a little trans flag in one hand and a bisexual flag in the other. It was just a bit bigger than Steve’s palm. He slowly wound the key on its back before setting it down. The figure slowly started walking around and waving both of the flags over his head. Steve grinned as he watched the bot, taking out his phone and recording it.

He watched the bot for a few more moments before looking back inside the package, freezing when he saw the chocolate. He slowly picked it out, staring down at it. It was one that he had told Tony he liked a few months back but as Cap. They were on a long flight home back to New York from East Russia, Tony’s suit had given out and had a lift with the jet. Natasha and Clint were asleep but himself and Tony were awake, idly chatting about anything. Tony had mentioned a brand of chocolate he’d liked and Steve told him his own preference for a particular brand, saying it was the nicest he’d had since waking up. Not overly sweet like most types, but a softer taste.

He didn’t think Tony would have remembered. That made Steve’s chest feel tight in a way that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Steve picked up the note Tony had left on top of the package, opening it up and reading:

Dear Steve,

I hope this is everything you need for a speedy recovery! The robot was a spur of the moment thing really, thought you might like it. The soap is supposed to help stress and ease you or something. The chocolate is something that Captain America likes if you can believe it! Surprised he even likes chocolate but oh well, hope this helps, maybe we can have our coffee soon?

All the best,
Tony.

Steve messaged his thanks straight away after reading the note, ignoring how his cheeks felt warm and he felt content for the first time in a long time.

They set a date for coffee, the 16th of the month, Tony picking the destination. Steve declined the offer for a lift, saying he would meet Tony there. He liked the subway enough, it was a constant for Steve, reliable.

He wore those black jeans Sam picked, a white t-shirt and his blue bomber jacket, a pair of brown boots on his feet. The clammy feeling in his palms and the butterflies in his stomach had been there for the past week. At this point, he didn’t try to deny his nervousness, he’d texted Sam telling him he was getting coffee, smirking at his phone when Sam wished him luck, told him to keep it PG.

He was early to the shop, a little place in New York that was somewhat near Stark tower. There weren’t many places you could go without seeing it; it was far enough away that Steve felt more at ease. Not that he didn’t trust the tower, but the idea of lying to Tony still didn’t sit well with him, a heavy ball of anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

Third Rail Coffee was smaller than Steve thought it would be, a charming place in the depths of New York, the open bricked walls and black details eased Steve, the smell of fresh coffee allowed him to relax. He didn’t order straight away, checking his phone and found he was meeting Tony in around 25 minutes. He didn’t want to be one of those people who didn’t order but still sat down on one of the tables, taking it up from people who actually had bought things. He headed back outside, standing close to the wall and taking out his phone, scrolling through his news feeds and reading some of the recent stories.

He didn’t realise the time had passed before he heard someone call out his name, glancing up before doing a quick double take and saw Tony Stark grinning as he walked over to Steve. He looked so at ease in dark jeans, a t-shirt with a logo Steve didn’t recognise on it, a black blazer sitting snugly on his shoulders, his iconic sunglasses covering his eyes. Steve’s heart clenched just looking at him,

“Hey, hope I haven’t been keeping you waiting long, although I am technically early as well,” Tony started, stopping in front of him, looking up at Steve as he fiddled with the watch he wore on his right hand. Steve knew, in fact, it wasn’t a watch, but one of his newest versions of a tightly packed suit, seeing how small he could get it before it didn’t function. It was an amazing piece of tech.

“I only just got here,” Steve lied, smiling and slipping his phone into his back pocket, “you wanna head inside?”

Tony nodded, the grin never leaving his face as he led them into the shop, waving to one of the baristas who lit up, a shout of ‘Mr. Stark!’ following the wave.

“This is my usual, all the staff know me,” Tony explained as he headed up to the counter, leaning on it slightly, “hey, Pete.”

Steve recognised the boy instantly, the boy looking at Steve and his smile getting even bigger if that were possible.

“Mr. Rogers! Oh my god, this is so cool, you know Mr. Stark?” Peter asked, quickly getting started on what Steve assumed was Tony’s usual.

Tony looked over at Steve, eyebrows raised, “you know Peter?”

“Yeah, well, I beat the guys up who were harassing him and his friends, in that Twitter video,” Steve explained, smiling at Peter then looking over to Tony.

Tony hummed in response, the smile returning to his face, “I’m jealous, I want to saved by a handsome, blond man, why does all the good stuff happen to you, Pete?” He asked, his smile slipping into a grin, waggling his eyebrows at Steve, laughing when Steve chuckled.

“It wasn’t like I was trying to get beaten up, Mr. Stark, Mr. Rogers just happened to be there and help,” he told him, the boy’s cheeks bright red, keeping his head down as he finished up the coffee.

“That’s okay, kiddo, I’m sure Steve loved protecting you,” Tony ignored the boy’s protests and bright red face, turning back to Steve, “do you know what you wanna get? I recommend the Americano and the carrot cake, but it’s up to you.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, looking down at Tony, “seems like you’ve already decided for me, I’ll get those then,” he directed the second part to Peter.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tony laughed, letting Peter finish up before pressing his card against the machine, slipping it back into his pocket when heard the beep. He slipped an extremely large tip into the jar at the front.

“Thanks, Pete, good luck on your physics test, e-mail me anything you don’t get,” he called over his shoulder, taking the tray of coffee and heading to the table next to the window, letting Steve trail after him, taking the seat opposite Tony.

They got settled, Tony taking his black coffee from the tray and Steve taking his Americano, leaving the cake between them. The cafe had a nice light, the sun streaming in from the large windows, shining on the pair of them.

“So, how do you know Peter?” He asked, taking a sip of his coffee, humming softly and licking the foam off his top lip, trying to hide his smile as Tony blatantly watched him do it.

“He’s in my intern programme, he visits the tower twice a week to work on whatever, whether it’s his own school stuff and I just help, or if I need a helping hand in the lab,” Tony answered, taking a drink of his own coffee, “he’s a really good kid, don’t tell him I told you that though.”

“So he’s a real smart kid then, huh?”

“Yeah, one of the best, if not the best,” Tony watched the boy at the counter with a fond smile, pulling his sunglasses off and looking back at Steve. The sun really caught in his eyes turning them a honey gold.

“You sound awfully fond.”

“Oh I absolutely am, but I can’t let people start thinking I have a heart, the press wouldn’t like that one bit,” his smirk slipped slightly from his face, only for a fraction, but it was enough for Steve to see, “anyway, let’s move our topic away from the kid, I’d like to know how you turned into an internet star.”

The date went well. They got on better than Steve could have ever thought, they joked, teased, rolled off each other. They were fluid. They fit well with each other. Steve’s cheeks hurt from smiling, from laughing. His chest felt lighter than it had in a long time. They had sat in the shop for a good few hours, their finished cups lay forgotten on the table, both of them seemed to have leaned closer to each other, talking with heads bent towards each, only leaving back to laugh.

Tony’s phone ringing broke them from a conversation, the billionaire wiping tears out his eyes, still laughing as he picked up the phone, grinning at Steve who was copying his grin.

“Pep? You alright?” Tony asked, calming himself down before frowning slightly, glancing at Steve before out the window.

“Can’t it wait? I’m in the middle of something,” there was chatter from the other line.

“You told me that was the 16th! I cleared my schedule for it!” Silence followed before Tony quickly looking down at his watch.

“What do you mean it’s the 16th today? Pepper, I am literally-- no, no I understand, but--” Tony sighed heavily, rubbing a hand over his face.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He hung up, glaring down at the phone before looking back up at Steve with a tired smile, “sorry, honey, looks like I forgot about an important meeting where I’m supposed to sign a bunch of stuff to allow the company to function.”

“I’m amazed that even Tony Stark forgets the days of the week, you might want to look over those,” Steve smirked, leaning back in his chair.

“You and that smart mouth will get you into trouble one of these days, Rogers.”

“I think I handle trouble pretty well.”

Tony just looked at Steve, his eyes wide and his cheeks pink before snapping himself out of it and grinning, “I guess you do.”

It took Steve by surprise, the softness in Tony’s voice, the gentle teasing, the overall gentle Tony Stark. It was something that made Steve’s chest feel tight, made his spin, made him feel something real.

“Do you want me to drive you home? I can embellish and say the traffic was crazy,” Tony offered, slowly standing to his feet, putting his jacket on, slipping his sunglasses back on.

“It’s alright, I don’t mind getting the subway,” Steve replied, pulling his own jacket on, picking up the tray of empty cups and the plate they had the cake on. He set it down on the counter, thanking Peter before heading back to Tony, letting the other say bye to Peter before following him out of the cafe.

“So.. I had a lot of fun, and I sound like a teenager saying this, but I’d love to do this again sometime?” Tony asked, slipping his hands in his pockets, looking up at Steve.

“Maybe when you don’t have secret meetings scheduled,” Steve teased, smiling down at him.

“Sure, I’ll make sure to properly clear my day, we can’t have us being interrupted again,” he laughed, pulling his car keys out of his pocket, “I’ll see you around, honey, don’t be a stranger.” He pulled down his glasses, winking and grinning before unlocking his car and getting in.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Steve saw the post the next day at breakfast. He was finishing off his third bowl of porridge with honey when he frowned.

‘TONY STARK AND MYSTERY LOVER SPOTTED IN NEW YORK’

Underneath the heading was a picture of himself and Tony laughing in the same cafe they were in yesterday, Tony’s hand resting on the handle of his mug, Steve holding the fork that had a small piece of the cake on it. They both looked younger than they were.

He frowned as he read the article, rolling his eyes at phrases like ‘secret relationship’ and ‘questionable sexuality’. Steve knew he couldn’t take articles like that seriously, Tony would probably find it funny if anything. So he sent it to him.

SR: Mystery lover? Wow, apparently we moved so fast I missed the part where we started dating.

The article sat in Steve’s stomach, a frown on his face as he went about his day, jumping slightly at every buzz of his phone; his frown growing when none of them were Tony.

It was late afternoon when Tony finally responded.

TS: Silly me, looks like they’ve made us a couple before we even had a chance!

It got a smile from Steve, the tension slowly leaving his body. He looked down at his phone when another message came through.

TS: I can get rid of the article if you’re uncomfortable with it, honey. The press love to slander me but if you want it gone, I’ll do it.

SR: I don’t mind, I’m sure I can handle whatever they say. I’m a big boy.

TS: I don’t doubt that, honey ;) but if you change your mind, let me know!

HYDRA missions were something Steve thought he’d be doing alone, but when the full team rocked up to the jet, even Tony in his classic sunglasses, Steve frowned slightly.

“Looks likes Fury wants to have you babysat, Cap,” Clint told him, heading into the jet and towards the pilots' seat.

“I’m more than capable than handling on my own,” Steve retorted, watching Clint head to the pilot seat before turning back to look at Natasha and Tony.

“Aw, Cap, are you saying you aren’t happy to see us?” Tony asked, grinning at him, following Clint into the jet.

Steve frowned, watching him walk past, trying to ignore the sway of Tony’s hips before looking back at Natasha who was smirking at him.

“Try and keep it in your pants, Cap, you’re not as subtle as you think,” She told him quietly, picking up the bag she had set down, patting Steve on the shoulder as she walked past.

Steve opened his mouth to retort but fell quiet again, cheeks burning slightly. He regained his cool before clearing his throat and turning on his heel to head inside the jet.

The trio had set up their things, bags in the corner, Tony talking quietly to Clint as they started up the jet.

“And why is it you three are suddenly joining me?” Steve asked, his Captain voice ringing loud and clear in the cold metal of the jet.

“Because everyone likes having a backup, Cap, we’re here to make sure you don’t hurt a hair on your pretty head,” Tony answered, flicking a few switches on the control panel, turning in his chair to look at him.

“And yet I didn’t receive any word from Fury about this.”

“Can you just accept that we’re coming? And like not argue for like once, dude?” Clint asked, making a face at him.

Steve sighed, keeping his shoulders set before standing tall again. He could already feel a headache forming behind his eyes.

“Fine, let’s go.”

The mission was exhausting. It should have taken around six hours but it ended up being an eighteen-hour mission thanks to the sheer number of HYDRA agents that were in the base. Steve hadn’t expected the number that came out.

They did it though, the managed to collect the intel and destroy the base, leaving it a smouldering mess in the Swiss mountains. Steve didn’t like to admit he wrong, but it definitely wasn’t a solo mission, he was thankful for the backup.

The four of them dragged themselves back to the jet, muscles screaming for any kind of rest. Steve’s uniform was ripped in several places, deep cuts making him wince with every step, but knowing they were healing. Natasha was in a similar state, but hers were still dripping, using Clint’s jacket sleeves to press against the wounds, he’d ripped them off swiftly when they all met up again. Clint had only a few cuts, his fingers bruised from the continuous bow usage.

Tony was fine, his usual chipper self after a fight. He had a few bumps and bruises but he was fine, nonetheless. He had flown ahead, collecting the jet and landing not far from where the three were walking, announcing his arrival over comms.

Steve mumbled his thanks as he got Clint and Natasha on to the jet, limping on after them and collapsing down into one of the available seats. He pulled his gloves off, laying them over his knee and closing his eyes, leaning his head back, ignoring the swooping in his gut when the jet took off again.

“Everyone doing okay? I can play nurse if people need me to,” Tony called over his shoulder, allowing JARVIS to take over via autopilot, carrying a first aid kit back into the open area behind the pilots' seats.

“Just get me some antiseptic and some bandages and I’ll be fine,” Natasha told him, watching Tony dig around in the SHIELD stamped first aid kit, making a triumphant noise and handing them over to her.

“You need anything, Cap?” He asked, handing an ice pack over to Clint, who thanked him and hissed slightly as he pressed the pack to his fingers.

“I’m fine, I’m nearly done healing anyway,” Steve told him, undoing his boots slightly, sighing softly and relaxing back against the chair.

“Alright, shout if you need me.”

The roar of the engines took over the silence for a while, each member dealing with their injuries, getting comfortable for the three-hour flight home. Natasha was the one to break the silence between them.

“So, Stark, who’s the mystery lover boy you’ve got, huh? He seems dreamy,” She teased slightly, a small smirk on her mouth. Steve didn’t know if his eyes were playing tricks or if Natasha looked over at him before returning her gaze back on Tony.

“Oh, Steve? He’s great, we met on Twitter, he beats up transphobes. He saved one of my interns from getting harassed. I nearly swooned at the video, I’m sure you’ll have seen it,” Tony gushed, grinning at Natasha as he spoke, his cheeks pink in the low light. “He’s just... yeah he’s really great. I like him.”

Steve wanted to crawl into a dark room and never leave. He thanked the low lighting because the rest of the team would have definitely seen his blush. He kept his eyes low, his head lowered. Tony liked him. That wasn’t something Steve knew how to process, his heart beating fast in his chest.

“Sounds fun, you guys been out since the coffee shop? She asked, tucking her legs under her as she relaxed, leaning against Clint’s side.

“Not yet, I’m gonna ask him to do something though, he seems kinda artsy, maybe the MOMA?”

“Why don’t you ask him now? Just text him or something,” she suggested, the smirk never leaving her lips. Steve felt his blood run cold, the one time he chooses to bring his phone on a mission, the one time he leaves it in the bottom of his bag, where it would definitely vibrate against the floor, making a stupid loud noise.

Tony lit up, nodding and grabbing his phone from the front of the jet before sitting back down and opening Twitter.

TS: Hey, honey! Just wondering if you want to do something this weekend? I promise my schedule is actually free this time ;)

Steve played dumb when his phone buzzed, loud in the quiet room. He ignored the way Natasha looked at him, the smirk growing on her lips.

“Does Captain America have a phone?” Tony asked, staring at Steve and his bag, eyebrows raised.

“It’s just one that SHIELD gave me, must be an update for something,” Steve mumbled back, ignoring the stares.

“Wow, I’m impressed, Cap, you’ll have to let me teach you to download stuff, or is that too scary?”

“I get on just fine, Tony, I don’t need the help.”

“Just let me know if you change your mind.”

The answer Tony gave didn’t stop Steve’s heart from hammering in his chest, if anything, it made it louder.

Steve answered the message when he woke up from a sixteen-hour nap he collapsed into after getting back to his apartment.

He fumbled for his phone, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and smiling down at his phone, huffing a laugh at the little emoji. They always got him.

SR: Sure, I’m free pretty much all of Saturday, what do you have in mind?

Steve left his phone on his bedside table, getting up and groaning softly as his muscles screamed at him, stretching his arms over his head and listening to his back pop.

He showered quickly, scrubbing the dirt and grime off his skin under the stream of boiling water; he picked up the soap Tony sent him, washing himself and letting the water wash the suds off. He stepped out, drying and pulling on a clean t-shirt and a new pair of boxers then a soft pair of sweatpants.

He made himself some breakfast; a mountain of eggs and half a loaf of toast washed down with a mug of steaming coffee, listening to the radio as he ate.

He heard his phone over the radio, getting up and heading into the bedroom to pick it up, quickly making his bed before reading the message.

TS: I was thinking the Museum of modern art! The MOMA if you will, what do you think? We can do something else if you don’t like art though!

Steve smirked, sitting down heavily on his bed and typing out a reply.

SR: I love art, I haven’t been to that one before, it’ll be fun. Say meet there around 11? We can grab lunch too?

TS: Sounds amazing, honey! Hope you’re ready for me to woo you with art knowledge!

SR: Pretty sure you’ve already woo’ed me, but sure.

TS: Oh stop it you ;)

Saturday came quicker than Steve thought it would.

He panicked all of Friday night like he did last time he met up with Tony, agonizing over his outfit choice and sighing every time he changed it. Was a blazer too formal? Tony wore them, but he suited them, he managed to make it effortless. Steve would make himself look like a teacher, which wasn’t the look he was going for. He frowned at his choice; dark blue pair of jeans, a white cotton shirt and a tan corduroy jacket, a pair of brown boots near his door. He glanced at the blazer still hung in his cupboard but shook his head, deciding on the outfit in front of him.

Still, in the back of his mind, he had the thought that he was wrong for doing this, that he was a horrible person for not telling Tony who he really was. It kept him awake at night, should he tell Tony or just wait until he figures it out? For a genius, he really was clueless sometimes.

Steve wanted to get closer to Tony, that much was obvious, but as Captain America and Iron Man, they just didn’t click. They argued, they shouted, the just rubbed each other the wrong way. Iron Man just didn’t like Captain America. But Tony Stark liked Steve Rogers, and that was enough for him at this point. Maybe one day he’d sit Tony down and tell him, whether it would ruin their relationship Steve didn’t know, whether they’d even have anything worth calling a relationship, he didn’t know that either.

He couldn’t keep Tony in the dark forever, he would tell him at some point. That moment was just unknown to Steve, and to Captain America.

Steve arrived early again, his sunglasses blocking out the worst of the morning rays as he waited outside the museum. He left his phone in his pocket, opting to people watch; the people of New York always had various stories to tell on a Saturday morning.

Groups of teenagers sat on the benches provided, some with sketchpads out, some scribbling down notes in coloured pens. Older couples walking hand in hand down the street past Steve, some stopping to looking into the large glass front of the building, others walking straight past it. Dog owners strolling past with their excitable dogs bounding along. Tony Stark waving at him--.

Tony Stark waving at him.

Steve watched Tony dodge a mother with her children, easily slipping past and heading over to him, a grin on his face.

“Hi, honey! Hope I didn’t keep you waiting!” He smiled, stopping in front of Steve, his hands in his suit pants pockets.

“I just got here, it’s fine,” Steve replied easily, slipping his sunglasses off and hooking them in the top of his shirt, letting them hang against his chest.

“You look dashing, but then again, you always look dashing really,” Tony smiled, then sighed with exaggerated force, “how do you always look so perfect?”

Steve felt his cheeks heat, ducking his head and trying to contain his smile, “I have to save my beauty for days when I see you to keep up.”

“Oh stop that, I’m sure you wake up and you’re stunning,” Tony laughed, “pretty sure the Iron Man suit has given me more wrinkles than normal aging.”

“I can’t see them, pretty sure it’s not nice to lie on dates, Tony.”

“Now who’s lying, Steven?”

They just stood smiling at each other for a few seconds before Steve cleared his throat quietly, “shall we head in?”

Tony paid for their tickets, pressing his card against the card machine even before Steve had a chance to take his wallet out his back pocket, grinning as Steve frowned, thanking the lady at the counter as she handed over their guide.

“I’m buying lunch then,” Steve grumbled, following Tony into the first section.

“Sure thing, honey.” Steve could hear the smile in the words he spoke.

Steve could have stayed there for hours, pouring over each individual painting, reading the little plaques under each painting. He particularly enjoyed the New Order exhibition; a combination of art and technology throughout the twenty-first century. Steve found it fascinating, but his love for it only grew when he saw a large print out canvas of the Iron Man armour against the New York skyline.

He pointed it out to Tony who just stared at the canvas, walking closer, a small smile on his face. Steve let him be alone for a few minutes before heading to his side, standing and looking at the picture with him.

“I didn’t think I’d see the suit in somewhere like this,” Tony admitted, voice low in the quiet room, “I didn’t think people considered a war machine art.”

“It’s a form of art, anything can be art, Tony. The suit is probably the greatest technological success in the twenty-first century, it’s a beautiful mix of art and technology. It really sums this exhibition up,” Steve replied, voice just as low.

He saw Tony turn his head to look at Steve then back at the picture. “That’s the first time someone’s called the suit beautiful before, people usually saw tacky.”

“Doesn’t Captain America literally wear the flag?” Steve asked, smiling when he heard Tony laugh.

“I don’t think that’s his choice really. I wanted to redesign his suit a while ago but.. I guess we don’t really get along that well. I just think he doesn’t like me, but then, I am hard to get along with.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You’re not Captain America.”

Oh, how Steve was laughing and crying at the same time inside.

“That doesn’t matter. You’re both people, just... I don’t know, talk to him? Get a coffee with each other, go to the gym or something.”

Tony snorted quietly, leaning his head down against Steve’s shoulder, “you make it sound so easy, honey.”

Steve slowly moved his pinky against Tony’s, feeling a rush of confidence and slipping his hand into Tony’s. He felt Tony go slowly rigid next to him before squeezing his hand. Steve knew his cheeks were pink, even in the low light of the exhibition room.

“It is easy, you just think too much.”

“Maybe, it’s hard to stop sometimes.”

“Maybe. I’m always here if it gets too much.”

He felt Tony relax more against his shoulder, nodding his head slightly, “Thanks, Steve.”

“It’s alright, doll.”

They finished the exhibitions in a few hours, chatting about anything they liked and the ones they didn’t understand, mostly on Tony’s part. Their hands were joined the whole way; Tony would squeeze his fingers when he saw something of interest or something that he thought Steve would like. Tony talked with his hands; waving his free one around as he spoke, tugging their joined hands if he needed added effect.

The way Tony spoke really amazed Steve. The way he connected everything together, the way he lost his train of thought to just pick it right back up. His topics involved everything and anything; the suit, the tower, a hard puzzle JARVIS found him, his love for classic rock. The list went on, and Steve loved every addition.

They left the museum around 3pm, Steve was a little astonished they had been in there for so long. Steve had heard Tony’s stomach rumble and Steve quickly finished up the area he was looking at, leading him out on to the street outside.

“You want to grab some lunch? There’s a couple of places to eat down the street if you want,” Steve asked, looking down at Tony who was smiling up at him, his iconic sunglasses back on his face.

“Sure thing, honey, lead the way,” Tony answered, squeezing their joined hands, letting Steve tug him down the street.

Steve chose a small cafe that he’d never heard of, ducking inside and grabbing them a table near the window, sitting down and letting go of Tony’s hand to get himself settled. He laughed quietly when he saw Tony making grabby hands for Steve’s own hand, sliding it over and twining his fingers with his.

“Did you enjoy the art?” Tony asked, looking over the menu before settling his gaze on Steve’s face.

“I loved it, I don’t usually like modern art but that was incredible. The whole technology exhibition was good, but I think I’m a little biased,” Steve teased, looking over the menu in front of him.

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” Steve could hear the smirk in the question.

“There was this really handsome guy in one of the pictures, he flies in this awesome suit, I thought it was really cool.”

Tony laughed, leaning back in his chair, squeezing their joined hands.

“Wow, you flatter me, honey. I’m only human.”

“That’s what makes it even more special,” Steve answered, his voice open and honest. Full of care and admiration and something even bigger than Steve could put into words.

Tony looked over at him, the sun shining on his handsome features, his mouth slightly open to respond before the waitress came over and asked for their orders.

‘SECOND DATE FOR STARK AND LOVER BOY.’

The pair were spotted in the MOMA on Saturday afternoon, Stark and his anonymous lover who we’ve yet to identify spent the day together. Mr. Stark was unavailable for comment and so were the rest of the Avengers. Do they approve of Stark’s secret love? Turn to page 8 to find out.

Steve rolled his eyes as he set the paper down, staring at the image of himself and Tony in the MOMA, holding hands and their heads turned to each other. The soft light of the exhibition giving the picture a gentle vibe.

He took a picture of the article and sent it to Tony, adding a caption:

SR: Do the Avengers approve? I can’t imagine the press asking Black Widow for a comment on your love life

TS: Could you imagine! She’d just glare at them

Steve laughed softly, leaning back in his chair and taking a deep breath, looking down at his phone when it vibrated again.

TS: Speaking of Avengers, there’s a charity gala coming up soon, I was wondering if you’d like to come with me? I understand if it’s a little scary but you’d be with me!

Steve frowned at his phone. He knew the gala Tony was talking about, it was one of the charities Tony donates money to each month. They throw galas as thanks. Steve never enjoyed them much.

But he wasn’t going as Captain America. He would be going as Steve Rogers, Tony’s date. He could do Tony’s date.

He’d have to give a reason that Captain America couldn’t show up, maybe a mission, or even just SHIELD work. No one would question him, maybe Natasha but Steve had a horrible feeling she knew who he was. Only time would tell.

SR: I’d love to! Let me know when it is and I’ll find something to wear.

Not that he had anything appropriate at all to wear. He would usually go to these things in his military uniform, but that was out of the window.

Steve got up and headed to his bedroom, opening his closet and frowning at the contents. He had several shirts hung up, a few pairs of pants and a couple of jackets. No way he could wear any of this to the gala. He’d have to go out and buy something soon.

He headed back into the kitchen, picking his phone up again.

TS: It’s in two weeks and please let me take you shopping! We can go on the weekend if you want? Let me get you something to wear

SR: You don’t have to buy me anything, Tony, honestly.

TS: But I want to! Call it more an indulgence for me for getting to pick what you wear ;)

Steve didn’t get a message for a few days, he got radio silence but it didn’t bother him too much. He knew Tony was away for a business meeting, a conference happening in Belgium that he and Pepper would be attending. He found that out as Cap, he’d gone into SHIELD to test a new suit material the scientists had made, doing durability tests. Tony had dropped by the lab, waving to Steve through the glass where he was stood with the scientists. Cap waved back before ducking under a swipe from one of their training robots, easily jumping back into action and kicking the head clean off the robot.

Tony stayed while Steve finished up, holding out a bottle of water to Cap as he came through into the lab, panting softly and accepting the bottle.

As always, Tony looked stunning. A white shirt tucked into black slacks, a red tie loose around his neck, a pair of glasses sat in his hair, a smile on his face. Steve felt his heart constrict slightly just at the sight of him.

They ended up staying in the lab for another hour, just talking, Cap promising to try out the better material Tony hadn’t created yet but was going to after seeing the poor attempt of SHIELD. Steve didn’t think there was anything wrong with the material SHIELD made but... Well, if Tony wanted to build him something, he wasn’t going to say no.

Cap asked his plans for the rest of the week and he told him about the four-day conference he was going to, then asked him if he was going to the gala. Steve quickly made up a lie about being out of town when it was happening. He felt awful for lying but Tony mentioned he was taking someone and the smile that lit up his face almost made up for the horrible lie he was living. Almost.

So Steve had spent the next four days rather lonely; he stayed in his apartment and watched the shows he’d been told to, read the books he’d been recommended, just tried to keep busy. He saw snippets of the conference on TV, smiling when he saw Tony grinning and waving as he headed into various buildings, Pepper following him looking as lovely as ever. Steve had heard a few stories of how Pepper basically ran the company, how she was as lovely as she was scary. Steve vowed never to get on her wrong side.

Steve was nervous. He was nervous to be so in public with Tony. Not for any other reason than the Avengers would be there, and they weren’t dumb. Natasha knew Steve didn’t know how she knew but he knew she did. Which meant Clint knew. Which meant anyone could know at this point. Which meant Tony didn’t know. For a genius, he could be so... dense. Oblivious? Not stupid, Tony certainly wasn’t stupid but maybe dumb fit better for his description. Dumbly cute. Adorably dumb?

He didn’t like the lie, the charade he was playing with Tony. He deserved to know but Steve genuinely didn’t know how to break it to him, how did you have a conversation with someone you really liked about your secret identity whom the person you like doesn’t actually like the person you are when you are the secret identity? How was that a conversation anyone would have? How did you even fully put it into words? Steve had debated writing to one of those agony aunts he saw in various magazines but thought it was a little too much for one person to deal with.

He ran his hands over his face, feeling the slight beard that was growing under his fingertips. He’d need to shave before he went to the gala. SHIELD told him he wouldn’t be called up for duty for a while to give new recruits a run in the field, Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne being called up for SHIELD. Steve knew the world was in good hands when he met Hope, he was reassured by her she kept Scott on a short leash. Steve was quickly put at ease.

He headed into the bathroom, running the cold tap and splashing his face a few times before looking at himself in the mirror, frowning then nodding slightly. He was going to keep the beard until he saw Tony, see what he had to say about it. He’d have to shave it before he went back to duty.

The next text he got from Tony came two days later on the Friday night as Steve was settling down from a workout, drinking a protein shake out of a litre bottle as he sat down in his living room. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, taking it out and smiling down at the screen.

TS: hey honey! Sorry I’ve been gone, works been a killer ): I was thinking suit shopping tomorrow? I can pick you up and we can get you all glammed up, not that you need it ;)

SR: You don’t have to buy me anything, Tony, I’ve already got a suit

TS: And I’m sure it’s lovely, but im getting you a new one, im thinking green and something velvet but thats a little surprise for tomorrow! 10am sharp, okay?

Steve rolled his eyes, his smile widening as he got the message.

SR: Doesn’t sound like I have a choice, but I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.

TS: You too honey!!

Ten in the morning came quicker than Steve thought it would. He woke up early, going for his morning run around Brooklyn, before coming home and showering. He managed to fit in breakfast and a cup of coffee before he heard his phone buzz.

TS: Here! I’m in the flashiest car you can see

Steve glanced out of his kitchen window, smirking when he saw Tony leaning against a cherry red Mustang, his sunglasses glinting in the morning sun.

Steve quickly grabbed his jacket and wallet, heading out of his apartment and down to Tony, smiling when he saw Tony wave and grin at him. They met in the middle, Steve bending down to hug him and Tony standing up on his tiptoes to return the hug, squeezing tightly and pressing a kiss to Steve’s cheek, humming softly when he pulled away.

“The beard’s a good look on you, you keeping it for the gala?” Tony asked, smiling up at Steve.

“I wasn’t sure but I think I might keep it now, I just wanted to see if you’d like it,” Steve replied, grinning and following Tony as he got in the car.

“You really did pick the flashiest car you own, huh?” He commented, settling in the passenger seat, looking over at Tony.

“Oh no, sure this is flashy but I’ve definitely got flashier, I’ll be taking that one to the gala. I love making an entrance,” Tony grinned, starting the engine and listening to it roar to life as he pulled away from the apartment building.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that at all,” he laughed, letting Tony twine their fingers together, squeezing their hands. “How was the trip?”

“It went well, we got another deal with energy deal with the UN and the EU, Stark Industries is going to Europe. We’re branching out our renewable energy into a few countries over there to trial it so hopefully, that’ll be happening early next year.”

“That’s amazing, Tony, you should be proud,” Steve squeezed their hands again as he spoke.

“It was all Pepper’s doing, I’m only there to sign contracts.”

“I’m sure that isn’t true.”

“No, really, she’s the well-oiled machine that drives SI, I just build stuff.”

“Yeah, stuff being the main products that you sell and make a difference in the world with. Don’t undersell yourself like that.”

“I want to argue that but I have a feeling we’ll be here all day if we continue.”

“So just agree with me then, doll.”

“Doll? That’s a new one.”

“I’ve called you it before, I can stop if you want.”

“Oh no, no, no, I like it. It’s old fashioned but it’s... it’s nice.” Steve knew Tony was smiling when he said it, he glanced over and smirked. It was strange seeing Tony with a blush, he liked it though.

The shop Tony stopped outside of looked too high class. Steve spotted one of the price tags from the passenger seat and nearly passed out right there.

“You really don’t have to get me a new suit, Tony.”

“I want to, let me indulge you,” he replied easily, smiling over at Steve before getting out of the car. Steve quickly joined him, slipping his hands into Tony’s and letting himself be lead inside.

“I get pretty much all of my suits here, except the ones I import from Italy, but those aren’t what we’re looking for. We have to make a statement at the gala. I mean, I’m sure you will anyway, honey, but it’s my job to stand out.”

Steve nodded, glancing around the store as they walked in. There were mannequins lined up on the walls each wearing ridiculously expensive suits in all colours; maroon, navy, lime, flower prints.

There was a well-groomed man stood off to the side who jumped into action when the pair came in, “Mr. Stark! It’s so good to see you!”

Tony grinned, moving over and shaking his hand, “Hi, Gabriel, it’s been too long.”

“Oh that it has,” his gaze moved over to Steve, “and who is this?”

“Steve Rogers,” Steve held his hand out for the man to shake, smiling at him which was returned by the employee.

“I’ve read about you in the paper, Mr. Rogers, Tony’s a lucky guy,” he grinned, winking at Steve before turning back to Tony.

“So, what will it be today, Mr. Stark? A new one for the gala? I’ve had a few personalities come in this week already asking for new outfits. Can you believe some people still want to wear black tuxedos?” Gabriel rolled his eyes as he finished, smiling when Tony laughed.

“I know, imagine people wanting to blend in. Although, the suit isn’t for me today,” he squeezed Steve’s hand, “it’s for Steve. He doesn’t have anything to wear.”

“I do have stu--”

“Nope, he doesn’t. I’m thinking dark green or something.. velvet.”

Gabriel lit up, taking Steve’s hand and dragging him forward into the store. “Stay right here, I think I know just the right thing.”

Steve allowed himself to be pulled, stumbling slightly when he was stopped in the centre of the room in front of a large mirrored wall. Gabriel disappeared into the back leaving the pair in the room.

“I thought you were getting something?” Steve asked, turning to look at Tony who had sat down on one of the expensive looking chairs near Steve.

“Nope, I don’t need anything, I’ve got something already lined up,” Tony smiled, crossing one knee over the other. “Gabriel’s the best in the business on the East Coast, he’ll make you look even more stunning. Although I’m not sure that’s possible.”

Heat flushed Steve’s cheeks, rolling his eyes and turning back to Gabriel who had just walked back in rolling a rack filled with coat hangers.

“Okay, I’ve got green and I’ve got velvet and I’ve got one that nearly fits both. I’ll save that one for last. So, I’ll give you this first one, head into the changing rooms, let me know if you struggle with anything,” Gabriel told him, handing him a coat hanger with a suit cover on it

Steve nodded, taking the hanger and heading into the changing room. He unzipped the suit, looking over it and nodding before undressing and hanging up his own clothes. He pulled the dark green suit trousers over his legs, smiling when they fit well. He slipped the crisp, white shirt over his shoulders, buttoning it up and tucking it into the trousers, zipping up the fly and doing the button up. He quickly fastened the waistcoat and slipped the jacket on.

“I’ve got it on, the shirt’s a bit tight but the pants feel okay,” he told them, looking at himself in the mirror, it wasn’t a bad fit.

“Come on out so we can see it,” he heard Tony call.

Steve pulled back the curtain, heading back out into the centre of the room, Tony and Gabriel both sat down but quickly standing up when Steve walked back in.

“Wow..” Tony mumbled, eyes raking up and down Steve, moving forward and running his hand down Steve’s arm.

“Nope, this isn’t right,” Tony stated, nodding and looking up at Steve. “You look amazing though, the style isn’t right for you. Next one please, Gabriel.”

Steve took the next bag that was handed to him, turning and heading back into the changing room. He was near certain he heard Tony say something about making the trousers tighter but he wasn’t sure.

Steve undressed, placing the first suit back on to the hanger, zipping the bag up before turning to the second suit. It was similar to the first one he tried on. Dark green with better fitting trousers but the jacket fell tight on his shoulders.

He headed out into the main room again, looking over at Tony and Gabriel who were looking at a few cabinets over by the tills, Tony looking up when he heard Steve come out.

“Do a little spin for us, honey,” Tony told him, smiling and heading over.

Steve raised his eyebrows, feeling silly but still doing a little rotation on the spot.

“Lovely pants but that isn’t the one,” Tony told Gabriel, sighing softly as he looked over Steve, shamelessly watching Steve’s ass.

“The jacket feels too tight on this one,” Steve told them, Gabriel nodding in response and handing him a third bag.

“This one isn’t green but it’s got the velvet theme you want.”

Steve nodded, taking the bag and heading back into the changing for the third time. He quickly changed out of the suit and hung it up. He pulled the new suit out and took a breath in. The material was soft under his touch, the dark maroon glinting from the overhead lights.

He changed into it, staring at himself in the mirror for a few seconds before slowly heading out into the main room.

“Jesus, I think I’ve gone to Heaven,” Tony breathed out, staring at Steve from where he was sat next to Gabriel.

“I think I’ve gone with you,” Gabriel laughed, getting up and heading over to Steve, straightening the suit jacket out.

“It feels okay?”

“Yeah, I like it, although I’m not sure red is my colour,” Steve told Gabriel, looking at the mirror again.

Gabriel smiled and took the last hanger off the rail, handing it to Steve, “go give that one a try, it’s not green but it’ll look amazing. I’ll make sure Tony doesn’t drool all over the place.”

Steve laughed, taking the hanger and heading back into the changing room. He changed again, hanging the clothes up before unzipping the last time. He pulled on the black suit pants, tucking the white shirt into the pants before pulling on the soft sea bluegreen jacket. He smiled at himself in the mirror, running a hand through his hair before slowly making his way into the main room.

Tony looked up from his phone, it falling into his lap when his hands went slack, his mouth starting to form a sentence before trailing off.

“I think we’ve got a winner! How does it feel? Obviously, I’ll be making some adjustments, it’ll fit you like a second skin, Steve,” Gabriel told him, tugging at the sleeves and pulling out a tape measure.

Steve held the position Gabriel put him in, watching the man before looking up at Tony, “You like it?”

“Like it? Steve, I love it, you look incredible.”

Steve blushed, the room feeling much warmer with Tony staring at him. He averted his eyes before going straight back to Tony who was rumbling with his phone.

“Can I take a picture?” Tony asked, standing up and holding the phone up, angling it slightly.

“Oh, oh yeah sure,” Steve stuttered, nodding and standing slightly taller in himself.

Tony took about four pictures, smiling as he took them, holding his phone close to his chest when he finished.

“Oh, there’s something you need,” Tony told him, moving over and holding out a hand.

Steve took his hand, squeezing it gently and blinking when Tony slipped a bracelet over his wrist. It was a leather band, simple but attractive against his skin.

“Tony.. you’re already buying me so much, the suit is enough.”

“Oh! And shoes, you need shoes too, what size are you?”

“Tony, c’mon, this is too much for me.”

“I want to say size nine? Ten?”

Steve sighed, closing his eyes before opening them and smiling down at Tony, “ten.”

“Thank you,” Tony grinned, standing on his tiptoes and pressing a kiss against Steve’s cheek before heading to the other side of the shop. He came back a few minutes later with a pair of shiny black brogues in his hand.

“You can try these on after Gabriel has what he needs,” Tony told him, sitting back down on the seat in front of Steve.

“What are you gonna be wearing then? If you don’t need anything new,” Steve asked, moving his arms like Gabriel asked, standing in the new position.

“Oh, that’s a secret, honey, top secret,” he grinned, tapping on his phone before looking back up at Steve, “you mind if I post the picture I took?”

“Sure, I don’t mind, but you get to see me in what I’m wearing, c’mon, just a hint?”

“Okay, just one hint. It’s purple.”

“That’s it?”

“Yep, that’s it. That’s your hint.”

“Unbelievable.”

“You asked for a hint, that’s a hint!” He laughed, pushing his phone back into his pocket and standing up.

“And I only get the colour?”

“Yep, just the colour,” he grinned, slowly walking over to Steve.

“Not a picture? Not a bit more of a hint?”

“Oh, no, no, no, Mr. Rogers, absolutely not, that’s a surprise,” Tony took hold of the lapels on Steve’s jacket, tugging them straight before tapping his chest gently.

“I’m on the metaphorical edge of my seat in waiting then.”

“Oh, you should be.”

-

“I’m still amazed you bought a car specifically to match the suit you’re wearing,” Steve told Tony, looking over at the other who was grinning behind the wheel of his latest purchase.

Steve didn’t even know they made cars in this specific purple Tony was wearing, although he imagined the billionaire didn’t really need to worry about the price of getting the car customized to fit his whole look. Steve thought it was a tad over the top but this was Tony Stark.

“Are you really amazed? You are talking to me, honey,” Tony laughed, squeezing Steve’s knee gently before moving his hand back on to the gear stick.

“You nervous about tonight?” Tony asked, his voice softer this time, glancing at Steve.

“Yes and no, I’m more nervous to meet your teammates than I am anything else,” Steve confessed, and it was true. He was scared one of them would recognise him and that it would all be over because Steve was too scared to lose Tony than be an adult and talk to him about the whole issue.

“Oh, they’ll love you! Natasha might be a little wary of you at first, but she always is of people I meet. Bad past experiences or something.”

“Yeah, that’s normal considering her line of work and all.”

Tony reached over and took Steve’s hand, lacing their fingers together and bringing their joined hands up, kissing the back of Steve’s hand gently.

“Any time you want to leave, just say the word and we’ll go. I mean it, alright? Stuff like this isn’t for everyone and the press are absolute vultures at events like this and--”

“Tony. Thank you, but I’ll be just fine. I’m a grown man, I can handle this.”

“it’s not about handling it, it’s about being comfortable. If you aren’t comfortable then we can go, easy as that.” Tony pulled up to the curb, shifting in his seat to look at Steve.

Steve nodded, squeezing their joined hands tightly, looking out the window at the waves of people waiting for them before settling his gaze back on Tony.

“I’m ready.”

“Let’s go,” Tony grinned, leaning forward and kissing Steve quickly before climbing out of the car, rushing around to open the door for Steve, holding his hand out to the man. He only smiled wider when Steve rolled his eyes, taking the extended hand in front of him.

Tony tucked his hand into offered arm Steve gave him, leading him on to the carpet, passing his keys to one of the valets there, thanking him quietly. The warm summer air was pleasant.

The lights were slightly overwhelming, the noise too; all the shouting from various cameramen and women. Different news reporters all trying to get close to Tony and Steve.

Tony kept Steve close, waving to the fans who had come out to wait behind the barriers to get a glimpse of the heroes. The pair mostly ignored the press, smiling and stopping for a few pictures before slipping inside the entrance hall, Tony leading them off to the side into an empty hallway.

The genius let his head rest against Steve’s bicep, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out. “You alright, honey?”

Steve dipped his head down, pressing a kiss against Tony’s temple gently, “I’m fine, doll, what about you?”

Tony smirked against his jacket, tilting his head up and looking at Steve.

“Oh, I’m fine, Mr. Rogers,” he surged up and kissed Steve, closing his eyes and slipping his hand up to Steve’s jaw, pulling him slightly closer and kissing him deeper.

Steve let his eyes fall shut, making a soft noise against Tony’s lip as he pressed closer. He let his mouth open slightly as Tony ran the tip of his tongue along Steve’s lower lip, moaning quietly which the billionaire quickly drank in, pressing himself flat against Steve’s front, his hands running up Steve’s lapels, Steve’s hands making their way down to Tony’s hip, tugging ever closer--

“Sorry, boys, hate to break this up, but really, Tony? You’ve only been here five minutes.”

Steve burned red, pulling back and looking over at the figure of Natasha Romanoff, sleek red dress hugging her figure. The clack of her heels echoed in the empty hall as she walked over to the pair.

“More like ten minutes, Ms. Romanoff, can you really blame me? Look at him,” Tony grinned, leaving Steve’s side to kiss both of her cheeks, “you look ravishing as always, my dear.”

“Save it, Stark,” she smiled, squeezing his hands before looking to Steve, a glint in her eyes.

“You must be Steve, I’ve heard so much about you, Tony is smitten,” she made her way forward, looking him over, “it’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You too, Ms. Romanoff, I hope it’s only good things you’ve heard.”

“Please, call me Natasha, and sure, only the good things. I’ll see you in there, boys, please no more acting like teenagers, I don’t want to walk in on anything,” she laughed, winking at Steve before turning on her heel and making her way back in the direction of the soft music.

“Well, at least you’ve met Natasha now I suppose,” Tony grinned, taking Steve’s arm again.

“She wasn’t that bad, the papers make her out to be a blank person,” Steve told him, patting the top of Tony’s hand softly.

“She isn’t, the press are just idiots. She just doesn’t like many people, which is justified really,” Tony nodded, looking up at Steve, “ready to head into the lion's den?”

Steve laughed quietly, looking back down at Tony, “oh absolutely. As long as we can dance.”

“Dance? Sure, you know any good moves? I’m looking forward to those.”

“I meant actually dance.”

“That’s disappointing.”

The hall was breathtaking. All crystal and golden. Steve was afraid to touch anything in case he broke anything. He said no to the offered champagne flute, telling Tony he didn’t like it, the genius just shrugging and sipping his own.

The pair wandered for a while, Tony chatting and charming anyone who spoke to him. Stark Industries had many business partners and Tony was pretty much required to talk to every single one of the CEOs and representatives that he saw. After the fourteenth one, he started flagging.

“I thought it was going to be more laid back than this, I hate business talk at galas. We should be dancing, not letting people suck up to me,” Tony complained quietly, leaning his head against Steve’s bicep, huffing out a sigh.

“Isn’t that the whole point of these galas? To make business connections?” Steve asked, laughing quietly and slipping his arm around Tony’s waist, rubbing his side gently.

“Please, Stark Industries doesn’t need any more business connections, honey, it’s just a press thing for us.”

“I suppose,” Steve pressed a kiss against the crown of Tony’s head, “are all the Avengers here?”

“They’re supposed to be, but Brucie bear doesn’t do well in crowds and Thor doesn’t come unless Bruce does.”

“What about Captain America?”

“Oh, I’m not too sure. I never peg him as the kinda guy who wants to spend his time putting on a smile for people. I think Natasha was going to talk to him about it but.. Guess she didn’t.”

Steve hummed softly. He was asked to go. Natasha caught him after a mission a few weeks back, catching him their debriefing. She’d asked to come, even if it was just to show his face. She joked about sharing a dance but then was quickly shut down when Steve told her he was busy. But, Natasha being Natasha, she didn’t have it. She tried again, telling him that it was for a good cause. Again, Steve declined, trying to move past her but only to be stopped for a second time.

“Tony’s going. You could go together, have a nice night together, actually get to know the people behind the masks.” Natasha watched him carefully after finishing her sentence, narrowing her eyes slightly when Steve shook his head.

“I’m busy. Sorry, Widow.”

“You may him fooled, but I’m not as easy to fool, Rogers.”

Steve’s eyes went wide, quickly staring down at her, her own gaze meeting Steve’s. “How--”

“Don’t bother with that. I know what’s going on and it’s ridiculous. You’re both grown men and you can’t keep lying to him. It’s not fair.”

Steve sighed heavily, looking down at his feet before lifting his head. “I know.”

“You know? That’s it?”

“It’s not your business, Widow. I’ll tell him, I just.. I don’t know when I can. I don’t know how I can. He hates me.”

“You’d be surprised. I’ll see you at the gala, Captain.”

The conversation had struck a nerve with Steve. He knew what he was doing was wrong, he knew he had to tell Tony but he couldn’t lose him. Not after finally getting past Tony’s exterior. Steve just didn’t know what to do. He had to tell Tony before it got out in a way that Steve didn’t like.

Tony tugged on his arm gently, looking up at him, “You want to go dance?”

Steve blinked a few times before meeting Tony’s gaze, “I’m an awful dancer.”

“I thought you wanted to dance? It’s only ballroom, you can just follow my lead.”

“Only ballroom he says,” Steve teased, “and I like dancing, I’m just bad at it.” He let Tony slip from under his arm and take his hand, leading him to the ballroom floor.

The soft music filled the hall, the orchestra playing quietly at the back of the large room. Tony turned to face Steve, playing his hand on Steve’s waist and clasping their free hands together, smiling when Steve placed his free hand on Tony’s shoulder.

The slowly started swaying, Tony resting his head against Steve’s chest, the loud thumping of Steve’s heart calming him. Steve moved his head down, pressing his cheek against Tony’s perfectly styled hair, closing his eyes as they swayed. The room dissolved around them, they existed together in the moment, only the music and Steve’s heartbeat being heard above everything else.

Steve didn’t know how long they were dancing for, how long they were wrapped in their own bubble of complete peace. He didn’t know what time they left, their hands staying together as Tony drove them back to the tower. He didn’t know what time they got in but all he knew was Tony’s warm skin and hot breath against his lips, his tanned skin beneath his deep purple suit, the electric blue washing over the olive skin. All he knew was the way Tony gasped his name into the dark of his bedroom, the desperate hands, the sweet noises, the love pouring between them.

Steve didn’t know what time he woke up, but he knew Tony was next to him, cuddled against his side. He didn’t need to know the time. He just needed to stay in that moment of pure peace with him. The man he loved.

Waking up before Tony in Stark Tower was strange. The room was still dark despite the sun being up, the tinted windows blocking the rays to let the sleeping genius continue his slumbering.

Steve slowly sat up, stretching his arms over his head and groaning softly. He glanced down at Tony, smiling at the sight of the drooling man. He pressed a quick kiss against his temple before slowly getting out of bed, pulling his boxers. He looked at his clothes from last night and decided to leave them. He found a dark silk robe in the bathroom, slipping it on and heading out of the bathroom, taking another look at Tony before leaving the bedroom and heading to the kitchen.

The living area was extensive, Steve had seen it before but he hadn’t had the time to properly look over it. The overly large sofas, the floor to roof windows allowing warm sunlight to filter through, the soft carpet underneath his feet as he walked into the kitchen area. Tony had a fully stocked kitchen but the only thing that looked like it was used was the coffee machine that took up most of the counter space along the far wall.

Steve wandered over, frowning at the machine for a moment before the machine lit up, making Steve jump.

“If you’ll allow me, sir. Mr. Stark is particular with his morning brew,” Came the disembodied voice from the ceiling. Steve was familiar with JARVIS, Tony spoke to him near constantly over their comms during missions.

“Thank you, JARVIS,” Steve replied, getting two mugs out and placing them under the machine, moving away to look around the kitchen again.

The kitchen was sparkling, all chrome and metal. Steve opened the fridge, eyeing the ingredients before taking out pepper, spinach, cheese, milk, and butter. He was amazed to actually find food in the kitchen. He set them down, finding the eggs in a separate shelf. He got started, chopping the vegetables and cracking the eggs, taking a break to grab his and Tony’s coffee from the machine. He took a sip and sighed softly, JARVIS really knew how to make a good cup of coffee.

Steve got back to work, heating up a pan and spreading butter in the base of it. He whisked the eggs and added everything into the pan, searching for a spatula before freezing when he spotted Tony in the doorway in a matching robe.

“Well, breakfast and a show? Mr. Rogers, you spoil me,” Tony grinned, heading into the kitchen and giving Steve a kiss before picking up his coffee and taking a gulp.

“I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed, but apparently you like spoiling surprises.”

Tony moved over to Steve, leaning his forehead against his chest. He was quiet, just their breathing and the sizzling of the pan to be heard.

“I thought you had left,” Tony admitted finally, voice wavering as he spoke, “most people after they get what they want from me.”

“It’s a good thing I’m not most people then, huh?” Steve replied, just as quietly, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his head. He wrapped his arms around Tony, bringing him close against his body. “I don’t plan on leaving, I want you to know that. I want this, I want you, okay?”

Tony stayed quiet, nodding slightly against Steve’s chest. Steve squeezed his sides gently, kissing his head again.

“C’mon, let’s get some breakfast. I want the unofficial tour of Stark Tower,” Steve told him quietly, smiling when he felt Tony nod again.

They pulled away, Tony instantly picking up his coffee cup and taking another long drink. Steve copied him before moving back to the pan, folding the eggs in half and letting them cook again. He grabbed two plates from the cupboards and set them on the side, smiling when he saw Tony watching. He plated up the omelettes and set the plates down in front of Tony.

“Funny, beautiful and talented? I think I’ve hit the jackpot here, honey,” Tony grinned, setting his mug down and sitting down at the breakfast bar and digging in.

“It’s only an omelette,” Steve laughed, sitting down next to Tony and starting to eat.

“It’s more than just an omelette, sweetheart,” Tony told him in a soft tone, looking over at him. A look that Steve hadn’t seen from Tony yet, a smile he hadn’t seen yet. It was a look he wanted to see more of. A look he wasn’t sure he was strong enough to lose.

To say Loki was a pain in the ass was an understatement. Thor swore that his brother wasn’t acting like himself when they were all called together into action. The Norse God updated them, saying the aliens Loki had summoned were not of Asgard but of somewhere Steve didn’t know. Somewhere Steve didn’t give a shit about at this moment in time.

He did give a shit about the hundreds of armed aliens falling through portals in the centre of New York.

The team had split up: Clint with Thor and Hulk. Steve with Tony and Natasha.

“Okay, Hawkeye and Iron Man, you’re on air support, keep these guys within the perimeter. They do not get to the rest of the city. Thor, Hulk, take out the big ones. Widow, you’re with me,” Steve listed off, fastening his shield tighter on his arm. He nodded at the group before splitting off, Widow behind him.

“What about Loki?” Thor asked, comms crackling in Steve’s ear.

“You deal with him later, help Hulk first. The big ones can’t leave the city. We can search for Loki as we fight. Stark, keep an eye out for him,” Steve replied, throwing his shield and taking down two of the aliens in front of him.

“Sure thing, Cap,” came the reply, repulsors echoing through the line.

“I can’t believe we have to fight these stupid things again, wasn’t once enough?” Clint complained through the comms, the twang of his bow echoing in the background.

The fight lasted longer than Steve thought, more and more portals opening when the others closed. The flood of Chitauri just kept coming, their cries ripping through the air as Steve fought, shield staining black with blood and grime.

Clint called for support, the archer finding himself surrounded on the rooftop. They quickly cleared the area, panting and exhausted.

“Any luck finding Loki?” Steve asked, voice ragged as he picked his shield back up off the floor.

“Not yet, Cap, I’m still looking. Heads up, you’ve got another breach coming your way,” Tony replied, engines roaring on his end of the line.

“Thor, get looking!” Steve yelled, looking down on to ground level and gritting his teeth when he saw the new portal. The growling and screeching from the creatures could be heard from the rooftop. Steve glanced over to Natasha and Clint before nodding, running and jumping off the rooftop, landing heavily in front of the portal.

The fighting went on for hours, but finally, it was over.

They regrouped, battered and bruised and exhausted. Tony was out of his armour, nursing a few bruises on his head, wiping at the blood around the cut on his cheek. Natasha and Clint were leaning heavily on each other, Natasha holding her possibly broken left arm close to her body, Clint wrapping his bloody hands up.

Steve put on an exhausted smile for them, limping over to where they were all stood together. He saw them smile back then saw looks of horror.

He heard the scream before he felt the pain, everything going hazy as he looked down, the sceptre Loki carried piercing the chest. The blade stained red with his own blood then it was gone, being ripped out of him and returned to the side of the man behind him. Loki disappeared before any of them had the chance to move.

Steve felt himself hit the ground, pain erupting throughout his whole body as he landed. He felt his uniform grow wet and hot with his blood. He heard shouting around him, felt hands press against his wound, felt someone reach to undo his helmet strap.

He didn’t feel himself pass out.

Waking up felt like sitting up after being hit by a truck, several times over and over. The light hurt his eyes, the pain he felt in his chest was unparalleled. He slowly blinked the sleep out of his eyes, staring up at the ceiling and wincing as he breathed.

He glanced to the side to see Tony sat in the chair next to his bed, obvious tear tracks on his face, puffy red eyes. Steve had seen him sleep peacefully before but this wasn’t one of those times.

Steve stayed quiet, letting Tony sleep, giving himself time to try and figure out what he was going to say. What were you supposed to say? Oh hi, I know we’ve been dating for a few months but I’m actually Captain America and I’ve been lying to you all this time about my identity but it’s alright because you know now.

Tony woke up around an hour later, jolting himself awake and wiping fresh tears off his face before his eyes found Steve’s face. Before Tony shut off his dazed look before his gaze turned to stone.

“Did you think it was funny?” The question startled Steve. He was quickly frowning and opening his mouth to reply before he was cut off.

“Did you think it was funny, huh? Stupid Tony can’t even figure out that his boyfriend was Captain America? Did you laugh about it? Did you think it was fucking funny, Steve? Or Cap? Which do I use?” Tony grit his teeth as he spoke, forcing the words out in the cold hospital room.

“What? No, Tony! I wanted to tell you but I just--”

“Just what? Wanted to see how long you could string me along?” Tony was red in the face, shaking with anger as his eyes filled with tears.

“No! Tony, I’m in lov--”

“Don’t you dare say that to me. Don’t you fucking dare, Rogers. I’m done. You lied to me for months, you made me look like the biggest idiot going! We’re done.”

Tony went to stand up, pushing away from the bed but Steve grabbed his hand, wincing as he moved, feeling the stitches on his chest open.

“Please, please let me explain, Tony. SHIELD has been helping me keep my identities separate. I wanted a normal life outside being Cap, outside the Avengers. I couldn’t tell you because--”

“Because you knew I’d react like this. Well.. you got exactly what you thought,” He ripped his hand out of Steve’s grasp. “Just leave me alone, we’re done.”

Steve tried to reach for him again, his cheeks wet with tears, “Tony, don’t do this, I’m sorry!”

Tony didn’t look back, his shoulders shaking with anger and holding in sobs.

Steve was left in a cold hospital room with a bleeding wound and tears on his face.

Living without Tony was quiet. Steve’s life was quiet before the genius and now after too. Everything he did was too quiet: cook, watch TV, sketch. Every aspect of his life was different, it was lonely.

He didn’t see Tony at all for a few months. He avoided missions with Steve, avoided the press, avoided contact despite Steve texting him. He stopped after a while. He got message plain and simple. Tony really was done with him.

Steve was heartbroken. He had loved Tony with every aspect of himself; his jokes, his smile, his laugh, god even just listening to him breathe. Steve craved to just be around him, to be there to make him smile over silly things, to be there to comfort him when his nightmares got too much when his thoughts got too loud.

Trying to get his life back on track after the first few weeks of moping was hard. Routine was hard when everything you had revolved around another person. Everything was hard when you had to adjust to being alone again.

Missions weren’t fun, they just passed time that Steve seemed to have an abundance of. It was like clockwork for him: go in, get done, debrief, go home. He repeated the cycle every time he heard the little Avengers beacon go off. Every time his heart leapt in his chest with the idea that he could be seeing Tony again. And every time he was let down when the red and gold armour never showed up.

The problem was Steve was numb, and when he was numb he got reckless. He threw himself into the missions, not caring about the outcome of his health anymore. He’d come home with punctured lungs, broken bones, various degrees of concussion. He just wanted to feel again. He didn’t want to be the shell of someone who once was. The SHIELD gyms took beatings when the missions didn’t come regularly enough. He broke machine after machine, punching bag after punching bag. His knuckles split and bled, the crunching beneath his skin became soothing after a while. It got so bad once that Natasha and Clint had to come and drag him away before he did some serious damage to his hands.

He was lectured. Don’t do this, don’t do that. Steve was sick of listening. He was sick of all the advice, of Natasha’s sympathy, of Sam’s effort to console him. Just sick of it all.

Moving on didn’t work but just getting through each day was enough. Being numb was okay as long as he managed to get through what he needed to do. He could work with numb.

It was winter before he saw Tony again. Just a passing glimpse of him at SHIELD. Steve had been called in for checkups on his suit and testing new material, chatting to some of the scientists down in the labs when he heard Tony talking to Bruce as they passed through to get to Bruce’s lab.

He looked good, he always did. Trimmed beard, styled hair, clean suit, sunglasses hanging out of his top pocket. He looked good but he carried himself with something Steve recognised: a weight on his shoulders. Tiredness in his bones. Steve didn’t miss the purple bags under his eyes, a stark contrast to his soft olive skin.

It hurt to see him, it made Steve want to curl up and cry. He nearly called out to him, but that wasn’t fair. What if Tony had moved on? What if he was doing alright? But Steve couldn’t seem to bring himself to answer those questions. He couldn’t bear the thought of Tony being with anyone else. He had caused this, he’d been the one to hurt Tony, it wasn’t fair.

Maybe he imagined the turn of Tony’s head, the glance of his eyes landing on Steve before moving away as quickly as they landed on the soldier. Maybe he imagined the watery glaze over Tony’s eyes. Maybe he imagined it all.

He didn’t see Tony again for another few weeks.

It was another passing glance. That’s all Steve seemed to get from Tony, passing glances and watery eyes.

He was in a meeting with Fury, talking about strike patterns of a new terrorist group that had popped up on SHIELDs radar. They’d been talking for hours, planning different routes and plotting escapes. They were getting nowhere really. Steve said one way and Fury said the complete opposite.

Steve sat back in his chair, sighing heavily and rubbing his hands over his face, eyes tired from looking at holograms for so long.

He heard the door open behind him but stayed sat facing the desk, rolling his neck and hearing the click.

“Oh, you’re busy, I’ll come back later, Nick.” Tony.

Steve turned round to get a glimpse but that’s all he got. The sight of the man leaving the room, in the same suit as he saw him a few weeks ago. The echo of his footsteps in the corridor. It still hurt, but he had to live, had to move on. He knew when he wasn’t wanted.

“Are you two still acting stupid?” He heard Fury ask, the shuffling of papers following the question.

When Steve didn’t answer, he carried on.

“You’re Godamn Captain America and you can’t even talk to him. Pull yourself together.”

The cafe Tony had taken him to had become a sort of safe haven for him since their argument.

It wasn’t ever too busy for his liking, it played soft music that settled Steve, the smell of fresh coffee helped his nerves. He went there maybe once a week to draw and calm himself down, to get away from being Captain America.

He had developed a blossoming friendship with Peter, the boy he saved in the subway. He was a smart kid, always happy to see Steve and chat about his day or his school work or a dog he saw on the way to work. The way he spoke made Steve think that Tony hadn’t told him about what had happened.

He ducked into the coffee shop one freezing morning, taking his hands out of his pockets and rubbing them together as he approached the counter. He smiled when he saw the kid, watching him bound over.

“Hi, Steve! It’s so cold today, I slipped on this ice patch outside the shop and I nearly dropped my bag and oh my god I saw a dog with a little jacket on the subway! He was so cute, he was called Harry, I know someone called Harry too, isn’t that weird?”

Steve nodded as the boy spoke, laughing along with him. It was refreshing, Peter was a nice change of pace in his life. He liked to think he’d taken the young boy under his wing but he knew Peter was captivated by Tony. He mentioned him in nearly every conversation they had together. Whether it was something to do with his internship or something Tony had told him or showed him, it was a constant.

He ordered his drink, handing Peter a twenty dollar note and telling him to keep the change. He moved to the side and went and sat in his usual seat. He took his sketchpad out of his bag and flipped it open, finding a clean page. Around five minutes later, Peter came over with his drink.

“Here you go, Steve. Hey, can I ask something?” Peter asked, looking down at him.

“Sure, what’s on your mind?”

“Why don’t I ever see you with Mr. Stark anymore?”

Steve knew the question was coming. It was inevitable.

“Because I messed up and hurt Tony, we haven’t really spoken in a few months.”

“What?! But you guys were so good together, Mr. Stark always talks about you in the lab! Like last week he was telling me about the time you guys went to watch that baseball game and you caught it and gave the ball to him, he keeps it by his bed!”

Steve froze. That had happened months ago. Tony had bought them tickets to watch the Yankees play. It was a hot summers day, Tony had worn one of Steve’s caps and his sunglasses. He had never looked more beautiful to Steve, yelling at the pitcher and waving the programme about.

Tony still talked about him. Tony still kept the things Steve gave him.

“But... I mean, now you’ve said it, Mr. Stark has been mopey recently. I didn’t know what it was but I mean this would make sense. Is there anything I can do to help? I wanna help you and Mr. Stark!”

“I don’t think you can, Peter. This is my fault, I’ll be the one to fix it,” Steve told him, coming out of his daze and smiling at the young boy.

“Okay.. just make sure Mr. Stark is okay! He never comes to see me at work anymore,” He told Steve, pouting slightly as he spoke.

“I’ll see what I can do, Pete.”

Peter was quickly called back to work, leaving Steve in the quiet again. He looked down at his sketchpad, seeing Tony’s form come to life on the page. He took a drink of his coffee before pulling out his phone and dialling Natasha’s number.

Steve was pacing. Wringing his hands as he walked around the meeting room, breathing deeply. He tried to calm himself down. He was going to talk to Tony. He was going to fix this, even if it meant letting Tony go. He needed to explain himself.

He heard the footsteps, the lock on the door going. He squared his shoulders, watching Tony come through the door and nodding to Natasha who quickly closed to door behind Tony, locking them in.

Tony’s eyes went wide, spinning around and trying to open the door. Slamming his fist against it before breathing out slowly, turning to face Steve.

“What do you want? What’s going on?”

“Please, just sit down. We need to talk.”

Tony stayed where he was, watching Steve sit down.

“No, no we don’t. I’d much rather just get on with my life.”

“I can’t. I can’t just get on with my life, Tony. I’m stuck in this endless cycle of just trying to get through each day. I’m not living anymore, I’m just going through the motions.”

Tony stayed quiet, keeping his gaze fixed on the windows. He sighed, letting his shoulders sag before turning to look at Steve.

“You caused this, Steve. The minute you decided to keep your identity a secret from me. Y’know, I sit at night after I’ve finished work or I get a moment to myself and I can never get my head around it. Why did you lie to me?”

“Because I thought I was doing what was best. I stupidly thought that being with Steve was better than being with Captain America. I never wanted to hurt you, but I did. I did and it’s killed me ever since I woke up in that hospital bed.”

“It’s not fair,” Tony started, cutting off his fold his arms over his chest, “I thought you were it. I thought that was it, that I had found someone who finally gets me. But it was a lie.”

“My feelings were never a lie. I don’t care if you think everything else was a lie but my feelings were never a lie. I was so in love with you. God, Tony, I still am,” Steve trailed off, tears clouding his vision, his throat burning with the effort of stopping himself from crying.

Steve slowly got up, watching Tony’s shoulders shake, watching him cover his face with his hand. He took a few steps towards him, reaching for him.

Tony met him halfway, fingers tangling with Steve’s, letting himself be pulled against Steve’s chest. He pressed his face against the soft fabric of Steve’s shirt, finally letting himself cry. Steve held him tightly, wrapping his arms around him and keeping close. He pressed his lips against Tony’s temple, whispering “I’m so sorry” over and over until he felt Tony stop crying until he felt the other relax in his arms.

Getting back to their usual routine didn’t take too long.

Steve had practically moved into Stark Tower within the first two months of them being back together. It made sense for the Captain to be there, it cut travel time down, it allowed him to have more time with Tony. It just worked well. They got their routine back.

Steve would always wake up early. He would usually go for a run but sometimes just spent an hour in the gym. Tony would come into the kitchen around nine, heading straight to the coffee machine, kissing Steve’s cheek as he passed him. They would have breakfast together, listening to the radio or watching the news before heading their separate ways. Tony would head down into his workshop, Steve would head back down to the gym or into his studio. Tony had set the art studio up for him when he moved in, the room flooded with natural light from the floor to ceiling windows. Every kind of paint and brush Steve could think of wound up in the huge desks and cupboards that lined the back wall, the canvas were being stored in there too.

Steve would always take Tony lunch if he was in the tower. A sandwich, cup of coffee, piece of fruit. Sometimes it was a salad, other times it was a loaded sub from the deli a few blocks away. They would sit together in the lab and eat, chatting about anything and everything. Steve would clear the plates, kissing Tony before heading back upstairs and carrying on with work. Tony would come upstairs for dinner. They ordered sometimes and other times Steve would cook something. He was actually pretty good at it. He still uses the recipe app on his phone. They would eat with the radio on in the background or they’d watch a movie. They’d go to bed together after a few hours of relaxing, either just curling up together or falling into each other in a moment of passion. They’d lay breathless and sweaty but sated and full of love.

It was normal. It was everything Steve wanted and more.

It was after dinner in the Spring when Tony suggested changing his Twitter to a Captain America account.

“Y’know, you could announce you’re back and use it to just promote movements and issues around the world,” he told him, looking up from his tablet.

Steve hadn’t thought about it. He still used Twitter, retweeting all sorts of articles and calls for donations and help. Sometimes with comments and sometimes without. He argued over Twitter a lot. People who still called Tony a warmonger despite stopping the production of weapons. People who called the Avengers unnecessary, people who tweeted racist things, people who tweeted homophobic things, people who tweeted transphobic things. The list was really endless.

He was just finishing up an argument he was having about immigration when Tony had suggested it.

Maybe it was a good idea to tell the public.

“You sure our PR reps won’t mind me just changing all my stuff?”

“I’m sure they’ll be livid, but it’s not really their place to be picky. We have bigger issues than you coming clean on Twitter.”

“That’s still a pretty big issue, Tony.”

“Don’t do it then.”

Steve was already on settings to change his profile picture and name before Tony could even finish the sentence.

“Peter’s gonna have a field day when he finds out Captain America saved him from transphobes,” Tony grinned, leaning his head against Steve’s shoulder, cuddling up against him.

“Everyone’s gonna have a field day when they find out Captain America is bisexual and trans,” Steve replied, pressing a kiss against Tony’s head.

“It’s gonna be a long day for PR.”

Steve nodded, finalising the changes on his account and showing Tony, who laughed.

“Looks great. What’s your first tweet as Cap gonna be?”

“How about a picture of us? Start strong and as I mean to go on?”

“Wow, you’re almost as trouble making as me, you know that, Rogers?”

“It’s how I like to be.”

Captain America here coming to you live from Stark Tower with my boyfriend! Hope you guys are having a great day!

He grinned at the picture of them kissing before pressing send tweet.