Work Text:
Some days Tony took Steve’s breath away.
Steve had a soft spot for tough brunet smartasses. The current smartass in his life was bent over his workshop table, hard at work designing an amazing piece of new technology. He rubbed the back of his neck as he watched Tony flick through screens of data and CAD schematics. And of course the goggles only made Tony look hotter. The tight jeans didn’t hurt one bit either.
Today Steve woke up thinking he should finally say something to Tony. Ask him out. Flirt with him. Tease him about the armor. Run naked through the workshop. Anything to get Tony’s attention.
It was hard to get his attention. Tony was brilliant. He worked hard, trained hard, and played hard. He ran a multi-billion dollar company. He built Iron Man in a cave. He fought supervillains. And looked damn amazing doing all of it.
Tony could do so much better than Steve. Steve saw the people Tony dated -- sleek, stunning supermodels, brilliant scientists, newsworthy celebrities. Steve didn’t compare, in all honesty. Steve was really just Tony’s co-worker and couldn’t hold a candle to the dazzling, intelligent, and fascinating people that Tony squired around.
Today he wanted to ask Tony out. But despite all the bravery and courage in his soul, Steve couldn’t. He couldn’t face being rejected by the most wonderful person in his world.
Some days he loved Tony best from a distance.
~~~
Some days Steve took his breath away.
Tony stared at Steve, who was seated at the kitchen table, drawing. Steve was the pinnacle of human perfection, after all. And here he was, sitting there in a blue t-shirt showing off his biceps and perfect sky-blue eyes. Tony couldn’t quite see what Steve was working on. He was a hell of a better artist than he would ever admit. Tony could put all of Steve’s art in the priciest gallery in the city and sell it all in one night without ever telling anyone that they were buying Captain America’s art. Steve was that good.
Today he planned to ask Steve out. He’d been thinking about it for awhile now. He was going to walk up to Steve and suggest coffee or dinner or a weekend trip. Anything so that he could spend time with his favorite Avenger.
Steve was the best man he knew. Kind. Thought the best of everyone. Stand-up friend. Brave to a fault. Smart. Tony would need terabytes and reams of paper to list all Steve’s great qualities.
But if Steve was the great man Tony believed him to be, why would Steve even give him a second thought? Steve could date anyone, anywhere. People who were good like him, and not some reformed arms dealer with a mechanical heart. Tony couldn’t measure up to the ideal person that Steve should be dating.
Today he had intended to ask Steve out. But in the light of day he decided against it. He knew better. He wouldn't put Steve in the awkward position of having to turn him down. Better to dream about Steve than have the definitive knowledge that Steve would only ever be a good friend.
Some days he loved Steve best from a distance.
~~~
Some days they fought invading aliens and won.
After clean up and showers and medical checks, the team opted to go out to dinner. It was Jan’s idea, of course. She declared in the quinjet that the team was going to celebrate the victory the right way, not over takeout.
Steve ended up across from Tony in the booth Jan insisted on sitting at. Jan, Clint, T’Challa, and Carol piled in after them. Steve asked Tony about the menu. They talked about the aliens and Tony doodled a robot on a napkin. Tony stole food off Steve’s plate and teased him as Steve ordered another steak.
Carol was the first to leave, saying something about meeting Jess at a bar. Clint had a movie to see and T’Challa had plans. Then Jan patted Steve on the arm and mentioned something about meeting Hank somewhere. Honestly, Steve didn’t hear the whole thing because Tony was telling him funny stories about his recent tour of a Stark Industries plant.
They spent another hour at the restaurant totally wrapped up in each other. Not that Steve or Tony saw it as that. Then they took a long walk back to the Tower together.
Tony punched in the code. But the door remained stubbornly closed. “What the hell --?” he said. He punched in the code again. Nothing. “The passwords aren’t supposed to be changed for two weeks.”
Steve jiggled the door handle in case the door had been left unlocked. Tony cursed as he pushed more buttons and tried to get Friday, the Tower AI, to respond.
Finally, Jan came over the intercom. “Hello.”
“Let us in, Jan,” Tony said crossly.
“Not until you admit that you were really on a date tonight,” Jan replied. “After all, you wouldn’t have noticed if the rest of us were kidnapped by aliens or supervillains, since you only had eyes for each other.”
“What are you talking about?” snapped Tony. “And what did you do to Friday?”
“I gave Friday the night off,” Jan said. She gave a dramatic yawn. “I’m about to head off to bed, I’m only one in the Tower tonight, and I have no idea when anyone else will be back. So either confess to the whole date thing or sleep on the sidewalk. Your choice, boys.”
Steve glanced at Tony, who looked as nervous as Steve felt. They stood for a minute or two in silence.
“I could book us a couple of rooms at a hotel,” Tony offered. “Unless Jan found a way to cut off the credit cards.”
Steve laughed. “Sam might take us in.”
“Unless Sam’s been roped into Jan’s plans. If she can figure out how to turn off Friday, she can pick up a phone and talk Sam into anything.”
“So, we have to admit we were on a date or sleep outside.”
“But if we were on a date, why would we come back to the Tower so early?” Steve said. “It’s only seven.”
“Nine.” Tony held up his phone in confirmation. “If we were on a date there are many reasons to come back early.”
Steve, who really didn’t blush all that often, turned a bright red. He could readily imagine a half dozen reasons. None of them safe for work.
“You’re blushing.”
Steve shook his head.
Tony grinned, “Seriously, you’re blushing.” Then Tony grew serious. “Wait, are you thinking about us being on a date?”
Steve blushed harder, which he didn’t know was even possible. He was thinking what it would be like to kiss Tony or have Tony follow him to his suite.
“You were,” Tony said. “And if you’re blushing, then maybe you’re considering it a good thing.”
Steve swallowed. “I think ... it would be a good thing if we were on a date tonight.”
Tony let out a deep breath. Only then did Steve realize that Tony had been holding his breath waiting for him to reply. Which meant, maybe, that Tony wanted to be on a date with him too. The seconds he waited anxiously for Tony’s reply dragged out into infinity.
“I think it would be a great thing, too,” Tony said.
Steve grinned, then smiled, then smiled so widely and joyously that people could have seen his smile from space. Tony laughed and grabbed Steve’s hands. And kissed him. What a kiss it was, too. Steve slid a hand into Tony’s hair and wrapped an arm around his waist to pull Tony closer. Easily one of the top ten kisses in Steve’s life so far.
“I’m not ready to call it a night after all,” Steve told Tony.
“Let’s get coffee,” Tony agreed, staring into Steve’s deep eyes. “We can tell Jan in the morning that we crashed on a couch somewhere.”
Steve laced his fingers with Tony’s as they left in search of coffee and dessert. “Or that we decided to take on Doom ourselves.”
“That’s not bad idea for a date --” mused Tony.
“Coffee first,” said Steve with a smile.
badge by woad