Slight language, and Tony's a jerk

"Mr. Stark, I'm sure that we can come up with an arrangement that will be mutually beneficial," one of the stuffy suits in your company's conference room urged, his tone almost bored with the events taking place and his role in them. Such a trite and unassuming little man should have been more intimidated or at least more impressed by the one-and-only Tony Stark sitting across from him, but he seemed to pay him no respect.

"I'm sure that you think we can," Tony replied, equally as bored, "but we've been over this about a bazillion times now, and honestly, I'm getting just a smidge pissed off at your half-assed tenacity. I'm buying your company because it's a circus and your stocks are dropping faster than the bird shit falling from your roof. If you listen closely, you can hear your last pennies hit the sidewalk."

"You're such an asshole," you scoffed quietly under your breath, but not quietly enough, as luck would have it.

"(Y/N)," your dad hissed, turning his chair towards you, "watch yourself."

"What? You don't think that he's an asshole? Am I wrong? No one else here has the balls to call him out?"

"And who are you?" Tony asked smugly, his eyes dark as he stared you down. It didn't escape you when his gaze drifted down your front and back up slowly, raising a brow just slightly as he met your eyes again.

"Wow, that was really subtle, Mr. Stark," you smiled coldly, "but I can make this easier for you if you'd like." You pushed your chair back and away from the table, throwing your phone down on the oak top with a loud crack of the glass against it. When you stood, Tony's eyes brightened slightly, but when you started to unbutton your suit coat, he straightened in his chair and smiled with a new delight.

"Maybe raising your stock isn't your gift, (Y/N)," he muttered, adjusting in his seat awkwardly.

"(Y/N), sit down!"

"Please don't," Tony smirked, "this is the best part of my day so far."

"You can shut your mouth, Stark," your dad pointed at him angrily, turning back to you. "(Y/N), that's enough."

You threw your jacket on your seat with snap and stood tall, your hands on your hips and fully enraged, "okay, so that's how it is? This asshat looks me over like a piece of meat and it's okay, but if I try to throw it back in his face, you yell at me? Maybe he should buy out this dinosaur of a company, Dad. You're obviously stuck in the goddamn dark ages."

"Go out with me."

Everyone at the table stopped their hushed conversations with each other and turned to face Tony, the loud gasp from you overshadowing any mumbled comments in reaction. Your father's face had paled significantly; so much so that Tony actually worried that he might have shocked the old man to death right in front of him.

"I'm sorry?" you asked with a disbelieving shake of your head, as if you had heard him wrong. "What did you just say?"

"I said go out with me," he repeated. "If you go out with me, just one date, I'll give you six months to save your own asses before I try this again."

"Why the hell would I want to go out with you? Why would you think I'm even available?"

"Because there's no ring on that finger, and it's the only shot you have in saving daddy's company, sweetheart. Who knows," he smirked, standing up to leave, "you might just like it. If it goes well, this building will have the name Stark on the lease, but you'll be the one signing it."

~~~

Once Stark left, and after storming out of the conference room after a heated argument with your dad, you rushed down the countless flights of stairs until you made it to the ground floor, bursting through the doors and into the bright sunlight, hoping for it to save your mood. The old man had the audacity to think that maybe a date with Tony was a good idea, and that if it really did go well, it could save everything and ensure your future where he couldn't do so himself. He was panicking under the pressures of his failing company, and with you set to take control at his retirement, he was leaving you with a mess that Tony barely wanted to touch. He thought it was a stroke of luck that the man had even walked into his building in the first place, and now with him interested in you, all he could see were dollar signs.

"Damn sun," you grumbled, finding it too bright and stinging at your eyes with your sunglasses left behind in your bag upstairs. The sudden shift in intensity and glare left your vision compromised for a moment, leaving you to stumble forward and into the leg of one of the café tables that lined the sidewalk in front of the building. "Oh, sorry, my fault," you apologized readily, feeling a hand grab your arm to steady you, "I'm fine, so sorry."

"Ma'am, are you sure?"

"Yeah, the feet just didn't wait for the eyes to adjust. I'm good, thanks."

"Okay, then...good."

But once your eyes did adjust, and his large frame blocked out much of the sun's glare, you were taken aback by how attractive this guy was; he was almost unreal with his perfect blonde hair and his perfect teeth in a wide smile, and his perfect blue eyes that were looking into your soul somehow. You were frozen in place at the sight of him, and the redness rising in his cheeks gave away how perfectly awkward he was too.

"I'm (Y/N)," you barely managed.

"I'm Steve."

"You're perfect."

"I'm sorry?"

"Hmm?" you gasped in horror at your own words, taking a small step back. "I mean...I didn't...oh, shit." With some divine intervention or higher power helping you out, your phone with the newly broken screen began to vibrate in your pocket. You held up a finger to pause the conversation with Steve so that you could look, and it turned out that it was nothing that you wanted to see. "Excuse me, please. One second."

So when's our date?

How did you get my number?

Daddy loves me already.

I'm not going out with you, Stark.

Give me one reason why not.

You groaned and closed your eyes in both disgust and regret that you had made such a scene in the conference room and that you now had Tony's unwanted attention. If you were going to get out of this, and to get both Stark and your father off your back about it, then you needed something good; a solid and sound story that they couldn't argue. You needed a plan that wouldn't fail. Turning slowly to face the man you had just met, when your eyes connected again he gave you that same killer smile, and your plan began to play out in your mind faster than you could follow.

I have a boyfriend.

Part 2

"Well, I have to say, this is definitely a first for me," Steve grinned nervously, watching his hands as they slowly turned the cup of coffee around and around to give him something to focus on and to pretend to be calm. He had started this day of his renewed life completely alone and wandering the streets of Manhattan to find his way, and now here he was with you, looking back at him with genuine interest. "But there's no way that I'm letting you pay me for this. A week of dates with a pretty dame like yourself? That's a win for me, doll."

"You really are an old soul, aren't you?"

"You could say that." A hint of red was building in his cheeks, more and more with each glance that he stole in your direction. The last time he had any interaction with a woman who showed him any real attention was with Peggy, and he was anything but experienced with how to handle himself then. Even if your interest right now was purely in finding a willing partner in this plan to throw some other guy off, he enjoyed your company and didn't want to mess it up for either of you. "I've uh, been stuck in the 40's for the last seventy years."

"Okay, you lost me. Is that a metaphor...or...?"

Steve finally looked up and held his gaze, smiling widely at the realization that you didn't know who he was. He had grown so used to everyone knowing his face during the War that now in this time, he didn't expect such anonymity; it was a very welcome change, but he still felt obligated to give you the truth if you were trusting him to help you. "Do you need another coffee?"

"No, I'm still working on this one."

"Good, because this might take a while to explain."

~~~

Man, this guy was an enthralling storyteller. Sure, it might have been the gorgeous face that you just got to stare at for the last hour, but the way he spoke about his past and how passionate he was about his views and desire to serve drew you in. He spoke so openly with you, that it felt as if you had known each other for years already; he gave you a brief look into his regrets and his traumas too, and when you didn't shy away or stop him, the look in his eyes changed, regarding you in a different light and appreciation.

"So you've only been awake for two days? After seventy years?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend," you offered genuinely, reaching across the table to touch his hand. It was a natural motion, but you pulled back right away when you second-guessed it. In the blink of an eye, his hand enveloped yours to keep you there.

"That was forever ago, but thank you."

"No, Steve. For you that was only what, a few weeks ago? You haven't had time to deal with that pain, and I'm starting to think that maybe this might be a bad idea. You need the time to adjust and to work through these things. Going on a few fake dates sounds ridiculous to ask of you."

"That's really sweet of you, (Y/N)," he smiled, his thumb gently gliding over the top of your hand, "but I'm starting to think that there wouldn't be anything fake about them. I really want to go, and I want to enjoy some more time with you."

You opened your mouth to respond, though honestly, you had no idea if any sound would come out with the combination of your sudden onset of shyness at his attention and the trance that he had somehow put you under, but before you could utter a single syllable, your phone buzzed again. "Hold that thought. I have to check this, I'm sorry. It might be my dad with an update."

How serious is this boyfriend anyway? Can he really compare to me? You know who I am.

"Seriously, I might actually murder him," you whispered to yourself, "he probably thinks that I couldn't do it, but you can bet your ass that I can."

"Problem?"

Your head shot up from looking at the device and back to Steve, not realizing that he heard what you had said. "Um, sorry, it's nothing. Just this guy who isn't taking rejection very well. Can't say that I'm surprised."

"Is he giving you trouble?" Steve replied, his voice suddenly much deeper and even in its tone, and his expression had become darker with his jaw set tight. "If he's not taking the hint then I can be sure that he'll understand very clearly when I'm done with him. Who is this guy?"

"No one that you'd know, obviously. It's the guy trying to buy my dad's company in a hostile takeover. Tony said that if I go out on one date with him, he'd give us six more months to come up with the funds to stop him from buying. I, um..." you stopped, a haze of pink heating up your cheeks as you spoke, "I might have told him that I had a boyfriend to shut him up...and that boyfriend was you."

"I must say, you move pretty fast," Steve laughed, a small shake visible in his hand when he took another long drink. "We haven't even gone on our first fake date yet and we're practically engaged."

"Oh, I expect to make it legal and be knocked up by the end of the month," you played along, all but forgetting about the jerk waiting for a reply to his text.

He paused for a moment, running the calendar through his mind to come up with the current date, a glimmer of playfulness coming to life in his already mesmerizing blue eyes. "Well then, doll, the month's half over already. We had better get started right away."

~~~

The first date that you had planned for you and Steve was nothing exciting at all, really just a business dinner at some over-priced restaurant in Midtown, but given the exorbitant amount of money that would be thrown across the table, you fully anticipated that Tony would be joining you. Your dad was still on a rant about how you should give Tony a chance for at least the one date, because you might actually like the guy. Bringing Steve with you tonight was the best shot that you had to get him to let that ridiculous idea go.

You had just hopped out of the shower, starting to get your makeup on for the evening, when a ring of the doorbell broke your concentration. Grabbing your phone to check the time, you saw that you weren't expecting anyone until Steve was due to pick you up in almost an hour and you considered not even answering the door. With a swipe of the towel over the mirror to clear the steam away, you wrapped the towel around yourself and got to work as you had planned. When a knock came as the alert this time, you jumped at the sheer volume of it and nearly poked your eye out with a brush at the jolt of your hand. Now fully pissed, you stomped your way to the door and flung it open with a fresh flurry of rage.

"What?!"

"Oh...OH! I'm so sorry!" Steve cowered, turning away and covering his eyes. "I know I'm early...I can come back..."

"Steve, what the hell?" you gasped, quickly grabbing the edge of your towel when it began to slip off. "You are ridiculously early. I'm just barely starting to get ready."

"I'll come back," he offered, turning to leave, but with a quick hand out to stop him, he paused at your touch but turned back with a hand still over his eyes even as he tried to follow you through the door.

"Steve, you can look at me."

"No...no, it's okay. As long as I can see where my feet are going, I can make it to sit down somewhere and wait."

With a laugh at the awkward yet boyish charm from a man who was easily twice your size, you stepped aside and let him pass, giving him a few verbal cues to guide him to the couch safely. He sat down gently, his eyes still covered even after he had successfully navigated his way there; he landed on a small pillow and you swore you heard him apologize to it when he shifted to get it out of his way.

"Steve, uncover your damn eyes. It's not like I'm naked over here. You haven't even kissed me yet, so I'm not about to let you steal any bases."

His hand slowly lowered and a crooked grin curled at his lips, opening his eyes slowly and glancing at you only briefly before returning to look straight ahead. "There, open."

You stood at the door and regarded the situation for a few seconds, feeling a new uncomfortableness between you that hadn't existed even when you first met and he practically took you in his arms to keep you from falling into him. Maybe it was because he hadn't been on a date in more years than you had been alive, or maybe he was just plain nervous, but something had shifted and you needed to get to the bottom of it. "Okay, this isn't going to work like this."

"What do you mean?" he asked quickly, finally looking at you with worry in his eyes that he had already ruined what had yet to even start.

"You're all nervous and...floopy."

"Floopy?"

"It's a word," you scoffed, taking a seat next to him with a quick check to keep the towel securely in place. "Okay, kiss me."

"I'm sorry?"

"Kiss me," you repeated. "If we're going to make this believable that you're already my boyfriend, we need to be comfortable with physical contact. This is the best way to jump start it, don't you think?"

Steve nervously cleared his throat and shifted to turn towards you, his hands awkwardly reaching out with no confidence as to where he could put them. His left hand reached out for your waist but pulled back just as fast, his right just hovering over your leg but never making contact. You decided to give the poor guy a break and a little help, taking both of his hands and putting them on your waist with both of yours over them to keep them in place.

"You're a take-charge kind of lady, aren't you?"

"Is that bad?"

"Not at all. I'm starting to think that it seems to be my type." His hips shifted and he scooted himself closer, and you could feel his grip tightening around you. "You sure about this?"

"Yeah...it's gonna be fun..."

Finally taking some initiative, he pulled you in shifted one of his hands to hold your back, gently sliding it up to your neck as his lips met yours. It wasn't a long kiss, and it still had the feel of being driven by nervousness much like as if it had been his first. Even with that, you felt an electricity between you, your skin coming to life with goose bumps beneath his fingers. Before the kiss was finished and his confidence arrived, you had easily decided that Steve Rogers was one of the best kissers that you had ever had the pleasure of being with.

"Was that your first kiss since 1945?"

"That bad, huh?"

"I didn't say that."

"Well it kind of sounds like that's what you're saying."

"No, I didn't," you quickly recovered. "I just wondered how much practice you've had."

"You don't need practice."

"Everybody needs practice."

"Okay, yes, it was my first kiss since 1945," he chuckled, though you felt like you may have crossed a line when it didn't sound genuine to you. "It just took a minute for me to warm up, that's all."

"Warm up? Really?" you smirked, standing up to return to getting ready. "Interesting choice of words, Steve, be careful. The jokes almost write themselves, and all it would take is one overzealous smartass to make your new life a living hell."

~~~

After getting ready to go in nearly complete silence as Steve waited on your couch, the long drive to the restaurant was just as uneventful and you began to wonder if the initial connection and attraction that you felt with him that day was a fluke. You could only excuse so much as nerves, but when he sat in the passenger side of your car with his eyes out the window the entire time, you couldn't help but feel a little bit uncertain. He had complimented how you looked, and seemed genuine, so you mentally marked that off your list. He still performed all of the textbook date moves of helping with your coat and opening doors, all with a smile, and you saw his hand make a motion towards yours a few times as you shifted the gears of the vehicle, so there had to be some interest there.

"So," you began, breaking the heavy silence, "whatcha thinking?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, (Y/N)," he sighed, turning to look at you and straightening up in his seat, "I was just watching the city go by and got caught up in it. It looks so different, ya know? I don't know if I'll ever get used to this."

"Oh, that's a huge relief," you sighed. When he raised a brow in confusion, you had to hurry to redeem yourself. "I mean, of course you'll get used to it. Things change, and you're already not the same man that you were back then. You're doing really well considering everything, Steve. I mean, come on, you figured out the subway system, that's huge."

"Thanks, that actually means a lot to me. Those maps are terrible, and to be fully honest, I was an hour early to your place because I was so scared of getting lost."

"That's kind of adorable."

"Wow, (Y/N), it's good to know that your standards are this low if that's adorable. I should make quite the impression."

For the last few miles of the drive, it began to feel comfortable with Steve again, and your initial worries were fading quickly as the conversation continued on. He had made a few attempts to reach for your hand again, thinking that he was being subtle and that you hadn't seen him. When you finally took the greater initiative and reached out for him, you could hear the audible sigh of relief and the shift in his posture. As the time had come to walk you in and present himself as your boyfriend for the first time, you had found your comfort with each other again.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Tony called out from across the restaurant, standing next to your equally shocked father, eliciting a loud groan from you that left Steve to straighten his posture in both curiosity and protectiveness. Your dad might remember stories of Steve as Captain America, but Tony really had no reason to know anything about him as far as you thought. Within a matter of seconds, he had left your dad's side and crossed the room to be standing directly in front of you and your date. "This old fossil, (Y/N)? Do you even know who this is?"

"Yes, I do," you snapped back, feeling Steve squeeze your hand when you tried to take a step forward, "do you?"

"Oh, Capsicle and I go way back," he sneered, giving Steve a sideways glance. "Well, not exactly me. Dear old Dad mixed up the magic juice that created this specimen that we see here. Looks like they thawed him out well enough." Tony turned to Steve and pushed his hands into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels with a bounce as he looked the Captain over. "Cold makes certain things shrink, and frostbite can be a bitch, you know. Have you checked him over to be sure that nothing...fell off?"

"Stark, so help me..." Steve answered for you, growing angrier with each word spoken from Tony's mouth.

"What? What are you gonna do, old man?" Tony goaded, tempting fate by taking a step closer, which he would very soon realize as being his second mistake in a matter of minutes. When his eyes darted to you for just a split second that any other man would have missed, Steve took his opportunity, landing a punch to Tony's jaw to set into motion a tumultuous relationship between the three of you that was about to be tested in ways that you had never bargained for.

"See," you turned to Steve angrily, "this is the smartass that I warned you about."

Part 3

"Steve, not cool," you snapped, "I think that's overreacting just a bit, don't you?" You knelt down at Tony's side to help him up, but he waved you off angrily in refusal and stayed put while his head still spun with dizziness from the hit.

"He's insulting and disrespectful, and someone needed to teach him not to talk that way in front of a lady. The Howard that I knew had at least a little more tact than that. You think that he would've handed some of that down."

"Don't talk about my dad like you knew him so well," Tony hissed. "You don't know shit."

"Do I need to make the other side of your face match that one?" Steve continued, resisting the urge to push you aside when you stood to place yourself between the two men.

"You need to back down," you commanded, finding yourself having to push against Steve's chest just to keep him from reaching Tony. "Steve, you can't just go around punching people like you did back in the day. He didn't even say anything that bad."

"Thank you-" Tony began, but you quickly shut him down with a hand raised and a cold glare.

"And you need to keep your mouth shut. Stay down, smartass," you barked out, "final warning."

"That was the first warning."

"And it's the only one you get, Stark. Don't underestimate me."

Steve watched you with a strange attraction building within him at the commanding presence that you had taken over the situation, and over Tony. He had always had to go straight to the fight, using his fists to make his point and to hold his ground more than his words ever could. But now, here you were, needing nothing more than a sharp tone and a practiced glare, and it was keeping a man like Stark cowering on the ground as a small crowd gathered to watch. He had seen this from only one other woman in his lifetime thus far, and he thought that he would never see the like again.

"Yeah, this is definitely my type," he muttered, his eyes widening at the realization that you had heard him.

"Excuse me?"

"Um...nothing...I didn't mean...sorry," Steve stammered, his confidence completely shattered when you turned your attention to him. He may love it when you take charge in front of him, but when he becomes the focus of it, his own bravado crumbles around him in seconds. "I'll just go wait at our table."

"Good idea," you nodded, reaching down to help Tony up. "Come on, let's get some ice on your face. That's starting to swell up pretty nicely and the right side definitely doesn't match the left anymore."

He followed you willingly towards the bar, finding himself enjoying the feeling of your hand in his just a little too much. The idea of your genuine concern left him confused and finding himself stuck in a swirl of ideas and emotions that his brilliant mind couldn't track. When he met you that first day, he was impressed by your ease with standing up to him, and his attraction was superficial, sure; but now...

"You have a great ass."

"Really, Stark? I'm trying to be nice and you throw that at me?"

"Isn't that nice?"

"For you, I suppose it is," you sighed, directing him to sit while you asked the bartender for a towel and ice. When you turned back to him to put the makeshift pack against his injury, he was looking at you differently; you didn't know the man well, other than your verbal sparring sessions, but from what you could tell, he had lost the arrogance, if that were actually possible. You put the ice against his skin, eliciting a wince, but when you put your hand on his other cheek to hold him steady, his own hand came up to sit atop it.

"You're missing your date," he offered quietly.

"He'll be fine. He hasn't had a date in 70 years, so what's a few more minutes?"

"Shit," Tony chuckled, "it takes balls to put Captain America in a time out. I'm impressed, (Y/N)."

"I'm not here to impress you, Stark."

"Tony."

"Yeah, I don't think that we're there yet," you smirked, trying to pull your hand away, but he held his grip, curling his fingers around it to keep it in place. "I...I should go..."

Tony kept your hand and pulled it from his cheek, bringing it to his lips for a gentle kiss before finally releasing you. "Thank you for taking care of me, (Y/N). You had no reason to. I've been nothing but an asshole to you, and you don't deserve that. I'm sorry."

"That's a first."

"Hey, I can be a nice guy," he scoffed, grabbing his chest in mock offense, "that really hurts me, (Y/N). Maybe if I'm lucky...you'll give me the chance to show you." You began to utter a reply, but he quickly began again. "Yes, I know that you're dating Grandpa America over there, and that's great and all, but don't worry, I can behave. I'd just like to get to know you better, and I bet that you and I could actually get along pretty well. We're more alike than I think that either of us want to admit."

~~~

After the horrible start to your first date, you weren't sure how you felt about this plan with Steve and Tony, and you cancelled out on the next two events that would have put them in the same room together again. Both times you had a flurry of messages from Tony asking where you were and if you were okay, but you left them all unanswered. Maybe he really was trying to be friends, and his concern may have been genuine, but it felt wrong to answer them with Steve next to you. You weren't interested in Tony that way, you were certain of that, but you couldn't fight the interest in knowing more about who he was, if for nothing else than to know if your initial impression of him was actually wrong like he said it was.

"Okay, what's on your mind?" Steve broke into your thoughts, nudging you with his elbow as you sat next to him on your couch. "You said this was your favorite movie and you haven't laughed once."

"Oh..." you jolted up, "um, nothing. It's nothing, just...work stuff."

"Anything I could help with?"

"No, don't worry about it. I'm here, I'll focus, I promise." You could feel him relax next to you at your assurance, so you pulled your legs up next to you and leaned in closer, resting your head on his shoulder much to his contentment. With his free arm, he reached out for a blanket that was draped over the cushion next to him, and with one swing somehow unfolded it perfectly over you both with one attempt.

"Is this okay?"

"Mmm hmm," you hummed, snuggling into him more. "You're really comfortable for a guy with so many muscles."

"Are you calling me soft?" he laughed. When you replied only with a long yawn, he laughed more, shifting you so that he could pull his arm out from under you to wrap it around you and pull you in closer. "Hey, we're just getting started here and you're already checking out? Do I bore you, doll?"

"Definitely not. I just had a long day, is all. I did also just mention that you're really comfortable, didn't I?" It became harder to keep your eyes open the longer that you rested against him, and you were quickly losing the battle to stay awake. "I might just have to keep you around if you can put me to sleep this easily."

"Not helping your argument, (Y/N). Masculinity failing over here." All Steve could do was laugh quietly, but this time he took care not to wake you when he noticed that your eyes had closed and your breathing had changed to a slower rhythm of sleep. It warmed his heart to see you trusting him so quickly, despite having known him for such a short time. He couldn't deny that he was developing feelings for you already, even after a few short days together, but he didn't have any urge to fight them. In a new world around him where he didn't know who to trust, and in one where he barely knew what his life meant now, it was comforting to have you there as a constant and someone who cared about him too.

Steve shifted slowly until he had turned himself well enough to hold you steady and to wrap his free arm under your legs to lift you to him. With cautious and steady steps, he brought you into your room and into your bed, pressing a soft kiss to your cheek before whispering a goodnight and turning out the lights. He considered staying overnight on your couch so that if you woke, you wouldn't be suddenly alone, but he didn't know if that would be welcome or not. Instead, he chose to clean up the popcorn that you hadn't even touched and folded up the blanket that you had barely used, turning off the television with a long sigh. Before he could make his way to the door, a buzzing from beneath the couch caught his attention, realizing that when he picked you up, your phone must have fallen.

He didn't mean to read the text purposefully, but when he picked it up, it was just...there.

Hey sweetheart, will I see you at the party tomorrow night? Stark Tower, 8pm. Wear something red, it's my color.

~~~

The next night when Steve appeared at your door to take you to the party that he wanted nothing to do with, he looked remarkable in the suit that you had bought for him and as handsome as any man you had ever seen, but the look on his face was cold and distant.

"Hey, what's wrong? I know that this isn't the best way to spend an evening, but we just have to make an appearance. Dad's making me go as a rep for the company, otherwise I would totally skip it."

"Would you?"

"Yeah?"

"That's a nice color of red on you," he snapped, barely glancing at what you were wearing to even know.

"Thanks," you answered skeptically, "but now how about if you tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing," he lied, "it's nothing...I just want to get this over with." He pushed his arm out for you to slide your hand through it to lead you to the waiting cab that he had outside, but he still wasn't looking at you. "You promised just an appearance, so that's all I'm giving it. We won't be able to get out of there fast enough if you ask me."

The cab ride was the only time that you had truly been uncomfortable in Steve's presence, and you had vowed to get to the bottom of it; before you could get the courage built up to do so, you were there and waiting for him to open the door for you to lead you inside. Rather than extending his arm this time, he willingly took your hand, leaving you to feel just a little relieved. Maybe he was just nervous about the public appearance after being out of their eye for so long and you were simply overreacting.

"Are you sure that you're okay?"

"Fine," he replied, trying to reassure you but failing, "just do me a favor? Stay close."

"Of course. Nowhere else I'd rather be."

~~~

The appearance turned into an hour, then into another and another once your father had pulled you away from your date. It left you to send apologetic glances across the room to him, and feeling pity on the poor guy when he had to fend off the random partygoer who wanted to get close because he was easily the most handsome man in the room. You could almost feel his discomfort from the whole other side of the lounge, but each time that you tried to get to him, something or someone would interfere. Case in point, being Tony now approaching you with a wide smile at the sight of your chosen attire.

"You wore red," he beamed, "just for me?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Tony."

"And you finally called me Tony," he gasped with a clap of his hands, "my goodness. Could it be that I'm winning you over, (Y/N)?" He reached out with an open hand, wordlessly asking for yours, which you reluctantly offered. "Let me admire," he asked gently, turning you around so that he could get a good look at the dress that you had to buy just for this event. "Tony likes."

"Well, Tony can like all he wants," Steve answered for you, "but he had better keep his hands off my girl."

"Hey, Capsicle, calm down. I'm just complimenting her, not trying to get her into bed. Actually, I've been meaning to ask. Have you two...you know..."

"Tony, stop," you warned, yanking your hand from his grip and stepping closer to Steve to slip it into his, which he shook away angrily. You berated yourself for giving Tony the chance to redeem himself, only to find yourself with Steve upset in the process. "Come on, Steve, we can go."

"Oh, now we can go, now that you're scared that I might knock the guy down again? All of the sudden you're concerned for his ugly mug? We should've left two hours ago, but I haven't seen you since we walked through the door."

"Okay, what the hell is your problem all of the sudden?" You caught Tony taking a step closer with his mouth open to add his own two cents, but you pointed at him with a glare to shut him down. "No, Tony, don't you dare. Alright, Steve, spit it out. What's crawled up your ass?"

"I saw the text, (Y/N). He called you sweetheart, and then asked you to wear red for him, which you did without question."

"You were reading my texts?" you asked in a whisper, your eyes filling with anger as your view of him began to shift. One of the most trusted men in history was suddenly turning into one that you had none for. "Steve, this is just business, that's all."

"Is that all I am too? Just business?"

"No, of course not-"

Steve silenced you with a hand up to interrupt when he saw Tony still watching, "look, I have no interest in talking to you with Stark listening in, and honestly, I'm surprised that you'd have anything to do with him. Unless you're starting to like the guy now? You know that he likes you and has been trying to get to you even knowing that I'm here, and all it would take is a glimmer of hope from you for him to save your dad's company. Maybe he's starting to get in your head."

"Maybe you need to step away," you countered, "and maybe this whole thing was a bad idea."

"Maybe it was," Steve hissed, looking from you to Tony one last time before turning away and leaving you there to watch. There was a small voice inside of you that was trying to urge you to follow him, but your feet didn't move; they still didn't move when Tony's hand landed on your arm to try to lead you away.

"Hey, let me get you a drink and we can talk if you want," Tony offered, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "That's all, I promise. Otherwise let me give you a ride home at least, to make sure that you get there alright."

"Yeah, okay, maybe just one," you agreed. Your gaze was locked on the door where Steve had just left you behind, and the hopes that he would turn back were dashed quickly. You should have followed him right then and there, and he may have even been standing on the sidewalk waiting for you to, but you may never know that now, as you turned and took Tony's hand against your better judgement.

~~~

The next morning, you woke up with a headache like none other, having found one drink to be a wonderful relief, followed by so many more that you had lost count. Talking to Tony had been far more entertaining that you thought it would be, and he actually turned out to be somewhat of a nice guy; actually much kinder than the previous impressions you had of him. He had explained it away as his business persona, and you readily took the explanation just as readily as you took each drink that he handed your way.

But now, as you struggled to push yourself up out of bed to close the curtains over a sun that was unrelenting and painful to look at, you immediately regretted having not followed Steve out instead. You worried about where he had gone and how he was doing, hoping that he would give you the chance to talk to him and explain how you felt. He definitely wasn't just business, and you didn't believe that he ever really was; you could only hope that he would still believe you.

Stumbling back across your room with barely opened eyes, you dropped into your bed with a groan, pulling the blankets up over your head to ignore the need to start your day. At least that was the plan until a voice shocked you into full sobriety and made your headache the least of your concern.

"Morning, sweetheart. You snore, by the way."

Part 4

Each hit to the bag shook the rafters that held it, and the more that Steve thought about your argument the night before, the stronger his punches became. The things that he had said to you were beyond reproach and he felt absolutely terrible about them, but it didn't make them any less true as to what he felt in the moment. The scene played itself out over and over in his mind until the crescendo of his rage reached its peak, his muscles contracting and rigid until the punch that would send the bag flying and broken across the room finally came.

Steve stood in place, out of breath and staring at the torn canvas and sand that had spread out across the floor, realizing that it held a strange similarity to how he was feeling inside; like he had taken a hit that left him torn apart with no way to put his spilled emotions back in. He felt exposed and exhausted, all because of someone that he had barely been given the time to know, and from a loss that he hadn't expected to hurt him so thoroughly.

"Trouble sleeping?"

"I've slept for 70 years sir, I think I've had my fill."

"Then you should be out, celebrating, seeing the world," Nick offered, slowly crossing the room towards the Captain.

Steve shuddered at the flash of the memory of how perfect you had looked at the party the night before, how celebrating was exactly how it should have gone, but he quickly shook it away and hung a new heavy bag to begin another relentless attack. He avoided Nick's stare that felt intrusive to him, keeping his focus only on his fists as they connected to the rough material, beginning to tear at the wraps that protected him. "You here with a mission for me, sir?"

"I am."

~~~

"Oh no," you groaned, keeping your head fully covered under your blankets, "no, no, no, no, Stark, please tell me that we didn't-"

"We didn't. Look, fully dressed over here."

"Oh, thank god," you sighed, throwing the covers to the side with a cringe at the severe sting in your eyes at the bright sunlight hitting them even through closed lids.

"Hey, you don't have to be so emphatically relieved, you know," he huffed in an offended tone. "It would be less of a hit to my ego if you were just a little disappointed."

"As if your ego could ever take a hit, come on."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." When you pushed yourself up again with a loud moan in pain from your head, he sat up quickly next to you and held you upright with a look of pure concern in his expression. "Okay, maybe getting up isn't the best idea. I don't have to go to work today so whatever you need, I can make happen."

"Stop being nice to me, Tony. You're supposed to be an asshole, remember?"

"I can do that too, if you're into that sort of thing."

"Let me go," you urged quietly, sliding your way to the edge of the bed to test your equilibrium and to see just how loud the pounding in your head could become. "I have a meeting with Dad today. We're working on a plan to get rid of you, actually."

Tony sat back against the headboard of your bed and watched you, both to be sure that you didn't suddenly tip over or fall on your face, but also to try to gauge what he was going to say next. What started out as a business relationship built on animosity had somehow become a strange almost-friendship of sorts, and he now found himself confused and uncertain about how to continue, which was more than unsettling to him. "There's no need, (Y/N)."

"Why? You don't think we can do it?"

"No, because I'm backing down. I know that you got Cap to stand in as your boyfriend just to get me to leave you alone, and if you're that determined that you'd try to buy a defrosted and confused geriatric, then I kinda feel bad taking advantage."

"I think you just insulted me...and Steve."

"You said that I was supposed to be an asshole-" he tried to argue, but the sound of his phone ringing cut him off, and at the sight of who was calling, he hurried to answer it. "Yeah...no...Stuttgart? Sure, I just need to grab a suit..." Tony glanced at you and swung his legs over the edge of your bed, standing quickly and crossing the room to grab his jacket and shoes while still listening to whoever was on the other end of the line. He cut them off and held his hand over the speaker, looking at you from the doorway with a face full of concern. "You sure you're gonna be okay?"

"Tony, I'm fine. Go."

"I'll call you when I can, but you might want to check in with Rogers," he offered, hurrying through the door before you could answer him. There was no reason for him to call you; you had no responsibility to each other and the interactions that you had so far were barely enough to call yourself friends. Your heart began to race with an unsettling feeling that whatever it was that Tony was on his way to do, and if Steve was about to be a part of it with him, then something very bad was about to happen and you were completely useless in helping either of them.

~~~

Even though Tony had assured you that there was no need for the meeting with your father and that he was going to withdraw from the purchase of your company, you felt like the discussion needed to be had about whether or not you should let him back down. He wasn't the man that you had thought he was at that initial meeting, and maybe letting him take over wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. The company wasn't even yours yet, and your father was still sold on the idea that marrying into the Stark name was the only way that you would be able to have it if he tried to take it over.

This meeting was the last thing on your mind, the events of the morning running through your head and only adding to the questions that you wanted to ask Tony. Even greater than that, the fight with Steve the night before weighed heavily on you and you resolved that as soon as this meeting was over, you would try to call him; God forbid if anyone from the party saw you leave with Stark and felt the need to report back to him.

"I think that we should let Tony buy," you began quietly. You had been staring at the financial portfolio in front of you for the last twenty minutes, but not a single word had been read. "I think we can convince him to let us keep our chairs as directors so we can be a part of decision making, but letting him buy might be the best chance that we have overall."

"Woah, where did the change of heart come from?" your dad answered in surprise. "I thought you hated the guy?"

"He's not so bad."

"Hmmm, could this mean that you might give him a chance-"

"Dad, stop it," you snapped, slamming your open hand down on the solid table top. "Enough with the idea that I'm going to end up with Tony just to save your ass. I'm with Steve...I think, and Tony is...he's...yes, he's my friend," you nodded in agreement with your statement, and feeling completely comfortable with the designation. "He's offered to back down from the sale, but I think that we should give him the takeover. We're clearly failing on our own, and with his name and connections, we could actually come out ahead. You could retire without a care."

"I'm not just signing my life's work over to Stark. Not after the fight that we've put up so far. If he said that he's going to back off, then just let him before he realizes that he's only screwing himself. Although, given his raging ego, he might actually enjoy that."

"Dad, come on," you grumbled quietly, leaning back into the chair in exasperation, "you know that my imagination runs with shit like that. Why would you go there?"

He smiled and chuckled darkly, mimicking your posture and leaning back in his chair as well. The two of you sat quietly again, much as you had at the beginning of the discussion, but this time he was studying your expression as if he were trying to read your mind. He hated to see you hurting, and he couldn't shake the feeling that there was so much more going on and that this was just something that you needed to scratch off your list. He tapped his fingers nervously against the smooth wood, the gentle drumming not enough to jolt you to attention. "Do you trust him, (Y/N)?"

"I think so...yeah."

"I'm gonna need a little more confidence than that, honey, if I'm going to sign over to him."

You cleared your throat in the hopes of finding your true voice, as it had already begun to fail you. Your eyes met his, and despite the warmth and welcome within the hazy gray looking back at you, you kept a distance and a wall between you so that there would be no question behind the answer you would give. It was the only way to make him see, and to convince yourself that you were certain.

"Yes, Dad. Believe it or not, I trust Tony Stark to do what's right."

~~~

Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?

Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.

Steve and Tony had been thrust into service together, neither of them wanting the other there and finding no value in what they could offer. It wasn't merely their already tumultuous history that pushed the wedge between them, it was also the fact that the last time they had seen each other was at Tony's party, where Steve had left you behind. You were a common denominator in their fight, and it was a problem that ran so deeply between the two that it risked jeopardizing the battle that they were about to enter. When the man known as Loki attacked them and left the helicarrier barely functional and suffering the loss of one of their own, it was finally enough to break Steve and Tony down enough to talk civilly. The personal fight that they were waging against each other would just have to wait.

"Was he married?" Steve asked about Phil, a man he barely knew, watching a solemn Tony stare into the empty hole where the cage meant for Bruce had once hung. He had felt that same despair himself in his past life, and the recognition of it in Tony was unsettling.

"No," he answered softly. "There was a cellist...I think."

Steve nodded slightly and leaned back against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest as he planned his next words. He didn't want to fight with Tony anymore; it wasn't doing any good, and with everything that had just come to light, they needed to try to be united despite themselves. "Have you talked to (Y/N)?"

"Um...no. No, not since this morning."

"This morning?"

"Yeah, I made sure that she got home safe after the party and stayed on her couch until she woke up."

"Thank you," Steve offered genuinely, his tone getting Tony to finally look up at him.

"You're an idiot."

"I've already reached that realization, thanks. But let's hear your argument anyway."

Tony pushed himself away from the cavernous opening in front of him and crossed the small room towards Steve, his shoes heavy on the metal grating beneath his feet. "That girl sat at the bar with me for the better part of the night, and all she could talk about was your dumb ass. I was sitting right there, looking fine as hell by the way, and she was all mushy over you."

"What did she say?"

"Nope, sorry," Tony scoffed, raising his hands up to halt him, "I promised my silence on the details. But I can tell you that you should call her and make things right before we get much farther here. I've heard enough of your personal business and I don't...want to...get grossed out..." His voice faded as his mind found a spark of an idea and allowed it to run free, desperately trying to track its pattern. "Personal...he made it personal," he gasped, turning to look at the blood stained wall where Phil had been a short time before.

"Okay, but that's not the point."

"That is the point," Tony argued in reply, "that's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"To tear us apart," Steve shrugged, waiting for the punch line and for Tony to get to the point.

Tony began to pace, his hands waving in front of him to match the flurry of thoughts in his mind, "he wants to beat us, and he wants to be seen doing it. This is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered-"

Steve paused and waited, watching Tony anxiously to hear the realization that he had come to, but before another word was uttered, a flash of your face crossed his mind at the sense of impending danger. When Tony finally gathered himself and looked back, Steve could have sworn that he saw the same thing in his eyes too.

"Sonofabitch."

Part 5

"Did you hear that?" your father stopped, holding up a hand to keep you silent while he tried to focus his senses. "That sounded really close."

"Yeah, that didn't sound good, did it?" you agreed. Waiting for him to walk around the table to join you, you both walked to one of the large windows that overlooked the busy streets below and didn't see anything of concern. When another loud blast shook the glass in front of you strongly enough for you both to take a jump back, your eyes were immediately drawn towards the direction of Stark Tower, but you couldn't believe what you were seeing, blinking in disbelief at the sight of a hole in the sky and Iron Man struggling to hold his own against an army of aliens pouring from it. "What the hell is that?"

He took a hold on your arm and tried to pull you back, but your eyes were fixed on every movement that Tony was making. "We should get away from the windows. (Y/N), come on," he urged, "we need to start evacuating the staff."

"Dad," you muttered, your voice nearly absent, "that's Tony. If he's here..."

"Then Steve will be close behind, I know, honey. Please, just get away from the window."

~~~

"Stark, we're on your three, headed Northeast."

"What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up Park, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you." Tony was doing his best to draw the attention of the Chitauri to himself, weaving in and out of buildings to gather as many as he could before he led them straight into Natasha's line of fire, but his course had sent him flying directly past the window that your father was still desperately trying to pull you away from.

"Okay, now they're on our street, (Y/N)," he scolded. "Get away from the damn window. Don't you think that Steve and Tony would want you to get somewhere safer right now? We need to work on getting our people out of here, and I can't do it alone. Come on."

"Right," you finally agreed when a blast hit the building directly across the street, sending concrete and glass spraying into the crowds as they fled in a panic a few floors below you. You thought that you caught a glimpse of a jet only a few blocks away so you paused, confirming your suspicion when you saw it lurching and sputtering with one engine fully engulfed in flames and its pilot struggling to land it safely for both its passengers and the citizens in its path. You lost sight of it when it passed behind another building, and even without being able to see who was inside, you knew that Steve was there.

Once the jet came to its crashing halt, Natasha, Clint, and Steve all ran out and onto the streets amidst chaos and destruction like they had never seen before; they were all completely out of their element and had no idea where to even begin to fight back. "We need to get back up there," Steve commanded, but paused, searching for any familiar markings or street signs. "What street are we on?"

"Does that really matter?" Clint snapped, drawing an arrow from his quiver. "I think every street is pretty equally screwed here, Cap."

"Yes, Barton, it matters..." Steve answered back, growling under his breath and continuing to look as they ran again. He was looking for your building, but the bedlam around him kept shifting his focus, and when an enormous Leviathan emerged from the sky and flew right over their heads, there was nothing else that he could think to focus on than that. "Stark, are you seeing this?"

"Seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

"Banner?"

"Just keep me posted."

Despite Steve's confusion and disbelief that Bruce would show up as Tony thought he would, he appeared a short time later, riding an old motorcycle that looked to be on its last life; the man himself looked disheveled and as if he had taken as much of a beating as the bike had. With the new team fully assembled, they stood firm at the center of battle, looking up at the fight ahead of them and knowing that they were completely out of their comfort zone, if they even had one as a group who had been thrust together only moments before.

"Call it, Cap," Tony urged, but before Steve gathered his thoughts enough to get a plan in place, he looked at his teammate with worry, and even though he couldn't see behind the mask, he knew that Tony was thinking the same thing.

"Tony, do you know if she's here?"

"No. I keep trying to do a fly-by but these damn things keep shooting at me and I have to divert," he groaned. "I don't want to draw them in anywhere near her, but I'll keep trying and I'll let you know. I'm worried too, Steve."

"Alright," he nodded reluctantly, drawing his focus back to work, giving directions to the group readily, finding himself taking on the role as a leader just as easily as he had done some seventy years before. His mind was racing now with strategy and determination, and if it had to be that he couldn't put any of that focus on you, he would have to put trust in his team to end this before anything could happen to the one person in his life now that he cared the most about.

~~~

You and your father had successfully evacuated the majority of the staff from your building, with only a few stragglers left behind with you in the final group to make their way to the subway stations below. It was hard to stay focused on the task and on the people in your charge, finding yourself trying to catch glimpses through the windows each time you passed by, desperately searching the skies for Tony and the streets for Steve, but never seeing either of them.

"That's everyone, (Y/N), let's go," your Dad commanded, joining you at the window for one last look that even he couldn't deny himself from having. "My god, what's happening? This is unbelievable."

"I don't know," you answered softly. "I hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they are, honey. Come on, let's get to the lobby with the others. They won't go until we're with them."

The two of you turned to leave and to meet the rest of your team, but a mere three steps would be the farthest that you would get, a Chitauri blast striking the side of your building that shattered every window around you and sending crumbling concrete beams spilling into the room. Large sections of ceiling began to give way and fall as they lost their supports, and the grip you had on your father's hand was lost when a jagged shard of glass speared itself into yours.

"(Y/N)!" he yelled for you, but debris continued to fall, separating you both and burying you under its wake. You could hear his voice but you didn't have the air to answer loud enough, the dust from the collapse filling your lungs with a stinging pain with each breath. His voice became softer and softer, followed by the sounds of his coughing and then nothing. The room that was filled with sunlight only a few moments ago was now pitch black around you, the weight of the fallen rubble pinning you to the ground. You fought to keep yourself awake despite the lack of fresh air to breathe, trying with every ounce of strength to push your way out to get to your dad. It became harder and harder to move until you finally had to stop, leaving you nothing else but to pray that Steve or Tony would come to find you.

"Cap, there's a building on 42nd past Madison. They've got a lot of civilians trapped in there."

"I'm on it," Steve answered readily, though his voice was shaky and riddled with the fatigue that his body was beginning to feel. "Wait," he stopped, his heart skipping a beat with fear, "did you say 42nd?"

"Yeah?"

"Stark! Have you checked her building yet?"

"No," Tony grunted, taking hit after hit, "been a little busy...keeping 'em occupied..."

The Captain didn't bother with another reply, pushing his legs to run as fast as they could down the battered streets, dodging though civilians who needed his help, but he couldn't allow himself to stop for them. He had only one focus, and that was to reach your building and to make sure that you were safe from the horrors happening all around him. The last time that the two of you had spoken had ended in an argument and an agreement that seeing each other was a bad idea, but he didn't mean it when he spat those words at you. If anything were to happen to you before he could apologize and make things right, he would never forgive himself for how he treated you; he let his jealousy get in the way of rational thought, and he decided in that moment, as he sprinted through battle, that he was beginning to love you.

Steve wasn't sure if it was your building that was taken hostage, but he took the chance that it was, bounding through the doors to see that he was right. A huddle of the staff who had been waiting for you were crouched against a back wall with Chitauri soldiers aiming their weapons to keep them back. He rushed in without a care to himself and pulled one of the aliens away while another tried to overtake him, but he prevails. The third soldier activates a bomb of some sort, leaving Steve scurrying to grab it before it can detonate with everyone in its range.

"Everyone, clear out!"

But his words didn't come fast enough; the bomb was thrown his way with only seconds to raise his shield to protect himself from the blast that threw him through the window and smashing onto a car on the street below. Steve hadn't felt pain in his body like this in as long as he could remember, and for just a moment, he thought that he had lost. A pained groan was the best that he could do as he pushed himself up, wearily sliding down from the car's roof and onto his unsteady legs. He closed his eyes for just a second to replay the memory of the sea of faces looking up at him from the lobby of your building, and he didn't see yours within it. He couldn't breathe a sigh of relief just yet, however, when he opened his eyes and they were drawn to the destruction a few floors above. The police had just started to lead your people out when he hurried with a limping gait over to a young woman who looked dazed, but had been staring his way since he had arrived.

"Ma'am, can you tell me, do you know where (Y/N) is?"

"She's still in there, I think...with her dad."

"Do you know where in the building?"

"They were in the conference room on 20th before the attack started."

"Thank you," he answered quickly, his feet moving before the words had fully left his lips, his pain suddenly resolved now that he had the sole purpose of finding you as his only mission; aliens were still dropping from the sky and his team was just barely holding their own, but none of that could be a worry to him now until he saw that you were safe with his own eyes.

"Stairs," he mumbled to himself, spinning around until an older security guard stepped up next to him with a helpful point in the right direction. Steve slammed the door open and bounded up each flight of stairs so quickly that he didn't feel his feet touch at all, and twenty floors passed by as if the time were nothing. He called out for you, going from room to room until he came upon the conference room that the woman below had said that you might be in. "(Y/N)?! (Y/N) are you here?"

Nothing.

"(Y/N)?" he tried one more time, but only received the same response. His foot had just cleared the doorway to leave when a small cough from your father caught his attention. He ran to the pile of rubble that had encased the man, digging frantically but cautiously until he could make out the colors of the red and silver tie that he was wearing.

"Sir, can you hear me?"

"My...daughter..." he coughed, trying to wave Steve away, but his attempts were futile. Steve's hands moved faster with each inch closer to him, tossing large chunks of concrete and metal aside until he came to a point where he could lift your dad out and to a safe place for emergency crews to retrieve him. He was barely conscious and his breathing was rattling and shaky at best; if Steve had to guess, the man wouldn't have survived much longer if he hadn't have arrived when he did.

"Barton! I need medical on the 20th floor of the building you sent me to on 42nd!"

"Steve?" Tony broke in, but he was cut down by a few hits that broke up the conversation. "Cap...ugh...did you find her...?"

"Not yet. There's a lot of damage up here..." his voice quieted and his vision focused on one small spot of light that was breaking through a stack of debris just enough for him to see the color of your hair peeking through. "(Y/N)!" he called out, diving at the pile with a renewed purpose and frenetic energy to free you from it. As he got closer, his motions became more purposeful and much more careful as to not cause you any more harm. "(Y/N), come on, doll, can you hear me?"

You were caught somewhere between wakefulness and a strange dream state, unsure if the voice that you were hearing was really Steve or if your mind was tricking you into believing that you were being saved by the man that you thought you would never hear from again. You didn't have the air in your lungs to support your voice after breathing in so much dust from the collapse around you; your throat was so dry that it felt as if it were on fire, and your body was unwilling to make any movements on its own.

"(Y/N), please..." he pleaded, slowly lifting you from the pile and against his chest, "just say that you're still with me. Just one word." Your body still felt warm in his hands so he took some comfort in that, but the stillness was what sent the wave of fear through him and the shivering chill down his spine. "Just one..." When you finally began to cough at the arrival of fresh air into your lungs, he allowed himself one quick sigh of relief before setting his focus back on getting you to safety. When you gave him the response that he had practically begged you for, it wasn't quite what he was hoping for.

"Tony..."

"Okay..." Steve groaned under his breath, "could we try a better word?"

Part 6

Steve carried you from the 20th floor all the way down to the main floor without a waver in his steps even as he dodged piles of fallen ceiling and clouds of debris dust hazing his vision. He had moved so quickly that he had brought you to the emergency crew before the one bringing your father down had a chance to follow. When he looked down at you, you were covered in a grey coating of powdered concrete and your eyes were still closed, but you were breathing; that was the only thing that he would focus on to keep himself together.

"Steve," you finally coughed, making him stop in his tracks. "Steve, you're okay...I was so...scared..."

"Shh, don't talk, (Y/N). I'm fine, and we need to get you to an ambulance."

"What's going on?" you asked anyway, despite his urging to stay quiet.

"I wish I knew, doll."

"Where's Tony?"

"In the air," Steve answered readily, "he's covering the perimeter so we keep this thing...whatever it is...contained." He walked up to an empty stretcher and put you down gently onto it as if you could break at any sudden movement. When he released his grip and expected you to do the same, he stopped in surprise when you still had ahold of him with your arm tightly around his neck and refusing to let go. "What? What is it?"

"I love you, Steve. Be careful."

"You do?"

"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry about that text from Tony, I should've told you," you answered, your words spilling out while you had the chance to say them. "We're just friends, I swear, that's all. I'm just worried about him too with all of this, and I want you both to be careful because if I lost either of you-"

His lips stopped you, pressed to yours with urgency and relief at your admission that you were returning the feelings that he was scared to admit to you. They were feelings that left him pretty terrified, given his crazy return to life not so long ago, and given how your relationship even came to be in the first place as just a poorly executed business deal. But in this moment, he was just so thankful to know that you felt the same that he let all the rest of that go and tried to let himself be lost in it.

"Stark! Stark, you hearing me?" Nick's voice broke in over the team's communicators, making Steve pull back urgently, breaking his contact with you and forcing him back into business mode. "We've got a missile headed straight for the city!"

"How long?" Tony answered with a grunt, sounding like he was barely holding his own anymore.

"Three minutes, max. Payload could wipe out Midtown."

"That's not enough time," Steve muttered to himself, looking down at you and over to your father, his burden lightening some as the medical crews now began to care for you too. "I can't get you two out of range fast enough."

"Out of range of what, Steve?" you asked cautiously. "Tell me."

"I have to go," he apologized, his normally vibrant blue eyes carrying a heaviness in them as he looked back to you, "I'm sorry." He leaned in for one last quick kiss before turning to run towards the door with his shield in hand in front of him and ready to fight at the second his feet could hit the sidewalk; he felt a new purpose in the battle now and his drive to protect you would carry him through anything. Before his hand touched the door to open it, he stopped for a beat and turned back to you to say what he couldn't believe that he almost forgot.

"I love you too!"

~~~

"Ma'am, you need to lie down."

"Ma'am, stop fighting us or we'll have to restrain you."

"Give it your best shot," you argued, ripping monitoring wires away from your arms and chest, "you have no right to hold me, I'm fine." Once you had yourself free of the entanglements and no one gave any further argument to keep you there, you rushed towards the window to look out at the bedlam on the streets for any sign of either Steve or Tony, but you saw none. Your heart began to pound in your chest, and you almost considered turning back to the paramedics to admit that maybe you shouldn't be up after all, but the sound of Tony's jets roaring past grabbed your attention; the giant missile that he was holding as he passed you almost stopped your heart from beating at all. He accelerated as he neared Stark tower and turned sharply upwards at the last possible second, his trajectory aiming right for the giant hole in the sky that was still dropping alien fighters from it.

"No, Tony, don't..." you gasped, turning back to your father in horror at what you were watching. "Dad, he can't do this. That's a one-way trip."

"Ma'am, please, I think you should sit down."

You waved the young paramedic away thoughtlessly, pressing yourself against the glass so that you could see up to where Tony was headed, but your view wasn't enough to see it all. Without a care to yourself, and not listening to the shouts of warning from your own staff and your dad, you ran out and onto the sidewalk with your gaze to the sky, not caring about anything other than the sight of your friend as he disappeared into the black void with the missile still in his hands. The sounds of shouting and brief celebration in the streets didn't affect you at all, even when the Chitauri around you dropped lifelessly once Tony had fulfilled his mission. You had only one focus, and that was to wait until he came back into view to see that he was okay.

"Come on, Stark," you mumbled to yourself, your breath held. Your heart began that pounding and uneven rhythm again, making you slightly dizzy from the rush, but you held firm.

"(Y/N)!" Steve called out, running down the street towards you. "What are you doing out here?"

"I had to see-" you stopped, gasping and pointing to the sky when Tony appeared just before the portal could close. "There he is!"

Steve reached you and took your arm in hand to hold you steady, spinning to look up and see his teammate emerging and falling to the Earth rapidly. "Son of a gun," he sighed, but it was quickly clear that Tony wasn't in control of his descent, his arms and legs limp and lifeless as he continued to drop.

"He's not slowing...down..." you warned Steve, but his attention was no longer on Stark when he felt the muscles of your arm weaken beneath his grip. The pounding of your heart was no longer loud in your hearing, replaced by a piercing ringing; your head felt as if it weighed a ton and your vision became spotty around you. The last thing you saw was Steve's panic and the Hulk grabbing Tony from midair just behind him.

~~~

When you woke up a short time later, or at least what you thought was a short time later, you were in a much cleaner environment than the one you were taken from, the scent of bleach filling your nostrils, broken only by the welcome breeze of fresh flowers as the door to your hospital room swung open. You nearly jumped out of your own skin in excitement at the visitors, one who you weren't sure if you'd ever see again.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"Tony!"

"Hi, doll."

"Steve!" you smiled widely, pushing yourself up to greet them. Your head began to swim just slightly, but you paid it no attention; you were just so relieved to see the two of them that nothing else mattered enough to break you away from your focus. "Wait," you paused cautiously, "tell me that you two aren't fighting. The last time I saw you in the same room together it was a disaster. Historically, not awesome."

"Nah, we're good," Tony shrugged, "it's amazing what a shared apocalyptic event can do to bring people together."

The two men each took a side of your bed and sat next to you, Steve taking your hand in his while Tony looked on; oddly enough, it wasn't uncomfortable now like it had been, as if both of them had come to a real understanding where you were concerned. When Steve reached up to brush a stray hair from your face, you saw Tony looking away in your peripheral vision.

"I'm so mad at you, Tony," you sighed, getting his immediate attention.

"What did I do?"

"You were nice to me!" you laughed. "You completely negated my entire argument that you're an asshole. I was kinda proud of myself for standing up to you at that first meeting. You totally just stole my thunder."

Steve chuckled under his breath and gave a wide smile at Stark, who couldn't help but join in on the jovial mood; it was a welcome feeling after everything that he had just gone through. He wanted so much to tell you what he saw, but he was sworn to secrecy until SHIELD could drain all of the information out of him first. It was something that had already begun to change something within him and he was desperate to have a friend to confide in, but it would have to wait. "I can still be an asshole, don't you doubt that for one second. And hey, saving New York really is on a whole other level of thunder, baby. You can't compete with me."

"There it is," you smirked, reaching out to pull him into a hug, cementing it into your mind that he was really there next to you; it still didn't clear out the memory of seeing your friend falling to his near-death, but it helped to lessen the sting of each time that you saw the fear still in his eyes. "You scared the hell out of me," you whispered as you held onto him, "so let's not do that shit again, alright? I'd kind of like to keep you around a little longer if you don't mind."

"Yes, dear."

"Um, excuse me?" Steve broke in sheepishly, giving the hand he was still holding a little tug. "If you don't mind, Tony, could I have just a few minutes alone with (Y/N)? I'll be quick."

"She's your girlfriend, Rogers. Take all the time you want," he answered with a wink to you. "I'll just go get us all some crappy coffee from the cafeteria." Tony gave you a quick kiss on the cheek and moved to the door, turning back at the last second with a snap of his fingers and his eyes alight with excitement as an idea popped into his head. "Have either of you guys ever tried Shawarma? There's a Shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it."

"How about if we let Steve talk to me first?"

"Sure. And then Shawarma after." Once Tony had finally gone and the door was shut behind him, Steve turned back to you with a changed expression; the lighthearted smile had faded just slightly, leaving a nervous grin in its place that had your curiosity piqued as you waited to hear what he had to say.

"I'm joining SHIELD."

"That's great!"

"But they're stationing me in Washington D.C. at HQ."

"That's not great," you sighed, your mood immediately deflated. "But hey, you know what, it's okay. That's just a train ride away, and we can still see each other. We can talk every day-"

"I want you to come with me."

"What?"

"You just said it yourself, if you need to come back here, it's just a train ride away."

"But my dad," you answered hesitantly, "the company isn't doing that well..."

"Tony took care of that. Oh...shoot," he stopped, clapping his hand over his mouth with his eyes wide, "I wasn't supposed to say anything. People shouldn't tell me stuff, I'm sorry."

"What do you mean, he took care of it?"

"Okay," he began, "but when he tells you, could you please just try to act surprised so I don't get into trouble? Your dad sold the company to Tony, but Stark set it up so that he's still CEO until he decides to retire and hand the role to you. He wanted to make sure that the way the company is run is still up to your family. Tony is a silent owner and wants to stay that way. His name won't even be on the letterhead."

"That jerk," you sniffled, rubbing the sleeve of your hospital gown over your eyes, "he is an asshole, I knew it. But that's fine, I just have my work cut out for me, is all. From this day forward, it's my mission to show everyone proof that Tony Stark has a heart whether he likes it or not."

~~~

As Steve prepared for his move to Washington, you helped him to pack what he wanted to take from his New York apartment, and he helped you move some of your things in; there was no point in having two apartments in the same city, so this would be your home when you came back to see your father and do company business. The process of getting Steve packed was slow work, with so many historic items catching your eye and your curiosity; he spent more time telling you stories and explaining things than he did doing any packing. Eventually you both decided that it would be best if you took the time to say your goodbye's to Tony, so you left him to visit the renovation at the tower.

"Hey, (Y/N), get over here," Tony greeted unceremoniously, waving you towards a 3-D hologram of the blueprints for the work being done around him. "I want you to see the finished plan. I think that the team is gonna to love it. My luck they'll be hanging around here all the time and I'll never get a minute alone again."

"You don't fool me, Stark. You like having friends, you just won't admit it," you chided, nudging him playfully in the ribs with your elbow, eliciting a small wince before he draped his arm over your shoulders while you both continued to inspect the plans.

"We're a good team, you and I," he offered. "You've really stepped up to my level. How does it feel to be a genius?"

"Well, I really wouldn't know, now would I?"

"(Y/N), give yourself some credit, please. Avengers Tower is your baby. Give yourself...twelve percent of the credit."

"Twelve percent?" you groaned, pushing his arm away. "Twelve percent for my baby?"

"An argument can be made for fifteen."

"An argument can be made for pulling my input out of this project altogether if that's how you want to play it."

"Nope, nope, let's not be hasty," he backpedaled quickly, "tell you what. The next building is gonna say (Y/L/N) on the tower."

"On the lease," you retorted with a point and a satisfied smirk. He tried to put his arm around you again to hold you at his side but you darted away at the last second, leaving him to watch you changing the holograms from floor to floor so that you could see the final layout of each living space, particularly the one for you and Steve.

"Alright, (Y/N), lay it out there for me, just so I know," he asked, "exactly how many buildings is this friendship gonna cost me?"