3.
Steve considered ignoring the mobile phone vibrating silently in his pocket, but in the end his conscience wouldn't allow him to do so. After all, it could have been something important, like another mission or news about Peggy. Only instead of Director Fury's name or the hospice number, Tony was grinning at him in amusement from the display.
Steve could tell from the background that Tony was standing in the quinjet, holding Steve's shield in front of him. There was a shadow of a bruise on his left cheek and a split lip, yet he was smiling, his eyes shining with mischievous amusement. The wrinkles that were forming around his eyes and mouth and even on his forehead made him look like a completely different person. If he had only known Tony from a photo, he would have thought he is a funny and nice guy. Of course, he was that too, but he was also arrogant and mischievous, and no matter how hard Steve tried, somehow Tony always managed to piss him off.
Nevertheless, he raised an eyebrow at the photo and chuckled in amusement. He had no idea when Tony had managed to do that, because he hadn't left the shield or his mobile phone lying around. It was just that Tony always found a loophole to do what he wanted. He even changed the name of the contact. It no longer simply said "Tony Stark" but "Genius, Millionaire, Philanthropist, Playboy and definitely more famous than you!" He laughed at that, it was all Tony. He picked up the call.
"Hello, Tony. Tell me, when did you manage to get your hands on my mobile phone and shield without me noticing?"
He heard Tony laugh, which made him smile too. He actually quite liked the laughing and relaxed Tony, he was more bearable and the conversation flowed with him. It didn't feel like pulling teeth.
"Once you fell asleep in the jet, soldier. But that was quite a while ago, how come you didn't figure it out sooner? By the way, I'm very offended that you didn't have my picture!"
There was a clear sign of genuine hurt in his voice. Except Steve didn't even know that it was possible to add photos to your contacts, so he hadn't thought of such a thing. Besides, how would he do that? He couldn't just walk up to Tony and take a picture. The only way he could download a photo from the internet, but he didn't know how to do that either.
"I don't know how to add photos to contacts. I didn't even know it was possible," he admitted without shame.
"Yeah, I forgot you're from the Stone Age," he said. "Hey, why am I calling anyway. Jarvis told me your house burned down."
His eyes once again traveled down to the still burning apartment building. The flames were smaller now, people were slowly disappearing from the streets, either being picked up by relatives or driven to the hospital in ambulances. Steve tried to take in only Tony's voice fully and ignore the other sounds. The sirens of ambulances, police and fire trucks were very loud indeed.
"Well... yeah, Jarvis is right," he admitted. "It's pretty crazy in here right now. Luckily no one's trapped inside and the firefighters are managing to contain the fire."
"What's your plan now? Sleep at the SHIELD base? Or find a comfortable cardboard box on a street corner?"
"I'm afraid I wouldn’t fit in a box, so I'd rather choose SHIELD. Why do you ask?"
"I have a spare floor in the tower. With a room, a bathroom, a kitchen, a closet, and plenty of other necessities... So I was just wondering if you might want to stay with me while you figure out what to do next."
Steve didn't answer for a long time. He remained staring in surprise at the white pebble on the sidewalk, replaying Tony's words in his head. He never dreamed that Tony would be the one to offer him refuge. He'd expected him to laugh at him, to make fun of his situation, but to invite him into his home.
A young fireman ran past him, holding a small Chihuahua in his arms, dazed by smoke fumes.
"Somebody get that dog some oxygen!" he yelled at the paramedics.
"Hey, Cap?"
Steve jerked. He stopped to think that he now represented the Chihuahua and Tony represented the firefighters and the paramedics, which was a really crazy idea. He must have been more tired than he really thought.
"That's very thoughtful of you, Tony, I appreciate it," he began slowly, trying his best to show that he really appreciated Tony's offer. But he couldn't just accept it after all. It wasn't proper to just take advantage of someone's hospitality when he had somewhere else to go. "But I'd hate to bother you."
"Hey, were you listening to me? I have a free floor, we don't even have to meet if we don't want to!" Tony said. "Besides, I'm not doing this for you, Cap. It's for me and the team. If you sleep on that torture device SHIELD cheekily calls a bed, you'll be more of a pain in the ass than you already are, and every mission will be a torture."
Steve chuckled lightly. Tony was absolutely right about that. How many times had he wondered if he'd slept better in the trenches than in their beds. He sighed. Tony's offer sounded really tempting.
"You're always so helpful to everyone, mother hen. Let someone help you for once... But I won't force you."
He straightened abruptly and frowned. He called him Mother Hen again, and Steve didn't like it one bit. But he had to give Tony the benefit of the doubt again. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Plus, he could spend a little more time with Tony that way and it would certainly help them get to know each other more and get along better during missions. Or maybe it would drive them even further apart, but he couldn't know that. He let out a long sigh, resigned.
"If you really don't mind, Tony, I'd like to take you up on your offer."
"Okay. Are you still outside the house? I'll pick you up, I'll be there in ten minutes."
"Ten minutes? Tony, even if you broke all the traffic laws, you wouldn't get here sooner than in half an hour."
"I'm on my way already."
Steve paused and shook his head at Tony's actions. He was so different from Howard...
"You didn't count on me saying no, or you wouldn't take no for an answer?"
"The former, Cap. No one just turns Tony Stark down."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Drive carefully."
He hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. He sat down on the low wall of the opposite house and waited motionless for a ride. His stomach twisted strangely, as it always did when he had to spend time alone with Tony. He hurriedly tried to push the feeling away, at least a little. It wasn't nervousness or anxiety or anything like that. He didn't know why he felt this way. He didn't understand it himself.
No, he'd be lying. He knew exactly what was happening to him, he just didn't want to admit it. If he did, it would become real, and he didn't have the time, space, or mood for that right now. All he had to do was ignore it and try to distract himself with anything else. At the same time, he knew he'd be screwed the moment Tony smiled at him and his eyes melted like hot chocolate. He'd never realized before how many shades of brown eyes could have. Or was it just Tony's eyes that did that? Who knows...
Steve liked watching them. When he was happy or absorbed in something, his eyes would glow and be the color of the mentioned hot chocolate. When he was angry, they were like ice chestnuts. And when he was really white-faced, they darkened so much they were almost black.
He sighed and slumped his shoulders. You're screwed, Rogers. You're really, really screwed...
Steve heard the pleasant purr of the engine, and the next moment a white sports car that he already knew he'd have a hard time fitting into drove up to him. Smiling, Tony rolled down the window and cast him an amused look over the rim of his sunglasses.
"I gotta say, you look pretty good for a homeless guy... Consider this a kidnapping, Captain," he joked, reaching across the seat to open the door for him. "Get in before more firefighters get behind my ass and block us in. You just had to get into that house, didn't you?"
Steve shook himself a little so he wouldn't get Tony's car dirty and quickly got in. He hit the ceiling of the car with his head and the dashboard with his shins. Tony instructed him which buttons he could use to adjust his seat, which he did immediately. He pushed them gently so as not to destroy anything and soon he at least had leg room.
"Next time I'll come in a jeep," Tony mumbled, backing out quickly and heading back to the tower.
"Thanks, Tony," he gave him a smile. "I just helped them get the few people of the house. But they were extremely lucky that my apartment and the one next door were empty. There were no deaths and the injuries are not serious."
"Sure, lucky..." he remarked and looked at him. "Do you believe that tale about the gas explosion, Rogers?"
"Sure. Why shouldn't I?"
Steve frowned in confusion, watching Tony. Until now, he hadn't thought of the explosion as anything other than an unfortunate accident, but Tony had put the bug in his head. Had someone done it on purpose? And if so, why?
"You don't think it was an accident?" He voiced his current concern.
"Maybe. The possibility is there, you have to admit that."
"Certainly, but why?"
Tony grinned and looked at him for a moment. "Look, Cap, the world may be full of people who love you, but it's also full of people who want to get rid of you for good."
Steve was silent. He frowned at Tony's words,because he was absolutely right. He tried to search his memory to see if there had been any similar incidents or other attacks on his person recently, but came up with nothing.
"Or maybe I'm just paranoid," Tony waved his hand over it, as he always did when he wanted to close a subject. Steve didn't fight it, even though his brain was going full blast. That's when he noticed Tony's wrist, reinforced with a brace. He frowned more than he had before and all previous thoughts were forgotten for the moment.
"Tony, has this happened during the mission?" He asked, motioning to his hand. Tony looked up as well and moved his hand slightly. Steve could clearly hear the sharp intake of pain.
"You should have told me," he reprimanded him sternly. He wasn't surprised that Tony had withheld it, but that didn't mean he agreed.
"What difference would it have made, Cap?" He grumbled. "You'd kiss me on it and everything would magically heal? Please..."
"I need to know about these things, Tony, so I can put it in my report. And also to get you proper medical attention."
"Hmm, doctors? No, that's not really for me. A brace, painkillers and a drink will do, you'll see."
Steve sucked in a sharp breath, ready to answer, but in the end he didn't. He wiped the bridge of his nose, let the air out of his lungs again, and leaned back more comfortably in his seat. He didn't want to argue with Tony, not after how well they'd done on the mission today. Another argument could send them back a few steps, which he really didn't want to do. He closed his eyes, taking in only the purr of the engine and Tony's steady, regular heartbeat.
They drove a few more yards before Tony jerked the wheel hard to the right and they pulled over to the side of the road. Steve jerked in surprise and watched as Tony held out his hand to him. He didn't move from him, letting his cool palm rest on his forehead. He frowned in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to see if you're sick. You look sick to me."
"What? No, Tony, I'm not sick. I'm a super soldier, I can't get sick..." he explained slowly, still confused by Tony's actions. He stared into his eyes, which were darker and harder, more wary than usual, and wondered what the hell he was up to.
"Really? You've been a millius all day, making jokes when we called, not scolding me for speeding, and now you're not even shitting on me. What's wrong with you, Rogers?" he said very seriously.
"Tony..." he gulped wearily, only now ducking his head from his hand. It was too distracting. "I'm not sick, just tired. And I don't want to argue with you. Yes, I'm angry that you didn't tell me about your injury, because I honestly think I should know about such things. But I'm not going to change anything by arguing with you now."
"Hmm..." Tony narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, looking Steve over carefully. Steve returned the gaze.
"Still, I'd like to know why you kept it from me."
Tony shrugged, gripped the steering wheel, and shifted back into heavy traffic. The cheery lights had gone from his eyes, allowing Steve to see that he was as tired and battered as he was. It wasn't often that Tony let himself be seen like this. He usually had his mask on, sometimes arrogant, sometimes giving the impression that nothing in the world could throw him off. He gave out fake smiles, cracked jokes and never let anyone see under that mask.
"We've been busy enough with your shoulder, Hulk, and the whole situation. Plus the kids..." he frowned. "My arm wasn't a priority."
Steve smiled gently. "Tony, you're an important member of the team, you know that. Your health is just as important as anyone else's."
It wasn't long before the mask was back in place. Tony chuckled and sighed carelessly, leaning back in his seat. "If you say so, Cap." He waved his hand again and Steve knew the discussion was over.
Finally, they reached the tower. Steve looked out the window, noticing that despite the darkness, there were a large number of older kids and teenagers in the area. They were mostly perched on benches or on the ground on blankets, staring at their cell phones, tablets or laptops. But many of them were also looking at their textbooks and writing something. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"There are a lot of them here..."
"These kids?" He laughed. "Well, I'd say so. How could they not? I've arranged for them to have free WiFi around the tower. I've got the best coverage in town," he declared proudly, pulling down into the underground garage.
Of course Steve knew what WiFi was, Tony and Clint had explained it to him several times. Wireless internet, he repeated the definition in his mind, just to be sure.
"Why would you do that?"
"Not everyone has that," he shrugged. "And they need the internet, if only for school. You know, Rogers, everything just happens over the internet these days. Plus, I'm a generous man! I do generous things."
Steve had to chuckle softly when he saw Tony strutting around. He straightened up proudly, his chin jutting forward and a very smug look playing on his face.
"That's nice of you. It's just too bad it's going to get too cold to sit outside soon," he remarked, more to himself.
They got out of the car, and Steve slammed the door with all due caution and followed Tony to the elevator.
"Welcome back, sir."
He jerked and looked around quickly. He knew Jarvis, of course, and recognized him by his voice, but he was still startled. It was one thing to have a communication device in his ear, then he expected someone he couldn't see to be talking to him. But he wasn't prepared for hearing Jarvis' voice seemingly out of nowhere. Tony started to laugh.
"Jarv, man, you're scaring our guests! Go shame yourself into a corner, go."
"I'm sorry, Captain Rogers. I didn't mean to scare you," Jarvis apologized, ignoring Tony's... order? Could Jarvis even obey him and go shame himself into a corner? Though Steve often forgot that Jarvis wasn't a living person, he doubted Jarvis even knew how to feel shame.
"It’s all right, Jarvis. You just surprised me. Have a nice day."
"You too, Captain. Mr. Stark informed me that you'll be staying with us for a while. I'd like to let you know that I'm running the entire tower so you can hear me everywhere. I hope I don't startle you again."
"He said he informed me," Tony snorted half aloud. Steve smiled.
"Certainly not, Jarvis. I'm sure I'll get used to it soon enough. Besides, I shouldn't stay here too long. As soon as I find a new apartment, I'll leave."
"Jarvis will help you with that," Tony assured him, patting him on the shoulder. "You hear that, Jarv? Start putting together a list of available apartments in Brooklyn."
"Of course, sir. I'll leave it on the starkpad in your apartment, Captain."
"On the starkpad..." repeated Steve slowly, wrinkling his brow, making Tony laugh again.
"Better print it out for him, Jarv."
"As you wish, sir."
The lift doors opened and Steve entered a large room with brown sofas, armchairs and a fireplace to the right and a kitchen place to the left. The entire wall opposite the elevator was glass, giving Steve a great view of New York at night. Everything, walls and floors, were covered in cool marble, with only a soft looking carpet under the sofas.
He exhaled in admiration, looking around constantly, not noticing Tony's amused gaze. He managed to move to the bar at lightning speed and was already clutching a glass of whiskey.
"So what do you say?"
"It's... big," Steve remarked awkwardly. Tony turned his eyes to the ceiling and chuckled.
"I was expecting more enthusiasm."
"I'm not used to this, Tony," he smiled apologetically. "It's really spectacular here. I didn't expect anything less, though."
Tony chuckled, took a sip of whiskey, and gestured with his hand to an area off one of the hallways. "You'll usually find me somewhere in there, either in bed or in the workshop. But Jarvis always tells you exactly where I am, so you don't have to bother looking. If you'll be craving my company, of course," he winked at him. "Your apartment is a few floors down, Jarvis will show you around. Make yourself at home, and if you ever want to make me breakfast, I won't be mad."
Steve smiled and just nodded, remaining silent as he was at a loss for words. He walked over to the windows and looked out. New York seemed small from up here like this. For a moment he thought he felt like the master of the world and immediately understood why Tony had this built.
"Anyway, I'm going to bed. And so should you. Jarv, take care of him. And, dude." He walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Make yourself at home."
"I'm really very grateful, Tony. Good night."
"Good night, good night."
Tony left and Steve, at Jarvis's request, went back to the elevator.