Steve would never belittle Toni Stark
Toni Stark fics usually seem to be about how she's moved on from awful boyfriend Steve or how Team Cap expects everything to be the same after they're pardoned. In one gem they have Steve yell at Toni that he wished Howard were there because Toni was such a brat. While that is probably true, Steve would never say that. Maybe he should...
Note: Set after Avengers 1.
***
Everyone turned when Toni finally strolled into the room.
Clint said, "Don't bother pouring yourself some coffee because it went cold a while ago."
Steve asked, "Was there a conflict we didn't know about? Your schedule looked clear to me."
Toni shrugged and said, "You know how it is with geniuses."
Thor frowned and said, "I know on Asgard, genius is balanced with courtesy and a sense of one's other responsibilities."
Bruce said, "It would have been nice to let us know you were going to be late."
Toni crossed her arms and said, "Do you realize how much I have going on at any given moment? I AM the owner of a multi-billion dollar company."
Clint said, "Pretty sure Pepper Potts does most of the work, at least according to Time Magazine."
Toni said, "Well, I was in the middle of a breakthrough!"
Natasha lifted an eyebrow and said, "According to Jarvis, you were debating which shades of red and gold might look better on your next armor."
Steve stood up and said, "Toni, if we want to be a team we need to lay some groundwork. That's what this meeting was supposed to be about."
Toni got in Steve's face and said, "DON'T you dare call me a brat."
Steve looked confused as he said, "I didn't, I just--"
Toni poked a finger in Steve's face and said, "I bet you wish HOWARD Stark was here instead of me."
Steve looked at the others, but they seemed just as bewildered. Steve took a deep breath and said, "I don't know how to answer that. I can tell you that Howard treated his colleagues with respect. And even though he was head of a multi-million dollar company, he understood that other people's time was as valuable as his."
Toni shook her head and said, "I'm done. See how long you last until you come crawling back to beg me to join your little project."
***
When Nick Fury found out Toni had taken herself off the Avengers Initiative, he recruited Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne instead. Fortunately, Toni created the Ultron program but never had access to the scepter to upload it. She also never forgave the Avengers for deciding they were better off without her.
When Thor shared his Asgardian mead with Steve after the scepter was recovered, Steve got drunk enough to admit that yes, he would have preferred Howard Stark to Toni Stark. (But Steve didn't get drunk enough to reveal he could move Thor's hammer. Thor didn't find out until they became a couple and he saw Steve shift Mjolnir out of the way when Thor accidentally left it on top of Steve's sketchbook.)