August 1990- pt.3
Steve sat in a waiting area for a Director Carter to arrive for the day. Her assistant had said that he couldn’t guaranty Peggy would see him and Steve didn’t want to drop who he really was. He didn’t have to wait long.
Peggy came walking in still beautiful and strong despite the gray hair. “Mr. Anders, Good Morning?”
“Good Morning, yourself Mrs. Carter. Mail’s on your desk next to your coffee. Also, you have three meetings today one with Senator Redding. And there is a gentleman here to see you.”
That stopped Peggy. “A gentleman? Anders, can I have his name?”
“Ma’am. Did not give it, but he insisted he should see you.”
“Insistence does not get you into this building without some form of I.D. Now if he didn’t come in with an I.D he came in with a fingerprint which means he’s an Agent of SHIELD so who is he and why does he insist, then I will think about meeting him.”
Steve stood. “I’m not an Agent of SHIELD, but I guess you transferred everyone from the SSR over to the new system, and that’s how I got in.”
Peggy turned around and could really couldn’t see who she was talking to from the backlighting of the window, but she could see his outline. “I doubt you are an Agent of the SSR you are far too young and I knew them all.”
Steve stepped forward more. “Yeah… I’m sorry I’m almost fifty years too late.”
Peggy leaned back against Mr. Anders's desk. “Steve?”
He smiled. “Howard found me in the Artic a few days ago. You look well.”
Director Carter was flabbergasted. “And you look exactly the same. I’ll see you in my office in five.”
Five minutes later, Steve was walking into her office. She had her chair turned away from him. “Close the door, please.”
He complied and with the click of the door, Peggy turned her chair around with a gun pointed at Steve. The alpha immediately put his hands in the air. “Easy Peggy, I’m not bulletproof and I ain’t got my shield.”
“I know it’s in my weapon’s lockers. I’m currently on hold for Howard, while his butler, Mr. Jeeves fetches him.”
Steve smiled. “You’re testing me. Jarvis, his name is Jarvis.”
The gun remained trained on him. “Explain to me how you still like the same.”
“Well, if you remember they locked me in this coffin with a window and injected a shit ton of serum into me.”
There was a faint ‘Hello’ on the other end of the telephone lying off the hook. With the hand that wasn’t holding the gun, Peggy hit a button that put it on speaker. “Howard, how are you?”
“I’m good, Peggy. A bit busy how are you?”
“I’m fine. But have a feeling there is something you want to tell me?” She kept her eyes trained on Steve.
“Um… anything, in particular, you’re asking about?”
Peggy rolled her eyes. “How were you’re summer Arctic trip this year?”
The line was quiet for a few seconds before Howard spoke. “Steve’s there isn’t he.”
“Howard! How could you not tell me this?” She put the gun into her lap.
“I found him two days ago, Peg. I’ve been trying to file paperwork to raise a man from the dead and you’re upset ‘cause I haven’t had time to call or come over there.”
Peggy huffed. “Have you at least-“
“I found him by tracking the vita-radiation, his prints check out. Voice recognition checks out. I’m still waiting for a DNA analyze from one of my labs, but yes Peggy he knows things, things only Steve would know.”
She sighed. “Howard, you're insufferable as always. Give my love to Maria, Tony, and Mr. Jarvis.”
“Do I get any-“ Peggy cut Howard off by hanging up.
“So you are Steve?”
Steve moved to sit down in one of the chairs. “I am but there currently two of me in this timeline.”
“Elaborate please.”
“Um… I don’t actually waken from my original plane crash until 2009, but what was two days ago for me. I came in contact with an object in SHIELDs vaults that transported me back in time to two days ago. ”
“So you’re here to get that object to take you back?”
Steve shook his head. “I can’t go back yet. One: I haven’t retrieved the artifact for you yet and two: If I go now there are two little boys I care about in the future who wouldn’t be there when I get back. SHIELD thought I had a concussion because I couldn’t remember the 1990’s well after I went through the time machine I realized it wasn’t my past I had to forget I was my life I was yet to live. ”
Peggy shifted. “And who are these boys?”
“My sons.”
She nodded. “You know I was so angry and lost when you left, I thought of how my life would be if you had stayed.” She smiled a bit. “But then I wouldn’t have Daniel and I wouldn’t have my son and daughter, and a grandchild on the way. So I understand. But do you plan on changing anything?”
Steve shook his head. “I don’t think I want to decide that until I have my mate and children. Which I suppose is really why I’m here? In my past, I guess, what I know about my future is I continue being Captain America for SHIELD like I did for the SSR.”
Peggy smiled. “You’ll have to go through training like any other SHIELD recruit.”
“I suspect it will be easier the second go around.”
They talked for a few more minutes, before Mr. Anders comes over the com, “The Senator has arrived for your ten’o clock meeting.”
Steve stood. “That’s my cue. It was good to see you, Peg.” Awkwardly the Captain went for a salute unsure of what to do.
Peggy shook her head and moved from around her desk. “That won’t do, soldier, I’d much rather have a hug.”
“Your mate won’t mind?”
She hugged him. “Steven, you know me better than that. Do you really think he’d be my mate if he was jealous of my old friends.”
Steve gave her one last squeeze, before heading for the door. With his hand on the handle, he stopped. “Can I ask you about something really quick?”
“Of course.”
“Your rule on not giving friend’s government contracts, I’m not trying to change that, but can you give Tony a chance to try and his hand. He’s brilliant, and he’s got a lot of people at S.I think he’s not qualified to be there. If he got even to give you even a presentation I think he would feel much better. He just needs someone to listen and seriously consider his ideas.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Steve nodded and headed out the door.
Upon arriving at the Stark manor, Steve was greeted to the sight of movers moving several boxes and Tony letting them know exactly what they should be doing. “Where are you off to?”
Tony paused and turned around. “The building you went with me that day. I bought the whole apartment complex so I could have the apartment I wanted and stop the displacement of its residents.”
“The residents?”
“Yeah. The Chu’s have lived there since… well, I’m pretty sure since you were walking the streets as a string bean. Their restaurant is on the street level. Mrs. Chu makes the best pork dumplings you’ve ever tasted. I can’t go through heat without them. I already told them I was buying the building and as long as I got free food they wouldn’t have to pay rent.”
Steve was a bit taken aback by Tony openly talking about such things. Some of the movers shot him a look that told Steve Tony was still a rebel even in this time period. “I’m sure I’ll have to try them sometime.”
Steve waved and started up the stairs, then stopped. He turned back to Tony. “I’ll tell you what I’ll help you set up your apartment if you use your free food privilege and let me try those dumplings.”
Tony grinned. “Will you do it with your shirt off?”
Steve gave him that I’m serious look. “Tony” he warned.
“Okay. Okay. You can keep your shirt on. Deal.”
Steve shrugged off his jacket and started loading boxes.
Tony’s apartment was behind the restaurant on the first floor. A door next to the entrance of Chu’s lead down a long hallway and opened to a large apartment. Well large for Brooklyn. There was a large window with a view out over the water. A view, which a fire escape cut through. Steve noticed very quickly there was no kitchen only a sink next to a few counters. Tony put down the box he was carrying and quickly began flitting about the apartment.
Where the sink was he pointed. “I have renovators coming on Thursday to make that into a kitchen with a fridge and stove.” He pointed down the hallway. “I have two bedrooms and then they are also adding a shower into the bathroom and installing a larger hot water heater.”
He motioned to the whole giant expanse in front of the windows. “This is going to be my tinkering area/living room. The bedroom without the windows is going to be my room the other one is for storage for the time being.”
Steve smiled setting down the “You know I used to share a one-bedroom apartment. That wasn’t as big as this opened area. Has real estate just gotten that much better?”
“Oh god no! It's so much worse. This wasn’t even an apartment it was a small business that moved away. Which is the reasoning for remodeling. This space would be easily four thousand a month.”
Steve made a wheezing noise at the price. Tony continued. “Justin Hammer- total dumbass- his dad bought up most of these buildings over the last few years he’s had plans to gentrify this whole area and kick out the families that have been here since… well, I guess since the depression. So I bought a took a look at his development plans and bought out several of the properties that were key to his plans, basically, he and I have been having a real-life game of monopoly for the past year and a half.”
Steve knew he was going to regret asking this. “How did you get a look at his plans?”
“Because Justin’s an idiot that leaves his plans laying around his house. And his post-coital naps are deep enough you could fire a gun over his head and he'd never notice.”
Steve sighed as the movers brought in more boxes. “Tony. Please tell me you used some form of protection.”
Tony grinned and moved closer so only the Alpha could hear. “Don’t worry, Cap. I’ve always got a sausage casing on me and a pack of mayo.”
Steve just rolled. “Do I even want to know what mayo is slang for?”
Tony reached into his pocket. “I mean I guess it could be slang for lube, but in this case I’m serious.” He pulled out a mayo packet. “food places are stingy with condiments. Oh! I always have condoms and condiments. I should get a shirt that says that.”
Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please don’t.
It didn’t take as long as Steve would have through to get Tony settled in most of his belongings were what he called tinkering things. Mostly failed prototypes that were trashed at Stark lab. Tony liked to take them apart and make things that did work. He’d told Steve he planned to build his own microwave. It wasn’t like he couldn’t easily buy one it was just more fun to make one.
Steve hung up Tony’s clothes in his closet. He’d refused to touch Tony’s box labeled underwear and told Tony he could do that one.
Tony had muttered something about him being a prude but unloaded the box into the dresser anyway. Steve pulled out the Captain America shirt that was different from the one Tony bought the other day this one was well worn. The design was very different it bore the same design and words as his I want you-war bond posters, except this one, said ‘ I want you- to pay equally.’
“What’s this?” Steve held it up for Tony, who immediately snatched it away.
“Its something I made for a protest in college. It advocates equal pay for women, omegas, and people of color to get the same pay rates for the same job. Sorry I used your face.”
“I’m not against it. I’m just surprised it hasn’t happened yet.”
Tony blushed and stuffed the shirt into another draw.
“Another sleep shirt?”
Tony laughed. “Yep and I wear it with this.” He pulled out a pair of flag patterned boxers.
Steve turned bright red.
At about eight Mrs. Chu brought up several orders of dumplings. Which Tony thanked her for in Chinese. Somehow Tony had convinced Steve they should play monopoly since Steve knew of the game but had never played it. Tony was, of course, the car, and insisted Steve be the battleship. They played ‘eating with Tony rules which included; Passing go you could either collect two hundred dollars, a hundred dollars and a dumpling or two dumplings; At any turn, you could buy a dumpling from the bank for a hundred dollars, except if you were in jail or visiting.
Needless to say for the first few rounds property wasn’t being bought but rather dumplings. There game continued well into the night. Steve didn’t even realize he’d fallen asleep on Tony’s couch until he woke up on it.
The phone in the kitchen was ringing. Steve stumbled to get it and realized he’d just shot himself in the foot when he answered. “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Mr. Stark, this is Mr. Anders, Director Carter of SHIELD’s, assistant?”
Steve rubbed his face “Hold on one second. I’ll get him.”
He placed the phone on the counter. He walked back to Tony’s room and knocked before sticking his head through the door.
Tony glared up from his mess of covers. “FfFk off.” He hissed.
“You have a phone call from SHIELD.”
That actually got Tony to sit up with a groan. “Who from?”
“Director Carter’s assistant.”
The teenager stood taking the cocoon of blankets with him before waddling into the kitchen to pick up the call.
“This is Tony.”
Steve started cleaning up plates and cups from the night before. It wasn’t as if it did any good he could hear every word from the other line and smiled to himself, if Tony was more awake he would have also realized this.
“A week from this Friday? Uh yeah, I’m sure I can be out of the lab for a few hours.”
“Great I’ll uh… I’ll be there.” Tony hung up the phone and blinked a few times.
Steve placed the plates and to-go box in the trash and sheepishly said. “So um what did they want to talk to you about?”
“They um… they offered me a portfolio presentation. But I don’t know how they would know I do stuff outside of-“
Tony widened his eyes and stared Steve down, who was having a hard time fighting back a smile. “You. You told them. When did this happen?”
“Yesterday, I went to get a position as a SHIELD Agent, I have to go through training of course. I may have mentioned to Peg-Director Carter, you weren’t in a position at S.I that took advantage of your capabilities.”
Tony stared at the older man. “Why would you think that?”
“You’re not being appreciated by the other members of your team and not given the same opportunities as your peers. It doesn’t matter the reason, when that happens it makes people unhappy. When I was sickly, people looked down on me because I wasn’t a big strong Alpha. Some jobs I hate some jobs some I didn’t. How fairly I was treated for my abilities, not my background or other things was directly related to if I hated it or not.”
Tony hugged his arm and rested his chin on Steve's shoulder. “God how is an Alpha like you even real. You have no idea how wet I am right now.”
“TONY!” Steve blushed and looked away from the omega, but he didn’t pull away from him.
Tony hummed and nuzzled his arm. “See exactly, you do nice things for people without expecting sex, money or anything. How are you real?”
Steve reached up with his other hand and cradled Tony’s jaw. “The same could be said about you.”
The teenager scoffed. “I did it to spite Hammer and save my favorite donut and Chinese shop.”
“I don’t believe that for a second. How many families have you promised low rates of rent or no rent in exchange for things we both know is barely a price at all for them. The only difference is I can only help a few people were as you can help hundreds.”
Tony leaned into his hands. “Says the man who saved over three hundred lives in one day.”
Steve smiled and kissed the top of Tony’s head. “Somehow I know you’ll be better at saving people.”