Uh... ( well, that was a little unexpected. but his recovery from the shock of steve deciding to play chicken with him right now is a quick one and he's back at it. )
Hold on a minute. When you say, if I wanna come with you, are you referring to church or us getting it on? Because what the hell's the candle for? I'm thinking you like a little hot wax action in bed? ( tony narrows his eyes at him then. steve is playing a very dangerous game right now and he's never gonna win. )
I just think we should talk about what it is you're aiming for here before I decide to slot you into my calendar. Like, should we come up with a safe word?
[ He crosses his arms over his chest. This isn't going as he'd expected, but now he's put some cards on the table and he's going to keep playing. ]
I don't need a safeword.
[ He drops that so casually. ]
But no, I was thinking the candle would provide a little ambiance. And then we'll go to church and I'll introduce you to my pastor. Can't start a relationship with someone my pastor doesn't approve of.
( it's hard to tell if steve's joking or not because he looks so serious. but tony decides he'll keep at it. see where this goes. plus, he's a glutton for punishment. )
Because you're already planning out a June wedding for next year? I guess I wouldn't mind us getting hitched then. You always look amazing with your summertime freckles. We could book the Plaza. Head to Maldives for the honeymoon. ( oh, he's really stepping up the game here now. )
Where are we sending our kid to school? You wanna homeschool the little tyke, or send him off to boarding school the way dad always did it?
Most I'll let you do is private school, but not homeschooled. I want my -- our kids to get to socialize with their peers.
And I want two or three.
Just hoping they don't take after you in the sass department.
[ He's definitely not paying attention to this movie anymore. They could be turning into t-rexes with big arms for all he knows.
It's easy to do this because it's sprinkled through with truth. He wants a few kids. He wants them to attend public school unless they get harassed by virtue of having the ultimate boy scout for a father. ]
( it'd probably be weird for them to be talking about all this if anyone else were in the room, but they're alone, so it's fine. tony likes where this pretend conversation of theirs is going. it's kind of fun. it doesn't scare him. he'd wanted marriage with pepper. he'd wanted a kid with her. or well, he could've wanted that. he figured it would've likely happened if she hadn't decided to call it quits after years of them being together. )
Two or three? You sure you'd be handle that and me? I somehow doubt it.
That's why we'll start with one. And we'll figure out how many we want after that, but I'm thinking we end up with three. We're both only children, right? But wouldn't it have been nice to have a sibling to confide in?
[ And isn't that what Rhodey was for?
Either way, Steve inserting his real wishes into this little game of chicken might get a little too real. He wanted that life so badly going into the ice. Coming out it felt like he could never get it back. And certainly not with whom he wanted. Yes. He's maybe still working through that. ]
( steve's got a point. he did go through a phase where he really wanted a sibling because he'd felt a little lonely, but then he'd met rhodey and the guy's sorta like family to him for sure. )
I'm definitely drawing the line at you starting up your own little league team with our kids. ( one is doable, three already sounds like it'd be too much for him to handle, and any more than that would just be a nightmare or a divorce waiting to happen. )
You don't think we'd be the worst for each other? ( this might be a genuine question even. )
No? You don't want the kids to be able to start a band?
[ Or whatever it is kids do in families with way too many of them. Steve wouldn't know. He assumes he would've gotten siblings if his mother had remarried, or if his father had come home from the war, but he recognizes that modern people tend to have less kids.
Then Tony hits him with that question. ]
No.
[ That's immediate, but it takes him awhile to gather the rest of his thoughts, because he's serious about them, all of a sudden. ]
We clash a lot, sure. And sometimes I don't know when you're joking, and maybe I take everything too seriously. So, we'd have work to do. But if we can just hear each other out more, and learn to compromise, then I think we'd actually be pretty great.
[ But he also means that for them as colleagues, as the two de-facto leaders of the Avengers. ]
( tony's still on the fence regarding how many kids he'd actually want. but he doesn't think he'd want to ever have that many. sure, if he fucks up with the first kid then he can do better with the second. and if he fucks up again, there's always the third, but does he really wanna screw up the lives of that many children? he's just trying to be realistic here. judging by his dad's track record, and he knows for sure the apple didn't fall too far from the tree at all here, he might just be really bad at the whole parenting thing. )
You do take everything a little too seriously, but that's why I'm the jokester. It's a great balance. Plus, I like it when you get all frustrated. ( still don't know if he's being serious or not here, cap? that's too bad. he'll get used to it. maybe. )
So, you'd go out with me? But not with the one thousand and one women Nat's been trying to introduce you to? ( is he looking a bit smug right now? well, yeah. he's not even bothering to hide it. he's steve freaking rogers aka captain america, for god's sake. who would've thought tony stark would be, what's the word, worthy of consideration? he might be arrogant and full of himself, but even he wouldn't have ever thought he'd be steve's type. ) You really want to do this?
[ Oh, he definitely knows that Tony likes when he's flustered. That's absolutely the truth. There's no other reason for him to keep pushing how much he wants to bed Steve when the more he says that, the less likely it's going to happen. Steve doesn't wear down, Steve just gets more stubborn. ]
Are you actually asking me on a date, or is this part of the game you're playing?
[ He narrows his eyes a bit, because it could just be a joke. But honestly, he did walk into this whole talking about a relationship thing. And Nat, bless her, tries so hard. It's not any of the individual women's faults, it's just that he hates first dates and he hates that he still compares them all to Peggy. Even when he's having a good time, he'll smile and there will be a sudden intrusive thought: that sounds like something Peggy would have said.
And he supposes that he used to think of Tony like that, but in terms of Howard. Accidentally, and never out loud. He's taking that one to the grave. But he doesn't anymore.
But there's just one other problem. ]
And no, I don't really.
[ And he does the jaw clench thing like he's annoyed, again. His explanation? ]
Don't you have an afterparty to get ready for?
[ He's not just trying to be next in line, once Katya's out of the picture. ]
( he stays quiet for a long while as he just looks at steve, studying the man's face as he's giving this a whole lot of thought for something he was sure was just a joke to begin with. tony thinks if he were to actually ask steve out on a proper date, if he were to continue to spend the rest of his night here watching a jurassic park marathon with the guy instead of going to that afterparty, that steve would probably agree to it, to spend the evening with him tomorrow, and they could start something, something great, maybe. because steve's a nice guy. nice enough that he wouldn't say no to going out with tony even though deep down steve probably knows he's no good, and that he could really do better.
tony decides that he'll do steve the favor of not ruining his dating life with his complicated bullshit and do them both the favor of not ruining their friendship. plus, steve said he doesn't really want to do this and he looks annoyed right then, so it's easy for tony to take that as a little mini rejection; to quell any desire he has to get to know him better in that way. )
Guess we're gonna have to put a pause on this game of chicken. ( he checks the time on his watch as he gets up from the couch. ) Let me know what you think of the movies once you're done. I probably won't be back here for the weekend, so text me if you need me. But I'll see you on Monday. We got that team briefing in the morning? I'll try not to be late.
Edited (someday... someday i won't hv to edit. but until then... i luv ur inbox x 3000 ig ~ dwi k ;;) 2022-09-20 06:09 (UTC)
[ It's not that Steve thinks that Tony would be a bad partner. Quite the opposite. He thinks if they could agree from time to time, that actually, it'd be quite nice. He already knows Tony's a good man, already knows they get along all right as friends, knows they can live together.
But there's just two problems. One, Tony is definitely only interested in Steve's body, and Steve doesn't want to be crude about it, but it feels almost like he might be a notch on Tony's bedpost.
And the second thing is that Steve might have a fledgling interest starting, but just not enough to do anything about it, particularly given all these cons he's coming up with in his head that tell him that he can't let this develop into anything else. ]
Sure.
[ And just like that, Tony's already made up plans for himself for the rest of the weekend anyway. ]
I'll see you on Monday.
[ And he will actually shoot Tony some friendly texts later, about how he feels about the movies. And then be confused, because the zombies never showed up ]
( tony doesn't end up going over to katya's. he spends the entire night in his lab working on some minor upgrades to his suit instead. he's not thinking about the why he's not at the afterparty. it's not steve rogers and the idea of candlelight dinners and attending church with him on sundays--what?--and those goddamn beautiful blue eyes of his that's making him rethink his decisions. nope. he's just busy. distracted. whatever. there's a lot he wants to get done. when steve's texts comes in, tony ignores it. can't have cap thinking he's not paying attention to his not-girlfriend and getting another lecture from him about it.
the next morning, thor enters the kitchen where some of the avengers are gathered for breakfast. he lets out a hearty laugh and mentions how stark seems to favor sleeping at his worktable to a proper bed. he thinks him strange. )
[ Steve thinks that's kind of a weird thing for Thor to bring up at the moment, considering Tony had a date last night. But then Clint says something like, 'Tell me about it. Thought I got to sleep late, but lab light was still on when I went to bed.' ]
...Last night?
[ Huh. Maybe he came back after the afterparty and decided to clock in a few hours. ]
He mentioned he was busy this weekend. I'll fix him a plate.
[ Natasha narrows her eyes at him a little bit, but keeps her comments to herself for the moment, as Steve scarfs the rest of his breakfast down and loads up a plate with Tony's favorites, and a mug of coffee. He slips out while Thor's regaling the others with talk about how soft the sheets are at Asgard, and gently taps on the glass for JARVIS to let him into the lab. ]
( the moment the lab doors open, steve gets an earful of loud ac/dc music blasting from the speakers. tony's still in yesterday's outfit, black track pants and undershirt. he did not make it to that afterparty, not that he had any intention of going anymore after that talk with steve. he's dead asleep at the worktable, cheek resting on a sheet of schematics and diagram papers, one hand still holding onto a wrench with his iron man gauntlet's hand comically resting on his head courtesy of dum-e who starts moving around nervously at steve's sudden appearance. the bot still has a paper hat on with the word 'dunce' on it. )
[ He walks over to put the plate and mug on the work table, out of shot that Tony might accidentally knock it over, and then goes to remove the dunce cap from Dum-E's head. ]
You really were here all night.
[ And he smells it. He smells of motor oil and machinery. ]
You don't have to eat breakfast. You don't even have to stay awake. But you really can't be asleep like this, it's terrible for your back.
( tony shifts the moment he hears cap's voice and he rubs at his eyes as he sits up. ) What time is it? Pretty sure I only just slept. ( he's probably right about that. he squints at steve, frowning a little as he looks at him. it's not fair how the guy stayed up past his usual bedtime watching all three jurassic park movies and still manages to look like he had enough sleep at this hour of the morning. tony's pretty sure he looks like crap. )
Is this the kind of thing I should be expecting from you if we start dating? You're gonna nag more? Also, you're not allowed to turn down my music. ( he snaps his fingers and shuts it off completely though. tony stands up and lets out a stretch, yawning, and then he reaches for the cup of coffee, grateful that steve had brought that with him. he murmurs a thanks before sipping on it as he heads over to the couch. )
Have you eaten? You can eat that if you want. ( he gestures at the food. ) I probably won't. ( he's already closed his eyes again, deciding to just rest on the couch for a little while. )
[ Steve looks like he gets lots of adequate sleep because he usually does. He only stays up late every once in awhile, and honestly, marathoning Jurassic Park really hadn't been worth it, but it was an okay experience. ]
I did eat.
[ If Tony's going to pass out on the couch, Steve's going to grab him a blanket. ]
You'd probably get better sleep if it were quiet and there wasn't so much noise.
[ He ignores the bit about him being a nag. They're not even dating, he already is a nag. If Tony decides to take a nap though, Steve won't be rude and he'll come back some other time, mostly to make sure Tony actually does consume something besides coffee. ]
( steve has a point there, but there's usually too much going on in his head that it's easier to drown out his thoughts with some ac/dc. it's how he's been getting to sleep ever since pepper had left him. it's how he'd done it before he was ever with her. it's always worked before and it works now. he thinks he's getting adequate rest. he's capable of functioning and his mind's as sharp as ever. tony cracks an eye open as he looks at steve. he takes another sip of coffee before putting the cup down on the table.
tony appreciates steve coming down here. he didn't have to. but he did. points for being a good friend, he thinks. they're getting somewhere. they are arguing less, talking more. it's kinda nice for a change. maybe he's doing it because of tony's breakup with pepper. the guy's feeling sorry for him, maybe, but tony's accepting of it. he hates the pity, but he's also a little lonely.
slowly, he gets up and proceeds to take his undershirt off. ) I'm gonna take a shower. I stink. ( he wrinkles his nose and tosses the piece of clothing over to dum-e before stepping over to the wall, tapping it twice to reveal the hidden shower room inside. ) Feel free to stick around. Make yourself at home. I'll be out in five minutes. ( and then he disappears behind the wall that slides close as soon he's stepped through it. dum-e chirps at steve as it starts cleaning up after tony. )
Edited (autocorrect doing me dirty) 2022-09-22 03:57 (UTC)
[ That was, unexpected. And while Tony does, in fact, stink like motor oil and sweat, he's suddenly shirtless. And for a moment, Steve's jaw goes a little slack as he gets quite the eyeful, and then he very obviously averts his gaze away to preserve Tony's decency, or something. ]
Yeah. Okay, five minutes. Then you're eating breakfast.
[ He's still very much looking as far as he can away from Tony, because he's afraid that he might actually completely disrobe or something.
He'll wait out here for Tony, taking a seat on his couch, feeling awkward. But eventually, within 5 minutes, he'll relax. And check out some of the things Tony's working on in the lab. ]
( tony hadn't expected for steve to actually still be in his lab when he gets out wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and a silk robe tied loosely around his waist. his hair is damp from the shower and he walks over to the table to grab that breakfast plate, bringing it over to the couch, settling it between them. )
Did Clint make this? ( because whatever's on his plate actually looks good. he's not sure where exactly clint picked up the ability to cook between all of his ninja-ing and legolas-ing, but tony definitely appreciates the man's skills in the kitchen. the rest of them suck at it. especially steve. ) Looks yummy. ( he decides to use his fingers to eat because screw getting up to retrieve the fork and knife that he'd left on the worktable. he picks up the crispy bacon and chews on it, his big brown eyes on steve, curiously studying the man. )
You don't have anywhere important to be? Hot yoga class? Pilates? Bible study or something? ( what does steve usually get up to on a saturday? he might not have been curious about that before, but he's curious about it now. )
[ Kinda gross how Tony just eats with his hands, how is he gonna eat his eggs? But at least his hands are clean. And also now he's looking over and he has such big eyes. How has Steve never noticed how big his eyes are? ]
Bible study's on Sunday.
[ That was a terrible response. ]
I was thinking of going into town. There's a craft fair at the park today. Why? You wanna come with me?
[ He's half expecting Tony to turn that into another crude joke, but he'll just brush it off if so. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Hold on a minute. When you say, if I wanna come with you, are you referring to church or us getting it on? Because what the hell's the candle for? I'm thinking you like a little hot wax action in bed? ( tony narrows his eyes at him then. steve is playing a very dangerous game right now and he's never gonna win. )
I just think we should talk about what it is you're aiming for here before I decide to slot you into my calendar. Like, should we come up with a safe word?
no subject
I don't need a safeword.
[ He drops that so casually. ]
But no, I was thinking the candle would provide a little ambiance. And then we'll go to church and I'll introduce you to my pastor. Can't start a relationship with someone my pastor doesn't approve of.
no subject
Because you're already planning out a June wedding for next year? I guess I wouldn't mind us getting hitched then. You always look amazing with your summertime freckles. We could book the Plaza. Head to Maldives for the honeymoon. ( oh, he's really stepping up the game here now. )
Where are we sending our kid to school? You wanna homeschool the little tyke, or send him off to boarding school the way dad always did it?
no subject
Most I'll let you do is private school, but not homeschooled. I want my -- our kids to get to socialize with their peers.
And I want two or three.
Just hoping they don't take after you in the sass department.
[ He's definitely not paying attention to this movie anymore. They could be turning into t-rexes with big arms for all he knows.
It's easy to do this because it's sprinkled through with truth. He wants a few kids. He wants them to attend public school unless they get harassed by virtue of having the ultimate boy scout for a father. ]
no subject
Two or three? You sure you'd be handle that and me? I somehow doubt it.
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[ And isn't that what Rhodey was for?
Either way, Steve inserting his real wishes into this little game of chicken might get a little too real. He wanted that life so badly going into the ice. Coming out it felt like he could never get it back. And certainly not with whom he wanted. Yes. He's maybe still working through that. ]
man. y do i eat words?
I'm definitely drawing the line at you starting up your own little league team with our kids. ( one is doable, three already sounds like it'd be too much for him to handle, and any more than that would just be a nightmare or a divorce waiting to happen. )
You don't think we'd be the worst for each other? ( this might be a genuine question even. )
breakfast of champions
[ Or whatever it is kids do in families with way too many of them. Steve wouldn't know. He assumes he would've gotten siblings if his mother had remarried, or if his father had come home from the war, but he recognizes that modern people tend to have less kids.
Then Tony hits him with that question. ]
No.
[ That's immediate, but it takes him awhile to gather the rest of his thoughts, because he's serious about them, all of a sudden. ]
We clash a lot, sure. And sometimes I don't know when you're joking, and maybe I take everything too seriously. So, we'd have work to do. But if we can just hear each other out more, and learn to compromise, then I think we'd actually be pretty great.
[ But he also means that for them as colleagues, as the two de-facto leaders of the Avengers. ]
no subject
You do take everything a little too seriously, but that's why I'm the jokester. It's a great balance. Plus, I like it when you get all frustrated. ( still don't know if he's being serious or not here, cap? that's too bad. he'll get used to it. maybe. )
So, you'd go out with me? But not with the one thousand and one women Nat's been trying to introduce you to? ( is he looking a bit smug right now? well, yeah. he's not even bothering to hide it. he's steve freaking rogers aka captain america, for god's sake. who would've thought tony stark would be, what's the word, worthy of consideration? he might be arrogant and full of himself, but even he wouldn't have ever thought he'd be steve's type. ) You really want to do this?
no subject
Are you actually asking me on a date, or is this part of the game you're playing?
[ He narrows his eyes a bit, because it could just be a joke. But honestly, he did walk into this whole talking about a relationship thing. And Nat, bless her, tries so hard. It's not any of the individual women's faults, it's just that he hates first dates and he hates that he still compares them all to Peggy. Even when he's having a good time, he'll smile and there will be a sudden intrusive thought: that sounds like something Peggy would have said.
And he supposes that he used to think of Tony like that, but in terms of Howard. Accidentally, and never out loud. He's taking that one to the grave. But he doesn't anymore.
But there's just one other problem. ]
And no, I don't really.
[ And he does the jaw clench thing like he's annoyed, again. His explanation? ]
Don't you have an afterparty to get ready for?
[ He's not just trying to be next in line, once Katya's out of the picture. ]
no subject
tony decides that he'll do steve the favor of not ruining his dating life with his complicated bullshit and do them both the favor of not ruining their friendship. plus, steve said he doesn't really want to do this and he looks annoyed right then, so it's easy for tony to take that as a little mini rejection; to quell any desire he has to get to know him better in that way. )
Guess we're gonna have to put a pause on this game of chicken. ( he checks the time on his watch as he gets up from the couch. ) Let me know what you think of the movies once you're done. I probably won't be back here for the weekend, so text me if you need me. But I'll see you on Monday. We got that team briefing in the morning? I'll try not to be late.
no subject
But there's just two problems. One, Tony is definitely only interested in Steve's body, and Steve doesn't want to be crude about it, but it feels almost like he might be a notch on Tony's bedpost.
And the second thing is that Steve might have a fledgling interest starting, but just not enough to do anything about it, particularly given all these cons he's coming up with in his head that tell him that he can't let this develop into anything else. ]
Sure.
[ And just like that, Tony's already made up plans for himself for the rest of the weekend anyway. ]
I'll see you on Monday.
[ And he will actually shoot Tony some friendly texts later, about how he feels about the movies. And then be confused, because the zombies never showed up ]
no subject
the next morning, thor enters the kitchen where some of the avengers are gathered for breakfast. he lets out a hearty laugh and mentions how stark seems to favor sleeping at his worktable to a proper bed. he thinks him strange. )
no subject
...Last night?
[ Huh. Maybe he came back after the afterparty and decided to clock in a few hours. ]
He mentioned he was busy this weekend. I'll fix him a plate.
[ Natasha narrows her eyes at him a little bit, but keeps her comments to herself for the moment, as Steve scarfs the rest of his breakfast down and loads up a plate with Tony's favorites, and a mug of coffee. He slips out while Thor's regaling the others with talk about how soft the sheets are at Asgard, and gently taps on the glass for JARVIS to let him into the lab. ]
no subject
no subject
[ He walks over to put the plate and mug on the work table, out of shot that Tony might accidentally knock it over, and then goes to remove the dunce cap from Dum-E's head. ]
You really were here all night.
[ And he smells it. He smells of motor oil and machinery. ]
You don't have to eat breakfast. You don't even have to stay awake. But you really can't be asleep like this, it's terrible for your back.
no subject
Is this the kind of thing I should be expecting from you if we start dating? You're gonna nag more? Also, you're not allowed to turn down my music. ( he snaps his fingers and shuts it off completely though. tony stands up and lets out a stretch, yawning, and then he reaches for the cup of coffee, grateful that steve had brought that with him. he murmurs a thanks before sipping on it as he heads over to the couch. )
Have you eaten? You can eat that if you want. ( he gestures at the food. ) I probably won't. ( he's already closed his eyes again, deciding to just rest on the couch for a little while. )
no subject
I did eat.
[ If Tony's going to pass out on the couch, Steve's going to grab him a blanket. ]
You'd probably get better sleep if it were quiet and there wasn't so much noise.
[ He ignores the bit about him being a nag. They're not even dating, he already is a nag. If Tony decides to take a nap though, Steve won't be rude and he'll come back some other time, mostly to make sure Tony actually does consume something besides coffee. ]
no subject
tony appreciates steve coming down here. he didn't have to. but he did. points for being a good friend, he thinks. they're getting somewhere. they are arguing less, talking more. it's kinda nice for a change. maybe he's doing it because of tony's breakup with pepper. the guy's feeling sorry for him, maybe, but tony's accepting of it. he hates the pity, but he's also a little lonely.
slowly, he gets up and proceeds to take his undershirt off. ) I'm gonna take a shower. I stink. ( he wrinkles his nose and tosses the piece of clothing over to dum-e before stepping over to the wall, tapping it twice to reveal the hidden shower room inside. ) Feel free to stick around. Make yourself at home. I'll be out in five minutes. ( and then he disappears behind the wall that slides close as soon he's stepped through it. dum-e chirps at steve as it starts cleaning up after tony. )
no subject
Yeah. Okay, five minutes. Then you're eating breakfast.
[ He's still very much looking as far as he can away from Tony, because he's afraid that he might actually completely disrobe or something.
He'll wait out here for Tony, taking a seat on his couch, feeling awkward. But eventually, within 5 minutes, he'll relax. And check out some of the things Tony's working on in the lab. ]
no subject
Did Clint make this? ( because whatever's on his plate actually looks good. he's not sure where exactly clint picked up the ability to cook between all of his ninja-ing and legolas-ing, but tony definitely appreciates the man's skills in the kitchen. the rest of them suck at it. especially steve. ) Looks yummy. ( he decides to use his fingers to eat because screw getting up to retrieve the fork and knife that he'd left on the worktable. he picks up the crispy bacon and chews on it, his big brown eyes on steve, curiously studying the man. )
You don't have anywhere important to be? Hot yoga class? Pilates? Bible study or something? ( what does steve usually get up to on a saturday? he might not have been curious about that before, but he's curious about it now. )
no subject
[ Kinda gross how Tony just eats with his hands, how is he gonna eat his eggs? But at least his hands are clean. And also now he's looking over and he has such big eyes. How has Steve never noticed how big his eyes are? ]
Bible study's on Sunday.
[ That was a terrible response. ]
I was thinking of going into town. There's a craft fair at the park today. Why? You wanna come with me?
[ He's half expecting Tony to turn that into another crude joke, but he'll just brush it off if so. ]