shield | open post.

We did that together. [ That's about the only positive thing from the experience, because it hurt like hell and they both could have died, but it's the most important detail, too, if you ask Steve. That they survived not just as a result of taking it on together, but because of it. ]

Well, Steve, it takes two to tango - or I guess to fondue, in your case.

[Tony can't resist a playful jab, mainly to get away from the awkwardness of that 'together' and what it possibly implies.]

I mean, obviously you can do it solo, but that's not why I'm here. Unless you wanna let me watch, which, hey, I fully support. We can have a good time talking about sex toys.

Shut up. [ Steve is grateful their current position keeps Tony from seeing the blush spreading across Steve's cheeks. He says it playfully, because he's long since resigned himself to being teased about the fondue thing, but then Tony mentions sex toys and Steve practically chokes on his own tongue. ]

I meant that I didn't channel all that energy alone, [ he clarifies, ] but let's just forget it and agree neither of us gets to die. Deal?

[Of course Tony knows what Steve meant, but it suits him to twist everything into an innuendo. Talking about teamwork makes him break out in hives, and, well, it's still a bit of a sore subject when it pertains to Steve in particular.

Yeah, Tony probably should have swallowed his pride and extended an olive branch sooner, but humility, even after Afghanistan, has never been one of his strong traits. Not even when he knows he's only hurting himself.

But that's irrelevant now, given the super-soldier spooning him - and Tony still can't believe his luck there. So he's not gonna push it by making Steve too uncomfortable; he can practically feel the embarrassment radiating from him.]

Maybe it wouldn't be an issue if you weren't such a prude. [Tony is pretty fucking sure that's not the problem, but, okay, he can't resist one last tease.] Go jerk off to some good ol' twenty-first century porn on the internet.

I have enough material in the spank bank, thanks. [ It doesn't thrill him that Tony is telling him go jerk off while they're still in bed together, and hints of his annoyance definitely make it into his voice. Somehow he's fallen into this pattern of matching Tony's deflections with honesty, but instead of taking Steve at face value, it just makes Tony deflect harder. ]

[Tony just grins, immensely pleased with the thought of Steve jerking it to the memory of fucking his mouth. It's probably only the sort of thing only Tony would consider flattering.]

For now, maybe. Although if you need more, you know where to find me.

[ Steve sighs, in part because he has to resign any attempt to pull a deeper conversation out of Tony right now, and in part because the day's activities are catching up to him. He suspects that his best chance at getting Tony to stay the night is not asking, or inviting, or drawing attention to it in any way. It has to happen organically, accidentally, so that everyone can claim plausible deniability. ]

Okay. I'll find you. [ He promises, drowsiness slurring his words slightly. ]

Mmm.

[Steve seems to be drifting off, and, oops, he still has his arm over Tony. Guess Tony can't move, how tragic. He lets out a suspiciously contented sigh and snuggles back against Steve. If Tony only gets one shot at this, then he's damn well going to enjoy himself.]

[ When Steve wakes up the next morning, he can't remember dozing off, and he no longer has his arm around Tony. Instead, Tony is more or less wrapped around Steve, as if Steve were some kind of body pillow, and he really doesn't hate it. Judging by the light filtering into the room, it's quite early, maybe just after sunrise. Tony will probably be asleep for a while longer but Steve doesn't feel any urge to move. In fact, he thinks he'd be content to stay like this for hours. ]

Fuck Mypillow, [Tony mumbles into Steve's chest a few hours later.] You could sell pillows modeled on your chest and make a mint. [Or maybe Tony's the only one who finds Steve's chest insanely comfortable. At least he's shirtless, so there isn't a conspicuous wet spot from the drooling that definitely did not happen.

The truth is, this is the first time in a long time - maybe ever - that Tony's woken up feeling rested and refreshed. In fact, he feels like he's a good ten years younger; all those aches and pains that he associates with aging are gone, at least for the moment, and he just feels this indefinable sense of rightness, like this is where he's supposed to be here and now. It's weird, but in a good way.

But also-]

You need a coffee machine in your room.

[Though Tony already feels more alert than he usually does without caffeine in his system.]

[ Steve has been basking in that indefinably right feeling since he woke up. The way that he felt as the morning sun washed over them, it was the closest that Steve thinks he's ever come to peace. He could lie to himself and pretend it's because they won and for the first time in years the threat of Thanos doesn't hang over them. But he hasn't stayed in bed for hours because he was enjoying the absence of enemies; he was enjoying the presence of Tony. He was really enjoying it.

Fuck. He's in way over his head here.

Naturally, Tony starts to stir just as Steve begins to realize that he's just had one of the best nights, followed by one of the best mornings, of his life, and the person he shared it with isn't nearly the hopeless romantic that Steve has always been. But then Tony brings up the coffee machine and Steve's emotional whiplash leaves him dizzy from how quickly he snaps back to the moment. ]

Yeah? You planning on waking up here often? [ It's as much a question as it is an invitation, and Steve desperately hopes that Tony wasn't just humoring him last night. Everything comes to an end, sure, but he hopes not this, not yet. ]

Maybe if you get some coffee in here.

[Except Tony would still have to get up to get it, and that sounds like a problem to him. One he could definitely remedy with some tinkering in the workshop, sure, but he's not sure how much Steve wants his room remodeled just so Tony can have coffee in bed.

On the other hand...]

'Course, we could always end up in my room next time.

[Tony absolutely didn't skimp on the beds - or anything else in the compound - but if pressed, he would admit that his own room is just a little bit nicer, his mattress a little bit more comfortable. The main disadvantage it has is that it doesn't contain Steve, but this is obviously something that could be remedied.

...also the coffee thing. Which, actually, it's kind of surprising Tony hasn't rigged that up yet.]

As long as we make it out of the gym next time. Probably shouldn't make a habit of that. [ If there is a hint of lament in Steve's voice, it's because, well, that was really hot. But duty comes first and they really should be respectful of communal spaces. ]

Can't promise that.

[Give Tony an inch, he'll take a mile - or, in this case, mentally construct a checklist of places where he wants to have sex with Steve. And, really, he can't be expected to keep his hands to himself if he happens to see Steve working out in criminally tight t-shirts. He doesn't even know how his self-restraint lasted this long.

(Yes, he does, and cold showers were involved.)

Tony tips his head up and plants a perfectly innocent kiss at the base of Steve's neck.]

But, okay, I guess I'll stop working out. It'll be a real struggle, but if it's the only way to keep you from pinning me up against the mats, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

[ Steve has had about as many sexual fantasies about Tony as the two of them have had arguments (no correlation, of course) so it's no small sacrifice for him to suggest the gym is off limits. He's imagined bending Tony over a weight bench, sucking him off in the showers, backing him up against the door of his locker... the list is extensive. And not confined to the gym area; his imagination works just as well when it comes to the kitchen counter, the gazebo out by the lake, the quinjet in the aircraft hangar... ]

So selfless of you, [ he teases Tony right back. A dappling of red on his cheeks betrays how he feels when Tony kisses his neck, and he figures if that's allowed, then it shouldn't be a problem for him to run his fingers through Tony's hair. ]

I hope I can find some kind of cardio to replace it, [Tony deadpans, though his voice wavers a little when Steve starts to run his fingers through his hair. He should put a stop to this kind of casual flirting, except it's one of those things Tony finds easier than breathing. He just doesn't normally do it with Steve, for a lot of reasons. (Okay, so the "Steve probably isn't into men" reason has been very solidly disproven, but there are others.)

But Tony doesn't want to stop. He likes this easy rapport between them - god, it's so much less complicated than fighting all the time (although that has a certain appeal). He's too fucking tired to keep pushing against Steve, the original immovable object, and he thinks that maybe Steve might feel the same way about their arguing.

So, yeah, some kind of truce sounds pretty good to Tony right now. Because if he starts pissing Steve off again, then he's definitely not going to have more mornings like this, and right now, this is pretty much everything he wants in life.]

Well. If you need someone to put you through your paces, I guess I can accept that responsibility. [ Steve is a say-what-you-mean type of guy, so this casual flirting thing never came easy to him before, when he used to chalk it up to Tony teasing him for his prudishness. It's easier to join in now that he knows there's some actual intent behind Tony's flirting. Steve no longer feels like the butt of a joke.

He's not being entirely facetious, either. Fucking Tony is much more enjoyable than trying to get Tony to team training on time, or getting him to focus on an exercise when his mind is back in his workshop, or in the boardroom, or any of the hundreds of other places his thoughts seem to travel to when Steve is speaking. If it takes involving his dick to get Tony's full attention, that's a sacrifice Steve is more than willing to make. ]

And, much like working out in the gym, you'll barely break a sweat by the time I'm exhausted.

[Because, yes, Tony's beginning to get a solid feeling for Steve's sexual stamina, and it's just as ridiculous as the rest of him. Tony has no chance of keeping up, even though he's half Steve's age. Biology isn't his field, but he's starting to feel like he might need to try dabbling in it (and what could possibly go wrong there?)]

Totally unfair.

[ If Steve wanted to sleep with someone who could keep up with him, he could find that no problem. But he doesn't expect that would make Tony feel any better, so he keeps the thought to himself. ]

It's only unfair if one person has all the advantage.

C'mon, you could work your way through half the Kama Sutra and still have a few more orgasms in you.

[That might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much, Tony's sure. He pats one large pec gently.]

Whereas my most impressive sexual organ is my brain, which is admittedly just as impressive as your dick, but without the advantage of enhanced stamina.

Stamina isn't everything, [ Steve has to insist. Increased stamina is the sort of thing that sounds great on paper but is markedly less enjoyable when all a guy wants is to be able to jerk off and quickly fall asleep. ]

Besides, you've programmed a robot to make you smoothies when your hands are full. Since when do you just accept physical limitations?

Are you saying you want me to build you a fuckbot? Because that's kind of an ethically sketchy area of AI.

[~~meanwhile, in westview...~~

No he's joking! About building Steve a fuckbot, not about the ethics, because it absolutely is sketchy. But he's definitely filing that comment away for later.]

Also, smoothie-making and sex are two different things. You don't want a blender by your junk.

[...unless that's somehow your kink.]

[ Steve has better sense than to mention that Tony has historically exhibited little regard for the ethics of AI. They're having a nice morning and he doesn't want to ruin it. ]

You know that's not what I meant, [ he says with a dramatic sigh, still shuffling his fingers gently through Tony's hair. He'll forgive it, because group therapy made him a better listener, and he thinks he has a good sense of what Tony's hang up is. ] I feel like I should say this explicitly, just in case: please don't build me a fuckbot.

[ He opens his mouth to add something, then shuts it just as quickly. He was doing to say that things made from metal don't do it for him, but that isn't entirely true. He's had some thoughts about the armor, he can't deny, and bending someone over the shield has appeal. ]

Only if you promise to keep touching my hair like that.

[Tony almost says petting, because that's definitely what it is, but that sounds way too intimate. Even though they definitely spent all night spooning, and now they're cuddling, and oh god, it's practically domestic and Tony can't decide if he wants to vomit or die (the latter in a wholly positive way because he feels almost like a teenage girl).]

Any sex toys you want me to engineer for you? What revs your engine?

Have you... actually engineered sex toys before? [ The question serves a dual purpose for Steve: one, satisfying his genuine curiosity, and two, deflecting from having to answer the second question. The thing is, right now, he'd be hard-pressed to think of an answer that doesn't circle back to Tony. It's the best and also only experience he has to go off of, but Steve is wary of coming on too strong. (He says while still in bed with the man.) ]

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