Stony fics blog

Steve's chuckled, not that bothered. He watched Tony rub his face and sit up straight, movements a little slow and stiff. The end of the year was always a busy time for his boyfriend, with wrapping all the work for Stark Industries, closing shipments and sells, invoicing, and all the other things that gave Steve a headache just from hearing about it. Of course, Tony had Pepper to help, but with all respect to Pepper's skills, even she couldn't keep up with the enormous amount of work. Tony made sure that Pepper ate enough, slept enough, and kept her out of the office when he saw that Pepper's bright eyes became red from staying up all night over documents. It was sweet. It was less sweet that Tony didn't apply the same politics to himself. 

"Go to bed," Steve said softly, leaning in closer to press his nose over Tony's cheek. It was still early, just after 7 pm, but Tony clearly needed rest. And if Tony won't take care of Tony, Steve will. 

"But, you wanted to decorate the Christmas tree," Tony said, eyes drifting to the part of the room where a huge, bright green tree stood, boxes of ornaments nearby. He already felt guilty, that Steve had to go and choose the Christmas tree all by himself, while Tony was in the office, doing phone calls after phone calls. 

"We can do it later."

"But - " Tony looked at the TV, seeing a scene where the McCallister family was rushing through the airport. Oh, great. The move barely started and he had already fallen asleep. "I feel rested now, we can still watch the movie - "

"It is fine, Tony, we can watch 'Home Alone' for the twelfth time another day."

Tony was running out of arguments. And patience. Towards himself. Why Steve was so nice when he was letting him down time after time?

"I am sorry," Tony gave up, putting his face in his hands, smothered by the weight of everything. December was supposed to be a joyful time, but it wasn't when you were a head of a multi-billion dollar company with an overfull schedule. 

"You don't have to be sorry, I know you have a lot of work. And soon you will go on a Christmas break, and then we can binge-watch all the movies and eat all the cookies," Steve said in a cheery voice. 

Tony laughed weakly. There was sincerity and love in the voice which he didn’t expect to get. He turned to look at his boyfriend and smiled tiredly. "I don't deserve you," he said truthfully.

"That's some bullshit and you know it," Steve warned, making Tony's smile a bit wider and more real. No self-loathing. Seeing Tony smile, made Steve smile too. "Go to bed," Steve repeated, leaning in again. Tony expected to be nosed in the cheek again, instead, Steve placed a tiny, tiny kiss on his cheek. And another one. And another one. And some more.

"He-hehey! Steheve!" Tony giggled, tipping his head up to escape from the ticklish feeling.

Steve laughed too, placing more tiny kisses on Tony's jawline and neck, just to make him smile and giggle, nothing too intense. When Tony became too wriggly, Steve wrapped arms around him and pulled him closer, making his boyfriend squeak in panic. 

"You're so cute," Steve laughed at the high-pitched sound, pulling Tony into his lap and curling with him.

"I am not!" Tony argued stubbornly, trying to move his face out of the range of the ticklish kisses. 

"You are. And you are ticklish in all cute places like here," Steve said, gently running his fingers over Tony's ribcage.

"AH! Ahahaa! No!" Tony protested, trying to push himself out of Steve's embrace. The tickling wasn't bad, it was quite nice actually and Tony felt his overtired mind-melting, but his body still had some fight left in. 

"You are not ticklish there? Then... how about here?" Steve's fingers walked lower, softly kneading over the sides.

"Hahahaha! Steveehehe!"

"Definitely ticklish. But you know where the cutest place is?"

Tony had a hunch. Still, he squeaked in a very undignified manner when Steve's warm hand slid under his shirt and fingers traced his belly button.

"PHHH HIHIHIHI!"

"Sooo cute," Steve said gleefully, continuing the very soft tickling over the quivering stomach and sides, not bothered by Tony's constant wriggling and kicking legs. He didn't want to be too mean and kept it up only for a few seconds before stopping and cuddling Tony close, not letting him bolt away. 

Tony took some deep, calming breaths, settling down. His head felt heavy, and his body relaxed greatly, not so tense anymore. Huh. Who would have thought that something so silly would be so helpful. 

"Mmm... Steve..."

"Yeah?"

"I think I need to go to sleep earlier."

Steve smiled, loosening his hold, but still keeping Tony close. "I think so too," he agreed, letting Tony stand up and walking with him into the bedroom.

“What?!”

Slowly, Tony got up and stretched his back, taking his time and feeling Steve’s shocked look on himself. So cute. 

“Well, time for bed,” Tony said, still ignoring the vibes his boyfriend was giving.

“You said we were going to watch the final part of Harry Potter!”

Ah, the accusation. Tony didn’t have to look to know how outraged his boyfriend was. All part of the plan.

“Uh, yeah, we did. Part one of two,” Tony confirmed, trying to control his smile, “anyway, I have to go - “

“What?!” Steve barked out, and Tony finally looked at his boyfriend. At the wide eyes, eyebrows pulled together in confusion. So, so cute. “We are not going to watch the next part?!”

“Steeveee,” Tony drawled, tilting his head to the back. “It is almost midnight. I have a flight in the morning.”

Steve didn’t say anything, clearly waiting for something. 

“So, I have to go,” Tony looked back at his boyfriend and spoke slowly, emphasizing the last word and even pointing at the door. And Steve still looked adorably shocked. 

“But you will be away for almost two weeks!” Steve reminded, not believing what was happening. 

“Ah, yeah,” Tony said lightly, not very keen on attending a two week conference in France, not when he had a loving boyfriend back home. The relationship the leaders of the Avengers team had was still a secret, and even if Tony would love to take Steve with him, he had never proposed that as that would make things official, and he wasn’t sure if they were ready for that. Maybe they would discuss it once he comes back. For the time being, Tony leaned down and placed a peck on Steve’s shocked lips. “And to make things clear, you are not allowed to watch the last part without me.”

“What?!” Steve shrilled again, not imagining not knowing what would happen for the next two weeks. That’s why they agreed to finish their Harry Potter marathon before Tony’s trip in the first place. “You tricked me!”

“I didn’t not,” Tony defended himself in an indignant voice, but a mischievous sparkle in his eyes gave him away. “I said that we will watch the last part, I just didn’t specify if part one or two. So, anyway - “ he was cut off, when Steve strongly grabbed him and pushed on the couch, keeping him trapped underneath. “Hey hey HEY!” Tony yelped out, feeling fingers wriggling into his sides and stomach, not going subtle, just a full attack right away.

“Maybe you want to rethink your statement,” Steve sneered, going for all the soft, ticklish spots on his boyfriend’s body.

“STEHEHEHEVE!” Tony screamed out and kicked, not able to push the soldier off of him. Yes, he had it all planned and expected things to go down like this, but he still couldn’t control the flailing limbs and tried to get away. Steve just pushed harder on him and dug deeper, squeezing his sides and scratching at his belly and ribs and Tony’s laughter became louder and more desperate. “HAHAHAHA!”

“Changed your mind yet?” Steve asked, leaning in and pressing his cheek to Tony’s, to make sure that despite all the laughter and wriggling Tony could hear him. 

Oh, Tony would miss it once in France. Better to make the most of it while he could. 

“NOHOHOHO!”

“No? Okay, then. Then I am just gonna tickle here and here, and here, oh and here, and maybe you will have a different answer.”

Tony’s mind was melting. Soon, he didn’t have any fight left in him to struggle and Steve just waited for that, loosening his hold and going in for the kill, ten fingers happily wandering all over his boyfriend’s ticklish body, digging into the belly, sides, ribs and sometimes going as high as into the armpits, which made Tony screech in panic quite nicely.

“HAHAHA! STE-HHAHAHA! STOP! Stopstopstop!” 

It was the pleading note that finally made Steve cease his play. Tony just lay still, cheeks heated and gasping for air. That was intense and his body and mind felt tired, but in his heart he was so happy. He felt loved and accepted and safe, which might have been a weird choice of words, but yes, being this close and allowing himself to be so vulnerable and Steve not being mean or cruel made him feel safe. Too bad that Steve couldn’t read his mind and Tony was not very good with expressing his emotions with words, and he felt Steve moving away, probably thinking that he had crossed some line.

“No,” Tony breathed out, putting his hands on his boyfriend’s nape and guiding him back. Blue eyes were looking at him, a little unsure and surprised, seeing all this heat and need in the brown eyes. “Can I stay here for the night?” Tony asked, doing the courteous thing. Maybe it was his building, but he did give Steve this floor in the Avengers Tower and Tony was a guest.

“Yeah, sure,” Steve confirmed eagerly, not ready to let his boyfriend go. Forehead to forehead, nose to nose, and their lips met in indulgent, long kisses that would give them both something to think about during their time apart.

***

“Wait, let me sort this out - “

Steve stopped his run and kept skipping in place. It was almost a week since Tony had left and he had a lot of energy to spend, putting most of it into morning jogs with Sam. Sam, bent in half, hands on knees and breathing deeply, clearly in need of a break, not only because of the killer distance but also because of the news Steve had just shared. 

“You,” Sam gasped out, not ready to straighten up yet, and pointed his finger in Steve’s general direction. “You are dating. With a real life person.”

“Um, yeah?” Steve laughed a bit, not ceasing his merry jig. “Is there a different kind of dating?”

“It is the 21st century, Cap, you would be surprised,” Sam panted, lifting his head to look at Steve, eyes squinting because of the shining sun. 

“Huh,” Steve mused out, “I am not putting this into my notebook.”

“You might want to put this one down, though,” Sam said, finally straightening up, sweat glistening on his forehead and dripping down his chin. And damned Captain America didn’t even get red in the face. “The person you are dating has a tickle kink.”

And stop. 

“Uhhh?” Steve asked, his legs coming to rest. He stared at Sam, not completely processing the information.

Sam took a deep breath and exhaled, his voice and posture not so strained anymore. “A kink is when -”

“I know what a kink is, Sam!” Steve rolled his eyes. Seriously, some people thought that because he was born a century ago, he had no clue about things. “People had sex in 1920s.”

“Were you one of those people?” Sam asked, shining a teasing grin.

Steve narrowed his eyes, taking a playful offense. “We are not that close, Sam,” which was an obvious lie, as Sam was the closest friend he had, not counting his Tony and Bucky who they still tried to track down. Maybe one day he could have this kind of talk with all of them, him, his boyfriend and two best friends. That would be a great day. But back to Tony for now, as Steve saw Sam getting ready to run again. 

“Wait,” Steve stopped him, blocking Sam’s path, “so, uh, what was that about tickle kink?”

“Hm. You mean your boyfriend slash girlfriend having a one?” oh yeah, Steve was so secretive he didn’t even specify a gender. He was grateful though that Sam didn’t assume that he was dating a girl. 21st century after all. Steve just nodded. “Yeah, I am pretty sure of it,” Sam said, meaning all the tales Steve shared, and it did fall into a place, the way Tony liked to provoke him into tickling or those times when after some tickling, Tony was already grinding into him, hot and bothered -

“Hey!” Sam snapped his fingers, bringing Steve’s attention back, recognizing that buttery look in the eyes. He was fine with hearing that his friend had a sexual life, relieved even, because Steve definitely deserved some fun after years stuck in ice, but he didn’t need to witness it. 

“Huh? What?” Steve smiled goofily, the vivid image of Tony’s naked, writhing body slowly fleeting from his mind. One more week.

“Seeing that that’s settled,” Sam swerved around Steve and took some bolder steps, ready to go, when he was stopped again. 

“Wait,” Steve said and Sam listened, just because he was a good friend. A very, very good friend, that kind that deserved a medal and one day he would get it. “Any advice?”

Uhhh. There was some desperate, meek note in Steve’s voice, Sam was not entirely sure what to do about. 

“It is just like any other kink, Steve. Just talk with them, listen and think if you are comfortable with it.” 

It wasn’t a groundbreaking advice, but a simple, logical one. Sometimes the simplest solutions were the best. 

“Thank, Sam,” Steve smiled, feeling less overwhelmed. Did he mind that Tony liked to be tickled? No. It was kinda sweet, actually. Did he mind Tony having a tickle kink? No. Probably. Maybe? He needed more research, never picturing tickling falling into the kink spectrum, but hey, it was a big, wide world and probably not the most spicy kink out there.

“So, you gonna tell me who you are dating?”

“What?!” Steve laughed, eyeing his friend.

“I think I deserve to know after all of this talk,” Sam said in a fake opinionated tone, and Steve kept laughing, “you are not the most social person from what I gathered, so options are limited, and it is either one of those older fellows from the veteran center you like to drop by, but you don’t strike me as a sugar baby type or it is one of your superpowered buddies - “

“Less yapping, more running!” Steve hollered, tips of his ears getting just a liiiiittle bit pinkish before he sprinted forward. 

“Oh, and now you want to run!” Sam yelled in anger, going after his friend at a much more human appropriate pace. 

Steve kept running and grinning, thinking of all that he gathered today. He definitely had some thinking to do before Tony would come back. 

***

Once the jet landed on the top of the Avengers Tower, Tony felt relieved. France was beautiful and welcoming as always, but he missed his own bed. Not mentioning the person he had shared his bed with in the last weeks. Of course, he didn’t expect Steve waiting for him at the landing site, their relationship was still a secret after all, he didn’t even expect Steve to wait for him on his private floor, thinking more of an evening date, or maybe an earlier one once he settles in, and that’s why it caught him totally off guard when he had stepped out of the elevator on his floor, took a few steps forward and was lifted off the ground and spun around. 

“AH!” Tony yelped in surprise, the living room spinning. There was a muscled body behind him, and toned arms around his waist and Tony immediately smiled wide and happy. “Steve!” he laughed, hearing Steve laugh too and when was put down, Tony turned around, just to leap on his soldier.

“Hi,” Steve smiled, holding Tony up comfortably and without any effort.

“Hi,” Tony said back in a warm voice, leaning his forehead against Steve’s delicately. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Steve replied before spilling kisses all over his boyfriend’s face and neck, drawing the cutest, squeaky giggles out of him. 

“Hihihi,” Tony didn’t protest in anyway, he even tipped his head up, giving Steve more neck to cover. The soft kisses on his neck and cheeks tickled just a little bit in a very sweet way, and Tony felt a very pleasurable shiver traveling up and down his spine. He missed this feeling. “Mmmhhm, Steve…”

“Wanna tell me about your trip?” Steve asked, his hot breath tingling Tony’s skin and making his head spin again. 

“Later.”

“Oh? Maybe you are hungry? I can fix us something really quick - “

Tony groaned impatiently. Steve was a good person, always looking out for everyone and sometimes it was a flaw. “Steve, later!”

Obeying commands was not a flaw, not when he was hurriedly carried to the bedroom, both of them landing on the soft, still perfectly made bed, arms and legs tangling together and mouths clashing in needy kisses. Tony made an approving sound when Steve’s fingers hooked on the band of his sweatpants, because sure, he could do the classy thing and travel in elegant clothes and knock Steve out with his dazzling style, but a) he didn’t want to sit in not so comfortable attire for the duration of the whole flight, b) he had a belly full of baguettes, croissants and soft cheeses and elastic bands were much more forgiving, as he hated to admit it, but the buttons on his shirt and pants had to work a lot harder to stay in place.

“Ah ah!” Tony yelped, when Steve’s fingers accidentally brushed against his lower belly, the touch too soft to not leave a ticklish feeling behind. Normally, he wouldn’t be that sensitive, but after two weeks his skin was starved of contact and he sucked his belly in on reflex.

“Sorry,” Steve quickly said, fingers back on track to Tony’s underwear. 

“Wait, wait, Steve,” Tony breathed out, his cheeks flushed, body winning over reason, “touch me like that again.”

“Uhh?”

“Again. Please.”

Tony didn’t think it through. His body had a need and he voiced it out, not thinking about what might happen next. He just knew that he missed Steve, he missed his touch, he had this desperate need to be close with him, some heat already gathering in his body, almost overwhelming him. And Steve just dived in, having the same appetite. It was easy enough to get Tony’s shirt off, pull his pants lower and dine with fingers and lips on the soft, supple skin, and Tony first laughed, a nice, deep laugh, before it dimmed into something subtler and mixed with moans. 

The bed wasn’t so perfectly made anymore after that. 

***

“Hey, babe…”

“Mmm?”

“Uhh…”

Damn, Sam. Just as Steve found something very good in his life, Sam had to come and mess up with his head. Granted, it was his own fault because he just had to ask. In the grand scheme of things, did it really matter if Tony had a tickle kink or not? Probably not. Maybe it was an unusual kink, but was quite harmless and innocent. 

Just…

Steve had questions. He was happier when he didn’t have questions. Putting aside the mind blowing sex they just had, which did make Steve happy, reuniting with Tony made him happy.

Just those damn questions. Damn you, Sam. 

“Ow,” Steve flinched, when he felt a gentle nip on his shoulder. He looked to the side and saw Tony’s grin very close to him.

“So?” Tony asked, comfortably leaning over Steve’s muscled shoulder, their naked bodies pressed together. Some heat lingering, slowly fading into more comfortable, familiar warmth. Steve moved his arm, Tony grunted shortly at the shift, but soon settled closer, his head resting against Steve’s chest.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Steve said, pressing his cheek into Tony’s unruly hair, which Steve could proudly say was his work.

“Okaaay,” Tony agreed, wrapping his boyfriend’s arm more snugly around himself so he could take soldier’s hand and play with his fingers, gently tracing them. It was a nice, comforting feeling. “The answer is yes, by the way.”

Well, that was a shock. Enough for Steve to lean back to look better at his boyfriend.

“Wait, what?” Steve asked, eyes widened as he stared. That’s easy, huh. He didn’t expect this conversation to go so smoothly. 

Tony just stared back, not understanding why his partner acted so surprised. “Uh, you wanted to ask about watching that last Harry Potter movie, right?” he asked, forehead creasing when he saw that Steve deflated. That definitely wasn’t on his mind. “No? Then what?”

Oh, it was getting complicated. And the longer he sat on it, the more complicated it would get. They were adults, why was it so difficult to talk about it.

“Steve? What?”

Better to get a move on it, or they would grow old in this bed. Not that it was a bad thing. Growing old together would be a great thing.

“Tony, do you have a tickle kink?” Steve asked, deciding to get the words out fast in case he would chicken out. The question was out there and, much to his relief, Tony was there too, just briefly flinching, as if indicating that he wanted to run, but stayed. He was just looking at Steve with those gorgeous big, brown eyes that appeared even bigger, thoughts mulling in his head. 

“Huh,” was all Tony said, looking away, and scrunching his nose in that cute way he sometimes did when laughing and Steve adored so much. “Huh.”

Okay, maybe Sam was wrong. Maybe Steve was wrong. Maybe it was stupid to ask and Steve opened his mouth to tell Tony to just forget in and can they move on, when Tony decided to speak.

“I might have.”

“Uh.”

Tony laughed, looking back at Steve with a cheeky grin. “What, you didn’t expect this answer?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what I expected,” Steve said, the nervous tension leaving him, when he saw how at ease Tony was. That was surprising. It became even more surprising, when Tony leaned back into him and resumed the hand playing thing as nothing ever happened. “Uh, babe?”

“Hm?”

“What do you mean by I might have?”

“Gaaah, I don’t know,” Tony admitted, bending Steve’s fingers gently and straightening them up. Somehow it resembled Steve the way Tony worked with his machines. Maybe he felt more comforted when talking about intimate things while doing something familiar. “I just never thought about it as a kink,” Tony admitted, his forehead creasing again in thought. Did he have a liking for tickling? Well, yeah. Was it a kink? He honestly didn’t know, but there was evidence pointing to it.

“Whaaat?” Steve asked, finding this situation humorous. Somehow it was a relief that this was for them both to discover. “Aren’t you supposed to be like super smart?” he made a playful remark, his heart soaring when instead of being indignant, Tony snorted out a small laugh.

“Aren’t you supposed to be like super unaware of things because no one talked about sex in the 20s? How do you even know the word kink?” Tony quipped back. 

Steve grunted. “People had sex in the 20s,” he said, and wow, didn’t that sound familiar.

“Oh? And did you?” Tony continued to ask, grinning wide. 

Did he? Were they at this stage of sharing such information? Steve felt that they were. Just instead of having a heartfelt moment, he wanted to see Tony’s smug smile drop.

“Yes,” he answered, and there it was and who would have thought that Tony Stark had such a cute surprised face. Steve couldn’t help it and laughed.

That shook Tony a bit as he tried the information to sink in. It certainly made sense, because Steve didn’t move like a virgin, but somehow it was easier for Tony to put in his head that it was because of the abundance of easily accessible porn sites on the Internet. There was no parental control in the Tower and after that one time that happened totally by accident, Tony vowed to never check the browsing history. Those were two awkward weeks when he couldn’t bring himself to look Thor in the eyes, but then again, what he was expecting from a cosmic god who from the youngest years was surrounded both by bloody battles and wild orgies.

“Tell me more,” Tony asked, pushing more into his boyfriend with a teasing grin.

“Ah, no, we are not talking about my thing right now,” Steve reminded, letting Tony fidget and climb over him. 

“But I really don’t knoooow,” Tony drawled the last word and something in his voice made it sound really sincere. Steve tipped his head to the side, patiently waiting for continuation. He won’t pride, but he wanted to hear more from his boyfriend. “Ugh, okay,” Tony gave up, feeling that for the sake of their relationship he should say something. “So, I meant it, when I said that I don’t know, because I don’t, all I knew that it felt good, like, with you especially, but never before I have acted on it, until you, that is,” Tony said, avoiding Steve’s gaze.

For someone who could speak in a very elaborate way, that was quite messy. Tony didn’t appear vulnerable often, but in this moment he looked so small and unsure of himself, Steve could feel the nervous vibes all around him.

“But, you always acted as if you don’t like it,” Steve said, remembering all the instances Tony tried to push him away and screamed at him to stop and still it was the mild scenario.

“I know. I guess, it’s, it’s more like a conditioned thing to act in that way, not a true reaction,” Tony explained himself, sucking the air in between his teeth. It was very hard to admit that he liked being tickled. It was even hard to say the word tickle out loud. Maybe it was part of the whole tickle kink thing. 

“So… is it just with me or with everyone?”

“Just with you,” Tony said quickly and that was a relief for Steve to hear, “well, I mean, I can enjoy it with people I trust, like with Pepper or Rhodey, but with you, it is a whole different level.”

“How so?”

Tony huffed, feeling irritated. He finally looked at Steve with a stubborn expression on his face. 

It took a while for Steve to catch on, but once he did, he blinked in surprise, before a warm smile showed on his lips. “Me too,” Steve whispered softly, reaching for Tony’s hand and taking it. Maybe it was enough of confessions and the day for that one would come too. He slid his hand up to the elbow and pulled Tony closer, Tony following, until their lips could lock in a kiss.

***

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

“What?” Steve asked, lips twitching in a smile. Tony had just jumped away from him, curling on one end of the couch and hiding face in his hands. A very dramatic reaction.

“JARVIS, pause the movie!”

“Heeeey,” Steve whined, watching the screen stopping on a scene when Hermione disguised as Bellatrix just got into the wizarding bank, just minutes into the movie. He would never finish that last part. 

“Don’t hey me, how could you tell Sam?!” Tony turned around to him, face glowing red. Anger or embarrassment? Probably a mix of both.

Steve just looked innocently. “I needed advice. And don’t worry, I didn’t tell him who I am dating,” he explained. Tony grunted and hid his face back in his hands, upset that Steve clearly was not getting it. “Hey,” Steve said softly, scooting closer and putting a comforting hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. Tony really had an urge to act like a brat and shake it off. “I am sorry, I didn’t think it through,” he admitted and that Tony could believe. After all, when did Steve have any bad intentions? “Besides, you know that Sam works at the VA, right? It is not like him to go and blab out people’s personal things.”

“That’s not the point!” Tony yelled out. It was his secret. His and Steve’s. Granted, none of them knew before, but now Sam knew and Tony won’t be able to ever again talk to Falcon without wishing the earth to open and swallow him. And somehow Steve was not getting it. It was making Tony double upset. Time for drastic measures. “We have to break up.”

And Steve almost slid off the couch in shock. “What?” he asked in a small voice that sounded a lot as if his heart was broken.

Too drastic. And too haste. He could probably word himself out better.

“Ugh, not break up break up!” Tony admitted, putting his hands down and turning back to Steve. “Fake break up! In that way, you can date me later and Sam won’t know you dated me first!”

“Uhhh,” Steve couldn’t help and started to smile, finding the plan ridiculous. “Nah, not gonna happen, I like you too much,” he admitted with a laugh. 

“Not the point, Steve!”

“Besides, you already told Pepper and Rhodey that we are dating.”

“Whaaaat?” Tony’s voice went higher and he felt a little hot under the collar. There were no secrets between him, Pepper and Rhodey, so of course that at some point he was bound to spill the beans and share the big news of Tony Stark dating Captain America, and wow, that did bring back memories of his early adolescent fantasies that continued into… well, the day before he and Steve started dating. That was a long phase he didn’t outgrow from. There was no way either Rhodey or Pepper would give him out. 

“Pff,” Steve bit his lip, watching the panic set on his boyfriend’s face. Yes, boyfriend’s because he definitely wasn’t fake breaking up with him. “It was just a guess, babe, but I can see it was a good guess.”

“Jerk!” Tony scoffed, bumping Steve in the arm with a clenched fist. Steve played along and yelped in fake pain before falling dramatically on the couch. He lifted himself up with ease and grinned at Tony shaking his head in reprimand. It was all for a show, and Steve achieved his goal and his boyfriend looked less tense. 

“It will be fine, Tony,” Steve assured, scooting closer and wrapping an arm around his man, and when he was in mouth’s reach, he placed a long and loud kiss on the top of Tony’s brown hair. 

“It will be fine,” Tony sighed, repeating Steve’s words and giving up into the embrace. Secret for secret. He told his friends, Steve told his friend. Tony could argue that his secret was bigger and more embarrassing, but he didn’t have the moral high ground to lecture Steve, taking in consideration that he told his friends basically the next day, and Steve lasted way longer. No need to tell him that, though. And one day there will come a time to share the news of them dating with the rest of the team, but not yet. This, this what they had at the current moment, was good.  

At no signs of further drama, Steve asked JARVIS to resume the movie, and Tony stayed cuddled into his boyfriend, something warm and fuzzy growing in his chest, followed by a very cheerful, tingly feeling, when Steve’s hand dropped a bit lower and fingertips gently grazed his side, over and over again in slow movements. 

The third and final step was made and completed. 

-----