Chapter Text
“Yes, you are the most perfect creature on this plane of existence… Yes, you know it, don't you? Darling.”
Steve leaned in the threshold, watching Tony coo over the cat. Sassy, for her part, seemed to return Tony’s adoration. She was curled up on his chest, purring loudly. Every time Tony dared to stop petting her for a moment, she butted her head up against his face.
“Should I be jealous?” Steve asked dryly, dropping his duffel bag with a thump. Tony started, twisting his head to see Steve.
“Steve!” Tony exclaimed, but didn't move.
Steve gestured. “This is the welcome I get, after two weeks gone?”
“Hah. Well.” Tony made a face. “I would get up, but I'm pinned,” he said, grimacing.
“Pinned,” Steve repeated.
“By a vicious animal,” Tony said earnestly. Sassy, insistent, rubbed her cheek against Tony’s chin.
“Here, let me help you,” Steve grinned. He scooped Sassy up. She mewled reproachfully, twisting in his arms.
“Steve, no. You've made her sad!”
“You always take the damn cat’s side,” Steve scowled, scritching Sassy under her chin. She gave him a baleful slit-eyed look, but settled against his chest.
Tony stood, stretched enormously, and came around the couch to stand in front of Steve. “Well, she is the love of my life,” he said, rubbing Sassy’s ears.
“I see how it is,” Steve huffed. “I’ll just go find another away mission, shall I?”
Tony kissed him quickly. “Don't even think of it,” he said. “We’ll languish without you here. I’ll go off my feed.”
“You’ll go off your feed, huh? How is that different from when I'm here?”
Tony shrugged. “I'll be sad about it?”
“Well, can't have that.” Steve gave Sassy one last scritch and let her down so he could close the space between him and Tony. “Don't be sad,” he said, and drew their lips together.
Tony’s mouth was warm. He tasted like coffee and his lips caught dryly against Steve’s. Everything about him, from the wiry press of his body to the metallic scent of his skin to the way he kissed Steve— soft and slow and deep and not so much a series of kisses, but a single kiss that he regrettably had to catch breaths for— felt like being welcomed home.
The last of his tension evaporated as Tony’s hands came up to his neck, kneading at the base of his skull. It felt so damn good it sent tingles all up and down his spine. Steve moaned low in his throat and broke the kiss to lean into Tony, suddenly boneless. Tony supported him without complaint.
“Missed this,” he admitted. He stroked a hand up and down Tony’s back.
“We missed you too.” Tony kissed his cheek. “I have to admit you can’t be entirely replaced by a cat.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Well, you know. Cat doesn’t leave wet towels on the floor.”
“She shits in a box.”
“And I have a robot that very helpfully cleans that box for me,” Tony said. He squeezed the back of Steve’s neck again, and Steve found it very hard to maintain his expression of annoyed incredulity.
“But, you know,” Tony continued. “Neither Sassy nor my bots are as good at keeping my bed warm as you are. It’s not their fault. You’re just irreplaceable as a space heater-slash-body pillow.”
Steve huffed, stifling a chuckle in his throat. Tony fingers were rubbing very cleverly at the finicky muscles in the side of Steve’s neck, sending bright, conflicting pain/pleasure signals all up and down his spine. Steve groaned a little, feeling the tension in his neck resist Tony’s massage.
“Tell you what,” he said finally. “You come to bed with me and do this for another twenty minutes, and I’ll do you a favor and forget this whole conversation.”
Tony smiled, giving Steve’s neck another squeeze. “Of course, darling.”