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“Sir, Steve needs assistance in the Victory Garden.”
Tony didn’t look up from Dum-E, who was honest to god fidgeting as he repaired the damage from running into a wall.
“Send someone else.”
“Bruce and Thor are out as consultants, and if you recall, Natasha and Clint left on a mission yesterday.”
“I don’t want to go near the chickens. I am going to tar and feather Clint for getting them. Maybe find a way to trap them in his room. Put some rotten eggs in his pillowcase.”
“The plant from Thor’s seeds has developed a personality and is currently ensnaring Steve.”
Tony stopped, making Dum-E worriedly beep.
“The plant Thor brought is attacking him?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“He planted those yesterday.”
“Maybe that is how everything grows on Asgard or the environmental conditions on our planet differ from theirs.”
“Steve is getting attacked by a plant?”
“In approximately twenty minutes, it will be dangling him from the roof."
“Wait, WHAT?”
“The vines are growing at an exponential rate towards the edge.”
He took a moment to process that before dashing up, Dum-E beeping and following him.
“Dum-E, he’ll be back to repair you, I promise.”
Dum-E paused right before grabbing Tony’s shirt, hanging his claw down.
-
There was a bright orange mess of vines covering the garden, and Tony cautiously approached it, searching for Steve.
“Cap, can you hear me?”
“Help-”
Tony kicked a particularly big vine as he went towards his voice.
“Marco!”
“What?”
“You- just shout Polo.”
“Polo!”
Would this goddamn thing stop growing for one second?
“Marco!”
“Polo!”
“Marco!”
“Polo!”
“Fuck, there you are-”
Steve had several vines wrapped around him, apparently tight enough his face was losing some color, even though he was dangling upside down.
“Did your old Victory gardens do this?”
“Just get me out.”
“I should have brought a machete.”
“I actually tore a vine to get away and it got angry.”
“Uh-” Tony looked around at it, trying to calculate just where and how it was growing.
“Are you just going to stand there?”
“Shush, I’m thinking.”
“Think faster before I suffocate or fall 93 stories.”
“Yeah, I get the stakes-”
“Tony?”
Maybe if he messed with that vine-
“Tony!”
Yeah, that might work- Tony walked to it, grappling with it.
“Tony, listen.”
“Kind of busy saving your life.”
“If you don-”
“What, are you going to confess you like me or something?” Tony joked, not looking back at him.
“Well, uh-”
“Whatever it is, it can wait. Save your oxygen, I think I’ve got it-”
“I do Tony.”
“Hmm.”
“Wo’ you-list'n?”
“I’m not listening, okay?”
The growth slowed down, and Tony let out the breath he had been holding. Finally.
“Now I’m’n’t danger, woul’ you-”
“What is so important?” Tony called, still not looking around as he kicked the vine repeatedly, Steve yelping as it dropped him.
“You okay?”
God his face was pale.
“I told you to save your oxygen, idiot.” He complained as he went to pick Steve up, the rest of the plant still growing wildly. “And please use your legs before this attacks both of us.”
“Would you just fucking listen?” Steve stood, shaking Tony as he yelled.
“What is so important?”
“I do- I do like you-”
“Okay, let’s get to safety.” He grabbed Steve’s arm again, dragging him bodily to the door off the roof, gratefully slamming it behind him before sinking down to the floor.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t-”
“I know hypoxia makes you do weird things, and I wasn’t really listening anyway.”
“IT WASN’T HYPOXIA!”
“Okay, fine, you have my attention, Cap.”
“I do like you.”
“Jarvis, is he still suffering mild hypoxia?”
“I don’t believe so, Sir.”
“How sure are-”
“Listen, you’re brave and kind and intelligent and beautiful-” Steve ranted, interrupting Tony.
“You were serious?”
“Yes!”
“You like me.”
“Yes!”
Tony’s brained stopped as Steve looked at him. What the- Steve liked him?
“Sir, are you all right?”
Tony didn’t respond.
Steve deflated, his voice getting soft. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but I do like you a lot, Tony. It’s okay if you don’t.”
“I do like you too.”
Where did that come from?
“You- you like me?” Steve’s voice was incredulous.
“Uh-”
Tony stumbling up to the kitchen at two in the morning to get food after Jarvis shut down all the power in his workshop to make him leave, finding Steve hunched despondent over a tub of ice cream. He would push the figure into the communal area to watch something he needed to see to catch up.
After tough battles, their “we won” and “yeah, we did!” as they went home, a rare smile splitting Steve’s face, lighting it up.
Tony turning to make faces at Steve during briefing when Fury or Hill’s backs were turned to try to get him to laugh. (Although Clint did that too and acted innocent when Fury turned around to glare.)
The constant reassurance and confidence in Tony when he was halfway up the wall in frustration because he couldn’t solve the problem. Steve would get him to take deep breaths and the answer would just be there, why hadn’t he thought of that-
The other’s constant lumping of “the two” together, which should have bothered him, but didn’t. Bruce, Thor, Natasha, Clint, and “those two.”
“I do.”
Steve let out a shaky breath, laughing nervously as he looked at his feet.
“I like you a lot.” Tony stood up, his brain fritzing as he walked towards Steve, who for some reason, was holding his breath, eyes wide as he looked at him.
“I like you a lot.”
Another one of those smiles split Steve’s face and oh god, he was beautiful and Tony felt light-headed.
Not entirely sure what he was doing, Tony reached up a hand to hold Steve’s cheek, pulling him down to kiss him.
Steve was frozen for a moment before he grabbed Tony, pulling him closer as he returned it.
“Thank god for Thor’s crazy plant.” Tony pulled back for air, Steve’s smile contagious as his head spun.
“Tony, it nearly killed me.”
“You know what I mean.” He pulled Steve down for another kiss, both hearing and ignoring several windows shatter.
“Sir, the plant has broken into Clint’s room.”
“Serves him right for those goddamn chickens.”
Steve laughed before they were kissing again.