Chapter Text
Tony had grown up hearing about, being compared to him, everything Captain America Captain America Captain America, that sometimes he wished he could go back (he had tried to invent a time machine when he was eleven, but the availability to tationic particles was nonexistent), and shove him. He liked Captain America, so he didn’t want to shove him, but he wanted to shove him or- it didn’t matter now because Captain America would walk into the kitchen with bedhead and greet the team. Captain America would never stop encouraging Tony when he got frustrated and started cursing at Dum-E and throwing tools around, Captain America was..Captain America. He was Steve.
All of them living together in the tower was pretty chaotic (read: Clint and Thor) and it took forever for them to know how to work around each other, another forever until they felt like a family. Then things started to go better, they would work together on missions, Natasha wasn’t constantly cussing at them in a steady stream of Russian, Clint jumped off way too many buildings and there was a bet between all of them to see who would catch Clint the most. Thor was leading that tally. Clint stopped when someone Instagrammed Thor carrying Clint like a baby. They were a time bomb, as Bruce had said, but- they started to fit together and understand one another, a family. Not the family Tony grew up with, a better one.
Once Tony stopped throwing tools around and cursing fluently at Dum-E, trying to go back to his project because Captain America - Steve - was standing there with that stupid puppy face he insisted he didn’t have, eyes bright and voice encouraging. Once Tony woke up from bad PTSD episodes, and Steve had a warm cup of tea for him because he had told Jarvis to tell him if anyone had nightmares, whenever Steve’s voice cracked as it came through the comms, asking if the team member in the exploding building had gotten out okay,Steve’s sigh of relief when said member came through again after static filled the comms, Steve when-
Fuck. Tony realized he liked Steve like that only when Pepper cornered him and then proceeded to lecture him, upon which Natasha and Clint had stumbled into, and then they told Bruce, who mentioned it to Thor and now all of them cleared their throats pointedly at Tony when Steve was near, and Steve would look around with confusion as Tony tried to not blush because damn you four, no. Just no. Nothing would happen. He’d rather crush, or walk around completely in love like a common fool, whatever it was, than ruin their friendship.
Tony got off drink, got less PTSD episodes as time progressed, and it… was okay.
-
Okay until two years into the others rolling their eyes when Tony listened intensely to Steve as he started ranting about something and nearly knocking all of their morning coffees off the table as his face lit up. Two years into Tony being pathetically in love with the man, many rants from Pepper, Clint signing jokes at Tony, two years into the team not leaving it alone, the worse happened.
Maybe not the worse worse, the world wasn’t about to disappear into a dark hole Doctor Doom had somehow created- but it was the end of this peace he had found with loving Steve but doing nothing about it. Because that was okay. Painful at times, but okay.
And then Natasha eyed Steve one day as he came back from something in the city, Tony knew it was a date, not even the first or second but now several months of dates, Natasha never said the word, but it was okay. It would be okay.
“What’s that in your pocket, Steve?” Natasha smirked, trying to be quiet so Tony didn’t hear but hell he did, he heard the nervousness in Steve’s voice and the blush and the shaking and he was not okay. Tony disappeared into his workshop for weeks afterward, even though Natasha would come and shout through the glass that Steve was waiting until a family emergency ended to ask, at which Tony shot her looks because yes, he was obvious, but the other four were painfully obvious.
So when the knocking came again, he groaned dramatically - why couldn’t they leave him to his misery - and saw Steve standing on the other side of the glass, Natasha blowing a kiss and winking as the lift behind him closed. Tony felt his face go red and he ran out of sight, diving behind a table. Dum-E, the stupid traitor, undid the locking mechanism on the doors that Tony had told Jarvis to put in place, and now there were footsteps coming towards him and shit shit shit shit shit shit-
Steve came into view, face adorably concerned, Tony would be trying to memorize it right now but he was in the middle of freaking out that Natasha had told Steve and he was here to let him down gently, their friendship would be over-
“When did you last get sleep, Tony?” Steve eyebrows furrowed and Tony let out the breath he had been holding, maybe Natasha hadn’t told him.
“Sir hasn’t slept in approximately three and a half days, Captain,” Jarvis answered and all of a sudden Steve was pulling Tony out from under the table and walking him out of the workshop, thanking Dummy for letting him in and then they were in a lift and Tony had a bubble in his throat as Steve looked at him with furrowed eyebrows.
“If that person doesn’t like you-” Steve started as the lift swooshed upwards.
“What?” Tony found himself croaking, shit shit shit shit shit-
“Natasha told me you’re in love with someone who doesn’t love you back, that’s why you’ve been locked in your workshop-”
Oh. Everything was okay.
“If that person doesn’t love you, they don’t deserve you, you’re a great man Tony-”
Tony was too tired to not react as the dagger dug into his heart all over again, twisting painfully, and he thought his legs gave out as he let himself cry for the first time. Once he got control again, Steve helped him onto his feet, telling him to shower- you’re covered in grease - and to sleep. Tony cried in the shower some more before emerging back into his room just as the door was closing and his eyes immediately fell on the cup of tea on his nightstand and he broke again.
It just got worse, but it also got better, but it was bad, but it was-
Steve was doting on him and telling him how amazing he was, trash-talking them in his forties way, making sure he ate, the ring resting on his dresser as he tried to make Tony okay, to help him move past this, because
"God damn it, Tony, you’re a good man, they clearly don’t deserve you if they can’t love you-”
And Natasha would sigh and clunk her head heavily onto the table as Clint laughed until Steve shot him a look, waiting until Steve turned away again to laugh again.
“These fucking idiots.” Natasha whispered, and Thor nodded.
“Verily, Natasha.”