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Steve woke up feeling…. Different. When he had gone to bed last night after a bout of love making with Tony, everything had been perfect. Tony had fallen asleep in Steve's arms, curling into his chest and telling Steve how much he loved him, how his life had improved with Steve in it and well, Steve had gone to bed happy, without a care in the world. And that's how he had wanted to be when he woke up.
Now? Now Steve woke up and Tony was probably in the lab. Five am? Yep. Definitely in the lab. He loved his husband, he did, but sometimes the man spent too much time in his lab and it wasn't healthy for him. Especially when Tony's love of coffee contributed to him being down there at all hours.
Steve got up, stretched as usual and he just felt... off. Rushing towards the bathroom he noticed that well, he wasn't six feet tall anymore and all the muscle that he gained all those years ago was gone.
He was back to the way he was before.
"No. No. No." Steve repeated over and over again and he couldn't, he could not let Tony see him this way.
"Steve?" Tony's voice was just outside the door. Steve panicked and suddenly he couldn't breathe. His asthma had come back as well.
This was not good.
"You alright in there?" Tony knocked softly on the door. "Baby?"
Steve looked around the bathroom, trying to find a way out or something before Tony found his way inside.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine babe. Just uh, how about you go out and get us something to eat for breakfast?"
There was shuffling on the other side of the door and for a second Steve feared that maybe Tony isn't going to leave before the front door slammed shut.
A sigh of relief and Steve opened the bathroom door. He glanced around for Tony just in case before he walked as fast as he could to their bedroom.
There was a full length mirror on Tony's side. The genius had one in almost every room and at this moment Steve was grateful. He could see the full extent.
His cheeks were hollow, there was no meat on his bones, and the boxers that he wore to bed last night now sagged off of him.
He was a shell of his former self and that wasn't a good thing. Not for him. Not for Tony.
Tony…
The man that he loved. The man that worshipped the ground that Steve walked on and the body that he touched daily. The man who told Steve how much he loved Steve’s body. Tony, who would leave him the second that he found out. Steve nearly broke down and cried. He couldn't lose everything that he had just because of some accident from something that happened years ago.
"I have to--"
Steve heard the door downstairs open and close. No one else had a key to the place except for him, Tony, Rhodey and Pepper. And Pepper and Rhodey were out of town.
Tony couldn't have been back already.
"Cap? Baby. They were closed. So I guess it's you and me cooking. Come on out and let's get to working."
"Uh, Tone maybe you can start and bring it to me? I'm not feeling all that well and I wouldn't want to drag you down."
"Cap. Babe. I don't care about that. Come on. Don't make me come in there."
The door began to jingle and Steve gripped the handle quickly. He wasn't strong enough, however, and the door opened. Tony stood there, the bag in his hand dropping onto the ground.
"Tony…."
"Steve…. You're…."
Steve looked down at his hands and began to shake. This wasn't how he wanted Tony to see him.
He didn't want the looks, the fact that soon enough he would lose the man that he loved.
~
Tony held the shower curtain open for Steve. He washed his back and held him close. Tony fixed his dinner, wrapped him in his favorite clothes and pressed kisses across his back.
Tony didn't do this much when Steve was bigger. First off, Tony couldn't wrap his arms around Steve's body and it would often be Steve that held Tony.
He had to admit. This was nice.
"I'm gonna treat you so good. I know how you feel. I did listen when you talked about the past and your body before and baby, don't worry…"
A kiss to Steve's collarbone. It sent shivers up his spine.
"I love this body."
Another kiss was placed on Steve's chest and he wrapped his hand in Tony's hair.
"More than anything."
A kiss was placed on Steve's hip. Steve let out a moan and he jerked a little, this was a little too much for him. He began to shake.
"I love you, so much. I'm so lucky that I have you."
Tony's lips made their way back up top, pressed softly against Steve's lips. They made eye contact and Steve could see the way that Tony looked at him. His heart fluttered.
"Tony…"
"I'm so, so lucky that you chose me Steve. Even if you stayed like this the rest of your life, I don't care. I really don't. You're even more beautiful like this and I'm so fucking happy that I get to have you all to myself."
Steve closed his eyes. He let Tony continuing kissing him as he thought about how no one treated him this way when he looked like this and how he, when he found Tony, he thought the worst if he ever reverted back to this state and well,
He was wrong.
Very wrong.
He shouldn't have doubted Tony.
"I love you so much Cap. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Steve nodded. Tears welled in his eyes as Tony wiped them away with a slight kiss.
"I love you, I love you so much."