Chapter Text
Pepper's heels clacked against the floor as she followed Tony to his office, telling him everything he'd missed in the few hours he'd been gone for an Avengers meeting. He sighed as he stepped into his office and turned back to Pepper. She had just a few more things to say.
"You have one five hundred and eight new emails. There's a package on your desk. You have another meeting at three." He nodded and closed the door before she could say anything else, sighing heavily. The package on his desk stuck out, the brown packaging sticking out on the red and gold desk. Clint and Sam had decided to paint it for fun.
Slowly, the man walked over to the desk and looked at the package. Not much mail actually came to him. When it first was sent to him, he had someone that went through it. Then, it was sent to the secretary. Then, he got whatever she deemed was okay. Which led to this.
The package was normal, a brown box with his name and address on it, but it didn't have anyone else's name on it or where it came from. He was hesitant to open it at first. Could it be a bomb? Maybe it was a robot that would kill him. Maybe he should call the police or SHIELD. Or, maybe, he should just open it up and face whatever consequences came with it. That seemed like the best thing. He didn't mind putting his life on the line at this point, anyway.
Tony pulled the tape off of the box and opened it up, taking out another box that was inside of it. And inside the box was a phone, a note, and black licorice-Tony and Steve's favorite candy. They'd shared at least that, along with a few other things. It was a miracle their relationship lasted.
Tony knew the package had come from Steve. Steve-the man who had been done with all the crap SHIELD threw at them and took over Hydra. He was the bad guy now and Tony was expected to find him and fight him. He still loved the super soldier and was terrified for the day that would come when they would meet again, one opposite sides, and have to fight one another. It hurt his heart just to think about it. He could never hurt him.
Sighing, the billionaire opened the letter and took it out of the envelop, unfolding it to read over it.
Tony,
They're going to make you fight me, aren't they? Can't see you that this is wrong? I really hope that we'll be together soon. Don't be afraid of me. I just want to help you. These people have hurt you so much. You deserve to be loved and taken care of. The phone I'll use to call you can't be tracked. Take care of yourself until I can. I do this for a good reason. I love you.
-Steve
Tony blinked back tears that threatened to fall. The night the soldier left had been horrible. He'd given Tony a serum that paralyzed him, so he couldn't stop him. Then, he'd said a few words, kissed him goodbye, and was gone. Tony couldn't move until morning and by then, he was long gone.
With those thoughts, the phone rang. The engineer looked back at it, holding it in his hand. Should he really pick it up? Maybe Steve would reveal something about his location. It would be best for all of them. He flipped the phone open, pressed the accept button, and put the phone to his hear. He was met with deep breathing and had to close his eyes. It was definitely Steve.
"Tony." He had to cover his mouth to keep in the sob that caught in his throat. "I'm glad you answered. We need to talk. In person. Alone."
"Steve, I-" he couldn't do that. SHIELD agents would want to be there. And they wouldn't take no for an answer. He wasn't afraid they'd hurt Steve. He was afraid Steve was gonna hurt them if he let this happen.
"We need to talk," the other man repeated. "I know you won't let anyone get in trouble, so you'll come alone. I'll text you the details tomorrow night. I love you." Tony closed his eyes tightly, the tears slipping now. He loved him too, but wasn't sure if he should really say it. Thankfully, Steve spoke up again. "I know," he said. "I'll see you soon." The line went dead. Tony set the phone down on his desk and sat down on the opposite couch, his head in his hands. A sob wracked his body.
He couldn't take this. First, they had the fight with Ultron. Then, Steve left to take over Hydra with his old presumed dead friend. And now, he wants to talk to Tony. He couldn't take this stress.
Either way, though, he knew he had to go wherever Steve would send him, even if the man turned out not to be there. Because that's the type of person Tony was. He put his heart on his sleeve to anyone that showed him affection. His father had been horrible to him and now he sought out the attention he needed ever since he was a little kid. He had to go see Steve. He hoped it didn't end horribly. Honestly, he was kind of hoping the other man wouldn't show up.
"Tony?" Pepper called, knocking on the door. "I need the new blueprints by Wednesday morning at the latest. Please, make sure you get them to me." The engineer took a deep breath.
"Okay," he replied and listened to her retreating footsteps. He lifted his head, glancing around his office, and his eyes landed on a picture of all the Avengers together. It made his stomach twist. Not only had Steve taken over Hydra, but the others slowly joined him, agreeing with him, leaving Tony alone to deal with this mess. He had no idea who he trusted anymore, who were the good people or the bad people. He only stayed because Peter was still here and he needed to make sure the kid was okay. His aunt had died recently and he needed him. He had to stay.
Tony sighed and leaned back against the couch, looking at the picture of him and Steve. Steve didn't know about Peter. No one did, except for Happy. He was the only one left, other than Pepper.
This was crazy. Was he really going to go to Steve? He couldn't. Yet he couldn't stop himself from checking his phone every five minutes.
This wasn't going to end well.