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Steve had thought he was looking at a ghost.
When Tony had first stepped out of the shadows, an almost literal ray of light among those dark and musty catacombs, his heart had nearly stopped. Tony. Tony whom he had lost for months and nearly given up dead. Tony, who was sporting worn clothes and an unkempt scraggly beard. Looking a little rough for wear, but with the much loved familiar gleam in his eye. The same aura of nonchalance, exasperating, endearing, and wholly unfitting for one had just blasted a hoard of mummies into dust. Tony whom he had lost and mourned, and at times half wondered if he'd ever see again in this life.
Steve had needed no further prompting or invitation.
"Iron Man in the flesh! " Steve exclaimed, closing the distance between them on slightly unsteady legs. Ignoring Tony's muffled protest, he lifted the other man off the ground in an enthusiastic embrace. He may have even twirled him around a bit, just like the titular characters out of a romance novel. The final chapter, the two lovers reunited at long last.
Steve had revered in the touch, drinking in the closeness, the warmth, and the tell-tale beating of his heart. This was no ghost or mirage. This was Tony, seemingly come back from.the dead. It was only with an effort of will (and the fact that he could feel Nat's gaze burning a hole in the back of his head) that Steve reluctantly relinquished his grip. Much, much, too soon for his liking.
"Hey, Cap." Tony had spoken softly, lips twisting into a tired sort of half smile. Tony was thinner , and hollow eyed from the trials he had been put through the last couple months, but otherwise appeared unharmed. A wordless exchange of sorts passed between them, lingering looks that spoke of sentiments too strong to put into words.
"I've missed you."
Steve would have been content to drink in the moment forever. His entire being reverberated with all consuming fact.. Tony was alive!
But of course nothing in their life was ever that simple. Not even five minutes after reuniting, and they were forced into a fierce confrontation with a mind controlled Moon Knight. Learned of a mysterious orb. And were almost buried under the rubble (He had even missed scolding Tony for his reckless behaviour)
Business as usual.
Having that quickly swept under the rug, they had hitched a short ride in Tony's truck, an old model flatbed pickup truck of all things (though of course not without some of Tony's usual flair for style), before finally arriving back at the tower. Steve and Nat had watched as Tony wordlessly stared up at the tower with an unreadable expression. His movements as he approached the tower were slow, hesitant, like a man trapped in a waking dream. Maybe he was still struggling to believe it was more than just a dream.
Steve approached him cautiously, feeling almost as if he was intruding, " You ready to go in? "
Tony nodded, wordless once more. And for a second, highlighted in the fading light cast from the setting sun, Steve would have sworn that he saw tears pricking at the corner of Tony's eyes.
-----------------
"Are you sure you're okay?" Steve asked carefully, once the two of them were alone in the privacy of their shared bedroom. Steve was leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, while Tony was walking around exploring the room as if it was the first he had ever seen it. Not for the first time it dawned on Steve just how long they had been apart ...
"Other than the fact that I'm pretty sure I saw my life flash before my eyes during that group hug?", Tony paused in his wandering long enough to shoot Steve a sardonic look," peachy."
Steve's lips twitched into a faint smile,"The whole team really missed you Tony. We were never really a team without you."
"Hmm. Well a simple 'Glad to have you back Tony' would have sufficed." Tony had momentarily stopped pacing to critically examine one of the framed paintings on the wall,"I always thought Hulk hated hugs anyway." he chattered on, already on the move once more.
Steve gave a small fond, shake of his head. Same old Tony. " Glad to have you back Tony."
"Glad to be back..or you know, sort of.." Tony stopped abruptly, and turned around to look at Steve fully for the first time," how did the rest of the team end up here anyway?"
Steve sighed slightly, at the perceptible shift in tone. He had been so happy to have Tony back, that for just a few moments he was able to completely forget about their current unfortunate circumstance. "You want the long version or short version?" Steve asked dryly.
" Let's go with the short version."
"Soon after we lost contact with you, The Leader scattered us across different dimensions. Me, Clint, Natasha, and Scott were trapped in a place called Dimension Z. A realm controlled by Armin Zola, which we eventually fought our way out. Hulk was trapped in another dimension with Kraven. And Sam was trapped under Kang's rule " Steve hesitated, before adding " time apparently worked differently there. What had been several months for the rest of us, had apparently been years in that dimension. "
" That's why he is.."
"Yes."
There were a couple moments of brooding silence after that. Steve guessed Tony, much like he himself, was feeling guilty while trying not to think too much about the actions Sam had been put through all those years. Though he was a valuable member to the team, when all was said and done, Sam had still been just a kid.
No longer.
Steve cleared his throat, and tried to steer Tony away from brooding too much," Also I think it's safe to say we were making fair progress toward restoring relations between Inhumans and humans.", he added in a desperate effort to bring some good news.." Just like you wanted."
Tony nodded mutely, legs almost seeming to give out as he sat down heavily on the edge of the mattress. It was like all his earlier bravado had suddenly deserted him. Steve followed suit a few seconds later, staring at him intently.
"What about you? What happened after we lost contact with you? We tried to find you, but Dr.Foster said it'd be like finding a needle in a haystack. "
Tony sighed again," It's a really long story Cap."
"It doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere for awhile, we have plenty of time." Steve insisted stubbornly, folding his arms in a stance that if suggested he'd make time if he had to. Tony glanced at him sidelong, smiling one of his first real smiles since he got here.
"Glad to see you are just as stubborn as ever. I think I even missed your lectures."
"Really? What about that stunt you pulled back at the pyramid?."
"It worked didn't it?" Tony counters easily , flashing back with his usual mischievous smile. Just like old times. Steve tried his best to frown sternly, but he just couldn't, and before he knew it he was grinning back as well. That was, until he remembered the reason for their conversation. Slowly his smile wavered and waned.
"Keeping your feelings bottled up won't help." Steve spoke kindly, but firmly," I'm not asking you to open about everything right now, but when you are ready...the whole team is here for you." Steve finished, staring at Tony intently, until the other man jumped to his feet.
"Alright. Enough. I hate it when you stare at me like that." Tony was talking fast, trying to lighten the mood. Steve himself stood up not too long after, " I'll try to catch you up, but there's one thing I need to do beforehand..."
Sreve stared at him, brow furrowed and lips twisted into a frown.
"I really need a shower."
……………..
Steve wandered aimlessly around the room while Tony showered. It was the first time Steve had been in their shared room since Tony had been trapped in that no tech dimension. The thought of sleeping alone in an empty room which had once held so many happy memories, had always seemed wrong to him. Too painful. With the reminder of Tony's absence shoved in his face from every direction.
But now..
Things were starting to feel like a home again. Steve felt the usual feeling of belonging, while mong the familiar white washed wallls and the furniture that was a mix of modern and old fashioned. Exactly the way he had remembered it. Eventually Steve's wandering brought him to the small bed stand situated at the headboard. Clustered on top were numerous framed photos of varying sizes. A small smile graced his lips as he picked up one of the larger ones. It showed him and Tony posed on the tower's balcony as fireworks went off behind them. New Year's day. Where both had finally made a resolution worth keeping, a fresh start for a better future.
Tony had made being dragged into the future worthwhile.
Putting the photo back, Steve went and sat down on the edge of the bed once more as he waited. And waited. Time dragged on slowly..forty-five minutes, an hour..hour and half. And though the rational part of his mind was telling him not to overreact, Steve started to grow worried. After another fifteen minutes passed, before he decided to check on Tony. Just in case.
Steve made his way to the wooden door and hesitated, hand lightly gripping he doorknob. He listened for a couple seconds, straining to hear a sound. Nothing. Now he was really starting to get worried. He rapped lightly on the wood with his knuckles. Still nothing. He tried again, this time louder, " Tony?" he called out trying to keep the desperation out of voice. No response.
His mind instantly conjured up all the worse case scenarios. What if Tony wasn't as well as he let on? What if he was lying unconscious on the floor right now? Trying to call for help but too weak? What if Steve himself had finally snapped and the whole thing was just a figment of his imagination?
Hesitating not one second longer, Steve slammed the door open, mentally preparing himself for the worst...only to find Tony bare chested and bent over the sink while examining his reflection in the mirror. Shaving.
Startled by the sudden noise, Tony flinched, causing the razor to jerk erratically in his grip and carve a harsh path across his face. Tony jerked back with a curse, and muttering under his breath, slammed the razor on the counter before turning to glare at Steve. Already, a small trickle of blood was flowing freely from the cut.
"What was that!? You do know we have doors for a reason."
"You were in there for a while." Steve explained, suddenly feeling very sheepish," I thought something might have happened to you."
Tony's eyebrow rose skyhigh,"In the security of my own private bathroom?"
"You didn't answer when I knocked." Steve defended stubbornly.
"I was just a little bit preoccupied." Tony answered icily. For a few seconds both men stared at each other intensely..but neither one's heart was really in it. Steve ran a hand wearily down his face.
"I'm.. sorry Tony." he apologized, grabbing a clean cloth, before making his way to Tony's side, " Let me get that."
"It's fine." Tony recoiled, while trying to wave him away., "You don't need to babysit me Cap. I'm not helpless. I'm perfectly capable of doing this on my own." Steve hesitated with the washcloth still gripped firmly in his hand. His shoulders slumped as a huge sigh was forced out of him.
"I know . Just..." Steve paused, trying and failing to put sentiments into words, " ..just let me do this." FTony seemed to understand fortunately. The frown on his face softening just a little as he tilted his head to the side in open invitation.
Running water over the cloth, Steve first used the rag to wipe away the residual blood. It was a small cut thankfully, and had already healed up, but Steve felt guilty all the same. After that was taken care of, Steve applied a healthy dose of shaving cream before setting to work. Steve's hands wielded the razor skillfully and with a surprising delicacy as he tilted Tony's head this way and that to better reach those hard to access places. Though they didn't speak the whole process had an air of companionable silence.
Neither one mentioned the way Steve's hands were shaking the entire time.
As Steve went to put away the razor, Tony stared at his reflection for a few seconds, critically examining himself from several angles before running his fingers across his now smooth skin, "Not bad Cap." he admitted approvingly. A clean shave may have been a small thing, but it did wonders to help feel in control again. More human.
When that was said and done, and Tony was clean, and shaved, both men had inadvertently made their way to the sanctuary of the bed. It had been a long day to say the least, and while sleep sounded good, neither was quite ready to be lulled into the blissful nothingness just yet. There was something else which they had both been missing out those long months.
After being starved of affection for so long, both men had fallen into one another's presence vigorously, ravenously. Starting with sweet, hot kisses in tender spots, and quickly evolving into more. In the dim room, their taut bodies were silhouetted by the pale blue light cast from the arc reactor. The silence punctuated only by Steve's growling voice, hot and low in his throat, and Tony's sweet desperate moans. It was as desperate as it was quick, just long enough to sate that need which had been itching at both of them for months.
Having cleaned up once more, both men sprawled lazily on their side, turned so that they could look into each other's eyes. Steve's hands threaded lightly through Tony's hair, a simple pleasure he almost thought he'd never experience again.
"Damn Steve, I've missed you. " Tony whispered fiercely, as at long last the barriers of his emotional gate had been breached., "It's been...too long."
" Missed you too Tony.. "
"You remember the last time we talked through the Interdimensional transponder?"
"Of course. How could I forget?"
" Not too long after I had lost connection the entire dimension started to warp and collapse on itself.... I thought for sure I was going to die." Tony paused," I've had a few close calls before, this time however felt more final. You know I've never been worried about what could happen to me, but this time I had no idea what was happening to the rest of the team. I didn't know if you guys had been injured or if you were even still alive. I thought about it every day I was here."
Steve made a noise low in his throat. It never occured to him what it must have sounded like from Tony's end. Steve wanted to say something, but before he could piece together the properwords, Tony was talking once again
"When I finally came to, I had wanted to believe that I had somehow made it back to Earth. But.. I knew right from the start that was too good to be true. I had no tech, no sense of direction, and no clue. I felt as if I had been flung into an impossible situation right from the start. "Tony murmured in a distant voice, as if part of him was still far away, " I was just a tech guy without his tech."
Steve still held his silence, and Tony shrugged before continuing his story at a faster pace," Not too long after I ran into the Beyonder."
Steve tensed at the mention of maniacal being they had encountered within minutes of arriving. The mastermind behind all this. The one who put Tony through all this.
"He came seemingly out of nowhere. Offered me a partnership of sorts. Showed me what he was capable of doing. And though I hate to admit I was impressed.", Tony paused for a bit, reliving some distant memory ," But it didn't take a genius to figure out it was all wrong...So I rejected his offer and took off-
"Rejected? How so?"
" Lets just say I'm probably not on his good side anymore.."
" Why doesn't that surprise me?"
Tony paused to shoot him afronted look.before finishing in a clipped tone," Anyway, I've been on the run from him and his lackeys ever since. "
Steve paused in stroking Tony's hair, "You've been through hell. " It was not a question. Once again he felt the all too familiar pang of guilt that he hadn't been able to do more.
The other man shrugged, " I survived. Thinking of the team helped. I was determined that one way or another we'd be reunited. Though as time passed I found it harder and harder to have hope", he admitted, '' Sometimes I still have a hard time believing you are really here and this is not just a dream."
"I know what you mean." Steve agreed softly. He did. All too well.
" For a while, I had started to believe I'd never see you again."Tony murmured low, burying his face into Steve's chest.," I was starting to think you had forgotten about me. Or had given me up for dead." Tony broke off, swallowing hard.
"Never.", Steve assured fiercely," I am here now, and I'm not going anywhere."
Tony sighed softly, as some of the earlier tension left his body. A few minutes later, he finally succumbed to a combination of exhaustion and wrung out emotions. Within a matter of minutes he was snoring softly, wrapped in the warm and protective embrace of Steve's arms. Tucking his chin on top of the other man's head, Steve tightened his grip.
Never again.
The Beyonder was formidable no doubt, perhaps their strongest foe yet, but together..together Steve felt they would prevail. And as he felt himself also start to drift off, he was certain that for the first time in months, there'd be no nightmares.