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“Tony. I swear to God.”
“I got you, don’t worry.”
“Ton – shit.” Steve stumbled on the rocks, the heel of his shoe scraping forward. His stomach did flips as his balance shifted, but Tony caught him by the forearm before he could face-plant on the almost nonexistent trail.
Tony snuffed out an amused laugh, but Steve could see the mirth dancing in his eyes. “Told you I got you,” he said with a smirk, sliding his hand down to intertwine their fingers together.
The two of them made it down the cliffside with little to no trouble after that, one hand keeping them both steady. They reached the start of the long stretch of private beach that sat beneath Tony’s mansion on Point Dume. Steve stopped for a moment to toe off his shoes, bending down to pick them up in one hand as his boyfriend went on without him. Boyfriend. Wow, he was never going to get over that.
He followed Tony’s footprints, the sand burning under the soles of his feet; Steve got used to it enough to stop hissing hot sand hot sand hot sand under his breath every second. When he glanced up to watch the horizon, Steve slowed to a halt. The view was breathtaking – crystal-blue waves crashing against the shore with bright, clear skies going on for miles. He’d seen his fair share of beaches in New York and abroad, back during the war, but there was something about the California coast that kept him in awe.
“Hurry up, slow poke!” Tony called from ahead, waving one skinny arm to get his attention. “We haven’t got all day now.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’,” he replied half-heartedly.
Steve couldn’t help but to roll his eyes, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, because they did, in fact, have all day. Two days, actually, thanks to Pepper’s affinity for rearranging their hectic schedules. There was often no rest for the wicked, but Captain America and Iron Man could afford one peaceful weekend occasionally.
Their large beach blanket was spread out on the sand by the time Steve approached, Tony’s boogie board laying haphazardly on it. He settled at the edge of the blanket, plopping down and burying his toes in the sand as he watched Tony shimmy into his wetsuit.
The brunet managed to get it rolled up to his thin waist before pausing for breath, resting his hands on his hips. He turned around, frown fixed on his face, before giving a harrumph. “Fuck, I forgot the lube,” he said seriously.
Steve’s brows rose up on his forehead, and he bit down on his lip in an attempt to hide a smile. Tony caught his expression, of course, and scoffed. “Oh – c’mon – get your head out of the gutter, you dirty old man.”
“Who’re you calling old?” Steve retorted, mouth falling in mock-offense. It was a fleeting thought, but he hoped that Tony didn’t catch how he didn’t refute dirty.
“You, 1918,” Tony shot back with a laugh, “you’re old.” He focused his attention back to the sleeves of his wetsuit, folding the arms half inside-out to ease his hands through without assistance from the missing lubricant.
Steve narrowed his eyes slightly as Tony tugged the sleeve up to his shoulder. He bit out, “You’re one to talk, being so close to fifty.”
Tony’s jaw dropped comically, eyes widening to the size of saucers. He stared at Steve silently, continuing to adjust the wetsuit over his biceps. “Ouch. Dirty, old, and mean.” Reaching his hand back to grasp at the thin strip of fabric attached to the fastener, Tony zipped himself up. “Next thing you know, you’ll be yelling at me to get off my own lawn.”
Steve barked out a laugh at that, all but cackling, face splitting into a grin. The genius rubbed at his meticulously shaved goatee as he considered the blond thoughtfully, managing a smile before he gave in and leaned down to press his mouth against his. He hooked a finger under his chin, slotting his lips against his again, and again. Steve felt his cheeks redden, affection brewing in his heart as he inhaled, lungs filling with the scent of mint and motor oil and Tony.
Admittedly, Steve never thought he’d have the chance at this – at love. There was a spark that had started between him and Peggy, once upon a time, before the icy jaws of death had frozen him for seventy years. It was sort of poetic, though, that Howard’s son be the one who’d continued funding the expedition that found him eventually. Even more so that Tony was the one who thawed Steve’s heart and proceeded to inject himself into his bloodstream in the best ways possible.
A year after the Battle of New York, it dawned on Steve that they’d become surprisingly close friends. Even then, falling in love with Tony was like falling asleep, slowly and then all at once. The Avengers had been at a charity event when he spotted Tony kneeling on the dirty floor in his expensive suit, talking animatedly with a little boy and his mother. That was when Steve realized that he loved him and realized just how beautiful he was as a person.
Tony, obviously, was beautiful to gaze at too, especially looking like he did as he chased the ocean waves. Steve sat contentedly on the shore, knees pulled into his chest as he watched his boyfriend repeatedly jump onto the boogie board and into the crest of a wave, sometimes succeeding but more often than not splashing into the water. Tony wasn’t skinny – at least, not as skinny as Steve had been before the serum – but years of tinkering in his workshop had given him lean muscles that Steve couldn’t help but stare at. The wetsuit really hid nothing from the imagination, hugging Tony’s slim frame like a glove.
When the sun had started to lower, drastically changing the colors painting the skies, Tony made his way back to him. He was wet and dripping, short-cropped hair curling a little now that there was no gel to keep it tame. A smirk was on his mouth as he teased, “See something you like, soldier?”
The corners of Steve’s mouth curved up in a smile, and he started blatantly checking out Tony’s body without so much as a shy blush to his cheeks. “Just enjoying the view.”
Tony directed a grin in his direction, winking, and that sent a flurry of butterflies going in his stomach. The feeling didn’t die down, either, as they walked hand-in-hand along the shoreline.
Steve’s eyes were transfixed on his lips, forming around words that didn’t quite reach his ears; fascinated by his free hand, waving in the air as he gestured wildly. He wasn’t sure what Tony was saying, something about the quarterly reports at Stark Industries, but he was sure that he’d spend the rest of his life listening to him talk if he could. The sunset was throwing out the most beautiful reds and oranges and purples, dancing in Tony’s hair and haloing around his face. The light caught in Tony’s dark eyes, turning them honey-brown and making Steve want to burn it into his memory.
“What do you think?” Tony asked abruptly, pulling him from his silent reverie.
Steve blinked a few times, replying intelligently, “Huh?”
A quick chuckle graced Tony’s lips as he turned to look at Steve fully. “You weren’t listening to one word I was saying, were you?”
“Sorry.” Bashfully, he grinned, brows drawing up apologetically. His eyes flickered down to Tony’s mouth as he said, “I was, um… distracted.” Steve tightened his grip on Tony’s hand, tugging him closer so he could kiss him, short and sweet.
When they pulled away, Tony’s eyes were wide, almost like stars danced behind them. In a breathless whisper, he revealed, “You’re forgiven.”
