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Chapter Text

With his messenger bag slung over his shoulder, Steve headed off for work with high hopes and the ambition to take on the world. He usually had Monday off when he worked through the weekend. But he had big plans and he didn’t want to wait. Steve was a rising star in the wedding planning business and the growth of his firm depended on how hard he worked. A few extra hours here and there wouldn’t kill him.

The gray-haired barista at the coffee shop around the corner greeted Steve warmly and handed him his order ready to go.

“Have a great day, Steve. You know, that cute guy from the photography studio down the street was asking about you again,” the older woman said.

Steve paused as he stirred sugar into his coffee. “Oh? Thanks, Cathy.”

“Gonna give him a chance?”

“Too busy,” he replied. “Maybe in a month or two.”

Cathy wagged her head. “People don’t wait around, even for someone as handsome and sweet as you, Steve. Take a chance sometime. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

“Don’t worry, my friends look out for me,” Steve said with a smile and snapped the plastic cover back on his coffee. “See you tomorrow.”

Once at the office, coffee in hand, he made his way to his cubicle. The Avengers Group office was nothing more than a large room cut up into cubicles, with a large table for meetings and some seating areas to meet with vendors and the occasional client. He waved to the business manager, Maria, who was always the first person in the office.

Setting down his cup, Steve looked out his cubicle window at the beautiful, sunny July day and hoped that the weather would hold through the weekend for an upcoming outdoor wedding. He had a lot invested in the success of his events because he was working hard to make the new Avengers Group succeed in a vast, competitive business. The small start-up was all that remained of the fabled and storied Shield Events firm. Old Fury had recruited Steve into the firm when he ran across Steve in his last year at college arranging art shows for his friends.

Steve hadn’t given any thought to event planning as a career. It turned out that he was good at it, very, very good. He had thrived under Fury’s guidance.

But Shield Events blew up under a bitter partnership war, and when the dust settled, Fury retired to Arizona, and Steve, Sam and a group of their friends founded the Avengers Group. It paid well, providing Steve with enough money to pay the bills, live in a small studio apartment in a less-fashionable Brooklyn neighborhood, and keep him in watercolors, oils and sketchbooks.

Steve checked the timelines on his whiteboard and listened to his voicemail. His fellow associates had nicknamed Steve’s cubicle “The War Room.” One wall was covered in a large whiteboard with calendars and dates, while the other wall had extensive timelines of each event Steve was working on. Folders and other materials were in carefully maintained piles on the long desk under the whiteboard. Clint complained that the organization of Steve’s workspace gave him headaches from the blinding tidiness.

“Hey, Steve,” Sam called out. Sam was a close friend and the other full-time wedding planner at the firm. He handled the celebrity weddings, possessing with just the right charm to smooth over easily ruffled tempers, while Steve handled the professionals and quieter society types.

“Sam. Thought you were out of the office today,” Steve said.

“Yeah, yeah. Just picking up a lookbook and needed to check contracts,” Sam replied as he walked by Steve’s cubicle.

“Hey, have you heard of Pepper Potts?”

Sam rocked back and forth on his heels. “Hmm, the name rings a bell, but I can’t place her.”

“She worked for Stark Industries -- Tony Stark’s personal assistant,” Natasha answered as she came up to Steve and Sam. She put her sunglasses back into her bag and pushed back her thick, red hair. “I worked with her once a long time ago back with Shield on the Stark Expo project.”

Steve looked down at his notes. “She called to set up an appointment. And she’s still at Stark Industries.”

Natasha sighed. “I thought she’d have escaped by now. Stark was the worst to work with. He always had these outrageous demands. I thought Fury was going to kill him just before the event. But I really liked working with Pepper. She’s a good egg.”

Sam nudged Steve. “Are you going to join us for dinner out tonight? Thor wants to celebrate landing a big contract.”

“Sure, I could use a break,” Natasha said. “Steve?”

Steve shook his head. “Got a lot coming up. I think I’ll pass this time.”

“Come on, man. You’ve got to take a break every now and then,” Sam said pointedly. “Just an hour. Hour and a half maybe.”

“We won’t try to set you up with anyone,” Natasha promised. “This time.”

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. The last time they went out Natasha had somehow wrangled the phone number from the waiter for Steve. She said it wasn’t that hard to do, since the waiter couldn’t stop trying to flirt with Steve (hint, hint).

Steve could use the break though, and it had been a while since he had spent time with his friends. “Okay,” he agreed, throwing up his hands. “Text me when you get to the restaurant.”

He could hear Natasha mutter to Sam as they walked away, "We gotta find someone for Steve. It's been three years since he's been serious with anyone. He's such a good guy, anyone would like him ...."

Steve shook his head. He had too much work to do without worrying about getting back into the dating scene. He was doing just fine on his own.

~~~~~

When she arrived at work, a blushing Pepper showed off her small engagement diamond to the grandmotherly lobby receptionist. Next thing she knew, people from all over Stark were sending emails, or calling or dropping by to say congratulations to her and Happy. Tony even sent a large bouquet of flowers, though admittedly Pepper had a hand in that gift. She didn’t get much work done that morning.

Just after her morning coffee break, Priya from Legal showed up at her office. “Here,” she said, handing Pepper a white business card. “Everyone is going to give you advice, so this is my contribution.”

Pepper examined the card. “Steve Rogers, Wedding Planner?” She had not given a thought yet to the wedding, or even setting a date.

Priya nodded. “He’s the best out there, Pepper. You’ll think that you can do this on your own, but Steve knows what he’s doing. He’ll care more about your wedding than you do.”

“I never heard of him or the Avengers Group.”

“It’s a small event planning company. Steve’s been doing this for five years and he’s an up and comer. I swear, in a year or two he’ll be everywhere,” the lawyer continued.

“You liked him?” Pepper asked, her curiosity piqued.

“I’d get divorced and remarried just to hire him again. My mother loved him, and you know how difficult my mother can be,” Priya replied in all seriousness. “You won’t regret it.”

She looked around the office, making sure that no one could overhear them. “How did Tony take the news?” she asked in a low voice.

“Better than you’d expect. He’s very excited by it,” Pepper lied smoothly. She had not talked to Tony at all about her engagement. He had looked at the large bouquet on her desk, apologized automatically for whatever he did that merited that large a bouquet, and wondered why all the foot traffic to Pepper’s desk. She would have to build up to the announcement.

“Doubt that’ll last,” Priya snorted. “I’ve got to go. Merger paperwork and all.”

Later, Pepper noticed the business card she had put on her monitor. She hadn’t considered a wedding planner. Maybe she’d call since Priya suggested it. It couldn’t hurt. She dialed Steve’s number.

~~~~~

Steve adjusted his suit coat and tie before stepping into Stark Tower for his appointment with Pepper Potts. As a veteran of many client pitches, he knew that his success depended on his preparation. His standard uniform of understated dark suit and lucky blue-and-white striped tie was chosen to project confidence and competence. He was as organized as he was ever going to be -- portfolio with idea boards, current bridal magazines, lists of vendors, lookbooks, color wheels, pictures of weddings and events he had planned, and lots of business cards.

After hearing Natasha’s information, he had googled Pepper and learned about her formidable reputation as the personal assistant to the powerful, wealthy perennial party-goer Tony Stark. Steve would have to be at the top of his game. Savvy personal assistants knew what Steve did for a job, and they always had opinions about how he could do it better. And all Ms. Potts had discussed was a small, elegant wedding. It almost never ended there, as Steve well knew from his five years of experience. He’d have to see.

The receptionist gave him directions to his meeting room and pointed him to a special elevator. Steve had barely entered the elevator when a man called behind him, “Stop! Hold it!” Steve pushed the door open button as the man rushed into the elevator. The man in sunglasses with red frames and an Italian designer suit nodded to Steve as he sipped his coffee.

“Which floor?” Steve asked.

“Fortieth.”

Steve pushed the buttons for the floor. He shifted the portfolio from hand to hand and stared ahead at the elevator door. Taking out his phone, the dark-haired man leaned against a corner of the elevator car. Steve noticed his rather complicated facial hair which flattered the shape of his face.

“Meeting?” the other man asked.

“With a potential client,” Steve replied. He couldn’t help but notice how handsome the other man was in his tailored suit.

“You must be one of the wedding planners. We’ve been flooded with them,” the man in the red sunglasses said.

Steve wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. He knew he was likely competing against other planners for the job. Competition didn’t bother him -- he stood by the quality of his work and if people wanted to work with him, he would do the best job he could for them.

The other man continued, “People would be better off spending their money on almost anything other than a wedding, like a down payment on a house, a stock investment, or even a once-in-a-lifetime trip. It’s the wedding industrial complex.”

“Weddings are once-in-a-lifetime events. Each one is different,” Steve replied diplomatically.

“Not for a lot of people. Some are frequent flyers, with so many divorces and remarriages going on. Must be the only way you guys can stay in business, Mr. Planner.”

Steve was very grateful when the door opened at his floor. “Weddings are a complicated business,” he replied as he made his escape.

“Wish you luck. You’ll need it,” the man called after him.

Steve tried to shake off the cynical unpleasantness of his elevator companion as he looked for the conference room in his instructions. The memory of the elevator ride lingered though, and he thought it was a shame that someone who was so intriguing could be as equally annoying. Steve found his client already waiting, clearly pleased he had arrived a few minutes early.

“You must be Steve Rogers,” stated the red-haired, smartly dressed woman.

“Ms. Potts?” he replied with a smile as he reached out to shake her hand.

“Please, it’s Pepper.” She sat down at the conference table and watched Steve set up his portfolio and laptop.

A burly, brown-haired man rushed in. “I’m here! Hope I’m not late, honey,” he said in a breathless rush to Pepper, as he sank down in the chair next to her.

She checked her phone. “Right on time,” she said and gave the man a kiss on the cheek. “Steve, this is my fiance, Happy Hogan.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Steve greeted the man.

Pepper explained that she and Happy had very busy schedules, as she worked for Tony Stark and Happy was his bodyguard and chauffeur. She had already drawn up a list of possible dates in the next year when they had a few weekends free to consider for the wedding. Happy’s family was local, while hers was in the Midwest. She told Steve she was looking for small, elegant, fashionable, and intimate. And budget was no issue, as her boss was giving them the wedding for their wedding present. Happy chimed in to say he wanted whatever Pepper wanted.

Taking a deep breath, Steve gave them the best presentation he could, describing his expertise as a wedding planner, showing a lookbook with his previous clients at weddings of all types. He handed around his idea boards, based on the current trends in weddings.

“I will strive to give you the best experience for your wedding with as little stress as possible, so that you have a great start to your new life together,” he concluded.

He hadn’t expected Pepper’s eyes to water a little, much less Happy’s. They were reserved around each other, but clearly deeply in love, and somehow just the idea of their wedding touched something inside as they smiled joyfully at each other.

Pepper passed a photo of a flower arrangement to Happy. “I like this.”

“Wow. I like it too. This is really going to happen, isn’t it?” Happy exclaimed.

Then the door opened and a dark-haired man in a designer suit strode in -- the man from the elevator.

“Pepper, Happy. Just passing by and thought I’d see what you were meeting about.”

He stared at the idea boards, photographs, and lookbooks strewn around the table. Then he glared at Steve. “Wedding planner.”

“Steve Rogers, Avengers Group,” Steve replied. He felt his palms growing damp.

“This is Tony Stark, our boss,” Pepper answered for the still scowling Tony.

Tony said nothing. He picked up a couple of photographs, snorted, tossed them down on the table, and turned to Pepper.

“I need you in fifteen minutes.” Then he turned on his heel and left as quickly as he came.

Bewildered, Steve turned to Pepper.

“He’s like that,” she explained apologetically. “So, tell me more about outdoor weddings you’ve done.”

Later, as Steve hit the lobby of Stark Tower, Pepper called to offer him the job. “I can’t imagine anyone else I’d like to work with,” she said.

Looking back, Steve later thought that was when he should have run for the hills, because the elevator ride to the lobby was his last moment of peace and quiet for some time.

~~~~~

Not for the first time in her career at Stark Industries, Pepper took refuge in the bathroom to calm down. Ever since she told Tony about the engagement, he had been nothing but difficult, despite his very generous gift of paying for the wedding. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself to face Tony and whatever he had to complain about this time.

In his office, Pepper said, “So what was that about?”

Tony leaned back in his chair, threw his feet on the desk, and looked imperiously at Pepper.

“You can’t hire him.”

“And why not?” Pepper asked.

“I don’t like him. He looks incompetent and he’ll ruin your wedding. Trust me, Pepper, I’m just looking out for your best interests.”

She sighed. “I’ve heard from over 20 people singing his praises. Steve’s got a near-cult following.”

He snorted. “I don’t care if he starts his own religion. I don’t like him. So he has to go.”

“No, Tony, not this time. I like Steve, and I’ve hired him to be my wedding planner whether you approve it or not,” she replied firmly.

“When the whole thing falls apart around you at the worst moment, you’ll see how right I am,” Tony replied. “But not to worry, I’ll keep an eye on him for you.”

Pepper sighed. “Did you hit on Steve and he turned you down? Is that what this is about?”

“No, not at all. I’ll admit, he is cute, in an earnest, puppy dog sort of way. And a suit does wonders for him. But, Pepper, I do care about you, and Happy, too. I just want you to have the best wedding you can have with my money.”

“Then let Steve do his job, Tony,” Pepper said.

Tony narrowed his eyes. “We’ll see how well he really does.”

~~~~~

When Steve returned to the office, he found his cubicle covered in paper airplanes, courtesy of one bored Clint Barton, Party Planner. Sweeping the airplanes off his chair and desk, he knew he’d have to get back at Clint somehow. Revenge would have to wait, though, because today was Steve’s planning day. As thrilled as he was to have landed the Hogan-Potts wedding, he had to adjust his schedule to accommodate the new event. Hopefully, they would commit to a wedding date soon.

Steve checked Sam’s cubicle and found that his friend was out for the day. This time he would need his friend’s advice for managing a near-celebrity wedding, especially since he’d never really planned a wedding with a limitless budget before.

He pulled up his scheduling programs and Excel spreadsheets, laying out a schedule for the Hogan-Potts wedding. He was deep in developing timelines when Maria stopped by, coffee in hand.

“New job, Steve?” she asked.

“Yes, and I’ll be drafting a contract later today.” Maria managed office operations, and he knew if he didn’t get a draft contract out, Maria would be all over him.

“Remember, we’re not a charity,” she warned. “And get a retainer this time.”

As promised, Steve pulled up a draft contract and retainer form and he frowned slightly as he typed in Tony Stark’s name. The contract would be between the firm and Pepper and Happy, with Tony responsible for paying for the event.

He hesitated. Tony Stark. Tony might be a problem.

Steve tapped a pencil on his desk. He had an ironclad rule that helped him get by in the wedding planner business. That rule was to get along with the bride or groom’s family, friends and assorted hangers-on until the wedding was over, and, in particular, the person footing the bills. And definitely don’t get on the bad side of a family member, friend or hanger-on that might not like him for whatever reason.

As he read over his notes from his meeting with Pepper and Happy, he wondered what the deal was with Tony. Under any other circumstances, bright and handsome Tony would push all the right buttons for Steve.

Such a shame he had to be a jerk.

Because Steve got the vibe that Tony didn’t trust him and probably didn’t even like him.

~~~~~

“It’d be worse if the groom was involved, so I guess I lucked out there,” Sam said.

It was one of the rare times that Sam and Steve could both sit down and leisurely watch a game at their favorite bar. Sam was tethered to his phone on the table, constantly having to check incoming texts. A Bronx-based singer getting married in a week had developed major pre-wedding jitters and needed constant reassurance. Sam had worked unbelievably hard on the event, setting up it to be one of the most covered weddings of the year. But even he would admit that the wedding was getting out of hand, especially with the bride’s diva mother constantly checking his work and questioning his plans. Over beers, he had told Steve the latest request, which involved live exotic animals.

“So tell me about the Hogan-Potts wedding,” Sam said. “Anything new?”

“We’re touring possible venues again in a couple of days,” Steve said. The original plan had involved only Pepper, Happy and himself, until Tony somehow invited himself along.

“Tony again?” Sam intuited.

“Last week, he asked more questions than either Pepper or Happy. And not normal questions. I think Davis at Domaine was going to clock Tony when he asked if killer robots attacked during the reception would guests be able to escape the hall.”

“Hmmm. Maybe we need to plan for that sort of thing.” Sam looked at up the baseball game and shrugged. “I have no idea why I follow the Mets. Constant pain, man.”

Steve swirled his mug moodily. “Pepper rolls with it. She’s used to Tony. Happy barely says anything. He’s thrilled to just be there, talking about getting married.”

“My question is, why is Tony trailing along?” Sam said. “He seems to be overly involved. Are you sure he doesn’t have a thing for the bride?”

“He has a thing for killer robots, not the bride, as far as I can tell. He’s paying, so it’s hard to ask him to stay away.”

“Hmmm. I have no idea. I’ve dealt with demanding mothers and fathers and difficult sisters,” Sam said. “I’ve never dealt with a meddling boss.”

“Natasha’s offered to come along to keep Tony occupied,” Steve said. “That’s the last resort if the upcoming tour doesn’t go well.”

“Steve, you’ve been touring venues for two months now. If your clients want to get married in a halfway decent place next summer, they have to pick something, like, yesterday.”

“I know. And I’m starting to look at my B and C list venues.” Steve did not like how quickly they were veering off the timeline.

Sam checked his phone. “So what are your plans on Thursday?”

“Need help with the wedding?”

“Maybe later, but for Thursday, my girlfriend wants to go out, and she has this friend --”

Sam or his girlfriend or Natasha, strangely, always had a friend that wanted to meet Steve or needed a fourth person when they were going out somewhere.

“I don’t know, Sam. Last time it didn’t go so well.”

“Come on. Got to kiss a lot of frogs to meet your princess or prince.”

“I’ll have to get back to you about Thursday,” Steve replied noncommittally. “Work is starting to get busier.”

Sam ran a finger along the rim of his mug and gave an exasperated sigh. “The job doesn’t love you back, Steve. The world’s gonna pass you by if you keeping waiting for the perfect person.”

“The right person,” Steve corrected automatically.

And the right person hadn’t shown up since his break-up with his college girlfriend so many years ago. And he wasn’t ready to settle for Mr. Right-Now or Ms. Convenient, even if that meant he never met the right person. “And I’ll know that person when I meet them.”

“Right,” Sam replied doubtfully. But he let it go, knowing how far he could push Steve.

They watched the television for a while until Sam complained, “Ugh, this game. Seriously, man.”

Chapter Text

Tony listened half-heartedly to Pepper discuss his upcoming schedule and the charity golf event on the weekend. He doodled a schematic for a janitorial robot. Pepper ended her litany by saying that she would be taking the next afternoon off.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because Happy and I are looking at apartments.”

“Apartments?” Tony swung his chair around so that he could look out over the Manhattan cityscape.

“I am not moving in with Happy, his mother and their house in Queens,” she replied, never looking up from her laptop.

Spinning his chair back to face the desk, Tony rolled the pen back and forth on his desk. He looked over at Pepper, tapping away at her computer, pen tucked behind her ear, her small engagement ring flashing when the light hit it just right. She had started working for him when they were both ridiculously young and they had been through a lot together. He never thought it would end.

“Where are you looking? Because you could have a floor in the Tower. Say the word --”

“Happy and I are not going to live in the Tower either.”

“Why not? I wouldn’t charge you rent. You don’t like the interior design firm -- we could hire a different one to redo your floor.” Tony cupped his chin in his hand. “If Happy wants to upgrade his personal car, he could have the California Bentley. Or is this about vacation time? -- I’m willing to negotiate more time off. Unless this about when I called you and Happy on your vacation at that spa in Bermuda and you were in a mud bath or doing something like that ….”

“Tony, please,” Pepper objected. She put down her laptop and rubbed one of her temples. Then she clasped her hands in her lap. “Happy and I are looking at places in Midtown, someplace we can afford that is close enough to the Tower. But not so close that you can show up on our doorstep at any time day or night. We like you and like working for you, but we need our space, too.”

Tony nodded. “It’s just that you and Happy are always around, and ….”

“We’re not quitting or disappearing or going anywhere. Happy likes his job too much. But we need some work/life balance now,” she continued gently.

Despite Pepper’s assurances, Tony felt a little empty, almost like he was a little kid watching his friends going off to an amusement park and he wasn’t invited.

But that was ridiculous. Like Pepper said, nothing was going to change.

“This is really about last month, right? That actress, the car, the hundred hamsters and the habitrail fort -- I swear that whole thing made a lot of sense at that time. It’s just that Thea had this hamster and --”

“Tony. No.”

~~~~~

Steve listened carefully to Pepper and Happy as they toured yet another venue for the reception. A patient man, he was prepared to go to as many reception venues as his clients wanted. But what was worrying him was that Pepper couldn’t quite seem to make up her mind.

She sighed as she walked into the hotel ballroom. “Steve, honestly, I can’t tell the difference between this place and the last one.”

“This place has better cell phone reception,” Tony volunteered from his position at the door. He was leaning against the wall, wearing his usual stylish suit, with sunglasses and phone in hand. “So if one of the guests drops dead of a heart attack, Steve can get ahold of 911.”

“Whatever would we do without you, Tony?” Pepper said. “I mean, none of the bridal magazines or websites advise on what to do if guests drop dead, if we’re invaded by aliens, or if ghosts show up during a toast. You’ve got us covered there.”

“At least we don’t have to worry about the Yellowstone supervolcano -- no activity there recently. When that erupts, won’t affect New York at any rate,” Tony replied without missing a beat.

“And here I worry about the bridal shop going out of business just before the wedding or the caterer not showing up,” Steve said drily.

“My god, Steve, could that happen?” Pepper panicked. “I put the deposit on the dress only yesterday. I could go elsewhere --”

“No, you’re fine. Wedding Atelier is not going out of business tomorrow or ever,” Steve reassured her.

“Well, it will be a problem if Godzilla attacks Manhattan before the wedding,” Tony interrupted.

“We’d reschedule the wedding and reception,” Steve shot back. “Now, what do you think of this place, Pepper?”

Pepper hesitated for a minute. “It’s just … not special, Steve. I schedule conferences in places like this, and I feel like I live in hotel ballrooms all the time. I mean, it’s pretty and it’s convenient, and I liked it when I read the brochure you gave me. But I’m pretty sure that I never really dreamed about having my wedding in a Manhattan ballroom.”

“Okay, so the wedding’s off then?” Tony said. He looked hopeful.

“Tony, no. Still getting married, just not here,” Pepper replied.

Steve looked at the list of the other reception locations they were considering. If she didn’t like this room, Pepper wasn’t likely to like anything else on the list. He checked his phone and schedule.

“Maybe we should talk about this more over lunch,” he suggested.

Pepper checked her phone too. “I’ve to get Tony to a meeting later this afternoon. But we’re free for lunch.”

She found them a nearby Italian restaurant where they could grab a large booth and talk over wedding venues. Steve pulled out all his brochures, notes and tablet while Tony ordered wine for the table. He noticed that Tony consulted Pepper about what she wanted to drink before ordering. Tony apparently knew a lot about wine from his conversation with the waiter about the wine list.

Once lunch had been ordered, Steve said, “Usually I’m working with a budget when I’m finding a venue. That can knock out a lot of places. I thought that bringing you to a variety of places would help you decide on what type of venue you’d like for the reception. And having a date for the wedding in mind helps too in choosing a location.”

Pepper frowned. “My schedule is very dependent on Tony’s plans. I’ve been scheduling a lot of board meetings and corporate retreats lately, so that doesn’t leave a lot of time. And Happy and I would like to take a honeymoon right after the wedding and not wait -- we might never get a chance to get away.”

“You can take a vacation whenever you want,” Tony declared.

“There’s a difference between taking a vacation and being left alone on my vacation. Last time I visited my mother, you called repeatedly because you were unhappy with the rug in your living room.”

“In my defense, the rug was not what we bought at the store -- they delivered the wrong rug or switched it out or something. The point is, that it wasn’t the same rug. The decorator agreed with me.”

“Tony, you were sleeping with the decorator at the time. Of course he’d agree with you.”

If Steve ever thought that Tony harbored a secret crush on Pepper, spending time with the two of them dispelled that notion. If anything, Tony was more like Pepper’s kid brother than a would-be boyfriend.

“Um, back to the matter at hand, any ideas about dates?”

Pepper thoughtfully looked through the schedule on her phone. “I’ve been thinking of May. Right now, it’s the month most open for me and Happy. I can block off a few weekends while we narrow down the venue.”

“Okay, that will knock out a lot of places.” He started scratching out sites on his list. “We can’t look at the places that fill up a year or two in advance. May is eight months away. We have to find a place that will be available.”

Over lunch they talked about possible venues and caterers and the size of the wedding. Tony dropped in and out of the conversation, finally sinking into silence as he read through his phone while Pepper talked about flowers.

“So it sounds like I need to go back to the office and rethink the reception possibilities,” Steve said. “I’ll cancel the rest of our appointments today.”

“Good. I want to check with Happy about what he wants. He’s not keen on the planning, but it’s his wedding too -- he might have an opinion.”

Tony and Steve were standing in the lobby while Pepper stepped outside the restaurant to call Happy about picking up her and Tony.

Tony said, “I want to throw Pepper an engagement party. I owe her.”

Steve couldn’t help but notice how the colors in Tony’s tie brought out the beautiful brown in Tony’s eyes. And how the suit made Tony look lean and powerful. He was a handsome, very charismatic man, until he opened his mouth and ruined the illusion. Although Steve was realizing that Tony cared very deeply about Pepper and that could be his one redeeming feature.

“Engagement party?”

“Yeah, could you arrange one, in a month? Just add it to the bill. And I’d like it to be a surprise. She’ll hate me for it. But invite all her friends and Pep will have a great time.”

“I could do that,” Steve agreed.

Tony gave him an unexpectedly dazzling smile. “I can be a good guy occasionally.”

Then Pepper called from the door that Happy was waiting for them.

“See you around, Martha Stewart.”

~~~~~

Steve once overheard a bride joking with her friends that Steve would waft smoke through a church to bring tears to the guests’ eyes if a bride was worried about people’s reactions. He wouldn’t quite go to that extreme (although maybe it wasn’t a bad idea), but he really did not like leaving anything to chance. A wedding planner could get burned that way, by not covering all the bases and not being prepared for any emergency.

He had a wedding coming up at the end of October. The wedding was a standard affair being held at a historic home in the Hudson Valley. The bride, Amber, was a lovely woman -- she worked in PR for Stark Industries, ironically enough. He would have to thank Priya and Andrew, who apparently recommended him to the newly engaged at Stark. His event planning sixth sense shrieked at him that this wedding was in trouble. He saw little subtle signs that Amber was growing more unhappy every day. Yet Amber insisted she was okay, even after her mother followed up on Steve’s questions.

When the bride’s mother met him at the door, she said, “Amber’s locked herself in the library. She’s been crying for an hour.”

“Oh,” Steve said. “Have you talked to Rebecca?” Amber was getting married to Rebecca the next week. Maybe. It wasn’t looking promising.

“I asked Amber about Rebecca, but she started crying even harder,” the mother replied. “Her father is trying to get through to her.”

Steve walked into the living room and heard the father talking to the library door.

“Hey, Amber, come on, it’s Dad. Yeah. Um, you don’t have to get married if you don’t want to. If that’s the problem.”

The bride sobbed something.

“I know, pumpkin. It’s a lot of money. Don’t worry about it. It’s not important.” The man was very worried. He looked over at Steve and shook his head. “Amber, honey?”

The bride emerged. “I can’t, Daddy, I just can’t. But we put all this effort into the wedding --”

Her father hugged her. “Don’t worry, if you can’t go through with the wedding, that’s okay. We’ll all live.”

She couldn’t stop sobbing. “I don’t want to be lonely, I don’t want to die alone with fifty cats, and Rebecca was the first person I ever loved, and she wants to marry me. But I just can’t -- we’re not good for each other and we argue all the time.”

Her mother wrapped her arm around her daughter. “Baby, being married to someone you don’t love is much, much worse. It can feel more lonely than being on your own.”

Steve had a plan in place for when weddings were called off. He pulled the mother aside and suggested that they call him once Amber had settled down and informed Rebecca the wedding was off. He would be back at the office cancelling contacts and trying to keep the costs down. The mother nodded.

On his way back to the office, Steve reflected, not for the first time, that he really didn’t mind not having a special person in his life. His life was full with work and friends, and he never felt all that lonely. Or that he missed having someone in his life so much that he was willing to settle for someone who wasn’t right for him.

Even though that person hadn’t shown any signs of showing up yet. Or ever.

The sound of the subway car brakes brought him to his senses. Oh, he had a lot of work to do to cancelling this wedding. A lot.

~~~~~

In the end, Steve had to insist on a meeting with Tony to present his plans for Tony’s party for Pepper’s engagement. While he appreciated Tony’s faith that the party would be perfect, Steve did not feel comfortable going on a client’s word without them actually looking at his plans, choice of location and menu and other details. After a week-long negotiation, they finally settled on meeting over lunch.

Steve was infinitely grateful for the GPS in his phone as he hunted down the restaurant where Tony was meeting him. The restaurant turned out to be a hole-in-the-wall seafood place with only a few tables. The staff seemed to know Tony when Steve asked about him and they sat him at what the waiter said was Tony’s special table. Steve wondered how Tony, the owner of Stark Industries, had ever found this small, family-run place.

Tony finally rushed in twenty minutes late and ordered a drink while he put his coat on the coat rack up front. “Traffic is miserable today,” he muttered by way of apology and started reading the menu.

Torn between being annoyed at Tony’s tardiness, and finding an out-of-breath, slightly flushed Tony intriguing and unsettling, Steve settled on vaguely glaring at Tony over his menu.

Not that Tony noticed, as he began to read the menu out loud with commentary.

“Do you always talk this much?” Steve asked irritatedly.

“Some people consider me charming,” Tony replied nonchalantly. “Present company excepted. The baked scallops are good here.”

After bread and their drinks arrived, Steve brought up the party. “I’ve found a couple of places for the party -- we have to book soon since the holidays are coming up. And what do you want to do about the music, if you want music?” He brought up his notes on his tablet.

“We could plug my StarkPod into a speaker and we’re good to go.”

Steve tipped his head side to side. “We could do that if you want to …”

“Wait, you’re not serious, are you?” Tony replied. “You are, aren’t you? Do you just do whatever someone asks?”

“You hired me to do an event, I do what you ask. Within reason, that is.” Steve ate some bread. “This is very good.”

“I found this place a couple of months after they opened. It’s going to blow up big when the foodies discover it. And then it’ll be impossible to get in.”

“So, um, were you serious about the StarkPod? Because I had some ideas about the music.” Steve went over his ideas for the party while Tony threw out his own suggestions.

Tony wasn’t so bad to have to lunch with. He actually had a way of getting Steve to laugh with his stories of charity balls and golf tournaments. It was an odd conversation, with Steve knowing about the events behind the scenes and Tony about attending the events. Tony also had strong opinions about food, especially bad appetizers. He was in the middle of a fascinating story about attending a cocktail party held by a competitive food reality show and how they filmed the show when his phone rang.

Tony frowned during the call. Hanging up, he shoved his phone back into suit coat pocket. “Got to go, Steve, I’m late for my next meeting. Our lunch ran over an hour and Pepper is so annoyed she might teleport here to drag me off.”

“About the party plans --?”

“I’m sure you’ve come up with something wonderful. See you later,” Tony said, dropping money on the table to pay the bill on his way out.

Steve put on his coat as the owner of the restaurant smiled at him. “It’s nice to see Tony bring in a date. It’s been a while.”

It wasn’t a date, it was detente. Like Kennedy and Khrushchev.

But that was good enough for Steve. And the next time he toured a possible reception site with Pepper, Steve found himself missing Tony’s questions. He bit his tongue on the sudden impulse to ask about the possibility of swamp creatures invading the kitchen.

~~~~~

The engagement party went off swimmingly, without a single hitch. Pepper and Happy were suitably surprised and delighted at a party given in their honor. Steve stood at the back, watching over the caterers, the DJ and all aspects of the party. This was going to be something for the portfolio.

Clinking a champagne glass to get attention, an exuberant Tony in a tux stood up to make a toast. He talked charmingly about when Pepper and Happy started working for him and how they fell in love at work over a flat tire. Steve listened with a smile as he sent out the wait staff with champagne for the toast. He had known that Tony had the perfect toast in him somewhere.

After the toast, Tony wandered over to check in with Steve. “How’s it going?”

“Perfectly,” Steve admitted. “Now that I’ve said that, I should be expecting a major disaster.”

“Still time for the ceiling to cave in or a major pipe to burst.” Tony nudged Steve. “Or maybe a wendigo attack? That would make the party memorable.”

“Pepper dancing with Happy is memorable. Food running out -- memorable, but in a bad way,” Steve observed.

“We can always order in pizza or Thai. I wonder if any of the local places give discounts for engagement parties.”

Steve started to laugh as he imagined calling for take-out for the party. He caught Tony’s sparkling eyes. And, boy, Tony did have a brilliant, brilliant smile that could melt the coldest heart.

Tony asked him, “You really like this. Weddings. You could do any sort of event. Why the wedding thing?”

“I like weddings because they’re full of hope and promise for the future. People tell me I’m an optimist -- maybe it all fits together. It’s a challenge to plan an event that means so much so that it goes smoothly.”

Tony gave him a roguish smile. “I’ve heard from a little bird that it’s the hiccups that make weddings memorable.”

Chuckling, Steve glanced at Tony’s radiant face. His heart skipped a beat. “No, the bride being late or a flower girl wandering around a church makes the wedding memorable. But if the caterer brings the wrong food, or the photographs doesn’t show up, that makes for bad weddings.”

Tony drained his champagne flute. “My opinions on weddings haven’t changed. A lot of money spent on ridiculous things. And there’s no guarantee that the whole thing will work out.”

“That’s the thing about hope -- you never know, but it’s good to have faith that the future will be better,” Steve disgreed.

“Hmph. I do believe in the future.”

“But what does the future mean to you then?”

“I believe in technology. Something more measurable than faith.” Tony scanned the crowd. “I guess I have to rejoin my guests before they come looking for me,” he said reluctantly. “So is everything set here? Do you need help?”

“Go and party. I’ll take care of the rest.” Feeling flushed and a little dizzy around Tony, Steve clapped Tony on his shoulder. He did a double take, thinking that he might have just imagined Tony’s slight shiver. Probably not.

Clint finally showed up later as promised. He wanted to evaluate the caterers in case he wanted to hire them in the future for his parties. Without Tony to talk to, Steve was verging on boredom, and was glad to talk business with Clint. Well-run parties could still have their bumps, but at this point everything troubling would be minor and easily dealt with.

As they stood near the kitchen door, Clint brought up Sam’s plans for an office get-together. “He’s talking about a barbeque dinner at his mom’s place.”

“Sounds good,” Steve said.

“Sounds like he’s getting his mom to cook for us.” Clint waved down a waiter circulating with the hot hors d’oeuvres and nabbed a mini chicken pot pie. “Natasha said something about you getting together with her, Bucky and Sharon on Tuesday. What’s the deal with you and Sharon all of a sudden?”

“We had coffee the other day. It went pretty well,” Steve replied. Natasha had had the idea that if he went out with Sharon that it would work out this time. “Sharon seems interested again.”

“You dated her for what, like, two years, on and off? She has to be interested to try again.”

Steve shrugged. He checked his watch. “Only an hour to go now.”

He looked up and saw Tony standing nearby, staring at them. Before he could say anything, Tony sauntered off to another side of the room.

Steve suddenly felt uneasy. He hoped that Tony hadn’t overheard what he and Clint were talking about.

If Tony thought that Steve was dating someone, that wouldn’t be good. Because Steve might be available if Tony was interested. Might be.

He was technically working for Tony, but he could be available after Pepper’s wedding. But he wasn’t all that certain if he was reading Tony right. Why was it so easy for everyone else? Steve must have missed school that day when they taught people how to read signals and flirt. He really needed to learn sometime.

Steve stayed to the end of the party overseeing the cleanup. But Tony had left without saying goodbye. Yeah, he had clearly misread Tony.

~~~~~

Two days later, Tony was stuck in a nightclub with an unbearable associate lawyer he had met at work or maybe at a coffee shop. He barely remembered where they had met, but he did like what the lawyer read for science fiction, he came off as intelligent, and he had nice hazel eyes. Tony had dated people for less.

The dinner had gone pretty well, then Aaron the Lawyer suggested that they go out to a club. Now Tony was sandwiched between Aaron, who was getting more belligerent with each drink, and a vapid model with a body that wouldn’t quit and an ability to talk about shoes but not much more. The cocktail waitress dressed in practically nothing asked again for their order.

Aaron leaned over, his hand warm on Tony’s back, and asked for two bottles of the most expensive champagne and another round of bourbon on the rocks for him and Tony. The women at their VIP table shrieked with delight and phones were handed around for selfies, someone shoving an elbow into Tony’s face in their excitement.

He was getting too old for this. He poked Aaron, who was talking to a tall, pretty man. “Let’s go.”

His date flashed a smile at him. “Come on, the night hasn’t even started yet. We’ve got drinks on the way.” He ran his hand along Tony’s thigh. Which was convincing enough to keep Tony at the table for now.

The rest of the night passed by in a blur of alcohol, loud music, and hot bodies pressed against Tony. The alcohol relaxed Tony to the point he let Aaron drag him back and forth to the dance floor and kiss him and grope his ass. Maybe tonight wasn’t going to turn out that bad after all. Aaron was nice enough. He liked the people at the VIP table even if he didn’t know their names.

Things came to a crashing halt when a bouncer came up to Tony. “It’s time for your guest to go,” he said firmly. He pointed over to Aaron trying to clean his drink off a woman’s dress with his mouth. Tony’s eyebrow shot up and he moved quickly to remove Aaron.

But then Aaron took a swing at the woman’s friends, who had come to her defense and were pushing him away. Tony supposed it was inevitable that a fight quickly broke out, as a half-dressed man was thrown into him.

Much later, Tony called Pepper from the police station for a ride. He wasn’t being arrested but he had a very angry nightclub owner on his hands. Tony listened to the phone ring then suddenly click over.

A chipper woman answered, “How can I help you, Mr. Stark?”

“Um, where’s Pepper?”

“She’s off duty. I’m covering for her. My name is Stacey. How can I help you, Mr. Stark?”

“Come get me,” he muttered.

Pepper-lite showed up as requested with funds to pay off the nightclub owner and new clothes for Tony. She said nothing to Tony as the replacement driver took him home. Tony deleted every trace of Aaron from his phone in the oppressive quiet of the car. Stacey nodded or replied noncommittally when he talked. Not like Pepper at all. They pulled up to Tony’s private entrance to the Tower. Stacey escorted him up to the penthouse.

“You’ll be fine, Mr. Stark?” she asked with concern.

He was at a loss. Pepper usually made sure he made it to bed, after inquiring about the possibility of any paparazzi. Kind and sympathetic Steve, with his wonderful blue eyes, would take care of him if he were here.

“I -- I’m fine,” he finally admitted. “And it’s Tony.”

“Good night, Tony. I’ll report that to Pepper in the morning. I’ll check the usual sites for any news about this evening.” She left.

Puzzled, Tony entered his very empty and deathly quiet apartment. Even the systems running his home were at rest. He poured himself a glass of water. Staring out over the city at 3 a.m, Tony never felt so lonely or lost as he did at that very morning.

Things had changed profoundly and he didn’t like what he saw on the horizon at all.

Sipping his water, he knew he’d have to do something about it. But what, exactly, he would have to figure out.

Chapter Text

In the middle of November, shortly after the nightclub incident, Tony found himself at an event for the up-and-coming tech entrepreneurs. He generally avoided these events, but he didn’t want to be at home these days, or at work. He didn’t need the constant reminder that Pepper was getting married in May, which was months away, but all too soon for him.

And then he had started to warm up to Steve, who turned out to be dating someone. Which was a terrible shame. But not surprising, given what a great guy Steve turned out to be.

He lingered around the buffet table, fending off the constant questions about Stark Industries and whether he had job openings.

“It’s an awful party, isn’t it?” a familiar voice asked.

Tony looked at the fashionably dressed woman with a whiskey in her hand. “Sunset? It’s been a long time,” he said with relief.

“Hey, Tony,” Sunset replied, clearly enthused to see him. She ran her fingers up his arm and smiled warmly. “It’s been too long. I can’t remember when, really.” Sunset had a beautiful smile to go with her nicely toned body.

“When you were trying to outbid me for that NASA contract.” And she had a terrific business mind to go with the excellent packaging. Tony always loved intelligence in a person.

She laughed. “Oh, that’s right. But it’s been a couple of years. You don’t have to be a stranger.”

“Well, there’s was that time we dated in college. And the bad break-up.”

“Oh, yeah. But we weren’t at our best back then, were we?” she replied. “I’ve been thinking of you lately and wondering how things were going. I know you’re in the papers all the time, but since we go way back, I know there’s always more.”

“We should catch up some time.” Tony evaluated the room and turned back to her. “Nothing like the present. Want to blow this popsicle stand?”

“Love to. Any suggestions?”

“I always have ideas,” Tony stated. “There’s a great bar around the corner from here.”

She took his arm. “Lead on. We have a lot to talk about.”

~~~~~

Natasha threw a big party the Thursday after New Year’s Eve to celebrate the new year and Bucky finally moving in with her. As requested, Steve showed up at the back door of the apartment with a case of beer. Natasha hugged him.

“We were wondering if you’d ever show up.”

“I wouldn’t miss this.”

“Uh-huh.” She changed the subject. “Did you hear that New York Magazine is writing about us for an upcoming article on event planning firms?”

Steve replied excitedly, “Really?”

“A reporter was at that charity event Clint worked on with Bruce. She was impressed. Clint claims it’s because of him.” She relieved him of the beer and his coat. “Maria thinks that you should represent the firm.”

He followed her into the kitchen. “But it’s all of us doing the work.”

“Ha. You’re the most presentable and the most articulate.” She set the case down on the table. “Everyone is in the living room. Wait, I thought you had a date.”

“No, I’m on my own.”

“But, I thought you and Sharon --”

Steve shrugged. “It didn’t work out this time.”

He had coffee with Sharon over a month ago and she complained that she was tired of being the boomerang friend. He had tried very hard when they were dating a few years back, but, if it hadn’t worked before, it wasn’t going to work again. They agreed to be friends and ended things on a friendly note.

“Oh. Bucky warned me,” Natasha said sadly. Then she brightened up. “Bucky’s working with this guy at the bar who is really cute. He’s putting himself through college. And -”

Steve opened a beer. “Maybe. Talk to me later.”

“Too busy, right?” Natasha guessed. “Anyway, go on.” She pushed him to the living room.

The living room was full of his friends. Sam and Leila had broken out the Cards Against Humanity game, and everyone was gathered around the coffee table. Natasha went to sit next to Bucky, who was giving Clint a hard time about his cards. They kissed as Bucky put his right arm around her. Steve stood behind the group, glad to be with his friends. He was the only one without a date. Even Clint brought his on-again-off-again girlfriend Bobbi.

A happy, relaxed Bucky caught Steve’s eye and lifted his beer in greeting. Steve nodded. He’d hear it from Bucky later, but right now, he only wanted to enjoy hanging out with his friends and not questioning what was going wrong in his life.

Tony floated across his mind, and he wondered what Tony was doing right then. Probably out with his own friends, maybe at some event. What would it be like to go to an event as guest, especially on Tony’s arm? Tony would probably be dressed in one of those designer suits he always wore, dripping in charm and flirting with anything that moved all night long. The idea brought a smile to Steve’s lips.

But in the end, Tony was way out of his league. Steve was still going home alone to his empty apartment and back to work in the morning.

He really should be working on his badly neglected art, he remembered, instead of longing after what he could never have.

~~~~~

Sunset soon became a fixture in Tony’s life during the holiday season with its parties and fundraisers. She was smart, sharp and funny and always available when Tony called. She enjoyed going to art gallery openings, the theater, and the newest restaurants with her crowd of friends.

Tony found himself dazzled by how perfectly she fit into his life, how easily he got along with her friends, and how undemanding she was. And after her fabulous New Year’s Eve party, he didn’t object when she started calling him her special friend. Tony agreed -- he wasn’t in high school anymore, so boyfriend didn’t sound right.

Steve wasn’t around much these days, now that Pepper and Happy had settled on a location for the reception. Tony knew that Pepper had a pile of things for her wedding plans on her desk, and he would see her smiling as she sorted through clippings and pictures while she ate lunch.

There was an unspoken agreement that Tony wasn’t interested in having discussions over napkin colors and table favors, but was keen on cake and DJ selection. Pepper was in the napkin color and table favor phase at the moment.

One mid-January morning, Tony was surprised to see Steve sitting in Pepper’s empty cubicle. Steve was still in his black wool overcoat with a blue, red, and white scarf.

Damn, Tony thought, he looked unreal, like a fantasy come to life with his all-American, blond and blue-eyed look and sweet smile. Or maybe he was a wayward angel, banished to earth to be the patron saint of wedding planners and sentenced to deal with surly caterers and ditzy event managers for his sins.

“Hi Tony,” Steve said. Tony thought that Steve almost seemed glad to see him.

“How’s it going? Haven’t seen you around much.”

“Holidays can get busy,” Steve said with a shrug. “Lots of corporate events and Christmas weddings.”

“Do you ever get time off?” Tony blurted out. “Whenever I see you, you’re always up to your neck in work. Unless you’re a workaholic or something.”

“I’m still trying to establish the business, putting in a lot of hours, and we’re recruiting new associates. What are you up to?”

“Oh, you know. This and that. Got a couple more patents. No killer robots yet -- but working on it. Won an award for innovations in biotechnology. Dating someone pretty seriously.” Tony studied Steve’s impassive face to see if he had any reaction.

“Oh. That’s -- that’s great, Tony,” Steve said.

Tony thought he had glimpsed a trace of disappointment in Steve’s eyes. Must’ve been his imagination. “So, I’ll see you around. May, right?”

Steve nodded. “Weekend before Memorial Day. We’re working on invitations.”

“RSVP me up. And my date. My plus one for the wedding, you know.”

“I know about plus ones, Tony. But I’m sure that Pepper will save a spot for you and your date even if you don’t RSVP.”

Tony was frustrated that he couldn’t get a rise or even a mild reaction out of Steve. “Well, I guess so.” He gritted his teeth. What would it take to get a reaction out of this taciturn guy?

Pepper arrived in time to save Tony from himself and more scintillating conversation.

“Steve! I’m sorry I’m late, and sorry that I inflicted Tony on you. Come on, I’ve reserved a conference room.”

She dragged Steve off before Tony could find another thing to try to torture Steve over.

~~~~~

Pepper sighed. “I give up. I can’t decide about the favors. And, more to the point, I don’t care anymore.”

Steve took back his suggestions sheet. “I can narrow down the choices if you prefer.”

“This is insane,” Pepper continued, ignoring Steve. “I can pull together a corporate retreat for the entire board and assorted guests in less than a week, including travel arrangements. I can juggle triple-booked meetings, angry lawyers and public relations staff, and anything that working here can throw at me. And I am constantly managing Tony in all his craziness.”

She pushed all the pictures and cost sheets back across the table. “But all this stuff? It’s just too much.”

“Everyone gets to this point,” Steve offered sympathetically. He pursed his lips as he looked over his checklist of remaining tasks. “I’ll draw up some options based on the wedding theme and what you’ve decided so far. I can do that and send over the information in a couple of days.”

“Boy, it’s really hard to knock you off task, isn’t it?” she stated.

Steve laughed. “Persistence and determination are my best qualities, I’ve been told.”

“Guess that’s what makes you a good wedding planner,” Pepper conceded. She picked up her neglected coffee, debating if she was desperate enough to drink it cold.

“What would you do, Steve?”

“Hmmm?” he asked as he studied his notes.

“This is getting overwhelming, and I miss Happy -- all we talk about is the wedding and the planning for the wedding. I just want to get to the good stuff -- you know, where we live happily ever after and retire to a lovely condo in Florida. And I hate the hotel venue. So I was wondering, what is your perfect wedding? Maybe I could do that.”

“I haven’t given it much thought, to be honest,” Steve replied. “Not since college, that is.” He started to pack up his files.

“I thought you would have been planning it ever since New York allowed same-sex marriages.”

“No serious boyfriend,” Steve replied. He looked out the window into the wintry sky and sighed. “And I was sort of engaged in college.”

He thought of Peggy, her deep brown, wavy hair that she constantly tucked behind her ears, her morning smiles only for him, the last time they had gone to dinner. He still missed her sometimes when it rained in the spring.

“What happened?”

“We were in different places in life. Then she went back to England.” He had never been serious about anyone since the break-up though it had been years.

Strangely, Tony reminded him a lot of what he liked and loved about Peggy. The quick wit, firmness of purpose, the confidence, the brown hair.

Pepper blushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry -- I shouldn’t have assumed that --”

He shook his head. “Boys, girls, all good here.”

Now standing up, he closed his messenger bag and checked his phone for texts. He glanced down at Pepper. “If I get married, I’ve thought it would be a small ceremony and a relaxed reception outside in a garden with just close friends and family, nothing fancy, good food and music. Maybe not the most romantic -- all that matters is celebrating an important moment with my future spouse and those who care about us.”

“That -- that is what I want,” she said, a couple of tears in her eyes. “That’s all I ever wanted. Something for me and Happy, not this crazy monstrosity I’ve been planning.”

Steve thought for a minute. “If you are serious about changing the venue and reducing the size, I have some ideas. We’ll have to put off sending out the invitations until we find better place.”

“Oh, god, please. Please just do that. This time, I want to meet with you and Happy. I’ll check his schedule and get back to you.”

In the end, Steve cancelled the hotel ballroom and found instead a private rooftop garden in Manhattan, a local highly recommended caterer and a string quartet. It was perfect and wonderful and everything that Happy and Pepper had wanted for their wedding at the beginning. And Pepper was incredibly grateful.

~~~~~

Steve was working late, as usual. Leaning against his desk, he carefully studied the schedule of his upcoming weddings. With his coat on his arm Sam stopped in the doorway.

“Up for grabbing dinner?” he asked.

“Nah, I’ve got a few hours of work left. Two February weddings coming up, one on Valentine’s in a couple of weeks,” Steve distractedly. “I’m worried about the air travel and the weather. One of the weddings has a singer coming up from Virginia -- a relative.”

Sam put his coat down on the desk. “You know, Steve, it could wait until tomorrow -- it’s not like you could make any calls tonight.”

“I have to prepare for several upcoming client meetings.” He pointed to the pile of color swatches and paper samples. “Pepper Potts has to decide on invitations this week. Her boss, Tony, suggested that we use e-Vite or something like that.”

He smiled, remembering Tony standing in the conference room doorway and preaching the benefits of using non-paper invitations in the 21st century.

“Right. E-vite,” Sam replied doubtfully. “He is aware of what type of wedding this is?”

“He wasn’t joking this time, he’s into inventing and that sort of thing and he has opinions on how life can be made easier through technology.”

Steve had been fascinated by Tony when Tony gave him an impromptu show of some of the latest Stark tech. Tony was honestly the smartest man he had ever met.

“Very strong opinions. But we’re going with the paper -- since Tony doesn’t know everything.”

“You were smiling right then, almost glowing even,” Sam accused. “You have a thing for him, don’t you?”

Steve wiped the smile from his face and was very quiet. “Perhaps. But he’s very serious about this woman he’s been dating. I can’t really ….” He shrugged.

“Come on -- let’s get dinner,” Sam urged, nudging his shoulder. “I love my job too, but as I always say …”

“... the job doesn’t love you back,” Steve recited the familiar phrase along with Sam.

Sitting in his chair, Steve folded his arms on the desk. “People are depending on me. A extra hour or two won’t kill me.”

Sam huffed, knowing it was useless to push Steve when he was determined to be stubborn. “Fine, fine. See you tomorrow.”

~~~~~

Unexpectedly, Pepper asked Steve to meet her and Happy at Tony’s penthouse apartment in Stark Tower instead of the usual conference room to discuss the food choices and the size of the invitation list.

“I’m sorry to do this, Steve, but I’m working on something for Tony and need to work from here today,” she apologized when she let Steve into the apartment, a very modern apartment with wood, ceramic and glass tile, bamboo plants and minimalist furniture.

She was finishing up overseeing movers removing furniture and setting up buffet tables. “We’re hosting a charity cocktail party-fundraiser tonight,” she explained. “I’ve got some time before the Maria Stark Foundation people get here with the caterer. It’s our big winter event, usually held around this time in January.”

Steve was mesmerized by the modern art on display. “Is that --” he pointed to an abstract piece on a wall.

“Rothko. A lesser example, but the one that usually hangs there is on loan to MoMA for an exhibit.”

“Wow,” Steve said. “I knew that Tony had money, but ….”

“His mother started the collection after she married Tony’s father, so he’s been adding to the family collection for years. The art collection is one of my responsibilities.”

She took Steve’s coat and led him to a side office. They reviewed the list of wedding guests and discussed the catering costs and dinner options.

“Where’s Happy?” Steve asked.

“Ferrying Tony around, I think. All this planning makes his head hurt, and he doesn’t have strong opinions one way or the other as long as his mother gets a good seat.”

Steve pulled out a seating chart to mark down where Happy’s mother would be sitting. That’s when Tony popped into the room.

“Pepper, where’s my tuxedo for tonight?” he asked. “Oh, hey, Steve!”

Pepper looked up from the seating chart. “It’s in your closet -- I put out the Tom Ford.”

Instead of rushing off, Tony pulled up a chair to join Pepper and Steve. “We’re at seating charts already?”

“It’s just a preliminary plan,” Steve said.

“Cake tasting is next week,” Pepper added.

“Count me in for that,” Tony replied. He pointed at Steve’s notebook. “No strawberries -- Pepper is allergic.”

Pepper said, “I thought you were in your workshop this afternoon.”

Steve noticed the grease on Tony’s arms and face. He wondered what Tony did there. And whether he should find grease smears on Tony as attractive and hot as he did.

Tony shrugged. “I’m at a good stopping spot with working on the cars, and now I’m just doing some maintenance on the Tower servers. I’ll be ready on time, if you want to know.”

“Here is where the wedding party will be seated. And these two tables are for family,” Steve said, trying to bring the conversation back to the wedding plans. He was finding Tony even more distracting than usual as he brushed up against Steve to look at the seating map.

Pepper glanced at both of them, then made a show of checking her phone. “Oh, I have to check in with the Foundation fundraisers.”

Steve began to collect his materials, but Pepper stopped him. She turned to Tony. “Steve is an artist. Why don’t you take him on a tour of the art collection?”

Alarmed, Steve glanced over at Tony, but he was taking Pepper’s request in stride. “Come on, Steve, let me give you the dime tour.” Tony brushed against Steve as he pointed the way.

“I’ll be done in a few minutes,” Pepper called after them.

The art tour turned out to be a tour of the apartment. Radiating charm, Tony joked, “This is will be great practice -- I’ll have to do tours all night long. But I think you’ll be a more appreciative audience.” He nudged Steve, who immediately felt a little hot under the collar.

“So over here is the Pollock and a Warhol soup can there.” Tony pointed a couple of Moore bronzes on the credenza and a series of Koonings in a hallway.

The apartment went on and on. Tony had clearly done this before and was enjoying himself. Steve was stunned by the views from nearly all the windows of the New York City skyline.

“It must be amazing here at night,” Steve observed as they stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows in the library.

Equally mesmerized by the city lights, Tony replied, “I’ve lived here for years and I’m never tired of looking out over the city.”

“You spend a lot of time here in the library?” Steve noticed that the room had been decorated with a number of pieces of mid-century modern furniture, including a Lichtenstein over the gas fireplace and two genuine Saarinen womb chairs with ottomans.

“Not as often as I’d like. I live in my office and workshop.” Tony stood by the fireplace. “Pepper’s going to want me to turn the fireplace on. She says it makes the library look cozy or something like that. But I’ve always thought the room seemed better when there was someone special to share it with.” Tony suddenly sounded very melancholic.

“You’ve probably been profiled by Architectural Digest,” Steve said as he ran a hand over the back of an Eames chair.

“Two years ago. Large article. Now the guest bedrooms are over here ….”

Tony finished the tour with the master bedroom suite. “Look at that,” he said proudly showing off the Childe Hassam seascape hanging on a wall in the suite.

“Wow. It’s a beautiful piece.” Steve studied the painting. “But it doesn’t fit in with the mid-century theme.”

“It was Mom’s first art purchase -- made before she even met the old man,” Tony said with fondness. “According to Pepper, it’s not the best example. But Mom loved it.”

“The Foundation is named for her?” Steve asked. Tony stood close to Steve, who could smell the heady trace of gasoline, sweat and metal on Tony’s skin.

“I named it in her honor, all her preferred causes -- children’s education and health, domestic violence victims. I added the science education.”

Tony was so close, his brown eyes sparkling in the hallway light. Steve felt a silly grin steal over his face the more Tony talked. He could listen to Tony prattle on about nothing at all forever because he could always make Steve want to smile. Tony was all magnetism and charisma and loud noise and boldness and a ball of constant energy. Steve had never met anyone quite like him.

He suddenly wanted to lift Tony’s chin, brush a finger over his cheek, and kiss him. He would bet that Tony was a great kisser. He leaned towards Tony, glancing down at his lips, his hand almost reaching out to tangle his fingers with Tony’s.

Tony’s eyes widened as Steve leaned closer. But Steve hesitated, suddenly not sure of himself and wondering if he had read Tony’s signals at all well. Tony cleared his throat, breaking into Steve’s thoughts. “Um, Pepper’s probably waiting for us.”

“Yeah, we probably should go back to the office,” Steve reluctantly agreed. He stepped back from Tony.

Neither man moved. Steve continued to admire the impressionist painting. Tony, strangely quiet for once, stood a little further away. The silence between them deepened toward awkwardness.

“I’ve got this girlfriend,” Tony started. “Not sure where it’s going to go. But ….”

“I see. Well, I’m, you know, working for Pepper.”

“Yeah, um, you don’t mix up work and play, do you?”

“It’s a good way to get fired,” Steve stared at the painting, not daring to even glance at Tony. He rubbed a hand on his thigh. “Reputation matters in my line of work. A lot. And I have ethics.”

“That can be a tough way to live. I bet you meet all sorts of people on the job. Attractive people,” Tony probed.

As much as it pained him, Steve had to shut this conversation down. He felt embarrassed and ashamed for having almost given in to his feelings about Tony. Tony flirted like he breathed air. And he couldn’t take the risk.

“How do I get back to Pepper?” he asked looking around the hallway.

“Um – that way,” Tony pointed out.

“Sure. Thanks. I need to finish up our meeting,” Steve said as he walked in the direction Tony indicated.

“Hey, wait up. I’ll take you back. It’s not a fifty-room mansion, but people have been known to get lost in this place,” Tony said.

Steve accompanied him back down the hallway, past a guest suite, and through the living room set up for the cocktail party. Because he couldn’t meet Tony’s eyes or even look at him, Steve didn’t see the devastated look on Tony’s face.

Pepper met them at the buffet table with an air of suppressed curiosity. “So what did you think?”

Steve replied awkwardly, “The art is amazing and the apartment is something else.” He glanced back to see Tony with a studied blank look on his face and his hands in pockets, studying the ceiling.
“Thanks for the tour.”

“Sure, anything to make the wedding planner happy, in case you decide to accidentally lose the seating chart at the last minute or forget the directions to the wedding,” Tony replied. “Can’t let Pepper get upset.”

“I should get going,” Steve said, rubbing his hand on his neck.

A now visibly disappointed Pepper nodded. “We’ll talk about setting up our next appointment tomorrow. I’ll show you out.”

Chapter Text

As soon as they entered the bakery, Tony knew he shouldn’t have talked Pepper into letting him tag along. First of all, the bakery staff had put out a lot of samples for them to eat. And second, it was a crime to let Steve walk around unmolested in jeans and a white button-down over a red t-shirt. Tony had the vague notion that Steve was nicely built, but that t-shirt confirmed everything and more that Tony had ever imagined.

Forget the cake, he would take one Steve Rogers to go instead.

Happy surveyed the chocolate, vanilla, and spice cake samples set out by the pastry chef and declared that he was perfectly fine with any one of the cakes as long as it was chocolate. Putting her foot down, Pepper insisted that he try all of the samples. The shop manager pointed out the five different cake samples. Pepper and Happy laughed as they tried the samples, wiping frosting and stray cake crumbs off the other’s faces.

As Tony was trying his third chocolate cake sample, he noticed that Steve had wandered off. Well, not so much wandered off as went to talk to someone up at the front door of the bakery. Suddenly the sample tasted like ash and dirt in Tony’s mouth. He could see Steve joking with an unfairly tall and handsome man in a black winter coat, who had his hand where it didn’t belong on Steve’s arm in a vaguely possessive manner.

Tony hated the man on sight. Maybe this was the person Steve was dating ... although Sharon didn’t strike Tony as a male name at all. Or Tony had just misheard the name.

Regardless, whatever the hell was going on, Steve clearly didn’t lack for action in his life. Which made Tony even more jealous, which was completely insane, because he was dating a fabulously wonderful woman who anyone would want to date, and he didn’t own Steve or have any interest in his ridiculous blue eyes or in his unreal ass or in anything stupid that Steve had to offer.

“Hey, Tony, I think we’ve found the cake,” Happy said.

Tony turned to see Pepper and Happy exchange quick kisses over the cake samples. Leaving the quite likely serial killer behind (textbook, Tony thought, with narrowed eyes), Steve returned to help them select the cake size, tier and decoration. He cheerfully waved to Tony to join them.

Tony couldn’t care less about Pepper’s wedding cake. The whole sappy scene was making him sick, and he couldn’t wait to leave that bakery.

~~~~~

For the next few days, Steve put in his usual long hours at work, and on Thursday he met Sam at a local bar around nine in the evening. Sam had had a rough day of it with his clients. Steve listened companionably to Sam venting about impossible requests and why anyone would want a real, live lion at their wedding. He got around at last to asking Steve about his day, frowning when he found out that Steve had been at work for at least ten hours and had only left the office to meet up at the bar.

“You’ll never guess who I ran into on Monday,” Steve offered.

“Who?” Sam took the bait.

“Peter, the PR guy. He popped into a bakery where I was meeting with some clients.”

“That’s a blast from the past,” Sam replied darkly.

“He suggested we catch up over coffee if I had the time,”

“Steve, seriously, that guy was bad news when you dated him. You can’t think –“ Sam warned. He had never been a fan of Peter the PR guy, who had the nerve to dump Steve for a waiter he met during one of their dates.

“No, not a chance. Besides I was with clients – Pepper and Happy. And they brought Tony with them.” Steve talked about the bakery visit and Tony’s apparent love of donuts.

Sam smiled. “You always get this little grin on your face when you’re going to meet Tony. And you never like talking about him, which means you are interested.”

Steve stared into his beer. “Like I’ve said before, he’s dating someone. It’s very serious.”

“Damn, Steve. You never seem to have luck with the guys.” Sam slapped him on the back.

Work might not love you back but it was a lot more rewarding than pining over unavailable guys, Steve thought. He changed the subject. “So I was reading about the Mets and trades they might be making ….”

~~~~~

On Valentine’s Day, Tony took Sunset out to a lavish dinner at one of the best restaurants in town. It was one of those very rare occasions when Tony almost lost his dinner reservation because Sunset’s business meeting ran too late. She slid into the town car when Tony picked her up, giggling as she put in her earrings and brushed out her brown hair.

“I don’t know why finalizing multi-million dollar deals makes me so hungry,” she said with a grin as she squeezed Tony’s knee.

“It went well?”

“For me, it went very, very well. Not so much for the company we’re buying. I negotiated the price down quite a bit, but the other guys weren’t that happy. Eh, they shouldn’t have put themselves into a position where they were that vulnerable,” Sunset said. She started to rummage through her chic, expensive bag to find her lip gloss. “So I’m in the mood to celebrate, loverboy.”

Dinner started off well. The dining room was filled with happy couples out for a romantic evening. Tony approved of Sunset’s wine choice and the appetizers were perfect. Sunset couldn’t stop talking about her latest business deal, her plans for expanding her company’s product line, and when she was going to crush her biggest competitor.

Tony loved how her eyes shone with enthusiasm as she talked. He’d forgotten a lot about Sunset since they dated years ago, so he enjoyed discovering this side of her.

Sunset turned unexpectedly serious when the main course arrived. “You know, Tony, we’ve haven’t been dating very long.”

Tony stopped cutting into his fillet. Danger alarms were going off – could she be breaking up with him already?

“No, we haven’t,” he agreed as calmly as he could.

She looked around the room and turned back to Tony. “Okay, so it might be too early to ask this, but aren’t you tired of the dating scene? I’d given up even on the online sites before we met up. It’s a tough, hard world out there.”

The corner of Tony’s mouth quirked up. “Dating’s not for the faint of heart.”

Tony couldn’t complain about the quality of the company he kept. But he wasn’t having much success finding the person of his dreams either. And anyone he found interesting enough to consider was already taken (like Steve). Apart from Sunset, who had fallen into his life like a bolt from the blue.

“Practically all my friends have gotten married in the past couple of years. They’re doing well – married to terrific, successful men and moving ahead in their careers. Now, I love what I’m doing, and I love my career and my company. But we’re not as young as we once were, and I wonder -- could it be better?”

She took his hand, rubbed a circle into his skin and smiled up at Tony. “To spend your nights with a special someone? To never be lonely again? I think about that.”

He looked at her hand holding his. He then looked around the room at all the couples – the young couples, the old couples, the people starting relationships, the people in established relationships, the married, the living together, the dating, the together with someone they loved.

“Maybe,” he admitted.

“We’re both at the age where it just makes sense to settle down, have a family, fill up the empty spots,” she continued.

Tony thought about when he’d go back to his empty apartment. He never lacked for company if he wanted it. But … everyone left in the end.

“Maybe,” he repeated thoughtfully.

Sunset put her napkin on the table and leaned over to whisper, “I have to go to the little girls’ room. Be right back.” She stood up and left.

While she was gone, Tony checked his phone. Quickly deleting numerous unread texts, he found one from Pepper. She had texted him the final dates for her honeymoon with Happy. A week-long Caribbean cruise seemed a long time to be out of the office. And when she returned, she and Happy would move into their apartment several blocks away from Stark Tower.

They might as well be on the moon, according to Tony. Pepper had presented him a signed lease, slamming the door shut on moving into the Tower.

Sunset came back and sat down, smoothing her skirt before picking up her napkin.

Tony blurted, “Will you marry me?”

Sunset dropped her napkin and grabbed his hand with a squeal of delight. “Yes, Tony, yes, I’ll be overjoyed to marry you. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful this is.”

Tony bought champagne and dessert for everyone in the restaurant and spent the rest of the night in a daze.

On the way back to Sunset’s apartment, all he could think of was that he should have done this earlier if being engaged felt this good. Sunset kept taking selfies of them both and calling and texting her friends.

“We’ll go shopping for the engagement ring in the morning,” she said as she pulled him out of the town car. “But first, come on up, and let’s keep on celebrating.”

~~~~~

Pepper watched Tony stride in late the morning after Valentine’s Day with a smile like the cat that caught the canary. Her first impulsive thought was that Tony was up to no good. But if he had done something to end up in the tabloids, he would have skulked around the office and laid low in his office until Pepper solved his problems.

He looked freshly pressed and dressed, so it wasn’t like he had blown off a meeting to spend time in the workshop and was daring Pepper to say something. Those days, he showed up with grease stains looking a little disheveled.

She tapped her fingers as she speculated what Tony was up to. Happy wouldn’t know, since he had taken a rare day off and hadn’t driven Tony last night or that morning. And this wasn’t like that time Tony had come to work inordinately proud of the amusement park he bought the night before.

She gave him a few minutes to down his coffee, power up his computer, and develop a slight annoyance that Pepper hadn’t asked him anything. She then calmly picked up her tablet and entered the lion’s den.

As expected, Tony was sitting at his desk looking mournfully at his coffee mug. He brightened up when Pepper entered the room.

“What’s up, Tony?” she asked, deciding to go the direct route.

He announced, “I’m engaged.” He looked up at Pepper to gauge her reaction.

“Wait, who? I didn’t think you were dating --”

“Sunset Bain,” Tony supplied. “I thought it was obvious what we are up to. I mean, we’ve been joined at the hip since New Year’s. She’s absolutely terrific, Pepper. You should see how she takes down her competitors.”

Inwardly screaming, because Tony had clearly gone and done a stupid, stupid thing, Pepper pulled herself together enough to force a “Congratulations, Tony” through gritted teeth.

“We’re thinking we’ll get married in August. Probably at her summer house -- she has a place in East Hampton. We haven’t worked out all the details. Don’t even have the engagement ring yet.”

Pepper took a deep breath. “That’s great, Tony. I’ll look into your August schedule and start blocking off time.” She opened his schedule on her tablet. “Let’s, um, talk about your schedule today. I’ve moved this morning’s meeting to Friday.”

As soon as she was able to escape from Tony’s office, she called Happy. “Tony’s engaged,” she hissed into the phone.

“Okay,” Happy replied. “That’s a surprise.”

“It’s not okay in the least,” Pepper snapped.

“I’m confused,” Happy said. “You don’t sound happy about it at all.”

“He’s getting married to Sunset Bain. They’re going to get married in August. That’s six, almost seven, months from now.”

“Wow, that’s not a lot of time,” Happy replied, doing his best to play along.

“Happy, you’re missing the point! She’s a horrible, ruthless person, she keeps trying to steal business from us, and I can’t see how she can be at all good for Tony.”

Pepper had a lot of very good and exact reasons for despising Sunset and her particular brand of sheer awful.

Happy said gently, “Take a deep breath, Pep. Tony does goofball stuff all the time. This’ll blow over and Tony will come to his senses. Maybe she’s not that bad after all.”

“We are going to have a talk about this, Happy, when we get home.” She hung up on Happy and immediately dialed the one other person she knew would feel the same way she did.

She was surprised when Rhodey answered the phone on the first ring. Usually she had to leave a voicemail for the busy Colonel. “Rhodey?”

“Hey, Pepper! Glad to hear from you,” Rhodey said cheerfully.

“Have you heard from Tony yet? No? Well, he’s engaged.”

“What?”

“To Sunset Bain.”

“What? Hold on, Is he out of his mind?” Rhodey nearly shouted over the phone “What the hell is wrong with him? The last time they dated, Tony swore never again and that it’d be a cold day in Hell before he’d even talk to her.”

Pepper sighed in relief. “Could you talk to him?”

“You bet I will. God, I thought I’d never hear that name again. Until I talk to him, don’t let Tony do anything stupid.”

“Rhodey, thanks. I appreciate it,” Pepper replied gratefully. She smiled as she hung up.

Rhodey always managed to talk some sense into Tony. Hopefully this would all blow over soon.

~~~~~

Tony endured the first week of his engagement in fairly good spirits. The gossip sites were full of stories about his engagement, headlines screaming that Tony Stark was finally off the market permanently. He especially liked the pictures of Sunset with her flashy diamond engagement ring and himself leaving a restaurant, all smiles and wrapped up in each other. He was showered with good wishes, congratulatory cards, and flowers.

He basked in the attention, even if Pepper seemed a touch more concerned than she really needed to be.

What he didn’t need was Rhodey’s phone call.

“Tony, is it true?” Rhodey asked. “That you’re engaged to Sunset Bain?”

“Yep,” Tony replied cheerfully. “For real this time. Pepper called you, didn’t she?”

“If she hadn’t, I would have found out from the internet. Um, Tone, are you sure about this?”

Something about Rhodey’s tone was off-putting. Tony was certain that Sunset was the girl for him. A giddy Sunset had developed the habit of calling Tony daily to talk about the latest news tidbits, and he always had a date. What more could he ask for?

“Of course I’m sure. We’re having a great time.”

Rhodey actually sighed on the other side of the line. “Didn’t Sunset dump you after you graduated from MIT? I remember that she said something about you being a waste of space and completely useless.”

“That was a long time ago. We’re different people now.”

“Um, yeah. I guess.” Rhodey was quiet for a minute. “You could do better, Tone. You don’t have to settle.”

Now Tony got angry. “Rhodey. Back off, buddy. I’m sure I’m doing the right thing. She’s a great girl, we’re in love, and we’re going to get married. Now, since you’re my oldest and best friend, I thought that you’d be cheering me on. Even more, since I’m being adult and responsible and all that.”

“Yes, of course. I think it’s just great that you’re getting married to someone you didn’t like that much for a long time, that tried to steal business from you, and that you have been dating for only about two or three months.”

“I heard nothing after ‘married’,” Tony said. “You’ll be my best man, right?”

Rhodey was quiet. “I’ll be there for you. Always,” he finally said.

“Good. We’re getting married in August. I’ll send you the date as soon as we figure out which weekend. But not after Labor Day.”

Tony said goodbye and hung up. Well, that conversation didn’t go all that badly, he reflected. He was confident that once Rhodey gave Sunset a chance he’d change his mind. He wondered what kind of bachelor party Rhodey would plan for him.

~~~~~

Sunset grabbed him for lunch after the giddiness of getting engaged wore off and the reality of needing to actually plan a wedding settled in. She laughed lightly when he mentioned that August would be here sooner than that they thought.

“I hired a wedding planner a couple of days ago,” she announced. “We have a meeting with him on Wednesday. Pepper’s cleared your schedule for the afternoon.”

Tony looked up from his pasta. “Wedding planner? Um, I didn’t know --”

“Everyone who is anyone hires a wedding planner. We’re too busy to deal with the details anyway,” she replied. “Steve Rogers comes highly recommended. I expect great things from him.”

“Oh,” Tony replied. He wasn’t sure that he was ready for the blond hotness to stick around for a while, especially under the circumstances. He had resorted recently to avoiding Steve when he met with Pepper.

“You must be nice to him,” Sunset continued. “I’m told he works miracles. And we’re not looking for anything super difficult. Just a nice outdoor wedding with a few of our friends.”

“That would be nice. A small wedding,” Tony conceded. “We could elope. Vegas is perfect this time of year. We can get it over with in a weekend.”

Sunset laughed, but her eyes were cold. “You’re always so silly, Tony.” She twirled her fork in her salad. “Our friends would be soooo disappointed if we didn’t throw a real wedding. Imagine the gossip!”

Tony tried a different tack. “I’m surprised that Steve would be willing to take this on. Last time he saw Pepper, he said that he was getting too busy.”

“I made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. He found time in his schedule.” She readjusted her necklaces and jacket. “So Saturday night -- Ellie’s invited us over for congratulatory drinks with some of our friends.”

“Hmmm, I thought we were going to see that new movie, the one with the robots --”

“Ellie’s invite came out of the blue. You know that happens. We’ll just go see the film another time, should be in the theaters for awhile, we’ll catch it next week.”

As it turned out, Tony ended up going out to see the film himself one day after work because Sunset didn’t have the time to go, and she had booked up his weekends with parties and dinners with her business associates and friends. Sunset also talked about getting season tickets to the symphony because it would be good for business.

Tony was starting to suspect there would be a lot less robot movies in his future.

~~~~~

Sunset’s maid greeted Steve and let him into her apartment where he was supposed to meet Sunset and Tony to start planning the wedding. Shown to the living room, Steve carefully placed his portfolio against the couch and sat down on a surprisingly uncomfortable chair. He looked around the living room, which looked like Sunset had ordered everything in it from a catalog and decorated from a magazine spread, right down the bland art on the walls. It all put him on edge.

His client arrived shortly after, glued to her phone and with Tony in tow. Sunset shook Steve’s hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Steve, after all our phone calls. And I know you know Tony.” Tony nodded to Steve. “Let’s get started.”

“Great.” Steve took out a pad of paper. “Now, you had mentioned that you wanted a backyard wedding at your place in the Hamptons.”

Sunset was sitting with Tony on the couch opposite Steve, her hand entwined with Tony’s. She brushed back her brown hair as she turned to smile at Tony.

“We want to throw the best wedding we can. We’re working on the guest list and I thought at first we’d keep it under fifty. But we’re looking at nearly three hundred. Tony and I know so many people that it would be hard to narrow it down. And maybe we’ll have the ceremony at the local church with just the reception at the house.”

She leaned forward and said in a low voice, “We don’t want any paparazzi crashing the wedding or reception. I can’t even begin to tell you how awful the press coverage has been since we announced our engagement. Tony is used to it, of course.” She squeezed Tony’s hand. “But I’m a CEO and don’t need it at all.”

“Hmm,” Steve replied. He looked over his notes, assessing Sunset’s request. “To be honest, Sunset, I’m wondering if you might be better off hiring my associate, Sam Wilson. He has extensive experience with large celebrity weddings.”

“But everyone at Stark Industries recommends you. And we don’t want a celebrity wedding, just a simple event.”

“And a good party,” Tony added.

“Yes, a good party too,” Sunset agreed. Just then her phone rang suddenly.

After checking the phone, she said, “Excuse me, I have to take this call. Won’t be too long.” She grabbed the phone, air-kissed Tony, and sashayed off to her office.

Steve sat awkwardly for a minute, not sure what to say to Tony, and he guessed that Tony didn’t have anything to say to him.

Just as Tony took out his phone, Steve blurted out, “What do you want for your wedding? Sunset mentioned what she wants.”

Tony kept swiping through his phone as he answered, “No, I’m fine. As long as I get chocolate wedding cake, Sunset can do what she wants.”

“Maybe in the shape of a robot?”

Tony finally laughed. “That would be the wedding cake of the year, wouldn’t it? I’d like fireworks to go with that though -- like the robot was blasting off or something.”

Sunset returned. “You sound happy! Anything about the wedding?”

A tight smile was fixed on Tony’s face. “No, it was nothing,” he dismissed.

“Steve, I want to go over some tent options,” Sunset said returning them to the matter at hand.

After getting his marching orders from Sunset, Steve was ready to leave. Tony offered to show him out since he was going home as well. Steve looked over at a tired-looking Tony. He had so many questions about why Tony would settle for someone like Sunset.

In the lobby, he turned to shake Tony’s hand. “Congratulations,” he said.

Tony stared at Steve’s hand like it was going to bite him. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.” He shook Steve’s hand, but didn’t look him in the eye.

“There’s a lot of planning to do, especially on such a short timeline. But Sunset is very organized, so I’m sure we’ll make a great team.”

“She’s a great partner,” Tony agreed.

Concerned about Tony’s dull eyes and listlessness, Steve wanted to ask if Tony was okay. But Tony, still avoiding looking at Steve directly, had the doorman flag down a taxi for Steve.

“See you around, soldier,” Tony said.

On the way home, Steve started mapping out a planning timeline for the Bain-Stark wedding. Soon his thoughts wandered to Sunset’s beautifully manicured hand on Tony’s arm. A wave of melancholy washed over him as he thought about Tony’s laugh and how it used to reach his eyes.

Maybe if circumstances had been different, maybe there could have been a Tony and Steve. But Steve always seemed to have bad luck with the people he fell for and even worse timing.

He sighed and resolved to be professional and only think professional thoughts around Tony, who was clearly off the market now.

Chapter Text

Rhodey surprised Tony by flying in for one weekend in April. He showed up on Tony’s doorstep, explaining that he had been in DC for meetings and couldn’t see why he didn’t have the time to drop in on his best friend before reporting back to base. Tony took him out clubbing that night and they spent the next morning watching bad television and catching up.

Later that night, Sunset met them for dinner at one of her favorite restaurants. She was at her best, smiling and joking with Rhodey over television shows, food and a book he recently read. Tony couldn’t have been prouder of either one of them for forgetting their mutual dislike during their college days.

He settled against the back of the booth, with his arm around Sunset’s shoulder, smiling at her and Rhodey bantering over the latest Giants news over dessert coffee.

Sunset said goodnight to both of them with a kiss. She was on her way to Florida to run in a charity race near Miami and for business. Tony offered to take her to the airport in the morning.

“I’m fine with the car service. Plus you have Rhodey in town.” She hugged Rhodey and said, “Thanks for the running tips. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Looking forward to it,” Rhodey responded.

She kissed Tony. “Stay out of trouble. I’ll see you in a week.”

“Sunset does seem to have changed a lot since college,” Rhodey grudgingly admitted to Tony on their way home. “There’s a lot to like about her.”

“She’s amazing,” Tony replied. “She’s a terrific CEO, really knows her stuff. She’s into science education like I am, and we’re looking to fund a charity together. Maybe we just weren’t in the right places after college.”

“Hmm.” Rhodey looked thoughtful. “Can’t complain really about someone who can get you to act responsibly. You’re like a completely different guy with her in your life.”

“Well, it was time to settle down. Everyone else is doing it,” Tony admitted.

“But, Tony, don’t you think happiness matters? Being in love with the person you’re going to marry?”

“I’m happy now. That’s matters. I can worry about tomorrow when it gets here. And Sunset makes me happy right now,” Tony observed.

Rhodey was flying out to California late on Monday. He dropped by Tony’s work to drag Tony off to lunch before heading out to the airport. He ended up cooling his heels outside Pepper’s office while Tony finished up a meeting with R&D. Rhodey tried to focus on reading on his iPad but kept getting distracted as he listened to Pepper working on the final details of her wedding.

He was shocked when he saw a tall, blond man with a messenger bag leave the office. Pepper touched the man’s sleeve.

“Here, let me introduce you to Rhodey. Rhodey, this is Steve -- he’s also Tony’s wedding planner. This is Rhodey, Tony’s oldest friend. He’s in the Air Force.”

“Nice to meet you, Rhodey,” Steve said warmly, shaking his hand. “I’m sure we’ll meet again. I’ll be in touch, Pepper.”

Once Steve was gone, Rhodey turned to Pepper. “That was Steve?”

“That was Steve. He’s wonderful, Rhodey. He just made my problems with the florist and the floral arrangements disappear. Like, poof!” she said with admiration in her eyes. “I’m going to miss him when this is over.”

“He, um, he seems to be Tony’s type --”

“Oh, you mean devastatingly handsome and interesting to be around?”

Rhodey nodded with relief. “Yeah. So did Tony even try to jump him?”

Pepper shook her head. “Tony never even tried. I don’t understand it. Steve’s the first person I thought could be right for Tony. And I thought Tony would’ve had some interest, you know, after he got over me getting married. But nothing, nothing at all! Not that Steve would do anything ... He’s very ethical, and he said something once about not dating the boss.”

“But Sunset --”

“Don’t say it! Don’t say that she’s the best thing ever for Tony,” Pepper said. She grimaced. “You might be sold but I’m not.”

~~~~~

Steve was more than ready for anything to happen during Pepper and Happy’s May wedding, starting with the rehearsal dinner. He walked everyone through their paces at the venue, making sure that the wedding party knew what was expected of them. Pepper glowed under the lights, holding the ribbon bouquet from her shower and on Happy’s arm. Her mother whispered to Steve that she hoped that the next day would go as well as the rehearsal. Steve wondered if Happy would ever stop smiling like he’d won the lottery.

At the restaurant for the rehearsal dinner, Steve kept an eye on Tony. From the time the bar opened during cocktail hour, he noticed Tony knocking back the scotch. Tony was unsteady on his feet by the end of the rehearsal dinner. And then he disappeared.

A concerned Steve found Tony on the floor of the men’s restroom, as he suspected he might. Tony’s arm was flung over the toilet, with his face resting against the cold porcelain. He bent over and put his hand on Tony’s shoulder.

“Mr. Stark?” he inquired politely, growing worried that he would have to take drastic measures soon.

Tony mumbled something and barely moved. Steve gave up on keeping his suit clean and knelt down next to Tony.

“Come on, Tony,” he urged. Tony blinked at him. “Okay, let’s get you up on your feet.” He tugged at Tony’s sleeve until Tony began to move. Eventually he managed to get Tony upright enough to walk when supported by Steve. They shuffled out of the men’s room.

Back in the restaurant lobby, he craned his head around looking for Sunset, who was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Sunset?” he asked Tony, who was now helpfully drooling into his shoulder.

“Went to dinner with friends,” Tony slurred. “Left me all alone.”

Steve had already made some observations about Sunset and her attitudes towards Tony’s friends, so he wasn’t really surprised.

“Hmmm.” Happy was back in there, red-faced and overwhelmed with friends and family wishing him well. The guy was still smiling like he had won the lottery. So there had to be a replacement chauffeur for the evening.

Steve rubbed the back of his neck. He knew too much about his clients and their boss for his own comfort.

Tony was plastered against him like a remora. Steve carefully peeled Tony off and set him down in a lobby chair.

“Stay here,” he insisted when Tony started up from the chair. “I’m looking for your ride home.”

“Our ride home?” Tony asked brightly, sitting up straight.

Steve pushed Tony gently back into the chair. “I promise I’ll be right back.” He took a deep breath and headed back into the rehearsal dinner.

The dinner was still going strong. Steve checked in with the event staff to settle a few remaining details. Then he pulled Pepper aside. “I found Tony and he needs to go home. Do you remember how he got here?”

Pepper tapped on her phone. “I’ve texted the chauffeur. Paulo will be here in a few minutes.”

“Good. I’ll pack Tony up.” Steve checked his phone. “Ready for tomorrow?”

Pepper looked over at Happy with a beaming smile. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow. If you have any questions, give me a call. Do you need anything before I go?”

“Nothing you can do. My mother’s a nervous wreck though.”

“Weddings can be stressful ...”

Pepper laughed long and hard. “You have no idea.”

Steve went to collect Tony, who was now snoozing in the chair. He noticed how attractive Tony looked asleep, the sweep of his thick lashes against his olive skin, a slight smile on his red lips. But he had to wake Tony again.

“Tony? Your ride is here.”

Tony startled. “Oh, yeah, right. Okay, lead on.” He let Steve pull him to his feet.

Paulo was already waiting and standing at attention at the town car by the time Steve maneuvered Tony outside. They both loaded Tony into the backseat.

“Sir, are you coming too?” the chauffeur asked.

Steve paused. He had an early morning with the wedding. But he couldn’t let Tony go home by himself. He didn’t say anything, but slid into the seat next to Tony. Tony leaned into him on the way to Tony’s penthouse apartment. All Steve could think about was that Paulo would be helpful in getting Tony up to bed.

Once upstairs, Tony had recovered enough. He had sunk into an Italian leather and chrome chair in the large empty living room bathed in moonlight. Beyond the slumped figure in the chair, the sparkling lights of the cityscape through the floor-to-ceiling windows were captivating. Steve debated whether Tony was well enough to leave on his own.

As if reading Steve’s mind, Tony slurred, “Kitchen’s over there.” He waved vaguely towards the rest of the apartment. Steve retrieved a glass of water and, kneeling down next to Tony, made him drink some.

Tony patted Steve’s head with a heavy hand. “I’m all alone now, you know. Everyone is leaving me. Pepper. Happy. You.”

Steve hadn’t thought that Tony would be a sad drunk. But there was something unexpectedly desperate and sad in Tony’s eyes.

“Come on, you’re getting married in a few months to Sunset,” he said encouragingly. He reached out to brush the hair out of Tony’s eyes.

“Not the same thing, not at all,” Tony sighed. “I bet you’re going home to your dog and your girlfriend and you’ll have a great night.”

“I have work in the morning,” Steve replied.

Tony muttered, “We’re all alone, all of us. No one cares, or thinks, or …..” He started to nod off in the chair.

“Uh, Tony, do you want to fall asleep here?” Steve asked, shaking Tony awake.

“Just leave me. Go away.” Tony batted away Steve’s arm. “I’ll be fine. And I’ll be at the wedding on time, if anyone cares about that.”

Later in his decidedly petless (and girlfriend-less) apartment, Steve laid out his clothes, watch and tie for the next day. He put together his checklists, contracts, and everything he would need for the day into his messenger bag. He charged his phone. Then he finally grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and sat down to watch television. After finding a baseball game, his thoughts wandered to what Tony had said in his apartment.

Steve wondered how Tony could still feel alone when he was engaged to be married. Not that Steve was at all naive when it came to why people married. He knew that a few of the weddings he planned were scarcely more than business arrangements and that love had little to with the unions.

He had long ago resolved that he was likely to go through life on his own. But Tony could have anyone he wanted. Steve knew that -- Tony was amazing and fascinating and very handsome. And sexy.

Who wouldn’t want Tony and want to make him happy?

He had to clear his mind from these thoughts. Tony was drunk, that was all, and down for some reason or other. Tomorrow would be better.

~~~~~

On Pepper’s wedding day and reception, Steve had only a few final details to wrap up by mid-reception, mostly arranging for payment and tips for some of the vendors. Everything had gone perfectly from the beginning. Long used to getting other people to stick to schedules, Pepper was Steve’s first bride to be on time with the photographer, who snapped pictures as she and the wedding party got ready to leaving for the wedding location on time.

Steve smiled listening to the guests whooping it up on the dance floor to the DJ under a springtime full moon and surrounded by city lights. He had always liked this place for weddings. Perfect location, easy set-up for any wedding from informal to formal, good relationships with the building super and his workers, and his vendors were familiar with the space. He especially liked how he wouldn’t have to come in early tomorrow to check on the removal of the dance floor since he could trust the rental company.

The only thing he was a touch worried about was Pepper’s father, who had a bit too much to drink from the open bar. But Pepper’s stepmother reassured Steve that they had it under control. So after he checked in with the DJ during his break, Steve was free to go home. Sam had already texted him that Clint and he were heading off to bar after their events and hoped that Steve would join them. Maybe tonight he’d drop by for a beer or two for once.

Sunset came up to Steve. “Successful event,” she observed. “Went beautifully.” She was dressed in a black cocktail dress with a brightly colored pashmina shawl over her shoulders, looking the very epitome of class and money.

“Outdoor weddings have a lot of things that can go wrong. So it’s good to learn what works when you have a successful one.”

“But this isn’t as large as mine.”

“The guest list was 80 people, which nearly hits the capacity for this venue. We’ll have a lot more flexibility with your location. But if we expand the guest list much more, you might have to move.”

“But you already have the valet service for the cars.”

“No matter the wedding size, I couldn’t see not arranging a valet service for a wedding in the Hamptons.” Sam had given Steve a ton of suggestions for the wedding based on his experiences, and highlighted valeting cars as a key service. People would complain about parking, and no one wanted that at a wedding.

“Of course. It’s perfect. But seeing this wedding makes me want to change some of my wedding plans. I don’t want things to be too close to what Pepper’s done, and I’m rethinking some of the color choices.”

Steve’s stomach fell. He had too much experience not to see the warning signs of wedding planning getting way way out of hand. He would really need to join Clint and Sam at the bar.

He forced a cheerful tone into his voice. “I’ll be glad to talk to you at the beginning of next week. As soon as we can make the changes, the more choices we’ll have.”

“I’ll have my assistant set up the meeting. For one thing, I’m definitely junking the table favors,” Sunset said.

Listening to Sunset’s new ideas, Steve scanned the crowd on the dance floor and saw Tony dancing with Pepper. In his three-piece designer suit and a purple striped tie, Tony cut an elegant figure. It was clear he had taken dance classes at some point. He spun a laughing Pepper around the floor, dipped her and then handed her off to Happy. He then offered his hand to one of Pepper’s grandmothers for another dance.

“He really is something, isn’t he?” Sunset mused.

She had a faint smile on her lips and her eyes shone with admiration. “We had our problems right after college. I’m glad I had a second chance with him.”

“You make a great team,” Steve said diplomatically.

“I know.” She readjusted her shawl and checked a strap on her sandal. “I’m not going to let anyone or anything ruin my second chance with Tony.”

She flashed a smile at Steve and touched his arm, causing a cold wave of worry to wash over him. “I’m determined that my wedding will be perfect. And the perfect start to the rest of my life. See you next week, Steve.”

She went to join Tony on the dance floor. As she twirled around the floor with Tony, Steve swore that she winked at him.

Having clarified a couple of things with the DJ, Steve told Pepper he was going. She hugged him. “I’m going to miss you so much, Steve. It was wonderful to have my own assistant, for once.”

He laughed. “I’ll settle up the bills with Tony next week. But if you need anything tonight, just text me and I’ll be back. Have a terrific honeymoon.”

Happy clapped Steve hard on the back, almost knocking the wind out of him. “Thanks for everything, Steve. You’ve been great. This is the best wedding ever.”

After retrieving his backpack, Steve looked back at the reception party still going strong. It was a great wedding, and he had an arrangement with the photographer for some pictures for his portfolio.

He’d miss Pepper and Happy, of course. They had been great to work with. If he had any regrets, well, he would just have to shove them down deep. He still had to work with Tony for few months more, and then he could just move on.

He hoped Clint had picked a good bar because it was going to be a long night.

Chapter Text

After Pepper’s wedding, Sunset began to monopolize the time Steve wasn’t spending with other clients. He had become accustomed to her too-perfect living room, always concerned he would spill his soda over the carpet or track in dirt. He came to detest the abstract painting over her couch because of the poor color choice, lack of technique, and the likelihood that Sunset paid more than she should have for it.

Today, Steve was sitting in his designated chair and poring over several changes requested by Sunset, including a request for a new layout for the tent and how to handle the gift table. She’d surprised him when he arrived with a spreadsheet of changes, including a list of contract disputes. Steve figured he could hand most of the contract problems over to Maria to resolve since she was more than excellent with details. But before they could start working through the changes, Sunset got a call from work.

She groaned when she saw who was calling her. “I don’t think it’s too much to expect that the people hired to do the work do the work, instead of calling the CEO to resolve their damn problems,” she grumbled as she headed to her home office.

Steve was so used to the interruptions that he had gotten into the habit of bringing a sketchbook with him. He liked the street view from the living room and the glimpse of Central Park just beyond. He was in the middle of trying to capture the movement of the curtain sheers floating in the early June breeze when Tony walked through the front door.

Tony stepped into the foyer, calling cheerfully for Sunset. He seemed shocked when he saw Steve.

“Um, I guess Sunset’s home.”

“She’s in the office, call from work.”

“Her company is on the verge of a major product launch in two weeks. It’s not going well.” Tony sat on a couch, putting his feet up on an ottoman.

Steve had not seen him in a casual button-down shirt and jeans before. His messy hair was artfully styled as usual. It was nice seeing Tony relaxed. It was nice to see Tony, period. Steve hated feeling that he had missed Tony during the past several weeks since Pepper’s wedding.

“Oh, I didn’t know. Hope things work out for her.”

“She’ll get things back on track. She always does. What are you doing?” Tony asked, pointing at Steve’s sketchbook.

“I’m, um, sketching.”

“Can I see?” Tony asked. He held out his hand for the notebook, which Steve actually gave him before thinking. Tony flipped through the pages. “You’ve very good. I had no idea.”

“I majored in Studio Art at Empire State. Then got into the event planning business. I haven’t been working on the art as much as I should be.”

“You’re good --”

Steve shrugged. “It all takes practice -- I’ve been thinking of taking classes again.”

He ended up talking to Tony about college and their friends and how Steve ended up working as an event planner. Steve never even noticed how much time had passed, he was enjoying his conversation with Tony that much.

When Tony mentioned that he was looking forward to the upcoming Batman movie, Steve had to bite his tongue when he almost suggested that they see it together. Instead he said something bland and non-committal about the film. Professional, he needed to be professional.

Sunset stormed out of her office. Then she stopped and her face brightened when she saw Tony. Sitting down next to him on the couch, she said, “Tony, I’m so glad to see you.” She gave him a kiss, leaning into Tony and entangling her arm in his.

“Steve said you got a call from work.”

She shook her head in frustration. “I don’t want to get into it -- you know how it is.” She caressed his leg with her other hand. Then she seemed surprised that Steve was still there. “Sorry, Steve. I almost forgot you were waiting. Do you have time to still meet?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Because we need to resolve something about that tent to fit in five more people.” She pushed over a couple of drawings. “My assistant drew up some ideas for the layout.”

As Steve retrieved the plans, he looked up and wondered if he saw embarrassment flash over Tony’s face.

“We should trust Steve,” Tony said. “I bet he’s figured out the problem already.”

“I know, Tony, but just in case he doesn’t, here are some ideas,” she said patronizingly while patting his arm. “You don’t have to stay around if you don’t want to ….”

“No, I’d like to see what the plans are. My wedding, too.”

Tightening her jaw, Sunset nodded. “Of course, sweetie. So let’s get cracking, Steve, alright?”

“We have that meeting next week with the caterer about choosing the menu,” Steve said, after checking his checklist.

“Oh, I’d like to go to that,” Tony piped in. “I missed the cake tasting.”

“Are you sure, baby? You’re so busy right now and we’ll have to go all the way out to the Hamptons. Can you really get out of work?” Sunset asked with concern.

“Pepper can figure something out. Mark me down,” Tony insisted.

~~~~~

The next week on a spectacular, sunny Wednesday morning, Tony drove down to the caterers with Sunset in the Audi convertible with the top down. It was a perfect day for a long drive. Sunset was in a happy, relaxed mood and didn’t object to Tony cranking up the sound system. She flipped through her thick wedding file. “Oh, I wonder if we’ll have time to see the florist. I’ve been rethinking the table arrangements,” she said.

“Wait, you made a decision about the table arrangements?”

“Yeah, had to. We’re on a tight schedule and there’s so much to do. And you’ve been traveling,” she explained. She rubbed his arm a little. “Are you feeling left out?”

“No,” he responded. “And maybe? I want a good party for the reception.”

“And we will,” she said reassuringly. “You’ll love the DJ. We aren’t going to play AC/DC or Metallica, but that’s not wedding music.”

“It is if it’s played correctly.”

“Oh, wait, there’s the caterers.”

Tony pulled into the small strip mall Sunset pointed out. He did a double take when he saw Steve next to a motorcycle waiting for them already. It had not occurred to Tony how Steve was going to get to the Hamptons. But seeing Steve in a brown leather motorcycle jacket, brushing his hair back into place, and standing just so as he checked his phone hit a button that Tony never knew he had.

Wow, just wow. A ‘want-now’ feeling flooded through his body.

The minute he parked the car Sunset jumped out. “Steve, ready to meet the caterers?” She grabbed his arm on her way to the shop.

The sales representative, Allison, on the name tag, was waiting for them. She greeted them and shook each of their hands as they came in, but she smiled brightly for Steve. “Nice to see you again, Steve. How’s Sam?”

Steve pulled out a file from his messenger bag. “He’ll be down next week, but wanted you to approve this change order. And I’m here about the Bain-Stark wedding in August.”

Allison handed Tony and Sunset three different menus. “I understand that you are interested in a sit-down dinner.” She directed them to a table already set for the tasting.

Sunset, Steve and Allison launched into a detailed conversation about the menu, the catering packages, silverware versus plastic ware, recycling, number of wait staff, number of courses, the quality of the liquor to be served at the open bar, and the length of the cocktail hour. Astonished, Tony listened as the discussion covered the entire wedding plans. Sunset had made a significant number of decisions without even consulting Tony.

Steve interrupted Allison. “Tony, are you okay with this?”

Put on the spot, Tony had not yet recovered from learning how he much didn’t know about his own wedding. Wanting to know more, he settled on being diplomatic. “I’d like to learn more.”

“Well, this is where we are with the reception.” Steve took out a checklist and went over the reception plans in detail with Allison chipping in occasionally. Sunset said nothing, but sat quietly with her arms folded in her lap. Tony was grateful to Steve for stopping to explain.

“We have to choose the menu today,” Steve said finally.

Feeling the tension, Allison suggested that they try out samples of food. A chef from the kitchen started bringing out samples of appetizers, dinner and dessert options. At the end of the tasting, they had picked out several hot and cold appetizers and desserts. But Tony and Sunset couldn’t agree on the dinner options.

Sunset said, “We have to have a vegetarian option.”

“Yes. I’m fine with the eggplant lasagna. But I don’t want the chicken,” Tony replied.

“The guests aren’t going to care. Chicken and fish are good options,” Sunset answered. “I think you need to be reasonable here. The hanger steak, really, Tony?”

“Is this about the money?”

“No. Not at all,” Sunset insisted. “I’ve been to enough weddings, Tony. By the time dinner comes, the guests will have been eating for an hour or two since the cocktail hour. And they won’t notice what we’re serving for dinner.”

“I care about our guests, and I’m all about throwing a terrific party. Food matters.”

Sunset threw up her hands. Then through gritted teeth, she said, “We’ll have the steak and the fish. Just put that down, Allison and Steve, the steak and fish options.”

Allison exchanged a look with Steve. “Okay. But understand that I can’t make changes after this week. So this is the final choice.”

“Yes, of course,” Sunset acknowledged. She forcefully twisted a napkin in her hands.

Steve asked, “So we have made a decision about the dinner. Let’s see what’s next on the checklist.”

After the meeting, Sunset stayed behind to talk with Allison. Tony followed Steve out to the parking lot and they stood next to Steve’s motorcycle.

Tony said, “Thanks. For what you did back there.”

Steve nodded. “Sunset told me that you were traveling a lot and that she was talking to you about the plans.”

Tony shrugged. “She has great taste --”

“Tony, it’s not really my place --” Steve interrupted. He fiddled with the strap on his helmet. “But this is your wedding too. I work for both of you, not just Sunset.”

“I’ll be on top of things from now on.”

Steve began to tie down his messenger bag on his bike. “I mean, you haven’t mentioned anything about floods or hurricanes yet.”

“I have plans to stop the robot invasion, if it comes to that,” Tony said with a laugh. “Hey, I like your Harley there.”

Steve shone with pride as they looked over the motorcycle. “I’ve had it for five years now. I don’t get to ride it as much as I’d like. Perfect weather today.”

Tony ran his hand along the handlebars. “You should drop by my garage sometime. I have a few bikes and cars you might like to see.”

“Like the Audi?” Steve said, pointing to Tony’s car.

“I have even better cars.” Tony enjoyed watching Steve’s excitement over the car. He liked the brightness in Steve’s handsome face and the sparkle in his eyes. And the leather jacket did something wonderful for Steve. He could imagine showing off his car collection to Steve, maybe taking the Ferrari out for a spin, and the excited smile on Steve’s face. A faint alarm began to ring in the back of Tony’s mind.

Steve got on the motorcycle. “Give me a call if you have any questions.”

Tony bit his tongue before he said something he regretted. He looked at Steve, who oozed pure sex as he sat there on his bike, leather jacket not totally zipped up yet, the breeze toying with his blond hair, sunny blue eyes, warm smile.

Something deep inside ached. He was trying so hard to be a better person and not to give in at all to temptation. At that moment Tony knew that he was always going to regret not seeing in time just how incredible Steve really was.

“What if I met you before?” Tony stammered.

“What?” Steve replied, startled.

Shocked, Tony froze in place. What was he thinking? He was engaged, Steve was working for him. And here he was thinking about Steve, who was intriguing, smart, had a dry sense of humor, and had so much going for him. If he had met Steve a while ago …

“No, um, nothing. I just was thinking about the reception.” Tony wanted to believe desperately that Steve looked disappointed. He couldn’t have imagined the cloud that crossed over Steve’s beautiful face.

“Oh, yeah, the reception. I’ll look out for you, Tony. I’ve found the perfect DJ.”

“Or I could just plug in my StarkPod.” The joke fell flat between them as Tony found something fascinating to stare at on the ground and Steve reached to readjust his helmet strap.

Sunset came out of the office and immediately hooked Tony’s arm in hers. “I was talking to Allison about a small party for my family before the wedding weekend,” she explained. She put her head on Tony’s shoulder. “Steve, I don’t think I’ll have time to meet with the florist today. Next week, we’ll need to revisit the table arrangements.”

“Okay. We can do that. See you later, Sunset. Tony.”

Sunset said to Tony, “He’s good at this. We’re lucky to have him.” Kissing Tony’s ear, she whispered, “Let’s drop by the cottage since we don’t have to be back in the city anytime soon.”

After the food tasting, Sunset never again included Tony in her meetings with Steve. Tony knew that he should be angry and insist on being involved. But talking to Steve would be too painful. So Tony threw himself harder into working on several Stark Industries projects and problems in R&D.

And he thought himself grateful that he didn’t have to see Steve at all. Another couple of months to go and then Steve would be a distant memory.

~~~~~

Tony arrived a half-hour earlier than he planned for his afternoon meeting at the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park. The traffic had been lighter than expected. Usually he would spend the extra time at the bar, but he was feeling restless and ended up wandering through the hotel. Curious, he was drawn to the sound of radio and voices in one ballroom.

Unbelievably, one of the voices belonged to Steve. He was working with another man, setting up the room for a party or something. But it was Steve, in a tight-fitting t-shirt and jeans, holding a toolbox, that riveted Tony’s gaze. He could not have imagined a more captivating sight.

There was a time where Tony would have said something provocative. But he was being responsible and adult, and not thinking of how wrong he had been about Steve at the beginning, and that maybe if he hadn’t been wrong, Steve might have been an option.

“Hey, Steve, fancy seeing you here,” he said as casually as he could. Even so, his heart pounded.

“Tony, good to see you,” Steve replied. The other man popped his head from behind the fabric-covered panel.

“Clint, this is Tony, one of my clients. Are you okay if I take a break for a couple of minutes?”

“Naw, I’m good. I just need to adjust the layout a bit,” Clint replied. “Take five.”

Outside the ballroom, Steve asked, “How are things?”

“You know, busy. I’m off to Las Vegas for a bachelor party in a couple of days.”

“I heard about that from Sunset.”

“I’ve promised to be a good boy. It’s killing me about how good I’m being.” Especially right now with Steve in front of him, Tony thought.

“Bachelor parties are always a point of contention,” Steve agreed. “But not long now until the wedding.”

“Yeah. In six weeks. And Sunset’s got you running.” Tony had a few minutes more, according to his watch. “So, what are you up to here?”

“I’m helping Clint out. It’s a 50th anniversary party tomorrow. Large family, big deal.”

They talked about the weather, Las Vegas (Steve had never been), and where Tony would be staying before the wedding. Tony didn’t want to end the conversation, but he had places to be, and Steve was a big temptation to blow off the afternoon, assuming he could talk Steve out of working.

He scanned Steve’s face, looking for that opening to move the conversation to the bar. But Steve was as unreadable as ever. Steve was a great guy, but Tony could not figure him out to save his life.

“So did you ever sign up for that art class you were thinking of?” Tony finally asked.

Steve beamed. “Yeah, you know, I did, right after that time I saw you at Sunset’s. It’s going great, though I might have to miss a couple of classes. But thanks for the encouragement.”

“I didn’t give you enough credit at first. But you’re not that bad. The caterer and the photographer showed up at Pepper’s wedding and the cake wasn’t sawdust at all. It was just a step up from a disaster.”

“Just a step up?”

“If Pepper had hired the DJ I wanted, I would have rated it a success.”

Steve’s forehead had a little wrinkle as he followed Tony’s conversation. Tony liked that little wrinkle. He smiled fondly at Steve. Steve began to smile shyly back.

Then Clint shouted, “Steve, need a little help here.”

“Right. Got to go. I guess I’ll see you soon -- about the wedding.”

Tony sighed and toed the rug. He shouldn’t have these feelings about Steve, not when he was marrying Sunset. Spending time with straight-arrow Rhodey would get him back on track. Or at least he could drink until he couldn’t think anymore.

“Yeah, see you in a few weeks.”

Back in the ballroom, Clint told Steve, “Tony seems cute.”

Steve saw the comment for the leading question it really was. “He’s my big celebrity wedding in August.”

“You think he’s ready to get married? Because he didn’t look like an engaged man to me.”

“Clint --” Steve said in a warning tone.

“I know, I know. A wedding planner who runs off with a client is an unemployable wedding planner. Got it.” Clint shoved a support stand with his foot. “Still doesn’t mean that something isn’t there.”

“Tony used to have a bad rep for being a playboy. He’s really reformed over the past year.” Steve rummaged through the toolbox for the good wrench. “And Clint, the last time a client hit on you, what did you do?”

“Shut them down fast,” Clint admitted. “It does happen a lot, to be honest. But it doesn’t mean anything -- they don’t call after the job is done.”

“That’s right,” Steve agreed. “Now, where do you want these stands to go?”

~~~~~

A week before his August wedding, and Tony was lying out in the sun on a beach chair at the pool at Sunset’s summer cottage in the Hamptons. Sunset was next to him, carefully covered up, so she wouldn’t ruin her skin for her wedding dress and make-up. She was flipping through her tablet, looking at real estate. Tony was busy as well on a laptop, working on his latest patent application answers for the lawyers. It was all so productive and tedious.

After a series of muttered “ughs,” Sunset put her tablet down. “This isn’t working,” she stated.

Tony’s mind raced. “Um, okay,” he said neutrally while his heart rate ticked up.

“I’ve been looking for the right beach house for us to buy. And there just isn’t anything suitable at all.”

“Oh,” Tony said with some relief. “Guess we’ll have to keep looking.”

“Hmmm, I’m not averse to buying a place and tearing it down. But that would take a couple of years to get the showplace we want.”

“Then we’ll do that.”

She picked up the tablet again and started to scroll through. “A lot more choices now,” she hummed. After a minute, she put down the tablet again. “Tony, did you think I meant something else just now?”

There was no good answer to that question. Tony opted to feign ignorance. “I didn’t know what you were talking about.”

“Hmmm, I think you thought I was referring to us.”

“Uh …”

She laughed a little and patted his arm. “Tony, we work great together as partners in business, and we’ll work great as partners in life. I’m not expecting this to be some grand love affair. After all, we’re at the right time in our lives to get married. We’ll merge our companies, have a couple of kids and be a force to be reckoned with socially. We both want the same thing, really.”

Tony felt a bit let down at Sunset’s words. He had feelings for her, maybe not quite love, but he had convinced himself he would get there over time. He didn’t think of his upcoming marriage as a business and social merger.

“That sounds good the way you put it,” he lied, not ready to share what he was thinking.

“I know who I’m marrying, Tony, and I don’t expect you to be faithful. But I don’t want you bringing anyone back to my house, and not in the papers either. At home, we’ll have the family we both want and live the lives we wanted -- friends, family, vacations, charity giving. We’ll build something great.”

Insulted, Tony said, “Sunset, I haven’t looked at anyone, and I wasn’t planning on it.”

“Actually, I’m flattered that you haven’t stepped out on me once since we started up again and during the engagement. More than I could have expected, and I adore you for it.” She smiled broadly at him, putting her manicured hand on his tan arm.

The warmth of her hand and smile could not negate the truth that his future wife thought so little of Tony’s ability to keep it in his pants.

She continued, “Besides, I’ve noticed how you look at our wedding planner. Why don’t you just sleep with him and get it over with?”

“I don’t think that Steve sleeps with clients,” Tony replied, flabbergasted. There really wasn’t any way to respond graciously to his fiancée’s suggestion that he sleep with other people.

With Steve.

That was not the relationship he thought he was signing up for.

Sunset tapped his arm to draw his attention to her tablet. “Look at this house! It’s got a great location in East Hampton. But it’s completely inadequate -- we can make an offer based on it being a tear-down. I’ll call the real estate agent on Monday to look into it and check out our future neighbors. I don’t want to live near celebrities.”

She kept chatting on about their beach house and other places she was considering. All the while, a chill ran down Tony’s back despite the heat of the July sun. They were talking just like his parents.

Did his mother ever say anything like this to his father? Did they have some sort of arrangement like what Sunset proposed and expected?

What in the hell was he getting himself into?

Chapter Text

Tony found Steve talking to Sunset in the sunroom the afternoon before the rehearsal dinner. Actually, the rehearsal party, because Sunset had invited most of their wedding guests, excluding the people Sunset had to invite to the wedding, mostly her mother’s friends and a number of less important business associates. Steve was seated in one of the overstuffed arm chairs while Sunset was perched in the other one. Masses of paper were strewn around the room with a few rejected wedding favors holding down the piles and a whiteboard on an easel set up in the corner.

Sunset and Steve were having an intense discussion about the order of events at the reception. Tony hung back in the doorway, knowing that his opinion would neither be asked nor wanted. Especially after the food-tasting disaster at the caterers.

Sunset laid out a schedule over the seating chart. “So we’ve got the cocktail hour for the guests arriving from the church --”

“Do you want to have wedding pictures taken while the guests arrive? Or were you still thinking of having the wedding photos on a different date?” Steve asked. His hair was a spectacular gold in the early afternoon sunlight. And Tony was surprised to see him not dressed in the usual suit or business casual, but in a deep blue t-shirt layered over a long-sleeve white t-shirt and jeans.

It was a very good look on him. Gorgeous, really.

Tapping her pen on the end table, Sunset frowned slightly. “I thought this was resolved.” She pushed some papers to the side.

“I’m just confirming what you want to happen. According to my notes, you wanted the photos taken immediately after the ceremony or at future date after the wedding. I have to tell the photographer something.”

Sunset sat up straight, crossed her legs, and carefully pulled down the hem of her skirt. She put her right hand on her knee and her left arm on the armrest of the chair.

“Steve,” she said, “Are you fighting me on this?”

“No, but I need direction. That’s what I’m asking for. I can make what you want happen, but I need to know what you want,” he replied.

She tossed her hair back, tucking some behind her ear. She looked out the window towards the pool and started tapping her fingers again, precise and slow on the armrest.

“It would be easier and more convenient to take the formal pictures on the day of the wedding instead of scheduling everyone to dress up again and meet at a later date for the pictures. But I can understand that the wedding party may not look their best on the day of the wedding,” Steve suggested.

Sunset sighed. “We need just one good picture for the Bugle’s wedding announcement.”

“The wedding party wouldn’t be in that one, so I could arrange for the photographer to come photograph you and Tony later.”

“Would that mean photographs after the ceremony?”

“Yes. I arranged for the photographs to be taken near the ocean, at a spot not far from the church.” He checked his notes. “The photography session should be about 45 minutes with the wedding party arriving just as the cocktail hour ends. I have a list of the names for the announcements.”

Sunset bit her glossy, red lip. “Fine. I approve having the photographs taken after the ceremony. But you’re not going to win on anything else, Steve.”

Steve put his pen down. “Sunset, it’s not about me or you winning or losing. It’s about what you want. As I’ve explained before, I can offer you a red circle or a blue square, but you can’t have both and you’ll need to choose. If you want the blue square, it might be easier and faster to get you the blue square. But if you want the red circle, it will take more effort and time to get the red circle, but I’ll get it for you. I am on your team, not the enemy here.”

“This is all so ridiculous,” Sunset declared. “Every tiny, little decision.”

“We’re in the home stretch now. This time tomorrow you won’t have to worry about any of this.”

“I hope not. And I hope I don’t regret hiring you at all.”

Tony stepped into the room and hugged Sunset from behind. “Last-minute decisions?”

“Just a couple of things here and there,” Sunset replied. She squeezed his hand and gave him a bright smile. “I’m just so tired of all this planning, you know. So what are your plans?”

“Rhodey’s coming by to pick me up. He’s got something planned before the party tonight.”

“As long as it’s not in your workshop,” Sunset joked, for Steve’s benefit. But Tony heard the threat underlying her words.

He nodded to Steve and left the room. As he was leaving, he heard Sunset say, “Now, about tonight, Steve, could you keep an eye on Tony? It’s an open bar, and he can drink pretty heavily at these events. I’d like him to stick to soda or water.”

~~~~~

As promised, the rehearsal dinner was large, classy and more a party than a dinner. Sunset had rented a banquet room at a local restaurant for the event and had the place filled with late-summer flowers and foliage. Tony listened half-heartedly to all the congratulations from business acquaintances and innumerable friends of Sunset’s. He honestly had no idea that she had so many friends and that all of them were excited about attending the wedding.

Tony lingered by the bar where he found the more interesting people. He didn’t bother to ask for a drink, not wanting to find out if the bartenders had their orders about serving him. Pepper and Rhodey hung around until the DJ started playing music. Then Happy and a bridesmaid came to get his friends out on the floor.

He took his own turn with Sunset on the floor. She was gorgeous in a sheath-style copper dress and perfect in her steps with years of dance lessons. Being photographed usually brought out Tony’s charm, but tonight he just wasn’t feeling it.

Sunset leaned in close. “We look great together. Thanks for making the effort, Tony.”

She kissed him to a chorus of “awww” from the dancers nearby. But they were her friends or relatives, so they might be biased.

“Hey, it’s our big day,” Tony replied. “Only the best for you.” He spun and dipped her.

Laughing, Sunset said, “Wait until tomorrow. And it’s only going to get better from here.”

Tony eventually returned to the bar. Something was missing tonight. Sunset was holding court on one side of the floor. Pepper and Happy stumbled through a dance on the floor, laughing so hard it was infectious. Rhodey was a favorite of the wedding party, constantly attended by at least one bridesmaid at all times.

Everyone seemed to be having fun. Steve had probably planned for this.

Steve! He couldn’t find Steve anywhere. Steve had been such a constant presence in Tony’s life for a year now. And when he expected to find Steve, he was gone.

Tony noticed a man hovering around the main doors just like Steve did at these events. “Where’s Steve?” he asked.

The dark-suited man replied, “My name’s Sam Wilson. I work with Steve and I’m helping him out tonight.”

“Oh. I guess that makes sense. Just thought he’d be here, considering that he planned this event since he’s the event planner.”

Sam smiled. “You must be Tony.” He shook Tony’s hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Hope it was good.”

“Depends on your definition of good.”

“Right. Where’s Steve?”

“He’s working on last minute details for the wedding. He called me in to make sure that tonight goes well.”

“As long as he wasn’t kidnapped by a jetsetting millionaire for his harem or something like that.”

Sam laughed at that. “I’d like to hear that story. Steve never has anything that exciting happen to him.”

“I thought you would say that his girlfriend would hunt him down.”

“Steve hasn’t dated anyone in a few years, so it’d be up to us to fight for his honor,” Sam said.

“We couldn’t, if we didn’t have a plan in place. Steve would be mortally offended if we went to rescue him planless.”

“Steve’s a fighter and good at improvising. He’d be able to fend off his attacker until he had a plan.”

They laughed for a while. Tony could just imagine an indignant Steve, with his shirt shredded from beating off his captors, waiting for Sam and him to save him from the ravishing millionaire.

Oh. That was an image he probably could do without. A half-naked, sweaty Steve with his hair in his eyes and chest heaving.

Then what Sam had said finally registered about Steve not dating anyone.

“I’m getting married tomorrow,” he said quietly.

Sam gave him an appraising look. “She’s an amazing woman.” They watched a glowing Sunset work the crowd, moving fluidly from person to person with a broad smile on her face.

“Yeah, I’m really lucky, aren’t I?” Tony observed in a flat tone.

Because, apparently, Tony never listened to a damn thing Steve ever said about himself, and Tony had made all the wrong assumptions. And it was too late now.

~~~~~

Disappointed by the distinct lack of fun and interesting in Rhodey’s post-rehearsal dinner plans, Tony sipped his warm soda and watched the television pay-per-view movie Rhodey had bought in his hotel room. He couldn’t quite figure out what was going on, but that was probably due more to Tony not watching than any inherent plot flaws in the movie. And he was getting seriously unnerved by Rhodey’s constant pep talk about the wedding.

His phone rang unexpectedly. “Tony,” he answered.

In his beautiful baritone voice Steve asked, “Tony, hi. Are you okay --?”

Tony’s mind went on the fritz. Was he okay? He hadn’t been sure for a few days. What did it mean to be okay?

Breaking into his thoughts, Steve asked again, “Tony? Is it okay for me to come over and pick up the rings?”

“Oh, right, the rings. Why?”

“Um, there’s been a change with the ring bearer and a couple of other things.”

Sunset had been threatening to fire her friend’s son as the ring bearer for a week now. Tony wondered what the final straw had been.

“Sure, come on by.”

Rhodey said, “You should have asked him to bring some beer.”

“I could call back,” Tony offered.

“I like Steve, and Sunset would kill him if he did bring us a case,” Rhodey said.

“She still might. We have all day tomorrow.” Tony had the distinct feeling that Sunset was less than pleased with Steve lately.

Steve showed up fifteen minutes later, with unexpected but much appreciated beer and chips. He was still wearing the blue t-shirt and jeans from earlier, except that now he had paint on the shirt and muddy, grass-stained knees on the jeans.

“Sorry to bother you,” he apologized.

Tony handed him the rings. “No rest for the wicked, I guess.”

Steve’s warm smile was just wrecking him this evening. He wanted to drag Steve into the room with him and Rhodey and play drinking games. Maybe Steve could explain the movie to him. Anything, as long as Steve spent some time with him, holding that warmth next to him as much as he could.

And what in the hell was he thinking? He should be thinking that about Sunset, the woman he was marrying in the morning.

Taking out his phone, Steve inspected the box and took a picture. “Documentation,” he explained to Tony.

“That -- that makes sense.” Tony’s smile faltered a little.

Steve reached out and put a comforting hand on Tony’s shoulder. “Seriously, Tony, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, you know, pre-wedding jitters, that sort of thing,” Tony replied, trying to brush off Steve’s concern.

Steve glanced over at Rhodey, who was trying to act like he wasn’t listening but failing at it.

“You don’t have to go through this, Tony. Nothing’s permanent until the ‘I do’s’ and even after that you can get an annulment. There’s always a way out,” Steve said.

Tony never did anything he didn’t want to do. Even when he was told he had to, he always found a way out. He had to be okay with going through with this.

“I asked Sunset to marry me, and I’m ready for the commitment.”

“Good, good. Well, I’ll see you all in the morning. You know what time Tony has to be at the church, Rhodey?”

“Yep, all good here, Steve,” Rhodey replied.

After Steve was gone, Rhodey turned to Tony. “You should seriously think about what Steve said. You don’t have to go through with this if you’ve got the least doubt.”

“I’m ready to do this, honeybunch, as ready as I’ll ever be.” Tony popped open a can and sat back down on the bed. “Let’s drink Steve’s beer while you tell me what the hell is going on in this movie.”

~~~~~

It was all Pepper’s fault, Tony decided as he stared at the hotel room ceiling at four in the morning.

He had barely slept since Rhodey left shortly after midnight. And now he lay awake in his bed and thought that if Pepper hadn’t gotten that flat tire, he wouldn’t be in the heap of trouble he was in now. If she hadn’t called Happy to help with the flat tire, then they wouldn’t have dated, then got engaged and married, and Tony wouldn’t have gone out with Sunset and then proposed and now be getting married.

And he wouldn’t have met Steve, ever.

Logically speaking, he knew he didn’t have to get married. No one was holding a gun to his head, there was no inheritance at risk, she wasn’t pregnant. Nothing like that at all.

But in a moment of weakness, Tony had given up and settled for a woman whom he didn’t love yet, but was someone he could admire, who could keep up her side of an intelligent conversation, who was a brilliant although ruthless businesswoman, even if they didn’t share the same taste in movies or comedy.

He’d known her forever, and lots of people, the Board, the gossip pages, business press approved the match. It was a good and easy thing, and the sooner this was over, the sooner Tony could get back to the workshop.

He went the bathroom, splashed cold water over his face, and considered his weary reflection in the mirror. Was this the sort of face Steve could love?

He groaned. Why was Steve constantly invading his thoughts? He had thought that talented and clever Steve was involved with someone. He couldn’t see how anyone as amazing as Steve could not possibly be dating or had not been snapped up.

Maybe it was just regret for missed opportunities, he sighed. By the time he had an inkling that Steve might be something special, Sunset had been firmly installed as his girlfriend. And now that he had it confirmed that Steve was free and available, Tony was going off the market. Permanently.

Maybe his fascination for Steve was nothing more than a passing fancy, a last, little mental fling before getting hitched. Once he was married, Steve would be only a memory of his last flirtation as a free man.

Either way, it was Pepper’s fault that Steve showed up in his life.

He stumbled back through the dark room towards his bed. The numbers on the clock glowed a red 4:30. Flinging an arm over his head, Tony tried again to fall asleep. It was still hours to go before the wedding, and he really needed sleep.

~~~~~

Rhodey delivered Tony to the church the next afternoon per instructions.

“There are a lot of people here,” Tony muttered as he noticed the number of guests already in the church.

“What did you expect? You invited three hundred people,” Rhodey replied.

They found Steve talking to the other groomsmen and the ushers in the church foyer. Tony didn’t know them particularly well, since he didn’t have enough friends to fill the wedding party, and Happy had mysteriously turned down his request. Sunset found friends to fill out the party and recruited ushers from her large circle of friends and family.

Holding a clipboard with a schedule, Steve was impeccably dressed in a dark suit and tie, showing off all his assets in the best possible light. Tony immediately felt guilty for noticing. He dispassionately inspected Tony and checked off a line on his schedule.

“Wait here,” he directed them and then disappeared behind a door.

Tony stole a glimpse of the church interior. Whomever Steve had hired to decorate the church had done a magnificent job on the bows and swags on the pews, the flower arrangements on the altar and throughout the nave, and the white carpet runner in the aisle. Guests were still arriving and filling the church, with several pews already crowded.

The thought struck him that he was really getting married now. Everyone in this building had come to see Tony Stark finally settle down with someone.

“Looks like someone’s getting married.” Tony attempted to joke, but it fell flat. It was probably the nervous tone, he conceded, when no one laughed.

Rhodey gave him a strange look. “Hey, are you okay? You look like you’re about to faint dead away,” he asked.

Tony shook his head. “Naw, I’m fine -- just nervous, don’t get married every day, you know.”

The string quartet in the choir loft started playing wedding music. Tony thought he should know the names of the pieces -- Sunset had shown him the list of music for his nominal approval a month ago.

But he barely remembered anything now. Especially with the loud pounding of his heart in his ears, dimming the noise of the crowd and music.

Nerves, it had to be wedding-day nerves. That’s all that it was.

He cared for Sunset, and she was right -- it was time to get married. Tony had been to five weddings in the past year (not counting Pepper’s), and he really didn’t want to turn into that guy in his 50s chasing women and men young enough to be his children.

It was okay, he told himself. Everything was going to be just ducky.

Steve arrived with Sunset’s mother and father and a train of bridesmaids in awful, garish purple dresses. He started pairing off the groomsmen and bridesmaids with military precision. He nodded to an usher, who held out an arm to escort Sunset’s mother to her seat. He signaled Rhodey to start walking, and then Tony.

Last night at the rehearsal, the aisle had seemed a reasonably short distance to walk. Today, the aisle stretched the distance from New York to California and took as long to walk down it.

Tony could hear the whispers around him, some doubting, some surprised. Rhodey and the minister smiled at him encouragingly.

He reached his designated seat just Steve sent off the paired groomsmen and bridesmaids down the aisle. They were shortly followed by the flower girl and the ring bearer.

The ring bearer was not the same kid as the one at the rehearsal. For one thing, he had brown hair and five less years. Huh, Sunset must have made good on her threat to replace the ring bearer.

Rhodey nudged him, since, apparently, Sunset was ready to walk down the aisle. He looked down the aisle and could hear an expectant hush spread from pew to pew like wildfire.

He glanced over at Rhodey, who nodded at him. Then Tony picked out Pepper and Happy sitting in the second row. Pepper had a decidedly worried look on her face.

The doors at the back of the church opened and Tony could see a glowing Steve in a tuxedo framed in lights in the entryway. His heart skipped a beat seeing Steve standing there.

For a second, Tony had a fleeting fantasy that Steve was about to join Tony up at the altar.

Steve stepped back out of the light and Tony glimpsed Sunset adjusting her dress, scowling and pointing angrily at her maid of honor.

Tony looked back at Pepper, a sudden joyful smile on her face as Happy whispered in her ear.

Dammit, he might have been lost, lonely and foolish, but he wanted so badly to have what Pepper had in her life. And Sunset was not going to be that person.

He never did things by halves. He considered a second, then looked at Rhodey, who looked at him quizzically. Tony whispered, “I can’t do this.”

Instead of dashing out a side exit, Tony marched down the aisle, never even hearing the people calling after him. As he reached the entryway, he nearly ran into Sunset.

Looking her in the eye, he choked out, “I ... can’t. I just can’t. I’m sorry,” and then bolted outside.

Of course, he didn’t have a plan and had no idea where he was going to. He’d have to hoof it back to the hotel and sort it all out there.

Fortunately, Happy had followed him out of the church.

“Over here, boss,” he said, tugging on a stunned Tony’s arm. He jumped in and started the town car. Rolling down his window, he shouted, “Get in.”

Tony didn’t need to be told twice. He hopped into the back.

“Home, Happy, take me home.”

Chapter Text

Tony spent two days holed up in his apartment, allowing only Pepper and Rhodey in to see him. Rhodey showed up with alcohol and pizza and a list of bad movies to watch. Tony had no end of appreciation that Rhodey didn’t ask any questions about why he had fled his own wedding. They had a grand time of it until Rhodey had to leave.

Sunset replied to Tony’s numerous texts and voicemail after she returned from what would have been their honeymoon. She left a terse voicemail directing Tony to meet her at her office. And that he should consider himself damn lucky that they weren’t meeting at her lawyer’s office instead.

Tony even showed up a little early at Baintronics. Pepper had talked him out of bringing “I’m sorry” flowers, with the reasoning that what Tony had done was beyond a flower apology. He was shown to a conference room by a security guard and left to cool his heels for a half-hour.

An admin arrived with a box of Tony’s things he had left at Sunset’s apartment. Then she took his coffee order and scurried off. Tony was sorting through the box as Sunset strode into the room.

She coldly stared at him for a minute, then sat down. “Tony,” she finally said.

“Sunset,” he replied. He put the cover back on the box and sat down across the table.

“Why did you do it?” she asked brusquely. “I can’t even …. “

“Running out of the church might have been a bit much,” Tony conceded. “I panicked. But anyone would say that you could do better than me. And I could do better than you. We’re not a good fit in any way possible. I should have realized that sooner.”

Sunset cocked her head to the side and studied Tony for a while. She sighed and clasped and unclasped her hands.

“Tony, I don’t know what you expected. At all. Ever. I put my cards on the table, and have no idea why you think we couldn’t be magnificent together.” She shook her head slowly.

“Passion. For something. For anything. Respect. Love. Actual interest in other people. Lots of things.” Tony rubbed the back of his neck. “There are all sorts of reasons why, Sunset. We were a bad idea from the beginning, and I should never have let it get this far.”

“Arggh. Tony, honestly, I don’t know … For someone like you to suddenly get all idealistic about marriage and love -- frankly, it’s ridiculous. We have all the right ingredients for a good partnership.”

Pushing away from the table, she stated, “Well, if I can’t have the merger I want, through marriage to the guy I want, then I’ll just take your company the old-fashioned way. By burying you in the marketplace.”

She checked her tablet. “We’re done here, I see. You can tell your friends whatever you want, and I’ll tell my friends that you groveled and begged, and I refused to take you back.”

Then she stopped at the door and turned to Tony. “By the way, I’m going to sue Steve for everything’s he got, that little fucker. I suggest that if you don’t want to be humiliated in the press you either help me or stay out of my way.”

~~~~~

In September, Steve was back at the office working on the final details of his five fall weddings and dealing with the aftermath of the Bain-Stark wedding disaster.

One upside to the whole mess was the number of calls from interested potential clients, which was surprising. Sam pointed out that the tabloid and gossip sites stories included pictures of the church and the abandoned reception, so that’s why people were impressed with his work. The downside included meetings with a lawyer about the contracts for Bain-Stark wedding. Ordinarily, he would consider a lawsuit part of doing business, but there was a danger alarm going off in the back of his mind.

He began to pile up his work notes, contracts, and all the paperwork he could find for the Bain-Stark wedding for the lawyer to review. He found a rare note in Tony’s handwriting -- “No pink! Red preferred.”

Steve smiled slightly, remembering how Tony rushed past him, fleeing the wedding, and Sunset screaming at Tony to get his ass back in the church.

His friends had taken him out for consolation drinks a few days later to pump him for all the details. Clint and Sam had had their share of failed weddings, but usually the plans were called off before the actual wedding.

Over his third beer, Steve admitted that he had somehow known this would be the outcome, because he honestly did not see Tony and Sunset together. Or even understood why they got engaged to begin with.

Clint said, “People get lonely and make bad decisions. Happens all the time. Who wants another round of wings?”

Maybe that was it. Tony had just made a bad decision. It was easier to pay off the debt from a failed wedding than thousands to a divorce attorney. Yet, there was this tiny little hope in the corner of Steve’s mind that Tony was thinking of him when he ran from that wedding.

Steve could never, ever admit that he had that hope. It was ridiculous and without any foundation.

He threw the note back, tagged the pile for Maria to come and grab, and went off to find lunch.

Later, after another late night at work, Steve sat down with his warmed-up leftovers to catch up on sports. He was dozing off when his phone rang. “Steve here.”

“Hey, Steve, it’s Tony. Tony Stark.”

Steve sat up straight when he heard the voice. “Hi,” he replied hesitantly. “Um, can I help you with something?”

At the end of the line, Tony laughed, a rich resonant laugh that always intrigued Steve. “Sure. There’s this wedding –“

Steve groaned. Given the ongoing fallout from Tony’s failed wedding, he really didn’t want to hear about weddings and Tony in the same sentence anytime soon. “No, Tony, not up for that.”

Another laugh. “Would you be interested in lunch?”

Yes, yes, he would be interested in lunch but he didn’t want to sound too eager. “Sure, let me check my calendar. I’m booked for the next two weeks,” he replied regretfully.

“Ah, dinner then?”

“Schedule’s clear except for the next few weekends. The usual.”

“Tomorrow?”

Steve paused. Maybe he was reading into things, but he would bet everything that he owned that Tony sounded excited about dinner. “Yeah, I’m free.”

Then Steve had to ruin the mood. “Is this about anything in particular?”

“Can’t a guy ask a guy out to dinner? Or I do I need to wait for Ask A Guy Out day?”

Steve laughed. “I’m so rusty and out of practice –“

“I’m an engineer – I can help with that,” Tony replied. “I can work with rusty.”

Promising himself that he was not going to mention a thing to Sam and definitely not Clint, Steve set off for the restaurant where he was meeting Tony after work. The less his friends knew, the better off he was, and right now Steve could do without the teasing and well-meaning advice.

He checked himself in the bathroom mirror, brushing back his hair, adjusting his shirt and tie, and inspecting his teeth. He kept reminding himself that he shouldn’t have high hopes for the date, considering that Tony broke up with his fiancée about seven weeks ago.

But the way Tony laughed made Steve’s stomach flipflop.

Unexpectedly, Tony was already at the restaurant when Steve arrived. “Hey there, handsome,” Tony said with a broad smile.

From the minute he sat down to when Tony paid the check, they talked about everything from movies to books to Tony’s last trip to the latest gallery Steve visited. Steve wondered where this charming and attractive Tony had been hiding this past year.

Because he might be falling a little in love with this Tony. Okay, a lot.

Not that he hadn’t noticed or had some feeling for Tony from before, but Tony was sweeping him right off his feet. And Steve never even noticed what he had for dinner.

They lingered outside the restaurant door, still talking until Steve suggested going somewhere for coffee. They walked slowly along the street in the crisp early fall night, lost in their conversation and in each other.

Steve had lost his confidence years ago with dating. But Tony made it all so easy, and he didn’t even take his hand back when Steve brushed lightly against his fingers; instead, he opted to grab Steve’s hand in his.

He paused as they passed a small coffee shop. Steve smiled when Tony told him it was his favorite, and they went inside. The barista even knew Tony’s order before he said anything. The place was warm, inviting, and luckily, nearly empty.

Tony steered Steve over to the low plush-cushioned couches over in a corner. They talked for another two hours, Steve basking in Tony’s attention. He could sit there all night if it meant that he had Tony all to himself.

“Are you free to hang out some more?” Tony asked. “You’re always busy with work.” He looked down at his pants and picked at invisible lint.

Steve always had work to do. He had a rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday and a wedding on Saturday, needed to finalize details for three upcoming weddings, and work on vendors, locations and schedules for an additional six. He probably should be back at the office right now, in fact.

But he spoke without thinking, “Work can wait.”

The night manager eventually asked them to leave when the place closed at eleven. Steve had no idea that the time had flown by so fast. They were both reluctant to call it a night. Steve suggested an all-night diner.

“Maybe we could go somewhere else? More comfortable, less diner-y?” Tony asked. “Like my place?”

Panicked, Steve froze. He remembered in detail Tony’s Architectural Digest apartment with the art and the stunning view of the city. The night had gone so well, and he really didn’t want to mess it up because he was awkward when it came to romance.

Tony drew a circle on Steve’s knee and looked up him through his long eyelashes. “My apartment’s only a few blocks from here. And the night’s still young. Though I know that sounds like a line, it isn’t.”

“You didn’t like me much last year,” Steve said.

“I’ve been known to make mistakes. It happens from time to time,” Tony replied. “And Pepper’s like my sister – I didn’t want her wedding to get screwed up.”

“I did okay,” Steve said defensively.

“You did better than okay, and I’m betting you’re good at more than arranging processions,” Tony replied. His heated gaze swept over Steve.

Feeling a rising pulse of desire, Steve leaned forward and lifted Tony’s chin, his thumb brushing against his beard. Tony closed his eyes, waiting for Steve to lean closer.

“Hey, we have to close, like, now!” the manager yelled from the counter.

They jerked apart and jumped up. Grinning at Steve, Tony gathered up his coat. “So, was that you taking me up on my offer?”

Steve bit his lip while he put on his coat. “Come on,” he said as he steered Tony to the door. “Let’s go.”

Tony didn’t bother to text Happy, but flagged down a taxi instead and pulled Steve into the backseat. Steve landed on a laughing Tony. Giddy with joy, Steve snared Tony in his arms and kissed Tony for the first time. Tony tasted like coffee and kissed better than Steve ever imagined. Steve closed his eyes as Tony pressed the tip of his warm tongue against his chapped lips. Steve felt himself surrendering to Tony’s passionate assault, and then the taxi stopped abruptly.

Tony couldn’t take his hands off Steve, even after they were dropped off on the sidewalk in front of Stark Tower. Struggling to keep an arm or hand on Steve, Tony finally found his keycard after turning out all his pockets.

“I never come in through this way at night. There’s this underground garage where I park the cars and have a private elevator,” he apologized.

Steve pressed his lips to the side of Tony’s neck and squeezed his waist while Tony swiped the card. He loved Tony’s cologne faintly redolent on his skin, and how Tony shivered when Steve put an arm around him.

Maybe he was ready for this. He had been alone too long, and even though Tony had not mentioned the wedding at all during the evening, he wasn’t entirely sure of what Tony might want from him. He hoped for at least a second date, he could scarcely hope for more. Yet, here they were moving fast, and Steve didn’t want to slow down.

Once inside the apartment, Tony pushed Steve up against the wall and kissed him like he hadn’t kissed anyone in years. Dazed, Steve could barely keep up with Tony’s roaming hands, and his knees nearly gave way when Tony bit his lip.

He froze when Tony began to unbutton his shirt. So long since anyone had touched Steve this way, or wanted to, and he didn’t want to disappoint Tony, who clearly had talent.

Tony put his forehead on Steve’s. “What’s the matter, baby? Everything okay?” He put a hand on Steve’s hip, a couple of fingers slipping under the waistband.

“I, um, I’m a little out of practice,” Steve stammered out. Tony felt so so good against him, the warmth of his fingers burning like a brand on his skin. God, he wanted this and him so much, and what if he had performance issues ….

“Don’t worry.” Tony brushed his mouth over Steve’s lips. “We can take it slow. You’re so perfect, Steve, I just – god – I just want to make you happy. Let me.” He rubbed his hand down Steve’s hip and thigh and slotted his leg between Steve’s, drawing a low groan from Steve.

“Don’t want to disappoint you,” Steve gasped out. He pulled Tony closer, wrapping his arms around his waist, finally getting a chance to grope his shapely ass like he had wanted to for a long time.

Tony pulled away and cupped Steve’s face in his hands. “You can’t and you won’t. Don’t think like that,” he said, his dark eyes blazing into Steve’s. He kissed Steve fiercely and tugged him off the wall.

“Bedroom, now. Or else we’re not going to make it there.”

In the morning, Steve woke up later than usual. He felt pleasantly achy and lazy. Still sleepy, he wasn’t sure at first what day it was or where he was, until he rolled over and found Tony stretched out on the other side of the bed. He grinned.

So, last night did happen, after all. It wasn’t some sort of dream.

He nudged Tony. “Good morning,” he said kissing Tony’s shoulder and the back of his neck.

“Ugh, what time is it?” Tony complained, but there was a lighter, happy tone in his voice.

Steve ran his hand over Tony’s hip. He liked the look of Tony’s olive complexion against his own paler skin. He hoped he’d get a chance to see Tony like this again. “6:30.”

“Too damn early.”

“I have to go to work,” Steve said. “Sorry to have to leave.”

Tony rolled over to face Steve with a smile that reached his half-lidded, still sleepy eyes. “Breakfast and a shower before you go?”

“Sounds good,” Steve agreed and kissed Tony before leaving the bed.

After breakfast, they sat together on the couch, where Tony kissed Steve, slow and lazy, their lips sliding easy against each other, a little wave of pleasure washing over him again and again. Steve carded his hand through Tony’s thick hair, enjoying his weight in his arms, and hoping that someone would call and let him know that work was called off for the day. Then he could just sit on the couch with Tony in his arms and look at the skyline all day.

“Where have you been all my life?” he asked, rubbing Tony’s arm.

“Manhattan,” Tony said. “Right around the corner.”

“Really? Hard to believe we never ran into each one before,” Steve said slyly. He played with Tony’s hair, lifting locks and then letting them slide through his fingers.

“Hah, and I thought bad pickup lines were my thing. Do you really have to go into work?”

Sighing, Steve disentangled himself from a protesting Tony. Reluctantly, he stood up . “I really need to go.”

“We should have dinner again. Soon,” Tony said.

“Yeah, of course,” Steve replied. He bent down, brushed his hair back and planted a kiss on Tony’s forehead.

“I’ll call.” Tony picked up his phone. “Happy can drive you to work or your apartment, wherever you want to go.”

At work that day, Steve kept thinking about Tony. He had texted him a couple of times without an answer. He really shouldn’t be worried that maybe he wasn’t going to see Tony again. But he couldn’t deny that he would be very disappointed if somehow this whole thing fell apart, and all he had was a memory of his one night with Tony. A brief interlude, not even long enough to call a love affair.

Despite the demands of his work and the need for all his attention, Steve dreaded going back to his empty apartment after work was over. Not after he glimpsed what life might be like with someone like Tony in it.

Chapter Text

The day after his date with Steve, Pepper sprung a surprise meeting with his lawyer on Tony. Feeling distracted and not exactly on his game, he tried to get out of it.

“Is it about the patent application? Or is a merger?” he asked.

Pepper replied. “No, Tony, it’s about Steve and Sunset.”

Immediately he sat up straight. “What?”

Before Pepper could reply, he noticed his personal attorney had arrived, and not the team of corporate lawyers. So this was something serious.

Jay the Attorney sat down in the chair across from Tony’s desk. He explained, “To be brief and to the point, Sunset Bain is suing Steve Rogers and the Avengers Group for breach of contract, pain and suffering, and alienation of affection.”

“What? Is this some sort of 18th century novel?” a shocked Tony asked. Bewildered, he looked over at Pepper, who shrugged.

“No, she’s quite serious about it.” Jay pulled out a pile of paper, which Tony estimated was at least five inches thick. “The pain and suffering claim will likely be thrown out. It’s a contracts case, really. I’m not sure about the alienation of affection.”

“But, why me?”

“She’s subpoenaing you,” Jay answered, looking at Tony over his glasses. “Her lawyers want to interview you about Steve and why you left her at the altar.” Clicking his pen, the lawyer flipped through his legal pad. “From my understanding of the briefs, she is arguing that Steve, the wedding planner, seduced you while planning your wedding, and that he failed to provide what the contract required in quality of product and timeliness and the groom.”

“And?” Tony burned with anger that Sunset was attempting to use him against Steve.

“She states that you were part of the planning process and can speak to Steve’s poor work. She also claims that you tried to get Pepper to not hire Steve due to his inexperience.”

“You told her that?” Pepper asked, outraged. She glared at Tony. “Steve did a great job!”

Tony shook his head. He said sheepishly, “I didn’t want you to hire Steve because I knew that he’d do a good job, and I was upset about you getting married, Pep. Not my finest moment, I admit.”

Jay exchanged a long-suffering look with Pepper. “What do you want to do, Tony? We’re not expected to go to court on this – all you need to do is provide a taped deposition. Both sets of lawyers will of course question you about the particulars.”

“Sunset threatened me if I went against her when she sued Steve.” Tony put his fingers together and leaned back into his chair.

“That’s helpful,” the lawyer observed drily. “My client being threatened always makes me sleep better at night. What did she say exactly?”

“It was kind of vague,” Tony admitted. “She threatened to humiliate me in the press. And left the rest to my imagination.”

Pepper snorted. “Doubt that she could do that. Most of the world’s already seen your YouTube videos.”

“I was thinking of Steve. She’ll try to drive him out of business.” Tony could picture the headlines. Wedding Planner Steals Groom, something like that. The Bugle could be pretty imaginative.

“He’s in good hands with the firm representing him,” the lawyer said. “But back to you. Who are you backing, Steve or Sunset?”

“Steve. He did a great job, and although I wasn’t involved in the wedding planning – Sunset wouldn’t let me make any decisions – I saw enough to see that he did a great job.”

Jay pulled together his paperwork. “And, Tony, is there anything else I should know?” He gave Tony a knowing look.

“Yes. I went on a date with Steve last night. And it might be serious.”

The lawyer slumped a little. “Okay, that’s helpful, Tony. Thanks for telling me now, so I don’t have to find out from the internet or through discovery. My people will be in touch, Pepper, regarding the deposition.”

Once Jay left, Pepper exclaimed. “You should’ve told me! Happy and I’ve been waiting for a dog’s age to see if you or Steve would actually make a move.”

Tony sighed. “It was only one date, Pep. No guarantees.”

“You never know,” she said with a sly smile. “I suspect you have a major in already.”

~~~~~

One week later, on the same day he returned from a business trip to Japan, Tony found himself in a conference room talking to a lot of lawyers about Sunset and the wedding. One benefit to the deposition was that Tony found out what happened to the original ring bearer (he was replaced by a cuter, younger kid), why Steve had been covered in paint with grass stains on his jeans (he had to fix up the gazebo near the reception – Sunset thought it looked shabby), and everything that Steve had done for planning the wedding (an ungodly amount of work).

Steve’s lawyers didn’t have many questions for Tony, apart from brief ones regarding the wedding planning. Tony answered as directly as he could – that Steve did as Sunset asked, that he worked hard, and that he executed the requests and planned the event.

However, Sunset’s lawyers hammered him hard with questions about his relationship with Steve (only started a couple of months after the wedding), what exactly he knew about the wedding (not much, apparently) and why should Steve get paid for what little he did (he should get paid all the money).

Finally, one of Sunset’s lawyers, frustrated by Tony’s testimony, asked in sneering tone, “Why should we take you seriously at all? You weren’t aware of what was planned for your own wedding and you’re now dating your own wedding planner. Clearly you checked out when you began to be more interested in Steve than your fiancée.”

Tony paused and gathered himself. He actually had thought about this for a long time, and had an answer ready. He looked over at his own lawyer before answering.

“Earlier this year, one of my best friends got married, and I thought I’d be left behind. So I opted to settle for someone, anyone, so I wouldn’t be alone. Sunset was there, and at first, she seemed to fit the bill.”

Clearing his throat, Tony continued. “I didn’t like Steve, at first, because he was planning Pepper’s wedding. However, I didn’t leave Sunset because of Steve – I left because I could not get married to someone I didn’t love. Steve did an amazing job of planning that wedding. He deserves every penny his contract states. And, for the record, I’ve only had one date with Steve since calling off the wedding. Breaking up with Sunset was on me, not Steve. Steve was always professional, at all times.”

Sunset’s lawyers continued to push even harder, but Tony didn’t waver or change his testimony. In the end, it was his lawyer who suggested that they wrap up their questions, and Sunset’s lawyers gave in.

Pepper came up to him after the lawyers packed up and left. “Did you mean it, Tony? That you were going to miss me when I got married?”

Tony looked at the carpet and sighed. “I thought I was losing you, Pep. So I did what I do best – make bad decisions on no information whatsoever.”

Pepper hugged him. “If you’d told me–“

“I know, you’d have said that you weren’t going anywhere. But all I could think about was being left alone. For the rest of my life.”

“Well, at least you dodged a bullet there with Sunset. It’s not like you almost married her or anything.”

“I should’ve listened to you,” Tony admitted. “You saw right through her. And me.”

“You should always listen to me,” Pepper said firmly. “Always.”

“Honestly, the jury’s still out on that verdict. I have lingering doubts about your taste in coffee,” he answered.

She groaned. “One bad caramel latte, once, and you never forget.”

“I’m serious about my coffee,” Tony replied. He looked at the bright blue sky outside the conference room windows and thought immediately of Steve.

~~~~~

Messenger bag over his shoulder, coffee cup in hand, Steve arrived at his office after a morning filled with meetings. His cubicle was as organized and tidy as ever, but now was decorated with a few of his framed drawings. He checked his phone hoping for a text from Tony since Tony was due back from his business trip any day now.

Sam dropped by to compare notes about one of Sam’s upcoming events. “Heard from the lawyers yet?” he asked.

“Looks like the alienation of affection claim was dropped. And the lawyers say that Sunset might settle on the breach of contract or even drop that too.”

Apparently, Tony’s deposition went very well in Steve’s favor.

Sam punched Steve’s shoulder. “Great news. We should go out and celebrate tonight.”

“Sounds good. Around 6?”

“Wait -- you’re not planning to work until midnight? One date with Tony and this miracle happens?” Sam asked.

“It’s not what you think -- what’s going on?” Steve and Sam turned to see what the commotion was.

“It’s coming from the front door. Come on,” Sam said.

All the associates began to gather near the front of Avengers office to watch a number of jumpsuited delivery people bringing in several large balloon bouquets. They were followed by a mariachi band in gold and red uniforms who broke out their instruments and set up in the reception area just inside the office’s front doors. An annoyed Maria demanded to know what going on.

The lead delivery man checked a form in his hand and asked, “Steve Rogers here?”

Jaw dropped, Steve exchanged a confused look with Sam, Natasha and Clint. “Um, I’m Steve,” he said stepping forward.

The mariachi band began to play a traditional serenade while the delivery people arranged the balloon bouquets in a half circle around the band and left. Completely at a loss for words, Steve counted up to nearly a hundred multi-colored balloons. The music was absolutely wonderful though, and the band played a set of three songs. After applause, one of the singers put down his instrument. He took out an index card and read, “Tony says: Hello, boyfriend, I’m back, and ready to rock ‘n’ roll.”

“Um, wow. Gosh,” Steve stammered. Overwhelmed, he ran his hand through his hair. He noticed Tony, a worried look on his face, loitering outside the door. Steve melted. But he looked over at Sam before cancelling out on him.

“Hey, I’ve been trying to get you to go out for years. We can go for beer another time,” Sam replied resoundingly. He slapped Steve on the back.

While his friends watched in utter surprise, Steve stepped through the doors and gave a relieved Tony a big kiss.

“Hello, boyfriend,” Steve said. He turned and pulled Tony into the office with him.

After introducing Tony to everyone, Steve stood with his arm around Tony’s waist as they listened to another round of songs from the band.

Tony asked, “Can we go on that date now?”

“Give me a half hour and I’m all yours.”

Tony held court in the reception area, checking his messages and talking to Steve’s friends. Steve made arrangements with Natasha to give the balloons to a couple of children’s charities, save for a few bouquets. And Clint exchanged business cards with the band for future events. After a few calls to vendors and clients, Steve showed off his cubicle to Tony. Then they were ready to go.

Waiting for a delivery van to take the balloons away, Sam pondered, “I wonder, is it always going to be like this if Steve gets serious with Tony?”

Natasha laughed. “I’ll take the occasional crazy-and-over-the-top over the dedicated moping around anytime.”

~~~~~

That night Steve curled up with Tony in bed at Tony’s apartment. Sated and lazy, he listened to Tony’s steady heartbeat against his skin. He couldn’t imagine a better sound.

Caressing Tony’s hip, he said, “All you had to do was text me to ask me out again.”

“You didn’t like the band?”

“Oh, the band was wonderful.” He nosed Tony’s wavy hair scented with sandalwood from his shampoo.

“I shouldn’t have sent the band or the balloons. I mean, it made sense late last night after all the coffee.”

Steve pulled Tony closer and nibbled his ear lobe. “Tony, I liked the band. But you didn’t have to show off for me. I’m sold on you.”

He ran a hand down Tony’s back, earning a shiver for his efforts, and rested his hand just above the curve of Tony’s ass.

“Have I told you how amazing you are?”

“Pretty loudly about half an hour ago,” Steve teased.

Tony leaned his head into the crook of Steve’s shoulder, having already claimed it as his special spot, snuggling further into Steve’s warmth, enjoying his arms around him. “Well, you are. The paparazzi will love you. The golden boy who finally caught Tony Stark in his net.”

“I could pass on that.”

“What? You don’t like being my boytoy?”

Steve chuckled. “You couldn’t pay my rates.”

“I could bribe you with a trip to Florence or Paris. Bet you’d cave then.”

“Nah, I have integrity,” Steve replied. He pinched Tony’s hip, causing him to yelp. “Can’t be bought.”

“Uh-huh. Will you work for kisses though?” He leaned up and kissed the tip of Steve’s nose.

“Maybe. Depends on the quality. And quantity.”

Tony sighed contently. “Guess I’ve got my orders.” He shifted so he could lie more comfortably in Steve’s arms. “You know, I wouldn’t give this up for all the money in the world.”

“Really?” Steve replied fondly.

“Yeah, I’m glad I found you, even if it meant Pepper getting married, and me almost having to.”

“Is that all?”

“I’m not in an After-School special, am I? All about lessons learned and all that?” Tony murmured. “I’m here with you, and I’m not planning on leaving anytime soon. Or ever.”

“Good. Because you’re stuck with me now, for movies, car shows, coffee, and robot invasions,” Steve replied. “Just please don’t send me a hundred balloons again.” He kissed Tony’s temple.

“Spoilsport. Those were the best balloons I could find at 3 am in the morning.”

~~~~~

When Steve finally got the chance to plan his own wedding, he thought simple and elegant at first, maybe a beach wedding in Maine or North Carolina. But in the end, he went with a courthouse wedding.

He put the effort into planning the honeymoon in the Bahamas instead. Tony bought a condo specifically for that purpose.

Steve put on a tux and let Sam fix his boutonniere in the courthouse bathroom before joining Tony, Pepper, Happy and Rhodey in the waiting room. His event planner friends were hard at work organizing the reception at Stark Tower according to Tony’s mysterious plans. Steve suspected Metallica and AC/DC songs were involved, maybe even fireworks. Tony’s motto definitely was go big or go home. Natasha wished Steve luck as she kicked him out of the Tower.

“It’s a surprise, Steve, you’re not supposed to know about it. Come back married and you’ll find out,” she said as she saw Steve eyeing some crates in the Tower lobby.

“Stop fussing,” Sam said. He managed to finally pin the boutonniere in place.

“Am I doing the right thing?” Steve asked.

“You’ve been floating on air since you met Tony, you smile every time he texts, and you actually seem happy, which is a miracle in its itself,” Sam replied.

“Actually, I was wondering if I made the right decision about doing the courthouse wedding and not having some big event.”

“Oh, please,” Sam snorted. “With your schedule and Tony’s, you never had the time to plan a huge wedding. And you didn’t want my help.” He stepped back and looked over Steve. “You look presentable enough to get married now.”

“Thanks,” Steve replied drily.

When Steve joined Tony in front of the judge, he smiled at Tony, who hadn’t stopped beaming all day. Sam and Rhodey, dressed in regular suits, stood by Tony and Steve as the best men while Pepper, in her best designer suit with Happy by her side, stood behind them.

“Ready?” Steve asked. He still couldn’t believe that he was about to marry the man of his dreams. And Tony looked like he had stepped right out of the movies in his tuxedo, his beard trimmed and hair styled perfectly.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Still have time to flee,” Steve teased.

Tony looked horror-stricken. “No, I would never –!”

“Gentlemen?” the judge asked.

Steve clasped Tony’s hand. “Go ahead.”

Listening to the judge, Steve thought about how a wedding was just an event, while marriage was the long-term project commitment, building a partnership with the one you love and entwining your lives together.

Yeah, he didn’t need the extravagant, formal wedding or the small, intimate garden wedding. All he needed was Tony.

Though Tony expected the party also. Steve could live with that.