Chapter Text
Steve Rogers let himself collapse on his couch in his New York city loft, being careful not to drop the plate he was carrying. He’d had another late night at the office and was only now getting home. Making dinner had taken the edge off – cooking always had that effect on him – and he felt somewhat more like himself. He picked up his phone and dialed the number for his mother’s bakery. He put the call on speaker so he could eat while they spoke.
Days and weeks like he’d had recently made him wish she wasn’t quite as far away, but with the holidays approaching, at least he knew he’d get to see her then.
“Sarah’s bakery, how may I direct your call?” a joyful male voice answered, throwing Steve for a loop – why did it sound so familiar?
“Um, hi. Is Sarah there?”
Steve heard a quiet gasp on the line before the person finally replied. “Yeah- Yes. Yes she is. Please hold.”
He heard his mother laugh and the male voice groan before she picked up the phone.
“Hey Ma, happy birthday.”
“Steve, I’m so happy you called! Thanks, sweetie.”
Steve got caught up on his mom’s day, all the people that had stopped by to wish her a happy birthday and some of the fun gifts she had gotten, yes including the new cookbook Steve had found for her – a special edition of one she had used when she was younger and had lost in one of her moves.
“Who was that, the guy that answered the phone?” Steve finally asked when he heard the same voice in the background again, tugging at something in his memories.
“Oh, I thought you knew, that was-“ before she could answer, he heard a sound akin to a cat hissing and muffled protests. “I’m just renting out the upstairs office. They answered for me, since my hands were dirty when the phone rang. No big deal. How’s Sharon?”
Steve decided to let it go at the obvious change in topic from his mom, but the familiarity of that voice kept nagging at the back of his mind. “She’s doing okay. We, um. She broke up with me. Last week.”
“Oh, Steve. You should have told me, I’m sorry.”
“Nah, it’s fine. And. I wanted to call. Things have just been… busy. Part of the reason she ended it.”
Steve recounted some of the events of the past few months, how his new boss – Mr. Pierce – kept making these crazy demands with even more ludicrous turn around times that then went ignored when met. Which had meant he had missed more dates than he cared to quantify, including having to cancel his trip home for Thanksgiving. He omitted the part where he really hadn’t blamed Sharon for breaking things off, he had been a horrible boyfriend the past few weeks. And he didn’t mention how miserable he’d been since Pierce had taken over his section of the branch. He didn’t need to worry his mom with any of that right now.
“Sounds like there’s a lot going on,” Sarah added when Steve had trailed off. “You don’t have to come home for Christmas this year if it’ll be too much.”
“No,” Steve exclaimed. “I am not staying here alone for Christmas. I need a break from this place. I miss you. I miss home. I just-”
Steve stopped himself before everything came spilling out. He looked out the window at the city’s skyline, barely covered in snow even this close to Christmas. This was supposed to be his home, the life he’d chosen, and yet felt the furthest thing from it lately.
“I’ll be home as soon as I can,” he finally said, the words settling something in him. “Enough about me. What’s this year’s birthday intention?”
“Well, I was going to wait until you were here for the holidays to tell you, but… I’m selling the bakery.”
Steve was quiet for a few long breaths, not sure he had heard properly. “You’re- did you say selling?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, kiddo. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now and it feels right, you know? I love this place, that will never change, but I’m not getting any younger. And it’s become obvious the spark isn’t quite there anymore.”
Steve groaned. “If this is about the cookies-“
“It isn’t,” Sarah laughed. “Well, not just that.”
Steve rolled his eyes at no one in particular. “There is no such thing as magical cookies, mom.”
“Just because your wish somehow didn’t come true doesn’t mean it isn’t real, Scroogey McGrinch,” Sarah reminded him for the umpteenth time. “It feels like the right time, Steve. Something is telling me this is the time to do it. That it’ll all be okay in the end.”
“If things aren’t going well and you need money-“
“Steve, it’s not that. The place is doing great, actually. Makes it easier to sell this way. I would have told you if we were in trouble. It just feels like this place is ready for its next adventure. And, I think I am too.”
Steve couldn’t begin to imagine his mom’s bakery not being a staple of visits back home, but she sounded confident in her decision. “If you’re sure that’s what you want, I support you. Hey, I can try and come down a bit earlier, help you with the paperwork, save you that expense at least.”
“That’s not necessary. I mean, I’ll never say no to seeing more of you, but I’ve got help already. If all goes well, it should be listed by the end of the week.”
“Do they know what they’re doing? Ma, I do this kind of thing all the time. And I know the bakery really well.” Steve tried to not sound too skeptical, but he did worry about his mother, and felt slightly guilty that he’d up and moved to the big city when he did. He knew he hadn’t left her completely alone, but it had been just the two of them for so long growing up, part of him couldn’t help but feel this way. This was something he could help with and surely he had more experience than whomever she’d roped in from their small town.
“I promise, everything is fine, Stevie. I trust them, and they know this place as well as you do. We’re in good hands. Now, I do have to let you go, I need to finish the pastry for the apple turnovers before I head home. Call me when you know if you’ll be home for Christmas, okay?”
“I will. I’m definitely coming home for Christmas. Love you, Ma.”
“Love you too, sweetie.”
Tony Stark let himself collapse face first onto his cousin – and best friend’s – couch in Springerle. He’d been careful with the bag of treats Pepper had asked him to bring back from the bakery that day, knowing the wrath of a pregnant woman wasn’t worth his overly dramatic entrance into her home. One where she let him stay free of charge to boot after the disaster that had been his life in California.
“I thought I heard you come home,” she said, poking her head in from the hallway. “What’s with the collapse?”
“I spo- t-im t-ay.”
“I’m sorry, they didn’t teach couch mumble at UCLA.”
“It was an elective,” Tony grumbled as he rolled onto his side, still draped over the arm of the couch, and looked at Pepper as she walked slowly towards the couch to sit in the spot not occupied by Tony’s body. “I spoke to him today,” he repeated with a sigh.
“Ty called you?”
“No, not him. Steve Rogers.” He shuffled himself until his head was on Pepper’s lap, barely fitting there with the bump that seemed to have grown some more overnight. “He called the bakery to wish Sarah a happy birthday. We barely spoke 10 words to each other and it’s like I’m right back in high school.”
Tony remembered the last time he’d seen Steve Rogers like it was yesterday. He’d spent high school with his cousin’s family in Springerle after his mother had passed away and his dad was just too busy to give him the time of day. Pepper had been amazing, but it was Steve that he’d been able to confide in most once they’d met. Steve had gone through something similar as a child, losing his dad in middle school, and he understood Tony’s pain and grief in a way many other kids their age didn’t. Along the way, Tony had started falling for the blond haired, blue eyed, bean pole that was Steve Rogers, and he’d tried to tell him. Many times. But he could never make the words come out.
Before he went to California for Christmas break during their senior year, Tony wrote him a letter explaining how he felt. He’d tucked it into Steve’s backpack the day before he left and upon his return it was obvious Steve didn’t feel the same. He never acknowledged the love confession Tony had left him with, continuing their friendship as if nothing had been said. Which Tony decided was the best form of rejection, in a way. He still got to keep Steve in his life, even if it wasn’t how he’d hoped for it to end.
He’d last seen Steve on his 18th birthday. The day before Tony was moving back to California before he started at UCLA alongside Pepper. They were at Sarah’s, having some of her famous cookies. Most of their friends had left to go catch the start of the fireworks – one of the advantages of a birthday on the Fourth of July – but they’d stayed behind, engrossed in a conversation about the strategic advantages of using Ness versus Kirby in Super Smash Bros. Steve had looked at the cookie in his hands for a long moment before taking a bite.
“Did you make a wish?” Tony had asked him.
Steve had huffed out a humourless laugh. “I can’t get what I want. Kinda pointless really.”
“I doubt that’s true.”
“So, you’re not moving away tomorrow?”
For a brief moment, Tony thought there was more to the question. Something Steve wasn’t asking. Like it wasn’t just about him moving away, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask what he really wanted to ask.
“You’re moving to New York in a couple of weeks too,” Tony had answered, knowing anything else he said would betray how badly he didn’t want to move away from Steve either.
Steve hadn’t answered, just looked at him with an intensity Tony hadn’t seen in him before. Just as he’d started speaking, James Barnes had barged in telling them to get their asses outside, the fireworks were starting. Steve had gotten up, held his hand for Tony to take, and they’d gone outside together.
Steve stood behind him as they’d watched the fireworks, his arms wrapped around Tony’s shoulders. Tony never knew if he’d imagined Steve kissing his hair that night and whispering that he’d miss him, but part of him hoped it was real. When the lights and sounds settled back to darkness, he’d kissed Steve’s cheek, wished him happy birthday again, and let Pepper drag him home.
“I never understood why you two didn’t stay in touch,” Pepper mused, breaking him away from his memories.
“We tried, but we were both too busy with school and then we each stayed away from this place. Steve hates social media, so we didn’t even have that. Long distance friendship wasn’t meant to be.” Tony sighed sadly. “I was so sure I was over him, Pep. Sarah talks about him all the time and I was absolutely fine. Heard his voice through a scratchy landline and it all got shot to shit.”
“Who knows, maybe your timing will be better this time? I have a good feeling about this.”
“You sound like Sarah and the bakery sale. Besides, it can’t work if I take that job I applied to. And even if I don’t, Steve’s still in New York. We couldn’t stay in touch before, this would be so much worse.” Tony sat himself up on the couch and gave Pepper his best smile. “Let’s forget about my high school crush for a bit. What are we doing for dinner?”
“I’d started chopping veggies to roast, and I have chicken in the air fryer. There’s that Christmas movie with the cats and the hot firefighter on tonight,” she waggled her brows for effect.
“It’s like we’re besties or something, suggesting exactly what I need,” Tony teased as he got up and helped Pepper off the couch. “Well, I got dessert, so it sounds like we’re all set.”