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Only the noise of the dice rolling across the table shattered the silence of the blackout. Tony heard Rhodey set down his glass and then the click of Rhodey’s flashlight. It was only for a second, but it was enough for them to see the result.
Snake eyes.
Tony gulped down his whiskey — terrible, but it had been the best he could find and he wasn’t venturing out in London in the middle of a blackout just to find a better drink. He wasn’t drinking for the taste, after all: all he wanted was for his mind to be numb enough he could catch up on his sleep. He wiped his mouth off and tapped the table with his fingers. ‘Is that good or bad?’
‘I think I forgot the rules around three glasses ago.’
A groan came from the lone bed. ‘Then, can you two go to sleep?’
‘Sorry, Pep,’ he whispered. ‘But we can’t…’
Knock.
A loud bang at the door. Pepper grabbed her gun from under the pillow. Rhodey stood up.
Knock. Rhodey next to the door, with his gun. Tony took his own revolver from his holster.
Knock. He settled it on the table and pointed Rhodey’s flashlight at the door.
‘Come on in,’ he said, slurring his words just enough to give the impression he was drunk.
The door opened bit by bit — and on the other side, there was a tall blond man that Tony had never seen in his life before. If he had, he’d remember. The man coughed. ‘Eh. Sorry for… interrupting?’
An obvious New York accent. If the guy was a Nazi, he was a damn fine actor. ‘Oh, not really. We were missing one player for bridge.’
The guy laughed and the clear, loud laughter rang a bell in Tony’s mind. He hadn’t quite placed it, but it warmed his chest like apple pie or a summer afternoon did.
I don’t know how to play bridge, but I’m a fast learner.’
The confidence — that could be arrogance, but that was offset by a kind, simple charisma — was damn familiar. He narrowed his eyes. ‘… Captain?’
‘Oh, wow,’ the man said and his shoulders relaxed. ‘I thought you hadn’t… yes. I’m sorry, you said that I… but I didn’t know… I can leave.’
Tony almost tripped over Rhodey’s chair as he ran to the door. ‘No! I mean… welcome. Sorry, didn’t recognize you for a second.’ Up close and without his cowl, Captain America was even prettier than Tony had imagined. A strong jaw, full lips, gorgeous cheekbones, and sparkling blue eyes. ‘Come on in before the Nazis kill us.’
The Captain smiled, then, and it was such a sunny smile that Tony’s heart almost healed itself. ‘Fury would hate it,’ he said and winked. The Captain lowered his voice then, to a hush that not even Rhodey would hear.’ ‘I thought we had discussed something about making my dreams a reality?’
The dice lay forgotten on the table, but it seemed Tony had won the game after all.